Ever since the video call, Danin went from extremely shocked, to extremely paranoid, although with time, his paranoia began to turn into anger.

"The Caribou Empire is MINE!!!!! Not his!!!! He will NEVER, take it away from me!"

Suddenly though, the whole palace began to shake, as if an earthquake was underway.

"Whoa! What was that?! Are we under attack?!"

Stuggs grabbed his communicator, and after talking with various Caribou for a few minutes, he shook his head. "No Sir, we are not under attack. I've just checked in with each and every town, city, village, and settlement, and no enemy activity has been reported."

"Well then, what was that?!"

"According to what I was told, many other parts of our empire felt those vibrations as well. From the data that has been gathered, it appears to have been a rather strong earthquake that just occurred in the southern end of the now ex-Zebra Empire."

"Any casualties, collateral damage?"

"On our end, no Sir. However, from our easternmost outpost, Serpentine Gate, they had something very strange to report."

"Oh, and what was that?"

Stuggs looked rather worried. "Well Sir, according to their report, and this same report came from General Rodin himself, they said that from the former Zebra Territory, they saw a series of massive, mushroom-shaped clouds of fire and smoke. A team was being sent out to investigate, but they had to turn back."

"Why? Why did they turn back?"

"Because of the intense heat, as well as symptoms that suggested early stages of The Burned Sickness!"

Now Danin was more than just worried. He knew just how deadly "The Burned Sickness" was. (The Burned Sickness was a term coined by the Caribou to describe radiation poisoning. In the past, a number of Caribou, either by failed experiments, or by venturing too close to a region that we would later discover contained vast quantities of Uranium, were infected by radiation poisoning, sometimes fatally. They had no real idea how to treat it, (although a few rudimentary methods did seem to at least help), and as such, "The Sickness" was the most feared disease in the Caribou Empire).

"How....much were they exposed?"

"Our estimates put their amount of exposure as being non-fatal, but they will most likely experience some health issues later on down the line. They will be treated for The Burned Sickness."

"And what of the Zebra Empire? What happened there? Did they commit mass suicide, or was it the enemy?"

Stuggs frowned. "It.....was the enemy, Sir. They threatened to level the rest of the Zebra Empire with a massive attack to show us what was in store for us should we continue to resist them. Now they actually went and did it!"

Danin sat back on his throne. "So, what....would you recommend, General?"

Stuggs looked up at his King. He knew that what he was about to say could get him killed, but if it meant saving lives, then it was worth it. "Well Sir, if it were me, I would IMMEDIATELY return their hostages to them, in exchange for them coming to the table for bargaining. I don't say that we outright surrender, but yet, if they just did THAT to the Zebra Empire, and threatened to do it again, and they conquered the ENTIRE Zebra Empire in less than a week and a half, and are poised to do the same to us, I'd say that we do it! We give them their hostages back, in exchange for a plea bargain; we back off our aggression, and they don't invade us. I see it as being a win-win."

Danin then looked down at Stuggs. He knew that he was a competent, and capable officer. He had faced the Humans once, and although he lost, he did not have very good advantages. If what he was saying was indeed true, and there was a way to avoid outright invasion, then he knew that he should take it. On the other hand though, he knew that the Humans could not be trusted. They would watch his empire like hawks, just waiting for any signs of aggression, so that they could take action.

"I appreciate your input General, but I have to say no deal. We will prepare for war!"

Stuggs was astounded. "But SIR!!!! We CANNOT even HOPE to stand against them!!!! You saw what they did to the Zebras in just a week and a half! They are LETHAL killers! Our best hope right now is to surrender the hostages, and get the Humans to the bargaining table! Just contact General Rodin, I know that he believes the same way!"

"I will!" Danin then grabbed his communicator. "General Rodin, come in please!"

Rodin picked up. "Rodin here Sir."

"General, the time has come to prepare for the Humans's invasion. With the Zebras no longer with us, we, and whatever allies we have left, stand alone now. Now we have all of the leeway we need to wage a proper war."

"Um, Sir, I don't think that that's a good idea. After what we've just seen out here, our best option is to either surrender to them, or to give them what they want. All the Humans want are their hostages back. If my calculations are correct, our best option is to offer them the hostages back, in EXCHANGE for their solemn word not to invade our empire. It's the only way, My King. We cannot stand against them. They have just WIPED the ENTIRE ZEBRA RACE from existence, AND ARE PREPARED TO DO IT AGAIN TO US!!!!! Please My King, I am BEGGING YOU, DO NOT CONTINUE THIS WAR!!!!! It is one we CANNOT win!"

Danin put a hand over his face. "Great, so now I have King Sombra's return, coupled with two officers who would rather surrender than fight to protect our Empire! Just GREAT!!!! I would have both of you EXECUTED, but alas, you have no available replacements. What we need to do right now is move the slaves out of harm's way. They represent a TREMENDOUS investment to our empire, and will not be easily replaced. They must be moved out of the frontier, away from the military bases, and more towards the interior. Those areas MUST be willing to use ANY AND ALL MEANS NECESSARY to repel the invasion when it does come! Do you understand that?"

Rodin nodded. "Yes, it shall be done immediately, My King!" Rodin then signed off.

"You see General Stuggs, all it takes is the right motivation. Now we can repel the Humans quickly, and with very little collateral damage to our supply of slaves."

Now Stugss was extremely worried. "But Sir, doesn't that just give the enemy......."

"A chance to face a REAL army?" Danin interrupted. "Yes General, it most certainly does!"

"No Sir, I mean that without the slaves, won't the enemy......"

"Have a harder time fighting us? Yes, they will!"

Now Stuggs was getting desperate. "Sir, PLEASE stop interrupting me! What I mean is, that without the slaves, or POW workforce in those areas, won't they just....."

"SILENCE!!!!" Danin roared. "Maybe you are forgetting your place, GENERAL! It is I who am in charge here, NOT YOU! Now, unless you want to experience TRUE PAIN, then I suggest you get to work on preparing fortifications for our Western Front. Rodin is already taking care of the Eastern Front."

Stuggs was devastated. He knew that arguing with Danin further was a death sentence, but yet if he did what he was told, then he knew that what had just been done to the Zebras would be done to them too.

"Because without our slaves to act as a buffer, what's stopping them from taking off their gloves, and just doing again to us what they did to the Zebras?"

To Danin though, all he said was, "As you have willed it, My King, it shall be done!" He then rose, and left the room.

Danin narrowed his eyes. "That FOOL of an officer! Who does he think that he is, interrupting me like that?!" Danin continued to plan, completely unaware of where his Hitler-like actions were leading his empire.

Down below in the harem chamber, a single Caribou opened the door, and walked inside. Behind him, he was dragging a wagon with food in it.

"Ok My Lovelies", He said in a gentle voice, "It's dinner time! Who's hungry?"

Most of the slaves cheered, and got as close to him as they could. Cole just stared at him. He was a young Caribou, didn't have a full rack of antlers yet, and he seemed to be a servant, instead of a soldier. Cole had never seen him before.

The Caribou then went from one side of the room to the other, filling up food bowls, refilling water bowls, and giving a few pets, hugs, and kind words to any who wanted them. Cole also noticed that not once did the Caribou make any kind of sexual advances on any of the slaves. In fact, he didn't seem to be turned on by them at all.

"Strange", Cole muttered. "Who is this guy, and why isn't he acting like a Caribou?"

Eventually, he came to him, Missy, Dash, and Pinkie. When he did, he stopped. "Oh wow. So it is really true that they captured a Human! I never thought that I'd get a chance to see you. What's your name?"

"None of your damn business!" Cole spat.

The Caribou recoiled a bit, but he made no moves to do anything. "Hey, that wasn't very nice! All I did was ask you your name!"

"Yeah? And those kind of questions usually have a dick, a slap, or any other kind of abuse at the end of them! So touch me, and I bite your leg off!"

The Caribou nodded. "Yeah, I can completely see where you're coming from. Most of the others are like that, wanting to rape, and cause pain. Not me though. I never wanted to be a warrior, I actually wanted to be a blacksmith! But no, sadly I couldn't because I wasn't strong enough physically. So they made me a servant here at King Danin's palace. Today was my day to come and feed the harem. Although why King Danin would have a Human male in his harem is quite beyond me!"

Cole looked at him strangely. "Um, I'm not a harem slave, I'm a hostage. So are Dash and Pinkie." He pointed to them.

"Oh, wow. I never would have guessed. Mostly POW's were sent to labor camps. I guess that because you're a Human, you were seen as a valuable bargaining chip. Also, my name is Winston."

"I'm Cole. Private Cole, of Battalion 4009."

"Nice to meet you Cole, and what did you guys want to eat tonight? We've got lettuce, some carrots, beets......at least I THINK that these are beets, and some cucumbers."

"Um, nothing thanks. 9 times out of 10 our food is drugged, and on the 10th time they usually jizzed all over it!"

Winston looked sick. "Like I've said before, I'm NOT like the others! I HATE what my Empire has become! I absolutely DESPISE King Danin, and everything that he stands for! This entire empire is going down the toilet, and nobody cares! All they care about is conquering new territory, and enslaving the population! BASTARDS, all of them!"

Cole was shocked. "Um, wow Winston, you know that that most likely constitutes as high treason, right?"

"Yeah, so why do you think I'm telling you guys? You're slaves too. You wouldn't rat on me, and even if you did, nobody would ever believe you! Also, I made all of this food myself, and I didn't drug it, or jizz on it, and I made sure that nobody else did either, so it's safe!"

They all decided to risk it, and upon request, Winston made them sort of salads. To their surprise, everything tasted fairly normal. Even Winston himself ate some, most likely to prove that it was safe.

After he refilled their water dishes, he said, "You know, I like you guys. You're all pretty cool. Know right now that even if this entire empire seems out to get you, you have a friend here. And I need you guys, because I need your help!"

Dash looked at him curiously. "Wait, you need OUR help? Why?"

"You mean you didn't hear the news?"

Cole shook his head. "Um, no, we don't get any news down here."

Winston looked a bit pale. "Your friends on the Black Leviathan just leveled the Zebra Empire! It is now no more, and now they're poised to invade the Caribou Empire as well! I DO NOT want to die! They said that they were going to wipe us out! You guys have to help me! YOU'RE the ones that they're after! I've gotten myself assigned to feeding you guys so that I can stay close to you. One word from you could be enough to spare my life."

Now Cole and the others were more than just shocked. Here was a Caribou actually BEGGING them to save his life from the Humans!

Cole thought about it. "Well", He said at last, "Prove your worth to us, and then yes, we will help you, by all means!"

Winston looked a bit confused. "Um, how do I do that?"

"Just do what you're currently doing; prove to us that you're different from THEM! If you do not, or if we find out that you LIED to us, may God have Mercy upon you, for my comrades will have none!"

Winston nodded. "Um, y-yes, Cole, I'll do that! I want to live, so I'll keep helping you!"

Cole nodded. "Good. Also, you're job description now includes keeping the sadistic ones away from us. We're not allowed to be touched sexually, as we are hostages, but certain brutes like Rakk and Bann have both physically abused us, and have forced us to perform sexual acts on each other."

Now Winston looked angry. "Yes, those two are traitorous leeches! They often have evil thoughts against those in power over them, such as my uncle, General Stuggs. They HATE him!"

"Wait, General Stuggs? As in, leader of the Caribou forces in the Battle of Ponyville?"

Winston nodded. "Yes, the very same one. And I don't know what I can do about those two, or any of the others though. I'm not the strongest Caribou ever, and I'm not a warrior. My uncle wanted me to be, but I just couldn't meet the benchmarks."

Cole sighed. "Well it was worth a shot, I suppose. I guess that we can survive, with your help anyway."

Winston nodded. "Yeah, hopefully. I want this war to end, as do many others. It's draining our already oftentimes strained resources. The sooner the Black Leviathan attacks, the sooner the war is to ending."

They all continued to talk about this for a little while longer, before Winston had to leave and take care of his other duties, leaving them all alone with their thoughts for a while, promising that he would see them again soon.

Meanwhile, a number of miles away, the sun was beginning to set over the Macintosh Hills when the Black Leviathan arrived just outside of Appaloosa again. Captain Fur, and the rest of Desert Battalion, as well as the rest of the townsfolk were very glad to see us again, and even more happy that the Zebras were never going to be a threat to them ever again.

"Serves them right!", Fur spat. "You mess with the wrong Ponies, you get f@#ked up!"

"That's right!" Don agreed. "So now that just leaves the Caribou. We will attack very soon, but first we need to send over a reconnaissance drone to see what we're up against."

Don then ordered the drone crew to send up two stealth drones, and see how close they could get them to the Caribou without them being spotted. (Stealth drones are typically used at night, since they are painted black. They also contain special mufflers to mask the noise of their engines. They are very difficult to see, and VERY hard to detect!)

Once the drones were sent up, they were flown off west, with their operators following their every move by camera. I decided to head back to my room to add another entry or so to my data logs. Aurora came with me.

As I was sitting there at my desk though, DELCI suddenly piped up. "Master, incoming video call addressed to you! Priority 2!"

I was surprised. "Huh? A video call? Where's it coming from DELCI?"

"It's coming from Cloudsdale, or somewhere close by. Shall I patch it through?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'll take it on my screen here!" I then flipped up my video screen, and Aurora jumped up close to me so that she could see too. "It's probably Rainbow Dash's parents asking for an update." I muttered, trying to figure out what to say to them.

However, I was in for a surprise. Just as the call connected, I saw that it was from the Wonderbolt Academy! Instead of Rainbow Dash's parents, I found myself face to face with none other than Spitfire herself!

She was wearing her standard academy officer uniform, and was tapping the screen. "Hey, is this thing on? Did it connect?"

"Yes, it connected. Hello Captain Spitfire."

"And the same to you, Captain Leopard. Oh, and you can just call me Spitfire."

I nodded. "Just as you can either call me Captain, or Leopard, take your pick."

"Oh wow, you really do wear a fox mask. No wonder the enemy calls you 'Commander Fox-Face!'"

I chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I never really go anywhere without my trusty Kitsune mask. It's a staple part of my uniform."

Spitfire then noticed Aurora. "Aww, your dog's really cute! What's his name? Or is it a she?"

I smiled. "Oh, this is Aurora. She's my pet wolf."

"Wow, A WOLF?! And is she the one we heard about who has her own battle armor, and helped defend Ponyville?"

Aurora barked. "Yep, that was me! 'Killer in Armor', that's my code-name!"

"Wait, you can TALK too?"

Aurora nodded. "Yep! Before my Master found me, I was a prototype for the next generation of military dogs. I was given the ability to talk, among other genetic enhancements. It all ended when I was the only survivor of my entire base though, but let's not talk about that!"

"Yes, let's not!" I then took over from Aurora. "Anyway, you called me for a reason I assume, so what can I do for you Spitfire?"

Spitfire suddenly seemed to get very nervous. She kept seeming like she was going to say something, but then she didn't.

Finally though, she said, "Um.....gosh, this is going to be a lot harder than I thought........oh boy, um.....well, let me ask this first. How close are you to finding Rainbow Dash?"

I sighed. "We're preparing for our invasion of the Caribou Empire right now. No readout yet on when it will happen, but it will be soon."

"Just.....please Leopard, bring her home safely! She's one of the best flyers that the Wonderbolts have had in a long time. When I heard that she was taken, I was devastated. All of us were."

I nodded. "As was I Spitfire. She's my marefriend after all. I would do anything for her."

Here Spitfire looked at me strangely though. "That's..... the thing Leopard........I'm kinda getting the feeling that Dash didn't tell you, or if she did, she didn't tell you the full story."

I cocked my head a bit in confusion. "Wait. What now? Dash didn't tell me what? What are you saying?"

Spitfire was blushing a bit, and she had both of her hands over her face.

"What is it Spitfire? I have to know! Plus, we really don't have all night out here. Anytime now the recon drones could come back, and we could have the signal to attack for all I know. Please tell me!"

Spitfire finally looked up at me. "Ok, here's the scoop Leopard. Please DO NOT freak out! I'm sure that Dash would have told you about this eventually, once she was ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that she could trust you!"

"TELL. ME. WHAT?!?!?!" My patience was running about as thin as a piece of piano wire. "Please stop beating around the bush! JUST TELL ME ALREADY!!!!"

"ALRIGHT, FINE!!!!!" She then sighed. "The truth is......Dash wasn't being completely honest with you. What you heard the first time around was correct, I am indeed Dash's marefriend."

I was devastated. "She......LIED TO ME!!!!!!" I was upset, and scared. "She CHEATED on YOU, with ME?!?!?! OH JEEZUMS!!!!!" I then became very angry. "Well then, if she wants to play both sides of the fence like that, the Caribou can KEEP her sorry ass! She really is a rainbow-freak!"

I was about to hang up, but then Spitfire interrupted. "WAIT, NO!!!! LEOPARD, IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!!!! PLEASE HEAR ME OUT!!!!"

I didn't listen, but before I could hang up, Aurora lightly bit my hand, preventing me from ending the call. Spitfire knew that she was going to have to talk fast.

"Dash and I kinda had a sort of, 'on and off' relationship. Sometimes we were close, sometimes we were apart. HOWEVER, then came the night Dash met you. I've never seen her as happy as she was with you. You two are PERFECT for each other!"

I went from being angry, back to being extremely confused. "Ok, so then why are you even telling me this?"

"Because 2 years ago, just before the war began, Dash and I were in an argument. Neither of us would back down, so we decided to race over it. I said that if Dash beat me, then I would be her personal pet. Dash, being the usual hothead she can be, decided to up the stakes. She said that if she won, then I would be the slave for her future coltfriend. I told her that she was insane, and the stakes kept rising, until finally it was decided that the winner would find a husband, and then share him with the loser, who would marry him too, and whoever won would be the head-mare in the relationship. We both even signed a contract in our own blood, so neither of us could back down from it if we lost. Long story short, we went for it, and Dash won by a hairsbreadth.

So now, this leaves us in the present. I take it from your reaction that Dash never told you about this at all. Most likely, she was saving it until the war ended, but I see the need to be fully honest with you, and tell you now. If you marry Dash, you get a combo-deal; you also get me as a wife as well. Two mares to be yours forever. And yes, we talked it over, and we both want foals of our own sometime down the line as well."

When Spitfire told me all of this, I was in such a state of shock that I literally fainted!

"Oh shit! DELCI!!!!"

"Yeah Aurora?"

"Find the Boss! Leopard may or may not have just had a heart attack!"

"Oh shit! ON IT!!!!" DELCI then immediately left to go find Don.

"Is....is he dead?! DID HE REALLY JUST HAVE A HEART ATTACK?!?!?!" Spitfire was terrified.

Aurora turned to look at her. "Eh, well, I'm not sure actually, as I’m a wolf, not a medic. Most likely though, he just fainted, but when you have a system like the one he has, it never hurts to err on the side of caution!"

A minute or so later, Don burst into the room, followed by two medics. "WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?!?!?!" He then saw me lying on the floor next to my chair. "WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?!?!?!?"

"Um, well, he was having a chat with Captain Spitfire about something relating to Dash, and then she dropped a bomb, and he just fell over! I'm not sure if he's just fainted, or actually did have a heart attack, but I'm a wolf, not a medic, so I had DELCI call you!"

The medics then turned to me, while Don turned to the screen. "Um, Captain Spitfire, I presume?"

She nodded. "Yes, and I'm terribly sorry about what just happened. I thought that he could handle what I had to talk to him about. Evidently not!"

"What....did you talk to him about?"

"Um.....well......" Spitfire then repeated what she told me. "......So that's where everything currently stands. I wanted to tell that to him, and I did, but then he flipped out, and may have just had a heart attack!"

When Spitfire said that, what happened to me could have easily happened to Don. He did manage to maintain consciousness, but only just. He slumped into my desk chair, wide-eyed, and was sweating a bit. He kept opening his mouth like he was going to say something, but he never did.

Eventually, one of the medics looked up. "Um, Captain Leopard will be ok. He never had a heart attack, but instead just passed out from extreme shock. He should be coming around here before too long....." The medic then noticed Don. "Um, are you alright Sir?"

Don was muttering incoherently. "Two mares for one stallion......that's a recipe for disaster!.......Huh? What? Did you say my name?"

"Um, yes. Are you feeling alright? You looked pretty pale a few moments ago."

Don nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just....um....was a little startled by something, is all. Anyway, how is Captain Leopard?"

"He's ok, just suffering from an extreme case of shock. Whatever happened just before we arrived caused him to pass out. Any idea what it was?"

Don nodded. "Yes, but it's a personal matter between Captain Leopard and Captain Spitfire. It's not up for discussion."

The medics shrugged. "Ok, sure." They then left my room, although Don stayed behind until I regained consciousness.

A few moments after this, I finally began to stir, as Aurora began to lick my face. "Huh.......what.....happened?" I then looked up at Aurora. "Oh, hey girl."

"I'm glad that you're ok Master. You sure gave us a real scare!"

I sat up. "Yeah, tell me about it! Just like the scare Spitfire gave me! Speaking of which, is that call still going?"

"Um, yes, I'm still here Leopard."

Just as I was climbing back into my chair, I noticed Don for the first time. "Oh, hey Don. I take it that you came here too?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I came as soon as I heard from DELCI, who heard it from Aurora that you'd apparently had a heart attack, or something. And when I asked Captain Spitfire about why that happened, the answer almost made me faint as well! Anyway, I'll be going now." He turned to leave.

"Ok Don, and have DELCI give me the alert when the drones come back."

"Ok, will do."

He left, and then I turned back to the screen. "Ok, now THAT took WAY longer than I expected it to. Anyway, where did we leave off? Oh yeah, what made me black out. Do any parents know about your little wager?"

"What do you think? Hell no! My mom would flip out, and if I had to guess, I'd say that Dash's parents would freak out too! But what about you? What would your parents think?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, my parents have been dead for years. However, if they were still here, they most likely wouldn't like it. And that's what I really don't understand. Why are you two still willing to go through with that? Plus, is polyamory even LEGAL in Equestria?"

"We signed a legal contract IN OUR OWN BLOOD! Foolish yes, but 100% iron-clad. If you wanted to marry Dash, then you would have to sign that contract as well, in which case you would also be able to have my hand in marriage as well. Also, yes, polyamory is legal, but it's extremely rare. In fact, I can't really even think of any cases of it off the top of my head, but I do know that it's legal, as Dash and I did some research after our little race."

I was still stunned. "I'm.....going to need some serious time to think about this. This isn't a decision that I can just make overnight. I know that Dash's parents wanted me to marry her, but beyond that, I would REALLY have to give this some thought! I don't know if I can live with 2 wives!"

Spitfire laughed a bit. "Sure, take all of the time you need! I know that this is a huge decision for you. I also know that I really don't know you too well, but I'm hoping that that could change once the war is over. I know that you, Dash and I could be really happy together."

I sighed. "Like I said, I'm going to need some serious time to think about this. This is a life-changing decision, so I definitely need time to think about it!"

"And like I said, take all of the time that you need. Well, it is getting late, and I have things to attend to, so I'll leave you to think for the time being. It was nice talking to you Leopard."

"Yeah, and it was nice talking to you too Spitfire. We'll have to do it again sometime. I'll also do the best I can to keep you updated on our progress."

She nodded. "Ok, that would be great. Talk to you later."

"Goodbye."

"Bye." The call then ended.

Once it was over, I looked over at Aurora. "Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into this time?"

She shrugged. "I don't know Master. It seems like you were caught in the crossfire of a dick-waving contest gone bad. I mean hell, if it got so bad that they signed a contract IN THEIR OWN BLOOD vowing to share a husband, how much crazier can it get than that?"

I shrugged. "Not too much crazier, I can tell you that!"

Aurora and I continued to talk about this for a while longer, until I got the word from DELCI that the drones were coming back.

Once they were both safely back on the train, I was summoned to a meeting in the PCC.

"So what did the drones find?" Don asked.

One of the pilots pointed to a map. "From what we could tell, our drones were never spotted. We flew maybe 100 miles into the Caribou Empire, and maybe 50 miles north, and another 50 miles south before we had to turn back. What we found was very unusual. There seems to be a mass exodus of slaves going on."

"What? A mass exodus of slaves?"

The pilot nodded. "Yes Sir. The Caribou appear to be evacuating them as we speak."

Don thought about that. "Most likely they know that an attack is coming, and they're trying to minimize casualties. Also, any ideas on a good point of entry?"

The pilot pointed to a narrow gorge. "Right here. 'Hell's Gate', as it's come to be called, is somewhat sparsely defended. The train line that runs through it seems to be abandoned, although we do believe that it may be rigged with mines. From there, the nearest town is Marrow, located here in the Eastern Quadrant. Population, maybe 300,000. The town seems to be a military industrial site."

Don nodded. "Good work boys. You've done us a great service by showing us what lies ahead. Thank you."

"You're welcome Sir."

Don then turned to the rest of us, including me and Shining. "Well, now we at least have a general idea of what lies ahead, now we need to send in a scouting force. They will see what's what, as well as disable any booby-traps that the enemy may have left for us. Then we hold here for maybe a day, and then at night, we attack, and see about taking Marrow."

We all agreed to this. "Sounds like a good plan to me Don. Will I be leading a scout force?"

Don shook his head. "Unfortunately, no Leopard, you won't. Due to your recently having been 'compromised', you will need to remain with the train until you can get it under control."

I knew what that meant. With Sombra still a part of me, I was unable to do my job, at least for the time being. I was upset, but I did respect Don's wishes. I knew that I was going to see action though, it was just a matter of where, and when.

Author's Note

Ok, that was Chapter 17. Hang on, from Chapter 18 onward, comes more battle scenes. Battles that will decide the fate of Equestria, once, and for all! Will we succeed in our mission in rescuing the hostages? When will the Caribou decide to call it quits? How will the battles play out, especially when we're dealing with airships, and even regular warships? How many will die?

Also, what about this new development with Spitfire? Will I marry Dash, AND her? What will their parents think about this? Will I actually be living with 2 wives? Well, you know the drill, 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 Chapter 18!

ScarFox out for now!

(Also, I'd like to hear what you guys think about this new development with Spitfire. This was something that flew back and forth in my head ever since I began to write this story. Sometimes I thought Yes, sometimes I thought No. What do you think? Could it work? Could Leopard, Dash, and Spitfire really create a family together, and if so, what could that look like?)