The first day of training started with being told to get right out of bed and run five miles around the city. Vinyl woke us all up with an airhorn in the early hours of the morning, and a good thirty minutes before she said we would be awoken. No doubt because she was trying to get us used to the whole "the enemy doesn't follow the rules" mentality she clearly was trying to promote.

"Come on, my mother runs faster than that you shit stains!" Vinyl screeched at the group whom were struggling to make the whole run.

I however was making great time, and managed to finish a lap before the rest of the group. Vinyl checked her time and gave an annoyed expression. "Cuntface! You run fast, you planning on going AWOL the moment the action happens?"

I shook my head. "Ma'am, no ma'am."

"Then explain to me why you are lapping your fellow maggots? Why are they eating your shit sandwich?" She rose a brow.

"Ma'am, you told me to run fast and take no breaks, ma'am!" I saluted as I started to gain my energy back.

"You think I'm impressed, Cuntface? Well I am not! Any worthless fucker can run with their tail between their legs, now drop and give me one hundred push ups and I want to see you kiss the dirt, Cuntface!" She hissed.

Once again I saluted before dropping to perform the exercise.

Vinyl nodded, annoyed she trotted over to talk to Twilight whom had come by to oversee the training. The two saluted each other before conversing. My sensitive hearing allowed me to overhear what was being discussed.

"I want your analysis by the end of the week. Tell me what we're dealing with here. Maybe we'll actually get lucky." Twilight said.

"Maybe... But it not like we can just craft another Rainbow Dash. Without her... We may not be able to stop the darkness... We defeated Trixie, but all we may have really done is buy ourselves some more time before we are wasted for real." Vinyl replied.

Twilight sighed and patted the mare's shoulder. "Just get me that analysis and don't leave out any details. I want a full report..."

Vinyl nodded. "You got it, One-Eye."

Twilight scoffed before taking her leave.

Vinyl and Twilight watched a very energetic Torch taking a fitness test behind a one way mirror. Twilight had just approached as Vinyl had been watching the whole time diligently. Her red eyes had not left Torch since she entered the room.

Twilight turned to Vinyl. "So, do you have my report?"

Vinyl nodded with a grin, still watching Torch. "Oh, I've got one. You're going to love this too." The mare levitated a folder to Twilight who began checking the contents over.

"She's fast, and agile. She not only surpassed the tests, she got the highest scores I've ever seen. Her fitness results are excellent, her combat abilities are outstanding for a mare of such little experience, and her drive is unrelenting. It seems as though nothing stops her." Vinyl smirked.

Twilight looked at a few of the papers inside the folder. "Incredible... But how?"

Vinyl smiled again. "I've seen that look in her eyes before. I've seen it on myself. She is driven to go all the way. She doesn't care about what happens to herself, and that's what makes her so strong. She welcomes death, and she has determination that can't be shaken. There is a monster inside of her."

"Do you think she'll be enough... I mean enough to change the tide of the battle...?" Twilight bit her lip, a bit in disbelief.

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "You seem to bet your battles on one soldier quite often."

Twilight gave a scowl. "I bet on what has the highest probability of success. Unfortunately when I am only given a choice between five percent and ten percent I am forced to place my bet on one soldier. Its not much, but I'll take every single advantage I can get my hooves on."

Vinyl grew quiet as she looked back through the glass at Torch. Memories of her time in Cloudsdale resurfaced. "Sometimes that's not always wise..." She commented.

Twilight rolled her eyes and turned to take her leave. "I didn't ask for your opinion. Now get that mare finished with training for today and tomorrow bring her to the royal guardian hall."

Vinyl turned in shock. "You mean...?"

The purple unicorn nodded in response. "Yes, now see to it she makes it on time."

Vinyl watched carefully as Twilight left. Her thoughts still fell back on the mysterious cloaked pony she had encountered in Cloudsdale. She knew that the same pony was the one responsible for Flare's death. She recognized the puncture wound. Small and thin, just like that mare's blade. Nopony else would use such a small weapon unless they were an assassin. What were the odds though that another assassin was roaming the ruins? It had to be the same one.

The part that bothered her the most though is why she took nothing. Instead, Flare's body was left completely unlooted and Rainbow's sword was delivered to Canterlot anonymously. Could they have delivered it for Flare? Why though? Did somepony take it from them then deliver it? No, who could possibly have taken it from such a pony? All still a mystery to Vinyl, one she intended to solve.

