Vinyl stepped onto the lawn, looking for an obvious sign that said, 'firearms training'.

Surprisingly, she got one. A large fenced off area, with a sign hanging from the fence reading, 'ROOKIES WITH GUNS BEYOND THIS POINT', signed with somepony's Cutie Mark...some kind of candy.

Vinyl walked around the edge of the fenced area slowly, pausing when she heard a gunshot. Off in the distance, where her optics could barely make out, she saw a small can fall off its stump.

Vinyl's eyes danced as she rounded a corner, looking at the firing range. Giant arrows on all pointed off towards the forest, and a massive sign read, "FIRE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ARROWS, OR ELSE". The last two words were underlined three times.

Vinyl turned her gaze to the filly currently on the field, who had a rifle tucked into her shoulder. She squeezed the trigger, and the rifle kicked. Her shoulder twitched from the recoil, her mane and the giant bow in it bouncing, and in the distance, another can fell over.

The filly pulled a lever, ejecting a shell with a sharp ping! The lever slid easily back into place, not slammed, but shut firmly, as the filly aimed at the last can.

She missed. "Shoot!" she muttered, straightening. She adjusted her aim, took a sharp breath, then fired again.

The can remained standing.

"Aw, hell," she said with a sigh, standing. She ejected the casing, then pulled off her ear muffs.

"Hey, you hit two in a row!" a pegasus filly said from nearby. "And you hit three of the cans! That's better than I can manage on a good day!"

"Yeah, but I still wanted to hit that last can," the bow filly said, handing the rifle off to, Vinyl assumed, the marksmanship instructor.

The third filly, Vinyl recognized. "Hey, Miss Scratch!" Sweetie Belle said, waving. "Are you here for the gun training?"

"Uh, yeah," Vinyl said. She turned to the last pony. "You're...the instructor?"

"Yeah. Call me Bon-Bon." She extended a hand, and Vinyl shook it. Bonbon wore a very expensive looking jacket, golden-brown with a collar of red and yellow feathers. She took up the rifle easily, resting the barrel on her shoulder as she grabbed it near the base. "You're the new-blood?"

"Well, technically, if you ignore the fact that I don't have blood," Vinyl said.

"Let's hope you have some spine, at least," Bon-Bon said.

Vinyl nodded. "Fluttershy confirmed that I do have bones."

Bon-Bon didn't laugh. "Androids are usually easier to train up," she said instead. She pulled a thumb drive from her jacket, handing it to Vinyl. "You know what to do with these?"

Vinyl nodded, then opened up a port on the side of her head, and plugged the drive in. "Got tired of explaining the basics over and over again?" she asked, quickly downloading the information the drive contained.

"You have no idea," Bon-Bon sighed. "Some ponies are just fundamentally opposed to the concept of intelligence. It pisses me off."

Vinyl unplugged the drive, handing it back. "So, now what?"

Bon-Bon took it, then slipped it into her pocket. Then, she handed Vinyl the gun.

Vinyl hesitated, and Bon-Bon nodded. "Good. Stay cautious about these things. Nothing puts ponies in the ground faster than ponies who don't respect guns. Don't fear them—but definitely, absolutely be careful with them, always."

Vinyl took it, holding it one both hands like the thumb drive showed her. Bonbon reached over, adjusting her shoulder, then pulled the gun closer, the but digging more firmly into her shoulder.

"And don't you touch that trigger unless you're ready to fire," Bonbon added.

"I know, you just showed me that on the thumb drive," Vinyl muttered. "Okay. Easy so far."

Bonbon smiled tiredly. "Some ponies take way to long getting to this point."

"What point? I'm just holding it."

Bonbon, again, didn't reply to that. "Alright, now we load it."

Vinyl carefully aimed the barrel away from everypony, then pulled the lever. A small compartment on the side of the gun opened up.

Bonbon handed the first bullet. Wishing she could hold her breath, Vinyl carefully loaded it, following the steps detailed on the thumb drive.

Bonbon took up the next bullet, handing it to Vinyl. This time Vinyl fumbled, cursed, but got it loaded in without jamming the rifle.

