Twilight felt like she was being pulled in two different directions at once, the tunnel of lights and colors blinding her as she flew through the space between dimensions.
It didn’t hurt, thankfully, but she wasn’t sure she ever expected it to. Twilight didn’t know what lay in wait for her on the other side of the magic mirror. She only knew that Sunset Shimmer was there and that she possessed her crown, an essential piece of the Elements of Harmony.
Without it, the other Elements were powerless and Equestria would be left defenseless should threats like King Sombra, Tirek, or Chrysalis rear their heads again. Twilight couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t let that happen. She was going to get her crown back by any means necessary, even if that meant dragging Sunset Shimmer back through the portal kicking and screaming should it come to it.
Twilight felt herself go faster and faster as her destination grew ever closer. She was beginning to develop a headache due to the extreme speed, and the abrupt stop that came soon after didn’t help to alleviate this matter.
Her head collided with dry dirt upon exiting the portal. She raised her hooves to clutch her head as she rolled herself back onto her rump. The crash had made her vision blurry and maybe mucked up her other senses too, because her hooves felt far different than they usually did.
Once her eyesight began to clear, she brought her hooves down in front of her face to inspect the cause of this odd feeling. Her eyes soon widened upon noticing her hooves weren’t hooves at all anymore, but instead a pair of hairless hands.
She flipped them back and forth in front of her as she began to hyperventilate. She noted, despite her panic, that they seemed to resemble Spike’s hands, only they were far more rounded at the ends of the fingers and were covered in a blemishless skin rather than scales.
Hyperventilating more than ever, Twilight looked down and noticed the majority of her body was covered in this hairless skin, save for the top of her head.
Now Twilight was no stranger to being hairless, an embarrassing incident involving a “cooling” spell in Celestia’s school was still a fresh memory in her mind. She would have shot her hands up in an attempt to cover herself, only the mirror seemed generous enough to supply her with a fresh set of clothes rather than just toss her out in the nude.
As nice as this proved to be however, it did not help in the slightest when it came to relieving the ex-alicorn’s stress.
Twilight turned around, finally noticing the large mirror sitting behind her. It was built into the base of a life-sized statue that depicted a creature, not unlike herself, riding an earth pony, but one far larger than any she had ever met. The statue was also covered in several graffiti tags and boasted quite a bit of damage.
Normally these would be considered obvious warning signs to anyone who knew what the tags meant, but for Twilight, her current appearance was still the more pressing issue. After only a few more seconds, Twilight couldn’t take the shock of the moment any longer and let out a loud shriek straight into the sky.
“Jeez, girl, what the hell’s wrong with you?!”
Twilight turned her head to see that three creatures were standing next to her. The closest one to her currently had his finger in his ear.
“Bitch is probably just havin’ a bad trip. You see how long she was staring at her hands?” The middle most creature explained. He began to lead the other two towards a large building behind Twilight.
“Shit, I’d still bang her,” the third creature said. Twilight’s eyes widened upon hearing the statement, and she turned to stare at the creatures. “You know what they say about fucking high chicks.~”
The other two chuckled, filling Twilight’s stomach with a new sense of dread. She watched as the trio of creatures got closer to the building and made note of their clothing. They were dressed in oddly coordinated colors, each of them wearing some variation of black clothing, ranging from sleeveless-tees and t-shirts to baseball caps and bandanas. On their hands and necks were also several silver rings and chains that shined in the light of the sun.
The creatures stopped in front of a large tag plastered on the building’s front wall depicting a large pair of curved steer horns with an orange ball of fire in the center.
“Fuckin’ Hell Raisers,” the creature in the baseball cap and tank top complained. “They know this is our turf!” He turned to his right and spoke to the middle most creature. “Yo, Xever, you gonna let them disrespect us like that?!”
“What do you think?" The creature wearing the bandana and t-shirt lifted up a spray can of black paint he’d been holding and began to cover the other symbol. Within a short time, a trio of black crystals sat in place of the horns that once took up the wall.
“The fuck you think you’re doing?” A gruff voice called out. The three creatures in black turned to see two larger creatures walking towards them. To Twilight, she thought they looked like what Big Macintosh would resemble if he was bipedal.
