Iron Mare

"How did the /Diamond Dogs/ manage to rebuild your suit, Rainbow?"  Asked Spitfire, the distress clear in her voice.

"I- I don't know.." Was all Rainbow could say.

"Well you've got to know something, Rainbow. The Diamond Dogs aren't smart enough to put it together all on their own." Said Lightning Dust, gently patting a gash on Rainbow's head that came as a result of her battle with the armored Dog.

Rainbow had been silent for a majority of the long journey home from Saddle Arabia. She was at a loss for words, a very rare occurrence. The plans she drew up in the mine had been specifically designed to be indecipherable to anyone but her, with the possible exception of Zecora.

"Ow..." she said, slightly jerking her head away as Lightning continued to dab the gash.

"Look, Rainbow" Lightning Dust said, putting the gauze down and closing the first aid kit in front of her. "The Diamond Dogs have your designs and they're using  them to build suits.... We need to stop them before they get out of control."

"What we need to do" Rainbow began "is find a way to get those designs from them. If the Diamond Dogs are anywhere near as stupid as we know they are, then getting them won't be much trouble. We just need to figure out where they're hiding."

Rainbow looked up at the ceiling "T.A.N.K., pull up a map of the area surrounding the mine I was in."

"Yes madame,"

Seconds later, the table displayed a three dimensional map. Every cave had been specifically marked and highlighted in red. Rainbow walked up to the table and looked down at the grid.

"Okay, so we know that the Diamond Dogs were using this cave as their base of operations, right?" She pointed to the center of the map. "Now, they wouldn't have gone far.... the mountains are their main defense against Wonderbolt air strikes and they need a large cave system to keep themselves sheltered.... so let's take away any caves that are too small..."

A number of the highlighted caves vanished from the projection. Rainbow continued her musings.

"And it wouldn't be too far from the original cave... so we can eliminate any that are more than... let's say three miles away..."

Several more caves disappeared from view. Lightning Dust and Spitfire trotted up on both sides of Rainbow Dash in time to see the rest of the highlighted areas vanish, leaving one final cave on the table.

"There.  That's where they'd be its in the same area, about the same size and it's not far from where I was being held."

"So what do we do, Rainbow? Go up, and just ask nicely?" Asked Lightning Dust with more than just a little sarcasm in her voice.

"We won't... but /you/ will." Said Rainbow, looking over at the eldest of the three.

Lightning Dust looked from Rainbow Dash to Spitfire, then back again.

"Say again?"

Lightning Dust looked out the window of the airplane before turning to face Rainbow Dash.

"This is the stupidest idea you've ever had, Rainbow" she said, almost angrily. "And that's saying something."

"Well what do you suggest we do?" asked Rainbow Dash, sitting in a chair across the aisle.

"I suggest we find some other pony to do this.... some pony who isn't me!"

"You'll be fine, Dusty! All you need to do is go in, convince them that you want in on their little organization and then take the designs right from under their noses. Bing, bang, boom, we get the designs, we destroy them, and then go home happy."

Rainbow leaned over to pat her friend on the back.

"Why me, though?" Lightning inquired. "Between us, we're probably richer than most of Equestria will ever dream of being, can't we just, I don't know, hire someone to do this?"

"We need someone who can pull off the 'corrupt shareholder' role. Since no pony in Equestria knows about our little side project, that means you're the only one qualified. And, if memory serves me correct, didn't you used to brag about how good of an actress you were?"

"That was three years ago, Rainbow! And being the lead role in Beauty and the Manticore is very different from convincing terrorists, let me say that again, TERRORISTS, that I'm an executive from DashCo out to get revenge or whatever. How do I know they won't kill me on sight just for being a PART of DashCo?"

"They won't, trust me. They're stupid, but they know that a DashCo executive willing to provide weapons for free is too juicy to pass up. Here," Rainbow reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small device. "Keep this in your ear, and I'll be able to hear everything. If you're in trouble, I'll be there in ten seconds flat."

"With your armor?" Asked Lightning Dust, reaching her hoof out to take the device.

"With my armor." Said Rainbow, with a  reassuring smile.

Lightning Dust bit her lip and gently placed the tiny machine in her ear.

