The Dawn Protocol

Twilight held her face in her hooves as she sighed in deep exhaustion. It had been 3 months since the alleged assassination of Princess Celestia, and all was not going well.

The massive dark oak doors to the office opened.

"Twilight? Bad news."

Twilight looked up and stared at her head of Intelligence. "The LM at it again?" She asked plaintively, there was no need for common courtesy, especially during times like these.

"Protests and riots in Griffon Kingdom. They're backing away from this as fast as they can." Replied Rarity, her beautifully spiraled mane was haggard and spread in all directions, frayed with obvious stress.

"Not even 3 months and she's at it again." Replied Twilight smacking her head lightly against the table. Running a nation had taken a tole on the once vibrant mare. Then again, that was the price to pay. That was the price they all paid.

"That's not it. The Zealots are kicking the shit up as well. They're going wild over the footage leaked to the media. And I've got to say. I don't blame them. Hell the whole countries gone to shit Twilight." Replied Rarity, her prudent and graceful ways had been thrown right out the window as soon as this case broke. It was one of the traits Twilight most admired about her. While most of her friends would shrink in the face of danger, Rarity would be willing to take it head on.

"Frankly I don't see how this could get any better. The LM is gaining steam, and fast. More and more ponies are becoming increasingly wary of the damn Zealots, that's pushing them into the LM's hooves. And The LM is discrediting and slandering our armed forces. Saying they're moving too slow. And their right, Trottingham, Fillydelphia, and Prance have been hit hard in the last couple weeks."

Rarity took a seat opposite of Twilight.

"And that's making the masses more careful and less trusting, ergo, they're heading over to 'the dark side'." Said Rarity with a snarky and tired tone. 'The dark side' was an affectionate nickname coined by Rarity after Luna's dark symbolism.

Twilight whipped a hoof down her face as she sighed heavily. Rarity was right. With less and less ponies backing the now failing Sun Monarch backed state, open bloodshed in the streets and the rioting prompted by the violence played out in a never ending loop.

"What do you suggest doing about it? You know that if we go after the LM it's just going to retaliate. We have no hard evidence linking them to crimes. Most of the madness happening on the ground is due to murders and homicides. And because of those individual acts, the LM takes to the streets."

Rarity had stood up and was now pacing.

"The bullshit thing is we can't nail the Zealots who i'm pretty sure are committing these acts, they move around too much and we haven't heard anything from the teams we sent undercover. They've gone dark Twilight." Rarity was scowling fiercely.

"If we try and move against either side, one is going to slaughter us. That plus parliament is motioning for direct armed forces intervention." She growled fiercely. "I swear Fluttershy better reign in those pampered old crows before this becomes too messy." She sighed.

Twilight closed her eyes and rocked gently for a minute or two. Internally debating which options were available.

"What you do suggest." She asked calmly and quietly.

She heard Rarity stop pacing.

"We need a task force. Something small, something covert. And something deniable. We need ex-soldiers." She stated grimly.

Twilight stopped rocking for a moment.

"And what if this broke? There are only 4 agents which have ever been kicked out of the armed forces. All for different counts ranging from extreme mental illness verging on psychopathic, to friendly fire. These are the literal screwballs and nutjobs Rarity. And your asking me to task them with something of National Importance?" She stated the last part with extreme emphasis.

"Twilight, our forces are frozen. Our overseas assets are dwindling FAST. Any and all action taken by the state is liable to cause some sort of mayhem and havoc. Twilight. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Rarity slammed her hooves on the mahogany desk. Twilight didn't flinch, but instead met Rarity's gaze evenly.

"Who do you suggest?" She asked. Rarity smiled wryly as she levitated over 4 dossiers.

Twilight inhaled deeply as she took the first one.

"Name. Scootaloo."

"BIG BIRD WE ARE HAMMERED SHIT IF WE DO NOT GET SOME TYPE OF SUPPORT!" Gunfire roaring overhead, ears ringing from cannon volleys and the screech of Fighters.

"Hold steady red 1. Help is on the way. E.T.A 10 minutes."

The moans of wounded brothers and sisters. Frustration.

"WE DON'T FUCKING HAVE 10 MINUTES. IF WE DON'T GET HELP ASAP WE ARE FUCKED, FUCKED SIDEWAYS WITH A RAKE DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!?" She screamed into the radio. There was static for a minute.

"Roger. Help is on the way."

Relief.

"ICBM!!!!!!!"

White.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Somewhere in New Mane City

Gasping for air, Scootaloo bolted straight up in her bed. "Fuck." She hissed whipping away sweat and eye sand. Making her way to the bathroom, she turned on the tap and stared at her reflection in the dingy mirror. After several minutes, she shook her head and splashed water onto her face from the pool of water sitting in the sink. Slowly, she made her way back to the bed and fetched her M1911. Striped it to it's basic constructs, cleaned out the firing chamber, magazine, checked the firing pin and hammer, whipped down each and every component, and finally reassembled and reloaded it.

With the satisfying sound of the bullets sliding into place, she turned her attention to her bedside stand. On it was a single note.

Name-Sigmund Miles.

Location-New Mane City Archives and Public Library, 45 and Fetlock Ave.

Mission- Elimination

She picked it up and went over to the kitchen, placing the note on the burner, she let it fry as she memorized the location. "Wetwork." She thought dimly throwing on a leather jacket to hide the weapon.

Had to pay the bills somehow.

====================================

Equestria Central Intelligence- interrogation room 1194. Location, unknown.

Kevlar stood rock solid by the titanium door. The only noise was the annoying hum of the fluorescent overhanging lamps. Even though his face showed professional calm. His insides were telling him to run. Behind the metal door, he head murmuring and the occasional agony wracked scream, and....chuckling.

