"Officer report. Friday, May 25th, 2029. Diary entry 6,235 in total, 3,300 since the start of WW6......maybe. I don't know. I can't even keep the numbers straight anymore! But anyway, I do know that this is my 1,973rd entry since the end of the Second Cold War. 2 1/2 years ago, back on December 28th, 2026, the Second Cold War ended, and the US declared war on the Futa Empire once again. 3 years before that, WW6 began.

*Sigh* With everything's that happened to me since I was 14, I need to take the time to reflect. Let's see. First there was the ‘Forgotten War’, then WW3, WW4, WW5, then WW6 began, and then about a year later stalemated into the Second Cold War. Then, on December 28th, 2026, we invaded, and took back St. Louis from those god-awful freaks. Those gosh-damned Futas. Chicks with dicks. NO! Abominations straight from the depths of hell, that's what they are! Lab Rats of the 3rd World Order!

*Slight pause* Hmm, It feels like so long ago. First the crazy Matriarchal World Empire came to power, then the One Race Empire; both of whom were dealt with, but it took three world wars, and almost 4.5 billion lives to do it. Then, just as we were beginning to rebuild our shattered nation of America for the 3rd time, SHE came. General Stacy Rikker. The younger daughter of Empress Demetria, the Ruler of the Futa Empire. She declared that the world was her's and the Futas's, and that we had to submit to her rule. We refused, and WW6 began. In short, the war stalemated, and that led to the Second Cold War. Just prior to WW6, a large group of pussies.....er, um, 'pacifists', came to power, and they wanted the US to make peace with the Futas. It was shown time and time again just how HORRIBLE of an idea this was, but they didn't listen, even when those who sounded the alarms were proven RIGHT by the Futas's HORRENDOUS actions!

Luckily for all of us though, the pacifists were removed from power, and replaced by a REAL government that served the best interests of the US as a whole. Under the leadership of John Dillinger, the 63rd President, our nation made it very clear that ANY further Futa aggression would not be tolerated. For those of us trapped behind the lines though, we knew that we would have to do our part to get back to the US, and prepare for war. I mean sure, we DID lose everything from Las Angeles to the Mississippi River, not to mention Alaska and Hawaii, with everything East of the Mississippi still being the US, but if those 'pacifists' had had their way, it would have been SO MUCH worse! I mean yes, it WAS bad, but then there came a HUGE silver lining!

Heh. Those were the fun days. Under the direction of Jeff Coleson, and his right hand, Don Curry, 6 of us built guns in our hidden bunker under the ranch we all worked on under our Futa mistress, Samantha Applegate, in Kansas. Guns. 16in. Guns, AA guns, machine guns, anti-tank guns, phalanx cannons, guns of all kinds. Even 4 big railguns! Eventually, we were found by Jim Bender, the unofficial leader of the brand new RWD (Railway Warfare Division) in Futa-occupied territory, based in the old Union Pacific Roundhouse in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and his team of railroad crew. They helped us put all of our weapons onto train cars, and in just 2 nights, we smuggled everything first to Canada, and then to New York. To make an extremely long story short, we took the weapons, train cars, the Big Boy engine that the RWD gave us, and 216 crew members, and turned them all into the deadliest weapon imaginable; The Battleship Express!

The Battleship Express, now the deadliest weapon in the US Arsenal! From St. Louis, to Jefferson City, Kansas City, Des Moines, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Omaha, The Black Hills, Bismark, Denver, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Boise, Salt Lake City, all the way to where we currently sit in northern Nevada, heading towards Las Vegas. You name it, we were most likely there, and kicking some SERIOUS Futa ass! As of currently, Battalion 4009 (us), has claimed an estimated 950,000 Futa dog-tags! That's a US military record. After us comes the Marine Unit Sand Dust, with an estimated 400,000 dog tags.

We're the best in the business. We have the best weapons, the best train, the most competent leadership.....except poor Coleson. God bless Jeff Coleson. May he rest in peace. Anyway, command was passed to now-Major Don Curry, and Chief Engineer Jim Bender. I've seen almost everything by now. Hopefully we'll be partying in Vegas by the end of next month. When their capital falls, those bastards will have very few places left to run. We'll drive them to the Pacific, and then into it! We’ll never surrender until their filth has been wiped from the face of the Earth! May God continue to be with us in this fight as we continue to retake our homeland. This is Captain Leopard, 2nd Engineer, out."

