Rainbow had bolted through the entire bar and snagged a rather confused Pinkamena so quickly that her glasses fell right off of the good doctor's face. Unintimidated, but confused, Dr. Pie gave a very odd expression in return to Dash's gesture. Unamused, and quite unphased, she gave a calm response.

"What's the trouble, Rainbow?" She spoke so nonchalantly. Part of me was asking the same question, but I already guessed that was going to be answered momentarily.

"Don't play stupid with me, or are you going to deny what you did at Cloudsdale?" Rainbow hissed right in her face as she pressed her blade to Pinkamena's neck.

She nodded in understanding. "Ah yes, the genetic modifications I did. There's no need to deny that. I did it to keep ponies from being controlled by the darkness. It prevents their minds from being taken by it, you should be thanking me."

Vinyl stepped forward and got next to Dash as she placed a hoof to the wall next to Pinkamena's skull. "Only one problem... It just made it so the darkness ate their bodies instead. It eventually drove them to insanity. They live up there as abominations of nature now." Vinyl spoke in an equally threatening manner.

The doctor merely shrugged. "Not like anypony could have predicted that."

Dash's blade was pressed closer now. "You conducted experiments on them against their will... Even on the princess herself..." Dash was speaking through her teeth at this point, which were being put on full display now.

"I wished to give her an edge over the darkness. Clearly however more testing was needed to be done. If I had not had to conduct my experiments in secret, perhaps I would have achieved better results." Pinkamena explained. Her tone was very snobbish, and no doubt intended to annoy Dash.

"I should kill you just for that, but I want to know Applejack's involvement first." Dash hissed and nearly spit in the pink mare's face.

Pinkamena wiped her glasses off. "She was a delivery girl, nothing more. To move supplies about, I used several lackeys who were unknowing of what they were carrying. However if you're concerned about her state; no, I did not use her as a test subject."

"Watch your tongue." Rainbow threatened.

Pinkamena grew a serious expression for the first time. Something told me, she was no longer amused by this all. "Or else what? You'll kill me?" She gave off a mocking laugh. "You won't kill me. You know deep down that killing me won't change anything."

Dash growled in response.

"What about you, Dash? You look at me like a monster, but how are you innocent? You joined the military for revenge. You wanted to make Trixie pay for the blood of your sister, and in doing so, you killed thousands. Your arrogance cost you Rarity; its your fault she's dead. You abandoned your squad to pursue your own selfish needs. If you had stayed with them and followed orders, Rarity would still be here." Pinkamena was playing a dangerous game in accusing Dash.

To our surprise, Rainbow remained silent. Pinkamena used this silence to continue.

"That's why you cut your wing off, shame. You left the military out of shame too. Now you spend every waking moment in shame of what you've done. You can't escape it and that's why you drink. You have to, or you couldn't take the pain, the pain of knowing that your arrogance and selfishness blinded you, and now its too late to undo what is done." Dash kept still, holding her tightly. "So you can go ahead and kill me, it won't change you. I'm not the one who has to atone for what I've done, and I'm not the one who needs to run away and drink myself stupid just so I can deal with what a piece of shit I am. That's why you can't stand being called a hero, because you're not, or am I wrong?" She gave a smirk as she delivered that last line.

The anticipation of how Dash was going to respond was unbearable. I am certain every creature in that room was sitting on the edge of their seat. Pinkamena had just made the boldest accusation that any of us had ever seen. It was astounding that Rainbow didn't hack her in half mid-sentence.

Hooves loosening their grip, Dash allowed the mare in her grasp to drop to the floor. Composing herself, Pinkamena stood back up and brushed herself off. "That's what I thought." She added.

"Dash..." I approached only to have her swat my hoof away.

"Don't, she's right... I did abandon my squad, and I did only care about what I wanted. If I had listened and did what I was supposed to, then things would have been different... Rarity would still be here..." She paused as she faced the wall. I could hear her sniffling a bit. "All the bodies I had to step over just to get as far as I did..."

