Grand Theft Sparkle

**1 Week Later**

“And that looks like the gist of it. Keep noting down anything that might be peculiar or strange about your magic, and we’ll keep an eye on that, but otherwise you should be good for now Twilight.”

Jonathan groaned as he stood up and stretched his back, a popping noise coming from it as he reached towards the ceiling. Twilight sat opposite of him on James’ couch, the owner in question out on another job.

“Thanks for the help Jon.” Twilight said as she hopped off the couch and stretched her legs, feeling her left rear leg instead of the stump of pain that was her leg previously after she had gotten shot. Inspecting her leg, the bullet wound had even healed, only leaving a slight change in color on her skin that was barely noticeable if you weren’t looking for it.

“I hope I never get shot again though and need your help, as much as I enjoy our talks about medicine.”

Jonathan chuckled as he walked over to the apartment door, passing Blake who was resting his head on the dining area table, his left arm now in just a sling while his right leg was still in a brace.

“Don’t worry, I’d rather hang out casually instead of for business anyway. You, on the other hand,” Jonathan said as he poked Blake in his shoulder, “are still not cleared. I don’t want you fucking up your leg even more, causing me to re-set it, again.”

Blake groaned into his arm and table before lifting his head and blinking at the sudden brightness change.

“But that means I’m stuck here for a month! What am I going to do for a whole MONTH? That’s not even including the physical therapy you keep talking about! I just wanna get back out there cuz otherwise it’s just James, and you know how he gets when flying solo too much.”

Blake looked at Jonathan as he was speaking, the taller lankier human simply shrugging his shoulders as he opened the apartment door.

“Sorry, not my problem, much that it is, but unless you wanna double the time, stop fucking up your leg! I don’t even know why you tried going on that job as soon as you got out of the cast, and now look at you!”

Jonathan closed the door 65%, leaving just his head inside the apartment as he looked to Twilight.

“I’m heading out of town, so I’ll catch you later Twilight, just give me a call if you need anything next time I stop by. And for the love of God, make sure Blake doesn’t get any ideas.”

With that, Jonathan finally closed the door and left the duo in silence as Blake dropped his head onto his arms once more, a muffled ‘bang’ ringing out from the force of it. Twilight winced as she watched him, a sad smile adorning her face as she walked over to him.

“Cheer up Blake, it’s only a month, maybe two, at most! There’s plenty of books to read, and TV to watch… and the internet to peruse…” Twilight grimaced as she talked, realizing that only the books were actually academic in any regard. “On second thought, maybe you have a point…”

Blake huffed as he lifted his head to look at Twilight, a flat expression on his face while a ghost of a smile hid in his eyes.

“Thanks Twi, but that’s not what I meant. It’s more for James, he gets… Well, it’s best for everyone when he doesn’t work all the time…”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the sentence, wondering just what he meant by it.

“What do you mean by that? Doesn’t he come here and relax every night?”

“While true, that’s not really relaxing. He’s just coming here to sleep, maybe grab some food and ammo, and get back out onto the streets. Normally we could swap off so he could do something besides robbing and stealing, but with me out of commission…” Blake leaned back as he looked towards the ceiling, a small frown forming. “I know he’ll somehow get into trouble, which’ll snowball.”

Twilight cringed at the idea of James getting into even more trouble that he usually would, her ears pulling back as she thought of a potential solution.

“What if… What if you went with him as a driver? Would that work to help keep him out of trouble?” Twilight asked, looking at Blake.

Blake pulled his head up and looked at her with a questioning gaze for a few seconds before speaking.

“Not really. Even if I was just there to drive, if we ran into any issues and had to ditch the car…” Blake gestured to his leg, lifting it up as the brace kept it ramrod straight before setting his foot back on the floor. The implication was more than enough.

Looking at Twilight, Blake waved his hand in dismission.

“It’ll be fine, I’ll just tell him to take some time off; we have enough cash saved up to not worry about any bills while I’m out.”

Twilight lowered her head, her face scrunching up as she analyzed the situation that Blake and James were both in, and herself as well…

With Blake recuperating, that means only James can work and get money, both to pay all their expenses and to help save up for the gold I need… That means progress will be slowed down by at least half, but there's nothing that I can really do… Right?

Twilight turned away and headed to the fridge, grabbing a Sprunk and looking at Blake who had pulled out his new phone and seemed to be reading something.

“Do you want a beer or anything else to drink?” Twilight asked the man, already pulling one partially out of the fridge.

Blake looked up at her in surprise, before grinning as he held out a hand. “Yea, toss me a beer, got nothing better to do today anyway.”

Twilight levitated the beer over to him, letting him grab it and pop the top off himself; using the table's edge while she closed the fridge. Walking back over to Blake, she pulled out the other seat before hopping on it, resting her forehooves on the table while she nursed the can, her face scrunched up as she pondered possible solutions.

There really isn’t anything I can do, I mean… I can’t get any jobs without Merryweather knowing and coming for me… It’s not like–

Twilight twitched her head sideways a degree as she felt a pin of pressure on the right side of her head, the small motion going unnoticed as Blake was occupied with drinking and sending a text. As he finished his message, his face broke out into a grin as he looked at Twilight.

“Good news, Mors is finished with the car, so I’m sending James to go pick it up. At the very least we can now go out and get some food, so we won’t be relying on him all the time now.”

Twilight shook her head to dissipate the pressure that had built up, feeling it flow away as her head cleared and her thoughts became collected before speaking.

“What if I… What if I went on some of the jobs with him? Just to make sure he’s doing alright and everything?” Twilight didn’t cower as she normally would when asking this type of question as she knew what would happen on those types of jobs, and mostly knew what she was getting herself into.

Blake paused mid drink, his eyes widening in a slow, dawning realization of what Twilight had just said as he slowly lowered the beer back to the table, looking at her with a questioning gaze.

“Twi, you know–”

“I know, I just feel like I should help out where I can…”

Blake blinked owlishly as he thought about the offer, looking at Twilight who held firm at his gaze.

“You don’t have to force yourself you know, it’s less than a month and then–”

“It’s not just that, I… You’re not able to work because of me, and–”

Blake cut her off with a wave of his hand, a dismissive snort blowing out his nose before he spoke.