Once I'd finished my audio diary entry, I put the recorder into the pocket of my faded blue jacket. The jacket was burnt, and had a few holes in it, but the faded white logo still read "Pizza Ranch", the old restaurant where I'd been employed what felt like decades ago. Maybe it was. Time was hard to keep track of.

"2016. That's when all of this started. That's when the ‘Forgotten War’ began. 2 years after that, WW3. Then WW4, WW5, the first half of WW6, the Second Cold War, and then another 2 1/2 years of WW6 so far. According to the war logs, that's a grand total of 27 years! But yet I'm only 24, and I've been fighting since I was 14 years old back in 2018. It's not possible, but with everything that's happened, nothing really seems to be beyond possibility; not even breaking the Laws of Physics, Time, and Space."

I sighed a bit, and pulled my knees a bit tighter underneath myself, before resting my head on them, and sighing again. I continued to watch the Nevada sunset for a little while longer, before I got up from where I was sitting, which was the roof of our venerable work caboose, walked over to the ladder, and climbed down to the ground. Once I was there, I checked my watch as I stood next to the train. 7:30pm. I was due back at the engine very soon. I sighed, and then began to make my way up there, walking beside the train. I had a long way to walk.

"32 cars. That's what it took to make up the bulk of this beast."

After passing the work caboose, which had been modified to have missile launchers, I then passed a generator car, an observation car used as a command post, and Tertiary Command Center (TCC), a car that was used to house our helicopter gunship, a car for spare parts, a drone command center car, a car for ammunition for both the gunship and the drones, several coaches used as quarters for the officers, the officer's mess car, a fully equipped medical coach, more weapons cars, the car that housed the second of our two sets of railguns, more cars for ammunition, more crew cars and dining cars, flatbeds for two of our 16in. gun turrets, another ammunition car, the car for the storage of our 20 modernized W50 nuclear shells, (which could be fired by either the railguns, or the 16in. guns, were probably some of the last nuclear weapons on Earth, and were NOT to be used under ANY circumstances!) another generator car, (we had several of these) more ammunition cars, the car that contained the Primary Command Center (PCC), the car with the first of the two sets of railguns, a flatbed for our other 2 16in. gun turrets, the cars for some of the engine's crew, a dining car for the engine crew, a supply car which had generators, a special crew car for the engine crew, which included the Secondary Command Center (SCC), (and it was taken over by the crew living next to it, including myself!) two hopper cars that carried 200 tons of extra coal each for the engine, an extra-large 100,000 gallon tanker car full of extra water for the engine, and a number of other supply cars thrown in along the way as well, including several that held tractors, loaders, excavators and bulldozers from 2 long-defunct companies called "CAT", and "John Deere" before I finally completed my trip, passing all 32 cars of our beloved train.

"Such a long trip", I muttered. "You could start as a fat man at the back of the train, and by the time you got to the engine, you'd be the fittest person alive!"

I then moved my tail a bit in thought. (Yes, I have a tail. A long, gray wolf tail. I also have wolf legs, and paws for feet, two wolf ears on the top of my head, wolf-like teeth, much larger, deep blue eyes that can see in almost total darkness, and even some patches of black fur! Only patches though, hence my nickname, "Leopard". In fact, most of the others in the world now have similar animal-like features. Let's just say that multiple world wars, plus massive amounts of chemicals and radiation can do weird things to Human genetics. So can unethical medical experiments, but let's not talk about that!)

By this point, I finally reached the engine. I had to take a moment to admire its beauty.

"Union Pacific Big Boy 4009. There never was an engine like Big Boy. Even today, our beloved 4009 is something to be admired. I mean heck, 4-8-8-4 wheel configuration, 136 feet end to end, 1,200,000lbs. empty, 60in. wheels, a top speed of 80mph, capable of pulling a 5 mile-long train on flat ground, and a tender that holds 25 tons of coal, and 25,000 gallons of water, what's not to love? I mean, now that we've given it some modifications, and it pulls the Battleship Express, the Futas have started calling it 'Death's Train', or the 'Express from Hell', but it's still lovable, right?"