"So...there's a bunch of different bullets over there," she said, loading the next bullet in a much smoother motion.

"Different sizes," Bonbon explained. "This gun uses the biggest rounds civilians are allowed to carry. 30-30s. It can punch through some bullet proof armor, though I'd want something bigger if I was going against an Inquisitor, or hell, just a cop. They're used by some of the locals to keep bears away."

"These are used for hunting bears?"

Bonbon smiled. "Only small ones. You can shoot a grizzly with these things, but I wouldn't recommend it."

"Yikes. Which one would you bring to fight an Inquisitor?"

Bonbon hesitated, briefly. "Well, the Inquisitors get great armor, alright, but it's designed with mobility in mind. 30-30s won't cut it, regardless. I'd bet on a 308, though, or better yet, seven millimeter." She patted her own jacket fondly. "You know where I joined Discord from?"

"Nope." The last bullet slid into the rifle with a satisfying ping!

Bonbon smiled. "And you just happened to ask that, huh? Former Inquisitor, on permanent leave, without permission. That's how the records list it, anyway."

"You're...an Inquisitor?" Vinyl asked.

Bonbon nodded. "This jacket may look like it's for show, but it could take up to a 308. Probably, that, too."

"What about a seven mil?" the filly with the bow asked.

Bonbon sighed. "The smart aleck there is Apple Bloom. I wouldn't stake my life on taking a seven millimeter, if I could help it."

"Vinyl Scratch," Vinyl introduced with a nod. "I'll shake your hand later. And you?" She looked to the pegasus.

"Scootaloo. Nice to meet ya!"

Weird name, Vinyl thought. "I'm not sure what any of those numbers actually mean anything to me."

Bonbon let out a frustrated sound, but stepped slightly to the side. "We have a size chart here," she said.

Vinyl looked to the pedestal on the side that had sparked her question. The bullets were, truthfully, set up in a neat row, in order of size.

"Um...what's with that one?" she asked.

Bonbon picked up a bullet the size of Vinyl's middle finger. "This is a fifty milligram," she said. "While some manufacturers build sizes civilians aren't allowed to carry, only Canterlot is allowed to build these babies. This is what I'd bring to Wonderbolts, no questions asked. It can punch through Wonderbolt armor easily, and theoretically drop an Alicorn." She set it down, then nodded to the firing range. "But more on that later. Assume firing position."

Vinyl squared her hooves, gun tucked into her shoulder.

"Now just focus along the sights--" Bonbon paused, then reached and lowered the barrel of the gun. She looked into Vinyl's visor.

"Uh...huh," she muttered. "F'cking custom models...can you sight like that?"

"I can tell the general direction the barrel is pointing?" Vinyl said, confused. "I'm not sure if that's a skill thing, though."

Bonbon rubbed her forehead. "Alright, just...firing position. We'll see how you do after that. Crusaders?" She jerked her thumb, pointing behind Vinyl. "Safety first. And Apple Bloom, get your ear protection back in."

The Crusaders crowded behind Vinyl, who pointed the rifle in the vague direction of one of the cans. There were five, and the middle one was directly ahead of her, so she focused her attention on it.

She was about to pull the trigger when she noticed the hammer. She flicked it into firing position, then sighted along the barrel.

"I've never resented not having those range detector programs," she muttered. "Welp. Down range."

The rifle held six shots. The first two she wasn't sure were in the same cardinal direction as the can. The third hit the pedestal it was on. Vinyl had no clue where the fourth bullet even went. She thought that God might have a clue, but He was probably too busy laughing to tell her.

The fifth hit the can on the right of her target.

She flipped the hammer back to safe, then turned, looking to Bonbon.

"You weren't aiming for that one, were you?" the ex-Inquisitor asked.

"No. Not at all. Does that still count?"

"Would it count if that was an ally, but the middle one was an enemy?"

Vinyl sighed. "Yeah, didn't think so. I'm...I don't think this is working, Bonbon."

"Of course it isn't. With that stupid faceplate design, I'm surprised you didn't hit me," Bonbon sighed.