“Twi, I knew what I was getting into when I brought you outside, it’s not your fault.”

Twilight stomped her hoof on the table as she glared at Blake, determination in her eyes.

“It IS my fault, I asked you to teach me to drive, I was the one behind the wheel, I was the reason we ended up crashing, and I was the one who needed rescuing, again.”

Twilight stopped glaring at Blake as she slid out the chair and slowly paced around the kitchen/dining area, her mouth forming into a snarl as she talked.

“All I've done since I got here was get rescued, or needed rescuing. I was Princess Celestia’s student, I helped stop Nightmare Moon, I helped stop Discord, and yet–!!!”

Twilight’s head twitched a degree clockwise along with her eye as she paused mid rant, the sudden change in Twilight not going unnoticed by Blake as he blinked, wondering what just happened. Yet, just as fast as it happened, Twilight heaved a sigh as she resumed her pacing, her mouth relaxing into a frown as she continued to talk.

“I am sick and tired of being helpless without any way to help, without any way to give back to you two… I’m not a foal, I don’t need to be foalsitted 24/7, I just…”

Twilight sat down on the floor, hanging her head low as she closed her eyes and sighed heavily, calming her pounding heart down and lowering her blood pressure that had steadily been rising in time with her headache.

Blake sat quietly on his chair, a worried on his face as he watched her pace before she sat down. Looking away, Blake mulled over his thoughts on Twilight, and how she was handling life in San Andreas, even as little as she had experienced so far. Looking back to Twilight, Blake noticed her frown had disappeared and now she almost looked like she was asleep with how quietly she was just sitting there.

“Twi, I know I said I would help you no matter what, but are you sure you’re alright? You seem… different…”

Twilight slowly opened her eyes, tilting her head over to Blake as she sighed once more before speaking.

“I just… I just hate how there’s nothing I can do except sit here. Back in Equestria, even if I couldn’t do anything, I could read about it or go out and find some help from one of my friends or the Princesses, but here… I just sit, and wait, and get helped, and rescued, and fed, and, and, and–!!! And cause trouble, with either you, or James, or Lester, or even Jonathan!”

Twilight's face became one of sorrow as she looked at Blake, her ears slowly laying back as she continued to speak.

“I’m going to be here for YEARS, at the very least, will everyp– will they be alright with foalsitting me for all that time?”

Blake listened, his focus solely on Twilight as she laid out her fears and worries to him before letting a pregnant pause take the room, giving him a small window to gather his thoughts on what to do next.

Closing his eyes, Blake sighed as he slowly opened his eyes and looked into Twilight’s eyes, the stress of the situation showing easily in those eyes that wore her emotions on her sleeves; if she had any.

“Twilight, I know James and I will. Lester and Jonathan might need a little convincing, but a few jobs for them, or money, will be more than enough.” Twilight opened her mouth to speak up but was stopped as Blake held up a hand to her. “But, I think I understand what you’re looking for, and that’s some control over your life right?”

Twilight averted her eyes, a confused look on her face as she reflected on what Blake had said as he used the opportunity to continue.

“Back in Equestria, you seem to be somewhat in control of your surroundings, assuming beating ‘Nightmare Moon’ and ‘Discord’ is anything to go by, but here on Earth, you can’t even go outside without someone trying to kidnap or kill you. Reminds me of someone else…” Blake muttered the last part under his breath as he looked away, a small frown forming on his face. Twilight was only able to hear it thanks to the fact that she had been paying attention to him, her ears leaning forward as she sat silently.

“I’m no psychiatrist… Or was it a therapist? But, either way, I want to help you, I just want to make sure that you also want it, because life here isn't just sunshine and rainbows.”

Blake sat quietly on the chair, a neutral look on his face as he looked Twilight in her eyes as she looked back; her face and eyes filled with determination as she nodded her head and furrowed her eyebrows.

“Alright, I’ll let you go on some of James' jobs, as a ride along and driver to make sure he’s doing alright, but on one condition.”

Twilight’s determination didn’t falter, but a hint of nervousness creeped into her at Blake’s words.

“You need to learn how to defend yourself. I know I gave you a quick rundown on guns and why to avoid them, but now you need to learn how to use them.”

Twilight scoffed at the notion, lifting a hoof to rebuke him before pausing and shuddering slightly, the memory of her practice with James coming to the forefront of her mind.

I’m getting too hurt lately, aren’t I?

Slowly, Twilight lowered her hoof before nodding her head.

“I’ll learn it, but I don’t have to use it, right?” Twilight asked, fear clearly in her voice at the idea of having to harm another creature.

Blake smiled reassuringly, knowing exactly what Twilight was thinking.

“I won’t force you to shoot anyone, but I still want you to have the knowledge just in case. I… I woke up right as you got shot, after the crash…” Blake hung his head as he thought back to his experience with that night. “I know you wouldn’t have used it against them, but, at the very least you could have had another tool to slow them down at your fingertips… Hooftips? Either way, having more tools is always better than not having enough.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the line of thought, a question forming in her head before pushing it to her mouth.

“How does that work? James and I… Well… I learned very quickly that telekinesis and guns don’t mix very well…”

Blake grinned at her, a knowing twinkle in his eyes as he pointed to his couch by the half-wall.

“On the other side of the couch is my SMG, go grab it for me and I’ll show you, trust me, you’ll realize why.”

Twilight eyed him before huffing, moving around the wall and couch before spotting his SMG on the ground, leaning up against the couch itself. A few spare magazines were laid out on the ground next to it, all of them filled to the brim with bullets. Twilight grabbed the SMG, levitating it over to Blake as he took it from her grasp.

“When you truly learn about something, you know it from both the outside,” Blake spoke as he waved a hand over the SMG, “and the inside as well.”

Blake pressed the magazine release button, letting the mag drop out into his waiting hand below before he placed it on the table.

“A gun without any ammo is just a fancy stick, but you still have to know how to disarm that stick as well.” Blake then racked the slide, the last bullet popping out into the air and catching it. “You said you and James were experimenting with guns, right?”

Twilight silently nodded her head, the gears in her brain starting to turn as Blake led her down a train of thought that she hadn’t had before.

“You also said they don’t mix well, what happened?” Blake placed the SMG on the table, letting Twilight gather her thoughts as she cringed at the incident.

