After the fall of the Outland Railway Checkpoint Garrison, our next stops were taking out Badlands Central, and Badlands Outer; two other garrisons. According to our Intel, these were of a somewhat stouter design than the checkpoint garrison, and had higher staff numbers. They were also not built directly on top of a railway line, but rather next to one. Both were staffed by close to 200 Zebras apiece, and had machine guns, and light to medium artillery. We knew that we were either going to have to take them out from a distance, or sneak up to them, slip inside, and then work our evil.

"So, what's the plan now Don?"

Don had to think about that one. Finally, he said, "Well, the way I see it, Badlands Outer might be our best target to hit first. It's more hidden in the shadows than Badlands Central, and should be easier to destroy with a surprise attack. Then, while the surprise attack is underway, the Battleship Express does battle with Badlands Central. They're still out of communications range, just like the last garrison, so they won't be able to call for any reinforcements. If we do this right, before Noon, the Badlands could all be ours!"

We all agreed to this, and we coordinated the two-pronged attack against the 2 garrisons. It was decided that Don would lead the Battleship Express and part of Big Boy Battalion against Badlands Central, while I led the rest of Big Boy Battalion against Badlands Outer.

Then, once we were all ready, we began to get into position.

Once again, the Zebras inside of these garrisons never knew what hit them. All of a sudden, the soldiers of Badlands Central suddenly heard a chugging sound close by.

"Huh? What's that?"

"I don't know, but it sounded like a train!"

"But that can't be, there aren't even any trains down here!"

"Eh, maybe it was just your imagination. Remember, we're at the bottom of the Badlands. Sometimes the rock walls surrounding us can cause sound to bounce around, thus giving the illusion of a train close by."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Plus, the noise stopped now. Maybe it was just my imagination."

Yeah, maybe it was, but then again, when was the last time someone's imagination KILLED somebody, or rather, a large group of somebodies? That was precisely what happened this time around. Suddenly, those manning the guns on top of BC were suddenly dropped with bloody holes in their heads thanks to snipers. Then, with a barrage of artillery, the Battleship Express opened up on the garrison! Unlike the first garrison, this one was somewhat stronger, but it was not built to handle a sustained barrage of modern American artillery.

"Augh, the walls, they're cracking!"

"We cannot sustain this! Somebody get on the radio, and tell them that we need help!"

A tech quickly got onto the radio. "CALLING ALL BASES IN THE AREA, MAYDAY, MAYDAY!!! THIS IS BADLANDS CENTRAL, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!!!! DOES ANYONE COPY?!?!?!"

However, just like the railroad checkpoint, they were simply out of range. A reply did come from Badlands Outer, but that reply was suddenly cut off.

"Sir, I cannot get any reply! The only response came from Badlands Outer, but then the connection dropped!"

"It's all because of the F@#KING atmospheric conditions this time of year! It's blocking our transmissions! We're on our own. Standby to defend the garrison!"

"YES SIR!!!"

They did so, but in the end, it was a complete waste. Once a hole in the wall had been blasted with artillery, the troops moved in. Led by Don, they quickly made their way to the hole in the garrison. Once they were inside, they went on a full killing spree.

"YEAH, HOW DO YOU LIKE GETTING KILLED?!?!"

The slaughter was brutal. Instead of guns, Don and his troops used axes, swords, flails, maces, war hammers, chainsaws, bats with spikes in them, spears, and other such melee weapons. Don carried a chainsaw, and was cutting down (pun intended!) Zebras right and left.

"Hey, what's black and white, and red all over?" He asked a Zebra.

"Um, A sunburned Zebra? A newspaper?"

"Nah!" Don laughed as he killed the Zebra, "A dead Zebra covered in his own blood!"

He continued his rampage.

"NO, PLEASE HAVE MERCY!!!!" A wounded Zebra screamed.

"There is no Mercy, don't you get that?" Don said coldly. "You all die. The most I can do for you is give you a quick death."

