Oh fuck, oh fuck fuck fuck! I thought, jumping out of bed and grabbing my rifle. I ran down the stairs of the hotel I used as a command center, Jack was already down,

“How far away and how many?” I said, entering the room with our officers,

“Seven, approaching from sept o’ clock. We’re luck that we detected them coming from behind La Masse. We received a radio transmission from a team hunting there. Will be in range soon,” Anne said,

“Get the snipers ready,” I commanded.

“Boss,” Heinrich said,

“What?” I snapped,

“Well, if ze snipers cannot get them all, we will expose ourselves to ze enemies. We won't be safe,” Heinrich stated,

“Shit, you’re right.” I realised, “Well, we have to hope we get them all,”

“You are crazy, crazy man,” Heinrich said, “ze ponies have ze Potion, ve will be destroyed,”

“Faith,” I said to Heinrich, “it's more powerful then you think, and I have faith that our snipers can do it,”

I was also a Christian, yes I know it's odd, “where is God now?” An atheist would question. I just hope that what goes on is all in God’s plan for us, and even if people die, something will happen to make it seem respectful to them in the end.

“Aim,” Anne said into the radio to the snipers.

The pegasi came into view,

“Fire!” She said,

Seven shots rang out, five ponies fell out of the sky, blood dripping from their wounds. One was hit in the leg, a not  fatal area but was knocked out of the sky, body smashing on the rocks below it. The last pony was missed completely, the shot flying way off target.

It looked horrified, it had a rainbow mane and tail and light blue fur,

“Rainbow Dash,” I uttered,

“Sheiße,” Heinrich said,

“Bullocks,” Jack echoed.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, we could see because we’d rigged up the security footage but had the cameras pointing and a 360 degree view of the command center, a hotel called L’ours Noir. Our hotel. She sped off, a shot erupting behind her and hit her leg, but she was stronger then the other one that was hit there, she stayed in flight, slowing down but now out of range.

“Goddamnit!” One of the other officers in the room yelled out and slammed his fist onto the table.

I had to agree with him. The security of the base was definitely compromised, or Rainbow Dash would bleed out before she got back to America. Not likely.

It's time, I had to talk it through with all the people who live here. I needed to show my face for the first time in a long time.

“Heinrich, Jack, come with me. Anne, sound the megaphones with the meeting tone, we need to warn everyone,” I commanded.

The megaphones rang out a series of short blasts, signifying a meeting would be taking place now. One for everyone to attend.

It's time they saw their commander again.

,.,.,

LYRA HEARTSTRINGS POV

,.,.,

More proof, definite proof this time.

“I believe you now,” Shockwave stated as he heard the news.

What was the news?

Squads of pegasi went to search everywhere for humans. A group that was sent to scan over the Alps was massacred, Rainbow Dash being the only survivor with a wound to her right foreleg. She would never be able to use it again.

A bullet wound.

She claims her squad was shot down before she had time to notice anything, before she knew it, she was the last survivor and tried to fly off, but copped a bullet to the leg as she did.

Celestia has responded by say thing that the humans up there had crossed a line by maiming an element of harmony and she would send 5 Potion squads to deal with them, each squad containing 6 ponies, so 30 total.

If there are only a small amount of humans, they’ll be ponified without much trouble, however if it's a large group, it's the ponies who are in trouble. With human weapons and numbers they should be able to destroy the ponies with ease, but that will only make Celestia send a bigger squadron, or army against them. Then, they'd be wiped out for sure. There’s no way they could hold out of the HLF couldn't, and they had huge numbers, in the 100,000s.

The HLF made their last stand at the Washington DC Bureau. It's now known as the Bureau massacre. It was originally meant to be a small assault of a few humans to infiltrate the Bureau and blow it up. The humans got in but were caught, then the HLF made a daring rescue for them, blowing a hole in the side of the Bureau and freeing all the humans inside. It looked like to operation was successful, but then pony reinforcements came.

One by one the humans were ponified and took up the enemy ranks. At the start the odds were in their favour, for every 10 ponies killed 1 human was ponified, but when the reinforcements came it slipped to for every 5 ponies killed 3 humans were ponified, and when eventually Celestia showed up and used her Sun’s Flames, the ratio was too low to imagine, hence the name ‘The Bureau Massacre.’

The Potion has a strange affect on those who are hit by it. It sends an initial wave of mind strain, which if unprepared, is what turns you into the mindless zombie. If you keep your mental blocks up then the Potion will, once converted you body, subtly influence your mind with pony thoughts and instincts, which increase over time as you do your things as a pony until you are a fully blown, brainwashed but not brain dead, Celestia supporting pony.

We have to get to the humans first. We’re setting off immediately. We have to warn them of the danger coming their way. The danger of Celestia’s army.

,.,.,

PRINCESS CELESTIA POV

,.,.,

“WHAT?” I roared,

“It's undeniably a bullet wound,” the doctor said to me, “there must be humans still out there, in the Alps,”

“How?” I wondered, “how did they survive the weather and terrain?”

“It's not my area of expertise,” the doctor said, “but my guess is that they stay in abandoned hotels and chalets, lighting fires to keep warm and hunting mountain goats,”

“Make sure she is treated,” I said, “we can't afford to lose an Element of Harmony,”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the doctor obeyed.

Impossible. Why is it that every time I finally think I’ve won a new problem arises? I’ll keep this incident away from the public, they’re all celebrating the end of the war, the last thing they’ll want to hear is about another human resistance group, especially one that has harmed an Element.

I’ll send 5 Potion squads after them. There can't be that many, so 30 ponies should be enough to ponify them all. It won't turn into another Bureau Massacre incident, I’m sure, then again we won that battle so what would it matter anyway?

They will not survive with their humanity intact.

Next Chapter: Hubris? Estimated time remaining: 31 Minutes