"A gun?" the Mane-six asked together in unison, their eyes full with confusion at the unknown word.

Sonic and company along with the Mane-Six gathered together at Twilight's house to talk privately about the new problem at hand. Amy sat protectively next to Sonic holding him closely still utterly shocked and scared at the dire news she had gotten when Tails phoned her about everything that had happened when she were at work. Rainbow Dash sat on the other end of Sonic feeling somewhat awkward and passive aggressive towards Sonic since he allowed Amy to be so close. Tails and Shadow were standing next to a coffee table in the middle of the room with their arms folded as they were trying to explain to everyone what was going on. Twilight sat in her armchair adjacent to the couch Sonic, Amy, and Rainbow Dash were sitting on. She sat comfortably with one of her feet under her body as she watched Shadow and Tails both with equal interest. Knuckles stood against the wall with Applejack beside him, both of them thinking about what a gun in Equestria means. Finally, Rarity and Pinkie Pie sat silently to listen to the meeting and Fluttershy sat on the floor in front of where Rainbow Dash was sitting.

Finally when everyone hunkered down and got silent Sonic put his eyes on Shadow and nodded, "Show 'em." He said then looking around at the girls.

Shadow nodded and walked to the end of the room where his motorcycle bag was sitting and brought it back over and dumping its contents onto the hardy, wood table. From the iron studded leather bag a Desert Eagle, a Beretta M9, and a shotgun pistol, the Taurus Judge, slid out onto the table. The three large handguns fell with a heavy thuds and the Judge slowly rotated and pointed towards Twilight, its gleaming gunmetal glinting in her ignorant eyes.

The ladies peered at the weapons in piquing curiosity except for Rainbow Dash who today, mere hours prior, found out first hand what these machines were. The rainbow haired pegasus gulped in fear, her eyes dilated, her heart beat ran, and she started to breathe faster as the raven-black Beretta faced her; the pitch black barrel staring dead at her eyes. Sonic did a double-take at Rainbow Dash noticing the obvious apprehension in her magenta eyes. He patted her knee gently and gave her an assuring smile and then looked back to the ladies around them.

"These are guns. Guns, in this case handguns, are highly powerful weapons (in the right hands) that uses gunpowder as propulsion to propel a missile which is, in this case, the bullet." Shadow pulled out a simple 9mm bullet from his pocket to show everyone. The gleaming brass sparkled in the sunlit room. "These guns, in skilled hands- or lucky ones" Shadow added the latter with a mutter, "Have the capabilities to kill with one shot-" Shadow picked up Beretta and unloaded it, its magazine (clip) falling into his left hand with a mechanical clack. "-And this one holds 15." He ended grimly.

He looked to the ladies around him who all gave Shadow a fearful look. Shadow then pulled back the slide of the handgun, ejecting the round in the barrel, and then catching the bullet in his off hand before passing Twilight the gun to pass around.

Instantly Twilight's hands fell as she picked up the surprisingly heavy gun. "It's not as light as it looks…" she muttered observantly. She then looked to Shadow to Sonic nervously. "Y-you said it could kill in one shot…" she took her eyes off of Shadow and put them on Sonic, "And you got hit by it four times…" Twilight said in awe, her eyes stretching as she realized that she was holding a seriously deadly device. She then pushed it out of her hands abruptly, letting it fall to the floor with a metallic clack.

"I need to tell Princess Celestia about this right now!" she stood up quickly, but Tails stopped her in her tracks. He had his hand out desperately, afraid that she may materialize her magical parchment and quill any second now. The fox looked to his left to see Shadow staring down at his handgun that Twilight so rudely discarded. Tails swallowed a lump in his throat but then returned his attention to Twilight.

Tails' eyes ceased her movement with its uncharacteristic seriousness, "No. You can't tell anyone about this. Do you understand? This is serious."

"Then why not tell Princess Celestia!? She would unquestionably know exactly what to do regarding these weapons, and this problem!" Twilight yelled at him, her eyes darted from Shadow to the weapon that now lies on the ground. Its stillness; it's silent, cold metal shape sent shivers up her spine. This weapon can kill a single person in one shot- it almost permanently killed Sonic and Shadow, albeit the last one was inadvertently the cause of their chaos powers fusing. Regardless Shadow knows just how powerful these weapons are and he doesn't want to inform Princess Celestia about it?