Vinyl took this chance to grab the pink pony that was previously held and slam her back up against the wall. Pinkamena grunted and gave an annoyed response. "I wish you ponies would stop being so rough."

"Shut up." Vinyl growled.

"I am going to do what I should have done a loooooong time ago..." The unicorn grinned. I could see the same maniacal grin that she bore when we were back at Cloudsdale. The same crazed look, the same tone of voice. Everything.

"You don't scare me." Pinkamena commented.

Vinyl laughed a bit as she brought her face closer to Pinkamena's. "It wouldn't be as fun if I didn't get to break your confidence first."

Dr. Pie reached her hooves up and placed them on Vinyl's face. With a quick motion she pulled her sunglasses off and tossed them across the room. The whole room fell silent.

From where I stood, I couldn't get a look at her face, but I could feel the intensity of her gaze on Pinkamena., whom just stared with an unchanged expression. She grinned as she commented. "Like I said, I'm not afraid of you. I live with myself, there is nothing you could do that could intimidate me."

Vinyl's blade extended as she readied it. Only seconds before she was about to stab, Rainbow's voice halted everything. "Stop!" She called out. Vinyl froze.

"Put her down, Vinyl." Dash commanded.

Vinyl hesitated.

"That's an order, Vinyl." She repeated, her patience clearly being tested.

Obeying, the mare levitated her glasses back to her face as she dropped Pinkamena. "You're lucky, shitface..." She spat in the doctor's direction.

Vinyl turned and made her exit with Dash who was already waiting at the door. As the two left the old bar, I turned to Pinkamena who just smiled at me as she returned to what she was doing before the two brutish mares had interrupted.

There were a lot of stories that floated around in Equestria, some true, some probably fairy tales. However one thing was certain today: Pinkamena saw Vinyl's eyes, and she lived to talk about it. Her lack of fear only made me fear her more. She might have been the most dangerous mare in Equestria.

It had been a few weeks since my training with the Knights had begun. Unfortunately, given the circumstances though I was forced to get the "quick version" of everything. With Trixie now on red alert, Twilight was certain she would be striking fast and viciously to prevent us from ever getting a chance to use Dash to her full potential. It was obvious that Trixie had a certain fear of the mare that had grown over the years.

Twilight had called for my assistance on a very special mission. Something I had not expected to happen at all, let alone so soon after my arrival. It was hard to believe it was only a few short months since I had abandoned SkyVale.

Her chosen team consisted of myself, Dr. Fluttershy as her medical expert, two of her royal body guards, and another individual whom she had introduced as her brother; Shining Armor.

Shining had not said much about his story other than the war was the reason he lost the one he loved. Other than that he was a loyal guardian of the general, and that's all he wished to share. A stallion of a few words I suppose.

Twilight approached with Luna at her side, faithful as always. Sitting down, she places her front hooves on the war room table. Every pony there must have been eagerly awaiting this "classified" information which was no doubt the reason we were all here.

I was more ecstatic about the fact I was in the war room at all. I had never dreamed to set hoof in this place.

Twilight sighed and pulled out a series of scrolls that she set on the counter.

"I'm sure you all are wondering why I brought you all here." She began.

Instead of a response, we all adjusted in our seats prepared to take in a long story.

"Thirteen hours ago, we observed a very powerful energy spike from the outlands. Our concern is that Trixie is developing some new kind of weapon out there. Something that clearly possesses a great deal of power; too great to ignore." The unicorn continued as she peered around the room to get a good look at all of us, taking note of our reactions.

"I have decided that a large scale attack is too risky. She may try and utilize this weapon, so the plan is very simple; we go in silently and destroy it before she has a chance to unleash it." She nods as she glances over a few scrolls.

Fluttershy was the first to speak. "How are you sure we can walk right in and destroy it? I mean... Won't it be guarded?"

She posed a legitimate question, one that I was even asking, however Twilight was at the ready with an explanation.