The plane landed smoothly. All had gone well, and Lightning Dust now found herself behind the wheel of a motorized carriage. Rainbow had arranged for the vehicle to be dropped off at the Wonderbolt landing strip earlier, so that she wouldn't have to traverse the desert at night. It was a modest machine, nothing like the fancy, expensive ones she was used to riding in, yet wasn't worn down and beat up like one would expect to find in a backwater town like Ponyvil-

"Okay, Dusty, I'm here. According the the suit, you're less than five minutes away." Came Rainbow's voice through the earpiece.

Lightning Dust rolled her eyes. She was well aware of how far she was from what could very well be where she met her maker.

The carriage rocked and creaked as she drove over rocky terrain. If it were any louder, the Diamond Dogs would surely be able to-

Lightning Dust felt her heart skip a beat and her blood run cold as she spotted the flickering lights of a campfire up ahead.

"Rainbow..." she whispered "I see them..."

"Alright, Dusty, stick to the plan..."

Lightning Dust stopped the carriage and took in some air. She knew she was walking into a deadly situation, but there was so much at stake. If the Diamond Dogs continued to make their own suits, then they would slowly grow more advanced, and maybe even become as powerful as Rainbow's first suit of armor, given time. Considering how destructive Rainbow Dash's first crude attempt had been, Lightning Dust shuddered at the thought of such a machine being in the paws of murders.

There are lives on the line she thought to herself, patting her saddlebag for the small, mouth operated pistol inside

Let's do this...

With that, she opened the carriage door and stepped out. The instant she shut the door, every visible Diamond Dog looked directly at her.

She held her breath as she began taking her first steps, the sand ever so slightly sinking beneath her bare hooves. Doing her best to give off a confident vibe, Lightning Dust puffed out her chest and continued forward, counting each step under her breath.

"One.... two.... three.... four.... five.... six.... seven.... eight...."

Several of the dogs stood up and ran toward her, snarling as they closed in.

I'm dead she thought, but pressed on.

If she ran, her cover would be blown and she'd lose any chance of getting the designs. Not to mention that it was very unlikely she'd be able to outrun them. The dogs' grew louder and closer. With not enough time to pull out her pistol, she closed her eyes and prayed for a miracle.

"STOP!" A voice yelled.

She looked up, stunned to find that the Dogs had all stopped in their tracks and were now looking over at a dog wearing a strange red ruby around his neck. He walked past all the others and approached Lightning Dust.

"Relax", he said in an eerily calm voice. "You must forgive my brothers... they are not exactly the brightest... My name is Rover..."

He motioned to the Dogs behind him, who merely growled in response.

"Come" he continued, beginning to walk back toward the campfires.

Unsure of what to do, but very certain that she didn't want to be left behind with the snarling dogs, Lightning Dust followed, falling into step alongside him.

"I've come with a proposal." she said in the most confident voice she could muster.

Rover did not turn  to look at her and simply continued walking.

Lightning Dust bit her lip and looked from side to side. She took the fact that he hadn't ordered her killed as a sign that he was at least willing to listen. She went on.

"DashCo has a surplus of weapons after Rainbow Dash shut down our arms manufacturing department." Lightning paused to lick her lips "I was wondering if you would be interested in having them in exchange for something"

Rover turned to look at her with a toothy grin, obviously tempted by such an offer

"What could we have possibly done to deserve such kindness?"

"Rainbow Dash and I had a falling out over where we should take the company next.. Personally, I don't agree with where she wants to go, and I plan to change her mind. Don't think this is for free, though. I expect something in return."

"And what is that?" he asked.

"The designs you took from Rainbow Dash."

Rover stopped walking and turned to face her, still grinning.

"Ah... you seek our designs..." he said.

"Yes... DashCo would benefit greatly from having them in our archives. Once Rainbow Dash is removed from the equation, we'll be able to produce new weapons based around the original designs, some of which may land in your possession."

Rover began walking again. Lightning Dust took note of the fact that he was leading her toward the mouth of the cave. It made her uneasy, yet she continued. He seemed to be buying it and hopefully, she'd be able to leave in one piece.

"You wish to see what we recovered after her escape?"

