For Shining Armor, and the rest of the stallions sent to the camp in the Smoky Mountains, everyday life was a constant struggle for survival.

The camp itself was actually built into the side of a mountain, and was under heavy guard at all times. Within, Zebra "doctors" and "nurses" moved about, "helping patients". When the stallions first arrived at the camp, they were stripped of all clothing, which was then burned, all valuables were taken away "for safe keeping", and they were then taken to a bed, where they were dumped, had their ankles chained, "for their own protection, as well as the protection of staff", and were mostly left to wallow in their misery. None of them were getting better, and no wonder, because the staff's sole purpose was to keep them sick!

From where Shining was lying, in the bed next to him on this right was Spike, while on his left was Big Mac. Shining could also see his dad Nightlight, as well as Filthy Rich, Mr. Cake, the Flim Flam Brothers, In Time, the conductor on the Friendship Express, Fancy Pants, Bow Hothoof, Wonderbolts Soarin, Firestreak and Thunderlane, lots of Royal and Crystal Guards, and so many more. All of them looked very sick, with the lone exception being Spike.

Spike's story was a unique one. Like us Humans, he too was immune to the Zebra's virus. However, he was CONSTANTLY at odds with Twilight's Zebra "coltfriend", even going so far as to bite the bastard! Twilight beat her assistant viciously for the attack.

"And that was the worst thing about it Shiny", Spike told him, "Twilight was gone, replaced by some.....IMPOSTOR!!!! The Twilight I knew and loved would NEVER beat me for trying to protect her! But the worst though was the night they took us all here."

"And how did that go?" Shining asked weakly.

"It will remain etched into my mind until the day I die. They arrived at the castle to take away the guards who were sick, as well as strip the entire place of ANYTHING made of fabric! I was then grabbed, and dragged away as well. I kept yelling for Twilight to help me, but all she did was smirk at me.

'I don't need you anymore Spike', she told me, 'I have everything that I need right here in Zuko!' She then gestured to her "coltfriend" next to her. I was then carried away, and placed here. I'm not sick, but I WAS a danger to them!"

"That's HORRIBLE Spike! Obviously that Zuko character wanted to get you back for getting in his way!"

From his bed, Bic Mac quietly told a similar story. He too was dragged off of the farm, and neither of his sisters tried to help him. Granny Smith kept screamin' profanity at the Zebras, but they responded by hitting her over the head with a metal pipe.

"They just let them take me away. Applebloom was even laughin' 'bout how her 'coltfriend's' dick was SO much bigger than mine!" Big Mac then looked down at his own package. "What a pack of lies! ANYPONY with a brain knows that Ponies have bigger members than Zebras do!"

Shining seemed to be close to crying. "We had the chance to stop this guys, but we BLEW IT!!!! Remember the Humans from the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company? THEY kept trying to warn us that this was coming, but none of us wanted to listen! Even I myself kept asking Scar for more evidence, and even when he showed me CONCRETE PROOF, I STILL insisted that I needed time to think about it! Then, by the time that I realized that my best friend had been telling the truth the whole time, I knew that it was too late, but yet, I still did the only thing that I could do."

"Which was what?"

Shining lowered his voice to a whisper. "I went out, stole the Crystal Heart, and placed it in a VERY secure, secret place, so that even if they got the Crystal Empire, which they did, they STILL didn't get the power of the Crystal Heart!"

Spike thought about that. "Yeah, but what happened to Scar anyway? Is he dead? I've never heard the Zebras mention him, or ANY of the other Humans for that matter."

Shining thought back to the letters that he'd been getting from Cadence. Most of the stallions there had been getting letters from home, as well as PLENTY of pictures of their female loved ones with Zebra stallions! Spike would ALWAYS burn the ones he got from Twilight, and he would help Shining burn his from Cadence, and Big Mac's from his sisters as well.

"Well, I can tell you at least a little bit about Scar. On that night, he came to visit me. I'd just gotten back from securing the Crystal Heart, and I was sitting on the side of my bed. I knew what was going to happen, as I'd heard the Zebras talking all about it. Suddenly, I heard the sounds of somepony coming to the door. The door opened, but instead of a Zebra, I only saw my best friend and Bro, Scar. He was holding a fire ax for whatever reason.

I then told him how sorry I was for not believing him, and how right he and the other Humans were about the Zebras. A few minutes later though, Cadence was coming, and I told Scar to hide! He jumped under the bed, and not a moment too soon. Cadence came in, saw me, and ran screaming for Zed. Scar came out again, but then had to hide under the bed a moment later. The last time I ever saw him was when I was being carried out. I was accidentally dropped, and for a brief moment, our eyes met. I could see that he was crying a bit, though he made no noise. I mouthed the words 'RUN NOW!' to him, and then I was taken away. Until recently, I had no idea what became of him, or the other 5 Humans. However, Cadence recently told me in a letter that they were put to work on the railroad under Zebra oversight."

"Psh, f@#kin' lazy scumbags!" Spike muttered. "They don't want to do ANYTHING other than hurt us, and take away our females! But yet, even though they're practically slaves, I'm surprised that they left them behind."

Shining nodded. "As was I Spike. Beyond this though, I really know nothing further about Scar, or the others. For all I know, they could even be dead by now."

What Shining was unaware of though, was that at that exact moment, he was being watched by a figure from the shadows. The figure was wearing a lab coat, stethoscope and spectacles that he'd stolen from a Zebra that he'd killed. In his pockets were a number of vials full of the cure for the virus, as well as the vaccine, and a number of sterile needles.

"Just hang in there a bit longer Bro", The figure thought, "I'm right here for you! In less than an hour now, you'll all be free, and then we can start our REAL plan!"

(4 days earlier)

Back out in Appaloosa, those of us who were going to be heading out for the attack on the quarantine camp were getting ready. I would be going, as Shining Armor was my best friend, and I HAD to save him! We'd also given our Daylight a few upgrades as well.

Now she was pulling all 22 of her original cars, both passenger and freight, and ALL of them were armed! Some had machine guns, while others had artillery guns, and even ports for rifles to peek out of. We'd cleared space for Ponies, as well as ourselves and our marefriends to live in, while the rest of the train functioned as a mess hall, weapons storage, and command centers for planning out our next attacks. Our train was also given a magical coat of black paint, (paint that could be removed again easily with no harm done) as well as a new name. While she was still known as Southern Pacific Daylight 4449, she was also given the code name "Wabash Cannonball"!

Now we had a war train of sorts, as well as a means of getting around Equestria quickly. We also talked through our final plan. Scouting missions also brought back valuable Intel on the quarantine camp, as well as photographs, so we knew what we were dealing with.

"Ok People, here's the deal! This entire facility is built into the side of a mountain! There's an entrance yard, plus a road, but most of the facility is underground. The entrance yard is surrounded by a barbed wire fence, as well as a gatehouse protecting the main gates."

"And what are we looking at in terms of Zebras?"

"An interesting bunch. We're looking at about 100 or so in total, with most of them being there only to keep the stallions sick so that they'll NEVER be able to fight back! The rest are soldiers, but I think that we can count on them to be lazy, and not watching their posts well."

"And what makes you think that Scar?" Rick asked.

