“Alright, now that you're part of the Canterlot Saints, it is about time I teach you the basics of being a human. But even more important than that, it's time I teach you the basics of being a gangster.”

Twilight was seated in a chair facing the front of Sunset’s desk like she had just been summoned to the principal's office. Twilight could not say she was familiar with the feelings presented to her by this scenario, she having been a model student in every institution she ever attended, but she appreciated the comparison to school Sunset was creating. She easily excelled in school, so she was hopeful that she’d easily excel in this.

Sunset reached into a drawer on the backside of her desk and pulled out a royal purple bandana with white fleur-de-lis symbols printed on it. “First off, you need to know who your friends are.” She pointed at the bandana for emphasis, “Anyone who’s wearing excessive amounts of this color or brandishing this symbol are members of the Canterlot Saints. They will help you if you ever get in a jam or if crazy motherfuckers are trying to kill you. Obviously it goes without saying, but you will also need to wear the same gang colors or brandish the symbol so they will recognize you.” Sunset reached and lifted her skirt a little bit to show of a purple fleur-de-lis printed on her upper right leg. “Saints will also have this tattoo printed somewhere on their body. This is used solely to prove you are unquestionably with the Saints.”

Twilight felt like she was being quizzed for a test. This was good, because she was excellent at memorizing material for tests. Twilight smiled confidently at Sunset, “That makes perfect sense, Sunset. May I please have a notepad so I can write that down?”

Sunset bitch-slapped Twilight. The ex-princess shrieked in pain and caressed her cheek. “OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” She complained.

“Gangsters don’t say please.” She slapped her again. “Also they don’t take notes.”

“Couldn’t you have just told me that?” Twilight asked while she whimpered.

“Just be glad I’m the one telling you this.” Sunset said as she leaned back on her desk. “If you were that polite with a random gangster on the street, they’d likely see you as an easy target and pull you behind a dumpster to mug you. Or worse...”

The tone of Sunset’s voice sent a shiver down Twilight’s spine. She chose not to think about what “or worse” meant in this context.

“This place isn’t Equestria, Twilight. It isn’t sunshine, rainbows, and tea parties. People die here... almost every day. Out here you either keep your head down and hope for the best or you fight to survive, and if you want your crown back you’re going to have to do the latter.” Twilight was trembling. Sunset let out a sigh. She kneeled down and placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder sympathetically, “Listen I know what I’m telling you is scary. You have a right to be scared.” Sunset stood up and walked to the window. She motioned her hand to the world outside for emphasis, “The shit that happens in this city is scary. But if we’re going to fix it, you're gonna have to toughen up. I will help you, and I promise the other Saints will too. But ultimately, if you want to see the end of the day, that’s gonna be up to you. Okay?”

Twilight looked down at the floor, feeling extremely overwhelmed. She wasn’t expecting so much violence from a world that looked so much like her own. She almost felt like she couldn’t handle this. She was afraid she was going to die. But then she looked up at Sunset and thought about her words, and she soon realized, she didn’t have a choice. All she could do was do what Sunset said and try her best to survive.

Twilight was not looking forward to the next thirty days she would have to spend in this world. Begrudgingly, Twilight nodded her head and replied, “Okay.”

Sunset gave her a warm smile and stood back up to her full height, “Good, glad to see were on the same page now. Let’s continue on with the basics, shall we?”

For the next hour, Sunset taught Twilight all the basic information needed to better present herself in human society. Alongside this, they also practiced walking, so Twilight wouldn’t stumble over herself if she got in a fight; they also went over the colors of the rival gangs, so Twilight would know whom she would be getting in fights with; and finally they practiced how to fight in general, which could have gone better.

Twilight was breathing heavily with her fists raised in front of her face. Sunset had been beating her senseless since she told her they were going to spar. Her body was covered in bruises and the fighting techniques Sunset had briefly shown her were doing nothing to help her turn the fight in her favor.

Sunset bounced on her feet with her fists raised in a similar position. “Come on, Twilight! You haven’t even hit me yet. Are you even trying?”

“You keep moving away from me!” The princess complained.

“Yeah, I am.” Sunset said, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s called dodging. You should try it.” She thrusted her fists at Twilight, making her flinch. Sunset smirked and shook her head, “Alright, come here. I’ll give you one free shot. Make it count.”