"Would a hand gun be better?" Vinyl asked.

"Well...maybe?" Bonbon frowned.

Vinyl handed Bonbon the rifle, then pulled out her Drake.

"Is that Octavia's gun?" Bonbon asked.

"Yeah. She told me to keep it while she was in Las Pegasus."

"That's a forty-four, which is bigger than I like rookies touching," she said. "It kicks like a son of a bitch. If you aren't careful, you really can hit ponies behind you." She put a hand to her forehead, shaking her head slowly.

Vinyl holstered the handgun again, waiting.

"Give me a minute. I'm gonna fetch something from the armory." Bonbon started to walk away, then stopped and turned around, pointing at Vinyl. "You don't touch any of the guns until I'm back." She pointed to Scootaloo. "You, either."

"Hey!"

Bonbon strode off, leaving them alone.

"Well, that was embarrassing," Vinyl said, sitting down.

"Hey! That sixth shot might have hit," Sweetie said.

"Chillax," Scootaloo said, wings buzzing slightly, "not many ponies hit something on their first time."

"I don't think I count on this front," Sweetie Belle said. Her mounted shoulder cannon was gone, and her clothing had been replaced by a purple skirt and pink shirt. She held up an arm, and a slim barrel slid out of it. "I was programmed for shooting, so..."

"True. I mean, I landed a shot on my first five bullets, but Applebloom didn't," Scootaloo said. "I was told my shot almost never happened, too, so don't feel bad about it."

"Bonbon didn't sound to happy about that," Sweetie said slowly.

"That's because she was what Scootaloo shot," Applebloom corrected. "And she was right. I ain't never seen a pony accidentally shoot something behind them when using a rifle."

"My hoof slipped!" Scootaloo said defensively.

"Like...the thirty-thirty?" Vinyl asked slowly.

"A 2-23," Applebloom said. "Much smaller. I don't think it'd have hurt Bonbon even if it hadn't hit the jacket, but still."

"I am fairly confident in Scoot's ability to not accidentally shoot anypony within a five mile radius around her when she fires," Bonbon's voice came in, "but she still has a long way to go."

Scootaloo's wings buzzed again.

Bonbon stepped over to them, holding up a much fancier rifle.

"This," she said, "is a Discord produced weapon. Combat androids are built with firing guns in mind, so they don't need specialized guns to wield. It's only androids like you that we use things like this." She held it up.

"It doesn't have a scope," Vinyl pointed out.

With a click, a compartment on the stock opened up. Bonbon pulled out a USB.

"Click this, and you can interface with the rifle much easier," she said. "Even without firing software installed, you should be able to fire this thing with accuracy."

"Cool!" Vinyl said, putting the drive in. "So, what is this thing? Lever-action like the 30-30?"

Bonbon set the other rifle down. "That's a Flim-Flam Munitions gun. Cheap, but it's reliable enough to not accidentally kill anypony. This thing doesn't have a brand. It is a semi-automatic assault rifle. It can do single-shot or three-shot burst, and can use any gemstone you load into it without breaking." She nodded to the 30-30. "You put a diamond bullet in that thing, the gun would explode from firing it."

Vinyl plugged the USB in, and immediately saw the option to connect to the rifle. "Cool. I'll, uh, be careful."

Bonbon nodded. "It's bullets aren't so big, compared to some of our guns, so it's the one I brought out. But keep it on single-shot for now unless you feel like replacing your shoulder today."

"Got it." Vinyl took the gun, setting it into firing position. "Uh, it doesn't have a hammer."

"No, it doesn't. Some guns don't have safety because you need to be able to fire it at the drop of a hat. That means be very, very careful with this thing or I will personally disassemble you screw by screw, got it, Scratch?"

"Yes, ma'am." Somehow, Rainbow Dash didn't seem so threatening anymore.

"Okay, good," Bonbon said, pulling out an ammo cartridge. "This thing holds thirty bullets. If your shoulder starts hurting, put her down and let me know."

"Got it."