"Well, all of the stallions in Equestria are sick, and the only 6 males who aren't are kept under constant watch in the Crystal Empire. All mares are too busy worshiping the Zebras to be of any threat, and if there's no threat, then why bother being vigilant? I mean, after all, ALL of the resistance cells are bottled up in Appaloosa, Dodge City and Trottingham, so why bother looking for an enemy where there isn't one?"

Braeburn smirked. "Heh, I like the way that you think Scar! Plus, if we catch them with their pants down, it'll go a LONG way towards REALLY making the Zebras hurt!"

"Which is my plan Braeburn. Plus, I've seen the camp through binoculars. NONE of the Zebras that I saw standing guard were even paying attention!"

"So, how are we gonna get in there?"

I looked down at my maps. "That's where the fun begins. I've split this entire operation up into 3 waves. Wave 1 will be the wave to sneak inside the camp, and begin to cure the stallions. Wave 2 will slip in after them to protect them, and then Wave 3 will unleash hell upon the facility, whereby Waves 1 and 2 will protect the stallions, just in case the Zebras try to come back to kill them!

Also, it has been brought to my attention that this camp also contains a special signalling system. This system sends out 'All Clear', 'Caution', and 'Danger' signals to the heads of Zebra leadership. We HAVE to get to that system, and rig it so that the signal is jammed on 'All Clear'. That way, nopony will notice that the facility goes silent."

"And, how are we gonna do that?" Evan asked.

"That will also be the responsibility of Wave 2. They'll also tamper with any power, water, gas and security systems that are benefiting the Zebras, so as to make the job of Waves 1 and 3 easier."

"And, how are we going in Partner?"

"That's the trickiest part of all. Wave 1 will rely on stealth. The Zebras have no scanners or radar equipment, so they most likely will be unable to see an attack from above. From what I could see, there was a system of air vents that we could use to our advantage. Wave 1 then enters the facility, and secures the area for Wave 2 to enter. Then Wave 2 fans out, and in addition to the signaling device, and the utilities, they will also neutralize any Zebras. Once the all clear is given, Wave 3 shows up, and causes as much hell as possible!

Wave 3 will be a full-frontal assault on whoever remains. We then clear out the rest of the facility, maybe capture a few Zebras for interrogation, and then we set the facility on fire, and burn it out! Then, we load back up onto the train, and fall back to Appaloosa, where we'll then begin the planning for our assault on the Crystal Empire."

"Wow, that's a fairly good plan Scar."

"Thanks guys. Now, it's a almost a day's journey there, so I say that tonight we make a final systems check, and then we pull out at Dawn."

Braeburn nodded. "Sounds like a good plan to me Scar! let's do it!"

We all then began our systems checks, as well as getting what sleep that we could, wondering what would happen during the coming raid/battle.

The next morning at Dawn, all who were going loaded up onto the Wabash Cannonball, and then with the Unicorns helping to mask our train with Magic, we began our somewhat perilous journey to the quarantine facility.

I already knew off the top of my head that the train tracks only came to within a half mile of the camp, so we would have to park the train, and head out on foot, as well as our armored vehicle, which would be used by Wave 3. The train would provide whatever fire support that it could, but at a half mile in the dark, we'd just have to play it by ear.

Another thing that worried us was how we were going to evacuate the still-recovering stallions. We had no idea how many there were, but we knew that it could EASILY be a number into the thousands, to even tens of thousands. Luckily, one train from Appaloosa, and another from Dodge City were also with us to help retrieve the sickly stallions, but would it be enough?

"How do you think that this operation will go down?" Jake asked me quietly.

I sighed. "To be perfectly honest Jake, I don't know. This seems to be our best shot, as we're attacking a place that has poor security, yet a VERY high value as an asset, but I don't know how the battle will go down. However, if it was ANYTHING like our time at the Zebra Embassy, this should be a piece of cake!"

"Yeah, but what are the casualty estimates?"

I sighed. "We have a force of about 550 in total. I estimate maybe 30-40 dead, with up to 100 wounded."

"And for the Zebras?"

"We slaughter them all, except for a token few whom we return to Appaloosa for interrogation. They wanna make drugs and keep stallions sick? Well, time to reap what they've sown!"

"Yeah, and it's too bad that we can't just poison THEIR water with something! Talk about ironic justice!"

I smirked a bit. "Actually, the chemists at Appaloosa are working on just that! I don't know what they're working on, but they said that when it would be released against the male Zebras, the results would not be noticeable at first, but in the long run would be DEVASTATING!!!!"

Jake seemed to be lost in thought. "Jeez, I wonder what they're working on then. Any ideas on when they'll reveal it?"

I shrugged. "Unfortunately, no. They haven't said anything yet, and they said that they could even be a few months away from a trial test, which is ANOTHER reason why we need to bring back male Zebra prisoners, so that they can be used as test subjects."

"Is that.......is that even legal?"

I sighed. "Under normal circumstances, no. But these are NOT normal circumstances! Until we can get a better handle on this whole situation Jake, as well as a real base to work from, I'm afraid that we're going to have to abide by the 'All's Fair in War' rule. As much as I hate to admit it, this is the harsh reality of the current situation. We're up against an enemy that wants to EXTERMINATE the Pony Race, and is willing to go to ANY lengths to do so! They MUST be stopped before the damage that they've caused becomes irreversible!"

Jake knew the stress and pressures that I was under. Even though Rick was the oldest member of the group of us Humans, I was the de facto leader. Braeburn and I, as well as a stallion named Cinder from Dodge City, and somepony named Feathers from Trottingham, were in charge of the ENTIRE resistance movement. If ANYTHING went wrong, it would be CATASTROPHIC!!!! We were taking a HUGE gamble with our attack on the quarantine camp, but it had to be done so that our numbers of those willing and able to fight would grow to be MUCH larger than it previously was!

Also before we left, EVERYPONY was given a dose of the vaccine just to be safe, and now we were getting closer and closer to our destination.

We arrived at our starting point right on time, and waited for nightfall. (We were going to attack at night, so as to have the ultimate advantage of the element of surprise). Our attack would begin at Midnight, and would hopefully be over in less than 4 hours, as we had to be out of there before sunrise!

We hid the train in a disused railroad tunnel, and then once the sun was down, we all began to prepare. Frank and I would be in Wave 1, while Jake and Evan would be in Wave 2, and Rick and Jon would be in Wave 3. The first 2 waves would each have 50 in them, while Wave 3 would have about 200. The remainder were in reserve, manning the rest of the train's weapons, or were on standby to help begin the evacuations. Our marefriends and Gilda were on hand to man some of the train's weapons, as well as being ready to assist with any wounded.

As the hours ticked by, I knew that the time for attack was drawing closer and closer.

"Please God", I whispered, "Don't let us blow this! We're Equestria's last hope now, and we HAVE to make it count!"

All too soon, it was time to move out.

"Come back to me safe Stud", Gilda whispered as I said goodbye to her.

"I will Gilda. And I'll hopefully be bringing a LOT of friends with me too!"

"I hope so too, otherwise we just hauled ass for hundreds of miles for NOTHING!"

"Or worse, we could all die, but that's NOT very likely to happen! In any case though, I'll be ok, and I'll come back as fast as I can."

I then said goodbye to Gilda, and then Waves 1 and 2 moved out. Wave 3 followed us, as did those who would be assisting with the evacuations, but while we went inside the actual facility, they would be taking up positions outside, so as to be able to rush in quickly when we gave them the signal.