“Well… I don’t know exactly why, but he… Well… Started shooting in my direction while we were out…” Twilight splayed her ears back, embarrassment etching itself all over her body in both her posture and habits as she rubbed her front hooves together.

Blake blinked slowly at the revelation, raising an eyebrow but not glaring or jumping in anger at the idea of James shooting at Twilight.

“Could you elaborate, please?”

Twilight tilted her head as she slowly sifted through her memories from back then.

“Well, we were talking, as well as we could with him being mute, and one thing led to another. From what I can tell, he was teaching me how to be shot at. He started off with a shot into the air, before letting it go lower and lower until I could feel the wind pressure brushing past my fur from each shot. I… I ended up grabbing his gun and hand to try and take it from him, but at that range, which was only maybe… double the length of this room at most… I could barely move his arms, and he still had control over his fingers.”

Twilight instinctively brought a hoof to her horn, rubbing it slightly as the phantom pains faded as she came back to reality, shaking her head as she put her hoof back down.

“When he fired another shot through my magic, there was… a LOT… of feedback… Have you ever… Have you ever pulled a muscle, to the point where you couldn’t use it and had to put ice on it?”

Blake nodded his head, a grim look settling on his face as Twilight continued.

“Well, imagine that except in your brain, except it’s not physical, but mental, spiritual. I know humans don’t have magic, so it’s hard to get an apt comparison, but…”

Blake held up a hand and nodded his head. “I understand Twi, it almost sounds like an aneurysm, or stroke with how bad it is…”

Twilight nodded her head, a shadow falling over her face as she spoke.

“It’s not entirely uncommon for those who have a bad case of magical feedback losing their lives, mostly due to the fact it’s usually in an extreme scenario. Since ‘The Culling of the Everfree’ a few hundred years ago, most incidents usually involve construction accidents and other hazardous work sites. Sometimes, the pony is question is lucky and only suffers from the feedback, which is what happened in my case, but the only way to resolve it is with a ‘magic flushing’ where you cycle out the old magic that compounded with the feedback with new, ambient magic; if you have a reserve crystal on hoof, you can expedite it to only a few minutes worth of pain, otherwise…”

Twilight trailed off as she let Blake figure out the implication on his own, his eyes widening as he pieced it together.

“You have to wait until it cycles naturally…”

Twilight nodded her head, a frown forming.

“With the near lack of a magic field on Earth, it took me hours to recover, had it been anytime that time was of the essence…”

A pregnant pause filled the room as the two shifted uncomfortably at the implications. After nearly a minute, Blake was the first to speak up.

“I understand. I won’t force you to use a gun, but, I would at the very least like you to have the knowledge of it even if you don’t use it; broadening your horizons as it were. Deal?”

Blake held out a hand to Twilight, a gentle smile coming to his face as she eyed it, and him, cautiously.

I owe it to Blake, and James, to help out where I can, and I won’t be like them, I won’t kill anypo- anyone. It’s just a tool and knowledge, and it’s up to me what I do with them. Knowledge can’t hurt you, it can only help you…

Twilight held out her hoof, letting it become clasped by Blake as they shook hands/hooves on the deal; a small smile forming on Twilight’s face, even if it was a hesitant smile at that.

Blake let go of Twilight’s hoof before speaking, “I’ll call James and let him know the plan; there’s a scrapyard down south, over by LSIA, that doesn’t get a lot of traffic, it’ll be fine for you to practice without anyone noticing you.”

Twilight nodded her head at that, a grin forming on her face. “Alright, I’ll make sure to write a perfect report about everything that happened so you can read it as well!”

Blake chuckled as he waved off Twilight, “I don’t need a whole report, just a quick rundown on what happened, and if you’re hurt or not, James included. I’m alright with you going on jobs, but safety is the priority, understand?”

Twilight nodded her head, her body already going through the motions before her mind caught up. “Absolutely! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my ey– OW!”

Twilight gently rubbed her left eye, a small frown on her face as she muttered to herself. “Even after all this time, I still poke my eye…”

Blake’s grin returned with fever as he watched Twilight in amusement.

**A Few Hours Later**

James groaned as he stepped out of the car that was parked facing a concrete barrier in the corner of the empty scrapyard. The afternoon sun was barely peeking into the shaded area, peeking between a recycling plant and the La Puerta Freeway, casting long shadows that danced in the perfect afternoon weather.

Twilight watched James close the driver door behind him as he made his way to the rear of the car, opening the tailgate and grabbing one of the two duffel bags that were placed in the bed. Looking forward, Twilight raised a hoof to her chest while inhaling, before slowly exhaling and pulling her hoof away; going through her breathing exercises Cadance had taught her as she went through the conversation with Blake in her head.

You’re not going to use it to kill Twilight, it’s just to have another tool in your arsenal, another spell in your head, another book in your library, to avoid dying. Blake knows what he’s talking about, and he has shown how far he’s willing to go to help you, so it's time to help him out, even just a little.

Opening her eyes, Twilight exited the passenger side, and made her way to the rear of the car where James was waiting expectantly. One of the duffel bags had been slung over his back, the strap going over his chest, while the other one was resting on the tailgate itself. Twilight raised an eyebrow as they stood there for a second, causing James to roll his eyes in annoyance as he pushed the second bag towards her.

Twilight’s eyes widened in realization, a nervous smile adorning her face as she grasped the bag in her magic before lifting it off of the tailgate and onto her back. Grunting in exertion at the surprising heft of the bag, Twilight let it rest on her haunches while she used her magic to keep it stable, wearing it almost like a saddlebag without the strap.

Doing a quick idle prance, Twilight eyed the bag to make sure it was stable enough to walk with before looking back at James, a childlike grin on her face at the success. James simply snorted in amusement, a small grin hiding on his face in the shadow of the freeway as he closed the tailgate and moved further into the yard, Twilight following closely behind him.

Crossing the yard until they were just under the freeway itself, standing by one of the main support pillars, James slung his bag around and tossed it onto a pile of wooden pallets that were stacked next to a mini-crane meant for grabbing scrap and garbage from a bin just underneath the grabber.