Twilight looked at her skeptically, but stepped closer nevertheless. Sunset didn’t move, giving Twilight confidence in her teacher’s word. She got up close enough to Sunset to look her straight in the eyes. The gang leader nodded, giving Twilight the okay to continue with her attack. The princess gladly did so and pulled her arm back. She then shot her right fist forward and punched Sunset right in her left boob.

Sunset looked down at her fist and then back up at Twilight. “Is that it?” Twilight began to blush. “Are you trying to punch me or grope me?”

Twilight anxiously backed away from her, “I was… I was trying to… I didn’t mean…”

“You need to step up your game.” Sunset stated. “This is what a real punch feels like.”

Before Twilight could ask Sunset what she meant, the princess felt Sunset drive her fist straight into her jaw. Twilight was then sent spinning through the air, before landing face first on the ground behind her.

Sunset blinked and looked down at her now unconscious student. Not dissimilar to a child who had just broken their parent’s favorite vase, an expression of guilt soon spread across Sunset’s face. There was only one phrase she could think of that fit this situation… “Oops.”

Sunset crouched down and lifted Twilight up so she could support herself on her shoulder. The princess groaned as she was carried out of the office and towards the sermon hall. Sunset chuckled apologetically, “I’m sorry I went a little ape shit on you back there. I forgot for a second you were a rookie. On the bright side, at least your bruises look authentic.”

She plopped Twilight down on one of the couches in the sermon hall. “I know that might sound mean, but trust me when I say you’ll be happy that you have them. The other members of the crew won’t want to work with you unless you’ve been canonized first. It’s sort of an initiation thing we have in place to make sure new recruits are tough enough to roll with our gang. It’s stupid I know.”

Twilight rubbed her palm against the right side of her jaw. It still felt sore from that right hook Sunset had given her. She didn’t reply to Sunset’s comment, but it was clear by the look on her face that she wholeheartedly agreed that the initiation was stupid.

“We’ll have to work on your hand-to-hand. If you ever get in danger you’ll need a way to protect yourself since we can’t use magic in this world.” Sunset brought her hand up and tapped her chin in thought, “Since we’re both ponies and I have more experience using a human body than you, I’ll be the one to train you in that regard.” Sunset turned her back to Twilight. “We’ll also need to buy you a piece, otherwise you won’t last a day in this city.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, “A piece? A piece of what?” She asked concernedly, “What’s a piece?”

“A piece is another word for a gun.” Twilight and Sunset heard another voice callout from the doorway on the left side of the room. Shining Armor entered and walked up to the back of the couch Twilight was sitting at, “More specifically, it normally refers to a gun that a person has a preference for or that holds some sort of sentimental value.” Shining chuckled, “Unless of course you’re Rainbow Dash, in which case, you name your guns like you’d would your own children.”

Sunset couldn’t help but let out a quick laugh as well, “Leave her alone, Shining. She only names them because she cares about them, and as long as that means she’ll keep them clean and working properly for firing at the other gangs, I have no problem with it.”

Shining took a drag of his joint before blowing out a puff of smoke. A large, shit-eating grin spread across his face from ear to ear, “Calm your tits, boss. You know I’m just giving her shit.”

Twilight was shocked by his language. Never in her life had she heard Shining Armor speak so vulgarly, especially to someone whom he took commands from. Members of the Royal Guard were normally trained to avoid swearing at all costs in order to present themselves as a respectable and professional organization. Her Shining Armor, of course, took these lessons to heart and refused to use any foul language since the day he became a private.

Twilight turned to look at Sunset, expecting to see a look of rage on the superior’s face. She, however, was flummoxed to find that Sunset was still smiling.

Shining leaned on the back cushions of the couch, causing Twilight to jump in surprise. He whistled as he got a closer look at her, “Damn. Sunset put you through the ringer, didn’t she?” Twilight looked down at all her bruises, feeling slightly self-conscious on how ugly they made her look. Shining must have been able to pick up on her dismay, because all of a sudden she felt his hand clap down on her shoulder. “Don’t feel bad,” he said with a warm smile, “bangers in this gang have been getting their asses kicked way before you showed up.” He chuckled. “Most of them were unable to get up afterwards, but here you are still standing… well sitting, but you get the point. The ability to take a punch is an admirable trait and it’s something we really like to see in new members.”

