The original plan was for the princesses to confront me that same night about what was inside of me, but they were unable to, as they needed to collect more evidence to show me first. They planned on doing that the first thing next morning. However, that very same night, something was revealed to me in a dream.

In my dream, I was standing on a massive desert battlefield. A battle was in full-swing, but it was between black shadows, and forms that appeared to be humans, but they looked more like mannequins. Suddenly, I felt that the presence inside of me was close by.

"Show yourself!" I yelled. "Who are you?"

The presence didn't answer. Then, I suddenly found myself standing next to the Big Boy. "Look close....." A voice whispered. "The answer that you seek lies within......"

"Look at what? What am I supposed to be looking at?"

A shadowy form appeared next to me. It appeared to be a cloaked figure about my height, but it kept changing shape. Two red, glowing eyes stared back at me. Wordlessly, the figure pointed to a spot on the Big Boy's firebox, between the rear set of drive wheels, and the back 4 wheels.

"Remove the firebox plate there."

Suddenly, I found myself with a large wrench. "Um, ok, if you say so." I the took the wrench, and after grabbing the bolts and rivets that held the plate to the rest of the firebox, I pulled them out, before prying off the plate. Inside of the space, I found a small, hollow pocket, containing a strange looking object.

I looked at the shadow. "Um, ok, now what?"

"Take it out....."

I reached in, and grabbed the object. When I pulled it out though, I stared at the object in shock. "What....is this thing? It looks like a dinosaur tooth, or maybe some kind of horn."

Suddenly, the shadow didn't seem so helpful anymore. "It IS a horn. MY horn! And now, it's YOURS!!!!" The shadow then grabbed me!

"AUEEE!!!!" I tried to wrench myself free, but the shadow was stronger than me.

Then, before I could hit him with the wrench that was still in my hand, the shadow suddenly dragged me through a horrible place. I kept screaming in agony, but the shadow didn't care. I saw EVERY battle that I had ever fought, every SECOND of ALL of the World Wars that I had fought, all displayed out in vivid detail. I was reliving all of my old memories, and it was tearing me apart.

"NO MORE!!!!" I screamed. "I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!!"

Suddenly, the shadow let go of me. I fell for a long way, before landing on a cold, hard, stone floor.

"WHO ARE YOU!??!?!" I screamed. "Why are you doing this to me?!?!?!"

Suddenly, a mirror appeared in front of me. I looked into it, and I saw what looked to be me, but it wasn't. It was dark, and twisted, its face was scratched and bloody, chunks of its hair were missing, and it was dressed in what appeared to be a Nazi military uniform; Waffen SS, if my memory served me correctly.

"Who....are you?" I challenged the reflection.

It smirked at me hideously, its mouth opening to reveal razor sharp teeth, and its eyes were blood red. "I'm you, if you were more honest with yourself! You SAY that you're human, an AMERICAN even! But look at you! You shed blood, and ENJOY doing it! You're a NAZI, and I love it! Together, you and I can have what we always wanted. I'm forever a part of you now, so take good care of me!"

That was it. This was the last straw. I then raised my wrench. "I will NEVER......be as vile as you, YOU PIECE OF FILTH!!!!" I then brought the wrench down hard, smashing the mirror into hundreds of pieces. The glass shards flew around me, as the air around me became filled with maniacal laughter.

"NNNOOOOO!!!!!!"

"GWAH!!!!!" I then woke up screaming. "*gasp*, *pant*, "Oh, thank God, it was just a dream!" I was soaked in sweat, and I was still shaking I was so scared.

"Master? Master! What is it, what's wrong?"

I suddenly found myself looking up at Aurora. "Oh, Aurora, it was awful!" I then grabbed her, and began to cry.

Aurora tried to comfort me. "Shh, it's ok Master, I'm here. It was just a bad dream. It wasn't real. I'm here for you."

It was at that moment, that I felt things in my hands. When I saw them, I almost fainted. "Um, Aurora, if what I had was just a dream, then where did these come from?"

Aurora looked. Sure enough, in my right hand, I was holding a large wrench with a boiler rivet still locked into it. I couldn't really see what was in my left hand though. I then jumped a bit, as a flash of lighting became visible through my window, followed by thunder. I also saw raindrops hitting my window as well.

"Again, it's ok Master. It's just a little rainstorm. Nothing to be scared of."

