As the group headed to the sparring room, Rainbow Dash starts trying to take bets on who will win. Though she's one of Twilight's best friends, she has little faith in Twilight's ability to win in a melee fight. All but one in the group bets against her in favor of Twilight winning: Applejack, Rainbow's rival of sorts.
When the group finally reached the sparring room, Twilight shed her gear and headed to her side of the arena. Shortly after, Luna arrives with a couple of void rings to render magic useless, and wing clamps so Twilight can't fly.
"Hey, shining!?" Twilight called out.
"Yeah?" Shining armor asked.
"Don't go easy on me just because I'm you're little sister. I want you to come at me with everything you've got," Twilight said.
"I wasn't planning on it. If you are willing to take my challenge, you'll be getting hurt," Shining Armor said, "As of right now, you are not my sister, you are my enemy".
"Good, I don't want a boring fight," Twilight said.
"Are you two quite finished?" Celestia asked.
"Should be, yea," Twilight said.
"Good, because I need to explain a couple things before you begin," Celestia said, "First, this is to be a fair and clean fight. Any cheap shots will disqualify you immediately".
"But that just means Twilight won't stand a chance at all!" Rainbow Dash called out, "It won't be entertaining if Twilight can't throw some cheap shots every now and again".
"You better get ready to eat those words, Rainbow!" Twilight called out.
"Yes, anyway... secondly, if you fall out of the arena, get knocked out, or tap out, you will lose," Celestia said, "And if at any time I or Luna feel the fight needs to be stopped for medical reasons, we will step in. None of us will argue on the subject".
"Fair enough, I guess," Twilight said.
"So, are you both ready?" Luna asked.
"Yes!" Both Twilight and her bother call out.
"Then the fight may commence," Celestia said.
Shining Armor was the first to move. As he rushed in to close the distance, Twilight stood her ground. Thinking his sister didn't actually know how to fight, he grinned. All it would take is one blow and he'd win, easiest victory ever. When he got within striking distance, he raised his right hoof and prepared to strike his sister. As his hoof come down for the strike, he was shocked when it didn't collide with his sister's face, but the ground. In the time Shining had raised his hoof and started to bring it down, Twilight had ducked and slid to the side. Before Shining Armor could process anything, he got bucked from his right side, throwing him off balance and sending him skidding across the ground for a few feet. Within mere seconds, a second blow was heading his way. He managed to somehow regain focus and pull his head back just as Twilight's hoof came down, mere inches from his muzzle. He'd started off actually underestimating Twilight, and he was the one to take the first hit, and nearly the second. If Shining stood any chance, he had to take his sister as a more serious threat.
For what felt like hours, Twilight and her brother stood there, staring each other down, planning their next moves carefully. Shining Armor was the first to move, again. This time, Shining Armor came in from below, a move Twilight was not able to prepare for. When his blow connected, Twilight was thrown off balance as her head tilted back. Stunned, Twilight was now vulnerable, and her brother took the opportunity to bring up his hoof and throw another straight punch. Twilight, caught off guard again, took the blow right square in the muzzle, and was sent sliding, on her back, across the ground to the center of the arena. She was down and on her back, now all Shining armor had to do was pin her down and force her to tap out. He ran over so as to not waste this golden opportunity, and leapt into the air towards his sister.
He landed right where he needed, having all of Twilight's legs pinned tightly to the ground. Being that Shining Armor is a stallion, and Twilight a mare, he had a few more pounds on his sister. His weight alone should hold her down. Twilight struggled a little, only to discover that she was pinned quite well. Had she not been trained through war, however, she would've lost then and there. Instead, Twilight just relaxed her legs, and moved all her strength to her neck. While she couldn't use her magic, there wasn't any rule against use of her horn at all. She did the one thing her brother hadn't counted on, and used all the strength needed to throw her head towards her brothers neck. Had her brother been a real hostile, she'd have shoved her horn right through his neck. However, she only looked to get herself unpinned, so she just struck with enough force to make her brother flinch and stagger. When Shining staggered, he fell backwards and landed on Twilight's hind legs, leaving her whole upper body free. Twilight took this opportunity and struck once more, with a hoof this time.
As Twilight's hoof collided with her brother's forehead, there was an audible thump. Seconds later, Shining fell sideways limply. Twilight had landed her last blow just at the base of her brother's horn, one of the most sensitive areas on a unicorn's body. The blow not only caused her to become free from her brother's weight, but also knocked Shining armor out cold. As Twilight stood up, Celestia walked over and checked Shining Armor's pulse. She had seen where the blow landed, and feared that Twilight might have accidently killed her own brother. She was relieved when his pulse still existed, though slightly faint to show that he was fast asleep.