These creatures were built like bodybuilders with crimson muscle shirts and pictures covering their bodies like they had contracted a bad case of the cutie pox. One was hefting a large sledgehammer over his shoulder, while the other was cracking his knuckles preemptively. Yet even despite their intimidating physique, the creatures in black refused to back down.
The third creature, the one wearing a black T-shirt and visor, walked up into the first muscular creature’s face. “Just performing the Empire’s civic service is all.”
The muscular creature grabbed the collar of the smaller creature’s shirt and lifted him into the air. “That so?”
The creature in black could only smile as he spat in the other creature’s face. “Someone’s got to clean the shit off this wall.”
Full of bravado, but sadly not as much brains, the creature in black was soon punished for his comment by being thrown back first into the concrete before having his head stomped on. Twilight screamed as a pool of blood began to trickle out beneath him.
The creature in the bandanna tried to charge the muscular creature who killed his friend, only to be met with the flat end of the other creature’s sledgehammer. The side of his skull almost completely caved in as he landed in a crumpled heap atop his dead companion.
The last creature in black slowly backed away from the muscular creatures as they began to advance on him. He reached behind his back and pulled out a small, strangely-shaped black box and pointed it at the creatures. “Yo, you just back the fuck up! Back up right now!”
The muscular creatures didn’t listen and only drew closer. It was at this point that a new voice cleared it’s throat. Twilight turned to her left and saw a new creature standing right next to her. He was dressed in a neon green hoodie with a pair of blue-lensed goggles on his forehead.
He pulled a larger black box with a handle out of the large pocket of his hoodie and stepped forward. Twilight noticed that on his back another symbol had been printed, a pair of torn insect wings in the shape of a heart.
He pointed his box at the three other creatures as they turned to address him. “The Hive says hello.” Twilight saw him pull a trigger on the black box’s handle and watched in horror as a storm of pellets fired outward and riddled the other creatures with so many holes that they looked like swiss cheese.
As the other creatures fell over dead, the creature in the hoodie turned around and pointed his weapon at her. Twilight began to feel her heart beat faster and her breath catch in her throat.
The creature began to squeeze the trigger. “Sorry sweetie, but you’re in Hive territory now.” Twilight closed her eyes, ready to hear the sound of continuous fire as those pellets carved her up.
*BANG*
Only for it to be replaced by the sound of one shot going off. She opened her eyes and saw the creature lying dead on the ground in front of her, a pool of blood leaking from his head.
“How many times do I have to tell you fricking assholes, this is Saints territory.”
A new voice shouted from the other side of the statue, and it sounded a great deal more feminine than other creatures she had been listening to. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, she’d say it sounded just like…
“RAINBOW DASH?!”
Author's Note
An alternate take on the original Equestria Girls movie based on the Saints Row franchise. Please leave your thoughts and comments below, and I hope you guys enjoy future chapters to come.
Twilight crawled around the statue to investigate the voice. She didn’t know who she was expecting to see, but she knew she had heard Rainbow Dash’s voice, and that alone felt like a beacon of safety following the slaughter she had just witnessed.
After rounding the corner, Twilight suddenly found herself blinded by something on the other side. A large shiny object was reflecting sunlight directly in her face. Only the form of a creature with a similar body shape to her own was visible in the bright glare, but even then they were still almost impossible to make out.
“You the banger the boss told me to pick up?”
Twilight squinted her eyes and held a hand over her brow to help shade her vision from the light. “Banger..? Were you looking for me? How did you know I was coming?”
The creature folded her arms and tilted her head. “Because the boss said you’d be here? Did she not call you ahead of time to let you know I was coming?”
Twilight blinked and pondered the similar sounding creature’s questions. “No one could have possibly known I would be here… no one except…”
Twilight’s head shot up in shock. “Do you work for Sunset Shimmer?!”
“Yo, shut yer mouth!” The creature exclaimed. “We don’t use the boss’s name in public. We’re too small a group to be letting others know who’s calling the shots. We lose our boss, we may as well disband the gang right here.”
Twilight had absolutely no idea what the creature was talking about, but if she was offering to take her directly to Sunset Shimmer, Twilight knew she couldn’t let this opportunity slip.