"Yeah, I know that! I was just, startled a bit. I didn't know that we had any rain in the forecast. I.....need to use the bathroom."

I dropped the wrench onto the floor, and went into my bathroom. I then set whatever it was in my left hand onto the side of the sink, and then used the toilet. After I was done, I stood up, pulled my boxers back up, and after turning on the sink, I splashed a bit of water onto my face. I then turned off the sink, and began to dry my face. When I did though, I looked into the mirror, and what I saw, made me stare for a bit.

"Something...seems a little.....different." I began to rub my hands through my hair/mane, trying to figure out what was different. Then it hit me. "Wait, my hair was dark brown.....why is it.....black now?"

I looked closer just to make sure that I wasn't missing anything. Sure enough, my hair was now black, instead of brown. My furry bat-pony ears were still up there on top of my head, but now they were gray again, instead of black. Aside from this though, my eyes were still dark blue and cat-like, my human ears were still there, my wings were still black and feathery, my tail was still thick, and gray, and I had gray paws for feet. I also still had "wolf-stallion goods", and everything else about me seemed to be normal.

"Huh, must just be a delayed side effect of the Bat-pony Treatment." It was also then that I picked up the object that had been in my left hand, and I held it up to the light to see what it was. When I did, I almost screamed.

"No, no! It can't be!" The horn; it was the horn from my dream!

Suddenly, I felt an extreme urge to go somewhere. I looked at my watch, and the time showed that it was almost 3am. However, there was somewhere that I had to be. I didn't know where, but I felt that I had to go there. I walked back into my room, and pulled on a pair of sweatpants, as well as some old shoes.

"Um, where are you going Master?"

I shrugged. "I dunno, I just feel like I have to go on a walk somewhere. Wanna join me?"

She nodded. "Sure! I love a good walk!"

I then put her leash on her, and after leaving our room, I began to walk slowly through our bunk car.

"Um, where are we going Master?"

I didn't answer right away, as I was too busy looking down at the horn in my hand. "We're going......wherever this horn is leading us. It's trying to show me something, I just have to figure out what."

Aurora looked at me like I was a mental patient. "Um, what now? Can we not play 20 questions? It's almost 3am!"

"I'm being serious Aurora, I HAVE to see where this horn leads me!"

Aurora was beginning to have her concerns for my well-being, but I didn't notice.

As we continued to walk through the train, I would stop periodically to catch my bearings. Every now and again, a flash of lightning would light up whatever car I was in for a brief moment, while rain continued to patter against the windows. I would also occasionally run into someone who was on duty. They would ask me what I was doing, and I would tell them that I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a walk with Aurora.

By the time that we finally stopped walking, Aurora and I were very deep down the train, somewhere between halfway, and 3/4 to the caboose. The only available door was the one to my left. "Battleship Express Archives" were written on the door.

"Wait. You mean, that that horn thing dragged us all the way down to the archives?! Why?!"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Like I said, it's trying to show us something. We won't know what it is until we reach our final destination." I then began to feel deep inside of myself. "Ok, so now I'm at the archives, now what?" I asked mentally. "What do you want me to do?"

"Enter them", Came the reply. "Enter, and I will show you what to do next."

After swiping my clearance card, as well as inputting a code, I then entered the archives. "Ok, I'm in, Strange Voice. What do I do now?"

The presence was surprised by how willing, and even eager I was to obey, even though I had no clue what I was doing. "For now, you may call me 'Shadow'," The voice said, "For that is what I am, or rather, was. But back to the matter at hand, head to the 'A' section."

I did so. Aurora was starting to get extremely creeped out. She felt that we were not alone in those archives, and that whatever was in there with us, was leading me to do something. Instead of waiting around, she decided to GTFO, and head back to our room!

I arrived in the A section. "Ok, I'm here, now what?"

"Look to the far end, towards the wall. Do you see the crate?"

I looked. Sure enough, there it was. I recognized it as the crate used by archival staff as a sort of stepladder. I'd even used it myself a number of times. It was seemingly so insignificant, that I'd never even given it a second glance. The crate itself though was maybe 4 feet long, and 2 feet height, so it was rather big.

"Yeah, I see it Shadow. Do I need to use it as a stepladder?"

"No, I want you to open it."

"But, why? It's just a step-stool. There's nothing in it!"