"Um, how quick?"

Don then pulled his Magnum, and shot the Zebra in the neck twice. "Is THAT quick enough for you?"

No response.

"Oh yeah, that's right, it's kinda hard for you to answer, cuz you're dead!" Don then laughed, and got back to work.

In short order, the whole entire garrison was cut down before any real alarms could be sounded. Once the garrison was cleared, explosive techs came in, flooded the garrison with flammable chemicals, and packed in explosives at strategic points. Then, Don flipped a match.

In a heart-stopping moment, Badlands Central became a ball of fire, before bursting at the seams, and then outright exploding into a mass of twisted debris.

"Yeah boys, that's the way it's done!"

They all continued to cheer as the garrison's rubble burned. Then, once the fires were out, they dismantled the rubble, and on the base's flagpole, they tore down the Zebras flag, and replaced it with the US Flag.

"There, now that's another garrison neutralized." Don looked over his handiwork. "Wow, that's a pretty great job. I wonder how Leopard and his troops are doing."

He didn't have to wait too long to find out.

My team's job was to hit Badlands Outer first, in order to keep possible reinforcements from reaching Badlands Central. We also knew that we had to knock out any radio equipment, just in case the base was in communications range. Keeping to the shadows of nearby boulders, we crept up as close as we could. Using binoculars, I did a scope of the base.

"By my count, we've got maybe 11 guys up top, some at machine guns, others with rifles. We need to take care of them first, so as not to tip off the rest of the base."

"Yeah, but how?"

I thought for a second. "Hmm, hey Aurora?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna snipe some bad guys?"

She smirked. "Heh, like you even have to ask Master!"

Aurora then activated her precision sniper-rifle, and after taking careful aim, first one Zebra dropped, then another, then another, and then another, then 7 more. "All enemies down Master! However, I'm also out of bullets for my sniper-rifle!"

I reached into a pouch on my hips. "Here, hold still." I then accessed her sniper-rifle, popped out the empty mag clip, and put in a full one. "Is that better?"

"Yes, thank you Master!"

"You're welcome Aurora. Now then, let's see about getting inside."

After searching the perimeter, I came to the conclusion that the quickest way inside would be to blast through a set of side doors that almost looked large enough to fit a car through.

"Ok, here's what we do. I need some demolition experts to get us through those two doors there. Next, we toss in a few flash bangs and smoke grenades, then we storm the place. Do you guys have all of that?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Good. Let's do it then!"

Silently, 3 explosives experts slipped up to the doors, and planted explosives at both the locking mechanisms, and the hinges. They then fell back to the boulders where the rest of us were waiting.

"Explosives set Sir."

"Ok, standby." I got the signal from everypony that they were ready. "NOW!!!"

The explosives were detonated, and the doors were blown inwards. Then, a series of smoke grenades, and flash-bangs were lobbed inside using launchers.

"NOW, CHARGE!!!!"

"FOR EQUESTRIA!!!!" We all cried as we stormed the base. Just as we did, I saw flames begin to rise from Badlands Central. "Hmm, looks like Don and Co. are having fun. Here's to hoping that they get the job done too!" I then focused again on the task at hand.

"I'm telling ya, this is the most boring facility in all of the Empire! Nothing EVER happens here!"

"Isn't that a good thing though? I mean, would you rather be stationed at a place where the Black Leviathan could show up?"

The Zebra thought about that. "Well, now that you mention it, yeah, I guess that this is better than dealing with that. But still, don't you wish for at least a little bit of action?"

His friend sighed. "Yeah, I guess so, but when will that ever happen?"

A lot sooner than he was thinking, I can guarantee you that! Moments after this conversation ended, Aurora began her sniping spree. The Zebras up top died so fast that none of them were even able to scream, much less raise any other kind of alarm.

Down below in the main garrison, a group of Zebras were on patrol close to the side doors. Suddenly, without any warning, the doors were suddenly blasted in!

