Rainbow Dash woke to the cry of an alarm, the wailing ringing in her ears as it pierced the silence of the once peaceful morning. A dim red light flashed wildly in the corridor, Pegasi running back and forth before one barged his way into Dash's Cloudsdale bedroom, terror etched across his face "C-Commander Dash! Quickly, Griffons! Everywhere!" He shook wildly, throwing Dash's armour to her as she rose from her bed, groaning at her wounds. She knew she didn't have time to complain about lack of sleep, however, catching her armour pieces and, with the help of the stallion, kitted up and grabbed her hoof daggers.

"Ok Lieutenant, tell me whats going on?" She cantered alongside him down the Commanders quarters.

"Hundreds, thousands of Griffons on our doorstep... They just appeared out of nowhere! Everyones out there now fighting them off!"

"How can a thousand Griffons just sneak up on us...? Has the Captain given any orders?" She kicked a door clean off its hinges and trotted to the lobby of the Commanders area, the room empty.

"Noones seen him... Commander Spitfire is too busy up there" He gestured a hoof to the sky "Its a cluster fuck, Commnader, we need orders!"

She stamped her hoof impatiently on the ground "Fuck! Ok! Get EVERYONE out here now! Arm civilians if you have to, get the weaker ones to cover. There is no battle plan other than kill every single last Griffon cunt that comes within a ten mile radius of the city! GO!" She yelled, taking flight and getting stuck in.

The sky of the cloud city was filled with Griffons and Pegasi alike, the mass of beings almost blocking out the sky completely as they struggled for supremacy, winged beasts falling like flies as they were picked off, forming a mass of bodies filling the streets, where individual battles were being fought.

Dash scanned the sky, locking onto Spitfire and darting over, cutting through three Griffons approaching and surrounding the mare "Commander! Orders?! I gave them preliminary orders, but I don't have a plan" She cut through another half dozen Griffons, the two mars quite the team.

Spitfire was a little occupied to answer, taking on another four Griffons, easily dispatching of them however "Take a quadrant of the city and defend it, we have to keep them off the ground and away from any civilians"

Dash nodded, darting off and leaving Spitfire to herself. The mare herself was too quick to be pursued by any Griffons, methodically cutting through as many as she could on her way to a quadrant, landing and trotting through the street.

"Commander Dash!" A mare landed next to Dash, a perfect white coat "We've taken all of the civilians in the district and have them in the town hall. We don't have the wing power to defend them though!"

Dash gritted her teeth. She imagined the first day of being a Commander would be easy, not an invasion. "Ok. I'll come and personally help you out and take command. Commander Spitfire's orders are to do what it takes to not let the Griffons into the streets and on the ground, got it?" She trotted to the town hall, looking at the small group of Pegasi manning the door.

"Yes Commander" The white mare nodded, flying swiftly off.

Dash took a deep breath and marched into the hall to a bunch of murmurs "Listen up. We are Pegasi! Arm yourself with whatever you can, if you're fit enough to fight. Those of you who are not, stay here and take cover. I promise you, I will not let you get hurt-"

The door behind her burst open, five Griffons led by none other than Gilda strutting in, the blood of the Pegasi manning the door running down the steps to the hall and dripping off their blades. "Trust you to be quivering and hiding with the women and children, Dash"

She span and glared "Trust you to be the one to attack unarmed civilians" She hissed, eyeing the group. "I'm going to enjoy cutting that beak off, Gilda"

She chuckled and shook her head "Not if I take your wings first... Congratulations on the promotion by the way! Says something about Pegasi that they promote a mare after being beaten and captured" She nodded to two of the five, who stepped forwards with their scimitars drawn.

"Not infront of the foals, Gilda. Don't make me do this..." She flicked her hooves, exposing the blades.

"Kill her" Gilda ordered, the two Griffons trying to circle the mare.

Dash ran her tongue along her teeth, sighing. It was too easy for her, spinning into a rainbow tornado and extending her hooves, slashing the pair all over. They fell quickly into a pool of their own blood, twitching occasionally. "You're wasting my time"

The other two came forwards, both lunging at the same time. Yet again it was all too easy for Rainbow, dropping down onto her back and pushing her hooves up, the Griffons momentum dragging the blade from their chest to their stomach, falling to the ground in a heap as their organs spilled from their body. One wasn't lucky enough to die right away, the female screaming and desperately tying to put her organs back in, before Dash drove her blade through her skull.

"I expected better, honestly... You should have bought more guards, Gilda." She shook her head, it was her turn to take the offensive, stepping forwards closer and closer to her advisory.

Gilda stepped backwards slowly, drawing her own scimitar "Cloudsdale is going to fall, Dash. And we're not here to just take it, we're gunna tear it down until theres nothing left" She grinned "And theres nothing you can do... This battle is already lost for the Pegasi, and with it the war"

"But you wont be there to see it" She hissed, lunging with lightening speed, yelling.

Gilda easily parried, sending a shockwave down Dash's foreleg. Her daggers may be quick, but they weren't the greatest weapon against an opponent that was just as quick as her. Gilda grinned, lunging and swinging as Dash desperately tried to fend off the hits whilst back-pedalling. "Overconfidence was always your downfall, Dash. I said it to you in the camp, and I'm saying it again here!"

"And mediocrity is yours!" she yelled, suddenly ducking and throwing herself under Gilda, sliding over the tiled floor and slashing at her rear legs, appearing out behind her.

Gilda's legs gave way, but she was quick to respond, rolling onto her back and deflecting Dash's lunge, pulling the mare down by her mane and pinning her to the floor. She grinned, holding Dash spread eagle to the floor. "Oh, Dashie. Just like in flight camp... I win! Again!" She chuckled, digging her beak into the side of Dash's neck, pulling hard and tearing at the skin. "I'm not going to make this quick for you, either..." She muttered, pushing Dash's blades off of her hooves and taking one into her own claws, lowering it towards the mares heart.

Dash screamed out at the 'bite', blood beginning to ooze from the large, open wound on her neck. She squirmed beneath her old friend, raising her hooves to try to push the knife away as it came inches from her chest. Her hooves quivered, Gilda just stronger than her as the blade inched closer and closer.

"Nighty night, Rainbow Dash..." Gilda whispered "You've had your fun... But this is no place for a filly like yourself..." She smiled, her whispers spine tinglingly creepy.

Dash was terrified, this really seemed like this was finally the end. The blade made contact with her chest, beginning to dig in. She grit her teeth hard, trying one last push.

Gilda grinned, pushing harder as it broke the flesh "Long live the Griffons~"

Author's Note

Thanks for reading!