"Operation Well-Stallion" was now underway, and soon would reach the point where EVERYTHING would be on the line!

Our half mile trek through the woods to the camp was VERY scary! We were CONSTANTLY on high alert, listening for ANY signs that the enemy was close, but for all of our efforts, we heard nothing. It was well and truly like I'd stated before; since there was no apparent threat, why be vigilant?

We Humans were wearing our old Marine uniforms, and were carrying our rifles, side arms, and knives. The rest of the ponies were wearing dark clothing, although while some had armor, (some of THAT even being homemade!) others didn't. However, ALL of them were armed! Some had rifles, others had shotguns, pistols, knives, and even farm tools! We were a REALLY mixed bunch, but yet the non-marines had managed to withstand the FULL onslaught of the Zebras since Day 1 without help, so if they could do that, then they had a REALLY good case for being able to do just about anything!

All too soon, we reached the camp. From the outside yard, we could only see a handful of Zebras, and NONE of them were doing their jobs. Some seemed to be drinking, while others were smoking, or even seemed to be jacking off!

"Damn!" I muttered, "Talk about a poor guard force!"

We then decided on a plan of approach. We headed towards the barbed wire fence, and in a spot where the lights were dim, we cut through it, and after everypony piled through, the Unicorns put the cut section back into place, and welded it securely with their Magic. We then made it over to where the vents were that we were going to use to get inside of the facility.

"Ok guys, this is it! Wave 1 on Frank and I, and then once we're inside, Jake and Evan, you guys bring in Wave 2! We have to move fast, and silently! They STILL don't know that we're here, and I'd like to KEEP IT that way!"

Everypony else nodded, and once we had the vents opened, I crawled in first, followed by Frank, and then the rest of Wave 1.

To my surprise, the vents only branched off in 4 directions. One of the directions led directly to a central system of fans, so that was a no-go! Another led back outside (most likely for waste expulsion), a 3rd led to what seemed to be a maintenance area, (perfect for Wave 2!) but the last led to a series of smaller vents that all connected to a MASSIVE room! I couldn't see too well, so I told Frank to signal the others while I checked it out.

The vent grating of the vent that I picked was just above the floor in the baseboard, so once I removed the screws from the inside, I grabbed the vent, and as quietly as possible pushed it out into the room, before placing it onto the wall next to the hole. I then crawled out, and just before I placed the vent cover back into place, I realized that I was underneath a bed. I also heard a lot of coughing, wheezing, snoring, and the other sounds that indicated a lot of Ponies were present.

I then flipped over, and signaled back to Frank that I'd found a room where a LOT of stallions were being held.

"How many?" He signaled back.

"Hard to say. This room is HUGE, and there's rows of beds on both sides."

"Should we call in Wave 2?"

"Not yet. The rest of you can pick a vent, and slip out under the bed that the vent sits on top of, but wait for my signal to do anything."

"When will we call in Wave 2?"

"Once we're all in here, and I've gotten the chance to look around, THEN we'll call them in!"

"Ok, you're the boss Scar!"

The others then began to push out into the room through the vents, while I contemplated what to do next.

Eventually, I could see that the room was very nearly dark, and seemed to be empty aside from those in the beds. I then silently crawled out from under the bed that I was under, and while still staying low, I began to look around. To my horror, the room was about the size of an aircraft hangar, and was FULL of beds that were metal framed, and had only a mattress. Each bed contained a stallion, who I also noticed was chained by their ankles to their bed!

"Gosh-damn!" I thought. "Are the Zebras REALLY that paranoid that they have to chain them up, in ADDITION to keeping them sick?!"

As I moved about the large room, I continued to see if I could find Shining, or even any other stallions that I knew. I also had to be EXTREMELY careful, as not all of the stallions were asleep, and if I gave myself away, I was as good as dead!

Eventually, I made it to the other side of the room, where I found a door. I made the move to open it, and when I did, I saw a hallway behind it. I began to move through the door, shutting it behind me, but then to my horror, I heard hoofsteps coming down the hall towards me!

"SHIT!!!" I quickly hid in a dark alcove, and waited for whoever it was to pass me by. I saw that he was a Zebra "doctor". When he passed me, as quick as a flash, I grabbed him, slammed a hand over his mouth, before snapping his neck! I then pulled his lab coat, as well as stethoscope, and spectacles on, and after leaving his body in the alcove, I returned to the main room.

As I was standing there in the shadows though, I suddenly saw Shining! He was tied to a bed, and next to him were Spike and Big Mac! I then knew where I had to go. As quietly as I could, I got back onto the floor, before I began to sneak under the beds towards Shining. Eventually, I made it under his bed, and I remained perfectly still as a Zebra suddenly passed by!

"Heh, still looking pretty sick over here I see!" I heard him laugh.

"And when will be we 'cured'?" I heard Spike ask.

"All in good time, my Dear Stallions, all in good time! These things take time, as we HAVE to make sure that every cure works first! It shouldn't be too much longer now though!"

"They've been saying that for about 3 weeks now", I heard Shining mutter. Then, once the Zebra was gone, I made my move.

I scooted close to the edge of the bed, and peered up. "Psst, Hey! Shining!" I whispered urgently. No response. "Psst! Hey! You in the bed up there!"

"Hmm? Spike, did you say something?"

"No."

"Hey, Shining!" I was getting desperate now.

"Yes?" I finally heard him answer.

"Down here!" I heard the bed creak, but he was looking on the wrong side. "No, the OTHER side you dolt!" I then saw him look over the bed, and when he saw me lying under his bed looking up at him, he had to slam a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming!

"B-B-BRO!!!!" I heard him whisper. "What are you doing here?! This place is NOT safe!"

"Shining, you HAVE to listen to me, and you have to listen to me very closely, as I do NOT have a lot of time! But here are the basic answers. Yes, I'm really right here, and you're NOT dreaming! Secondly, NONE of you in this room are going to die! In fact, you're barely even sick!"

What?! How do you figure?!"

"Because the scientists in the Appaloosa Resistance were able to figure out the entire virus out from samples that Jake and I stole from the Zebra Embassy in Canterlot! It's nothing more than several aggravated strains of the flu! One is Influenza, while the other is the stomach flu! Mixed together, these made ALL of you get sick! And the reason that the mares and Zebras are immune is because of a special substance. Also yes, the virus WAS mixed into the water supply! And the reason that we Humans were immune was because our systems had already combated these types of flu viruses!"

All while I was giving my explanation, Spike and Big Mac were listening closely as well.

"Yeah, but are you here alone?"

I shook my head. "No, we're ALL here, AND we brought the cure! And before you ask, yes, the Zebras ARE keeping you sick! They'll NEVER let you leave here, and you will NEVER be cured!"

Shining sighed. "Yeah, but the shackles! You need keys!"

I smirked. "You mean THESE keys?" I held up a key ring.

"Dr. Zander's keys! Where did you get those?!"

"Well, from Dr. Zander I guess. He's a little bit 'dead' at the moment, so he won't be needing them anymore! Just let me give the signal to Frank, and then we can begin to nurse you guys back to health!"

I then crawled back to let Frank know to tell the rest of the guys to begin helping the other stallions, while also telling Wave 2 to move in as well. I then crawled back to Shining and the others.