Mimicking James, Twilight levitated her bag onto the pallets as well, letting go of it once she was sure it wouldn’t fall off or roll due to its shifting weight. Looking back to James, she spotted him looking around, and inside, the dumpster that sat underneath the crane grabber. Curious, Twilight approached him and attempted to peek over the edge of the dumpster and see what he was looking for.

“What are you looking for?” Twilight asked, barely able to see over the lip of the dumpster, even while standing on the tips of her hooves, as James looked at her; a puzzled expression on his face. “Do you need any help?”

James paused for a second, staring at her in concentration before his eyes widened in a moment of epiphany, snapping his fingers as well. Scooting over to her, James wasted no time in wrapping his hands around her barrel and lifting her up to clearly see over the edge of the dumpster. Twilight let out a cry as she was lifted up like one would lift a toddler, being held partially in the air by James’ hands alone.

“WHA– WHAT?! HEY?!?!”

Instinctively, Twilight kicked out with her rear legs as she reached out and braced herself on the edge of the dumpster, nearly kicking James in the process as he held her out and away from him. A growl escaped his throat as he squeezed his arms, causing Twilight to squeak in surprise and fear at the change in demeanor. Pulling her ears back, she turned her head to face him and look him in the eyes as she consciously took control of her legs.

“Hey! I don’t want to hear any complaints when you just suddenly grabbed me! At least ask me, or warn me, before you suddenly pick me up!”

James grunted in response, shifting her around so that way he could carry her under his right arm and leaving his left hand free to point to the numerous bottles that filled the bin. Twilight glanced between him and the bottles, a questioning look on her face as she noticed the ludicrous amounts of Pißwasser glass bottles that filled the bin, along with a near matching amount of Sprunk and eCola cans tossed in.

“What? What am I looking for?”

James simply blew air out of his nose as he started to grab bottles and cans, placing them between him and Twilight as he used her as an impromptu vice to hold the items. Looking at the growing collection, Twilight raised an eyebrow and spoke to him as he continued to fill the space between her barrel and his chest.

“You… Want me to pick up the bottles and cans?” Twilight asked, looking at him for confirmation.

Without pausing, James nodded his head and started stuffing one last can into the small pile under his arm, causing some of the lower bottles to start pushing into Twilight’s ribs.

Huffing in annoyance, Twilight lit up her horn and immediately levitated almost 100 of the cans and bottles, straining as she did so, but holding them steady in her magical grasp as she spoke to James.

“Ne–xt time, as–k me first, and I’ll help. Now where are we going because I don’t know how long I can hold all of this… Junk…”

James rolled his eyes as he moved away from the dumpster, heading to the north side where a bus and rolls of rusted pipe laid under the freeway. Twilight huffed as she craned her head behind her, keeping an eye on the floating bottles and cans to avoid dropping anything.

As James reached the rusted pipes, each pipe being 3 ft in diameter with them being stacked two high, he started to place the bottles and cans on top of it, spacing them roughly six inches apart from one another. Giving a quick shake to Twilight, who grumbled in indignation, the floating trash pieces followed suit, layering the pipes and even the bus in bottles and cans. After a few minor adjustments, James nodded and placed Twilight on the ground, setting her down like one would a dog.

As soon as James let go of her, Twilight scooted a few feet away from him and glared, annoyance clearly etched into her face as she scowled.

“Don’t pick me up without warning me, Faust that was…” Twilight shook herself as she brushed her coat, getting rid of any ruffle James had left in her fur.

“At least give me a warning next time…” Twilight gave one last shake before looking at James expectantly, her natural curiosity outweighing her indignation. “So what was all that for? How are all the bottles and cans supposed to help teach me how to use a gun?”

James simply stared at her silently, his face never wavering for a second, before he simply turned back towards the duffel bags, leaving Twilight as her mouth turned into a frown at the strange behavior. Gritting her teeth, Twilight followed him back to the stack of pallets as he rifled through the bags, searching for something.

“I know we aren’t best friends, but I thought that we’d at least be friendly… Well, more friendly than this…” Twilight spoke, a twinge of anger seeping into her voice as she addressed James.

The human merely paused for a second, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow, before diving back into the bag and leaving Twilight to her own devices as he started to pull out items.

The first item that James withdrew was a pistol, along with a dozen magazines to spare, before Blake’s SMG was withdrawn as well, another dozen magazines following that. Laying them on top of the pallets, James organized it so the guns would be next to a stack of their respective ammo, before he dove into the second bag.

Twilight sighed, her annoyance evident at the situation as James was less than helpful, as she started to reminisce about her friends and how they wouldn't see eye to eye on everything. Zoning out, Twilight thought to herself about how James was acting in an attempt to rationalize it.

Easy Twilight, it’s not like you instantly became friends with the rest of the girls in a single night… Okay, maybe I did, but that was because we all stopped Nightmare Moon together… But we still had our differences and issues that weren’t instantly solved… Just one step at a time, one hoof in front of the other until you become a true friend with James…

Twilight zoned back in as James turned around, evidently having emptied the second duffel bag and placing his Assault Rifle on the pallet, along with a new weapon. A long barrel extended out from the receiver, along with a scope attached to it, and a sturdy stock that had a good layer of padding on it.

Twilight eyed the new gun curiously before focusing back on James, who simply looked at her apathetically. Raising an eyebrow, Twilight simply looked back at him in a pseudo-staring contest.

Try as Twilight might, her background as a bookworm had left her lacking in confidence and ability to uphold one’s bravado, to the point that after just 15 seconds Twilight folded back her ears, and eventually looking away at the ground at the one minute mark, causing James to grin smugly before turning back to the small stockpile of weapons.

James brought a hand to his chin, stroking his stubble before picking up his Assault Rifle and loading a magazine into it, cocking the gun, and turning around to face Twilight. Pointing at her, then at the gun, he barely waited for her confused nod before taking aim and firing a shot at the bus and pipes. Twilight jumped slightly at the sudden noise, a single shot accompanied by the sounds of glass shattering and falling onto metal sounding out from her right.

Glancing over, Twilight spotted one of the bottles was now absent, and a bullet hole was suddenly present on the cover behind it. Looking back at James, she noticed how she was already looking at her while holding the rifle steady.