"I'm glad you asked that question." The unicorn smiled as she unrolled a map, placing her hoof on a spot. "The establishment is here, far off of Trixie's main stronghold, and difficult for her to gather a lot of troops around. Essentially it's clear she wanted this research to be done somewhere where she knew it wouldn't be suspected. However she underestimated our ability to read energies. Since it's such a secret operation though, no doubt it'll be far less guarded. With a team of specialists we'll be able to swoop in and destroy it." She spoke of her plan very proudly.

"And what does Rainbow Dash think of this plan?" I daringly asked what I was sure was on the minds of many in this room.

Twilight leaned forward and removed her glasses as she locked eyes with me. That yellow eye of hers creeping me out as she did so. "Rainbow does not run this military, I do. Her opinion is of little concern."

Part of me wanted to rebuttal about how she has trusted Dash's opinion before, however the look on her face suggested to me that she wasn't going to bend on this subject, so I decided to let old dogs rest and just nodded in response to her.

"This mission is also top secret. Only the ponies in this room and a few of my trusted advisors are aware of these details I have just told you. The last thing I want is Trixie becoming aware of our actions and setting up a trap. This is being put on a need to know basis." Twilight explained very curtly.

We all merely nodded.

Twilight leaned back in her chair. "Excellent, now if there is a way for us to acquire this weapon and repurpose it for ourselves..."

"You're kidding, right?" Fluttershy chimed in again.

Twilight shook her head. "Absolutely not. If this thing is some kind of weapon that we could use, I want it."

Fluttershy seemed very opposed to this idea. "You just said its power could be astronomical. The destructive force of such a weapon could have severe consequences. Hasn't anypony seen enough death here?" She looked around the room hoping for support.

One of Twilight's guards raised a hoof to be called upon. Twilight gestured for him to speak. He nodded and stood up keeping his eyes on the general as he answered for her. "Ma'am, any advantage we could gain over our enemies is top priority."

Twilight nodded and gestured again for him to sit down. He did just that.

Speaking for herself this time, she sighed and turned in her chair. "The truth of the matter is, we can not afford to ignore this opportunity. We are limited on resources, and if there is a weapon that might give us an edge, then I want that weapon. We are already at a huge disadvantage, and I intend to get us every winning edge possible."

"But ma'am..." Fluttershy tried to impose again only to have Twilight silence her.

"Soldier, you have your orders. If it is possible to capture this weapon, we will do so. Otherwise we'll destroy it and I expect no disturbances from you during this process. If you stand in our way, I'll have you court martialed faster than you can take a piss." Her voice was very cold

Fluttershy just shook her head and sat down. Twilight really was cold, cold as ice even. The merciless mare.

"Alright ponies, stay together, and umm...." Twilight paused as she turned to face the rest of us with her blade drawn. "Try not to get killed." Quite a reassuring message from our supportive leader.

Keeping my weapon at the ready, I studied the familiar diamond edges. Hopefully the little training I did have from the military would prove enough to make me formidable against these "hardened soldiers". This would be my first time actually seeing one myself.

Twilight signaled for us all to be quiet as she placed a hoof on the door, the other hoof planting a charge onto it. Taking a step back from the old abandoned warehouse, she detonated it. "Move in!" She yelled as it went off.

The group made haste to get inside and pushed in with weapons drawn, even little Fluttershy who was so against this operation in the first place had her firearm ready to attack. I suppose her loyalty to Twilight always won out over her own personal morals; that or her fear of what would happen to her should she resist.

Once the smoke settled, we all glanced around to find a very empty warehouse.

"There's nopony here..." Commented one of Twilight's guards.

"No... There's something here..." She insisted.

We all fell silent and waited for her to signal we could do otherwise. We all stood perfectly still in anticipation. The suspense was overwhelming.

Finally she sighed and sat down on an old crate. "Something isn't right here..." She began to check over a scanner on her weapon with a confused expression. "I knew it would be lightly guarded, but not completely unguarded... It has to be somewhere in this place..." She grunted as she stood back up. "Search every crate in here. Wherever she is hiding it, will become known to us soon."