"What IS the cure exactly?"

I showed him an injector with a yellow liquid inside. "It's this. I don't really know what's in it, or how it works, but all I have to do is inject it into you, and wait 5 minutes. In that time, the virus will be turned on itself, and destroy itself with the aide of your body's own immune system. Once that's all over, you'll still be pretty weak, but you'll be all better. I'll also take care of that ring on your horn too! In the meantime though, arm please!"

Shining lowered his arm to my level on the floor. "Thank you." I then injected him with the cure. All around us, I could hear the same thing being done to other stallions in the room as well.

"But what about the mares?" Spike asked as I injected him with his dose of the vaccine, even though he was probably immune anyway.

"Truth be told, they're actually under the influence of another sort of drug. It's something mixed in with the air, and it causes them to act the way that they do. Stallions are immune to it, and in fact, it too has been cured! We've put the cure into gas canisters, and these will be released during battle."

"Wait, battle? Are we going to fight the Zebras?"

"No, we're just gonna keel over and die! OF COURSE we're gonna fight them! We're gonna fight them so hard they're gonna leave Equestria, and NEVER return!"

Spike smirked a bit. "Heh, now THAT sounds like fun!"

I nodded, smirking a bit as well, before sneaking around the room, unlocking the shackles on the stallion's ankles. Then, I shut the doors at both ends of the room, and locked them up tight from the inside.

"Ok Jake, Wave 1 is almost done in here, how's it going for you?"

"We're doing pretty good Scar. We should be done soon."

"Ok, and then we'll see where we stand. Scar out!"

Wave 2 was indeed doing well for themselves. Since Evan had been a systems specialist with the Marines, he knew what to do. He managed to hot wire the signal system to show "All Clear", no matter what alarms buttons were pressed. He was also able to jam the long-range radios, and rig them to send out all of the usual chatter on a loop. A number of Zebras had to be silenced, but still no alarms had been raised.

"Oh wow."

"What is it Evan?"

"There's only 27 Zebras in this ENTIRE camp right now!"

"What?! Are you serious?! Scar said that there were 100!"

Evan shook his head. "I'm looking at the personnel records right now! We've killed 5, and Scar killed a doctor, so that only leaves 21 Zebras left!"

Jake then grabbed his radio, and asked the snipers in Wave 3 to take out the guards outside, and to count the kills.

"7 Jake!"

"Down to 14! If we do this right, we may not even have to call in wave 3!"

They then continued their work, while we continued ours in the rest of the facility.

Once I had Shining free, the first thing he did was sit up, and hug me. I hugged him back, and also removed his horn ring preventing him from using magic.

"I'm so, SO sorry for not listening to you sooner Bro! I was an idiot, and now I'm reaping what I've sown. I could have done something, but NO! I just sat idly by while Equestria burned! You tried to warn me, but I didn't want to listen.

I hugged him back. "It's ok Shining, I can forgive you. And now you have the chance to make it right again."

"Yeah, but how?"

"Well, we're gonna get you all out of here, and back to our staging base in Appaloosa where, after nursing you all back to health, we enlist your help to take back our first target!"

"And what's that?"

"The Crystal Empire! At least, that was the original plan. If only we knew what happened to the Crystal Heart. If we had it, then we could not only cleanse the Empire, but also protect it from further harm!"

"Well, I can help you there, as I know where it is!"

I was surprised. "What, really?!"

"Yeah! I hid it on that last night. In fact, I got back to my room just a few minutes before you showed up. I was going to tell you about what I did, but I never got the chance to."

I thought about that. "Well, assuming that it's still where you hid it, I'd say that we have a VERY good chance at taking back the Crystal Empire!"

Big Mac then looked over at me. "Yeah, but how are y'all gonna get us outta here?"

"We have 3 trains on standby about a half mile away from here, and we're gonna get you all out by rail." I then looked at my watch. The time was now 2:41am. "Ok, we're a little bit ahead of schedule!" I then grabbed my radio, and ordered wave 3 to storm the place so that the evacuations could begin.

This was done in short order, and all but 3 Zebras were killed, and these, after being placed under heavy guard, were hauled back to the train in the very same shackles that they'd been using on the stallions!

Once the coast was clear. "Ok, now then, let's begin the Stallion Exodus!"

We then began to help the stallions out of their prison. Many were still too weak, but a few were able to walk, and help the others. Also inside of the facility, we found a number of carts, and these were used to help move those who were too weak to walk.

It was a tedious job that involved a half-mile walk/flight both ways. According to the records, the facility housed almost 20,000 stallions! Had it not been for the Unicorns teleporting, the Pegasai flying, the Earth Ponies moving carts, and all of us working as a team, we would have been out there for AGES!!!! Also located was the vault where all of the valuables belonging to the stallions had been taken, and they were VERY glad to have their stuff back!

"Even though those bastards burned all of our clothes, at least I have my old pocket watch back!" In Time said happily. Other stallions got back their watches, wallets, wedding rings, necklaces, dog tags, and anything else non-clothing that they'd had in their pockets, or on their person when they were taken.

We also didn't bring any clothing with us, although we did have a large supply of blankets and quilts that we gave to the stallions. ALL of them were SO thankful to us for liberating them from their hellish prison, and even more thankful that they were no longer sick.

"And NOW we'll get a chance at a Round 2 with those HORRID striped monsters!"

"Hopefully they'll be driven out of Equestria, or even better, ALL SLAUGHTERED!!!!"

I shook my head. Sure, I felt the same way that they did, but yet not all Zebras were bad. Some deserved to live, and as such, we'd kill as many as we had to, maybe kill a few more for good measure, and then deport the rest once they'd surrendered. We still had a real chance to do something about this, and now, we were going to seize it!

Also, just as we were about to leave, we ran into a small snag. We wanted to burn the facility, but if we did that, then the "All Clear" signal would short out, and we could get caught. Instead, we opted to load up the facility with explosives, and leave it until we were far enough away to safely detonate.

Then, once the trains were fully loaded up, and all of the stallions had been secured, the Wabash Cannonball, and the other 2 trains with her pulled away from the Smoky Mountains, heading back towards Appaloosa. Also, once we were almost 100 miles away, we detonated the explosives! We couldn't see how bad the damage was from where we were, but since we'd placed C4 in ALL of the right places, we knew that the facility first got blown out, and then collapsed on itself!

Shining smirked. "Heh, now THAT'S how you deal with enemies of Equestria!"

"Yeah!" Spike agreed. "Even though that was only a few Zebras, now they've lost their largest quarantine camp, AND the thousands of stallions within!"

"Yes! And now, we stand ready to fight them again, only THIS time, we're MORE than ready for them!"

Back in the Crystal Empire, once word reached Zed of what happened to the camp, he was at first shocked, but then he simply sighed.

"I see. Well, that was a tragic loss, but yet all they were good for were minuscule tasks such as sewing, knitting, and building a few desktop items, so I really don't think that their loss is a big deal."

"What's going on Zed?"

Zed turned around to face Cadence. "There's.......been an accident at the main quarantine camp in the Smoky Mountains. There was some kind of a gas leak, and before it could be contained, the ENTIRE facility blew up, and then collapsed! All inside, including the Zebra staff, were killed. Also, the virus within has been FULLY contained, so there is no further risk of contaminants!"