“Umm… yes, I’m the girl your boss told you to find. I just didn’t know you were with her at first because of the skirmish I had with these...” She briefly paused to consider terms that would make sense in this world, “...criminals.”
Twilight wasn’t certain, but she thought she could see the creature raise an eyebrow. “You talk weird, ya know that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it’s weird to call someone a criminal when by definition you’re a criminal yourself.” The creature scratched her chin in thought. “Unless you're talking weird on purpose because you’re doing some secretive James Bond shit!”
It was Twilight’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “What?”
“I see what yer doing now. You need me to prove I’m a Saint before I can drive you to the hideout, right?”
Twilight’s eyes darted left and right. “Uhhhh…”
The creature walked up to her and took her by the hand. She pulled her straight upwards until Twilight was standing up on her two new legs. Interestingly, Twilight found keeping this position was much easier than it would be in her pony form.
“Well, I got your proof right here.” The creature pulled up the shirt she was wearing, allowing Twilight to see the skin underneath. It was the same shade as Rainbow Dash’s fur, but what was far more interesting was that this creature had a marking similar to a cutie mark right above her hip.
The way it was designed reminded her of the cutie mark of Rarity’s friend, Fleur De Lis, except that it was colored a few shades of royal purple more similar to Rarity’s own mane.
Twilight looked up and almost gasped at what she saw. This creature looked almost identical to her Rainbow Dash, right down to her mane and eye color. In fact, the only obvious difference that could set them apart was the fact that they were two completely separate species.
“You believe me now?” the hairless bipedal Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight didn’t answer immediately, and instead glanced down at the strange doppelganger’s clothes, as if needing to further study her.
She was dressed in clothing that mostly shared the same color shade as the picture she had painted on her hip. Over her upper body she wore a short sleeved purple jacket and a purple collared white t-shirt underneath. Below that, she had on a purple skirt with a golden version of the picture printed on the front and a pair of skin tight, black exercise shorts covering her legs. An odd pair of shoes, a strange fusion of a tennis shoe and shin high boot, covered the majority of her legs with a pair of rainbow striped socks barely poking out from beneath them.
To Twilight, her outfit looked extremely constricting, and she wondered how well this creature would be able to move while restricted by so much clothing.
The Rainbow Dash clone didn’t say anything, but judging by the nervous expression spreading across her face, she was getting impatient while waiting for Twilight's answer. Another odd similarity that the two seemed to share.
Twilight quickly shifted back into her act. “Yep! You're a real Saint alright. No doubt about it.” She gave the Rainbow Dash clone a smile she knew looked cheesy and fake. She really wished she was better at keeping her cool in stressful situations. “Can we go see Sunset Shimmer now?”
Rainbow glared at her, but decided to let her off with a warning this time. “Don’t say the boss name, kay?” She pointed at Twilight as if threatening her, something Twilight immediately took to heart after receiving.
“Understood. I’m sorry.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes and began walking back towards the shiny object. “Whatever. Just hop in fast. We don’t want to be around here when those guys’ friends show up to investigate the shooting.”
Twilight looked back at the dead bodies and felt her stomach do a flip. She wasn’t in the mood to argue. “I’m... right behind you.”
Rainbow reached into her jacket and pulled out a pair of aviator sunglasses to protect her eyes from the reflected sunlight. She then reached into a pocket on the other side of her jacket and pulled out a pair of keys. She pressed a button on them and a door suddenly opened on the shiny object. “My name’s Rainbow Dash by the way.”
Twilight wasn’t surprised. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”
It was at this point that Twilight realized that the thing she had been staring at all this time was not just some object, but a type of vehicle. It reminded her of the Flim Flam Brothers’ cider squeezing machine, only much smaller and far more sleek in design. She decided to get a closer look, but she didn’t want to rouse Rainbow’s suspicions by doing any more unorthodox things. She briefly recalled how she had seen Rainbow, the other creatures, and to lesser extent, Lyra Heartstrings, when they all walked on two legs. She quickly memorized the movements and began attempting them herself.
She could tell her movements were clumsy, but judging by Rainbow’s bemused expression, she assumed it was enough to make her appear as an average non-pony. With enough practice, she was certain she could integrate into this culture flawlessly, that was if she needed to stay longer then just one day.