"HOLY.......!!!!!! WHAT THE F@#K IS THAT?!?!?!"

Before anyone could answer though, a series of *pops!* were heard, followed by several metal devices getting lobbed inside.

"Um, what are these?" A soldier picked one up.

Suddenly, the device that the soldier was holding exploded into a violent burst of white light, blinding him. "AUGH!!!!"

Other devices blasted the base full of smoke. Then, through the smoke, wearing gas masks, and armed to the teeth, (Yes, you can actually fit a gas mask over a Kitsune mask! Who knew?) came a flood of soldiers.

"FAN OUT!!!! We have to clear this base!!!!"

"YES SIR!!!"

Then, the killing rampage began. Just like the other times, it was kill all, take no prisoners. My first stop was the radio room. After shooting a few Zebras, I kicked the door in. Just as I did, I heard from over the radio, "CALLING ALL BASES IN THE AREA, MAYDAY, MAYDAY!!! THIS IS BADLANDS CENTRAL, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!!!! DOES ANYONE COPY?!?!?!"

"Well, I guess that Don's attack is going well." I saw the tech in front of me grab his radio. "Oh no ya don't!" I then grabbed my infamous fire-ax, and brought it down on the back of the tech's head! Blood splattered everywhere. Once I managed to get my ax free, I then turned it on the radio equipment, and smashed it until it was completely useless.

"There, now no more communications can get through to Badlands Central. That's one objective down. Now then", I picked up my ax again, "Let's go clean house on the rest of this base, shall we?" I then left to continue killing.

After only about 5 minutes, we all had to evacuate BO. Due to a series of firefights, overhead pipes began to rupture. These pipes contained natural gas, which provided fuel for this base. Before we all knew it, we were surrounded by gas fumes!

"ALL HANDS, EVACUATE NOW!!!! THIS WHOLE PLACE IS FILLED WITH GAS FUMES!!!! ONE SMALL SPARK WILL KILL US ALL!!!"

Nopony had to be told twice. In fact, most had fallen back as soon as they had begun to smell gas.

The Zebras were shocked when they saw us suddenly retreat. "Wow! We've got them on the run!"

"Yeah, look at them go!"

Suddenly though, one of them frowned. "Hey, do any of you guys hear a hissing sound? It sounds like something might be leaking."

"No, but I do smell a strange smell. It smells like fumes."

Then it clicked. "FUMES!!! THIS WHOLE BASE JUST BECAME A TINDER BOX!!!"

"Will you please shut up? I'm trying to enjoy my victory cigarette." He put one in his mouth, and grabbed a match.

"OH MY GODS!!!!!! NOOO!!!! YOU IMBECILE!!!!"

All it took was one spark from that match. In an instant, the entire base became nothing more than a massive fireball. Debris went everywhere. All of us escaped from the base with only minor injuries, but for the estimated 150 Zebras still inside, not one of them lived to see the light of day again.

We were all in shock as the base exploded. "Wow, I forgot how beautiful fireballs were."

"Yeah, I know what you mean Leopard. They really are something else!"

I then radioed Don. "Hey Don, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here Leopard, what's going on?"

"Well, you'll be glad to hear that Badlands Outer is no more. We got inside, caused some havoc, although we did have to evacuate prematurely due to multiple gas leaks. Just after we all got out, the whole base exploded. No enemy survivors have been found. We also didn't lose anybody."

"That's really great news Leopard! We're all done over here at Badlands Central. The base is gone, no survivors, and I didn't lose anybody either. We'll come and pick you guys up."

"Roger that Don. And that's now 3 garrisons destroyed, and the Badlands secured. The enemy still has no idea that we're here, and that leaves us free to begin to conquer the rest of the Zebra Empire."

Don sighed. "Yeah, but not we'll have to be extremely careful. Once we're out of the Badlands, that puts us into communications range. Now, destroying the radios must be our number 1 priority, however, even that will be a problem, as a base that suddenly just falls silent will be seen as extremely suspicious."