“What? What was that supposed to mean? How am I supposed to learn–”

James simply took his left hand off the handguard and held it up to her, silencing her as he heaved a sigh and rolled his neck. An annoyed look appeared on his face briefly before he suddenly widened his eyes as an idea struck. Moving the gun towards the pallet, James racked the slide multiple times, ejecting nine rounds into one of the open duffel bags before removing the magazine itself and ejecting the last round into the bag.

Placing the gun itself down, James grabbed two of the rounds and magazine, looking to Twilight as he slowly gestured to her, and then the magazine and ammo. Twilight watched as he carefully loaded the two rounds into the magazine, before holding it out to her with a simple grunt.

Twilight glanced between him and the outstretched mag, slowly picking it up in her magic as James then gestured towards the remaining ammunition in the bag. Using her magic, Twilight pulled the duffel bag down to her level before pulling out all eight rounds and placing the bag back on the pallet.

Eyeing the magazine, Twilight slowly brought the bullet to the top of the magazine, loading it in just as James had done before. As she loaded the last of the rounds, James nodded his head in approval before grabbing the gun and holding it out to Twilight, letting her take it in her magic.

Easily remembering how James had loaded it before, Twilight quickly slid the magazine into place before moving her magic to hold onto the handguard and stock, making sure to steer clear of the trigger and muzzle as phantom pains danced through her mind. Looking to James, he quietly eyed the gun as it hung in the air before raising his hand and bringing it close to the rifle. Giving the receiver a quick flick with his finger, the gun shifted in Twilight’s magic before the magazine fell out of the gun, dropping to the ground with a loud ‘ch-thunk’ as it bounced from the impact.

Frowning, James stared at the fallen magazine before looking at Twilight, snorting and shaking his head side to side in disapproval. Twilight folded her ears back and lowered her head in embarrassment, knowing that while James couldn’t speak, it still hurt to have been scolded for what seemed to be a simple task.

“Sorry, I thought it… Could you show me one more time?”

Grabbing the gun out of Twilight’s magic, James pointed to the magazine and then motioned upwards towards him with a ‘come here’ gesture. Twilight quickly levitated the magazine upwards into his waiting hand, letting him take it and slowly show her what to do.

Tapping the magazine while it was upside down, James blew on it before bracing the rifle stock on his waist while holding onto the handguard with his left hand. Slowly, James placed the front of the magazine into the well before sliding the rest into place before he looked at Twilight, making sure she was watching as he then gave the magazine a solid smack on the bottom, resounding in a subtle but distinct ‘click’ as the magazine locked into place.

Grabbing the magazine itself, James gave it a tug as Twilight watched it stay in place, not moving in the slightest. Moving his hand upwards just a bit, he pressed a small paddle at the back of the mag that stuck out from the rest of the frame before pulling on the magazine again, but this time it slid out without any resistance. Holding them out to Twilight, she quickly took them in her magic and started to replicate the demonstration.

Slipping the magazine in, Twilight brought the gun close to her chest while angling it so the magazine was near parallel with the ground. Raising a hoof, she struck the magazine while bracing the rest of the gun with her magic and smiled as they heard the click of it locking into place.

Depressing the paddle behind it allowed her to easily remove the magazine as she then looked towards James. Twilight paused as she noticed his frown, her own smile drooping slightly as James held out his hand towards Twilight and the gun. Silently floating both the gun and mag over, James quickly slid the magazine in, hearing a click without him needing to double tap, and grabbed a spare magazine off of the pallets before slipping it into his belt loop before taking a firing stance while aiming at the bus.

Quickly pulling his hand back, James depressed the lever as he grabbed the magazine and tossed it to the side as he reached down and grabbed the spare mag, quickly slipping it into the gun and racking the slide before resuming his firing stance, the gun muzzle barely moving as James had only rotated the gun to have easier access to the lever and slide. Relaxing, James picked up the mag that had dropped and placed it in his belt loop.

Twilight turned her head as she spoke up, confusion evident in her voice. “That’s the same as what I did, right? But why are you…”

Twilight stopped speaking as James then started to reload, this time pulling out the new magazine, turning the gun like Twilight had, and then double tapping it before resuming his firing stance.

Shaking his head, he relaxed and brought the gun about so it was sideways, just as Twilight had when she reloaded it, before pointing at it and shaking his head in a ‘no’ motion.

“Oh, you want me to be able to reload it like you do, where I don’t waste time with it… But… What’s the point of me learning how to reload faster?” James simply glared at her, causing her to wither under his gaze and avert her eyes.

After a few seconds, James relented but his piercing gaze did not dissipate as he held out the gun and a spare magazine to Twilight, grunting after a few seconds when Twilight didn’t turn her head immediately.

As Twilight turned her head, she looked at the offered items as a small frown formed on her face.

“I… I know you’re training me how to use them properly, but…”

Twilight grimaced, her inner scholar in her already yelling at her.

That’s not how you should study Twilight, you have to know everything about the subject matter, even if it isn’t as relevant currently, it may come up at a later time or be called upon for reference!

Twilight closed her eyes and sighed as she mentally warred with herself, a losing battle as the guilt of causing Blake’s accident decided to weigh upon her mind more than it already was. Opening her eyes again, she looked to James who stood there quietly with an eyebrow raised, his eyes looking softer but no less direct than before.

“Alright, just… Give me some time to get used to all this, using things that could… That can and will kill others… The most deadly thing I ever learned was a stun spell from my brother!” Twilight threw a hoof out as she got lost in her memory, the image of Shining dashing through her head as she spoke.

“Even during the last war in Equestria, weapons or spells this lethal were never made! Or, at the very least, only alicorns would be able to theoretically use them, not just your average pony…”

Twilight heaved a sigh again before shaking her head, clearing the memories that clouded her brain as she looked back towards James who had stood there, listening intently.

“Though you probably don’t care too much about that, fine. Give me the gun, let’s just get this test over with so we can move onto the next subject.”

Twilight grabbed the gun and spare magazine with her magic, bringing the gun eye level with herself and simply holding the spare mag close to her chest. Using her telekinesis, Twilight depressed the level and pulled the magazine out, quickly moving the new one into place before pausing.

Gritting her teeth, Twilight pressed her magic together, pressing down on top of the gun while pressing up from the bottom of the magazine before a distinct ‘click’ sound appeared after a few seconds.