Cadence nodded. "That is good. However, I'm still.......saddened by those losses. Sure, they were sick, but they had a chance at getting better. Now they're all gone."

"Yes. All gone, and with them went all of the trouble of dealing with them." Zed then returned to her, and pushed her onto the bed.

MANY times since their takeover, the Zebras had been trying to have offspring with the mares, but yet they were unable to, or if they did, ultrasounds confirmed that the foals would be born sterile. This was due to a strange, mystical force called "Natural Biology". Zebras and Ponies had different numbers of chromosomes, and only an exact number could produce fertile offspring. The Zebras were 1 chromosome short, and when they tried to use their magic and potions to create another chromosome, the results were often horrifying. Malformations, mental retardation, and other serious birth defects were common, assuming that the foal(s) even survived to be born at all.

"We WILL overcome this shortcoming!" Zed told Cadence as he f@#ked her. "It should only be a matter of time before we can figure out how to properly replicate that missing chromosome!"

Cadence giggled a bit. "I certainly hope so Zed, as I REALLY want to have foals with stripes!"

Zed grunted, before he continued to f@#k her.

The train ride back to Appaloosa was still VERY scary. We knew that we could be discovered at any time, even though we knew from the radio broadcasts that the Zebras weren't even looking for us. The final leg of our trip had to be made in the daylight hours between 7-9am, although they passed without any difficulty. Just like always, there was a crowd waiting for us in Appaloosa, including those who would help tend to the sick stallions.

Once the trains pulled to a stop, Braeburn addressed the stallions as they were being carried off. "For what it's worth everypony, my name is Braeburn, and welcome to Appaloosa! Ourselves, and the good folks over in Dodge City are the main resistance group here in Equestria. And now, thanks to the support, aid, and planning of the 6 Humans Marines from Wolf Pack Battalion, we were able to rescue you all from the quarantine camp in the Smoky Mountains!"

"And where do we get the clothes from?" Somepony asked.

"Yeah, and although I REALLY want to fight back, I'm too weak!"

"The clothes are being prepared for you in the boarding houses in town, where you'll all live until we begin to take back the major cities, towns and settlements. Oh, and don't worry. Now that you've all been cured of the virus, we have food and drink, as well as vitamin supplements for you to help regain your strength!"

The stallions who were strong enough cheered, while the others just moved their hands to show that they understood. Then, the worst cases were taken to the Appaloosa Field Hospital, while those who were still very weak were helped to their boarding houses. Those who were strong enough either helped their comrades, or delivered supplies to help them. I returned to the town hall, which was serving as our headquarters.

I then looked at all of those who were present. "Well done boys! We didn't lose a SINGLE Pony, and we only suffered a handful of injuries! And now that we have a force of stallions, we first need to help nurse them back to health, and then we train them, arm them, and THEN we strike at the Crystal Empire!"

"And how long will that be?" Rick asked.

I turned to Braeburn, and asked him for estimates on the stallions. "Well, some of them were VERY weak, while others are shell-shocked. It'll take at LEAST a couple more weeks, if not more. "

I nodded slowly. "Yes, it seems that we have our work cut out for us with this. We'll just keep helping the stallions along, all while planning for the attack."

We all then continued to think up ideas.

Eventually, we were able to get in contact with the branch of the resistance in Trottingham. We realized that we might need a diversion, so we asked them to attack 2 settlements between them, and the Empire. One was the town of Rainbow Falls, while the other was the village once overseen by Starlight Glimmer. In one night, we planned to attack these 3 locations, drive out the Zebras, free the mares and fillies, and then hold them while we all regrouped, and prepared for our next attack.

"So how are we going to do this Bro?" Shining Armor asked me.

I sighed. "Well, in a nutshell, while the Resistance Group from Trottingham attacks Rainbow Falls and Starlight's old village, our main force attacks the Crystal Empire. We surround it on all sides, before moving in. Then, while the battle is underway, you show us where the Crystal Heart is, so that we can see if it's still there, and if so, we use it to help take back the Empire!"

"Yes, and then I kill the BASTARD who stole my wife from me!"

I nodded slowly. "Yes. Zed IS a high priority target, as he is the leader of the Zebras, at least in public. But yes, the Zebras fry, and then we have an even bigger base to work from for the liberation of the rest of Equestria!"

"And what will we attack next if that attack succeeds?" Spike asked.

"Van Hoover most likely. Then we begin to sweep down through the Smoky Mountains, Galloping Gorge, Neighagra Falls, the Whitetail Woods, and then we cut of and capture Las Pegasus, as well as Baltimare, and sending in a force to bring Cloudsdale back under Equestrian control! Then we hit Fillydelphia, we CRUSH Zebra resistance in Manehattan, and then we FINALLY take back Ponyville, before our last battle in Canterlot itself!"

Shining nodded. "Wow, impressive plan! But yet, why are we saving Ponyville and Canterlot for last?"

"Because, we HAVE to ensure that no Zebras escape at the very end! Plus, they came from the coastal cities, so why not give them a chance to leave on their own when the going gets tough? Sure, maybe only a few will take that chance, but that's a few Zebras that we DON'T have to face anymore!"

"Well, it's a good plan Bro, but the question is, how will it work in practice?"

I sighed. "Well, that's the million dollar question of the day, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is, ain't it?" Big Mac agreed.

I then looked around at those in the room. We ALL had a part to play in what was to come, and Equestria DEPENDED on us!

The months went by slowly. October was upon us, and soon we were ready! The date set for the invasion of the Crystal Empire, plus the supplementary invasions of Rainbow Falls, and Starlight's Village, was October 19th, 2024. Full Zebra occupation had now been going on for about 3 months now.

"October 19th, the night of the full moon". I whispered.

"And why's that important?" Shining asked.

I glanced at him, then moved my wolf-like ears and tail. "The night of the full moon is where our strength as Wolves is strongest. On that night, in less than a week's time, we will be hungry for blood! The blood of Zebras, and our quest to liberate those who have fallen into the Zebra's clutches!"

"Really? Is that really true?"

I shrugged. "Eh, parts of it. But it sure would look good on a poster, right?"

Shining nodded, but he was still a bit wary. He'd seen us shift from Humans to Wolves before, and he found it REALLY creepy! But yet, he trusted us, and our judgement, and on the night of October 18th, we pulled out for our former home. Most of those who were coming with us either came from the Crystal Empire, Van Hoover, Rainbow Falls, or Starlight's village, and knew the entire area well. The rest were the remainder of our expeditionary force to help us keep our numbers up.

The plan was for the diversionary attacks to begin, before we surrounded the Empire, and unleashed the canisters that contained the gas that would allow the mares to fully regain control of their minds again. Then, amid the chaos, we would swoop in, and while some fought the Zebras, a token force would go with Shining Armor to get the Crystal Heart. Then, the Heart would be returned to its proper place, and the Crystal Empire would hopefully be restored to what it once was.

We all then began to ready our weapons, because we knew that when we struck, it would be a battle that we would NEVER forget!

When we arrived in the Crystal Mountains, we hid the Wabash Cannonball from view in the snow, before getting ready to scout around. When we did, we found that the Zebras were STILL not doing their jobs of protecting anything, and seemed to just be going about their daily lives as normal. I also made an upsetting, yet EXTREMELY alarming discovery!

"Shining, I've got news, and it's NOT good!"