"Wonder what he's doing back there." Asked his companion, Body Armor.

"I don't know, probably some fucked up shit is what." He replied grumbling. And in fact, he didn't' want to know.

The occasional smatter of spanish spat by the suspect, a Maresican Drug Lord captured in a raid.

"Seriously though, did they really have to call him in?" Asked the still curious azure stallion. Kevlar simply shook his steel grey mane.

"Well, this one's a tough nut I heard." He replied, his eyes never straying from the single spot on the wall.

Another scream.

".....Guess that's why they call him the barber from hell." Muttered Body Armor.

Suddenly, the door flew open and out walked the interrogator, calmly whipping his blood soaked apron and scissors.

"Snips sir." Replied Kevlar swiftly saluting him. Kevlar did the same and walked in the room.

"I must say, I haven't had the....pleasure of working on a pig before. That was most.....invigorating." He said, it the words sounded so wrong coming from the man but Kevlar said nothing.

"OH MY FAUST! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" Shouted Body Armor running back out, he was covered in blood from head to toe.

Snips calmly turned around. A cold, sadistic smile on his face.

"I made him squeal."

==========================================

Southeast Stalliongrad. Pулетка Bar.

Pipsqueak took a long drag on his cigar and blew into the dimly lit bar. All around him ponies chattered in Slavic languages. Currently however, he was posing as Michaelov. A Black Market Arms Broker. He was seated in a booth, surrounding him were some of Stalliongrad's worst. High level drug dealers, Gang Leaders, Para-military commanders wanted across Continents. This was a den of sharks if ever there was one.

Sitting at the nook of the booth, directly across from him. Was his prime target.

"Где оружие?"

[Where are the weapons?]

The man's name was Vladislav. Wanted for genocide, murder, money laundering, bribery, rape, tax and law evasion, and lollygagging.

Months of underground co-operation with the CRGO (Covert Royal Guard Ops.) The work was hard, but the payoff would be grande. About 5 grand and amnesty, both of which he needed bad.

"Дайте ему неделю работы он медленно Потому преследований из гос."

[Give it a week, work's been slow cuz of crackdown from the gov.]

Pipsqueak calmly took a sip of his red wine as the man across from him frowned sternly.

Vladislav clicked his tongue and reached for his vodka.

"Вы сделали то же самое обещание на прошлой неделе."

[You made the same promise last week.]

Pipsqueak knew he was playing with fire. Vladislav was most likely beginning to suspect him. And Pipsqueak had seen and heard first hoof what this man did to ponies he suspected.

"Ну на прошлой неделе у нас не было этого сообщения"

[Well last week we didn't have that message]

Vladislav grunted acknowledgment as he lazily took a drag on his vodka. Outside Pipsqueak held his disguise, inside he sighed with relief.

And then Vladislav looked him dead in the eye, his were ablaze with anger.

"Ну сделка сделка"

[Well a deal was a deal]

Pipsqueak knew what as coming. Time slowed as Vladislav tried pulling his Makarov from a shoulder holster. Pipsqueak merely sighed and shook his head lightly. "When will they ever learn?" He asked internally as he reacted with lightning speed, firing his Browning Hi-powered from underneath the table, it was angled so the bullet would have a straight shot to the man sitting opposite should he chose to stand.

As soon as he did, the bar exploded. Half of the ponies sitting around the booth began pulling out guns, the other half began desperately scrambling out of their chairs.

"YOU! WHO ARE YOU?!?" Screamed one as he pretty much scaled the side of the booth. Pipsqueak merely sighed as he pulled a flashbang from his coat pocket while simultaneously flipping the table.

"The finest officer to ever be dismissed from her royal service!" He shouted, and everything went white.

==============================================

Somewhere in the Ponynam jungle

"YEAH! GET SOME!" Dinky shouted as the roar of machine gun fire blasted the serene quiet to shreds.

"Hooves! Get back into cover!" Her commander shouted from her mic. Dinky merely ignored him as she continued to light up the gook settlement with her M60.

Her company was currently fulfilling a contract for the Poniese government and eliminating a batch of bandits who had been crossing the border into Zebracon and Muleland. Stealing, maiming, killing, and taking for ransom as well as a whole host of drug work and bookkeeping ops.

Time these suckers payed. Moving from tree to tree, she closed the gap between the now thinning forest, and the hard compact red earth that marked the village border. From the small grass and mud houses, the bandits fired back, the roar of small arms and  machine gun fire ripped through the ground and bushes where her team was currently taking cover.

"Dammit Whooves! Alright! Since Dinks has now so utterly FUBAR'd our operation, GIVE EM HELL!" Shouted the commander from her radio, she had to smile as a roar raised up from the jungle. Instantly hundreds of paramilitary stormed up from the jungle and bum rushed the settlement, probably causing the Bandits to shit bricks.

With the team at her back, she raced across the open ground, directly headrushing the firing bandits. Using her magic to create a shield, she pushed on, smashing through the wooden wall of a hut where 3 of the enemy were hiding. Almost without effort she riddled the first one with bullets, drew a throwing knife and nailed the second one between the eyes, and smacked the 3rd one so hard his skull indented, instantly killing the brain.

With those three dead, she turned her attention to the rest of the village which had gone dark for some odd reason.

And then she heard it.

The telltale whirring of rotor blades.

"SHIT! APACHE!" Someone shouted from outside.

  She dove out of the house seconds before rockets ripped it apart.

"NO SHIT SHERLOCK!" She shouted back, the ground around her being pelted with rockets, mortars, and bullets.

"Ohohoho fuck. This day just keeps getting better and better."

=================================================

Twilight slowly closed the last portfolio as she also closed her eyes.

"So what do you think?" Asked Rarity, hope in her voice.

"I think Equestria's fucked."