She felt torn between trusting Shadow and Tails and refraining from telling the princess about it. She is suppose to commit to her duty as Princess, utmostly, and tell her teacher, Princess Celestia, about any matters regarding the safety of the citizens of Ponyville and surrounding areas.

Shadow finally took his eyes off of the gun on the floor and glared dead into her eyes, his crimson eyes seemingly burning a hole through Twilight's purple eyes, and then glaring into her soul. "Because Sonic and I have a serious suspicious feeling that she has something to do with why no one, including you lot, knows about guns." Twilight stared at him for a long while as she processed what he said. After those words left Shadow's lips everything got quiet.

The Mane-Six all looked at Shadow and Sonic in utter disbelief and shock. "Woah, woah, woah, hold your horses; are you telling me that you believe that our princess has a foot in this?" Applejack stood up and accused, she looked at Shadow as if he just insulted her granny.

Even Pinkie Pie was looking at Shadow in a confused look of horror. She looked nervously around at the maddening faces of her friends then back at Shadow. "What do you mean Shadow...?" she uttered out.

Sonic felt the tension in the room rising like the inside of a volcano so he stood up from his seat quickly, ignoring the sting of the tree shaped welt the lightning gave him, and about to stand with Shadow to clarify, but Twilight got to him first.

She jumped up and stared deep into Shadow's face, anger written plain as day on her comely face. Her wings erected slightly and her fists clenched. "Do you mean to tell me that you think that my teacher, OUR Princess, has something to do with these- these obscene weapons of murder?!" Twilight spat at Shadow, the ebony hedgehog was not fazed and did not move an inch as she screamed in his face, in fact his frown only deepened into a scowl of aggravation.

"Yeah, you tell 'em Twi!" Rainbow Dash cheered on Twilight, the rowdy, inertly loyal pegasus was especially offended that Shadow had the audacity to say something like that. Sonic flashed a look of discontent at Rainbow Dash, but the pegasus turned her head from his gaze and folded her arms. Her passive aggression never left her mind.

"Princess Celestia would NEVER associate herself, in any way with these vile, tools! She is pure, honest, indomitable, and indiscriminately benevolent! She is someone that would never deceive anyone- thinking that she has something to do with this disgraceful malarky- why I ought to send you to the moon!" Twilight ranted on and on, her mane was close to combusting at this very moment. Her mind smoldered in anger and her mind became shrouded in animosity. Something in her told her to stop, but as her friends egged her on, and with the fact that Shadow coolly insulted her teacher and role model she kept the rant coming.

"She is of truest character and for you to even THINK that she would have even the slightest involvement in those heinous tools of death then you," she pointed at Shadow's chest with force, "And you," she then directed her castigating finger at Sonic angrily, "Must have lost more than a few brain cells when you both were lying around fucking dying!" she screamed at the hedgehogs. The rest of the Mane-Six rallied their best friend for her valiant words and cheered her on. Sonic and Company, excluding Shadow, looked around nervously then back at Shadow to see how he would react by being screamed at by someone undoubtedly inferior to him.

Shadow's eyes were cold as the winter and as sharp as the winter's chill. He looked as though he was staring down her very soul. His fists were clenched as he contained every screaming voice in him that told him to smack a bitch. "Sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up. If you ever lose your damn mind and talk like that in my face again I will remove your fucking tongue." His voice was deep as the damndest pits of Tartarus and sounded like he crawled from there himself! The pissed off ebony hedgehog then flashed an infuriated scowl around at each of the Mane-Six in turn. "Do you hear me! Sit down! Shut up!" Shadow barked viciously at each one of the Mane-Six, including Pinkie Pie, and they all cowardly ducked from his enraged eyes and fearfully complied with Shadow's orders. Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles looked at Shadow with a surprised expression, they obviously didn't see that broiling, bombast retort coming.