She soon reached the vehicle with only minor difficulty. Upon seeing it up close, she was surprised to find that the vehicle was completely covered in the same royal purple as Rainbow Dash’s clothes, save of course for the tires, glass, and headlights. Twilight didn’t particularly mind it, purple being her favorite color of course, but she did find it odd that this Rainbow had such a love for it, especially considering her Rainbow’s ambivalence towards the color back in her world.
She tripped, causing her to fall forward and landed on the hood of the vehicle. Placing her hand on the metal and extending her arms, she began to scooch herself over towards the other side, where she saw an empty seat next to the one Rainbow was using. Rainbow seemed weirdly perturbed by this however.
“Yo, what you think you're doing, you crazy bitch!” Rainbow shouted.
Twilight was shocked back into a stand by Rainbow’s sudden choice of language. “What did you just call me!” Twilight placed her hands on her hips as if she were scolding a child.
“You're scuffing up the hood of my car!” Rainbow continued to exclaim. “I’ll call you whatever I want!” She suddenly burst out of the car and rushed over to examine the hood. She sighed in relief when she noticed no damage had been left behind by Twilight’s hands.
She suddenly turned to Twilight and gave her a glare that bore straight through her aviators. “This is a mint condition Attrazione, the fastest car available on these streets. It took me five years to find all the parts to build this baby, and even longer to find a mechanic who could put it together.” She grabbed Twilight by her shirt and began pushing her towards the passenger side door. Without even a word, she opened the door and shoved Twilight into the seat. She pointed at her threateningly. “This car is worth more to me than most people’s lives, and on top of that, I just had it waxed. You do not fuck with my car. You do not even touch my car. Do you understand me?!”
Twilight nodded. This was the first time she’d ever been scared of Rainbow Dash before, and like almost everything else she’d experienced thus far in this world, it felt odd.
Rainbow growled and slammed the door in front of her before walking back over towards her side of the car. She sat down and placed her keys behind the wheel in front of her. The vehicle suddenly revved to life once she turned them.
“You’d better buckle up. The church isn’t far, but there’s no telling what we could run into on the way.” She grabbed her seatbelt and buckled herself in, urging Twilight to copy her and do the same. “Speaking of which, do you have a gun on ya?”
Twilight stared at her not recognizing the word, “No, I don’t.” She was afraid what reaction that answer would coax out of Rainbow Dash.
“Lost it in the fight, huh? Been there.” She suddenly reached across Twilight’s chest and opened a compartment in front of her. “Lucky for you, I always carry a spare.” Two L-shaped black boxes were sitting in front of her, and Twilight immediately recognized them as the same weapons the other creatures were using.
Rainbow grabbed them both and held them in front of Twilight’s face. “These are my 45 Shepards, the handgun of choice for any Saint. Normally these bad boys only hold 8 rounds per magazine, but I managed to get the kind that can hold 14. I named them both Johnny with different spellings of the name, and they have gotten me out of more scraps than I can count.” She placed one of the guns in Twilight’s hand, showing her how to hold it. “Now I expect you to take good care of Jonny and that you will return him to me as soon as this ride is over.” Twilight curiously and nervously looked over the weapon. “And remember, if you don’t, I’ll be putting a bullet through your head myself.”
Twilight gave a shocked expression as Rainbow carefully placed her glock in the pocket on her door. Rainbow set the car into drive and began to rush down the road. For her safety as well as Rainbow’s, Twilight copied Rainbow movements and placed her gun in her doorway pocket as well. She did not trust herself to wield a weapon she had never seen, let alone heard of, before without at least receiving some proper training first.
Fortunately, the drive from the statue to this new location was far less harrowing then Twilight’s initial introduction to this world. Unfortunately however, it still had more than its fair share of horrid sights to see. The very second Twilight decided to look out her window, her eyes were assaulted by the abysmal cityscape. There were broken windows on every building, graffiti tags coloring every wall, scantily-clad female creatures at almost every street corner, and the worst of all, at least one dead body littering most of the public roads. Eventually, it all became too much for the ex-alicorn to handle, so she decided to stare at her knees to avoid seeing any more violent or gory imagery.