"What news?" Shining was worried.

"Well, I've just learned that Cadence and Zed are out of town in Canterlot for a meeting with the other Princesses, as well as the rest of the Zebra Elders. The topic of the meeting? The transfer of the ENTIRE mare and filly population of Equestria from Equestria, back to Zebrica!"

When Shining heard that, he IMMEDIATELY froze where he was! "No....no, no no no!!!! NO!!!! THAT CANNOT HAPPEN!!!!!"

"And it WON'T!!!! Luckily, tonight we attack, and show the Zebras that we mean business! With the threat of a full-blown war, and enemies running wild, they won't take the risk of moving back to Zebrica with our mares, and will HAVE to stay and fight! We'll also have to be ready sooner than we thought to retake Van Hoover, as well as the Ghastly Gorge and Unicorn Range Regions, and possibly even the Smoky Mountains."

"Just.....whatever we have to do, we'll do! They will NOT be leaving Equestria alive with the mares and fillies!"

I looked at my watch. The time was now 3:12pm. Our invasion would begin at Midnight, and our "backup" would be arriving as well. Turns out there were a LOT of Mountain Timberwolves who were VERY upset about the Zebra's presence in the Crystal Mountains, and wanted them GONE!!! These large, furry white wolves were even large enough for a Pony to ride, and would be INVALUABLE allies in a fight!

The time for battle was drawing near, and soon Midnight would come, and the Zebras would fall!

When night fell, we all began to move into position. As we surrounded the Crystal Empire from the snowy wilderness all around it, the group from Trottingham began to move into position as well. Evan and Nightglider were going to be a part of the group attacking Starlight's village, while the rest of us were going for the Crystal Empire.

"May DEATH show them mercy, for we will have NONE!" I muttered as I began to shift into my wolf form. My Marine uniform was designed to be worn in both my Wolf and Human forms, so I was covered there.

My limbs got slightly longer, and thicker, and became covered in gray fur, as did the rest of me. My hands became paw-like, and they had VERY sharp claws as well! I also gained a LOT of muscles, not to mention a wolf's head, with a mouthful of VERY sharp teeth! I could also see in almost total darkness as well. Once my shift was complete, I looked like a fully-fledged soldier within the Wolf Back Battalion.

Shining and I, as well as Spike, Big Mac, Jake, Rick, and others were lying on top of a snowbank looking towards the Empire. The full moon was at it's highest point, and our uniforms and clothes were white, thus enabling us to blend in with the snow.

"*See anything?*" Rick asked me in Wolf-language.

"*Nope, all quiet!*"

"What are you guys saying exactly?" Spike asked.

"We're talking in Wolfspeak, which is the native language of Wolves", I answered in Basic. "We use it so that we don't get overheard by anyone we DON'T want listening to us!"

"Ok, well that makes sense! And when are we going in?"

"Soon. First though, we have to get the signal from Evan, and the rest of the Trottingham group that they're in place. Then we have to make sure that the gas canisters are ready to be launched from both our train, and our armored vehicle."

"Any idea on enemy strength?"

I sighed. "Unfortunately, no. Most likely though, we're looking at a full house of Zebras, although by our estimates, only a mere fraction of them are warriors, while the rest are 'civilians'. We don't have exact numbers, although I REALLY wish that we did!"

Suddenly, my radio came to life. "Scar, Scar do you copy?"

"Yeah Evan, I'm here."

"We're all in place out here. Half of our forces are right outside of Rainbow Falls, while the rest of us are close to Starlight's village. All seems to be pretty quiet out here, and our gas is all ready for deployment! How's it looking for you?"

"We're almost all in place as well. I just have to do a final check of the gas canisters, standby." I then ran a systems check with those who were responsible for launching the gas canisters when the time came. Everything checked out as it should.

"Ok Evan, all good here. We just need to wait a little bit longer for our backup, and then we'll begin the attack."

Just as Evan was about to reply to this, I suddenly looked behind me, and there on a snowy hill behind us were the Mountain Timberwolves! The alpha wolf looked at me, and seemed to nod.

"Ok Even, our backup's here. One final time, are you ready?"

"Yes, we were all BORN ready Scar!"

"Ok standby, here comes the signal!" I then put down the radio, and after raising my head, I howled the loudest, longest, and eeriest howl that ANYPONY making ready to attack the Crystal Empire had EVER heard! Then we ALL began to charge towards our targets under the cover of snow, and the dark night.

"CHARGE!!!!!!" I yelled as I ran, "TAKE BACK THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE FOR THE GLORIES OF EQUESTRIA!!!!!!"

We ALL agreed to this, as Marines, Royal and Crystal Guards, angry stallions, Timberwolves, and a LOT of other angry Ponies ALL charged towards their objectives in the Crystal Empire, while the Wabash Cannonball prepared to provide firing support, as well as lobbing the gas canisters.

For the Zebras within the Crystal Empire, they NEVER knew what hit them! For a moment, all was quiet, and then there came an EXTREMELY eerie howling!

"Goodness! What was that?!"

"I dunno. Probably those blasted Mountain Timberwolves again!"

Before the 2 Zebra sentries could really respond further though, from out of the shadows at the edge of the Empire, came a HUGE swarm of Ponies! ALL of them began to open fire on the nearest Zebras that they could see.

"FIRE THE GAS CANISTERS!!!!" Rick yelled, "We HAVE to save the mares and fillies!"

"Right!" Then, from our train, as well as the armored vehicle, a HUGE amount of canisters full of the gas were lobbed into the Crystal Empire, before bursting on impact with the ground. Once this happened, the pinkish gas within began to spread.

The Zebras had no real countermeasures, but yet they thought that they were safe when the gas had no effect on them. Unfortunately for them however, it DID have an effect on the mares all around them, who IMMEDIATELY recognized them as a threat! Even though they had no proper weapons, (or even clothes!) they grabbed kitchen knives, tools, heavy objects, and even pushed flower pots off of window sills! ANYTHING could become a deadly weapon in an angry mare's hands!

For us soldiers outside of the city, we managed to set up a perimeter, before working our way in. NO Zebras would be escaping, and we WOULD be carrying the day!

The Zebras tried to put up an effective defense, but yet they were just under prepared, horribly under-equipped, and when they tried to radio fro help, the only towns that they could get through to, Rainbow Falls and Starlight's village, were under attack too! (We'd managed to jam their long-range radio signals, so luckily Van Hoover was just out of range of their radios!)

The battle though was a bloodbath. While it was clothes and dignity that were destroyed the first time, now it was the Zebras, and ANYTHING related to them! We Wolves used our teeth, claws, and large body masses to take down Zebras, while others shot them, stabbed them, burned them, electrocuted them, blew them up with explosives, hacked them to death with tools, and just plain drove them out of the Empire to freeze to death in the snow!

To our surprise though, some of the gang were able to make it to the old Daylight Freight and Shipping Company freight depot! It was still standing, although the windows were all boarded up, and the sign out front read "Closed Until Further Notice." Inside, more weapons were taken from the bunker underneath, and we CONTINUED to lay waste to the Zebras!

Meanwhile, Shining, Spike, Big Mac and I were on a mission of our own to get the Crystal Heart.

"Where did you even put it Shining?" I asked as we took cover behind a building.