Twilight smiled and a faint blush warmed her cheeks. She never considered herself to be a particularly outdoorsy or athletic pony, so being called tough was a new experience for her. She couldn’t say she disliked it, but she also wouldn’t say she didn’t prefer being called smart or knowledgeable instead.

Sunset took notice of the way Twilight and Shining were smiling at each other. She liked that they were able to connect so easily. She began to wonder if given just a little nudge further, would Shining start seeing Twilight as an official part of the crew rather than just a new recruit. Heaven knows the princess needed all the protection she could get while she was still being trained as a Saint. An idea soon formed in her mind.

“Hey, Shining, you’re a pretty good judge of character, why don’t you go out and help Twilight pick out a gun? The two of you can bond a little and then maybe you can show her some of the things we do in the Saints?”

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small roll of green paper that Twilight recognized from their lessons as dollars. She tossed the small roll to Shining who caught it with one hand.

Shining smirked and looked down at the roll of cash, “And what are you doing that’s so important?”

Sunset counted off on her fingers, “Balancing our finances; keeping track of our guns and ammo; making shady business deals so we can have more money to buy guns and ammo; and let’s not forget planning our eventual takeover of this city’s underworld.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and shot him a sassy smile, “Remember, I’m the one doing all the boring work so you don’t have to. So the least you can do is follow my orders.”

Shining waved her off with his hand, “Right, right… you do the boring work while I go outside and get shot at. It’s a really fair trade.” Twilight giggled. She could practically see the sarcasm drift into the air as it left Shining’s mouth.

He soon turned, motioning for Twilight to follow him towards the front door, “I’ll make sure to show her a good time. We’ll be back by eleven.”

Sunset smiled and gave them an exaggerated wave as if she were a toddler saying goodbye on her first day of school, “Try not to die!~”

Shining and Twilight walked down the steps outside the church's front door before following the sidewalk towards the backside of the building. “My car’s parked behind the cemetery.” Shining explained.

As they walked past the side of the building, Twilight took note of the small cemetery and the medium-sided stone walls that fenced it off like it was the church’s backyard. Unlike the building itself, the cemetery was surprisingly clean. No graffiti could be seen on any of the graves, the headstones bared little damage save for some that may have been caused by the weather, and most surprisingly, the grounds looked to have been raked of leaves and had even been mowed.

“Saints respect the dead.”

Twilight looked up at Shining Armor upon hearing his voice, “I’m sorry?” She questioned.

“It’s a rule.” He explained. “When you live the gang life, you have to get used to seeing people die. Friends, enemies, random strangers on the street… they get gunned down everyday, and most of them don’t even get a burial. We either don’t have the money to spend or the time to pick them up cause someone else is already shooting at us. We often have to leave them dead in the streets because there’s nothing we can do.”

Twilight placed a hand over mouth in utter shock and horror. Shining sounded far more solemn than had been in the church. “And since we can’t respect our dead except through memory, we try our best to keep the people who have been buried from being fucked with. It’s our way of saying to those who think they have been forgotten, aren’t. Ya dig?”

Twilight nodded, “I get it. But I have to say that’s a very honorable creed for people who are supposed to deal in drugs, prostitution, and murder.” She didn’t mean to sound as accusatory as her word choice made it seem, but she couldn’t help but voice her confusion in the strangely humanitarian service the Saints were providing.

Shining put his hands in his pockets, “Like Sunset probably told you, we aren’t as bad as some of the other gangs.”

They soon reached Shining’s car, a large, royal purple, luxury sedan with four seats and a thick, sturdy-looking body. “Here it is, my Justice. Whether you’re looking to bring four friends to a firefight or you wanna causally pick up groceries, this car will get you where you need to go and keep you secure the whole way there.”

Shining took the driver’s seat while Twilight instinctively headed for the passenger. Since she didn’t know how to drive yet, let alone conceive all the possible functions of human vehicles, she thought it best to present herself as a person who was happy to ride shotgun or in the backseat. That way no one would ever immediately designate her as the driver because she showed no major interest in it. Or, at least, that’s what she assumed according to what the psychology textbooks she read in the past had told her.