I walked past the massive tender. It had been enlarged to hold more coal and water, and the sides used to read "Union Pacific", but now they read,

"Union Pacific?
Nope!
United Panic!"

Humorous, and effective, though this little joke would be removed during the train’s next shakedown.

The engine's front cowcatcher had been removed, and replaced with one of solid titanium. It's edges were now sharpened enough to slice through steel like it was flesh, and multiple metal spikes were welded to it as well. Got something blocking the tracks? No problem! Just plow through it, or over it! Also on the front of the engine, on the platform just above the cowcatcher, just behind the headlight and the number plate, and in front of the front of the boiler, sat a modified pillbox. With 4 machine guns, and a crew of 2-3, it protected the front of the train, but was a severe health risk. It was supposed to have been removed ages ago and replaced with a phalanx cannon, but we never got around to it. The glass in the window frames of the cab were removed, and replaced with bullet-proof glass, and on the cab roof was an AA gun, and two machine guns. Also located along the sides of the boiler were two forward-facing 8in artillery guns. The metal of the boiler had also been better modified to serve as armor.

"When we said 'armed to the teeth, and ready to go at all times', we weren't fooling around!"

I then grabbed the base of the ladder, and climbed up into the cab.

"Hey Leopard."

"Evening, Captain."

"Hello Cap."

I looked at them. Second Fireman Alex Barkley, Second Brakemen Todd Davis, and Engine Guardsman Fred Wilkins. (An Engine Guardsmen's job is to protect the locomotive, and the crew inside).

"Hey guys. Anything new?"

Alex shrugged. "Not really. We were just cooking a few things in the Fireplace. Want anything?"

I chuckled a bit. Whenever the train was sitting, but the fire in the firebox was burning, we jokingly said that the engine was in "Fireplace Mode." It was also during this time that we could cook food in the cab if we so desired.

"What are you cooking?"

"I'm making a hot dog, Todd wanted a burger, and Fred wanted a hot dog too."

"Hmm, well, I'll take a burger if you have any extras."

Alex nodded. "Sure." He then pulled his cooking shovel out of the firebox, and put another burger on it before sticking it back inside.

"Thanks Alex."

"No problem Leopard."

I looked around the cab, but I noticed that someone was missing. "Hey, where's Andy?"

Fred looked at me. "Oh, he went to the bathroom. He'll be right back." (Andy Shepherd was the other Engine Guardsman for the Secondary Crew).

I nodded. I thought back to Christmas Day, 2026, where from Platform 1 of Grand Central Station in New York, our train pulled out for the first time, heading towards our first battle. "We were so unprepared back then", I thought. "If only we knew what lay ahead."

Eventually, the food was done, and we all ate our firebox-cooked dinner with some chips and soda.

"Hmm, so nice. And just think, we're already in Nevada. By the end of next month, we could have the Futas in only California, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii!" (Washington State had already been liberated).

Todd looked worried. "Yeah, that's the plan, but what if something goes wrong?"

Alex looked at him. "I think that you worry too much Todd.”

“There always is the possibility of something going wrong Alex”, I warned. “Not a very high one, but a chance nevertheless."

We all continued to eat our dinner as we discussed this matter further.

Meanwhile, in a certain location in the vastness of the Multiverse, all was not well. Equestria was at war, and had been for the past 3 years. From the Southeast, the Zebra Empire, led by Overlord Zakia, marched forwards. From the Southwest, the Caribou Empire, under King Danin also brought their guns to bear on Equestria. For some time, the two leaders had been fighting each other, but eventually they realized that they shared the same goals. Eventually, an alliance was brokered between the two nations, the Imperial Alliance, and they both declared war on Equestria.