Twilight blinked, letting the magic around the magazine dissipate before she relit the mag and tugged on it, the gun shifting from the sudden pull on it as it then rolled slightly in her magic.

Turning to James, she held out the gun, a nervous look on her face as she watched him take the gun and test it himself, a small nod of satisfaction her answer. Letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, Twilight’s mouth bloomed into a small smile as she watched James.

The man in question took the gun and braced it against himself, racking the slide and ejecting the bullets as he did before until the slide stayed open, leaving behind an empty gun with the bullets back in a duffel bag. Pulling the empty magazine out, James pointed to Twilight, the bullets, the magazine, and then the gun itself.

Tilting her head, Twilight racked her brains as she tried to piece it together. “You want me… Bullets, magazine, gun… OH! You want me to do it all in sequence, right?”

James nodded his head while laying the gun down and grabbing another loaded mag, taking the time to unload the bullets one by one before placing them on top of the pallets. Pointing to Twilight, he then pointed to himself and then the bullets, making sure Twilight was watching.

Nodding her head, Twilight watched as James grabbed the magazine in his left hand and bullets in his right, quickly loading them into the magazine before slamming it into the Assault rifle, racking the slide, and firing at the bus, nailing a few targets as he held down the trigger until a loud ‘click’ sounded out from the gun, the slide left open as the sounds of shells clicking on metal and wood could be heard in the scrapyard.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she watched James, realizing that he was showing her an example of what to do, before her brain processed the fact that he had fired the gun and hit some of the targets.

“Wait, you want me to actually fire the gun as well?!? Why?!” Twilight nearly shouted, her eyes wide and face contorted in shock.

James simply raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, silently looking at her as he held up his hand, stuck up his thumb, and pointed it downward at her, causing her to become confused at the action.

“Is… Is that bad?” Twilight asked, hopeful that she was wrong for once in her life.

James nodded his head up and down, a small frown forming on his face.

Twilight hung her head, groaning as her bad habits kicked in at the idea of failing a test.

“I can’t fail, I’m Princess Celestia’s student! I have to pass any test!” Twilight muttered to herself, “But it’s a weapon, couldn’t I skip past it?”

Twilight looked back at James, a glare seeping into her eyes as she furrowed her brows and spoke.

“Do I have to shoot it? Can I do everything until that point and just not shoot it?”

James shook his head side to side, his frown increasing slightly as he took out the empty magazine and placed the gun on the pallet. Looking at Twilight, he pointed at her, the bullets, the magazine, the gun, and then the target lined bus and pipes. Twilight for her part gritted her teeth as she stomped a hoof, a scowl appearing on her face.

“Faust above, why couldn’t I have just been sent to a universe that was filled with humans who only had friendship problems because one mare went mad with power?” Twilight muttered to herself, raising her head as she sighed and relaxed enough for her scowl to turn into just a frown. “UGH, fine, I’ll do it, it’s not alive, it’s not a pony, it’s not even living, it’s just cans and bottles. It’s just like Shinny’s dummies, except I won’t go that far.”

Looking at the pallet, Twilight grabbed the bullets from inside the duffel bag before loading them into the magazine while picking up the Assault Rifle and aiming it towards the laid out targets, attempting to mimic James and slam the magazine into the gun smoothly, but was instead forced to press them together before hearing the ‘click’ and entering a firing stance.

Eyeing the iron sights, Twilight twitched her ears as she prepared for the noise and slowly pulled the trigger with her magic as she instinctively closed her eyes. The sudden kick in her magic field was felt by Twilight before her brain even registered the noise that accompanied it. The gun shook violently in her grasp, jumping with every shot that rained out from it, followed by a ‘ting ting ting’ noise that quickly changed into ‘thun thun thun’ as bits of concrete soon rained down onto Twilight.

Twilight knew she should open her eyes, she knew she should control the weapon lest it control her, she knew she should be able to handle it, but none of that mattered as she felt the gun get grabbed and yanked out of her magic field, the gun going quiet as her magic dispersed into thin air.

Opening her eyes, Twilight noted that none of the bottles or cans seemed to have been hit, although there was a line of small holes that started at eye level before trailing up… Into the concrete support pillar and the underside of the freeway…

Grimacing at the line of bullets going WAYYY off target, Twilight turned her head towards James who stood next to her with the gun in his hand, a scowl on his face, and his eyebrows furrowed together in anger as he glared at her.

Twilight sheepishly chuckled, an obvious reflex by how forced it was as she looked back at him with her ears splayed, her mouth in a wary smile, and her eyes flickering between him and literally anywhere else.

“Heh, ummm, I didn’t do very well, did I?” Twilight nervously asked, hunching in on herself as she already knew the answer.

James’ only response was to sigh as he reloaded the gun and took a firing stance, a look of resignation on his face.

Twilight held the pistol in her magic, instinctively closing her eyes before forcing them open once more as she looked down the sights of the gun. Aiming at the center of the glass bottle, Twilight pulled the trigger slowly, bracing herself as she felt the gun shift in her magic.

A shot fired out, striking true as the glass bottle exploded into a million pieces while James silently watched from behind her, keeping an eye on her and the gun. Leveling the gun out and re-aligning the sights on another target, a can this time, Twilight squeezed the trigger and hit it dead on, the gun kicking slightly before Twilight leveled it out once more.

Taking aim again, Twilight made sure to follow James’ example on how to shoot; breathing deeply to keep herself calm as she fired off another four rounds, each one hitting a target perfectly before the gun clicked. Giving one final exhale, Twilight relaxed as she placed the pistol back onto the pallet with the other guns, eyeing the Assault Rifle with apprehension.

Looking at James, his face neutral as he looked at her before a small grin slowly formed on his face as he nodded twice. Twilight sighed in relief as she looked towards the late evening sky, spotting stars peeking through the sun's dwindling rays that casted long shadows over the entire scrapyard, blanketing it in darkness that was barely being lit by a few sparse lights scattered haphazardly around the lot.

Looking at the darkened yard, Twilight spoke tiredly as her eyes wandered around. A small lingering feeling had slowly ebbed its way into her stomach, slowly growing during the course of the afternoon.