Upon sitting down, she noticed Shining Armor was fiddling with a few small buttons on the car’s dash. Each time he pressed a button, the music that came out of the speakers between them changed. She soon realized that car came with it’s own radio, and she began to wonder why no carriage or wagon manufacturers in Equestria had yet to do the same. It would be a quick and simple addition to most current wagon designs and would undoubtedly increase profits, because who wouldn’t like to listen to music while they traveled?

Shining Armor suddenly stopped on a certain station and smiled like a colt opening presents on Hearth’s Warming day. “Oh this is a good one!” He cheered. Twilight put a hand over her mouth and giggled to herself silently. Her brother was a dork no matter which dimension he came from. Strangely, she found that somewhat comforting.

Shining sang along to the song as they drove, showing absolutely no embarrassment as he tried to match the highs and lows of the singer on the radio. Twilight thought he looked silly, but couldn’t help but join in after the first few minutes of listening to the song.

After the song ended, Shining parked his Justice in front of a small brick building with iron bars bolted over its windows and camouflage curtains blocking their view of the store's interior. As they exited the vehicle, Twilight looked back down and noticed that they were only about twenty feet away from the church. She began to wonder how many times they had been circling the block just so Shining Armor could listen to his song.

“Welcome to Friendly Fire.” Shining Armor clapped his hand down on Twilight’s shoulder, making her jump. He began to lead her inside, “Now Sunset didn’t give us a fortune, so don’t expect me to buy you anything crazy expensive.”

They opened the door, producing a pleasant little jingling sound that caught the cashier’s attention. The person behind the counter was a bored looking teen roughly no older than Twilight. She was dressed in a brown, unzipped jacket with two golden strings coming out of the holes on its hoodless caller. Underneath, she had a pair of brown pants, a sleeveless egg white t, and had a tattoo depicting an eagle printed just above her breasts.

She lifted her hands up and leaned on the glass case that acted as the store’s front counter. As they stepped closer, Twilight took notice of the black leather band the lady wore around her wrist and the small metal spikes adorning it. Twilight gulped. The spikes on the band looked dangerously sharp. So much so, that the princess wasn’t sure if they were used solely for decoration.

“Welcome to Friendly Fire, how can I help you dweebs today?” The teen behind the counter smirked at Shining, and Twilight soon realized why the girl’s stark white hair seemed familiar.

“It's nice to see you too, Gilda.” Shining greeted. He wrapped his arm around Twilight as if they were about to take a picture, “This one just joined in with the Canterlot Saints, and we’re welcoming her to the gang by buying her a brand new piece.”

Gilda eyed Twilight up and down as if she were looking at a dress not worthy of critique. “You guys must be getting desperate. This chick looks like she’d piss herself at the first sound of gunfire. But hey, who am I to judge. Beggars can’t be choosers, right? You guys are gonna need all the bangers you can get if you ever want to make a name for yourselves in Canterlot.”

Twilight stepped back in shock. She felt insulted by Gilda’s blunt comment, but at the same time, she didn’t want to start a fight she was certain she’d lose. Thankfully, Shining stepped up to the counter before she even had a chance to respond. “We don’t have a lot of cash on hand, so what can we get for say…” He pulled out a single bill from the roll, before pocketing the rest, “...100 dollars.”

Shining placed the money on the glass and watched as Gilda reached under the counter and pulled out a small firearm. “There you go.” Gilda explained. “A VICE 9. Bang, bang. Point and shoot. Cheapest gun we have in the store, and by far the easiest to pick up and use.” She motioned for Twilight to come closer so she could get a better look at the gun. Gilda removed the clip from the gun so she could show Twilight the bullets. “The clip holds twelve rounds. This is how you reload the weapon.” She shoved the clip back into the handle of the gun before handing it over to Twilight. She took the gun by the handle hesitantly.

Gilda turned back to look at Shining, “You looking to test that piece out? Shooting range comes free with purchase.”

Shining only smiled at her in response, “Don’t I always.” He walked around the counter towards a room blocked by a curtain in the back of the store. He motioned for Twilight to follow while Gilda held the curtain to the side so both of them could enter.

On the other side, Twilight saw several booths with counters overlooking a large empty warehouse. Strange track-like devices were attached to the ceiling, almost as if they were supposed to hang something from them.

She soon learned that they indeed were supposed to, when Shining Armor walked past her with a large sheet of paper that had a life-sized silhouette of a man on it.