Bonbon quickly showed her how to load the cartridge, along the underside of the barrel, then gestured for Vinyl to take firing position.

Vinyl did so, and turned on the gun's firing software.

Immediately additional information lit up her view, including a handy red dot to show where the gun was pointing, and then a bunch of other information flooded her brain.

Distance between her and the target, target's movement speed (which was zero), and the expected force of the shot.

"Was this thing expensive?" Vinyl asked, training the red dot on the can. The gun was heavier, so keeping it steady proved a little harder than she'd thought.

"That gun is about a thousand bits," Bonbon said casually.

Vinyl played a whistle sound effect. Bonbon frowned at that, but Vinyl interrupted whatever she was thinking by saying, "Down range."

She missed. The bullet whistled past the can.

"Oh for--" Vinyl began muttering her choicest curse words, sighting at the can again. This time, the can fell off its pedestal, and she aimed at the one on the right. She hit that one immediately. Satisfied, she moved to the one furthest on the right, and fired.

The can stayed where it was, though Vinyl swore her aim was right. She missed the next shot as well, and then took an extra long moment aiming at the can.

The can stayed where it was, but Vinyl had recorded that shot. She played back the footage, slowing it down so she could see the bullet—kind of.

The blurry object passed through the air, and as she watched, went through the can, without knocking it over or even leaving any noticeable hole.

"Uh..." She lowered the gun, looking at Bonbon. "I hit it that time. It didn't move."

Bonbon frowned. "Must be a glitch. Hold on, I'm going to troubleshoot."

"Troubleshoot...a can," Vinyl said.

Bonbon let out one of those sighs only used by ponies who had to deal with particularly dimwitted ponies, which Vinyl felt was rather uncalled for. She stepped over to a pedestal beside where some guns had been stored, pressing some buttons.

The firing range staticked, flickering with multicolored pixels, and then the far right can and the pedestal it was on disappeared.

"Holograms?" Vinyl asked.

"Eeyup," Bonbon said tiredly. "Hold on...goddamnit, Pie. There's four of them, and they can't stop and make sure they set up the hit box properly..."

The can reappeared. "Now go for it," Bonbon said. "The computer should be able to register the shot now."

Vinyl aimed at the can again, focusing on it.

She shot it, and this time it fell off.

"I stole the blueprint from Canterlot on my way out," Bonbon explained. "The Canton's probably upgraded it, but we haven't upgraded this tech as much as we should have." She gritted her teeth. "I also think that we should be training rookies with gemstone bullets, but hey. The Boss said otherwise."

"Hey."

Bonbon looked up from her musings. "Yeah, what?"

Vinyl turned to her, eyes dancing up and down. "Where can I learn more about the holograms?"

Author's Note

Firearms in the Y2K setting

I am not the biggest gun nut around, and never really got Dad to teach me as much as I should have. So most of my knowledge nowadays comes from looking it up on the web, which is only semi-reliable. The bullet sizes I'm using come from Sportsman.com. The rifle rounds are listed under what kind of hunting they're good to use for. 30-30s are up there for hunting black bears, but not grizzly bears. 308 is put under hog hunting (apparently that needs a bigger bullet than the black bears). A few consecutive web searches told me that 7 MM is one of the most common sizes used in sniper rifles, but numerous online sources declared that the 300 Winchester is better(that one is okay for hunting grizzlies).

It should be noted that I am willing to make up as many gun brands as needed, but making up an entirely new list of bullet sizes is a little much for me.

Now about the Y2K gun brands.

Flim-Flam Munitions is widely regarded as cheap, but reliable enough to keep them out of legal trouble. No one suggests putting gemstones in their guns for fear of breaking the mechanisms.

Drakes are primarily handguns, and they earned their name being one of the first guns built to use fire rubies. Ruby detonations leave lots of soot that can ruin other guns, so the drakes are built to accommodate that, including being a lot easier to clean. Drakes are the most popular choice of handguns on the open market in Equestria and Griffonstone.

IF I GOT SOMETHING WRONG, please tell me in the comments. All of the "well, actually"s you have are actually welcome so long as you can be polite.