"Really? Are you sure?"

I thought for a second. "Um, pretty sure. It did feel like it was heavy, but I was told that it was just filled with junk to help keep it stable."

"Junk? Junk?! That crate contains no junk! Go over to it, and read the labeling on it!" I hesitated. "Well go on! It won't bite!"

"I swear Shadow, you remind me more and more of a creepy, stalker-boyfriend with each new thing you say." I began to walk towards the crate.

I heard Shadow laugh. "Aww, you think of me as your boyfriend? That's so sweet!"

"What are you, a gay-freak or something? NO! I DO NOT think of you as my boyfriend! You're just some....weird voice in my head!"

"Heh, if you could see me the way I used to be, I know that you would fall for me! You would have LOVED to be my boyfriend, and I would have let you!"

"Ass-f@#ker!" I muttered.

"Hey, no need for language Sweetheart!"

I stopped. "Do you want me to read the label on that f@#king crate, or do you want to keep flirting with me? Cuz if you wanna flirt, I'm gone!"

"Heh, if you leave, you'll be in for more pain that you could possibly imagine!"

"Oh yeah? And how are you gonna do that? You're just a voice in my.......AUEEEGH!!!!" I suddenly felt a searing pain inside of me. It felt like my insides were being frozen in liquid nitrogen. I was on the ground, writhing in agony. A few moments later though, the pain suddenly stopped.

"Count yourself lucky Sweetheart. Usually, I'm not so lenient with those who disobey me! However, since you're new to this, (even though I've been with you for a while now) and because I like you, I'll let it slide. Now be a dear, and read the label on the crate for your sweet, boyfriend Shadow!"

On the inside, I continue to screech profanity, but I still complied. I went over to the crate, and after pulling out a flashlight, I began to read.

"Groom Lake Test Site 5, Groom Lake, Nevada. Contents found: Roswell, New Mexico. 5/27/28." I froze. "Wait. Groom Lake, Nevada? That's home to Area 51! Or at least, it WAS. Must have still been a test site though, but for what? Also, it says that the crate's contents was found in Roswell, New Mexico, on May 27th, 2028."

"Yes, I know! I just wanted YOU to know! The contents of this crate once belonged to me. However, it was all lost. Eventually, lay-lines brought it to your 'Earth', where it was found by you 'Humans', and taken away for study. Now, at least for the time being, what's inside belongs to you. Now, open the crate!"

Once again, I hesitated. "Come on, why do you keep hesitating?"

"Why do you care so damn much?! Plus, how do I know that what's in here won't kill me?!"

Shadow groaned. "No! It won't kill you! In fact, it won't do ANYTHING, unless you WANT it to!"

I then examined the crate. It was made of wood, and was nailed shut. "Oh great. It's nailed shut, and I don't have a hammer!"

"Use the horn!"

"What? The horn?" I looked at it. "There's no way that this thing can get that crate open!"

"Just....please try it. You have to work with me here Sweetheart. I'm still too weak to do too much for myself yet. Just trust me, I know that it will work!"

"Stop calling me 'Sweetheart', and maybe I will."

"Ok then 'Cutie-Pie', please try it!"

"I hate that too."

"It's either 'Sweetheart', or 'Cutie-Pie, take your pick!"

I groaned. "Neither!"

"Sweetheart it is then!"

In response to my growing anger, I instead jammed the horn into the lid of the crate, and began to try and wrench it open. After struggling for a minute or two, I finally got it.

"See, I told ya it would work!"

I looked down at the horn. "Hmm, must be an enchanted artifact, or something."

"Eh, well, you're not wrong. But anyway, open it up!"

When I did, I suddenly gasped in shock. "My word!"

Inside of the crate, packed in straw, were pieces of what appeared to be metal armor, as well as a red, fur-trimmed cape, and a large, metal piece that looked to be a crown crossed with a helmet. I held some of it up. It looked to be sized to fit someone larger than me, though not by much. There also seemed to be something....off about all of it. It also seemed vaguely familiar somehow.

"Shadow.....what, is this stuff? It feels like it's infused with.....magic."

"This, is my old armor. At one time, I was a great ruler, a king even! It was I who brought the Caribou Empire and Zebra Empire to ruin the first time! My forces were unstoppable!"

I was shocked. "Wait, YOU destroyed the Caribou and Zebra the first time?! And if your forces were so 'unstoppable', what happened?"