“Is that enough for today? I… I think I want some food.” Twilight couldn’t quite place the feeling that was settling in her stomach, it obviously wasn’t her being sick or the stomach flu, but… It felt like an uneasy pit had opened up inside her, giving her a slight discomfort that didn’t quite nibble at the back of her mind, but was more just… there…

Looking to James, he simply shrugged his shoulders before moving towards the pallets, tossing the guns back into their respective bags except for the pistol. Instead of putting it back in like Twilight had expected, he pulled his arm back before tossing it to her in an underhand toss, causing her to instinctively catch it in her magic before looking at him in confusion.

James dismissively waived his hand in her direction before placing the last of the remaining ammo into the second bag and zipping them shut.

“Wait, you’re giving me this? I do NOT want this! Training is one thing, keeping an actual–”

Twilight was cut off as James simply pushed his finger onto her nose, causing her to take a step back and give him a moment to sling both duffel bags over his shoulder, letting one rest against his back while the other hung beneath his left arm.

Walking past the flabbergasted Twilight, James headed over to the car as Twilight slowly followed along, her face still that of confusion as James reached the rear of the car and dropped the two bags in, the clinking of metal on metal as the weapons and ammo settled. Looking towards Twilight, James nonchalantly raised an eyebrow as she gaped at him, causing him to whistle a quick note, breaking the spell that had taken over her.

“Wh– Just– Where am I even supposed to keep this? I don’t exactly have pockets or clothes like you humans do.” Twilight huffed annoyedly, holding the gun in her magic still while she glared at James.

James just simply shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the mare's protests as he made his way to the driver door and went to open it before a sudden noise caused him to stop. From his right pocket, both Twilight and James heard the ringtone of his phone going off, causing James to quickly pull it out and answer it on speaker.

“James, I just got word that the Lost are coming to the scrapyard for you right now! Something has them stirred up madder than a hornet’s nest and they have their sights set on you!”

Twilight stepped back, managing to receive physical whiplash from the words alone as she processed the fact that The Lost were about to attack someone that was close to her again. Quickly racing over to James, Twilight spoke up as her brain finally caught up with the situation.

“Lester! The Lost, they’re the same ones that attacked Blake and me last week, right?”

“Twilight? What? Why are you– Gah, nevermind, yes, they are. For some reason, they’re mobilizing every free member in the city to hit you, I’m trying to dig into it but getting you two out of there is the priority!”

Twilight paused, her mind flashing back to when Blake and her ended up crashing, and what The Lost had been talking about before.

“Could… Could it be that they’re searching for me? When they attacked Blake and I, they mentioned something about… 50 million? Some kind of reward?”

Twilight held her breath as she waited for Lesters response.

“Hmm. Not really, the only people who know about you are Blake and James, me, and Merryweather. There shouldn’t be anyone who knows… Wait…”

Twilight could hear Lester quickly typing on the keyboard, but was distracted as James tossed the phone at her, letting her catch it in her magic as he quickly moved back and grabbed the two duffel bags from the trunk once again.

“No, I don’t think they’re there for YOU specifically, Twilight, but I was able to find that Merryweather has been putting out bounties for an orange Picador lately. They aren’t even going through the usual channels, they’re using backdoor and direct calls… I’ll see if I can figure out who’s behind this, but it’ll take some time.”

Grabbing the bags, James grunted at Twilight and nodded his head further into the scrapyard, towards the recycling plant as he started to unload the guns and ammo. Putting Blake’s SMG into the belt loop on his back, James grabbed his Assault Rifle and some grenades from the bag before leaving the sniper rifle in the bed of the truck.

Leaving Twilight behind, James moved away from the rear of the car and took position at the corner of the building, letting the scrap bin and piles of wrecks cover him from the entrance as he double checked his rifle and ammo reserves, an unnerving grin forming on his face as he did so.

“Shit, either way they’re almost on top of you! You’d better prepare for a fight, or to hide Twilight. I’ll need to supply your crew with better comms, but for now just survive!”

Twilight looked in the direction James had nodded, the dirt path leading towards the rear of the recycling plant on the west side of the junkyard, and took off running as the sounds of vehicles could be heard approaching from the front entrance to the east.

James grinned as he heard the cars enter the lot, the noise of the engines getting louder by the second as he grabbed his Assault Rifle and aimed it where the cars would come around the bend; the layout of the scrapyard leading to a perfect choke point. Spotting the front bumper of The Lost’s signature van, James breathed slowly as the driver came into view and he squeezed the trigger.

The first shot barely missed, hitting behind the driver, before the next shot planted itself into the passenger themself instantly killing them. Readjusting his aim while never letting off the trigger, James finally nailed the driver on his fifth shot, causing him to slump over and let the car drive forward into the concrete barriers that surrounded the chop shop building on the south side of the yard.

The van crashed into the barrier, coming to a dead stop as yells from the back of the truck reached James’ ears, causing him to move towards it.

Letting the rear doors swing open, James waited until the two prospects jumped out before kicking the rear door in, causing it to knock one of the prospects to the ground as James lit up the other in a hail of bullets before quickly turning to the downed and stunned man, shooting him point blank in the head.

Quickly reloading, James swung his gun around as another van pulled around the corner, lighting up the front windshield in a hail of bullets as the occupants shot back in a desperate attempt to fend off the attack. Unfortunately, or fortunately, for both sides not a single shot landed on their intended targets, but James had a single advantage over the van, that of sight.

The driver of the van accelerated towards James and the crashed car, causing him to move to the side in an effort to avoid the one ton of fun as it crashed into the back of the first van, pinning both into place. James, not one to ignore a perfect opportunity, took the chance to fire the last of his magazine into the front seat as the two in the back of the van hopped out and aimed at James.

Spotting the prospect out of the corner of his eye, James quickly rolled backwards and avoided the hail of gunfire that passed right where he was, before quickly getting back on his feet and sprinting towards the cover of the scrap bin at the corner of the building as he loaded a fresh mag into his gun.

As the bullets died down and James racked the slide of his gun, he held his gun ready as he waited and listened. After a few tense seconds, his patience was rewarded as the sound of steady footsteps could be heard on the dry dirt. Waiting until the sound was loud enough, James blind fired around the corner, and was rewarded with a cry that was quickly cut off before the sounds of something heavy falling could be heard.