We all obeyed and started cracking open boxes. Most of them contained old food that had rotted eons ago, presumably from when this factory was still operational.

"Heh, maybe Trixie unknowingly handed this thing over to us." The other guard laughed.

"Doing count in it, never underestimate the enemy. Trixie is far craftier than she lets on." Twilight scolded.

At that exact moment, a fireball whizzed past her ear and hit the floor in a blaze. Twilight remained insanely calm as she stood with her back to the direction where it came from. None of us even realized what was happening until we heard a deep voice behind her. "Calculating, calculating, calculating. You haven't changed a bit, Twilight."

Everypony in the room shy of Twilight pivoted and aimed our weapons in that direction. Twilight however gave a simple hoof wave telling us to lower our weapons. Hesitantly, we did so.

"It has been a long time, hasn't it?" She spoke with her back to him still.

A hint of annoyance on his voice was present. "Yes... Almost 9 years now."

Twilight smirked. "And in all that time it looks like you're still a child."

A growl erupted from the creature in the shadow as it grabbed an odd looking firearm from its belt and aimed it directly at her. "Why don't you face me?"

"You don't deserve my full attention." She smirked a second time.

This incited more anger from him. His weapon fired and landed a round only an inch from her left back hoof. Twilight merely looked down casually then finally turned to face him.

"I see you're as impulsive as always. However you should know that I am difficult to threaten when I know the odds are in my favor." She lectured.

The creature stepped forward to reveal itself. He stood a few heads taller than Twilight, and if you counted the spines on the top of his head then he was about ten inches taller. His left claw clutched around a strange weapon small enough to be held in just the one claw. His right claw had a large metal shielding over it, and if you looked close enough you could see a gemstone in his palm. The contraption was gold with a leather glove under it going up his forearm.

On his waist was a belt with many different tools and packs attached to it, I presumed this was where he carried ammunition and other items for combat.

It was clear from observation that this creature was a dragon. I had never actually seen one in real life before, so it was difficult to tell.

"I've been waiting for you..." He grins as he readies his metal claw.

Twilight gives a movement to tell us all to stand back. It was clear she wanted to go solo on this fight.

"Spike... Trixie has blinded you. She has manipulated you..." She begins to walk slowly in a circle with him, keeping her weapon lowered.

"You're wrong. Trixie showed me my potential. She saw me as an equal..." He cuts himself off to take a swing at the mare, whom teleports a few inches away from the blow.

"Really, because you seem as sloppy as ever." She tormented.

The purple dragon grunted and took another slash with his sharp claw, Twilight once again teleporting out of the way. "Why don't you fight me instead of dodging?" He growled.

"Spike, you don't want to fight me, you and I both know you can't win." Twilight shook her head.

Spike aimed his gun directly at her forehead. "Try me." He smirked.

Twilight locked her eye (she had been keeping her yellow eye closed this whole fight) with his. "Don't make me raise my sword to you, Spike. I am asking you to lay down your weapon and come with us, we can help you. Don't force me to hurt you..."

Spike pushed the weapon against her forehead. "I suggest you raise that blade then. I am much stronger than I was ten years ago."

Twilight sighed. "Very well, it looks like I'll have to show you how weak you really are the old fashioned way." She took a step back and raised her left hoof gesturing for him to take his best shot.

He laughed and rose a brow. "No sword?"

"I won't need it to defeat you." She grinned as she quickly thrust her hoof forward sending a rock in his direction that lifted from the ground. Spike laughed and punched right through it with his metal claw.

He continued to chuckle as he replied, "You'll need to do better than that."

Twilight teleported to his side and launched a fireball in his direction which he caught in his claw. The device whirred and sucked the attack right into the gemstone center. The gemstone now had acquired a glow to it. "Ah, yes... Magic. It's your signature fighting technique; overwhelm your foe with magic. Arrogantly you try it on me knowing that my body is very resistant to magical attack."

"Resistant does not mean invincible!" She hissed as she through another fireball which he caught much in the same fashion.