Equestria was not ready for war, but was able to mobilize quickly. Troops were sent to the south, and major cities underwent heavy fortifications. The fighting was horrific. In the entire history of these 3 nations, there had never been fighting like this. The war had stalemated into trench-style warfare, with trenches stretching from Las Pegasus, to Appaloosa, and all the way to Baltimare. Other minor attacks had been conducted on even far away places like Canterlot, Ponyville, Manehattan, and even the Crystal Empire. The Equestrian soldiers held on, but were slowly losing ground. Their enemies had new weapons to fight with, the worst of which was a gas. From time to time from the enemy trenches, a cloud of what appeared to be blue smoke would appear. Affects to the gas were reportedly violent behavior towards females, wanting to dominate, wanting to be dominated, and even wanting to commit suicide. Effective gas masks were developed, but the situation looked very grim.

In Canterlot, Princess Celestia had summoned Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony for an emergency meeting. When they arrived, they found Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and Prince (now General) Shining Armor.

"How goes the war General?" Celestia asked.

Shining Armor shook his head. "God-awful. All day and night the enemy just keeps trying to break through our lines. They keep launching that.........gas, at us! We're losing more and more soldiers all of the time. We need help Princess!"

Celestia sighed. "I've tried to reach out to the Griffons, Minotaurs , Saddle Arabians, and even the Dragons, but nopony wants to help. Worse still, we've received reports that soldiers from these nations have deserted, and joined forces with the enemy!"

The Mane 6 gasped.

"What? Sided with King Danin and Overlord Zakia?!" Twilight was shocked. "Why would they do this?"

"We do not know", Princess Luna answered. "However, we do believe that it is because these soldiers saw a better future with the Imperial Alliance."

"What can we do to help Princess?"

Celestia looked at her faithful student. "You and all of your friends must keep helping the home-front. We have to keep the troops supplied and armed. They need clothing, food, blankets, gunpowder, ammunition, and other vital supplies."

Twilight turned to her friends. "So, who wants to be in charge of what?"

"Well, I can help with the clothing, Darling."

"Ah can help with the food production Sugarcube."

"Um, I can help with maybe training some of my animals to act as army scouts."

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!!!! I can help create some super happy posters to keep up morale!"

"I'm helping the Wonderbolts with the aerial war, so I'm helping out there."

"And I guess that I'll be the main coordinator of everything."

Celestia nodded. "That will all work out nicely. Now go out there and help us make a difference in this war!"

After the Mane 6 had left, Celestia turned to her sister, niece, and son-in-law. "We, have got to find allies! We CANNOT win this war without allies!"

Shining Armor put a hand over his face. "Yes, but how Princess?! We've tried all of the other nations. They either want to remain neutral, or are part of the problem!"

"I know General, but still, there has to be some way! There must be a way that we can win this war!"

Luna sighed. "We know, Dear Sister, and maybe there is, but for now, we HAVE to keep fighting! We fight, and we show those bastards, (excuse my language!) that we're not afraid of them!"

The four of them continued to discuss and debate the issue at hand, completely unaware of what events were soon to transpire.

Author's Note

Ok people, hold on to your seats! Grab your tickets, because the Battleship Express has left the station, and it's guns will soon be blazing! All aboard, a Weapon of Mass Destruction that haunts and stalks its enemies by the rails! ALL ABOARD!!!!!

(Also, this first chapter was long, because I had to describe everything, and to put certain things into perspective. More will be elaborated on later, but this is enough (or too much!) detail for now.)

(You may also be asking yourself, why did I use Fall of Equestria, and Zebra Domination? For one simple reason; I'm sick and tired of seeing the Caribou and Zebras getting away with their crimes! I've read a few good stories of Caribou falling, but not one good ending to a Zebra Dom story! Well, this story will change all of that. Better check you 6's Caribou and Zebra, cuz the Hammer of Justice is coming!)

(Also, to set the perspective of Equestria. In this Alternate Universe, the Ponies and other sentient creatures are all Anthros. Technology has advanced to long-range radios, gas masks, telephones, advanced breech-loading guns, and artillery cannons. There is also electric lighting, hydroelectric power, early steamships, vacuum cleaners, and other such aspects from the mid 1940's, or so. More will be explained as the story goes along, but these are the basics for now.)

As always, comments, feedback, and questions are always appreciated, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!

ScarFox out for now!