"And I believe we have a victor!" Celestia called out.
"That was amazing!" Rainbow Dash called out as she flew over to Twilight.
"Ah must admit, ah did actually expect the fight to last a little longer, but it was amazing to watch nonetheless," Applejack said as she walked up to Twilight, "And Dash, ah'll be taking those ten bits now".
"You two seriously bet on who would win?" Twilight asked.
"Well, ah bet in ya'lls favor, so don't get fussy at me," Applejack said.
"What?" Rainbow Dash asked after Twilight started glaring at her, "I have never seen you lift a hoof in battle, before. What did you expect me to think?".
"I expected you to give me a chance at least, not just make the assumption that I couldn't stand up in a fight simply because you've never seen me fight before," Twilight said.
"Yeah, well... ah buck it!" Rainbow yelled, throwing her forelegs in the air, "You did put up a good fight, though".
"Remember, I was in a war, so I should know how to defend myself, weather at a distance or in my enemy's face," Twilight pointed out.
"So, how long ya think he'll be asleep?" Applejack asked, pointing to Shining Armor.
"He'll be out for a couple of hours at least," Twilight said.
"I do have to ask, are you going to tell Princess Cadence how you beat him?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I might just do that, if only to embarrass him a little," Twilight said.
Twilight then broke off and went to gather her gear. Forgetting the void ring on her horn, Twilight tried to use magic to get back into her uniform. When her horn refused to light up, she finally remembered she was encumbered and asked Luna to take the ring and clamps off. Now able to use her magic again, Twilight quickly got her gear back where it should be, then turned towards the others.
"Say, you've seen me hoof fight my brother, and win," Twilight said, "Any of you interested in finding out how my weapons work?".
"It wouldn't feel right to leave your brother out of that, would it?" Luna asked, "I mean, he's been there for everything else".
"I agree, plus I think we could use a little break for now," Celestia said.
"You girls want a break?" Twilight asked.
Every pony in the room nodded their heads almost in perfect sync.
"Well, alright then. Let's go and hang out for a little bit while my brother sleeps," Twilight said.
"Sounds like a perfect plan," Rarity said.
"Might I suggest you pay your parents a visit?" Celestia asked.
"I think I'll do that," Twilight said, "I haven't seen them in over a year, after all, so it's only fair".
"I know your mother will be very happy to see you, Twilight," Celestia said.
"Oh I'm sure she will," Twilight said before turning to her friends, "So, you girls want to meet my family?".
"Before you go, though, I will need to take your weapons," Celestia said.
"With all due respect, princess, it'd be better if I kept them," Twilight said.
"While I do trust you, Twilight, the law is very clear. Only members of the royal guard are able to openly carry weapons, and only on official business," Celestia said, "And I will not start making exceptions, even for you".
"And what about you two?" Twilight asked.
"That does, in fact, exclude my sister and I as well," Celestia admitted, "So, do not think I am being unfair".
After a short sigh, Twilight levitated her guns, her last grenade, and her magazines and clips towards Celestia one by one. What she did not do was give up her knife. She kept her knife hidden, not wanting to be left with only her hooves and magic for defense. She knew that if Celestia ever found out, she'd be trouble, but she was willing to risk it.
"And this is all you have?" Celestia asked.
"That's every weapon I have and all my ammo," Twilight said.
"Very well, then, you may now go," Celestia said.
With that, Twilight and her friends bowed to the Princesses before turning and heading towards her old home. As soon as they were well away from the Princesses, Applejack stepped over to Twilight.
"So, what did ya manage ta keep?" Applejack asked.
"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked.
"Ah may not be a perfect living lie detector, Twilight, but ah know a horrible lie when ah hear it," Applejack said.
Twilight sighed before wrapping something in her magic and pulling it out to plain sight.
"Standard issue combat knife. I don't the idea of having the rely on just my hooves and magic if I can help it, so I did my best to keep this on me," Twilight said.
"Well, can't say ah can blame ya fer feeling that way," Applejack said, "Though, ah can say ah never expected ya to lie right ta Princess Celestia's face".
"I don't like it, either, but I couldn't just give up ALL of my weapons," Twilight said.
"Hey, don't worry about it. If anypony asks, I never saw that thing," Rainbow Dash said.
"Thanks, girls," Twilight said, "But don't go getting yourself in trouble just for me if Celestia does somehow find out".
With that, Twilight sheathed her knife and the group resumed their walk.