Shadow growled a bit. "There was one kingdom that my forces tried to defeat, and failed. The two rulers banished me for 1,000 years. After those 1,000 years were up though, I returned to seek revenge. Once again, I was defeated. My horn, as well as my armor, were flung through Time and Space, eventually ending up on your 'Earth'." Shadow then explained that while the armor hadn’t been found until recently, his horn had been taken by various empires, from the Matriarchal World Empire, to the One Race Empire, to even the Futas, leading up to its discovery by the Americans, who also finally found the armor. "They never appreciated my horn though. They just stuck it inside of your steam engine, and forgot about it. My spirit was always calling out to anyone who would listen, but nobody did. Nobody that is, until a young officer let me help him get revenge after the death of one of his superiors, and I helped him launch a nuclear attack!"

I froze. "Wait. ME?! And that was YOU who 'helped me' to launch that nuclear attack on Vegas?"

Shadow laughed. "Yep, guilty as charged!"

"But, why me? I'm a nobody. I'm just, Captain Leopard."

Shadow smirked to himself. He loved buttering me up like he was doing. "This is TOO EASY!!! He's so willing and eager! I think I'll keep him around for a while longer after I'm strong enough to return though, he's cute." Shadow stopped. "What? Cute? Why do I even think that he's 'cute', he's a pawn!" Shadow then pushed these thoughts down. To me, he said, "It's BECAUSE you're a nobody Leopard. You have the potential to be so much more!" ("It was also because you were the only one I was able to get to!" He added to himself.)

"I...don't know if I believe that. But another thing; if what I saw was a dream, then how did I have the wrench and horn in my hands when I woke up?"

"What you saw wasn't a dream, you just retrieved the horn while you were in a state of subconsciousness under my direction, and I guess that you just forgot about it."

"This is still too weird", I muttered, "I have a 'boyfriend entity' named Shadow, there was a mysterious horn lodged in Big Boy's firebox plating, there's a crate in the archives that contains ancient armor that came from Roswell, New Mexico, and now it belongs to me? Plus, Shadow has been with me for some time, and has been a part of me, but this is where I get really confused. You said that you wanted to come back, but need my help. How do you plan on coming back?"

"Through you. The more you keep conquering, the stronger I can get. I can almost return to the physical world again, but I'm still very weak. That's why I need you to take care of me."

I knew that there had to be a string attached somewhere. "Ok, now I KNOW that this sounds too good to be true! What's the catch to this? There's got to be a string attached somewhere!"

"Actually, there are no strings. You just, have to continue to take care of me, and keep the armor safe. See if you can pick the crate up."

I put the lid back on, and after putting the horn in my pocket, I grabbed the sides, and attempted to lift it. I was able to, but it was still somewhat heavy.

Shadow nodded. "Ok, good, now take it back to your quarters, and put it in a safe place."

I complied, but it was difficult carrying it through the halls of the train. I had to walk almost all of the way back to the engine, as well as avoid anyone who would ask what I was doing. Eventually, I made it back to my quarters, and once I was inside, I set the crate on the floor.

"Whew! Now THAT was a workout! At least it's here now, at any rate!"

Shadow seemed to nod. "Yes, now put it somewhere safe." I slid it underneath my bed. "Good. Now then, I will leave everything up to you for the time being. I will always be with you, but you'll be the one in control. If all goes according to plan, I will be alive once again before long. Just keep me safe, and take good care of me." I then felt the presence of Shadow begin to leave. "Oh, and one other thing before I go, my armor, WILL be able to fit you. It's magically enhanced so that it will fit its wearer. Feel free to try it on if you like, I'd LOVE to see how you look in it!" Shadow then laughed, and I felt him retreat deep inside of me.

I then felt myself pass out.

The next thing I heard, was my alarm clock going off.

I opened my eyes. "Huh, what?" The time read 8am. I then shut my alarm clock off.

I sat up in bed. "Aurora, I just had the absolute STRANGEST dream of my entire life last night!"

"Um, Master, last night wasn't a dream." I heard a voice say from close by.

"Huh? Why do you say that Aurora? And where are you?"

She crawled out from underneath my desk. "I'm here, and everything from you waking up screaming from a nightmare, to our walk down to the archives, was NOT a dream! I was wide awake!"