"Yeah, so we'll have to take this one step at a time."

"Yeah, so just hold on, we're almost there to get you. Don out."

After we hung up the radio call, From around a bend came the Battleship Express. After we were all back on board, we went to the end of the Badlands, used a series of switches to turn around, and then we headed back the way we came. Eventually, Todd threw another switch, and once the train was out of the Badlands, we suddenly found ourselves at the edge of the Hayseed Swamps. Home to a few Zebra cities, including Zandia, and a number of small towns and villages. After coming to a slow stop, we all decided to come up with a plan of attack.

"We need to take out Zandia first. That's a huge military training base, supply center, and weapons manufacturing plant. It's also the second largest city in the Empire, after the capital, Zebrica."

I looked over the maps. "Yeah, but what's the plan of attack?"

Don pointed to spots around Zandia. "Well obviously, our first targets should be these small towns and villages. We hit them hard and fast. So fast that no time is given to raise any alarms. Then, we surround Zandia, hit it, and if we can get in, great. If not though, we pull back, and nuke the place!"

We all stared at Don in shock. "WHAT?!?!?! NUKE THE PLACE?!?!?! Are you crazy?!?!?!"

"A little bit, however, if an alarm is raised, they could kill Twilight and the other hostages. We have to wipe them out, by any means necessary!"

Jim thought about that. "Well, we do have the technology, but do we have the abilities to contain the fallout?"

"That's what I'm still trying to calculate. I think so, but even if we don't, I'd only be authorizing the launch of 1 shell, since one of those alone has a 5 megaton yield."

"Nevertheless, it's still a massive risk. I still vote that we don't use those shells unless there absolutely is no other option!"

Don nodded. "Yes, that will be taken into account Jim. I'm just as worried as you are about the fallout. However, we do what has to be done, so let's get cracking!"

We waited for night to fall. Then, leaving the train behind us, a small group slipped up to the first village we came to. By our counts, there were maybe 40 Zebras living there. It looked like a small farming community.

"Well, not for much longer." I muttered. After slipping out our knives and other sharp weapons, (we couldn't risk using guns yet, and we didn't have enough silencers to go around), we stuck to the shadows, slipped inside, and did our dirty work.

It was very bloody. Most of the village was sleeping, however, not all of them were. Some of them were making what appeared to be drugs. None of them ever really saw what hit them. Our methods were simple; sneak up, clamp a hand over the mouth, then slash a throat, stab through the neck, break a neck, or a combination of slashing and stabbing.

In short order, the village was cleared. "We're all clear here Don. Village neutralized!"

"Excellent! Now, move on to the others. Wait for further instructions after you've taken the last village."

"Roger that Don. And do we burn this village?"

"Negative Leopard, don't do that yet. Just douse everything in combustible materials, and repeat for all of the villages. When we reach the towns, my plan is to drop incendiaries on them, and then let the fires burn back to those villages. I mean, after all, drug manufacturing is a VERY dangerous business! You never know when something might, EXPLODE!!!"

I smirked, and then nodded. "Roger that Don, Leopard out."

Our killing spree continued. I even got a chance to use my ax a few times. All that was heard were bloody sounds, a faint *snap* as a neck was broken, the quiet gushing of blood, and the *thud* of a body hitting the ground. Those who did see us were unable to scream through our hands, or the blood that they were choking on.

As the night wore on, the number of Zebras in that area got smaller and smaller. Still, there was no alarms raised, and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary at all.

Eventually, we cleared out the last village. "Ok Don, we're all done here. All villages cleared, and all have been doused in the special combustible fuel. We're awaiting your orders."

"Ok, now we have to cause a little "accident" at the chemical factory in the town of Bania. An explosion there will trigger a chain reaction that will destroy not only that town, but also the villages, and even the other towns as well!"

I was stunned. "And how do you know that Don?"