He hung up the paper and pressed a button within one of the booths, sending the paper man trailing back all the way towards the back of the warehouse. He then walked back over towards the adjacent wall and pulled off two pairs of earmuffs.

He handed one to Twilight. “Here. You’re going to need one of these. Gunshots echo in here and it can damage your hearing if you don’t have protection.”

Twilight took the earmuffs and put them on. “Can you hear me?” She heard Shining Armor speaking to her, though his voice was a little muffled. “Can you hear me?” He asked a second a time.

Twilight nodded, “Yes, I can hear you just fine.” She replied.

Shining Armor smiled. “Good, now I know you’ll be able to hear my next question. Have you ever used a gun before?”

Twilight smiled sheepishly at him. Shining Armor only chuckled in response, “Okay, don’t know why you’d want to become a gangster when you don’t even know how to use a gun, but hey, I guess you have your reasons.” He placed his hand on Twilight’s back and moved her over to the booth that had the paper silhouette in front of it.

He grabbed Twilight’s wrists and extended them outwards until she was holding her gun out in front of her at arm’s length. “I find it easier to use two hands when aiming a small firearm, but feel free to switch to one once you get more practice.” He placed his head right next to Twilight’s and began to move her arms around until the top of the gun was level with Twilight’s eyes. “You’ll want to use the barrel of the gun when you're aiming. Once it’s equal with your eye, all you have to do is point it at the thing you want to hit and pull the trigger.” Twilight didn’t move out of the stance Shining Armor put her in, but she did adjust herself so she was aimed at the target’s shoulder rather than it’s head.

The idea of actually having to kill somebody turned Twilight’s stomach. She hated the idea of even having to harm someone, but from what everyone else had told her, both harming and killing would likely be daily requirements while she was stuck working with the Saints. Even now, she felt hesitant. She had seen the raw lifetaking power weapons like the one she held had in this world. Even now she was struggling to pull the trigger. But being the analytical girl Twilight was, she already was considering ways of using her new weapon as a tool for defense rather then murder.

She knew the shoulder would be non-lethal if she managed to hit the target, but it would also knock them off balance allowing her plenty of time to subdue her enemies if this were a real scenario. She calmed her breathing and stared at the target over the barrel of her gun. She pulled the trigger… and nothing happened.

She pulled the trigger again… and received the same result. She then pulled the trigger again and again and again, but to her growing confusion she just could not make the gun fire. Shining Armor could barely suppress his own laughter.

He walked up to Twilight, “Here,” and flicked a little lever on the side of the gun, “it helps if you turn the safety off first. It prevents the gun from shooting when you don’t want it to.”

Twilight blushed and turned away from the human version of her brother. She lifted the gun and got back into the stance Shining Armor had shown her and fired. She could hear Shining applauding behind her.

“Way to go, Twilight!” He exclaimed. “Despite those few mistakes you made in the beginning, you made that shot flawlessly!” He pressed the button on the side of the booth causing the target to come back towards them. Twilight was surprised to see had indeed hit the target’s shoulder perfectly.

Shining Armor patted her on back, “A few more practice rounds like that and I’m sure you’ll be ready to start using that VICE 9 on the streets.” A mischievous smile spread across Shining Armor’s face, “Till then, I think you’ve earned a reward. Do you want to see my gun of choice?”

Twilight looked back and forth uncertainly, “Sure..?”

Shining Armor reached behind his back and pulled a wooden handled revolver from the back of his pants that had been hidden under his shirt. He held it out in front of Twilight as if he were holding a trophy, “This is my .44 Shepard. The most powerful handgun in the world. It fires only six shots before it needs to be reloaded, but makes up for its lack of firing speed and ammo with incredible stopping power. This gun can blow a man’s head clean off at short range and knock him off his feet at a distance. Anyone who sees another man wield this weapon, must immediately ask themselves this one question: “Do I feel lucky? Well do you, punk?!”

Shining’s description of the weapon made Twilight stare at it in awe. He walked past the rookie gangster and pressed the button in the booth, sending the target back out towards the other side of the warehouse. He leveled the gun with his target and fired each of his six shots with only a brief delay in between them while he took aim. He hit the button and brought the target back, and to Twilight’s amazement, he had hit the target in six key areas of the silhouette’s body directly in their centers. It had a hole in the center of its forehead; a hole in its left pec where it’s heart would be; a hole in the shoulder opposite to the one Twilight had hit; a hole in both its hands; and, much to Twilight’s discomfort, a hole in its groin.

