Today was Dash's big day. Everything was in place for her plan to commence, the mare taking one final quick visit to the other commanders to finalise their plans. She wasn't nervous, but she knew her neck was on the line here - if it went as she intended she'd be even more of a hero - but if it failed? Hundreds of Pegasi would die and Dash would be the sole responsibility. She was the last into the small meeting room, the small collection of high ranking Pegasi all looking at her.

"In an hour, you all will be leaving for Canterlot" She said, placing her helmet on the table "Whilst I head to Ponyville. If you see Princess Twilight Sparkle, do not attack her at all, leave her be, understand?"

"Isn't that against the point...? As soon as she's gone, it'll be easy"

Dash glared at the voice "Because thats the plan, and you'll do well to follow it! Once Twilight has left Canterlot, you can move in and do whatever the hell you want"

Spitfire chuckled "Well, not whatever you want. The usual, take control and kill the uprisers"

"I'll see you all on the other side. Obviously Spitfire is in control of the Canterlot side, I'm controlling the Ponyville aspect. Get out and sort your soldiers. NOW!" She yelled, followed by the frantic scrambling of the Pegasi leaving the room.

Spitfire chuckled and stood "Good luck today, Rainbow Dash. Your... decision... Is honourable and will be remembered by the Pegasi for generations"

"Decision? Twilight and the elements are nothing. Not anymore. And I'm supposed to be one of them right? How can they use their powers?"

She held out her hoof "See you for a drink after?"

Dash chuckled and tapped it "Make that two" She watched as Spitfire left, leaving her alone in the room.

An early morning mist lay across Ponyville, Rainbow Dash landing and stopping at the border of the town for a moment, followed by just 10 other Peagsi, including Blazing and Iron. All eleven were armoured from muzzle to hoof in their black and red armour, all except Dash. She had decided to go helmet less for a reason, and her armour was more lightweight and had extra accessories, all part of her plan.

"Now listen to me." Dash turned and looked each and everyone of the Pegasi in the eye before speaking "Pair up. Bring the Elements of Harmony to the centre of the town UNHARMED" She glared "I dont care if they give you trouble, just do as I say" She growled "Blazing, Iron, with me" She trotted into the town as the others went their separate ways.

Ponyville was quiet, but well guarded. The town must have had at least 50 guards, a lot for the small and reasonably useless town strategically. The majority of the population had left, meaning there wasn't much to defend anymore.

Dash felt a twinge of sorrow shoot down her spine, the town she'd loved, lived in and represented had yet again fallen into ruin. She hated Ponyville now. It only brought back bad memories for her and had been the catalyst to her rapid downwards spiral and decent into madness, the spiral that had caused her to lose all of her friends.

"Are you ready for that battle experience the two of you crave so much?" She grinned, nodding to the barracks "They wont know what hit them - in and out before they know whats going on"

"Theres like, 50 of em..." Iron frowned, looking through the window of the town hall, converted to host the defence force.

"Kill 15 then. Blazing gets 15, and I get 20. Doesn't sound too bad now, huh?"

"Sounds like fun" Blazing chuckled and nudged Dash "Just don't take any of mine"

"Can't make any promises" Dash chuckled, flicking her hooves to reveal her blades and flying towards the hall, entering through a roof window and silently landing in the centre of the hall. Most of the guards were asleep, barring those on watch. Dash was swift and efficient, silently finishing the few that were awake as her two guards joined her.

"Keep it simple..." She whispered "Go bed to bed, cut their throats. Don't be stupid" She glared between them.

The two nodded, taken aback by Dash's brutal tone, the mare already three beds in before they turned to set off their own Equestrians. Everything was going smoothly, Dash thought, grinning to herself as she killed the final sleeping guard. She walked through the hall grinning and patted Iron's head "Good. It's almost too easy, right? Time to meet my friends, I think" Dash chuckled and waved Blazing over "Come on. The town is almost ours"

"'Bout time" She grinned, the trio opening the doors to the town hall to a pleasant sight. The four elements of harmony stood below the steps in the centre of the town, Pegasi standing either side.

Dash slowly descended the steps, staring intently at each of the four, taking in every feature. Something was off however, the mare quickly flying over to Fluttershy and lifting her chin, her other hoof gently touching her bloodied nose "What happened to you?"

She sniffled, but turned her face away.

"The dumb bitch was wearing armour under her bed" The stallion standing next to her scoffed "I told her to come and she wouldn't stop crying, she listened to me after I busted her nose" He smirked.

Dash turned to look at him, deadly calm and took her hooves away from Shy. "Would you say she is a threat? Is she unharmed?"

"W-well no..."

"Come with me" She gestured for him to follow her, walking infront of Applejack. "Do you see her?"

"Yes...?"

"Would you say she's more of a threat than the mare you were asked to bring to me?"

"Well... I guess?"

"So, you're telling me you disobeyed a direct order from your commander for no reason at all? Youve even admitted that Applejack is more of a threat, yet they managed to get her here unharmed"

"Yes ma'am..." He whimpered, his tough bravado fading. Pegasi and Equestrians alike weren't terrified of Dash for no reason "L-look I'm sorry, I-I didn't realise, the... I..."

"You are a disgrace. Not only did you disobey a direct order, you turn into a bumbling disgrace instead of standing proud. Kneel"

"Rainbow Dash... Please..." He muttered, stepping backwards, infront of the small group

Dash flicked her wrist, revealing her bloody blades and glaring at him.

He growled and pulled his sword from its sheath, glaring right back.

Dash chuckled and looked at the group, all of whom were watching intently and chuckling "Seriously? Very well. I need a warm up for what is to come"

"And what is to come?" He yelled "We both know you'll never kill the elements, you never could" He hissed.