Shadow scowled at everyone in the room save for Sonic company and then returned his eyes on Twilight who was now looking up at him with her hands braced on the armrests of the chair. Honestly, with as much raw ferocity that came from his mouth, she almost feared that he was going to attack her. "Now pick up my Goddamn gun off that dirty floor before you join it." Twilight hesitated for a second which only infuriated the ebony hedgehog even more. "Now!" he growled to which Twilight friskily picked up the heavy gun and held it in her hands.

Looking as if it were the right time to intervene and possibly lessen the hate in the room, Sonic put a hand on his doppelganger's shoulder and gave him a look saying that 'now may be the time to let me take over for a minute'. Shadow fell back and leaned against a nearby wall as Sonic took the center of the room.

Sonic cleared his throat and scratched between his quills before starting, "Sounds like Shadow needs a Snickers bar huh? Heh, ladies, we don't mean to frighten you, well at least I don't," Sonic smirked and looked behind his shoulder to peer at Shadow, who in turn gave Sonic the middle finger. Niiiice.

Sonic then turned back to the Mane-Six. "Yes, it is true that guns are very powerful, but do not fear it- fear the one who wields it. Right now none of you should fear this gun for you all trust each other right? Rainbow Dash, you're not scared that Twilight will shoot you, right? Fluttershy, you don't fear that Rarity would possibly like to end it all and off you if she gets that gun, right?" The two ladies shook their heads and Sonic nodded in satisfaction. " Notice that these other two guns on the table haven't gotten up to take you lovely ladies out- notice that the guns are only as dangerous as that who wields it."

"As you all pass it around take note that if you are willing to join Shadow and I on our mission then you'll see a lot more of these of every variety." Sonic said calmly and smoothly, his voice suave to the clearly agitated Mane-Six's ears.

Rainbow Dash is now holding the Beretta. She held it gingerly and stared down on it, it was larger than both of her hands- larger than she would had expected. Slowly, she configured her finger and hand position held it the same way she saw Lightening Wing holding it at Sonic. Suddenly within her mind she revisited the mind-shattering memory watching Sonic fall as the crimson blood spurted from his back and chest. Like a slideshow the images of Sonic falling into dust and blood made her heartbeat quicken, but not in fear, rather in sheer animosity. If I ever see that man again, that man that shot Sonic… I swear… I will kill him.

"Rainbow Dash…"

I will kill him… I will kill him for hurting Sonic… the visions of the man cackling after he had shot Sonic pissed her off even more- her eyes dilated as she recalled the way her heart lurched as she heard the splashing sound of thick blood falling onto the dusty ground.

"Rainbow Dash…!"

Lightning Wing…I swear it… I will not have mercy on you a second time…

"Rainbow Dash!"

Click

Rainbow Dash jumped out of her trancelike state when the gun clicked, she didn't even realize her finger was on the trigger.

"Rainbow Dash…? Are you okay?" Sonic asked, he was now in front of her with his hand on her shoulder, his eyes are her eye level and looking into hers with worry.

"I-uh, I, I'm fine." She reluctantly tore her gaze from his affable orbs of green and passed the gun to Rarity.

Shadow rose off the wall, walked back beside Tails to start speaking again. Sonic let go of Rainbow Dash to join him. "Like I was saying before," his eyes flashed briefly on Twilight, she didn't look back to him, "Sonic and I think Princess Celestia may have something to do with guns and is the sole reason why no one knows about them." He said looking around, everyone eyes were on him now besides Twilight, the alicorn kept her eyes casted onto her feet.

"I have read up extensively on your history about how Equestria and how it came to be. I read the earliest depictions of this land up to the most recent history and never have I once came across the mentioning of a gun, or even gunpowder for that matter. That doesn't sound too weird until what happened earlier today- Sonic being attacked by a random thug with a gun." Shadow continued to explain to the ladies.

The Mane-Six looked at him curiously and soaked up his words as they too thought about it, they never heard of a guns or gunpowder ever in their lives.