Eventually they arrived at the church, and much like many of the other buildings on the way to this location, it was in an extreme state of disrepair. The church was covered in an even coating of graffiti, ranging from various curse words to depressing messages like, “God isn’t here” and “the city without saviors.” Like the rest of the buildings, its windows were also broken, leaving only small shards of colored glass to tell the story of the murals that once sat there. To Twilight, the building appeared strong since it was completely made of brick and designed similarly to old castles back in Equestria. She could see why Sunset and Rainbow would want it as their hideout with all the violence happening around them.
Rainbow exited the car first with Twilight following close behind. Rainbow led Twilight up the stairs until they were at the building's front door. A familiar looking, ivory skinned creature was waiting for them at the top. He was dressed in a pair of dirty jeans and a loose fitting, button up, purple t-shirt. He took a long drag of the joint he had in his mouth before taking Rainbow by the hand.
“It’s damn good to see you're still alive, Rainbow.” He pulled Rainbow in for a brief hug before pushing each other apart. “One of these days I’m afraid you’re just not gonna to show up.”
Rainbow chuckled. “Trust me, when the day I die comes, everybody will know about it, because that shit is gonna be fucking epic!”
The creature smiled as he shook his head. “I can see the headlines now: psychotic teenager drives gas truck into the side of a crowded mall. Millions dead. Seems about the norm for what you’d get up to.”
“If it meant I could kill most of the motherfuckers in the Hive, Empire, and Hell Raisers combined, then damn straight I would do that! A blaze of glory is the only way fitting enough for this chick to go out.”
Twilight was stunned as the creature turned his head towards her. “You must be the new recruit the boss sent for.” He extended his hand for her to shake. “The name’s Shining Armor.”
Twilight was too shocked to reply. Her brother, the captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, was a criminal in this world. Her mind immediately began to race as she began to consider what this occupation meant for his family relations. If he was her brother’s counterpart, then that made it very likely this world had its own Twilight Sparkle. She began to wonder if she was a criminal too, but then that thought led to a frightening realization. If this creature was indeed Shining Armor, then that meant introducing herself as Twilight Sparkle might make him suspicious, and with how quick Rainbow was to kill that other creature back at the portal, she didn’t like what that possibly meant for her if she made him angry.
Twilight remained silent for a solid two minutes after Shining Armor introduced himself. After a minute of keeping his arm outstretched, he decided to pull it back. “I think you broke her there, Shining,” Rainbow commented.
“Yeah I noticed,” he said with a grimace. “I’ve been told I have this kind of effect on women, but it's never happened this early in a relationship before.”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “Well then maybe I can answer for her? Her name is Twilight-”
“Twilight Sprinkle!” Twilight suddenly interrupted. “Daughter of Night… Drizzle and Twilight… Vaper. My family has a history of working in the weather.”
Both creatures gave her incredulous looks. “But you said back at the high school that your name was Twilight-”
“You must have misheard me,” she replied, sounding none too genuine. Her smile was wide and clearly forced, and judging by the new looks she was getting from Shining and Rainbow, they were having a hard time believing what she was saying.
“If you say so?” Rainbow said dubiously. She walked towards the door with Shining following close behind her. Once they both reached the door, they leaned in and began to whisper to each other.
“She’s clearly lying,” Rainbow stated.
“Obviously… I mean Twilight Sprinkle? She ain’t fooling anybody.”
“Think I should shoot her?”
“I think that would only piss Sunset off. She told you to pick up somebody at the school right? Well, she’s the somebody you picked up. Plus, if you return to her now with no one behind you, there’s no telling how she’ll react.”
The two looked back to make sure Twilight wasn’t listening. She was standing at least a foot away, probably as a polite gesture to avoid accidentally eavesdropping. “She kinda looks like your sister,” Rainbow commented. “You think she was trying to get in with us by posing as her?”
“Not likely,” Shining stated firmly. “My sister only wears glasses and hates the feeling of contacts. If she’s trying to pose as her, she’s gotten some very bad intel.” Shining glanced back at her without moving his head. “That being said, if it turns out I’m wrong and she is trying to pose as my Twily, I’ll shoot her myself.”
“Want me to keep and eye on her?”
“We both can, but let’s keep it on the down low. Until irrefutable evidence shows itself, she’ll just be Twilight Sprinkle, the newest member of the Canterlot Saints.”