On a hunch, I looked underneath my bed. Sure enough, the crate was still there. I also felt something in my pocket. I pulled it out, and sure enough, the horn was still there. "So it wasn't a dream after all," I muttered. I set the horn on my night stand. "Well, at any rate, it's time to start the day, and it's most likely going to be a day of planning out what to do next."

I then got up, hit the shower, brushed my teeth, gave Aurora a quick bath, dried her off, and then after I was dressed, I fed and watered Aurora, before taking her with me to breakfast.

Due to it having rained a bit the previous night, there was some cleanup work that had to be done. We picked up fallen branches, as well as more fallen debris. Once we were done with that, it was time for another briefing with the princesses. This was a private meeting between myself, Don, Jim, and General Shining, as well as Celestia, Luna, and Cadence.

"Good morning Princesses."

Celestia smiled. "Good morning Major. However, before we begin this meeting, I need to discuss with Captain Leopard and General Shining privately what we just talked about, if you don't mind."

Don and Jim were surprised. "Um, ok, well if you say so, Princess Celestia." Don and Jim then left the PCC, and closed the door after themselves.

Once they were gone, I turned to the screen. "Um, what is this about Princess? Did....I do something wrong?" I was very nervous.

Celestia just stared at me. "No, you didn't do something wrong, per-say, however, there is something about you that we need to discuss right now, and since it involves the General as well, he was asked to stay too."

Shining and I then looked at each other. We were both very confused. Finally though, Celestia spoke. "The truth is Captain, is that you have a lot of potential inside of you, incredibly raw power, if you will. In fact, more power that you even know."

"Um, is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"That's the thing Captain, I've seen that kind of raw power only once before. It didn't scare me enough then, as Luna and I were able to defeat it. It returned again 1,000 years later, and Cadence, Shining, and the Element Bearers were able to defeat it. Now, once again, it has returned, only this time, I fear that we cannot defeat it."

Now Shining looked very concerned. "Wait, what? Are you saying that he has the same kind of raw power that King Sombra had?"

"Yes. Only this raw power, comes once again from its original source."

"What? Ok, I'm really confused. Are you trying to say that I have the same kind of raw power that corrupted a ruler in the past? Are you saying that I will.....turn evil?" I was starting to get deeply concerned.

Cadence took up the story. "That's what we are afraid of, Captain Leopard. For even though we defeated Sombra, we now have evidence that suggested that pieces of him were sent to Earth, and led to the world wars that you all had to fight. We suspect that his armor ended up somewhere in a desert, while his horn, the part of him that we believe contains his spirit, ended up in a city somewhere around the year 2017. Over time, his horn was passed from one empire to the next, each time enabling its leaders to do terrible things. Eventually, it found its way to you Americans. Have you ever seen it, or this armor?" Cadence then showed me pictures of them.

I thought fast. "Um, well, no, not the armor....but that horn....yes! I have seen it before!"

"You did, where?"

"It was at a museum in St. Louis in 2027. We took it, and it was added to our war relics collection. From what I can remember, it was placed in another museum. I don't know what happened to it after that."

Luna frowned. "Research also indicates that the armor was found, and moved to a laboratory, most likely for testing. According to what Major Don told us before you arrived Captain, that armor found in the desert near the town of 'Roswell, New Mexico' in 2028, and was taken to a testing site called ‘Area 51’, where it was later stolen by enemy agents. Its current whereabouts are unknown."

As I was trying to think of something to say, Shining beat me to it. "So, you're saying that Sombra's evil spirit caused WW3, WW4, WW5, AND WW6?!"

Cadence nodded at her husband. "Yes, I'm afraid so Shiny. The Humans were fighting an evil that was not of their world. They did win, but at a terrible cost."

Celestia interrupted. "Yes, but that is why I called this private meeting today. We believe that while Sombra's spirit was roaming the Earth, he found a host to attach himself to.'' Here, she looked straight at me. "We believe that YOU, Captain Leopard, are the reborn King Sombra!"

Before I could even react to that, Shining had grabbed me by the throat, knocked me to the floor, beat my face in 3 times, before holding a knife to my throat! "Do you want me to kill him now?" He asked, his face filling with anger.

"GAAHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING SHINY!?!?!" Cadence screamed.

