The drab green canvas of the tent flapped in the slight breeze as a golden pegasus worked inside, pulling one of the long brass casings out of it’s container and sliding it into the breech of the gun, behind the shell already loaded. Moving the handle over, the breechblock closed with a small thunk, a grin forming on his muzzle. Picking up a pair of binoculars, he moved over to the gun’s side.

“Alright, first test fire of the one-oh-five recoiling gun, twenty-pound fill P-235 explosive shell. Here’s hoping Pressure Cooker was right about that hydropneumatic recoil absorber, and the trail spades, I really don’t wanna have to flip this thing back over all by myself… and I gotta remember to put that test fire range sign back up after this, too. Honestly, I swear Line takes that thing down on purpose, gotta figure out some way of making it tamper-proof… then again, considering folks still get fooled just by her painting the word ‘not’ on the signs, maybe I really gotta make them _Ponyville_-proof instead…” The pegasus grumbled to himself as his eyes fell on the wooden sign that rested further back in the small tent, giving his head a shake. If anypony’s managed to find themselves out on the range, it’s their fault anyways, not like he hasn’t been testing ordinance out here for over a year already…

A faint sigh left his lips as he refocused on the gun test, the grin coming back. “Target is the far lone tree out in the field, looks to be about, eh…” The pegasus brought the binoculars to his eyes, studying the tree in the distance for a moment. It was hard to tell precise distance since the base was hidden behind a hill, but guesstimating served him fine enough most of the time. “…yeah, let’s say about a kilometer or so out. Well within the reach. Time to shine, ya little slugger…”

Part 2 of a commission for rockall