Fear from the Rails

by ScarFox9700

Rating: mature
Tags: Death, Alternate Universe, Human, Anthro, Princess Cadance, Braeburn, Spike, Gilda, Adventure, Shining Armor, Sex, Tragedy, Gore, Violence, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 168938

With the Zebras taking over Equestria, and the Pony males being led away as slaves, while the Pony females are left behind to breed new Zebras, one Human, 5 of his friends, and an old train, are the last ones standing that can help

For years, Equestria was a land of peace and Harmony, but one day, that all changed. From a nation far away, they came. They were the Zebras. They came as refugees, fleeing their home nation, and settling in Equestria. However, in all actuality, they were NOT refugees, and they were NOT just there to settle! They were there to conquer, invade, and breed the Ponies out of existence!

Slowly, yet very steadily, they corrupted the mares of Equestria, and began to intentionally make the stallions sick so that they couldn't fight back. After the "Night of Fear", the Zebras believed that they'd won. After all, the stallions were gone, and the mares were their slutty slaves, so who was left to challenge them?

Oh, but there WERE those who could fight back, US! Close to the edge of the Crystal Empire, sat an almost forgotten company known as the "Daylight Freight and Shipping Company". Owned by Human Ben "Scar" Anderson, and operated by him and his 5 friends, they operated out of a freight depot, with their single train, Southern Pacific Daylight 4449, hauling both freight, and Ponies to all corners of Equestria. Now though, they are Equestria's last hope.

The 6 Humans were not just former American soldiers, but they were former US Marines! And not just ANY US Marines, they were members of the Marine Battalion known as Wolf Pack! These guys were Human at times, and REAL Werewolves at other times! Now, with the enemy all around them, and nopony but themselves, and a select few others to trust, the fate of Equestria is now in their hands, and they HAVE to stop the Zebras before it's too late! The Zebras thought that they were invincible, but little did they suspect, their hour of reckoning was coming!

(This story is my one-shot response to the whole "Zebra Domination" Universe, as well as an anti-fic to the story The Zebra Conspiracy, by Very Sleepy. I absolutely ABHOR this universe, and EVERYTHING that it stands for! This story involves rape, torture, drugging, violence, death, bloodshed, swearing, a LOT of combat scenes, A group of American Marines/Werewolves saving Equestria, SP Daylight 4449, AND one awesome adventure! This story also contains sex sprinkled in here and there as well, as well as a LOT of nudity!

Basically, if you don't like this kind of thing, or if you want the Zebras to win, please just skip this story.

(SPECIAL UPDATE: Currently, this story is being given a New Timeline, thus making it 2 different stories, but the same circumstances, the same setting, same characters, but a different outcome. The New Timeline doesn't have any herds, and a bit more backstory on the Humans is explained as well. It'll also have a brand-new Chapter 6, as well as an all-new Epilogue. Believe me, if you disliked this story before, PLEASE stick around for the New Timeline, as I KNOW that it will make up for the past sins of the Original Timeline!)

(Additional Notes: Just in case it wasn't clear before, the "Original Timeline" is NOT canon anymore! ONLY the "New Timeline" is canon. I kept the "Original Timeline the way that it was because some people liked it, but for those that don't, there's the "New Timeline". Again, the "Original Timeline" is NOT canon anymore, but the "New Timeline" is!)

Published 2018-05-01 21:10:06 UTC
Last updated 2019-06-02 02:23:02 UTC

Introduction (Original Timeline)

It feels like it's been SO many years since the Zebras took over, but then again, maybe it has. Time's been a bit hard to keep track of since the end, but I do my best!

Oh, how silly of me, allow me to introduce myself! Hi, my name is Ben Anderson, but my friends call me "Scar". This is due to the prominent scar over my left eye. I'm in my late 30's now, but when all of this happened, I was 26. For nearly 12 years, I was a United States Marine. I thought that I'd seen it all during my time on Earth, and maybe I had. My scar came from a miss-thrown frag grenade, and if it hadn't been for my goggles, I most likely would have lost my eye! However now, I just have the scar.

I don't talk too much about my time in the Marine Core, but this is NOT by choice. For you see, my old unit, Wolf-Pack Battalion, was HIGHLY classified, and NO ONE outside of the top US Military Brass even knew that they existed. Why is this? Well, because all of those within the battalion were a part of a top secret project. The goal of this project was to create a new breed of soldier that was bigger, faster, stronger, had greater endurance, could see farther, smell better, and take and inflict MUCH more damage than a normal soldier could. Basically, they took some of the finest US Marines in the Marine Core, turned them into werewolves, and made them a part of Wolf-Pack Battalion!

Yes, I KNOW how strange that this sounds, but PLEASE bear with me here! The enemies of America were TERRIFIED of us! Because their was no record of our existence, and we were given a pretty loose leash for our operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other such places, we were free to use a LOT of different methods to complete our missions, and we did so with ruthless efficiency! We looked like ordinary Humans, but we could turn into our werewolf forms at will. (My wolf form was all gray, with a bit of white, while my Human-self had brown hair and blue eyes). Also while we were serving in Wolf-Pack Battalion, our families had NO IDEA what we were really doing. They knew that we were US Marines, but they knew very little else. An exception to this rule was my dad, Air Force Brigadier General Stanley "Stan" Anderson. He told me that he knew about Wolf-Pack Battalion, though I was unable to ask him how he knew, and how much, as it went against policy.

I retired as a Captain after 12 years, as I felt that it was time to move on to other things. When I did so, I was taken to a lab, where I had ALL of my werewolf features removed from my body. I was now 100% Human again, and I was given all of my credentials for "Fireside Battalion" which was the front for Wolf-Pack. I now had documented proof that I had been a US Marine, and I was now free to return to civilian life. However, I was warned about the "hazards" of what happened to those who talked about something that didn't exist, and I agreed that aside from my dad Stan, I'd never tell a soul. (Even so, I couldn't talk to my dad about this for another 2 years or so. I'm not sure why, some other policy).

I went about trying to find a new job, and thankfully, one came my way pretty quickly, and it was one that I REALLY wanted!

Since I've been a railway enthusiast my ENTIRE life, I went about getting a job with the railway. Long story short, I ended up in Oregon, where I became an engineer on one of the most legendary steam engines, pulling one of the most famous trains of all time! THIS beauty right here!

Yep! SP Daylight 4449, and her train! I worked with 5 of my closest friends, who like me were also former Marines from Wolf-Pack Battalion, and life-long railway enthusiasts. 42 year old Richard "Rick" Dennis, 33 year old Erwin "Evan" Young, 30 year old Patton "Jake" Blithe, 28 year old Franklin "Frank" Sinatra, (Yes, his name really was Frank Sinatra!) and 27 year old Jon Meers. He didn't have a nickname like the rest of us, as everyone just called him Jon.