Taking another look at Torch she placed her hoof on the glass. "You move like she did... Maybe you might be enough... We'll find out soon enough..."

I had been training for some time now and Vinyl had instructed me to meet in her private training area. I suspected this was either good news, or really bad news. None the less, I showed up with weapon at the ready as instructed. I hadn't gotten the chance to properly test Lyra's Song, but I doubted I would be seeing the blade's true power any time soon.

Upon my arrival, Vinyl stepped out of her quarters and stopped only three feet in front of me. "You've shown me what your abilities can do..." She began.

I remained still.

"Now, let's see what you can truly do..." Vinyl took stance and readied two of her blades.

I took a step back and drew my sword. "W-what...?"

"I won't be holding back... If you die, then it'll be because of your own insolence. We won't be shooting with blanks this round, and I aim to win. If you can't beat me, then you don't deserve the honor of serving in the military." She explained.

Was she insane? She was proposing a death match. There was no way that Twilight knew about this arrangement.

"And if I beat you?" I asked.

She cracked her neck. "Don't worry, you won't."

Without warning, she bolted forward and began striking with both blades repeatedly. Trying to keep up, I kept blocking every strike. She was fast, and powerful to boot. Every strike felt like it increased in strength. I couldn't help but get pushed back a little by her blows.

I didn't hesitate to return the hits, as I unleashed a flurry of strikes of my own. Not to much surprise she dodges and blocked with much finesse. Her fighting technique reminded me of dancing in a way. Her body moved with so much elegance when she fought.

I was distracted by her moves to the point where I didn't notice she fired off a few rounds at me. I was able to just barely get out of the way. Touching a hoof to my shoulder, I felt a trickle of blood. One of the bullets had grazed me while I dodged. The injury was not significant, but it was obvious she didn't miss on purpose.

"If you don't start giving your best, you won't live long enough to stand with the Knights." She grinned.

She was confident, that was for sure. However instead of a response, I unleashed a volley of bullets in her direction.

Blinking I noticed they were direct hits. Every single one made contact, but instead of piercing the skin, they fell to the floor in front of her.

She smirked. "Didn't I mention that I'm bulletproof?"

"That's not possible..." I blinked.

She grinned again as she took another slash, which I just barely dodged. "Didn't you hear what they call me?" She sliced again. "Vinyl the invincible!"

I returned the strikes only to be dodged. "I heard ponies call you DJ-Pon3." I remarked.

It was clear she had some kind of spell that protected her from bullets.

Our swords locked and Vinyl grunted. "That part of my life is over. I don't need music anymore, I found something better."

Breaking the lock, I stepped back. "And what's that?"

Vinyl licked her blade as she prepared to attack again. "Killing. I'm the greatest killer that Equestria has ever known. Didn't they tell you that?"

She took a few angry swings, but Lyra's Song proved effective in blocking. "I must not have gotten the memo." I replied.

Vinyl paused and began trotting clockwise around me. "I even brought an infected Celestia to her knees... Your brother was there to witness it. He knew first hoof what my abilities could do..."

"You think that scares me? I came a long way to get to this, and nothing is going to stop me, not even you. If I have to kill you to get what I want, then so be it." I answered.

"Noble... But..." She smiled. "Foolish." With that word she bolted forward and knocked me over. I tried to block her while I was on the ground, but she knocked my sword right out of the way. Before I knew it, she had the barrel of her firearm pointed directly between my eyes.

I sighed and just closed my eyes peacefully. "Oh well, I guess."

She pushed the barrel closer. "You don't fear death..."

I nodded, eyes still closed. "If I fail, then I deserve nothing short of it."

She lowered her weapon and grinned. "Get up."

Opening my eyes, I gave a look of confusion. "But... I lost... I thought..."

"You have guts, kid. Hell you have loyalty even. You're willing to die for your brother's wishes. That may be enough to prove you're worthy... Maybe... It's a long shot, but Twilight thinks you may be the hero Equestria has been waiting for." She explained as she retracted her swords.

"Really?" I brushed myself off.

She nodded. "However you're still young. Your abilities need to be cultivated first. You still require much training, but I can sense that natural drive in you. The desire to be the strongest, to be the best. That's the same drive that she had... It may be enough to take you all the way..."

I wasn't sure who this "she" was, but this was good news nonetheless, at least I hoped.