"Don't you remember what HE did to us Cadence?! He wrecked my horn, and he drained YOUR magic! NOW HE'S BACK!!!!" He pointed to my features. "Look at him! Black mane and tail, dark grey ears, fangs, likes the dark, the SHADOWS!!!! HE HAS TO DIE!!!!"

Celestia was terrified for me. "NO, GENERAL, DON'T!!!!! HE is not Sombra! You're misunderstanding us! If you kill him, Sombra will still be alive!"

"Well then, who, or what, is this thing?!"

Celestia took a deep breath. "His name, is Captain Leopard. He is a human from the Planet Earth. During the fateful battle of Las Vegas, Sombra took advantage of his weakened state, and took control of him. From that moment on, Sombra became a part of him, but Captain Leopard IS NOT him!"

"So, does this mean that I DON'T have to die?!"

"YES!!!" All of the princesses cried. "LET HIM GO SHINING!"

Shining then let go of me, and let me be.

"Also, Sombra did NOT have wings, was NOT a human, did NOT have blue eyes, and most importantly, Captain Leopard CANNOT use magic! He is a Pegasus!"

Shining just looked at me with tears in his eyes. "I-I-I'm so......so, sorry", he whispered. "I.....don't know what came over me."

I pulled him into a hug. "It's not your fault Shining. You wanted to destroy what had caused you pain. You jumped at the first chance you had, just like we did with the Futas." I then turned to Celestia. "So, what does this mean for me in the long-run? Am I really Sombra reborn?"

The princesses looked at each other, and then shrugged. "That's what we are not fully certain of Captain. We know that you and Sombra are separate entities, but we do not know how closely you two are intertwined."

I was beginning to get a strange feeling that I now knew just who "Shadow" really was.

"This will take more time to research, and study. In the meantime though," Celestia continued, "You need to stay vigilant! Sombra already took advantage of you once, and now, he is a part of you. That is one of the reasons that your mane and tail are black, and your ears are grey, you are beginning to become like him physically. However, Cadence does believe that you have one thing going for you."

I was curious. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Cadence spoke up. "Your love for Rainbow Dash, plus her love for you! Together, that weakened Sombra, and may have corrupted him. Your love for each other is keeping him at bay. Never lose sight of what you love, and you may end up keeping him so weak that he will never rise again!"

With everything I had just heard, I felt like I just had the weight of two worlds dropped on my shoulders, and while everyone else was running away, they stopped just long enough to tell me that I was messed up, and I was on my own for fighting off my worst nightmare.

"I.....don't even know what to say right now. I just feel like I've had the weight of the world dropped on me. I don't even know how to BEGIN to come to terms with this!"

Shining placed a hand gently on my shoulder. "Well, Leopard, you still have friends with you in this fight. I'm still here, and so are Don, Alex, Jim, Todd, and all of the others. You're not alone in this fight. If Sombra wants to come back so badly, he just may find himself stuck with YOU for all eternity, trapped forever inside of you!"

"Shining, that thought is positively horrifying."

We continued to talk with the princesses about this for a few more minutes before Jim and Don were allowed back in so that we could discuss battle plans.

"Ok, so here's what we know." Don flipped a few switches, until the digital maps disappeared for a few moments, before a new section of the map appeared. "This is the Caribou Empire, the strongest fighting force in all of Equus. From what Intel we have, we know that their capital is located here", He pointed to it on the map, "In the city of Donneth."

"What are we looking at in terms of population and infrastructure?" Jim asked.

"Well, we're looking at a population of almost 20 million males. Females are exempt from the censuses, so we don't know how many of them there are. With infrastructure, we may run into some issues here. Everything that the Caribou do is related to their military. They're like the old Soviet Union. All cities have weapons factories, and unlike Zebrica, are self-sustaining! They have advanced power plants, hydroelectric dams, and possibly even solar and wind power! Their entire lands are massive military complexes, full of garrisons, fortresses, military training academies, military bases, and even, naval and air bases!"

"WHAT?!" Jim and I were shocked.

Shining nodded. "Yeah, they have their own navy, as well as a fleet of airships. Top of the line, all of them. Their ships can make up to 8 knots depending on the wind, and they have armor up to 2 inches thick! Their airships can also make 35mph, and are armed with arrow launchers, and have been used to drop bombs before. We have this kind of technology, but we've never used it like they have.