Rainbow nodded. “Cool.”
The two pushed the door open before for leading Twilight inside. As they entered, Twilight noticed the building’s interior largely resembled its outside in terms of disrepair. The inside of the church was mostly made up of one large room where church sermons would have likely been held. The room was dilapidated in all regards, with large chunks of the ceiling lying indented and smashed on the floor and every pew missing, almost as if they had been stolen. A few old stained couches now covered the floor likely to take their place.
Shining turned back towards Twilight. “Sunset Shimmer is going to want to talk to you right away. You’ll find her in the office behind the podium at the end of the sermon hall.” He pointed towards the other end of the room, and just as he had said, there was a door on the far wall off to the left side of the room.
“Thank you. I’ll speak with her immediately.”
Shining nodded. “If you need me, I’ll be in one of the other rooms.”
Rainbow shot a finger gun at her. “I’ll probably be doing the same, so look around if you need to find me. If I’m not, then I’m probably either buying guns or kicking some Hell Raiser ass, in which case… feel free to join me!” She seemed almost too eager to have the ex-mare by her side, and Twilight feared what that may entail.
Without another word, the three separated and Twilight headed towards the office where Sunset was said to be. Twilight psyched herself up as she walked towards the office. She thought about the things she would say to her once they met personally, and about what actions she would take if Sunset decided to run or fight her instead coming quietly. She hoped it wouldn’t come to down to a fight, since Sunset had friends here who were willing to murder at her command. And to make matters worse, Twilight couldn’t connect to her magic here. In fact, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to connect to it at all in this world since she didn’t have her horn.
When she opened the door, she was met with a girl leaning on a large wooden desk with a set of blueprints rolled out in front of her. She had a head of long crimson hair with golden highlights, and she was dressed in a black leather jacket with a white t-shirt with a Saints’ symbol underneath. Like Rainbow, she was also wearing a purple skirt, but one with a single golden stripe rather than a fleur de lis. Finally, on her head was a purple beret with a silver Saints pin attached to the front. There was no doubt in Twilight's mind that this was Sunset Shimmer.
Twilight closed the door as she entered, garnering Sunset’s attention. She looked up and met Twilight’s eyes, a look of utter disbelief soon spreading across her face.
“What the hell are you doing here?!” she exclaimed with a glare. “Where’s Princess Celestia?”
Twilight folded her arms and returned Sunset’s glare. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m the only princess you’ll be dealing with today. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’ve come for the Element of Magic.”
Sunset cocked a brow at Twilight. She clearly wasn’t impressed. “I see…” Sunset reached down and opened a drawer in her desk. “Did she at least send some royal guards with you to act as back up?”
Twilight didn’t answer. She didn’t want to give Sunset any advantages in knowing that she was alone.
“I’ll take your silence as a no,” Sunset decided. She pulled a 45 Shepard from her desk and leveled its barrel with Twilight’s head. Shocked and familiar with what weapons like these could do, Twilight instinctually backed up against the wall.
Sunset’s expression turned playful. “So you already know what a gun is?” she asked quizzically. “That’s good. One less thing I’ll have to explain to you once you join the Canterlot Saints.”
Twilight was frightened and confused. “Y-You mean you’re not going to shoot me?”
Sunset shook her head. “Naw... besides it would do me no good if I did. It would still be thirty moons before any Equestrians showed up to check on you, and if they found out you were dead, they would be less likely to help me.”
Sunset placed her gun on the desk, allowing Twilight to step away from the wall. “Help you? You mean you stole my crown just to get somepony to follow you through the magic mirror?”
“Well, I couldn’t just walk up to the Princess and ask for help, right? I’m a fugitive over there, remember?”
Twilight couldn’t help but feel bad for Sunset given the relationship she and Celestia used to share. “I know Princess Celestia personally. She’s become a very kind and forgiving pony in recent years. I’m certain she would have given you all the help you need if you had just asked.”
Sunset sighed. She sounded a tad forlorn in Twilight opinion. “Yeah well, we’ll have to agree to disagree on that topic.” Sunset stepped out from behind her desk and walked towards Twilight. “So, you're stuck here for thirty days without a place to stay, and you want me to give your crown back?”