Vinyl turned around. "Get some rest, Twilight will be meeting with you tomorrow morning. It’s important."

I nodded and made my exit, still wondering what this was all about, however I would probably know tomorrow morning.

Two weeks before the one known as Torch would arrive on their doorstep, Twilight and Vinyl had entered a struggle that they needed to overcome. Without Dash, her blade was left without a wielder, but only one truly strong could utilize her weapon. Vinyl was the obvious next choice.

Day in and day out she trained herself for the month and a half that the blade was in their possession. Vinyl knew she was the only one to keep on par with Rainbow Dash. She knew she was the only one that rivaled her in fighting ability. She had the drive to constantly get stronger. The white unicorn was determined to go all the way. She knew that Equestria needed somepony to wield the blade, and that somepony had to be her. The only one with enough strength to properly utilize the power of the sword was her.

Everyday she would push her body past its limits repeatedly, working herself to exhaustion.

Every time however the results were the same: it wasn't enough. Her hard work would not get the sword to answer to her.

So every time she would return to the training arena and work more, pushing herself again and again, hoping to eventually be accepted as the weapon's master.

Today she would try again, and she was ready. There was not a blademaster alive that could best her, and she was a force to be feared. More lives were ended by Vinyl's cuts than any other warrior in Equestria, she was the thing spoken of in urban legends.

Twilight fastened the blade to Vinyl's front left hoof with a sigh, already guessing this would be a waste of time. Vinyl however had a smile of delight as she prepared to test her new toy.

"Alright, stand back!" Vinyl grinned as took a battle stance.

Twilight simply shrugged and stepped back with a yawn. It was early and she had gotten out of bed much earlier than usual to appease Vinyl's impatient behavior.

Jumping through the air, Vinyl yelled as she tried to use her magic to command the sword to extend. When she hit the ground however, the blade remained in its retracted state.

Twilight sighed and shook her head. "Better luck next time Vinyl..." She patted the mare on the shoulder before making an exit. She knew how frustrated Vinyl got when she did not succeed and she didn't want to be around for that.

The moment Twilight was outside of the room however, Vinyl cursed loud enough for the heavens to hear. "FUCK!" She punched the wall, leaving a noticeable dent. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" She began to smash every object in the room she could find. "What am I doing wrong!?"

She growled as she kicked a support beam. "I am the strongest there is!" She hissed.

"Why won't you obey me!?" She snarled as she smashed the sword against the same support beam.

Panting she stared at the damage she caused in anger.

The mare heard another voice across the room. She quickly turned to that direction knowing that there was no way another pony got into her private training area.

There stood a strange pony with a braid in his mane, and odd keys hanging off of himself. He had a necklace, earrings and hoof bands all decorated with keys. "You want to know why the Rainbow Edge doesn't obey you?" He spoke.

"Who are you?" She sneered.

"It doesn't answer you because it doesn't accept you as its master." He ignored her question.

Vinyl blinked and looked at the sword. "But I am strong enough... Stronger than anypony here. I'm the only one who can
handle its power..."

"That blade did not choose Dash based on strength alone. When you put on the blade, it can see into your soul. Your heart, mind and spirit become known to it. It can see why you fight, it can see what is in your heart. It chose Dash because she was a hero." He explained.

"I'm a hero too, I've defended Equestria plenty of times." She protested.

The stallion shook his head. "You're no hero. You did those things for your own selfish reasons. You can't fool the blade. You only protect the world out of necessity, not good will. You fight for selfish reasons, and that is why the blade does not obey you."

"Dash had selfish reasons too..." She reminded.

"Yes, but the blade knew she would see the light. It knew she would realize her errors." He said.

Vinyl took a step forward. "And why does it not feel that way about me?"

The mysterious stallion narrowed his gaze. "You have evil in your heart. Even I can see it. There is evil inside you that was created out of your anger. Your anger consumes you, and because of that, your heart is filled with evil. One day your evil will come out, and you will see why it does not choose you. If the blade gives itself to you, it may as well give itself to darkness."

"I fight the darkness, not help it!" She growled.

"The evil in you is so great that it wouldn't take much to turn your eyes around. Your anger controls you, and because of that, you are weak. You're a slave to your own anger, and that is why that sword will not obey you, because you think power is only about running faster, jumping higher and fighting harder. All of that is meaningless if you fight for the wrong reasons." He grinned and looked her over.

Vinyl took another fierce step forward and growled again. "What do you know!?"