"Because we did the research. All of those towns have an interconnected system of chemical filled pipes. The Bania plant is Ground Zero. An accident there would prove to be catastrophic!"

"Ok, so get to the Bania chemical plant, cause an 'accident', and then watch the fireworks. Then what?"

"Then clean up any remaining messes, and then we call it a night. We have to hide during the day, and plan out our attack on Zandia. I've already sent out a few teams into the other towns to cause chemical leaks. All you guys have to do now is get to the plant, start a fire, and then get the hell out of Dodge!"

"Roger that Don. I'll get back to you when the mission is complete. Leopard out."

"What did the Major say?"

I sighed. "He told us to hit the chemical plant in the town of Bania. An explosion there sets off a chain reaction that'll destroy the town, the other towns, as well as the villages we hit earlier. Don already sent out other teams to cause chemical leaks in the other towns, so now we just have to hit the plant, and trigger the chain reaction."

We all agreed, and once we were ready, with myself leading and all of us dressed in black, we slipped into the town. What we found when we did was rather odd. Even though the town did appear to have some form of electricity, almost all of it seemed to be going to feeding the chemical plant. Undetected, we slipped up to the plant, cut through the fence surrounding it, and after finding an air duct, while a few stayed behind to stand guard, the rest of us slipped inside.

What we found inside was shocking. All around us were vats of green, glowing chemicals. The air all around smelled foul, almost like sewage. Large machines worked tirelessly to churn the chemicals around, and move them around the plant. Here and there, we could also spot a Zebra worker moving around among the vats.

"What's the plan Leopard?"

"We have to find the factory's central core. Some kind of a furnace, or a reactor that powers everything. We hit that with explosives, the whole plant goes up, and we start the chain reaction."

We all agreed, and after we climbed out of the vent, we split into groups, and went looking for the factory's power source.

I checked my watch. The time read 3:30am. "Gosh, this really is going to be a long night." I muttered.

Here and there, we would break a pipe, or knock off a valve. What was about to happen had to look like a genuine accident, and from the looks of things, that may actually be easier than we previously thought. The entire factory looked like it should have been condemned ages ago. There were leaking pipes everywhere, support beams were rusty, walls were cracking, ceilings were falling down, and chemicals were spilling onto the floor.

"Yep, this place sure is an accident waiting to happen!" I muttered.

Suddenly, my radio came to life. "Captain, Captain, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here, did you find something?"

"Yes, I found the central core! It's a series of large furnaces, and by the looks of them, they look to be in pretty bad shape. Taking them out should prove to be really easy."

"Excellent work! All other units, fall back to the outside of the factory. We will take care of the central core, and then follow along shortly!"

"Yes Sir!"

I and my group then went down to where the furnace room was.

When we arrived, sure enough, there they were. Against the far wall was a series 6 of massive furnaces. All of them looked like they could possibly explode at any moment.

"Ok boys, you know the drill. Set the explosives, connect them to a remote detonator, then we get out of here!"

"Yes Sir!"

Then, while I and a few others stood guard, explosives were set on the furnaces. We did have to stop a few Zebras from raising the alarm, and we hid the evidence by throwing the bodies into the furnaces!

Finally, the job was done. "Ok Sir, the explosives are all set! Now we leave, these furnaces explode, and start the chain reaction!"

"Roger that, let's get out of here!"

We all quickly then retraced our steps, got back to the main level, got back into the vent, found ourselves back outside, then we fell back out of town to a safe spot.

"Ok, do we have everybody?"

Everyone sounded off.

"Ok, good." I then grabbed my radio. "Don, Don are you there?"

"Right here leopard. What's going on?"

"Mission accomplished Don. We got to the plant, ruptured a few pipes, then we found the factory's central core, a series of 6 furnaces, which we then planted explosives on, and we're now awaiting your orders to detonate."

"Good work you guys! Now, I've just sent an emergency message to Zandia. I told them that there was a fire at the Bania chemical plant, and that the area must be evacuated immediately. As soon as the alarms begin to sound, detonate the explosives!"