"That's what I came for." She said.

Going against her better judgment, Lightning Dust followed him into the cave. She went down a dark passage and turned in to a small room, lit only by a lantern, pausing when she saw it. Before her was Rainbow Dash's original suit of armor, reassembled and propped against the wall. She trotted up and gently placed a hoof against its metallic face.

"So this is how she did it" she whispered.

"Her escape bore unexpected fruit. We eventually learned how to harvest this fruit. As we speak, my Diamond Dogs are working to recreate it yet again"

Lightning Dust turned her head away from the suit.

"Again?" She inquired, feigning ignorance.

"Yes, again." Said Rover, walking up next to her and placing his paw on her shoulder.

She felt uncomfortable with his paw on her body, but decided against pulling out from under him.

"Or did Rainbow Dash tell you otherwise, Lightning Dust?" He continued.

Lightning Dust felt her heart stop. Did he just-

She felt his arm suddenly wrap itself around her and throw her into the sand. She looked up at him, her eyes widened as he slammed his paw on her stomach to keep her pinned. He brought his head down close to hers.

"Our master said you would arrive..." He snarled into her face.

She heard a sadistic chuckle off to her side and looked to find a large, blue creature with ten glowing jewels on his front paws. Rover turned, keeping his paw on her and bowed to who Lightning presumed to be his master.

"R-Rainbow...." she whispered, hoping that her earpiece would be able to pick up her words. "I think I need some help.."

"Lightning Dust!" she heard Rainbow yell through the speaker "It's an ambush!"

I never would have guessed she thought.

Just then, Rover stuck one of his claws into her ear and forcefully yanked the device out, causing her to wince.

"Lightning Dust?" Rainbow's tinny voice continued through the earpiece until Rover slammed his paw down on it, shattering the poor machine to bits.

"Well done, Rover..." said the creature. "You have proven your worth..."

Lightning was pulled up to her hooves, and pushed forward. She fell into the sand before the blue monster and looked up into his dark, yellow eyes.

"I have backup on the way." She managed to choke out.

Lightning Dust held her breath as one of his long arms lifted her off the floor. She watched as he pulled his free arm up and held his bejeweled paw in front of her face.

"By the time Rainbow Dash arrives, it will be too late..." he rasped sinisterly "You shall soon prove to be one of our most valuable assets...."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

With that, the he lifted one of his glowing paws and brought it up close to her face.

"No! Wait! NO!" Lightning Dust screamed out.

Beep beep beep....

Where was she?

Beep beep beep...

The last she remembered, she was driving toward the Diamond Dog camp in a motorcarriage before.... her memory cut off after that, leaving only fragments behind. There was something about rebuilding.... something about plans.... something about glowing diamonds...

Beep beep beep...

"Dusty? You with me?" She heard an ever so familiar voice say.

Wherever she was, Rainbow Dash was with her.

She opened her eyes to find herself lying in a hospital bed in the middle of a pearly white room, surrounded by medical equipment. A heart monitor continually beeped next to her.

"She's awake!" Cried out Rainbow Dash.

"Where am I?" She mumbled.

"You don't remember?" Asked the younger Pegasus, passing over a glass of water, which Lightning gratefully sipped from.

She shook her head as the cool water refreshed her dry mouth.

"I got ambushed by two Diamond Dogs and tried to tell you that it was a trap. When I got to the cave you were on the floor, alone, 'cept for my original suit of armor next to you. You were out cold. I brought you back to the Wonderbolt base, and now... well... here we are"

Lightning Dust gulped down the last of her water and placed the glass on the table beside her bed.

"Where's the suit?" She asked.

"Its safe... I had Spitfire send a pair of Wonderbolts to the cave to pack it up. They'll destroy it and the designs will be put into DashCo archives once we get back to Las Pegasus."

Lightning Dust placed her head back down on the pillow and shut her eyes.

We will use the designs... she heard a  voice whisper

"What for?" She asked, not opening her eyes.

"What?" Said Rainbow Dash, who, judging by the position of her voice, had moved toward the exit.

"What are we using the designs for?"

"Dusty... what?"

Lightning Dust opened her eyes and scanned the room.

There was nobody there, except for her and Rainbow.