The stranger approached and gently brushed a lock of mane out of her face. "You're such an angry creature. Nothing like your mother..."

Vinyl froze for a moment at his touch. "You knew my mother?"

He smiled as he brushed her cheek with his hoof. "I know more about you than you can comprehend. Control your anger Vinyl Scratch, if you don't then it will devour your soul."

"My anger is just fine... I have good reason to be angry." Vinyl replied, not stopping his hoof.

His hoof eventually ran down to her chin and tilted her head up. "You're such fascinating specimens. I wish I could study you closer..."

She grinned and placed her hoof onto his. "Well, maybe you can examine me closer... If you know what I mean?" She smirked pervertedly.

He chuckled and let her hoof down. "I have surpassed the need for such pointless pleasures. You seem to not have evolved that far yet though."

She blinked and rolled her eyes as she turned away and then looked at her blade. "Well aren't you perfect?" She sarcastically commented.

Looking back up she noticed the stranger was gone. "Sneaky too... Not bad..."

---

I woke up on time and made my way to Twilight's office for whatever it was she wanted from me today. I had a feeling this wasn't going to be an ordinary meeting, and when I arrived, I could tell by Vinyl's expression that there was something big going down. She had that look of annoyance and frustration about her, however she remained silent.

The one eyed general swiveled in her chair and took a stand as she came around the desk and threw a file onto it, leaving many sheets to fall out of it.

"Torch Fires, we've been tracking your progress here for a few days now, and well..." She bit her lip. "Your scores are outstanding. We have never seen scores quite as impressive as yours. I mean you have the fitness level that surpasses some of our most hardened soldiers. You scored nearly perfect on the target practice tests, and the combat simulations you aced with no mistakes."

I shrugged. "So you brought me here to inflate my ego?"

She shook her head and placed her hoof on a box on her desk. "Negative... I brought here to test something..."

I nodded. "Go on."

She stroked the case carefully. "Before you came here, we had a hero... Rainbow Dash..."

"I heard her name a few times in the ruins." I replied.

Twilight smiled. "Yes, she was quite well known. A warrior of great skill, but when she died, she left behind a powerful blade. One that is not like any other sword. It's a weapon that chooses its master... A sword that can only be used by the most skilled..."

"What does this have to do with me?" I rose a brow.

"We think that you may be its destined wielder." Twilight was quick to answer.

That certainly wasn't news I was expecting. "Why me?"

"Your abilities seem fitting. You're the only pony we've seen that performs as well as you do with so little training, and your determination is greater than we've seen before." Twilight explained. I looked to Vinyl whom just looked away from me.

"And if I can use this sword...?" I asked.

Twilight looked to Vinyl who rolled her eyes, then back to me. "Then you may be the next leader of the Rainbow Raiders."

"Being able to use a sword qualifies me to lead a special forces team?" I laughed.

"This is no ordinary sword. It is connected to the stream of existence. Meaning it will not allow itself to be used by any who are unworthy. If the sword accepts you, then it knows you're something special." Twilight said.

I nodded. "Fine, let's see it."

Opening the case, the general removed a blade with a golden hilt with a multi-colored trimming around the actual blade. The craftsmanship was astounding. Whomever made this blade was an expert blacksmith.

I rose my hoof and allowed Twilight to fasten the nice leather straps. Once it was secure, I took a battle stance and looked up to the general. Twilight nodded in approval, giving me the okay to try out the sword.

My eyes closed as I focused. Lyra's Song on my right hoof, and this sword on my left. It'd be difficult to get used to using both, but I'd worry about that later.

I flicked my hoof with a magical command from my horn to the sword, telling it to extend.

Sure enough the sound of a blade unsheathing rang through the air. Opening my eyes, I saw there on my hoof, the extended sword.

Twilight's mouth partially hung open as she stared. "Rainbow Edge... Has chosen you as its master."

I blinked and noticed Vinyl taking her leave without saying anything.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked Twilight.

The general shook her head and placed a hoof on my shoulder. "She is just frustrated because she couldn't get the sword to obey her. She has too much anger in her, and thus she's not fit to lead."

"Well, maybe that's a good thing. Wouldn't want someone like that in a position of power, right?" I replied.

Twilight laughed. "I wouldn't say that, commander."

It was strange to hear my new title. "Why's that?"

A grin sprouted on her face. "That's your new second in command."