Don looked at Shining, and was about to laugh at him, but then he remembered that Equestrian technology, while sometimes close to what we had, could also be extremely behind us as well. "Well, I don't know how much of a problem that'll be for us, as we don't have ships, but we sure know how to destroy them! 2in. armor? Please! Our train has armor up to 6in. thick in some places! And airships? We have drones, and a gunship! 35mph? WAY too slow to evade from missiles, and even bullets. What kind of gas do they use to fly?"

Shining shrugged. "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say most likely hydrogen."

"Which is EXTREMELY flammable, and often explosive! We have incendiary rounds that could most likely take them down long before they even got into range! We also have the blueprints to show you guys how to make this stuff as well. If you can manufacture it, and field it in large quantities, then you will be helping to make a huge difference in this war."

"I certainly hope so, Major Don. These Caribou have been around for far too long! They need to learn more than just enslaving nations, and raping them into submission!"

"Which brings me to my next point General. They also seem to rely heavily on slave labor. They have slaves, as well as POW's and even political and military prisoners run the factories, dig the mines, and maintain everything. Their ideology is actually rather bizarre. Unlike the Zebras, they do enslave females, but they also enslave males as well. They believe that males are superior, and that females are their slaves. HOWEVER, instead of wanting to exterminate the Ponies, they want to live WITH the stallions! They want to spread their corrupt ideology to other nations. However, we also have reason to believe that there are actually a number of Caribous who are dissatisfied with their government. They don't want a militaristic society, but instead want to focus on domestic issues. To put it bluntly, they're land rich, but cash poor! Their entire economy only exists to fuel their massive war machine."

Jim scratched his head. "So, how do we defeat them?"

Don sighed. "VERY carefully! Unlike with the Zebras, not all of the Caribou are evil. They also have a large population of slaves, POW's, and other political prisoners who have obviously run afoul of a higher-up. Not all of them deserve to die. We will have to pick our targets carefully, and strike them strategically, so as to minimize casualties. This phase of the war will be heavy in ground warfare, as well as air warfare. We may also have to put the "battleship", back in Battleship Express, and actually sink some ships at their 2 naval bases!"

I nodded, sighing a bit. "One thing's for sure, this campaign will definitely be much different than our run at the Zebra Empire. I think long-gone are the days of just completely leveling a town with a nuclear strike, or even an artillery strike in general. It sounds like it'll be a lot of hit-and-runs until the Caribous start relocating the slaves to somewhere safe, before taking the gloves off to deal with us, assuming of course that they haven't done that already."

Don looked over the maps. "That's actually a very good point Leopard. We'll have to a little more reconnaissance when we get close, but for now, we need to prepare to head out for the Mysterious South, where the Caribou Empire is located. Once we're close to the Macintosh Hills again, then we can pause, and figure out what a good plan of attack will be."

I then looked at the maps. "But, who will stay here and hold Zebrica?"

Shining looked up. "They're sending in troops from Canterlot. They'll get the job done. They'll be arriving by 3pm this afternoon."

"Ok, that should work."

While we waited for those troops to arrive, we all got to work on preparing the train for use once again.

"3,345,786 miles." I muttered, "All on one locomotive! It's a miracle that she's held together for this long!"

Alex was stoking up the fires next to me. "No kidding! This old girl's been our true warhorse! However, something that Joe and Frank told me a little bit earlier sounded odd, and I just can't get it out of my mind."

I looked at him curiously. "Oh? And what was that?"

"They told me that one of the plates on the firebox had seemingly been ripped off last night! They did a full inspection with an engineering team, but no explosives, or evidence of sabotage were found. Frank thought that it may have just rattled loose."

I looked away from Alex. I had a pretty good idea of how THAT had happened, but I didn't want to say anything. It's not every day that some dead king comes back, and lives inside you, and I kinda enjoyed having Shadow/Sombra around, plus I didn't want to be executed, or sound like I finally snapped, so I decided to not say anything at all.

Also just before our trip out of Zebrica, we made a few alterations to the train. From various points, the tails of dead Zebras were mounted, as were some hooves, and even hides in a few cases. A few Caribou antlers from the battles of Ponyville and Las Pegasus were also mounted to the front of the boiler. The words "Big Boy" were repainted on the boiler face in Zebra blood, and then, last but not least, we all turned our attention to the storage car in the back. The time had come to see Zakia again.

