Canterlot Academy Trials

Back at the Serpent City bar…

BANGBANGBANG!

With several, well-timed shots from Bullet’s guns, he took down one of the changeling gangsters as the rest of the patrons casually left the building through the back door.

“God--mother of--!” the lynx man hissed at Bullet as the primate flopped down behind his bar counter. “The hell did you do this time, Yin?!”

“Hey I didn’t start this one, I told you that,” the monkey merc insisted, “As usual, it’s some smeg-stains who can’t take a hint. Seems like we’re about to have even more trouble in this bitch than usual!” he shouted as he fired back over the barstand.

The changeling gangsters simply refused to give up, continuing to fire what appeared to bejade green pistols--the very same kind that Bullet had made use of. Something the monkey man was quick to notice. Weapons with that sort of plating were only made in his hometown of the Wukong Province--specifically the Peking region.

‘Those guns…just where did they--or rather who did they get those from?’

But there was no time to deliberate that since he could figure that out later. In the meantime, Bullet simply wanted to put an end to this battle with those five gangster changelings as quickly as possible. After all, should this bar get destroyed, where else would he get his coconut cocktails?

“You just watch your ass, Mr. Lionel,” Bullet muttered before jumping out into the fray.

“Wait, what--?!” the abyssinian yelped as he watched the primate take over.

With a quick slide, Bullet dashed out and fired both of his guns to take down one of the changelings that had been firing in his direction. In an instant, the first gangster went down with a shot that hit their throat, followed by a quick roll in which he swapped to using his guns with his feet. The finger-like appendages allowed him to fire perfectly and take down two more as he performed a quick thomas-flare-like spin on his hands which allowed him to avoid most of the oncoming fire.

“Dammit!” one of the remaining changelings hissed behind a table that they had flipped over and made use of for cover, “No wonder his bounty’s so high. He’s good!”

“Then it’s time for my trump card.” The female changeling that had tried to seduce Bullet earlier had taken cover next to one of her goons and held up a bound and gagged border collie diamond dog lady that was squirming for dear life. “Poor gal didn’t make it out in time so...we’ll make him surrender.”

“...Good idea,” her other gangster replied.

As soon as everyone needed to take a moment to reload, Bullet called out to them.

“You can stop embarrassing yourselves now,” he scoffed with a cocksure grin on his face as he pulled the hammer back on one of his pistols, and holstered them before shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. “I’ve dealt with stronger enemies with my eyes closed.”

“You haven’t dealt with…this, have you?” the leader changeling rose from behind the table with her pistol aimed at the sobbing dog woman’s head which immediately caused Bullet’s expression to drop. “Now what’s it gonna be? You gonna let an innocent lady die, or are you gonna do what I say?”

Bullet felt his heart skip a beat as his left eyelid twitched involuntarily. Witnessing a hostage situation like this brought upon painful memories of his past; memories that caused him to avert his eyes and grit his teeth.

“Looks like banana boy is trippin’ out!” one of the other changelings taunted him, “I bet he’s scared! He ain’t nowhere near as tough as his bounty made him out to be!”

Bullet pulled his hands out of his pockets with his hands balled into shaking fists. “...l-let her go,” he huffed with an jittery, low tone as he tilted his head down, keeping his eyes out of view from the shadow cast upon them. “...before I tear your face off.”

The bartender, Lionel, immediately backed away and into the storage room with his hands raised in complete silence with an unconcerned expression on his face, as if he knew what was about to happen.

“How ‘bout I shoot you first?” the leader changeling offered as she pointed her gun at him instead, “We’ll see how much shit you can talk with an extra hole in your face!”

“...go ahead,” Bullet dared her with his hands opened and a neutral expression on his face; the primate flexed each one individually as he engaged in the standoff, “Try m--”

BANG!

With a quick pull of the trigger, the changeling mare fired her gun and the force caused Bullet to recoil and turn his head as they chuckled…until they saw him turn his head back in their direction…with the bullet between his teeth!

“Wh-what?!”

“H-h-how did he--?!”

The changeling’s goons panicked as the ringleader herself stood in paralyzed shock, frozen with a stunned look on her face as Bullet spat out the 9mm round from his lips and onto the floor. The state of everyone’s shock allowed the dog woman time to escape, slipping out of the changeling’s grip and running out of the bar.

Bullet stared at them…and his maw folded back to reveal his perfectly unharmed set of dagger-like primate teeth. With a beastly, almost demonic roar, he leapt at them and--!

"HRRRAGH!"

CRACK!

From outside the bar, passersby would hear the roaring along with what only could be described as flesh ripping apart and bones breaking.