"You're right, that is why I got this new toy. It's called the magic gauntlet; very advanced prototype." He smirked as he opened his claw to show the burning stone in the center.

Twilight laughs. "You expect a glove to turn the tide of this battle?"

"Not just a glove." He grins as the stone begins to glow brighter. Pointing it directly at her with his claw open, he grows a sinister expression. "It takes your magic..." He pauses before launching a fireball at least ten times the amount of the previous ones shot at him in Twilight's direction. Twilight narrowly moves out of the way, dodging any kind of damage. "And sends it back stronger." He finishes, smoke coming from his claw.

"Twilight, let us help you!" I called out.

"Negative, stand down, corporal. This is my fight. Besides..." She gets up from the floor and grins. "He isn't as tough as he thinks." She began talking directly to Spike. "He just has a new toy that Trixie is letting him play with. Say, did Trixie dig that up and rip it off one of her other reject, proteges?"

Spike grunted in annoyance. "No, it was created specifically for me... For the sole purpose of fighting you." He took another slash at her, only to have her block his claw with her sword.

"I'm flattered that Trixie went through such lengths to avoid her henchmen inevitably falling at my hooves." Twilight mocked as their weapons held against each other.

Closing the gauntlet around Twilight's sword, he squeezed. "I'm more than a henchman. I am Trixie's personal knight. I am her defender and protector, a role you would never let me have."

Having no choice, the mare held still as he clenched her blade in his gauntlet. "I could never trust you with such a position, Spike... You fight with so much anger, how can I? You're obsessed with strength and power." She had reduced her tone to be less mocking and more concerned sounding.

"How can I protect if I am weak?" He growls.

"With your attitude, you'll always be weak. In all of our time in Ponyville, you've learned nothing. You have no idea what real power is." Twilight looked down in shame.

Spike's gaze narrowed as he stared down his opponent. "I'll show you what real power is..." Squeezing her blade again, we all could hear a shattering sound as the blade snapped in two. Small shards flew as he tossed the blade onto the ground.

Twilight sighed and jumped back unleashing a volley of bullets in his direction. However Spike merely held out his gauntlet and attracted them towards it, taking no damage.

"Heh... I know you can do better than that. Stop going easy on me, this is exactly how you were when training me. You always went easy and refused to let me advance." Spike spoke.

Twilight's closed eye twitched, as if she was tempted to open it. "You don't want to see my full potential, Spike. Not even you know what I am capable of. True power comes with understanding; the understanding of your own limitations, and the responsibility that comes with that power. You have yet to understand that. You want all the power with none of the responsibility. You're still a child, thus I did not let you advance." She scolded.

"Stop calling me a child!" He hissed as he took another swing at her, only to narrowly miss again.

Twilight appeared behind him and shook her head. "I'll stop calling you one, when you cease acting like a child."

Spike growled as he started lobbing fireball after fireball at her. "Stop mocking me!"

Twilight was far too cunning to be taken by a few simple attacks. She managed to escape the entire onslaught without so much as a scratch. "Spike, surrender." She insisted.

Before he could even answer, he noticed a small light blinking on his weapon. With a sigh, he shakes his head. "Fucking savages always getting in the way..." He mutters. He looked up to Twilight and pointed in her direction. "We'll have to finish this later. See ya later." Before Twilight had a chance to interject, her pulled a tablet from his pocket and threw it on the ground, cracking it in half.

Before we knew what was happening, Spike had vanished.

"What was that?" I spoke, stepping forward.

"A recall tablet. It more or less was a clay tablet with a spell imbued in it. It recalled him to Trixie's location I imagine..." Twilight explained as she examined where he stood. "This was clearly a trap..." She added, changing the subject a bit.

Fluttershy sighed and took Twilight's hoof. "Come on, we should get back." She smiled at the unicorn.

Pausing for a moment, Twilight gave in and nodded. "Yes... Fall back. Let's go home."

There was something more to what happened here, I knew it. Something told me that I was going to get to the bottom of it too, whether I wanted to or not.