Shining reloaded his gun and turned to offer it to Twilight, “You want to try it out?”

Twilight was already back in the booth with Shining’s gun before he even realized it was out of his hand. He chuckled and shook his head before walking over to grab a new target. “Hold your horses, sharpshooter. We need to get a new target set up or we’ll never know if you're making any progress.”

Another hour’s worth of training later, Twilight and Shining exited Friendly Fire with Twilight’s newly purchased VICE 9 in tow. Shining placed his .44 Shepard back in the waistband of his pants and concealed it with the back of his shirt.

As they drew closer to his car, he noticed Twilight was attempting to do the same with the waistband of her skirt. However, unlike Shining, who had a belt to keep his gun pressed against his body, Twilight had no such means of keeping her pistol in place.

The VICE 9’s own weight was causing Twilight’s skirt to droop and was forcing the rookie gangster to catch the weapon every time she took a step before it could fall out.

Shining couldn’t help but grimace at the odd way Twilight was walking as she tried to hold her gun in place. “We might need to find you a new set of clothes if the ones you're wearing can’t keep your gun concealed.” He waved his hand up and down Twilight’s body, “It might also help make you look less…” He tried to think of the right word that sounded the least insulting, “...conspicuous.”

Twilight looked down at her outfit. She was dressed in a light blue t-shirt with puffy sleeves, a pink bow around her neck, a purple skirt adorned with her cutie mark, and a pair of purple plaid stockings. Looking back at Shining’s outfit, she couldn’t help but agree that she stood out quite prominently in this world of gangsters.

Shining got in the driver’s seat while Twilight took the passenger. “I’m sure Sunset won’t mind if we use a little bit more of her money to buy you some new threads.” Shining said as turned to look at her, “After all, she wants me to show you the ropes, right? And I can’t rightly do that if an enemy banger shoots you dead because you’re dressed like a walking target.” Twilight didn’t appreciate the analogy he used, but she agreed with him all the same.

Shining started the car and looked about ready to start driving to the nearest clothing outlet. But before he could even shift his car out of park, a strange buzzing sound suddenly came out of his pocket.

Twilight looked at Shining in confusion, never having heard such an odd noise before. Shining smiled at her sheepishly, “Excuse me please, I have to take this.”

He pulled a small device from his pocket and tapped a finger against its screen causing it to light up. Now that she could get a better look at the device, Twilight recognized it as a cell phone. She thanked her lucky stars that Sunset had the foresight to show her what the device was before sending her off to spend the day with Shining. Twilight didn’t want to embarrass herself any further by asking dumb questions that every other human being would likely already know the answer.

Shining spoke into the phone, “Talk to me.”

“Yeah hey, Shining?” The voice on the other end greeted, “This is Flash. I was hoping I could get your help with a job if you're not too busy.”

Shining glanced at Twilight for a brief moment before turning his gaze back to the road ahead. “I’m kind of training a new rook here, dude. But what is it you need?”

“Well, Sunset’s got me on recruiting duty again and this guy I found says he’s got a business deal he’d like to bring us in on. He said he knows you? Calls himself “Spearhead?”

Shining furrowed his brows in thought upon hearing the name. A soft smile spread across his face, “Yeah, I know him. He was a friend of mine back when I was a kid.” A more thoughtful expression formed on Shining’s face, “I haven’t actually seen him in a few years. Where are you at?”

“Harrowgate, in front Panini’s Pizzeria and next to the abandoned book store. You know the place?”

Shining nodded his head even though he knew Flash couldn’t see it, “I’m familiar. I’ll be there in a bit, and I'll be bringing the rookie.”

“Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

Shining hung up the phone before placing it back in his pocket. He turned to look at Twilight, “Sorry, but there’s been a change of plans. We’re gonna make a stop in the Harrowgate hood and see what kind of deal Flash is trying to get us involved in. He’s pretty good at spotting opportunities when they arise, so this is probably worth checking out.”