"Yes Sir!"

We all then began our wait.

Eventually, we all heard it. From not only Bania, but the other towns as well, there came the unmistakable sounds of sirens wailing.

"That's the signal Leopard, DETONATE NOW!!!!"

"Roger that. FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!!" I yelled. I then pressed the button on the detonator that I had been given.

Suddenly, from the plant, there came a massive fireball.

"Whoa, cool!"

However, that, was only the beginning. From the plant, we suddenly saw a series of explosions all over town. They seemed to be tearing the buildings apart! Then, from Bania, the explosions seemed to engulf the other towns in the area in a massive fireball as well. Buildings were blown apart, huge craters were formed, jets of flames lit up the early-morning dark sky, debris were blown into the air, and then, the fires spread to the villages that we'd taken out earlier. After the flammable chemicals caught fire, they were consumed.

We were all shocked positively beyond words at what we had just witnessed. None of us even had the words to describe the feeling. Where there had once been 3 towns and 7 villages, there was now just a flaming swath of destruction nearly 5 miles wide! The area within was nothing more than an inferno. We could hear the screams of Zebras, but one by one, those screams were silenced. Eventually, the only sounds that we could hear were the crackling of the flames, and the occasional sound of a building collapsing.

Slowly, I grabbed my radio. "Um, Hey Don, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here Leopard, and I......don't even know what to say right now. I mean, our Intel told us that this would happen, but to actually witness it in person? It's unlike anything I've ever seen before."

"Yeah, I know that feeling. So, where are you now?"

"We're back on the train on an abandoned side track." Don gave me the coordinates. "Please hurry back. I want you to be present when we give Princess Celestia our first report of the war."

"Ok, roger that Don, Leopard out."

We all then packed up, and went off to get back to the train.

"Sir, I think that we may have a problem here!"

Tarrath turned to the soldier. "Huh? What kind of a problem?"

"We just got word from our chemical plant in Bania. There's a fire there!"

"What?! A fire?!"

"Yes! Apparently, one of the factory's core furnaces got hit by chemical from a leaking pipe, and now the whole plant is burning!"

Tarrath was greatly alarmed. "Oh, gods. I knew that this was going to happen one day! That plant should have just been torn down! It's so structurally unsound!"

The soldier was really sweating. "But, Sir, what do we do about the fire?"

"What we're supposed to do, put it out before......"

Tarrath never got the chance to finish that thought. Just before he could, Zandia was suddenly rocked by a series of violent explosions. Alarms began to blare, and soldiers raced to their battle stations. For those that saw it, the entire chemical plant disappeared into a ball of fire, followed closely by first Bania itself, and then the other two towns in the area, and all of the villages as well.

"F@#K!!!! GET ME ALL OF THE EMERGENCY CREWS THAT WE CAN MUSTER RIGHT NOW!!!!! WE HAVE TO HELP THOSE OUT THERE!!!!"

"SIR, YES SIR!!!!"

Emergency crews were dispatched, but by the time that the huge swath of flames could be brought under control, it was already too late. Emergency crews picked through the smoldering ruins for hours and hours, but no survivors were found. Only charred bodies, and mutilated corpses. None of them were even recognizable. By the official estimates, there had been 17,000+ fatalities, and a further 3,000+ missing. 3 towns and 7 villages had been completely burned to the ground, and the whole area would not be habitable for a number of years to come.

"Dear gods!" Tarrath muttered, "How could this have been allowed to happen? Why did all of those towns have to be connected to the plant by those pipes? Why couldn't that plant have been safe? This entire area was sitting right on top of a fractured tinderbox, and now, 20,000 Zebras are dead or missing!"

Suddenly though, Tarrath was interrupted. "Um, S-Sir, I hate to be a bother, but um, Overlord Zakia wants to talk to you."

Tarrath became very pale. He knew that a death sentence was most likely imminent for him. Nevertheless, he took the communicator from the servant, and turned it on. The holographic image of Zakia appeared.