Twilight nodded. “That’s right, and since my magic isn’t working, and force doesn’t appear to be an option, I’m willing to make a deal,” she said begrudgingly.
Sunset’s lips peeled back to reveal a mischievous smile. “Okay… I’ll tell you what; you can stay here at the church until you feel you're ready to go home. However, if you want your crown back, you’re gonna have to do some jobs for me. You see, I’m looking for new recruits to join my gang, the Canterlot Saints.”
She began to count off her gang’s activities on her fingers. “We deal in drug trafficking, prostitution, hyjacking, and more then our fair share of murders.” She grimaced at how sickened Twilight appeared to be. “Yes, I know it sounds bad, but trust me when I say the things we do are a necessary evil.”
Sunset walked over towards a glassless window on the left side of the office. She leaned against the sill and a much more dour sounding tone appeared in her voice. “In this world, this city, Canterlot, is ruled by three rival gangs who do nothing but extort money and terrorize the populace for their own benefit. My gang does the same, but only so we can compete with the others. My goal is to phase out the other gangs so that we are the only ruling power, save for the city government. From there we’ll be able to insure peace rather than disrupt it. We’ll be heroes rather than gangsters.”
While she was still turned off by the activities the Saints got into, Twilight couldn’t help but feel curious about Sunset's vision for the future. “But what about the city government?” Twilight asked. “Surely they have systems in play to combat these other gangs, right?”
Sunset shook her head. “Almost every business in this city is corrupt, even the police. They’ve all become accustomed to gang warfare, and they’ll milk every opportunity they get to line their own pockets like ticks on a stray dog.”
Twilight ran her hand over her opposite arm anxiously. “I suppose then I can see why such violent methods would be necessary. Even still, I don’t think I could ever take part in the…” Twilight tried to think of a less insulting word then the one she had in mind, but couldn’t come up with anything better, “...crimes your gang is involved in.”
Sunset turned back towards her. She didn’t look insulted; in fact she looked down right complaisant, like she almost agreed with Twilight’s word choice. “I understand. Just know I can’t give you the crown otherwise. I need to increase the numbers in my crew if we ever want to take on the Hive, Empire, and Hell Raisers. If I can’t have you, then I’ll just have to wait until someone with a stronger stomach shows up. Whether that be Celestia herself, a group of royal guards, or some other random pony, I’ll just have to make do with what I get.”
Twilight felt a great deal of guilt building up in her stomach. She would never be able to live with herself if somepony else were to get injured or die should they take her place in Sunset’s gang. Not to mention the increased waiting time would likely put Equestria in further danger without the Element of Magic.
Twilight ran her fingers through her hair. She hated the idea of becoming a criminal, but for the good of everypony else involved, she saw no other alternative.
Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself before making her next request. “Sunset Shimmer...” she said, causing Sunset to turn to her. “I would like to join your gang. At the very least until the Element of Magic is back in my position.”
Sunset’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait really?” Twilight nodded her head solemnly. The gang leader scratched the back of her head in confusion. “I wasn’t really expecting you to say yes. Truth be told, I didn’t think my explanation was that convincing.”
Twilight sighed. She wasn’t looking forward to what was possibly to come in her future. “If it’s for the good of everypony…everyone else, I’ll…try to do the things you ask of me.”
Sunset gave her a sympathetic smile. She knew this was a difficult decision for Twilight to make, especially so quickly. The least she could do was offer Twilight her respect and support. She extended her arm with her fist clenched, which greatly confused the ex-alicorn.
Sunset chuckled, “It’s like a hoofbump.” She explained. Twilight eyes widened and an embarrassed smile spread across her face. She raised her fist and bumped it against Sunset’s.
“I won’t ask you to do anything more.” Sunset stated as they pulled their hands apart. Her smile grew wider, “Twilight Sparkle, even if it's only temporary, I’m proud to be the first to welcome you into the Canterlot Saints.”
Author's Note
So this probably took longer then it should have... 
Sorry too all of you who have been patiently waiting. But now I'm back on the horse, so to speak, and I think I know what direction I want to take this story. I can't promise the chapters will be coming out frequently, but rest assured this one has been put back on my radar.
Welcome back to the Row, everyone!
My Brother from Another Dimension
“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. 