Shining started the car and began driving out of the neighborhood. He didn’t think to turn on the radio this time to accompany their drive, so a dull silence quickly filled the air. After a few minutes, Twilight decided to break this silence by asking a question that had just popped into her head, “Who’s Flash?”

Shining glanced at her briefly before returning his eyes to the road, “What?” Shining hadn’t been listening to her completely. Most new recruits he had the pleasure of training didn’t like talking too much, at least not on the first day. He assumed it had something to do with them feeling intimidated by his higher position in the gang or because they wanted to impress him by acting serious and devoted. He honestly didn’t expect Twilight to be asking questions this early.

“Who’s Flash? I heard you talking to him on your cell phone?” Twilight repeated.

Shining heard her completely this time, “Flash is another member of our gang. His full name is Flash Sentry, and he joined up with us back when the Saints were just starting out.” Shining noticed a blush forming on Twilight’s cheeks. He cocked a brow, “You okay? You look flustered all of a sudden.” The pieces slowly fell into place for Shining and a realization soon came to him, “Do you already know him?”

Twilight shook head to remove the thoughts of the hunky stallion she ran into before entering the magic mirror, “No!” She stated just a little too quickly. “No. I don’t know him. His name just reminded me of someone else I knew outside the city. ” Her brain flooded with ideas for believable excuses that would explain her reaction to hearing Flash’s name, “We… used to date.”

“Ahh….” Shining Armor nodded his head knowingly. “Didn’t go too well between the both of you, did it?”

Twilight shook her head, “No, our relationship was fine.” She knew she was lying through her teeth considering her only meeting with the stallion was an awkward crash that sent her falling to the floor after bumping into his chest. “We just thought our relationship wasn’t going anywhere, so we decided to…” She remembered how the pony Flash Sentry gallantly helped her back to her hooves after knocking her to the floor, after which he politely bid her a fond farewell with his charming smile. Twilight could feel her legs slowly turning to jelly, “...go our separate ways.”

Shining wasn’t buying her story one bit, but he decided not to pry. “That’s good.” He stated as if he believed her. “Most relationships don’t normally end that well.” His brows began to furrow into a stern look as he glared at the road in front of him, “Especially not in this city.”

After a good forty five minute ride, Shining Armor’s car soon arrived at the location Flash had told them about. He parked his Justice in a small parking lot next to the bookstore as a blue haired teenager and sharply dressed man walked over to them.

The blue haired boy was dressed in a purple leather jacket with a red stripe running down the tops of the sleeves. Underneath, he wore a white with a blue shield and lightning bolt on it, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. Based on his appearance alone, there was no doubt in Twilight’s mind that this person was Flash Sentry.

The man to his left however was far less familiar to her. He was a brown-skinned man with aqua blue hair that had been swept to one side. He wore a fancy red scarf with snowflakes designs on it coiled around his neck like a snake trying to suffocate him. Underneath, he wore a purple suit jacket and pants that matched with Saints’ gang colors. Whether this was intentional, Twilight was not certain. A long sleeve burgundy shirt sat underneath his jacket, and for some reason, he was carrying a gold painted goblet. She could only assume this was Spearhead.

As Shining got out of the car, Spearhead walked around it towards him with arms outstretched, “As I live and breath, Shining Armor it has been too long. How ya doing, my brother?” He brought Shining into a big hug, which the gangster was more than happy to reciprocate.

“Pretty good, considering I help run one of the smallest gangs in Canterlot and death awaits me possibly around every corner.” He and Spearhead shared a laugh, but his joke made Twilight feel anxious. Almost instinctively, she glanced quickly behind her just to make sure no rival gang members were sneaking up on them.

Once she turned her head back, she felt a tapping on her shoulder. She screamed and jumped away from the person behind her. She hid behind Shining like so many times before when she was just a little filly. She noticed that instead of a rival gang member standing before her, there was only a chuckling Flash Sentry.

He raised his hands at her as a means of showing he meant her no harm, “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He walked up and offered her a hand shake, “You must be the new recruit. I’m Flash Sentry. It’s nice to meet you.”

A blush spread over Twilight’s face and in embarrassment she tentatively took Flash’s hand, “I’m Twilight. It’s very nice to meet you too.”