"General, report. What happened out there?"

"It's horrible, Overlord Zakia. A few hours ago, a fire broke out at the Bania chemical plant. Before the fire could be contained, it caused an explosion that not only took out the plant, but also the whole town of Bania, the 2 other towns close to it, and all 7 villages in this area. There was a 5 mile long swath of fire that grew to nearly 11 miles before we could get it stopped. To make matters worse, we haven't been able to find any survivors."

Zakia turned extremely pale. "A fire at the chemical plant in Bania? How did the fire start? And how did it spread so quickly? Was it the enemy?"

Tarrath shrugged. "Normally, I would say yes, however this time, it appears to have just been bad luck and poor timing, coupled with horrible maintenance of that plant, in addition to those towns having interconnected chemical pipes. The plant was in extremely poor condition, and a chemical pipe burst, and its contents leaked through a ceiling to the furnace room. The chemicals then ignited, and the resulting fire destroyed the plant, which triggered the explosion that traveled through the pipes, and destroyed the rest of the towns."

"But what about the villages though?"

"The villages were simply engulfed in flames before they knew what hit them. They never even stood a chance."

"How....how many lost their lives?"

Tarrath sighed. "By my counts, we've lost 17,000+ to death, with maybe another 3,000+ missing. There were no survivors."

"And are you absolutely certain that this was not the enemy's doing?"

"Well, if it was, why have they not claimed responsibility for it yet? Also, I got the word from a worker at the plant about the fire moments before contact was lost. This was just an unfortunate, horrible, avoidable accident that cost 20,000+ their lives."

"So, now this means that Zandia is the only inhabited city still standing in the North then?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so Sir. Zandia is the last major settlement in the Hayseed Swamps now. Let's just hope that the Humans DO NOT find out about that!"

Zakia nodded. "Yes, let's! Now then, I'll leave you to the cleanup operation General, as well as figuring out a way to prevent this from ever happening again."

"As you wish, Overlord Zakia."

Tarrath then sighed, and turned his communicator off. As he looked out over what used to be towns and villages, he couldn't help but feel a severe sense of dread. "Your days are numbered 'General'", It seemed to say, "They're coming for you, and when they do, there will be no escape!" Tarrath tried to put these thoughts out of his mind.

Meanwhile, just as the sun was beginning to rise over the Zebra Empire, we all made it back to the Battleship Express. After a quick headcount, as well as some debriefings, Don and I, accompanied by Jim, General Shining, and even Alex, went to the video console in the PCC. DELCI patched us through to Canterlot on a secured line.

"Ah, Major, Captain Leopard, General Shining, and others, how goes the war?"

"Well Princess Celestia, we certainly have a lot to report......" Don then explained everything, from our conquering of the Badlands, to the silent death that came to the villages, to the chemical dousing of the towns, and finally, the chemical plant destruction, and the mayhem that it caused. "....So in summary Princess, we've killed over 20,000 Zebras, destroyed 3 garrisons, completely leveled 3 towns and 7 villages, and we now stand poised to take Zandia. To top it all off, the enemy still seems to have no idea that we are even here. We have also not lost any personnel yet, although a number are down with injuries."

Celesita was shocked "What, Zandia?! That's the Zebra's second largest city! And all of that death and destruction over the course of just one night?! And the Zebras STILL don't know that you're there?!"

"It would appear not Princess. Our ruthless tactics have paid off thus far, and if all goes well, Zandia will soon be a fireball so big you will be able to see it from Canterlot!"

Celestia nodded. "Excellent work, my soldiers, well done! You've done Equestria proud, and with Zandia gone, that will put you maybe 3 days journey from Zebrica, the Zebra's capital city!"

"Yes, and that much closer to Dash", I whispered.