"In a special vault underneath the Crystal Castle. I used it to store some of the porn that I didn't want Cadence seeing, so she doesn't know about it!"

I moved my hand to my face. "So you're telling me that we have to storm the Castle? Doable, but difficult. Luckily, I planned ahead!"

I then put my fingers up to my mouth, before giving off a loud, shrill whistle. We were then suddenly joined by a LOT of Mountain Timberwolves!

"Ok, on my signal, we charge the Castle, get inside, and then begin to clear it out!"

Shining nodded. "You got it Bro!"

"CHARGE!!!!!!" We, and our army of wolves then charged the Crystal Castle.

We were able to make it to the lower levels of the castle, before the wolves began to spread out through it, followed by other Stallions and mares who were charged with clearing the Castle of the Zebras, while my group went to find that vault.

We ended up down in the castle's basement, while the sounds of the battle raged above us.

"Where's the vault Shiny?" Spike asked him.

"Right over here, hidden under the floor!" Shining then stopped at a spot close to a crystal column, and began to claw at the floor. Eventually, he was able to pry up a section of the floor, revealing what appeared to be a safe underneath. "Now, just gotta open this old baby, and THEN things should turn out ok for us!"

Then, to our surprise, when Shining opened the safe, towards the bottom, buried under a LOT of weird porn magazines, was the Crystal Heart! Not only was this they key to cleansing the Crystal Empire, but also for protecting it from any further Zebra onslaughts!

"YAHOO!!!! WE DID IT!!!!" Spike cheered.

"Eeyup!"

"Yeah, we DID do it! Great work with hiding this Shining!" I hugged him, and even gave him a quick peck on the cheek!

Shining blushed a bit. "T-thanks Bro!" He hugged me back, before giving me a quick peck back. (Many ponies long suspected that I had a guy-crush on Shining, just as he had one on me. Although we would NEVER admit it, it was true!)

"Now all we have to do is get this back upstairs, back outside, and back in between its pedestals!" Then, with Shining holding the Crystal heart, and the rest of us protecting him, we all then began to retrace our steps through the Crystal Castle again.

Meanwhile, off to the East, the attacks on Starlight's Village and Rainbow Falls were going phenomenally well. Starlight's Village was BEYOND a pushover, as it was practically abandoned at the time. Rainbow Falls was also very weakly defended, and all Zebras within were slaughtered soon after the gas was released from our canisters.

"Scar, do you copy?!"

"Yeah, I'm here Evan, what's going on over there?"

"We've already managed to secure Starlight's Village, as well as Rainbow Falls, and the Crystal Mountains on our side!"

"Wow, that's great Evan!"

"And that's not all Sir! We're also closing in on Neighagra Falls, Fowel Mountain, and Hollow Shades! We've got this in the BAG!!!!"

I was stunned. "Evan, that's AMAZING, but once you've managed to get those places, please STAY THERE!!!! If something were to happen, we wouldn't be able to get to you in time!"

"Roger that Scar! We've already bitten off about as much as we can chew, so we'll be good here! How's it going for you?"

"It's going well enough. We've almost managed to bag the Crystal Empire, and come morning time, we'll move on to Van Hoover, the Smoky Mountains, the Unicorn Range, and the Galloping Gorge. By the time the sun rises tomorrow morning, ALL of Northern Equestria minus Manehattan will be ours!"

"Wow, and then at least 1/4 of Equestria will be BACK in Equestrian hands!"

"Yes, just as long as nothing goes wrong! You'd better enjoy this while it lasts Evan, because once the Zebras realize what's happening, they'll not only flip their lids, but they'll also fight back, and HARD!!!!"

"Yeah, I know, so we WILL make this count!"

"Roger that, Scar out!"

Back in the Crystal Empire, we were still trying to make it back outside. We'd made it back up to the main level of the Castle, but due to heavy fire from outside, we were pinned down inside less than 100 feet from our objective!

"That's it, I'm calling in some support!" I grabbed my radio. "Jake! Are you there?!"

"Yeah, I'm here Scar, what's wrong?"

"Jake, Shining, Big Mac, Spike and I are pinned down on the main level of the Castle close to one of the main entryways, less than 100 feet from where we need to place the Crystal Heart, and I NEED some sniper action! Where are you guys right now?"

"We're higher up in the castle, in various sniper nests."

"And can you and your boys help us out here? If the Crystal heart activates, then the battle's over; we win!"

Jake was stunned. "What, really?! Well alrighty then!" I then heard him turn to others who were close to him. "You heard the man boys, we HAVE to clear them a path to the Crystal Heart's pedestals!"

"Right away Sgt. Jake!"

We all then peered over our positions, and watched as Jake and his group of snipers managed to take out the Zebras who were causing us so much trouble. Brains went all over the street in multiple places, and a LOT of blood was spilled as well!

Shining whistled softly. "Wow, so THAT'S what a sniper is capable of, is it?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. In a city battlefield like this, there is NO deadlier enemy than a sniper!"

Spike started to get up. "So, we can go now?"

"Wrong!" I heard several guns click close by us. "You all can drop that Heart and your weapons, and put your f@#king hands up, before calling off this attack RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!!!"

I turned to look, and to my surprise, there stood General Forthsite, Zed's right hand man, and about 8 Zebra troops. ALL of them had weapons pointed right at us. The general then seemed to notice the fire ax I was holding.

"Where did you get that ax?! That ax is property of the Crystal Castle!"

I smirked. "I took it on the 'Night of Fear'! I was roaming through the Castle, and I couldn't find anypony anywhere. I panicked, and seeing the ax, I knew that I HAD to arm myself!"

The general glared at me. "So YOU were the intruder that night! How did you escape?!"

I laughed a bit. "Oh, the easy way! I just hid out until you all stopped looking for me, then I took the elevator down to the main level where, although I WAS stopped and stripped of my clothes, I did manage to make it back to the freight depot."

"Well, no matter, you will NOT be escaping this time!"

I glanced behind the general, and I saw a LOT of Mountain Timberwolves creeping towards him and the others, and they did NOT look happy!

"Eh, I dunno about that General, but if I were you, I would NOT look behind you right now!"

Forthsite laughed. "Ha! You do NOT think I'm gonna fall for.......GAAAAHHHH!!!!" The wolves then attacked.

It was over really before it even began. The wolves got all of the soldiers in less than 10 seconds, before one of them managed to rip Forthsite's leg off! Blood splattered everywhere, and it was REALLY gory!

"AUGHWEE!!!!" He screamed, as he tried to crawl away from the battle.

Shining then got up, and walked over to him. "Bro?"

"Yeah Shiny?"

"Ax, now!"

I smirked. "You got it Shiny!" I then tossed him my fire ax, which he then caught. He then rolled the general over, before stepping on his chest. "Hello Forthsite! Bet you'd never thought that you'd see ME again did you?!"

All color drained from Forthsite's face. "S-S-SHINING ARMOR?!?!?!"

Shining smirked. "Yeah, it's ME bitch! I'm BACK, I'm BETTER, and I'm REALLY pissed off!" He then raised up my fire ax.

"P-p-please! Have mercy!"

Shining shook his head. "Sorry, all outta mercy!" He then brought the ax down on Forthsite's face. The general coughed on blood for a few seconds more, but then he went still.