Quickly peeking around the corner, James spotted the prospect’s body crumpled forward, a bullet hole at the back of his head giving all the indication James needed to reload and prepare as a third van could be heard moving in from the entrance. Taking aim once more, James got ready to ambush the third van as he waited patiently until he spotted the bumper of the van. But before he could fire off a shot, James spotted a flash of movement to his side, causing him to turn his head just enough to spot the shape of a Lost member with his gun aimed directly at James’ head.

Rolling backwards once again to avoid the gunfire, James quickly snapped up his gun and fired off a few rounds directly at the prospect’s head, but not a single shot landed as the van barreled past James, nearly ripping the gun from his hands as it blew past with just a few inches to spare at most.

As the van passed James, he chose to ignore it for the moment and look for the prospect who had nearly shot his head off just a second ago. Looking at the wrecked vans, James couldn’t spot him anymore, but a quick glance out the corner of his eye told him that the new van had come to a stop and was quickly unloading its passengers into the open yard.

Thinking quickly, James sprinted towards the concrete barrier the vans had crashed into, vaulting over it and spotting the missing prospect crouched by the second wrecked van, a shocked expression on his face as he looked at James. Quickly drawing their rifles on one another, James was quicker as he fired off four shots into the man, three landing on his waist and chest before the fourth finally hit his head.

Before he could even grin however, James grunted in pain as a bullet found itself lodged in his waist while another dozen quickly followed as the four men unloaded their guns in his direction.

Dashing behind the vans towards the body, James used the wrecks as cover from the hail of gunfire as he quickly sorted through his options as bullets shot out the remaining glass on the cars.

Reloading and checking his reserve magazines, his nice stockpile had quickly become a modest reserve of ammo, fit for a day at the range. The irony wasn’t lost on him as he crouched and peeked inside the van, noting the pistol with a spare mag lying inside. Quickly grabbing it and checking to make sure it was loaded, James loaded it into the front of his pants before waiting.

Not a second later, the hail of gunfire died down to just one gun as the others either stopped, or were forced to stop to reload. Taking the opportunity, James popped around the rear of the van, snapping and shooting one of them before nailing a second, dropping but not killing him as James quickly got behind the van as another wall of bullets impacted against it.

Quickly moving around to the concrete barriers, it was James’ turn to be surprised as a prospect popped up in front of him, gun already aimed in his direction, leaving James with very few options except to roll to the side in a last ditch effort.

Avoiding the initial shots, James snapped his gun to the prospects head and fired as the other man adjusted his aim, trading shots at one another as both sides landed shots on the other. James was fortunate enough to land a shot on the prospects head while receiving only a bullet to the bicep, causing him to flinch his right arm as he swung the gun around and aimed at the two remaining men in the yard.

Firing at the first one his sights settled on, James landed two shots to the chest, before a third landed in the man's head while his buddy fired back at James. Ducking down against the van for a second, James popped back up before firing off a single shot, landing it squarely in the final prospects head, watching as the man dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Slowly steadying his breathing that had picked up during the gunfight, James took a few seconds to survey his surroundings to make sure nobody else was hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity to ambush as before. After nearly 10 uninterrupted seconds, James heaved a sigh as he felt the adrenaline slowly ebb from his system as he slowly walked to the van in the middle of the yard while checking his injuries.

The wound on his arm was bleeding, but slow enough that he wrote it off for now, the pain from using his arm would definitely hurt tomorrow, but the wound on his waist was a slightly bigger concern.

Blood had stained his shirt to the point that it was leaking onto his pants, highlighting a trail of blood down his leg. Quickly pulling up his shirt showed a slow but steady stream of blood pulsing out with every heartbeat, causing him to sneer at the offending wound. Dropping his shirt, James reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of gum before chewing on it, all the while eyeing the van as he reached the driver side door.

Peering in revealed the mess of a front seat, leftover trash from takeout and cigarettes littered the seat and ash tray, causing a slight odor to start building in the enclosed space. Opening the door luckily didn’t blast him with a stronger blast, a quick wave of his hand was enough to let it become tolerable as he glanced around and spotted the keys in the ignition still.

Hopping into the driver seat, James took a quick second to search for anything buried under the garbage, finding only an empty magazine for a pistol and some snacks in a bag. Popping open the glove box gave pause to James as he eyed the grenade stashed inside, the pin and handle still set on the explosive device.

Grinning and grabbing it, James paused as he heard the sound of an engine, racing along the road that ran along the south side of the yard. Moving quickly, James turned on the van before looking behind him and reversing it, crashing into the other two vans while blocking off the entrance.

Stepping out of the van, James slid the grenade into his hoodie pocket before lifting up his shirt again, the trail of blood having opened up further and now slowly leaking blood without pausing. Taking the gum out of his mouth, James stuck it into the wound, giving a slight hiss as he sucked in air from the pain that flared up in his waist.

Hearing the rumble of an engine to his right, James grabbed and raised his Assault rifle once more, aiming through the windows of the van he just stepped out of. Waiting for the golden opportunity once more, James spotted the van flying around the corner, the driver racing forward with casual disregard to their own life.

Firing his gun, James missed the driver but was able to hit the passenger whose gun fell out of their now limp hand. Moving away from the van and towards the Picador, James dumped the rest of his magazine into the fourth van in a vain attempt to eliminate another club member. Unfortunately, not a single shot landed a killing blow and only served to piss off the driver who kept his foot on the pedal, causing them to crash into the van James had just used to block the entrance, causing it to slide on the dirt and let the van start creeping through the ever increasing gap.

Snorting air through his nose, James quickly let go of his gun and grabbed the grenade out of his pocket, spotting the perfect opportunity to use it, as he grabbed the pin in his left finger. Yanking the pin out, James hucked the grenade through the air in an overhand arc, managing to toss it perfectly in front of the still revving van as it nearly had enough space to pass through easily. The driver never even noticed the grenade as it arced through the air due to him ducking under the dash to avoid any gunfire.

After just a few seconds, just as the fourth van was about to push the third out of the way, the grenade blew up, taking with it all four vans in a fiery explosion that could even be heard across town. James only had a split second between the grenade’s explosion and the shockwave that followed, hitting him and sending him flying past the Picador and into the concrete barrier that it was parked in front of.