I was an engineer, while Jake and Evan were firemen, Frank and Jon were brakemen, and Rick was a conductor. We also LOOKED to be fully Humans, but thanks to our time in Wolf Pack, we weren't quite. In truth, while we no longer had any visible wolf features, we still had 20/0 (aka better than perfect) vision, very acute hearing, heightened senses, could see in almost total darkness, had perfect night vision, and were still stronger, faster, and had greater endurance than most Humans. However, we WERE former US Marines, so we were able to pass off a lot of our abilities to our time in the Core.

It was a good life, but yet little did we suspect at the time that our lives were about to get a WHOLE lot more interesting!

One day, we were out for a maintenance run with 4449 and her full train in Wyoming, and although the weather was bad, we had to get to Cheyenne, Wyoming. We decided to head up the famous Sherman Hill, but just as we reached the top, lightning struck the tracks in front of us!

"WHOA!!! SHIT!!!!" I was driving at the time, and I immediately began to put the brakes on, while I yelled back for Frank and Jon to do the same.

Suddenly, from where the lightning struck, there appeared a MASSIVE ball of white light! There was no time to stop, and soon we hit the mass of light, and were immediately gone. Gone from Earth for a LONG time to come!

We suddenly found ourselves on a track surrounded by snow, but with what seemed to be a city off in the distance. We pulled into the station there to see where we were, as we believed that we were still in Wyoming. To our shock though, we were greeted by these bipedal, multi-colored Equine-like creatures!

We were then informed that we were in the nation of Equestria, in the far northern region known as the Crystal Empire. We also got the chance to meet Princess Cadence, and Prince Shining Armor, the rulers of the Crystal Empire. They were VERY curious about us, and where we'd come from, as they'd NEVER seen creatures like us before!

It was also during this time that we learned that during our trip through the sort of "portal" caused by the lightning, we were slightly changed. Jon and Rick now had gray horns on their foreheads, Evan and Frank now had super-human strength, and Jake and I had black, feathery wings on our backs as well! We could both fly, while Jon and Rick could move objects with their Magic, as well as cast shield spells, and even use Magic to attack! We also realized that we once again had our wolf ears, wolf tails, had wolf paws for feet, and that we had.....um.....wolf genitals! We weren't sure how this happened, but we assumed that it had something to do with the portal.

Our train was changed as well. We discovered that she no longer burned oil, but had been reconfigured to burn coal again! The 4449's 2 tenders were both full of coal and water, and when we searched the rest of the train, in the baggage and mail cars, we discovered that impossibly, not only were our old Marine field uniforms in there, but so were our weapons, as well as a LOT of other guns, ammunition, and even an armored vehicle! The rest of the passenger coaches looked the same, although they now smelled like lemon furniture polish for whatever reason!

Soon, we were allowed to use out train to work on the railroad, and the Daylight became the best, and fastest train in all of Equestria! (This is debated, as some still think that the Crystal Express is faster, and we have raced before, but the results of the races are disputed).

Together, the 6 of us started the "Daylight Freight and Shipping Company". With our single train, and an old railroad freight depot at the edge of the Crystal Empire, we were in business hauling freight and Ponies all over Equestria. Everywhere from the Crystal Empire, to Canterlot, Ponyville, Las Pegasus, Van Hoover, Baltimare, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Appaloosa, Dodge City, to even far away Trottingham. Everywhere we went, Ponies, and other creatures always cheered and waved at us, and the "Flaming Orange", as they'd nicknamed the Daylight.

We all LOVED what we did, and we all made our way around Equestria as well. And while we'd all been single before, we all even managed to find love! Rick was dating a Crystal mare named Amethyst, while Jake was with Roseluck, Jon and Derpy were together, Frank got in with Lyra, Evan was dating a Pegasus named Night Glider, and me? I was dating a Griffon! She was brash, sometimes rude, and rough around the edges, but sweet and kind underneath, and all around cool. She had a brown lion's body, large brown feathery wings, a lion's tail, an eagle's head with white feathers, yellow eyes, and purple marks around her eyes. She also had some pretty nice muscles, not to mention a sweet rack of Double-D's, and a nice ass! Her name was Gilda, and she would help out at the freight depot from time to time. Although she tried to hide it, I could tell that she was actually pretty interested in trains.

"Do you like trains Gilda?" I asked her once.

"What's it to you Dweeb?"

"Hey, I'm just asking."

She sighed. "Yeah, I think that they're kinda cool. Just like you!" She then gave me a quick peck on the cheek when nopony was looking. Gilda could actually be pretty sweet when she wanted to be, but too bad this didn't happen unless we were alone. (Gilda was also WILD in the sheets, but let's not talk about that right now!)

What matters now is that life seemed to be perfect for us. Perfect, but yet it was to end all too soon. Little did we suspect at the time just how IMPORTANT to the future our being in Equestria was going to be. Looking back on it now, I REALLY wish that we'd at least gotten a little bit of a heads up before everything hit the fan, but we didn't.

I can still remember it like it was yesterday. You can't forget a day like that. March 30th, 2024, the day EVERYTHING as we knew it changed forever. The day that THEY came to Equestria............

Author's Note

Ok People, here we go! Now that the introductions are out of the way, the REAL action can begin! From the next chapter, until the end of the story, there WILL be action! Maybe not always outright combat, but action nonetheless!

The Zebras are coming, and with them, comes fear-mongering, destruction, death, sickness, pain, and above all, rape. It's about to hit the fan! Hold on tight, because when the "Train of Fear" leaves the station, it has about as many brakes as the Rape Train does, so stay tuned!

In the meantime though, comments, questions, feedback, as well as spreading the word about this story, are always appreciated, and I'll see you all in Chapter 1!

ScarFox out for now!

Chapter 1: The Zebras Come, Our World Falls (Original Timeline)

I can still remember that day that the first Zebras started to arrive in Equestria. March 30th, 2024. At first, I really didn't pay too much attention to the reports. I mean, they were landing in Southern Equestria, and seemed to simply remain there. They were refugees, although nopony seemed to know where from, and the Zebras themselves couldn't seem to keep their story straight either. First it was the Zebra Lands, then it was Zebafrica, then finally Zebrica. This should have been the first warning flag that something was wrong. Refugees who seem to have no idea where they came from, and tell conflicting stories? What's up with that?

When the first Zebras began to arrive in the Crystal Empire though, I was a bit surprised. Instead of seeing gaunt, skinny, possibly sickly and scared refugees, I saw healthy, well muscled males, and somewhat plump, curvaceous females, as well as healthy looking Zebra colts and fillies; not like refugees at all! Soon, I heard from others at some of the stations that we stopped at that the Zebras were spreading out all over Equestria, and more and more of them seemed to be arriving daily.

"Something's REALLY fishy about all of this is you ask me!" The station master at Ponyville told me. "These don't look like refugees to me; they're WAY too healthy!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean Phil. Something's not right here. I've seen what refugees look like, and they do NOT look like refugees! I'll talk to Shining when I get back to the Empire, maybe he'll have some answers for me."

"Sure, and if you get anything, be sure to pass it along!"

"Sure thing Phil!" I then climbed back into the cab, and once Rick blew his whistle, we started back for the Crystal Empire. (Also, there were typically only 3 of us on the train at any given time. An engineer, a fireman, and a brakeman for a freight run, or a conductor for a passenger run).

When we arrived back there, I went over to see Shining. We'd become pretty good friends since we arrived in Equestria about 2 years prior to that point, and we often hung out a lot.

"Hey Shining!"

"Oh, hey Bro! What's up?"

"Oh, I wanted to talk to you about something, is there somewhere private that we can go?" (There were a number of Zebras in the Crystal Empire at that point, and I really did NOT want to be overheard!)

He nodded. "Sure! We can go to the Game Room."

When we arrived there a few minutes later, I asked him my questions. "Hey Shining, where are all of these Zebras even coming from?"

"Oh, they're refugees from Zebrica."

"And where is that even? I couldn't find it on a map."

"And you won't. Zed, the leader of the Zebras, told me that it wasn't on Pony maps, as it was beyond the oceans that we've mapped so far."

I thought about that. It SEEMED like a reasonable enough answer, but I still had to know more. "Ok, and I know that there's a lot of them, but why do more and more seem to be arriving every day? I mean, if these ships keep going and bringing back more refugees, why hasn't who, or what they're fleeing from put a stop to it?"

Shining shrugged. "I don't know actually. All Zed said was that they bring over as many as they can."

"And that's my main point Shining, I'm getting worried here."

"Oh? And why's that?"

I looked at him like he was blind. "Have you SEEN some of these supposed 'refugees' Shining?! The males are strong, muscular, and healthy, while the females are plump, and curvaceous. NONE of them seem to have had to endure hardships, or ANYTHING even REMOTELY close to what REAL refugees have to endure! Plus, if they were fleeing from a war, or a famine, then WHY are there SO MANY more males than females?!"

Now it was Shining's turn to look at me like I was crazy. "Bro, that's REALLY racist! They're refugees! They HAVE to be! Zed said so!"

I was stunned. "Shining, have you lost your FAUST-DAMNED MIND?!?!?! Just because somepony SAYS IT, does NOT mean that it's true! This is playing out just like the 'refugee crisis' that happened in Europe about a decade ago......." I then explained to him all about that. "They were NOT refugees Shining, they were a practical INVASION ARMY!!!! Now, I'm getting a SEVERE case of deja-vu!"

That seemed to make Shining come to his senses. "Yeah.....I can see your point now Bro. At the end of this week, Cadence and I, as well as Celestia, Luna and Twilight, will be meeting with Zed, and the other Zebra elders to discuss some of these things. I'll be sure to bring up what you've told me!"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, and thank you Shining."

"You're welcome Bro."

I then left Shining to get back to our bunkhouse connected to the freight depot. I wish that I could say that that conversation with Shining, as well as the meeting that later followed ended the whole ordeal, but it didn't. In fact, our problems were about to get a HELL of a lot worse!

A few weeks later, the rest of the guys and I began to notice something even stranger. We noticed that some of the regular Ponies that we usually saw at our stops were missing. This MIGHT not have been too serious of an ordeal, but yet those who were missing were railway staff! In their place were Zebras.

"Hey, what happened to Phil?" I asked the Zebra that was apparently the new station master in Ponyville.

"Oh him? He went on an extended vacation to um........Las Pegasus. He'll......be back soon!"

I could tell that the Zebra was lying. I'd learned a thing or 2 about reading body language during my time as a Marine, and he seemed like he was trying to spin up a story on the spot. I also noticed that he was actually WEARING Phil's uniform! It even still had the name tag that said "Phil" on it!

I nodded. "Ok, well, I'll be glad to see him again, as he's one of my good friends. Tell him I said hi if you hear from him!"

"I'll be sure to."

Our train then left Ponyville, but on the way to our next stop, we had trouble. A train full of Zebras had broken down on the tracks ahead of us, and we had to haul them, as well as our regular passengers. This wouldn't have been too much of a big deal, if what happened in the passenger coaches hadn't happened.

"Hey! What the hell do you think your'e doing?!" Rick yelled. He'd just witnessed a Zebra dumping some kind of liquid into one of the tanks that held drinking water for those on the train.

The Zebra looked at him. "Nothing."

"I SAW what you did! What did you just dump into the water?!"

Rick snatched the bottle that the Zebra was holding from him. It was empty, but when he sniffed it, Rick almost gagged. "Sweet Celestia! What IS this stuff?!"

"Like I said, it's nothing, and you're going to FORGET that you ever saw this!" Rick then noticed 2 other Zebras standing behind him.

"Oh, so it's intimidation now, is it? You POISON our water, and just expect me to do nothing about it?!"

"Yes. If you value your life, as well as the lives of your Human friends, to say NOTHING of your marefriend, you'll forget what you saw here! This is OUR train now!"

Rick knew that he was outmatched. The only other crew on the train were myself and Jake, and we were up in the cab. The only ones on the rest of the train were him, a few stallions, some mares, and a LOT of Zebras! They had also just threatened the lives of Amethyst, and the rest of his friends as well.

Rick glared at them. "Fine. But don't forget, what goes around comes around!" Rick then left that car. Once he reached the nearest valve wheel, he opened it, and let all of the water from that car drain out onto the tracks. "NOPONY poisons water on my train!"

Once we got to the next stop, Rick lodged a formal complaint with the Zebra Embassy in Canterlot, and after that, the Zebras left us be. None of them rode our train anymore, and they kept their distance from all of us as well. Nevertheless, Amythyst, Lyra, Roseluck, Night Glider, Gilda, and Derpy were all kept close to us just in case.

After this though, things went from strange and threatening, to bad and dangerous. More and more Zebras seemed to be holding high-ranking positions around Equestria, and while Zed became a close.....well......I don't what he CLAIMED to be....to Cadence and Shining Armor, Celestia, Luna and even Twilight seemed to have a LOT of Zebras close to them as well. Rumors also began to circulate about them having Zebra lovers.

One day though, I was going to see Shining, but I was stopped outside of the castle but 2 Zebras with weapons.

"I'm sorry, but NOBODY is allowed into the castle today!"

"On who's authority?" I'd never seen these 2 Zebras before.

"The authority of Princess Cadence! She has given STRICT orders that she and Zed are NOT to be disturbed!"

"I'm not here for THEM, I'm here for Shining Armor!"

"Don't care, now leave!"

I held my ground. "I'm not leaving until......"

"GET LOST!!!!!" One of them screamed at me!

I then feigned fear, and pretended to run away with my tail between my legs. In reality though, I was PISSED! Who did those bastards think that they were?!

The next day though, Jake was getting a glass of water, when he suddenly spit it out!

"OUGH!!! That's NASTY!!!!"

Frank looked over at him. "Huh? What's wrong Jake?"

"This water! It literally tastes like shit!"

I looked up from some paper work. "Maybe it's something wrong with the sink. Try another one."

He did so. "STILL tastes like shit!"

The rest of us then tried the rest of the sinks, and water faucets in both our freight depot, and the bunk house. ALL of them gave out water that although it looked and smelled ok, tasted like shit!

"Huh, must be something wrong with the plumbing. I'll go check with the public works." I then got up, and went to go see what was going on.

When I arrived there, I saw that there were only Zebras present. They offered to come and check our water, and for the sake of having even MORE reasons not to trust them, I let them come. (ALL of our marefriends were hiding though!)

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with your plumbing, are you sure that the water tasted bad?"

I nodded. "Positive. We tested all of the 6 sinks and water faucets on our premises here, and the water in ALL of them tasted horrible!"

"Hmm, well, we looked, and although we checked everything, we couldn't find anything wrong. Try the water now."

While Rick, Frank and Jon watched the Zebras closely, Jake, Evan and I went to test the water. After letting the sinks and faucets run for a bit, we tried the water again. This time, it SEEMED to be normal, but none of us trusted it.

"Tastes great!" I told the leader of the Zebras who came out. "Thanks for helping us out."

"You're welcome! Glad that we could be of service, my dear slu.....train crew!"

I froze. "Wait, WHAT were you about to call us?!"

"Um........I was about to call you 'slunders' but yet, I feared that you would take that the wrong way. It's just a simple Zebra word for worker, I assure you!"

I nodded. "Ok, well then, have a nice day, and we'll call you if we have any more problems."

Once the Zebras left, and we made SURE that they were gone, I turned to the others. "I SWEAR that he was about to call us sluts!"

Rick was equally outraged. "Yeah, and if they 'fixed' our water, then I'm the King of Siam! How much do you wanna bet that they jacked with it?"

"I'd bet you a small loan of a million dollars!" Frank agreed.

I then looked over my 5 comrades. "This is a dangerous world that we live in now guys. These Zebras are NOT our friends, nor are they refugees, assistants, or ANYTHING other than conquering bastards!"

"Here here!" The others agreed.

Cautiously, we humans drank the water, but yet we made SURE that we boiled it, filtered it, then boiled and filtered it again, before injecting it with iodine, and running it through MORE filters before we let our marefriends drink it.

So far, none of us were suffering from any ill effects. We were still healthy and sound, and our marefriends were grateful for us protecting them, even Gilda!

"Thanks for doing this for us Dweeb!" She hugged me.

I hugged her back. "You're welcome Gilda. We're just doing what we can to keep you all safe."

We all KNEW that the water was contaminated with something, and we tried to raise the alarm about it. Most just called us crazy or paranoid though.

"You guys are crazy! There's NOTHING wrong with the water!"

"Yeah! The Zebras tested it for us, and they said that it's as clean as a whistle! In fact, they even set up a plant in Cloudsdale to monitor it!"

"Did any Ponies check the water though?"

"No, the Zebras told us that there was no need to."

"And you didn't QUESTION that?"

"What are you, a racist or something?! What do you have against Zebras?!"

All of these conversations ended with us being accused of racism, xenophobia, sexism, and a lot of other TERRIBLE things! However, the more time passed, the more and more convinced that we became that we were somehow IMMUNE to the disease in the water!

Although we had no proof, we were actually right! Because our systems were mixture of Human and Wolf, they were able to filter out the toxins, and expel them as urine. We could safely drink contaminated water that other Ponies couldn't. We were immune to what the Zebras were doing, and in the long run, this would prove MORE than vital!

By the end of that Summer, those of us who ran the Daylight around Equestria dreaded it. Ponies were becoming more and more hostile towards us, and the Zebras seemed to be openly encouraging them. In fact, once they realized that we were on to them, the Zebras actually BOYCOTTED the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company, and encouraged others to do the same as well! Because of this, our trains got emptier and emptier, and our freight loads got lighter and lighter. Soon, we were barely taking out the train at ALL!

"This isn't good guys." I told the others as we ate dinner that night. "If we can't keep making money here, we may go out of business, and in times like THESE, that CANNOT be allowed to happen!"

Jon looked sad. "Yes, but what can we do to attract more business?"

I sighed. "Well, we COULD just beg the Zebras to lift the boycott, but I think that you all know what that would mean. The ONLY reason that we're still standing right now is because we're a private company. If we were part of the Equestrian Rail Service, we'd be LONG GONE by now! We will NOT capitulate like that!"

"I agree!" Rick added. "We built this company from the ground up, and even though our trains are light, we're now some of the last ones standing. We HAVE to make a difference!"

We all agreed to that, and later that day, Jake and I, with Jon as our conductor took the train out on a passenger run.

To our dismay, only 5 Ponies were on our train, all of them stallions. We also had a lot of garbage thrown at us, and Jake was even hit with a metal trash can that a Unicorn lobbed into the cab!

"OWWW!!!! HEY!!!!"

"Racist Xenophobes go home!!!!! We love Zebras!!!!" It also really unnerved us that all of those shouting at us were either mares, or Zebras!

We were forced to retreat, and we stayed at the freight depot for the next few days.

When we did venture out again though, an eerie sight greeted us. (Oftentimes, 1-3 of us would venture out, while the rest stayed behind to protect our mares. We'd already made a few nosy Zebras "disappear", and we knew how to hide the bodies!)

There was hardly a mare to be seen ANYWHERE in the Crystal Empire! All we saw were stallions, and Zebras.

"What's.......going on Frank?" I asked him.

Frank shrugged. "I don't know Scar. This is really eerie." We continued to look around.

Everywhere we went, the Zebras glared daggers at us, and we also noticed that some of the stallions appeared to be sickly. They were very pale, and their eyes were VERY bloodshot. We asked around, but were told that it was just the flu, and not to worry about it........by the Zebras who now ran the local urgent care clinic of course.

"It's just a bad strain of the flu, nothing to worry about my good Sirs!"

Frank looked around. "Um, I may not be an expert, but yet I WAS a medic in the military for nearly a decade, and I must say that this does NOT look like the flu to me! This looks more like a case of a junked up system!"

"Oh, well then, it's certainly a good thing that I'M a doctor then, is it not? You OBVIOUSLY don't know what you're looking at, as this is NOT a normal case of the flu, but rather a foreign strain! We're not quite sure where it comes from, but we're working on that. It also only seems to affect stallions, but I must ask you, do either of you feel sick?"

Both Frank and I knew that this could turn EXTREMELY ugly EXTREMELY fast! I'd already heard stories of stallions being taken away "for treatment", and were never seen or heard from again! However, if this Zebra wanted to take us ANYWHERE, his ass was gonna have another thing coming for it! We DID allow him to look at us, but we were also a split second away from making his death look like an accident!

"Hmm, well, surprisingly, both of you seem to be very healthy for.....eh, whatever you are.....such as yourselves. I dare say that you may be as healthy as we are!"

Frank and I looked at each other, before looking back at the Zebra "doctor". "Ok, well, thank you for the medical exam, however, we need to get going."

As we were walking out of the door, I turned back one last time. "Oh, and one more thing. What happened to all of the mares? I haven't seen a single mare in days now."

"Oh, well they went in batches to other facilities, just to make sure that they're healthy. They should be back before too long."

I nodded. "Ok, well, my marefriend, Dusty, went to one of those facilities, and I haven't heard from her since." (I was testing the Zebra. I pulled this "marefriend" out of my ass!)

"Well, outside contact is not allowed, as the staff do not wish to stress the patients under their care."

"Oh, I understand. Have a good day."

"You too Gentlemen!"

Once we were outside, I turned to Frank again. "I'm pretty sure that I know EXACTLY where 'Dusty' is right now, don't you Frank?"

"If you're referring to the large number of trains that we keep seeing heading towards the Zebra Embassy in Canterlot, then yes, I do!"

I knew what Frank meant. For several months now, we kept seeing all of these trains full of mares and Zebra males stop at Canterlot, and their passengers would head over to the Zebra Embassy. We'd all tried to get in there at some point to try and see what was going on, but we'd all failed. We kept trying for nearly a month straight. We even went so far as to try outrageous antics such as trying to mail ourselves, impersonating Zebras, and trying to feign fainting so that we could get inside. All of our attempts failed.

Failed that is, until later the same day that we left the clinic, we almost lost poor Jon! Jon was able to use his Magic to try to impersonate a mare. To his surprise, as well as the surprise of Jake, Frank and I who were with him at the time, the Zebras bought it! However, to our horror, we realized that it worked too well! Jon was dragged inside the embassy, and we then realized that we had no plan to get him out!

"SHIT!!!!"

Luckily for Jon though, he put his Marine skills to use, and made it back out to us. He was red in the face, and completely out of breath, but he was alive!

"What.....happened in there Jon?" Frank asked him on the train ride home.

"No.....no, no!" Jon was mumbling. "Horrors!" he finally yelled. "House of horrors! I was taken to some medical facility in there, where I was 'to be examined', as they told me. They then tried to make me drink some potion, and I freaked out and booked it! They tried to stop me, but I was able to evade them, and I was even able to steal some medical files!"

"You did what?!"

Jon pulled a few files out of his jacket. All of them were marked "CONFIDENTIAL". I grabbed one and opened it, but when I did, I REALLY wished that I hadn't.

"Oh jeez!" I tried to keep from vomiting.

"What?" Frank asked. I showed him what I was looking at. "OH....!!!!!!" He almost threw up too.

Each one of the 5 files was about a specific mare. Included were height, weight, eyecolor, mane color, fur color, and even things like sexual preferences. Full-nude pictures were also included as well as all of the information about the Zebras who were apparently their mates. A few of the files even said "Status: pregnant." Some of the pictures also included the mares with their Zebra mates.

I then looked up at Frank and Jon. "Guys, do you know what this means?"

"That the Zebras are sick and deranged, and need to die?"

"Well that too Jon, but look at these files! These are solid PROOF that they're up to no good!"

Frank looked alarmed. "They're trying to breed the Ponies out of existence!"

"Exactly Frank! We HAVE to get these back to the others NOW!!!!"

Jon then held onto the files as we raced back to the Crystal Empire.

Once we arrived back at the depot, we showed them to Rick, Jake, and Evan, as well as our marefriends, and Gilda, and all of THEM were about to wretch everywhere too!

"Oh God, that's DISGUSTING!!!!! Where did you guys even GET these?!?!" Night Glider asked.

Jon then explained about what happened at the Embassy.

Rick sighed deeply. Even though he was a conductor, and a former Marine like the rest of us, he was 40 years old, the oldest out of all of us. We also all looked up to him as a leader, even though I technically was the one in charge.

"What do we do Rick?" Jake asked him.

"Well, we HAVE to get these to the proper authorities, but yet therein lies the problem! Who do we tell who's not ALREADY corrupted by the Zebras?! The Princesses have all fallen, and so have most of the local authorities! If we leak it to the media, it'll be a DEATH SENTENCE for our 'racism' and 'xenophobia'!"

I was trying to think of a solution, but then, one hit me! "Of course! I'll take them to Shining! HE'LL know what to do!"

Frank looked at me like I was deranged. "Leopard, you're NUTS!!!! He and Princess Cadence were the ones who pulled the trigger on this whole ordeal!"

I looked at him. "Wait. Did you just call me 'Leopard' Frank?"

He stiffened a bit. "Whoops! Sorry Scar! I was thinking of somepony else!"

I cocked my head a bit, but I decided to let it go. I knew that Frank had a good point. Each week some new law, or decree would come from the Crystal Castle, seemingly giving Zebras even MORE "rights", and "privileges", while Ponies seemed to become more and more isolated.

I shook my head. "I really don't think that that was him though. Princess Cadence for sure, but yet I think that it was ZED who is the one with her behind this! Plus, Cadence and Zed are gone anyway. It's only Shining, and who knows when they'll be back!"

Jake looked at Rick. "Scar's right Rick. Each new day that passes brings the Zebras closer and closer, and who knows when Cadence or that Zed could be back! If we don't act now, we may NEVER get the chance to again!"

Rick then looked at me. "Go on Scar, do it!" He then handed me a what appeared to be a manila envelope. "Use this. It has a secret compartment in it for smuggling. In the rest of it is a cake recipe!"

I then took the envelope, and after stuffing the files into the secret compartment, I stuffed the envelope down my overalls, and after leaving the depot, I went straight for the castle.

Since the doors were guarded by Zebras, I used my wings to fly through an open window. I then stood up, and looked around. There was hardly a soul to be seen anywhere. I only saw a few maids, plus a few female guards. Of course, when I say, "hardly a soul to be seen anywhere", I mean the Ponies, as there were PLENTY of Zebras roaming around!

Luckily for me though, none of them really seemed to pay me any mind, and I was able to make it up to see Shining. I found him in his office, and when he turned around to face me, I saw that he didn't look so good. He looked rather sickly, his eyes were all bloodshot, and he looked like he could throw up.

"Whoa, what happened to you Shining? You look horrible!"

"I don't know Bro. The Zebras said that it could be that flu strain going around. And you look good, why don't you have it?"

I shot him a worried look. "You say that like it's a bad thing Shining."

"No, not bad, just....unusual. Perhaps you guys have better immunity to certain things than us Ponies."

"Um, yeah......about that. Shining, we need to talk, and no, this CANNOT wait any longer!"

Shining saw the sense of urgency on my face. "What is it Bro? What's wrong?"

I then shut and locked his office door, before pulling out the files from the envelope. "THIS!!! THIS is what's wrong!" I tossed them onto the desk in from of him.

He picked them up, and began to look them over. He then looked back up at me. "What even ARE these?! And better yet, where did you GET them?!"

"They were leaked to me by a reliable source! According to them, they came DIRECTLY from the Zebra Embassy! And after reading them over, I'm inclined to agree!"

Shining just sighed. "Well, I'm going to have to hand these over to the Zebras. Since Zed is indisposed, I'll give them to his second in command, Zuka."

I looked at him like he was insane. "Shining, you CAN'T do that!!!!"

"I have to. Don't worry, I won't tell them that I got them from you, so you just forget about these files, and I'll take care of the rest."

I couldn't believe my ears! "But......But......Shining, this is WRONG!!!!!"

"Seriously Bro, what is WITH YOU?! You've been NOTHING but HOSTILE towards the Zebras since they got here!"

I decided that enough was enough. I then took off the gloves, and laid everything down just about as brutally as I possibly could.

"Shining, listen to me, and listen to me very carefully. Outside of my coworkers, you are my closest, and dearest friend. I have NEVER steered you wrong before. But please Shining, for the love of GOD, LOOK AROUND YOU!!!!! Equestria is DYING, and it's the Zebras who are KILLING IT!!!! Before they came, when did we EVER have wide-spread viruses like this?! When were mares EVER throwing garbage and rocks at railway workers?! When did Ponies just up and VANISH without a trace on such a large scale?!"

"I can at least answer that. They were found to be too sick to be near other Ponies, and the Zebras took them to a special clinic to heal them."

"No they DIDN'T you IDIOT!!!!! NO RECORDS of ANY such 'clinic' exist! The Zebras take them away, and they are NEVER seen or heard from again! Also, if the Zebras are supposedly 'immune' to this flu, and they have 'doctors', WHY THE HELL HAVEN'T THEY BEEN TRYING TO CURE IT?!?!?!"

"Because they CAN'T! Zed's told me that they've tried and keep trying, but yet only mares and Zebras are immune to it! And speaking of which, why are YOU immune?!"

"I don't know why! But what I DO know is that the source of the flu is in the WATER SUPPLY!!!!! The Zebras are trying to POISON our water! Our conductor, Rick, even CAUGHT one of them trying to poison the water on our train! Shining the Zebras are NOT our friends! They HAVE to be removed before it's too late!!!"

Shining looked to be at SERIOUS war with himself. On the one hand, he knew that I had NEVER steered him wrong on something like this before. Most likely, I KNEW what I was talking about, and had more proof! But yet on the other hand, Zed said that the Zebras were their allies, and only wanted what was best for the Ponies. Shining knew me MUCH longer than he knew Zed, and at least I wasn't sleeping with his wife like Zed was!

"Bro......I WANT to believe you.......but.......but....."

"But WHAT?! What is it Shining?!"

"But.......I just..........need more time to think about this! This is WAY too overwhelming for me right now! I know that you're probably right, but I feel like SHIT, and I need to feel better first!"

I didn't want Shining to flip out and tell the Zebras, so I did what he asked. "Ok, and we'll be in touch. You take care of yourself Shining."

"You too Bro."

Just after I closed his office door though, I heard the sounds of a paper shredder. I knew what Shining did with the files, but at least we'd made copies before I took the originals to Shining!

Little did I suspect though, that that would be the LAST meaningful conversation that I would ever have with Shining.......for a long, long time!

The guys were waiting for me when I got back. "What happened Scar?"

I sighed. "Well, I have good news, and I have bad news."

"Better get the bad news out first Scar." Rick told me.

I sighed again. "I'm just REALLY glad that we have copies of the files, as Shining shredded the original ones!"

The other guys were stunned. "HE WHAT?!??!?!"

"HOWEVER! He did that to protect me! My fingerprints were on those!"

"Well then what's the GOOD news?!"

"The good news is that I was able to at least get through to him. I was finally able to make him realize that something was wrong with the Zebras."

"And then what?" Jake asked.

I sighed. "He asked me to leave, and to give him a day or so to think about it. When I saw him, he looked kinda sickly."

"Was it that 'flu'?" Frank asked.

"I would assume so. And by this point, I'm REALLY glad that our systems make us immune to whatever that junk in the water that's causing all of this is!"

"Same here!"

"I can agree to that!"

"Got that right Scar!"

"No kidding!"

"Yep!"

That night, we did have to take some time to defuse, and let out our "wolf sides", which we were able to do WAY out in the Northern Wilderness surrounding the Crystal Empire, FAR AWAY from prying Zebra eyes! (Yes, we still have the ability to turn into werewolves. Why didn't I mention this before? Because we can ONLY do it during times of extreme stress, such as during combat, or what was soon going to happen next).

The next morning though, we suddenly got a surprise. A HUGE order had come into Manehattan for Apex Industries, and it needed to be shipped IMMEDIATELY to Las Pegasus. Surprisingly, we got the call.

I then faced my fellow coworkers. "Ok people, here's the deal! Apex's latest shipment of machine parts just came in, and they need us to get it to their facility in Las Pegasus, PRONTO!!!!"

I was met with surprise. "Wait, they want US to take it?"

"That's what I was told. And it DID come directly from Gill at the freight depot over there, so it has to be legit. Yeah, I know, I'm REALLY skeptical too guys, but we NEED the money!"

"So who'll be going?" Rick asked.

"I'm going, and I'm taking Jake and Jon with me. This should be an overnight trip at most! We'll be in CONSTANT contact by radio. If we suddenly go silent, assume the worst, and get ready to go with the contingency plan." (We'd already drawn up a plan if something REALLY bad should happen. Underneath the freight depot and engine storage shed was a sort of a bunker. Inside this bunker were our old Marine uniforms, as well as a HUGE stockpile of weapons, and enough supplies to ride out the apocalypse! If the contingency plan would be activated, the survivors would open the bunker, set the freight depot on fire, and then get down there to safety. The building would them burn down on top of the bunker, hiding it from view. Then, they would simply ride out the apocalypse, until such as time as they would be able to leave the bunker. It was NOT the most thought out plan, but it was the best that we could come up with for the time being!)

Jake and Jon looked at me. I could tell that they were just as nervous as I was. "What route are we going to take?" Jake asked.

I pointed it out on a map. "We're taking this track from here, through Ponyville, until we pass Rainbow Falls, and get to Manehattan. Then, from Manehattan, we reverse course, head back to Ponyville, head on through it, go over the.....no. we BYPASS the Ghastly Gorge Bridge, and take this route here all of the way to Las Pegasus!"

The other guys knew why I said that. A bridge, over a huge gorge, on a train, with the way things were then? It was a death trap, and we were going to AVOID it!

"When do we need to leave?" Jon asked.

I looked at my watch. "In about an hour." We all then went to get our train ready.

Sure enough, 1 hour later, Jake, Jon and I were on our way with our set of freight cars to Manehattan. For the most part, our trip went fairly well. We were on high alert at all times, but yet nothing happened. We arrived there on time, and pulled into the freight depot.

Sure enough, when we pulled in, there were Zebras ready to load up the crates. However, Gill, the manager at the freight depot, let us inspect everything before it was loaded onto the train.

"Oh, and I'll just need you to sign right here Scar." I then looked over to the clipboard that he was holding. However, instead of a freight order to sign, there was a message. "Your lives are in GRAVE danger! The Zebras know that you are immune to their filth. Prepare for the 'Night of Fear'!"

"Ok." I pretended to sign. Instead, I wrote, "What's the 'Night of Fear'?"

Gill wrote one final thing. "The end of EVERYTHING as we know it! You will be the last ones standing. Make it count!" He then took the page, and using his Magic, disintegrated it.

I nodded slowly, and after the train was ready, we all climbed back onto it, and left Manehattan behind us. Sadly, that would be the last time that I ever saw Gill alive. The next time I saw him, his picture was in the paper. Apparently, he'd been murdered at the depot later that same night. The case was still unsolved, but we knew that Gill knew too much, so the Zebras had to get rid of him. A tragic loss indeed, but without Gill's warning, none of us would still be around today!

The trip to Las Pegasus also passed pretty uneventfully, and when we reached the freight depot there, our train was unloaded, and our check from Apex was waiting for us as well. We then made a fast turnaround, and were on our way back to the Crystal Empire. However, THIS was where things fell apart.

We'd managed to reach the Smoky Mountains, but then the tracks were blocked by snow! I tried to stop the train, but we ran into a huge snowdrift, and ended up getting stuck!

"Dammit!" I cursed. I tried to back up the train, but the engine was stuck fast in the snow.

"Great, NOW how are we gonna get out of here?!"

I then flew up to see how far the snow drifts went. "Shoot! If only we could have made it another 50 feet! The snow drift gets smaller and smaller, and then vanishes altogether!"

"Yeah, and how much you willing to bet that this is the ZEBRAS' doing?"

"I'll take a small loan of a million dollars!" John laughed.

"Same here. This'll take us all night to dig through, but it MUST be done!"

We were NOT going to be freezing to death in the snow, so we all grabbed shovels, and got to digging! Our first priority was getting the snow away from the train itself, which we completed by the time that the sun went down. We radioed back to Rick that we were stuck, and we continued to send back radio messages all through the night.

By Dawn the next day, we were FINALLY out of there! Using the engine herself, we pushed through the last few feet of snow, and were FINALLY on our way again!

"We're on our way back now Rick! We're FINALLY free of the snow!"

"Yeah, that's great Scar. Just hurry on back though, I'm REALLY starting to get almost paranoid. Did you hear about Gill?"

I nodded sadly. "Yeah, we heard about it on the train's regular radio. Obviously he knew too much, or they wouldn't have done that."

"Yeah, and now with Gill gone, I hope that that's our LAST trip to Manehattan for a long, LONG time!"

I agreed with Rick, as did Jake and Jon. We all then continued on our way. Once we made it back to the freight depot, we all collapsed into our respective bunks, and fell asleep. We'd been up all night shoveling snow, and we were utterly EXHAUSTED!

The next few days passed peacefully enough, but then came the night that Gill had warned us about. That night is still etched into my memory even to this day. August 27th, 2024. The night that EVERYTHING as we knew it changed forever.

The day started normally enough. As per the usual, there were no shipments of freight that needed moving, and we were still not back onto the official circuit for carrying passengers. We did the usual cleaning of the depot, the engine maintenance, and the sanitizing of the water so that it would be safe for our marefriends and Gilda to drink.

In the afternoon though, Frank suddenly spotted a number of Zebras racing about for seemingly no apparent reason. They were carrying what looked like empty laundry bags, and they were just running with them.

"What's going on out there Frank?" Evan asked him.

"I don't know. Either the Zebras are exercising, or they're fixing to rob a clothing store, or even the local dry cleaners! They're running around with laundry bags!"

"What?" Evan looked, and sure enough, Frank was right.

As suddenly as it began though, the weird display was done. All of the laundry bags disappeared, and the Zebras went about their daily duties.

"Well, THAT was really weird!"

"Yeah, no kidding Frank! What were they even doing?"

"I don't know Evan, but I get the feeling that we're going to find out soon." And find out soon we would indeed!

After the sun went down, I went out for some air. I told Rick that I was going to try and talk to Shining again, and he told me to be careful.

"The Zebras have gotten strangely quiet all of a sudden. Be careful Scar."

I nodded. "I will Rick." I then set off for the Crystal Castle.

When I arrived there a few minutes later, I was met with a strange sight. For once, there were no Zebra guards outside.

"Huh, that's really weird." After venturing inside, I didn't see anypony anywhere, not even a Zebra!

Now KNOWING that something was wrong, I retraced my steps a bit, and back out in the hallway, I found a box on the wall with a glass cover. Inside the box was a wooden-handled fire ax with a red blade. A sign on the front said, "In case of fire, break glass!" Deciding that there WAS a fire, I used the little tool provided, and broke the glass. I then grabbed the ax from the hooks inside, and held it with both hands.

"Well, I'm armed now at any rate", I muttered. I then headed off to find somepony.

Higher up in the castle, I saw a few maids, but no guards. I was just about to give up all hope, when I heard what sounded like somepony coughing violently.

"Huh? What's that?" I followed the noises to a large set of double doors. Finding them to be unlocked, I pushed them open, and stuck my head in.

I then realized that the room I'd found was Cadence and Shining's bedroom! It smelled like bleach, and then I noticed the figure sitting on the edge of the bed. It was Shining. His face was buried in his hands, his clothes were dirty, as was his mane, and he was violently coughing.

"S-Shining? I asked, stepping into the room, "A-are you ok?"

He then looked up, and saw me. When our eyes met, I almost wretched into a nearby trashcan! He looked HORRIBLE! His face was a sickly green color, his eyes looked like he'd been smoking meth for days on end, and he looked ready to throw up!

I dropped my ax onto the floor next to me. "SHINING!!!! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!?!?!"

"NO! Stay back! Don't come near me!"

"Wasn't planning on it! But when did this happen?!"

I....d-don't know! But you guys HAVE to leave here, NOW! Equestria is NOT safe anymore!"

"Gee, ya think Dum-Dum?"

"No, LISTEN TO ME!!!! You were right! All along you were right, and I didn't want to listen! But they're coming!"

"Wait, who's coming?"

"Our Mares, and the ZEBRAS!!!! They're coming back!"

I was getting confused. "And, is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"BAD!!!! Our mares CANNOT be exposed to this!" He gestured to himself. "It's that Faust-damned Flu! The Zebras brought it with them, and now it's spiraling out of control!!"

I was trying to come up with a plan. "We HAVE to call a doctor!"

"WE CAN'T!!!!! The males have all come down with......." Suddenly, we both heard voices out in the hall, and they were coming towards the door! It was Zed and Cadence!

"Oh jeezums!"

"SHIT!!! They CANNOT see you! Quick, HIDE!!!!"