I then looked over at the wolves. "*Thank you for saving us!*"

"*You're welcome. It was our pleasure.*"

"*And is the rest of the Castle Clear?*"

"*Almost. Just a few more rooms to go.*"

I nodded. "*Ok.*"

The wolves then went their way, while we prepared to make a 3rd attempt to make it to the pedestals.

"What did you say to them?" Spike asked me.

"I told them thank you, and then I asked how much of the Castle was still controlled by the Zebras. They said that it was almost clear."

"So, now we get the Crystal Heart to its former home?"

Shining nodded as he wiped Forthsite's blood off of himself. "Yeah, and let's hurry!"

Shining then tossed my ax back to me, and we all then got back to what we'd been trying to do.

Once we were back outside, all while taking cover behind some fallen wreckage, Shining and I were literally 5 feet away from our objective. We both knew that it was going to take the both of us to put the Crystal Heart back into place.

"Are you ready for this Bro?" He asked me.

"As ready as I'll ever be Shining."

We then held up the Crystal Heart, and with Spike and Big Mac covering us in case of any nasty surprises, we both then took hold of the Heart, before placing it back into its former home.

When we did, Time almost seemed to come to a complete stop. At first, we thought that nothing was going to happen, but then, the Heart began to spin; slowly at first, and then faster and faster. Then, all throughout the ground beneath it, and then through the rest of the Empire, the Magic of the Crystal Heart began to flow. The Crystal Ponies, both mare and stallion knew what was happening, and they braced for it.

The Zebras though, were totally clueless until it was MILES too late! The Magic of the Crystal Heart, as well as the love of the Crystal Ponies, created a MASSIVE energy field that RAPIDLY spread throughout the whole Empire. Everything broken or worn out became new again. All damage was repaired, all lingering illnesses caused by the Zebras were cured, and in fact, so were the Zebras themselves!

The Zebras, and ANYTHING related to them, including their weapons, clothing, pictures, flags, memorabilia, corpses, and their blood were either obliterated into nothingness, or were picked up by the energy field, and blown FAR OFF into the snow surrounding the Empire, and everything that they had destroyed, including the clothing, suddenly regenerated right where it used to be!

Even those who had died in battle, both Pony and Mountain Timberwolf, were regenerated as well! The ENTIRE Empire was now cleansed of Zebra filth, and was now protected by a MASSIVE dome shield as well. Then, from the top of the Crystal Castle, the flag of Equestria once again flew high and proud, and magical multicolored lights began to shine as well.

Once we all realized that the battle was over, we ALL began to scream our lungs out in victory! We'd lost maybe 60-75 Ponies, and 23 Mountain Timberwolves had been killed, but now ALL of them had been brought back! For the Zebras, an estimated 3,000 were dead, and an unknown number were wounded and missing, and ALL traces of them had been wiped clean from the Empire. Sure, we still DID have to take Van Hoover, the Smoky Mountains, the Unicorn Range, and the Galloping Gorge, but the time was only 4am. We still had PLENTY of time until the sun rose, so why not savor the moment? (The Magic also made us Human-wolves again, but we didn't mind this too much!)

Evan told us that Neighagra Falls, Hollow Shades, and Fowel Mountain were now in Equestrian hands as well. "I REALLY wish that you guys could see this, as we can even see CANTERLOT from the top of Fowel Mountain!"

"That's........ that’s great Evan! By God's Grace, we've done what less than a month ago was deemed IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Yes, and by God's grace, we'll CONTINUE to do the impossible!"

I nodded. "Yes. Yes we will. I'll radio you again once we've taken the rest of our objectives, which should be about the time that the sun rises."

"Ok Roger that Scar."

"Scar out."

I then turned back to my comrades and the rest of the soldiers, as we all finished putting the finishing touches on making the Crystal Empire exactly the way it was before the Zebras came. Now, we were fully protected beneath the shield dome. Now, we were ready to continue our onslaught against the Zebras, and to FINALLY bring peace to Equestria!

I knew that the next battle was coming VERY soon, but there was something that I HAD to do first. I made my way back to the Daylight Freight and Shipping company, and I began to look around on the floor for something.

"Whatcha lookin' for Babe?"

I turned, startled a bit, but then I saw Gilda behind me. "Oh, hey Babe. I'm looking for something that's been missing since the Night of Fear. I'm looking for my wallet!"

"Huh? Why? What's so important about your wallet, since American paper money and those plastic card things, not to mention your driver's licence, have no value in Equestria?"

I shot her a look. "Well, aside from the fact that it's a REALLY nice wallet, it ALSO contains 2 pictures that I've carried with me for years. One is a picture of my Grandpa Thomas, and the other is of my Mom!"

"And where did you have the wallet last?"

I thought for a second. "Well, I took it out of my pocket just before I left for the Crystal Castle, and left it on my nightstand. I know that it got knocked off somewhere when the Zebras raided the depot, but it shouldn't have gotten knocked too far." I was looking in one of the corners of the living area. Suddenly though, right next to an air vent, I saw my wallet.

"Oh, found it!" I then grabbed it, and after opening it, I quickly made sure that everything was still there. "Let's see, cash, pizza coupon, driver's licence, state ID, expired learner's permit, and bingo! Pictures of my Mom and Grandpa Thomas!" I then held them up for Gilda.

Gilda saw the picture of my grandpa first. He was sitting in a chair in his old uniform, and he had white hair, soft brown eyes, and a lot of wrinkles. He was smiling in the picture, and a younger version of me was standing next to him.

"He was 89 when that picture was taken. He died 10 years later."

She nodded, and then looked at the picture of my Mom. She was sitting on a bench in a park, and her soft brown hair was hanging down her back. She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and her blue eyes were visible. She was smiling, and seemed to be very happy.

"I took that picture Gilda. Sure, I was only 6, but my dad helped me take it. It was..........taken the Summer before she died."

"Wow, your mom was pretty. And I can definitely see that you inherited her eyes, as well as her brown hair."

I nodded. "Well, both of my parents have brown hair, but yes, I did get my Mom's eyes. And I'm glad to have these pictures back. They mean so much to me." I then took them, and placed them back inside of my wallet.

Once I was done, I put my wallet in my pants pocket, and after taking Gilda by the hand, (talon-claws?) we walked back out of the freight depot, and back to the others to get ready for the next assault.

Author's Note

And, that was the new Chapter 3! We're now halfway to the end, and now Rainbow Falls, Starlight's Village, the Crystal Empire, Neighagra Falls, Fowel Mountain, and Hollow Shades back under Equestrian control. Soon to fall are Van Hoover, the Smoke Mountains the Unicorn Range, and the Galloping Gorge, bringing somewhere between 1/4-1/3 of Equestria back under the control of the Equestrians!

How will the later battles go? How will the Zebras respond to the threat we now pose in this timeline? Will they try to steal away the mares and take them back to Zebrica this time? How much longer until victory is achieved? How many more battles will there be? And when will the Zebras finally surrender? Well, you know the drill, keep reading, and I'll tell you!

Yes, I know that very little changed from the first time around, except for the scene at the end. The one where Scar found his wallet. That one's brand new! Next up comes the brand new Chapter 4, which will have a new encounter between Scar and Zuri, and then things will get REALLY different for Chapter 5!

In the meantime, comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story are always appreciated, and I'll see you again in the New Chapter 4!

ScarFox out for now!