Dash looked at the four mares standing in the cold, before turning back to the stallion "There are no elements of harmony anymore, not that you would know! Once Twilight is dead and gone I can finally take my rightful place again as ruler of Equestria!" She grinned

The stallion chuckled "Aren't you forgetting someone? Spitfire may have different ideas"

"Spitfire doesn't need Equestria. She has the sky" She yelled, thrusting forwards with her blades, taking the stallion by surprise. He had just enough time to throw himself to the side, landing on his back hard. Dash was quick, showing her experience, on him in an instant and driving her knife into his hoof, the stallion crying out and dropping his sword.

She grinned down into his face, running her knife up his leg, still buried deep into his flesh, ignoring his screams "I have soooo missed this...." She muttered, before driving her second dagger into his eye and out the other side.

The elements gasped, all but AJ turning away from the sight as Dash stood, wiping some blood from her face "Anyone else got any problems? Thought not" she muttered.

Blazing spoke up "Uh... About Spitfire?"

Dash rolled her eyes and turned to face her "Listen, Blazing. It's fine. Spitfire and I understand each other, and I'm sure we can agree on something"

"Calm down Blazing, Dash isn't a traitor. Far from it, she know what would happen" Iron nudged Dash and chuckled "What's the plan boss?"

"You" She pointed to a guard "Send word to Canterlot that the Elements of Harmony are in danger" Dash chucked and followed the group inside.

Hours passed as Dash patiently waited, every so often gazing over at her four friends, who had huddled together, before gritting her teeth and walking over, placing a couple of bottles of water next to them, as well as a couple of blankets "Here. Keep warm..." She muttered.

The small contingent of Pegasi watched as she did so, a few murmurs going around.

"W-what are you doing Dashie..." Shy asked quietly, wrapping a blanket around herself "Are you... going to hurt us?" She was sitting tightly into Applejack, who had a hoof around her shoulder in a protective hug.

Dash shook her head "No, I'm not. I'm just doing what has to be done"

AJ scoffed "Taking an innocent village? Theres nothing here for you to take, Dash"

"I'm not here to take the town. Far from it, I'm afraid. Ponyville is nothing anymore. Look at it. Why the fuck would I want this?"

"Then you're here for us?"

"Wrong again" She gestured to a guard "Find me a drink... A proper one" She sighed, turning back to the four "You see, Twilight has... how do I put this..." She leaned back "Twilight... Needs to..."

Iron brought Dash a decanter of whiskey and a few glasses, rolling her eyes "Twilight is too powerful for us to be bothered to deal with and needs to be removed from the picture" She huffed "And I'm not your fucking waiter"

"Exactly" Dash nodded "well put" Before Iron could walk away however, Dash yanked her closer "Isn't that why you're here? To serve me?"

The four gasped, Applejack standing and tackling Dash to the ground, connecting a hoof with the end of her muzzle before she was dragged off "Fight me Dash, mare on mare. I'll kill you before you can think about touching Twilight"

Dash sighed and sat up, picking up the decanter and taking a large gulp "Ouch..." She looked across at Aj, who was being held down by three Pegasi, struggling to keep the thrashing mare down "Oh Applejack. I would love to oblige, but I have bigger fish to catch" She stepped closer and looked down at Applejack, no longer thrashing "Let her up, be careful, please. She's dangerous" Dash poured a drink into a glass and held it out "When you last saw me I believe I promised you a drink"

Aj stood and looked at the glass "I never wanted it. You should've hung like the criminal you are" She spat at Dash.

She smiled, wiping the spit away and chuckling "AJ, I really don't want to have to kill you. But I will if I need to"

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity yelled "Think about what you're doing! She is your friend!"

"Go away" Dash hissed to the guards "All of you" She sounded harsh, the guards swiftly leaving the five to it. "You all left me to die, only Applejack visited me and that was to rub it in"

"What could we have done, Rainbow?" Rarity stood "Break you out?"

"This has gone too far already" AJ grumbled "Twilight tried to give you a second chance, we all did, but all you did was betray us all!"

"I am a pegasus, second in command at that! I can't just abandon the thing I worked so hard to build" She grumbled "Twilight will come and only one of us will survive. Either I win and Canterlot falls, or Twilight wins and the Pegasi crumble... That's the stakes"

It was Fluttershy's turn to try and convince her friend "Y-you were there at the fall of Cloudsdale, right?" She whimpered, slowly walking closer "This is our Cloudsdale... What you felt... We're feeling... Please Dashie" She was right next to Dash now.

"Don't Fluttershy" She gulped "Go home, please, stay safe"

"Not without you..."

"You don't understand! None of you do! If I stay here I'll be hung again, and if I betray the Pegasi there won't be anywhere for me to go where I'm not hated"

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak but Dash silenced her "The four of you stay here and stay silent. I'm busy" She growled.

Blazing appeared out of the sky, panting hard as she crash landed infront of Dash "Ma'am s-she's here... The others... Couldn't stop her..."

Dash took a deep breath and helped Blazing to her hooves "Get out of here. Get word to Spitfire" She muttered, before grinning and pulling her into a tight embrace "See you soon" She muttered.

Blazing hugged back and took a long look into her eyes "Let me help you..."

"This isn't your fight. Take Iron and go"

"I-Irons dead... She's too strong for you, Dash, please"

Dash gulped and shook her head, chuckling "I told Aunty Spitty I'd look after you, remember?" She blinked long and hard to stifle tears "Now show me that flank one more time as you fly away" She grinned.

Blazing chucked and nodded, saluting "Ma'am" Before flying quickly away.

Dash took a deep breath, stepping into the middle of the square, glancing back at the Elements momentarily, a shudder going down her spine, looking across the other end of the square and gulping "Hello Twilight"

Author's Note

Thank you for reading!