Shining stared at Twilight with concern. He had never seen a new banger jump like that before, especially not in a circumstance as trivial as someone tapping them on the shoulder. He soon began to recall all the other times Twilight had been spooked while they were out and about today. It concerned him just how jumpy Twilight was turning out to be.

Spearhead soon drew his attention away from these concerns. “Flash didn’t tell me you were bringing your baby sis along. I haven’t seen you since you were but a babe. Look at how big you’ve gotten.” He seemed to have his eyes on Twilight’s more “provocative” features. “Baby, you’ve become fine as hell.~”

Shining stepped in front of Twilight almost as if on instinct, “She’s a different Twilight. But all the same. She’s off limits. You get me?” Shining lifted his fist in front of Spearhead’s face, giving all the warning he needed.

“Hey, cool it, bro. I didn’t mean to offend anybody here.” Spearhead stated, “I was just giving the pretty little lady a compliment. She’s got all the features I’m looking for in the hos I want you to snatch for me.”

Shining’s brows remained furrowed, “I don’t like where this is going, but I’m going to let you explain. But fair warning, if I still don’t like it when you’re done explaining, I’m going to beat your ass.”

Despite Shining’s threat, Spearhead continued talking with all the swagger of a professional pimp, “Look, brother, I’m startin’ up a new business here, and you and your Saintly friends are gonna want to get in on the ground floor, ya dig? You see, I’m looking to get into a new artform… something I like to call, Surreal Pornographic Cinematography.”

Shining Armor, Flash, and Twilight all shot him the same disturbed expression. “So you're making porn videos,” Shining stated unabashedly.

“In essence, yes, but it's gonna be so much more than that. We’re talkin’ unexplored avenues in the field sex here. Ideas not yet explored by man. This gonna be more than just two people fuckin’ each other. It’s gonna be an artform. One that truly expresses the human psyche and condition through natural body movements and underutilized pleasures no normal person would ever conceive of in the bedroom.”

Shining Armor, Flash, and Twilight were now both frightened and slightly nauseous. “So you’re making really weird porn.” Shining restated. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think the Canterlot Saints want anything to do with what you're cooking up, Spearhead. No offense.”

Spearhead waved his words off dismissively, “I get you. I get you. I know it’s scary jumpin’ in on new ideas. They could fail and cost a lot of work and money on your part. That being said, my next level ideas are not the reason I asked Flash to get you here.”

Shining raised a brow at him skeptically. “I need you here because I don’t have a single ho to my name. As you might expect, I can’t rightly make any kind of porn without models to shoot, art or otherwise.”

Shining nodded, “So you need us to steal you some girls to act in your porn videos. Is that it?”

Spearhead gave him a chuckle and nodded, “You always were the smart one when we were kids. I always did say we were like two halves of a whole. You, the logical thinker. Me, the creative type.” Spearhead placed a hand on Shining’s shoulder and shook his head, “Man, where did the time go. Anyways, here’s what I’m thinking. You bring me some hos who are turning tricks around Harrowgate. I start shootin’ some mild stuff with them. You know, stuff we know the people are gonna buy. Then when I build a cozy enough nest egg, I’ll get started on my Surreal Pornographic Cinematography.”

Flash suddenly stepped in, “And part of the profits you make will go to Saints, right?”

Spearhead nodded, “On my word as an arteest, I promise you’ll get your money as soon as I start making bank. Plus, I’ll even start spreadin’ the word around that the Saints are the real deal in Canterlot.”

Flash scowled at him, “And the girls… you promise they’re going to be safe under your employ?”

Spearhead raised his hand and crossed his heart like a boy scout, “A true artist never forces his models into doing anything they don’t want to do. There is no passion or love in the artworks otherwise.”

Flash looked to Shining, silently asking him to make the final decision. Shining gave Spearhead a suspicious look and extended his hand. Spearhead was acting differently than how he remembered him as a kid. “We’ll do it. But if you don’t keep your word, Spearhead, don’t think for a minute we won’t be coming after you.”

Spearhead smiled at him, “I look forward to working out with you again, Shining. I know I’ve said it already but, it has been far too long, my brother.”

Author's Note

I like to consider this a late Christmas present for all of you who have been waiting so patiently for this chapter to be posted. I was planning on editing it and posting yesterday, but you guys know how chaotic the holidays can get.

Anyways, merry Christmas everybody and I hope you all have a Happy New Year. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter.