The next morning, we all woke up, hoping beyond hope that the previous night was nothing more than a horrific dream. Unfortunately though, we were all still naked, lying on old mattress protectors and covered in plastic tarps, and when we went back outside, there were nude mares and fillies, clothed Zebras, not a stallion in sight, and the ash from the burning of all clothes was still falling from the sky as well.

"Great, NOW what are we supposed to do?!" Frank had a hand over his face.

I called together a meeting of us all around our main card table once it had been set back up.

"Guys, last night marked a turning point in Equestrian history. If something isn't done, and done soon, Equestria as we know it, and the ENTIRE Pony Race will disappear forever! Right now, we are LITERALLY on the edge of a precipice, and we're the only things preventing complete and total collapse!"

Frank sighed. "Yeah, but what do we do about it Scar? I mean, it's just 6 retired US Marines, 5 mares, and a female Griffon. I mean sure, I WAS a medic, but to decipher this, what we need is a chemist!"

"We have a chemist, and we also have a nurse!"

I looked over at Rick. "Huh? What do you mean Rick?"

"Me and Amethyst! When I retired from the Marines, I got a degree in Chemistry, and taught it to high school students for a few semesters."

"And I was a nurse over at the local urgent care center, until it became WAY too sketchy!"

I nodded. "Ok, and that solves half of our problems, at least for now, but yet in the long run, we're gonna need a LOT more help, and a way to reverse the messes that the Zebras have caused!"

Evan looked at the floor. "Yeah, but how?!"

Roseluck sighed. "I don't know, all I know is plants and flowers. Though boy what I wouldn't give to have some carnivorous plants right now!

We all got a chuckle out of this. Then, an idea hit me. "Wait guys, I've got it! The Zebra Embassy in Canterlot! Remember, if it's Zebra, then it flows through there like all good things of the Earth flowing through Rapture! Somewhere in there are the labs where all of these chemicals were MADE in the first place! All we have to do is get in there, find those labs, and then clean the place out! We then bring everything back here, and turn it over to Rick and Amethyst!"

Rick looked up at me. "Yeah great plan Scar, but how are we supposed to go about it? This isn't a free world anymore!"

I sighed. "Well, when was it ever in recent memory?" I muttered. Out loud, I said, "Well, assuming that we can get our train out, and up and running, I'd say that we scrape together what protective gear that we can, and run her just to see what happens."

"And what will that do?" Frank asked me.

"For starters, it'll make sure that everything's still sound following the harrowing events of last night. Secondly, it'll also test the waters to see what we might be able to get away with. Plus, once we hit Canterlot, some of us could sneak over to the Embassy, and see what we can find!"

"And I take it that you're volunteering yourself for this Scar?"

"Well, I'm not sending you back in there Jon if that's what you're asking! But yes, I'll get in there, and so will Jake."

"Yeah.....no wait, what?! Why me?!"

"Because like me Jake, you're part Pegasus. We can fly over the walls, and land in the courtyard inside. Plus, look at it this way; with the stallions gone, and the females practically enslaved, why would they need security?"

Jake's eyes lit up. "They might be SLACKING!!! I like the way that you think Scar!"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, I get that a lot! In the meantime though, let's see what was left behind that we can work with."

We all then searched over the entire freight depot. To our disappointment though, aside from some leather aprons, leather gloves, and boots, we couldn't find any other clothes, or any fabric to make them out of. (Not that any of us even knew HOW to make clothes!)

"Well, for now at least, this'll be better than nothing. However, we'll still have to be VERY careful to watch out for sparks, as well as any other hot surfaces!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Frank agreed.

Then, once we were all sort-of dressed, we went out to look at our train in the engine house. Sure enough, she still looked to be intact, as did all of her coaches, and the freight cars as well.

"Well, this is a plus for a change!" Evan muttered.

"Yeah, at least they didn't damage the engine, or any of her cars!"

One thing still bothered me though, just as it bothered everypony else. WHY had we been left behind? If the Zebras KNEW that we were on to them, why didn't they just bump us off like they did to Gill? So far, we were still healthy as always, and aside from being stripped, we'd been largely left alone. It did NOT make any sense!

Soon though, the inspections were complete, and it was time to at least attempt to fire our Daylight up.

However, before we could get very far, we were stopped by a group of Zebras that were led by Zed and Cadence!

Zed spoke first. "Ok then, are you all the employees of the 'Daylight Freight and Shipping Company'?"

I nodded. "Yes, what do you want?"

Now it was Cadence's turn to speak. "What we want are your services. Due to the EXTREME shortage of a labor force, and the Zebras still recovering from the strain of dealing with all of the sick stallions and contaminated items, we are in desperate need of your services!"

"Brainwashed, filthy slut!" I thought. Out loud, I said, "What does that mean? Does that mean that we'll make money?"

"Oh yes! You'll make money, AND you'll have a near total monopoly on the rail business, at least until we can bounce back from this terrible crisis!"

("'Crisis', my ass!") "Well Princess Cadence, we WANT to help you, but the truth is, we are unable to at the current moment. We have enough people yes, but what we lack is clothing. We CANNOT work around a steam engine naked, and these leather aprons ain't gonna cut it!"

Zed then spoke up. "I would be more than happy to provide you with what you need, provided of course that you work with us to help get our transportation services back up and running. We're REALLY hard pressed right now to do so, and ANY help that you could give us would be GREATLY appreciated!"

I didn't know what to do. I was the boss, so it was my call, and I KNEW that there was a string attached somewhere, but yet, if we were working WITH the Zebras, there was a chance that we could make more of them "disappear"! Plus, we also might not be monitored very closely, so there might even be a chance to rebel!

I then looked back up at them . "Well, just let us do a maintenance run with the train so that we can be CERTAIN that everything is still sound, and then we can discuss the terms of working together."

To my surprise, Zed actually let us do that. "Ok, but please be back by sunset!" The Zebras then backed off, and let us do our work.

Sure enough, like always, our old girl fired right up, no coaxing required! Jake and Evan did have to keep dodging flying sparks, but we really didn't experience any problems. Once the engine was all ready to go, Jon coupled it to the line of coaches, and secured the air hoses. We all then boarded the train, as none of the mares or Gilda wanted to be left behind at the freight depot, and prepared for whatever would lie ahead.

Then slowly, with myself at the controls, I began to move the train away from the depot. We were all still literally holding our breath at this point. There were a number of Zebras about, but yet none of them made any moves to stop us. Some looked up as we passed, but they didn't do anything about it. We didn't know where we were going, but yet I knew that we had to make good time to get there.

Once we were out on the open line, we looked back at the Crystal Empire getting smaller and smaller behind us. Rick also turned on the radio, and we learned that it wasn't just the Crystal Empire that got what happened last night, but almost EVERY city, town and settlement in Equestria did! The lone exceptions were Appaloosa, Dodge City and Trottingham. The news broadcast failed to say why this was so, but it DID say that the Zebras would now be filling in stallion roles as guards, doctors, all other positions of power and authority, and basically all other stallion jobs outside of cooking and manual labor.

"Hmm, no surprises there." Rick muttered. "But yet, I think that I know where we have to go. Scar?"

"Yeah Rick?"

"Take us to Appaloosa. I'd like to see what's going on down there."

"Right." I then kept the train moving in that direction.

As we got closer, I began to think of possible explanations for why those towns survived. My working theory was that they took up arms and fought back. Earth Ponies could be EXTREMELY racist, and I knew that they might not have been so trusting of the Zebras. I'd heard that a few settlements had done EVERYTHING in their power to keep the Zebras out, so what if those 3 towns were those few who'd resisted?

A few hours later, we were suddenly ambushed about 20 miles outside of Appaloosa! Those who attacked us appeared to be Ponies, and I didn't see a single Zebra among them. I brought the train to a stop, and we all surrendered.

"All of Y'all! Git down off that train right now!!! A stallion with yellow fur, a dark blond mane and tail, dressed like a cowboy ordered.

"Wait, YOU'RE A STALLION?!?!" we were all shocked! "But we thought that you all got rounded up!"

The stallion scoffed. "Rounded up? Puh-LEAZE!!!! Where have you all been living for the past few days?"

"The Daylight Freight and Shipping Company freight depot, in the Crystal Empire."

The stallion who was leading the group who ambushed us looked us all over. The train was also searched, and nopony else was found.

"Wait, you're those Humans who run that private freight company! What are y'all doing out here?!"

Rick spoke up. "We heard that Appaloosa still stood, and we came to find out why. We HATE the Zebras, and EVERYTHING that they've done! And who even are you anyway?"

The stallion smiled a bit. "My name is Braeburn, and let me be the first to welcome y'all to AAAAAAPPALOOSA!!!!!"

We all looked at each other, and then back at Braeburn. I then spoke up. "Ok, I see that we have a LOT to talk about! Is there somewhere that we can go to compare notes?"

"Sure! We can go back onto yer train if you want."

We all agreed to this, and while some of the others stayed behind to stand guard over our train, Braeburn and a few others joined us on the train.

"So, my first question is, how did you Ponies not get sick? I thought that all stallions were getting sick with that.....what's it virus!"

Braeburn laughed. "Heh! Not us! Appaloosa has it's own secret filtration system! Once we started getting you all's reports of contaminated water, we were taking NO chances! We also all armed ourselves, and began to build fortifications. Also allied with us are the local Buffalo under Chief Thunderhooves, and together, us, as well as the good folks over at Dodge City, plus the guys up in Trottingham, all banded together to fight the Zebras!"

I nodded. "Wow. I'm surprised that our messages even got this far! I could have sworn that we were being blocked!"

"Nope, we heard y'all loud and clear! It was thanks to you that we were able to avoid this 'virus' whatchamacallit!"

"And, how did you all fare overall?"

Braeburn then showed us all pictures of the many Zebras that had been killed. "Sure, we lost a few of our own, but for each one we lost, they lost at LEAST 50! Plus, we're a tiny little desert town in the middle of nowhere! They don't have the kind of resources that they need to deal with us, Dodge City, Trottingham, and anypony else who wants to rebel as well! They're too busy enslaving the population! Over the past few weeks though, a number of ACTUAL refugees, PONY refugees, both mares and stallions, not to mention colts and fillies, came fleeing here for safety from the Zebra onslaught. All were heavily vetted of course, but they've been a great help for our cause!"

In my head, one of the craziest plans of all time was formulating. It was a plan so INSANE, that only a Human could think it up! However, I had to know one last thing first. "Braeburn, have any of your people figured out how to cure this virus?"

Braeburn shrugged. "We've been trying, and although we HAVE been able to create preventative measures, we've as of yet been unable to cure the virus itself. We also know where they're holding all of the stallions if y'all want to know that."

I nodded slowly. "Well then, what if I told you that we too hate the Zebras and what they stand for? What if I told you that we were not only willing and able to fight back, but we also have ways to move about Equestria unnoticed, and we EVEN have a plan to infiltrate the Zebra Embassy in Canterlot?"

When I said that, Braeburn and his group froze. I could see the anger in their faces. "That.....FAUST-FORSAKEN PLACE, has been our target since day 1!!!! In there are the answers that we so desperately seek to bring down the Zebras, but yet we haven't been able to get inside!"

Jon looked up. "I got in there once. Just barely made it out of there alive, but I did make it in!"

"And we now have a plan on how to infiltrate the Embassy, find the labs where they brew their potions, and then bring whatever we can back so that it can be worked on. We're drawing up plans for the liberation of the Crystal Empire, but what we need are allies!"

"Y'all got guns?"

I smirked. "We've got guns, ammo, and even an armored vehicle! We also have our train, are immune to the Zebra's junk, AND we know how to break into the Zebra Embassy! And do you all have the manpower?"

Now it was Braeburn's turn to smirk. "Oh yes! You guys get us the supplies, and we'll keep building up our forces. And if you can get us the virus, I KNOW that we can try to backwards-work-it to see how to cure it!"

"Ok, so here's how it's gonna work. We hit the Embassy, steal what we can, and then get it back to you. Then, you work to reverse-engineer it, and find a cure. Next, we see about locating some of those quarantine camps, and 'spreading our cure' shall we say! Then, with more forces to help us, we focus first on the Crystal Empire, and then use it as a base to liberate the rest of Equestria!"

Braeburn smirked darkly at me. "And then those bastards PAY for what they tried to do to us!" He then held out his hand. "So, are we in this together?"

I held out mine. "Once a soldier, ALWAYS a soldier! Equestria is our adoptive home, and now it's in trouble! God sent us here for a reason, and now, I see that that reason may very well be saving the Ponies from extinction! We're in this til the end of the line!"

"For Equestria!"

"For Equestria!"

We then shook on it, and began to draw up our first battle plans, which were the ones for the infiltration of the Zebra Embassy. We also did have to be back in the Crystal Empire by sundown, but yet we DID promise to swing back by every now again to deliver some Zebras to be slaughtered!

"We'll be back as soon as we're done with the Embassy! Just keep listening to the radio; you'll DEFINITELY hear about it when it happens!"

"Ok, we will! And when will the attack happen?"

"It'll take us a few days more to prepare, and scope the place out, but we should be done by the end of the week."

We then exchanged information for using encrypted radio frequencies, so that we would be able to communicate without being overheard.

We all then got our train ready, and after leaving Appaloosa behind, we returned from whence we came, ready to start a new chapter in the war against the Zebras!

2 nights after this, at about Midnight, Jake and I, covered in white paint overlaid with black stripes, and wearing Zebra clothes that we managed to steal from a clothesline in Ponyville, found ourselves outside of the wall surrounding the Zebra Embassy.

"So how do we do this?" Jake signaled me.

"Simple. They won't just open the front gates, so we'll just fly over this wall, and land on the other side!"

"Yeah, but then what? How do we get inside?"

"Look for an open window. THAT should do the trick! And if not a window, then an unlocked door. And if not that, we have the tools to break a window, or cut a lock."

"Ok." We both then looked around to make sure nopony was watching, and once we were sure that the coast was clear, we both spread our wings, and flew over the wall, before landing inside of the Embassy compound.

To our surprise, there was no security anywhere, but yet shouldn't that have been expected? I was also able to locate an unlocked side door, and we slipped inside.

"Oh God, what's that smell?!"

I wrinkled my nose as well. "Smells like piss, jizz, sweat, and probably a HELL of a lot of drugs!" However, these smells were barely even scratching the surface. That entire embassy was nothing more than a house of horrors! Also, even though we were sort of looking like Zebras with our black and white paint, as well as our clothes, if ANYONE were to look too close, they would see that we were fakes! Plus, what kind of Zebras have wings?

The interior of the Embassy was almost built like a maze. There were no maps anywhere, and surprisingly very little Zebra activity.

"Where did they all go?" Jake asked quietly.

"Well, why stay cooped up in here when you can just live out there, all while making up your own rules as you go along?"

"Eh, good point. But still, you'd think that this place would at least be SOMEWHAT guarded!"

"Well, think about it Jake. All of the males are sick and in camps, or in Appaloosa, Dodge City, and Trottingham, and all of the females are slutty slaves. Why bother guarding something that doesn't need to be guarded anymore?"

"I can see your point Scar, but still, this is still so weird. But where is that chemical lab?!"

"Look for pipes. Pipes have to be what carries the chemicals to the water supply. If we can find pipes, then we might be able to trace them back to their source!"

We both started looking for pipes, but all we could find were electrical lines. We did spot a few water mains, but yet they didn't have any water flowing through them. Suddenly though, Jake spotted a pipe that had pressure in it. The label said, "To the Ponies."

"This has got to be it!"

"Yeah! Now all we have to do is trace the pipe back to it's source, which, judging by the sounds of the water flowing, is this way!" I then led the way down what appeared to be a maintenance hallway.

We followed the pipe, which seemed to be leading towards a basement. As we continued to follow the pipe, in rooms to our left and right, we saw things that almost made us wretch. There were Zebra males and mares engaged in orgies, mares pleasuring mares, mares getting plowed by Zebras, mares being given more potions by the Zebras, the works.

"Just don't look Jake!" I whispered to him. "What is seen CANNOT be unseen, so don't see!"

"I'm trying not too, but yet I HAVE to see!" I then saw him taking pictures with a small camera that he'd brought with him to document our journey. "We HAVE to have evidence that we can use later, both for propaganda, AND for war trials!"

I looked at him like he was crazy. "War trials?! Oh, there won't BE any war trials Jake! The Zebras have sealed their own fate for what they've done, and they're ALL in on it, so they'll ALL fry!"

"Yeah, but what if they're not all in on it? What if there's some who are being forced to do this?"

I thought about that. "Well, then they'd have to be female, they'd have to be able to prove their story, AND they'd have to be cute!"

Jake laughed. "What, is Gilda not enough for you now?"

I gave him a look. "Now when did I ever say..........OOPH!!" Suddenly, just as we rounded a corner, we smacked into 2 Zebras! Our reactions were almost instantaneous. Before the Zebras even had a chance to recover, we had them pinned to the floor, only to discover that they were females!

"Wait, these are Zebra FEMALES?!?!?!"

"Yeah!" One of them spat while trying to wriggle out from under me. "And if you boys wanted some 'fun', all you had to do was ASK!!!"

I then got a better look at the one under me. She was a female Zebra, with a striped mane that hung to her shoulders, and also partially covered one of her eyes, which were blue. She was also curvy, rather pudgy, and was wearing only a loincloth, and another piece of cloth covering her breasts, which were a Double E's at LEAST!

"Now then, who are you two?" I asked them.

"I'm Zuri", the one under me answered, "And that's my sister, Zena." It was then that Zuri got a better look at me. "Wait, you're not Zebras! You're....!!!!"

I then slammed a hand over her mouth, and put the blade of the knife that I was carrying up to her throat! "Yeah, that's right, I'm a HUMAN!!!!! And you're dead if you scream!"

To my surprise though, Zuri made no attempts to fight. She kept trying to talk through my hand, but she never really tried to fight me. (I think that most of this was to to her being all pudgy and curvy, and no muscles, but who knows!)

"Ok, I'm gonna remove my hand from your mouth, but if you scream, you're still dead!" I then removed my hand, but kept my knife blade on her jugular. "Now then, what were you trying to tell me?"

"I was trying to say that if you're with the Appaloosa Resistance, to PLEASE take us away from here! My sister and I do NOT want to live here anymore! They promised us a new home where we'd live with the Ponies on equal ground, but they LIED!!!! Now this country is turning into a shithole, just like the shithole that we came from!"

"Yeah!" Zena agreed. "And if you want to know where the chemical room is, it's at the end of this hallway."

"And HOW do we cure the virus?! Better yet, what IS the virus?!"

"Well, like you probably already know, it's spread through the water supply. As for what it is, it's a mixture of 2 aggravated flu strains. One strain is aggravated influenza, while the other is aggravated stomach flu. Combined, THIS is how there were so many symptoms for those who fell ill!"

"So it's NOT fatal, I KNEW IT!!!! But yet, why are the Zebras and mares immune?"

Zuri shrugged. "I don't know. Something was either altered, or added to it. Beyond this though, I know nothing. We didn't make it, my sister and I only helped spread it, and even then, NOT by choice!"

"Just get us to the room, help us gather a few things, and we'll help you escape. HOWEVER, if EITHER of you try ANYTHING, you're BOTH gonna meet your Maker tonight!"

Both of them nodded slowly, and after we let them up again, I held Zuri's hand, while Jake held Zena's. We all then walked towards the door at the end of the hallway.

Even before we reached it, I could already tell that the room REEKED of chemicals! Finding the door to be unlocked, Jake opened it, and we went inside.

"Jeez Louise! What in the hell is this place?! Does f@#king Walter White work here?!"

I was equally shocked. The entire room looked like a cross between a mad scientist's lab, Walter White's meth lab, and a high school chemistry lab! All over the place were tables, beakers, bottles, jars, hoses, other lab equipment, and of course, LOTS of chemicals! They were everywhere! All over the place were barrels, drums, bottles, containers, and other jars full of liquids that were all colors of the rainbow!

"Ok, I'm calling this in!" I grabbed my small handheld radio. "Rick, Rick! Are you there?"

"Here Scar! What's going on?"

"Well, long story short, we've successfully infiltrated the Embassy, and we've found their primary lab for manufacturing the drugs, potions, and the virus! We're securing samples right now, and Jake's also gathering together a LOT of files on this whole ordeal!"

"Any idea on what the virus is?"

"Well, like we've seen before, it's spread through the water. It's also a mixture of 2 aggravated strains of the flu. One strain is regular influenza, but it's also mixed with the stomach flu as well. Also, according to the records, the reason that the Zebras are immune is because they mixed in some substance they call 'Bornia'. God knows what that is! This 'Bornia' substance also makes the mares immune, and it works by..........gosh. I'm NOT a scientist, and I do not know what HALF of these HUGE words even mean! Something about chromosomes, DNA, and cells. The rest of it's Greek!"

"Well, just get everything that you can back here, and we'll see what we can do with it. Also, PLEASE start a little fire in there, as we HAVE to start crippling the Zebras!"

I then thought about the mares in the levels above us. However, this area was sealed off from the rest of the facility, so there was a chance that those areas would survive long enough to be evacuated. "Ok, we'll do that Rick. Also, we've managed to shut off the chemical flow to the water, so now once the water supply gets replenished, it'll be clean. Also, we'll knock out the pipes that the chemicals connect to, so that they will NOT be able to do this again!"

"Do it boys! Do it, get the evidence, get what we need to cure this thing, and then get out of there!"

"Roger that!" I then hung up the radio.

Jake and I then grabbed literally everything that we could, and all chemical vials/containers were stored in a special padded packing case. All other documents, files, charts, and drawings were placed in another case.

"You got it all Jake?"

"Yeah, I got what I could grab."

"Ok, good. And now that everything's all loaded up, we get it out of here!"

"Right!" He then began dumping various chemicals around the room.

I joined him, and we broke beakers full of who knows what, tore hoses loose, and dumped chemicals EVERYWHERE!

"Ok, now we just have to pray that this whole place doesn't just spontaneously combust before we get out of here!"

"Yeah, no kidding!"

Jake then gestured to Zuri and Zena. "And what are we gonna do with them? Because if it were up to me I'd say we knock em out, and leave them here to burn! That way it'll look like a genuine accident!"

I shook my head. "Good suggestion, but no. Today we're gonna knock them out, and take them with us."

Jake looked at me like I was crazy. "What?! Are you insane?!"

"No! As my Grandpa Thomas would say, 'What better teacher than the object at hand?'"

"Yeah, but what the heck does that even mean?"

I shrugged. "I dunno, but he said it a lot, and it sure sounds cool. Also, it kinda fits! We take them, hand them over to the Appaloosa Resistance, and maybe they can also figure out just HOW the Zebras are immune to the virus, and then repeat the process for the other stallions."

Jake grumbled a bit. "Ugh, fine!" He then turned to the Zebra sisters. "Lights out!" He then bonked them both on the head with a piece of metal pipe. Both girls immediately fell down unconscious.

I then carried Zuri on my back, while Jake carried Zena. Between us, we were also carrying all of the goodies that we came there for. On the way back out, I jacked with a power box, knowing that enough sparks would be enough to light up the lab, and hopefully cause an explosion. Also, for added effects, I killed 2 Zebra males by breaking their necks, and dragged them to the lab, as well as giving them lab coats. Now the lab would explode, and it would either look like an accident, or internal sabotage.

We then just retraced our steps, and went back out the way that we came. Once again, we never met with a single Zebra, and once we were back outside, we were able to just fly back over the wall again. However, seconds after we hit the ground, there came a MASSIVE explosion behind us! The force of the explosion knocked us off our feet, and we hit the pavement, dropping not only our Zebra prisoners, but our vital information as well!

"WHOA!!!!!!" I then looked behind us, and I saw a MASSIVE plume of fire and smoke rising up from the building! The back end of it was seemingly engulfed in flames, and flames were visible elsewhere as well.

"WOWEEE!!!! That was AWESOME!!!!"

I nodded. "Yeah, it was!" Suddenly though, we began to hear the sounds of sirens, as well as Ponies and Zebras trying to escape the embassy. "However, we MIGHT want to fall back, unless of course you want to get caught!"

"Right behind you Scar!" We both then grabbed everything, before retreating back into the shadows of Canterlot. After we made our way to the railway station, the Daylight picked us up, and we were on our way to Appaloosa to make the drop off.

"Well done boys!" Rick congratulated us, "But yet, if 2 of you went in there, why did 4 come out?"

I wiped some of the paint off my face. "We bumped into them, and Jake was going to kill them, but yet they just MIGHT be able to help us with bridging the gap between stallions and Zebras, and the 'immunity factor'."

"So, basically you took them because you bumped into them, and didn't want to kill them because you saw them as potential study subjects? Sure, I'll buy that answer, (not!) but PLEASE tell me that you checked them all over for tracking devices, cameras, and microphones!"

I nodded. "Yeah, I gave both of them a VERY thorough exam in the nearest bathroom stall, and I must say that they were both quite clean!"

"YOU WHAT DWEEB?!?!?!?!" Gilda lunged at me.

"No, no no!!!!! It was a JOKE!!!!! I was JOKING!!!!! GILDA CALM DOWN!!!!" I was trying to restrain her. "I did NOT have sex with them!"

Gilda then actually sniffed me, and sure enough I was indeed telling the truth. "Ok, fine, I believe you Dweeb. Just don't EVER do that again!"

I gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "You got it Babe."

Then, while Jake and I used the makeshift showers on the train to wash the rest of the black and white paint off of ourselves, the train continued on its journey to Appaloosa.

At almost 3am, we finally arrived there. Once again, Braeburn and his posse were there to meet us.

"Well, good evening Partners! Glad that you made it back! Did you bring us some goodies?"

I nodded. "Yep. We were able to secure a large amount of chemicals and potions, as well as documents, files, charts, and other details written on paper. We were even able to capture 2 Zebra prisoners, HOWEVER, they are NOT to be tortured! They were forced to help distribute the virus, and they now want to make things right again. And yes, they are clean, so you're covered there!"

Braeburn was surprised. "Whoa! You brought us all of that?! Well then, I must say, great job! Your contributions will be MORE than helpful in the long run!"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, and then come Winter, or even Fall, we can hopefully start planning on that liberation mission to the closest quarantine facility. I mean just think; we come up with the cure, and that's quite the fighting force of REALLY pissed off stallions!"

Braeburn nodded. "Oh you got that right Scar! Now you all skedaddle on back to your freight depot, and we'll be in touch. I'll let you know as soon as the chemists and medical staff that we have in town find anything."

"Ok, and thank you Braeburn! What we're doing may seem small now, but just wait! In the near future, we'll hopefully be making a REAL difference in the war!"

Before Braeburn could answer, another stallion came running up to him. "Brae! You should have just heard the radio! The casualty and damage reports are in for the attack on the Zebra Embassy!"

"Oh? And how bad is the damage?"

"Well, so far, 23 Zebras are confirmed dead, 79 are injured, and a further 33 are missing. No Pony fatalities were reported, and damages are in the tens of millions of bits! Cause of the damage was an explosion in the primary medical lab, believed to be the result of Zebra error, although sabotage hasn't been ruled out yet!"

We were all surprised. We had to clear out fast after the building blew, so we weren't able to stick around to see what had happened afterwards.

Braeburn was REALLY happy! "Boy HOWDY!!!! Great work you guys! And most of the time those casualty figures are under-reported! They could actually be much higher than that!"

Rick then turned to Jake and I. "Wow guys, for our first strike, that was pretty good! You got in, got the information, got out, the building blew, and we delivered it out here to the Appaloosa Resistance!"

I nodded, but then I sighed. "Yeah, but I'm going to feel a WHOLE lot better once we start liberating those camps. I mean, my friends are in there; heck, ALL of our other guy friends are most likely in there!" I then turned to Braeburn. "Any ideas on how many of those 'quarantine camps' there are Braeburn?"

"Well, according to the latest figures, there's 4 of them, or at least there were. There's only 3 now, as we took out the poorly constructed one close to here. One is in the Hayseed Swamps close to Baltimare, another is in the Palomino Desert over by Las Pegasus, and the biggest camp is in the Smoky Mountains. That camp, 'Central Camp' as it's come to be known, is the largest, and has the largest number of stallions in quarantine."

I nodded slowly. "So all we would have to do would be to find a cure, mass produce it, and then sneak into the camp, see how many Zebras we can take down, and how many stallions we can cure, before we bring in our main forces, and liberate the camp."

Braeburn scratched his head a bit. "Eh, well we MIGHT want to do some scouting work first, but yeah, that sounds like a good plan, at least for now. However, it IS getting late, and you all should probably be getting back before you're missed!"

I nodded. "Yeah, you're right Braeburn, and good luck with finding a cure!"

"Thanks! Our chemists are the best still in the business, and we DO have a lot more information, and even actual samples now thanks to your raid, so we should be able to come up with something before too long!"

"And then we can continue planning from there!"

We all then said goodbye, before getting back onto the train, and heading back to the Crystal Empire.

The next few days passed about as normally as they could. We STILL weren't provided with the new clothes that we were promised, and I was getting SO SICK of hearing, "They'll be done soon! These things take time!" from Zed and Cadence, while at the same time, Cadence and the other Princesses were getting ENTIRELY new wardrobes made just for them!

"It's EXTREMELY dangerous to work in the engine's cab without adequate clothing!" I kept telling Cadence.

"Take it up with my husband Zed, that's his field!" (One time, I made the mistake of telling her that her husband was Shining Armor. Still to this day, I bear the scars from where she slashed me with a shaving razor that one time!)

I sighed. "Sure, fine, whatever. It's not like I NEED my skin and fur, or anything!"

It was a strange new world under the Zebras. Mares almost always went nude, while we were noticing that more and more of the Zebras seemed to be fully clothed.

"I don't get it guys. They can afford to clothe themselves and their slaves in record time, but yet at the same time, they somehow CAN'T afford to give us even basic protective clothing?!"

Gilda looked up from her food. "Yeah, I know what you mean Babe. This whole ordeal is getting out of hand!"

Very few of us ever ventured outside of the depot anymore. It was also a pretty dismal life under the Zebras. There was no laughter, no happy smiling, no warmth of friends, no fun activities, very little actual working at jobs, and no love. While the world was done burning, whatever was left was still threatening to come apart at the seams. I knew that it was only a matter of time before something serious happened, or somebody lost their mind and started invading ANOTHER country!

"This can only go on for so long" I thought. "It's reaching its breaking point, and soon, something's gonna snap!" And snap it would.

Then, on September 18th, 2024, nearly a month after the Night of Fear, we received a short and simple message from our good friends in Appaloosa.

"Found cure for flu strain! Works in less than 5 minutes! Beginning mass-production! Also found full vaccine! Also working on cures for reversing potion effects on mares!"

We sent back a reply. "Good work guys! That brings us one step closer to bringing down the Zebras! Give us 3 more days to close up shop here, and we'll be there!"

"Good. We'll be waiting!"

The plan we came up with to escape was a very simple one. We would load up everything that we were going to need onto the train, before taking the train along a southern route. Then, we were going to be hit by a dust storm, and while we stopped until visibility cleared, we would get captured by a band of resistance fighters, and our whereabouts would be unknown.

On that final night before we left the Crystal Empire for the last time, we all were able to actually get dressed! Hidden underneath the freight depot was that bunker that we'd built, believed to be capable of surviving a nuclear strike. Inside of that bunker we'd stashed all of our uniforms, and military hardware that we'd brought with us unintentionally.

All 6 of us guys pulled on our old Marine uniforms, while our marefriends and Gilda got several spare uniforms. They didn't quite fit them, but it was better than nothing. Also onto the train we put our armored vehicle, as well as enough weapons and ammunition to equip a small army! We had rifles, pistols, shotguns, mortar launchers, machine guns, RPG launchers, bazookas, grenades, and even a few field artillery pieces as well, in addition to knives, shovels, and other garden tools that we'd scrounged up to serve as melee weapons. I also grabbed the fire ax that I'd taken from the Crystal Castle on the Night of Fear. We then coupled the Daylight to not only her passenger cars, but her freight cars as well. Then, at about 4am, we pulled out.

Nopony noticed our departure, and by sunrise, we would be in Appaloosa, and beyond the enemy's reach forever.

When we arrived in Appaloosa, as always, Braeburn and his posse were there to meet us. "Howdy everypony, welcome back!"

"Hey Braeburn! We'll, we're here, and we've got some more goodies for you too!"

"Oh? And what do you have for us this time?"

I smirked a bit. "Well, we've got some rifles, pistols, shotguns, mortar launchers, grenades, grenade launchers, machine guns, bazookas, an armored vehicle, a few artillery pieces, and enough ammunition to equip a small army!"

When Braeburn heard that, his jaw hit the ground! "What?! Where did y'all get all of that?!"

I smirked. "Well, we had it all with us when we came here, though we kept it hidden until we needed it. However, I think that we need it now!"

"I'll say so! We've been running low on ammunition, so anything that you have will be a good asset!"

Rick then spoke up. "And what about the cure for the virus, as well as the vaccine? How much do you have of that?"

Braeburn smiled. "Well, thanks to our Unicorns, and their being able to use duplication spells, we've been able to manufacture enough of both to cure all of Equestria!"

I then thought of something. "Oh, and what happened to the 2 Zebra mares that we handed over to you? They had BETTER still be alive!"

"And they are. They helped us develop the vaccine, although currently they're sitting in their cell in the Appaloosa jail."

I nodded. "Ok, well, I'm going to go see them, and then we can develop a plan for what to do next. I have an idea, but I want to run it by all of you first."

"Sure thing Pardner!"

I then left for the Appaloosa jail, while the rest of the gang, as well as some of the folks of Appaloosa, began to unload some of our ammunition from the train.

When I arrived at the Appaloosa jail, Sheriff Silver Star let me back to see the prisoners. I saw that they were still wearing their tribal clothing, and that they looked about the same as when I last saw them. Zena appeared to be sleeping, while Zuri was reading a Natural Geographic magazine.

"Knock knock, you both have a visitor!"

Zuri looked up at me. "Oh. I'm surprised to see you again. I'd begun to think that you were never coming back."

"Well, I'm here, and I've come to see you."

"And any chance of us getting out of here anytime soon?"

I shook my head. "Unfortunately, no. Here is where you'll remain until we've retaken the Crystal Empire, and I'm still pretty sure that you'll remain here until the end of the upcoming war. Continue to cooperate though, and you MIGHT be able to avoid a war trial."

Zuri sighed. "Well, we've BEEN cooperating, even though we've not been treated the best. I've had dreams about Humanity and their methods of warfare, and I can tell you that I do NOT want to die, and nor do I want my sister dead either!"

I then reached my hand through one of the bars, and Zuri held it gently. "Well, if you continue to cooperate, I'll do what I can to ensure that you and Zena remain here in Equestria under Jake and I's protection. The truth is, we don't want you guys to have to die either. You helped the Appaloosa Resistance create their vaccine to the virus, and you DID allow us to cause a terrorist attack on the Zebra Embassy, so once it's all over, I'll see what I can do. I have to go now, but I'll be back later."

I then turned to leave, but then Zuri stopped me one last time. "Wait. Can I at least get one kiss for my efforts for the Equestrian cause?"

I blinked a few times just to make sure that I heard her correctly. "Did......did you ask for a kiss?"

Zuri nodded. "Yes. I want one for my efforts to the Equestrian cause."

I glanced behind me, but then I looked back at Zuri. I sighed. "I......I can't do that Zuri."

She looked at me in surprise. "Huh? What do you mean that you can't?"

"I can't, because I'm already spoken for. My girlfriend, a Griffon named Gilda, wouldn't be very happy with me if I cheated on her, so that's why I can't kiss you Zuri. Does that make sense?"

I saw her blink, but she did nod. "Yeah.......I understand, Scar was it?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, if you're already spoken for, can I maybe get a kiss on the forehead? For luck."

I did have to run to ask Gilda, but I came back a few minutes later. "Yeah, I can do that Zuri. Gilda said that I could." She then leaned close to the bars, and I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Wow", Zuri whispered after I was done, "You're actually a pretty good kisser Scar. For the forehead anyway."