Celestia heard what I said. "Yes, that is true Captain, however, I've had my say for now. There are others who would like to talk to you though." Celestia then stepped to the side, and to our shock, on different screens off to the side of the main screen, I saw Dash's parents, Twilight's parents, Pinkie's parents, and Granny Smith, Applebloom, and Big Mac. Each of us who had a daughter/family member as a marefriend, did their best to reassure the parents/family.

I talked to Rainbow Dash's parents; her mom, Windy Whistles, and her dad, Bow Hothoof.

"So, you're Rainbow Dash's parents. I'm sorry that we have to meet like this, instead of under more favorable circumstances."

They both nodded gravely, with tears in their eyes. "Yes, it is indeed, Captain Leopard." Bow told me. "Our Rainbow Dash spoke to us very highly of you. You meant the world to her."

"Just as she meant the world to me Sir. That's why I'm out here, to bring Dash home!"

"As we would expect from our future son-in-law!" Windy added. "Bring our Dashie home safe, and you have our permission to have her hand in marriage, if that is what you two want."

I was blushing, but it was not visible with my Kitsune mask on. I nodded. "I will either bring Dash home, or die trying! You have my word!"

They both nodded, and we did talk for a little while longer.

On Don's end, both he and Shining talked to Nightlight and Velvet, as well as Spike, since they were Twilight's family.

"Please bring her home Major Don! Our daughter means everything to us, and she's your sister Shining!"

"You have my word Mrs. Sparkle, I will bring Twilight home safe, or die trying!"

"As will I mom!"

Nightlight nodded. "Good boys."

For Alex, he talked to Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applebloom.

"Please bring Mah big sis home Mr. Alex! She means the world to me!"

"As does she to me; she's my li'l sis too!" Big Mac added.

"I will", Alex said bravely. "I will either bring Applejack home safe, or die trying!"

"You'd better Sonny!" Granny told him, "Cuz if you don't, I'll hunt'cha down and skin ya alive myself!"

"I will Ma'am. You have my word!"

We also all assured Pinkie's family that we would do everything in our power to bring their daughter home safe as well.

"You have our solemn word, Mr. and Mrs. Pie, as well as Marble, Limestone, and Maud Pie, that we will bring Pinkie home safe! She will be returned to Ponyville with her friends, and we will punish the ones who took her and the others captive!"

They both nodded gravely. "Just, please hurry!" her mom was almost crying. "Every day without her close is so painful!"

"Yes, and I want my sister back." Maud told us, "She means everything to me." Marble and Limestone agreed to this as well.

"As I said, you have our word. We will either bring your daughter home safe, or die trying!"

They all nodded, and once we were done talking to the families, Celestia gave us one final message. "Just keep it up boys. They won't be able to hold on much longer. Pretty soon, they will be no more, and you will all be remembered as heroes! Just keep fighting, and keep sending me reports as necessary."

Shining nodded. "We will, Princess Celestia." Then the call ended.

It was then that the full gravity of what we had just promised hit us squarely in the face. We had all promised the families that we would bring their daughter/sister/granddaughter home safely, or die trying. If we were ever discovered, then most likely they would die, and we would be left to face the consequences of our actions.

"Let's just hope that our mouths didn't just cash checks that our actions can't pay." I said gravely.

"Yes, Leopard," Don agreed, "Let's keep hoping. We all then got back to work on preparing for our assault on Zandia.

Author's Note

Whoa, this was an action-packed chapter, wasn't it? Now, not only are the Badlands secured, but so are all of the towns and villages in the northern part of the Zebra Empire, except for Zandia. How will our assault of that city go? Will we be discovered? What will happen to Twilight, her friends, and Private Cole? Will we be able to save them, or will they become just more casualties of war? Well, the answers will be revealed in the next few chapters, so stay tuned! Plus, this is only part 1 of Chapter 12, what could happen in Part 2? Again, stay tuned, and you'll find out!

Meanwhile, as always, comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story, are always appreciated, and I'll see you all in Part 2!

ScarFox out for now, ALL ABOARD!!!!!