As a few of us walked, Dan finally decided to ask his question. "Um, Major Don?"

"Yes Private Dan?"

"Um....I was wondering. Are the stories about the capture of General Jasmine true? I mean, I know that she was captured in the Battle of St. Louis, but was she really treated like a sex toy in the same car where we now hold Zakia?"

Don sighed. "Yes Private, the stories are indeed true. Not the proudest moment for those who were involved, but yes, Jasmine was really turned into a sex-toy."

Dan stared. For several years, he had been told the stories, but now he had confirmation that they were indeed true.

A few moments later, we arrived at the car.

"Ok, open it up." Don ordered.

The car's door was opened, and when it did, the smell of sex from within was almost overwhelming. It was so strong, that those who entered the car had to wear gas masks. They then untied Zakia, and drug him out of the car, before placing him on the ground.

Some of us were absolutely disgusted with what we saw. Zakia was seemingly no more. Apparently, some of the guys had used some Zebra potions against him. His mane was longer, and hung down his shoulders, his body was thicker, and curvier, and he now had breasts as well. His dick had shrunk to almost nothing, and some makeup had been crudely applied to his face. He looked like a femboi, but a very crudely executed one.

It looked right back at us. "So, what now?" He asked in a cracked voice.

"Well, first of all, we have to clean you up, and then you're going right back to prison. You're staying right here so that we can watch you every second. I hope that you've enjoyed your stay with us, 'Jazzi" as I don't think that you'll be leaving anytime soon!"

To our surprise, Zakia said nothing. However, he was taken to the nearest body of water, scrubbed down, and the car itself was cleaned, and decontaminated, before Zakia was placed back inside. He was also given food and water bowls, as well as a sort of bed on the floor, as well as some 'toys'; just like we had done to Jasmine before him. Cameras were located all around so that he could be watched at all times.

Just before I left to go back to the engine though, Shining stopped me. "Hey Leopard, where's the sign up sheet for Jazzi?"

"Um, what sign up sheet?"

Shining motioned down to the bulge in his pants. I was a bit shocked. "Um, wow Shining, I...um didn't know that you swung that way! Plus, aren't you married?"

He smirked. "Yeah, but after talking it over with Cadence, she told me that I could. Plus, I still need to pay him out for what he did to Twily!"

I shrugged. "Sure, go for it. I don't care. Just tell the guards that you're going in, and they'll let you."

"Great! Do you wanna come?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I don't swing that way."

"Oh yeah, that's right. You're only into mares..........and pet wolves!"

"HEY!!! Uncalled for!"

He smirked. "Sorry Bro, had to happen!"

"Just......get in there, do your 'business', clean up, and get back. Those troops will be here in less than 1 hour, and then we leave for the Macintosh Hills!"

He nodded, and then I went back to the engine.

Sure enough, less than an hour later, the requested troops did indeed arrive. Once they were all set in their new role, (with a few of our own Battalion 4009 soldiers staying behind to both help them, and tend to our wounded, our train was once again on the move. It's destination for now just the Macintosh Hills, but ultimately, it was Donneth, the Caribou's capital city. Few Caribou knew what lay ahead for them, just as few really knew the inner conflict I was dealing with. Eventually, our paths would cross with the Caribou, and on that day, blood would be shed!

Author's Note

Well, here is is, Chapter 16! Sorry for it being a little bit late, it took longer to write than I originally believed that it would. So now we're about to take the war to the Caribou Empire. What'll happen when we do? It was stated that the battles were going to be tougher, as not only were the Caribous better equipped for combat, but there was seemingly a large number of slaves, POW's, and political prisoners to take care of as well. How will that go? Will we ever be able to reach Dash, and the others before they go completely insane?

And what about Sombra? Will he really return, or will he just be stuck inside of me? What is HIS endgame plan? Will I be able to overcome him, or, am I really just Sombra reborn? Well, you know the drill, stay tuned, and I'll tell you!

As always, comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story, are always appreciated, and I'll see you all in Chapter 17!

ScarFox out for now!

(Also, in this chapter, I hinted at Sombra's spirit possibly being gay for me. What are you all's thoughts on this? I'd like to hear what you think of the relationship between me and him.)
(And if you hated it, don't worry, I have a plan to fix it if it goes wrong. Right now, that part could go one of two ways. It all depends on what you guys think.)