I blushed a bit. "Thanks Zuri."

She then looked at me. And......can I give you a kiss on the forehead? For luck?"

I nodded, and then leaned in. "Thanks Zuri."

"You're welcome Scar. And now that I think about it, I'm glad that I didn't kiss you normally. I........eh.......nah. I won't bother you with it. Let's just say that I have eyes for another too."

I was a bit surprised. "Oh, really? Well then, I guess that I'm glad that I didn't either." I then looked at my watch. "In the meantime though, thank you for the kiss, and I'll be back to see you as soon as I can."

"Ok, and you're welcome! Bye for now Scar."

"Bye Zuri." I then left to head back to the rest of the guys.

Once we were all together, we gathered around a table with maps on it. I then laid out my full plan for attack. "Ok people and Ponies, as well as Gilda, and any other non-Pony creatures here too, here's the deal. Priority Number 1 is liberating the main quarantine camp in the Smoky Mountains. Once we've done that, as well as curing the stallions within, we'll have even MORE of an army! From our Intel, most of the Royal Guards, as well as the Crystal Empire Guard are locked up there, and with their help, we'll have a better shot at winning. Our next target will be the Crystal Empire, and after this, the REAL part of my plan begins!"

"Which is what?" Rick asked.

I sighed. "Well, the truth of the matter is guys, I really don't want to kill all of the Zebras. And BEFORE you try to lynch me, let me explain myself! If you look at it, all we have to do is free my good friend Shining Armor before we're really in business. Since the rest of the princesses have become corrupted, ruling falls to the next highest authority, which is him. With his help, after we've taken back the Crystal Empire, and have a fortress city to work with, THEN we can actually declare war on the Zebras! We have to go through the proper channels for this.

Then, using the Crystal Empire as a base, plus your original base in Appaloosa, not to mention Dodge City and Trottingham, we begin our campaign to liberate the rest of Equestria. We strike hard and fast, and keep the pressure on them at all times! Eventually, we'll wear them down enough to the point where they can no longer fight, and after we force them to surrender, we put them back onto the ships that they came on, and we send them BACK to the hellhole that they came from!"

Jake looked up at me. "Yeah, great plan genius, but if we just send them back to where they came from, what's stopping them from coming back later?"

I smirked. "THAT'S the fun part! Thanks to the maps that you and I stole from the Embassy, we now know EXACTLY where Zebrica is, as well as EXACTLY where to hit if the Zebras EVER show their faces in our neighborhood again!"

Everypony else looked first at each other, and then back at me. Sure, maybe I had only been a captain in the Marines, but I did seem to have at least somewhat of a good head for strategy, and battle plans.

Rick nodded slowly. "Yes, this could actually work! With God with us, and our allies helping, we might actually be able to pull this off!"

We all then began to talk about which strategy to use for our liberation of the main camp in the Smoky Mountains.

The next morning, the Sun rose up over Equestria as it always did. However this time, it signaled a new dawn. The Zebras's days of controlling Equestria were coming to an end, and they didn't even know it yet.

Zed looked out over the Crystal Empire from the balcony of what used to be Cadence and Shining Armor's room, but now was his and Cadence's. For some reason, he felt troubled. He felt like something was coming, and that it had ill intentions.

To his dismay, the intruder who had illegally entered the Castle on the night the Zebras finished consolidating their power in Equestria, ("Night of Fear") was never caught, nor was he ever even identified. The intruder also stole a fire ax from a box on the wall.

"And then to make matters worse, our new train, and its Human crew get delayed due to a dust storm, and THEN they get captured by those....FILTH!!!!!"

Cadence looked over from her bed. "And we'll get them back soon enough. We just have to figure out how to get around Appaloosa's defenses."

"I don't give a flying shit about the crew, as they were expendable anyway, but that train was INVALUABLE to us!"

"Wait, so THAT'S why you left those Human males alive? You needed an expendable labor force?"

Zed nodded. "Precisely! Whether they live or die is irrelevant; just so long as they're able to work, then we'll keep them around, assuming that we get them back from the resistance groups of course!"

Cadence just rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm SURE that you'll think of something Zed. You always seem to know JUST what to do to get rid of Ponies who stand in the Zebras's way!"

Zed smirked. "Oh, you KNOW it Baby!" He then climbed back into bed with Cadence, little knowing that he had less than 72 hours until his new kingdom was about to get taken for a ride on the Pain Train!

Author's Note

And, that was Chapter 2. So now the Ponies have the cure for the virus (again), as well as a vaccine for the non-infected, in addition to plans for liberating first the primary quarantine camp, and then the Crystal Empire, before then focusing on the rest of Equestria! The Zebra's days are numbered, and soon, they WILL be in trouble!

The first battles start in the next chapter, and they will continue throughout the rest of the story. Hang on to your seats, as the action IS about to get real, and it WILL be incredible!

Also, Scar made his first BIG timeline change. This time, instead of kissing Zuri, he told her that he was spoken for, and they instead merely gave each other a kiss on the forehead for luck. Zuri also admitted that she had eyes for another too. This is VERY important for what happens later. This is the first major change, but there will be more.

In the meantime though, comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story, are always appreciated, and I'll see you all again in Chapter 3!

ScarFox out for now!