"I've read that about a 1,001 years ago, Equestria was in a nationwide civil war. There were many, many casualties and the war had decreased the nation's population down by a little over 53 percent. Princess Celestia rose up to reign as ruler ended all the torment and destruction, after years, and years of fighting there was finally peace amongst the races of your kind." Shadow said next. "I have a feeling that firearms had a big play in why there were so many deaths- of course Celestia knew the incredibly destructive power guns possessed in the wrong hands and sought a way to eradicate all mentioning and evidence that guns existed on this world. I'm sure she did this to make sure a blood bath that was the Equestria Civil War would never come to be again." Shadow continued.

"So that means that you were never saying that Princess Celestia had a direct hand in firearms… just that she had a abolish association with them." Twilight muttered to herself though everyone heard it. She held her head even lower in shame and shook her head.

"Then how did that ruffian end up with one and ended up shooting Sonic?" Rarity asked, finding a flaw in what he just said.

"Yeah, you just said that Princess Celestia eradicated all the evidence of guns from history- how did that gangster find one?" Applejack commented.

Shadow looked to the two then smirked, "Yeah, which does sound strange, but it is fitting to have some sort of record on every weapon in a nation's history somewhere in the castle. Plus Celestia will not live forever- she has an heir, and that heir will have to know these things as well as to also prevent something like the Equestria Civil War from happening again." Shadow stared dead at Twilight, the princess before him slowly looked up to him. "I have a feeling that Celestia kept some sort of record about guns to one day tell you about it when she does step down- or die." Twilight looked at him, ignoring his latter statement, but understood what he was trying to say.

Everyone nodded their heads in understanding of what Shadow was saying.

"So if that gangster had one, which could only mean that the whole gang must have discovered the document, built their own guns, and distributed them throughout their rinky-dink operation." Twilight said her eyes still on Shadow's, her eyes cascaded down towards the two still weapons on the coffee table, noting their potential devastation. "This is serious…"

Shadow nodded then put his eyes on everyone else. "That is why Sonic and I are going to go in and see what we can find out."

"Yeap! But we need help… We can't do this alone." Sonic said, looking around at his friends with a comforting smile. "I need my friends to join us and help prevent chaos from ensuing."

"Tails?" Sonic suggested as he looked at his brother.

Tails gave him a smile, "As if you need to ask Sonic." They both fist bumped and nod at each other with a smirk.

"And of course you're gonna need the muscle!" Knuckles said coming up behind Sonic and Tails putting a hand on their shoulders.

Sonic chuckled, "Alright we got the dream team!"

"If my Sonics' going then so am I!" Amy proclaimed with happiness. She jumped off the couch leaving Rainbow Dash to look at her in slight shock… she was just about to proclaim something like that but now since she said it, she felt that it would be awkward to say it directly after she did. Sonic and Amy gave each other a high five and Sonic put an arm around Amy's shoulders and smiled.

Pinkie Pie jumped up and joined Shadow's side. "If you're gonna go fight some baddies then you know I'm coming with!" Pinkie Pie said throwing a few punches in the air. Shadow smirked at her and gave her a short, curt nod.

"Welp, guess I can't let knucklehead go and get himself killed." Applejack said as she walked up beside her beau and giving him a hard punch to the arm which he of course barely felt, he pulled the country gal closer to him and threw up a fist in the air. "Alright!"

Sonic looked to his cyan savior, "Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash looked at him, although still feeling passive aggressive towards him she stood up from the couch and walked over to him, "Pfft, of course I'm coming, I can't let you go in and die now can I?" Sonic chuckled and put thumbs up at her.

Tails looked at Fluttershy but before he could ask for her company she was already heading towards him. "I will follow you into Tartarus if you asked me to." She said sincerely looking into his eyes.

Twilight watched Fluttershy's and Pinkie Pie's interactions with Tails and Shadow and felt somewhat like they were treading on her territory. She folded her arms and arose from her seat. "I suppose I have no choice, we can't exactly let those hooligans start another war now can we?" she stated, shooting a sour look at Pinkie Pie as she stood in front of Shadow, her eyes then rose back to Shadow's "What do you want me to do?"

In Twilights pocket was a magical parchment that was blank and ready to be written on.