Without even thinking twice, I dove under the bed! Moments later, Shining grabbed my ax with his Magic, and tossed it under there with me as well. "Take this!"

"Thanks!"

Just then, the door opened, and Cadence walked into the room.

"Shining? Oh Shining Honey? I'm back! How did you do while I was............SWEET CELESTIA!!!!!" I couldn't tell from where I was, but I knew that she must have seen Shining!

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU SHINING?!?!?!"

Instead of answering, Shining ran to the bathroom, and began to violently throw up!

I then heard the sounds of footsteps. "ZED!!!! ZED!!!! Where are you?!"

"Right here! What's wrong My Dear?"

"It's my husband! We HAVE to call the doctor!"

"We can't!" I heard Zed say. "This Flu strain is MUCH WORSE than we originally thought! It's spread to almost EVERY Pony stallion in Equestria!"

"WHAT?!?!?! WHAT DO WE DO?!?!?!"

"Now now, calm down, my Dearest Cadence, we have a plan! Thanks to us Zebras being immune, we will handle this! All that must be done is for us to take the stallions to our special isolation clinics, so that we can take care of them. They WILL get better, trust me! Also, there must be a FULL decontamination/disposal of ANYTHING that could have been contaminated!"

Suddenly, from outside in the city, I heard what sounded like air raid sirens going off. I also heard a LOT of running about everywhere, not to mention the sounds of a lot of wagons and carts moving about. Then Cadence and Zed left the room for some reason. Once they were gone, I quickly crawled back out, and ran over to the balcony to my right. What I saw going on down in the streets below me was like Dante's Inferno, Orwell's 1984, the Black Death, and the Holocaust, all rolled into one!

There were mares and fillies running around screaming, as well as Zebras in masks, gloves and what looked like lab coats going into various buildings, and dragging out sick Pony stallions, before placing them onto the carts.

My worst nightmare was unfolding right before my very eyes. The "Night of Fear" that Gill had warned us about was happening!

Suddenly though, I heard more voices coming closer!

"SHIT!!!" I once again dove under the bed. This time, I saw 2 Zebra stallions enter the room, before heading for the bathroom. Moments later, I saw them drag Shining between them! Suddenly though, one of them dropped him!

"Ough!" Shining muttered as he hit the floor.

"Augh, clumsy bastard!" The other Zebra yelled.

"Sorry!" The one who dropped Shining rolled his eyes.

In that brief moment that he was on the floor, Shining's eyes met mine. Just before he was picked up again, Shining mouthed the words "RUN, NOW!!!!" And then, he was gone.

Once the room was empty, I came out from under the bed again. This time, I was about to make a break for it, but just before I did, I heard something that made my heart stop.

"Ok, now that he's gone, as well as the rest, we've GOT to go through this place TOP TO BOTTOM!!! We HAVE to get rid of clothing, sheets, blankets, other bed coverings, curtains, drapes, towels, shower curtains, ALL OF IT!!!" Zed was saying.

"Yes Sir!" Another voice said.

"This was TOO EASY!!!" Zed laughed. "These little Ponies fell for the whole shebang; hook, line and SINKER!!!"

I was SEETHING in anger!

"Start with this bedroom! Search EVERYWHERE!!! Oh, and when you find the other intruder, bring him to me!"

Zed probably meant me! Worse still, they were coming back, AND they were coming to search the entire room! Thinking on my paws, I was able grab my ax, and hide inside a nearby ventilation duct, before pulling the vent cover back in front of myself. Moments later, Zebras entered the room, and began to strip the bed, while others grabbed clothes, drapes, and anything else that seemed to be made out of fabric, before stuffing them into the laundry bags that Frank had seen earlier.

"Ok, now that's this room! Now let's move on!" They then left.

Once they were gone, I tried to take a moment to collect myself. However, when I thought of Gilda, one thought hit me like a bolt of lightning. "I..............I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE AND GET BACK TO THE FREIGHT DEPOT!!!!"

I then set about trying to do just that.

As fast as I could, I pushed away the vent cover in front of me, grabbed my ax, and made it to my paws again. Once I was out of Shining's room, I ran through the halls of the castle. All around me, rooms were being searched, and more and more laundry bags were being dragged away. Nobody seemed to notice me, and I kept running, still with my ax in hand.

Unfortunately, when I reached the stairs, I ran into a problem. There was a HUGE traffic jam! Zebras were trying to get down the stairs with full bags, while Zebras with empties were trying to get upstairs. It was a fire marshal's worst nightmare!

"Nope! Not going that way!" I then ran to the elevators. The freight one was being used for sickly stallions, so I had no choice but to try the main one. I knew that it was an insane risk, but I had no other choice. The stairs were all clogged up, and the freight elevator was crawling with Zebras. I wanted to fly, but if I got spotted, then I was as good as the other stallions that I'd seen try that. They got shot down with arrows, and then fell down to the crystal pavement below! Basically, I was as good as dead!

I reached the elevator, and once it arrived, I saw that it was empty. I then got inside, pushed the button for "G", and once the doors closed, the elevator started downwards. To my surprise, the elevator never stopped once on its trip down. Once I reached the ground floor, I saw that I was less than 100 feet from a main set of exit doors!

"Yes! Made it!" I then began to run towards the doors. Unfortunately, I spoke too soon. As I was running, I suddenly tripped over a dropped shoe, and went sprawling! My ax flew out of my grip, and skidded across the floor, before getting stuck under a cabinet.

"Oh Pony-feathers!" I quickly got up, and went over to retrieve my ax. Unfortunately though, I never made it there.

"Hey, you!" I heard a voice behind me yell. I turned, and there stood a group of 4 Zebras.

"Me?"

"Yes you! What are you doing in those clothes?!"

I looked down at myself. I was wearing the typical blue shirt, denim overalls, brown shoes, and cap that most train engineers wear. "Um, heading back to my train, why?"

"Check him for contaminants!"

"Yes Sir!"

Before I knew what hit me, I was grabbed by 2 of the Zebras, who held me in place while another scanned me with some sort of device.

"Anything?" The leader of the group asked.

"Negative Sir, he's clean! However, his clothes WILL have to be removed for disposal!"

"Wait, WHAT?!?!?!" Before I knew what hit me, ALL of my clothes had been removed, and tossed into a bag! "HEY! GIMME THOSE BACK!!!!"

"We can't take that risk Son! Your clothes HAVE to go! But count yourself VERY lucky! You're immune to the flu!" Then, to my shock, they let me go, and went about their business elsewhere.

I still had my watch, however, without my clothes, I was FREEZING!!! Luckily, because I was a werewolf, and could switch back and forth during times of VERY high-stress, I simply grew out my fur. I left my head the way that it normally was, but then I went over, and grabbed my ax. Once I had it, I took a deep breath, and walked out of those doors, and down into the streets of the Crystal Empire, buck naked aside from my fur.

I continued to walk in a straight line, trying DESPERATELY to ignore the chaos all around me. Luckily, no buildings were on fire, but there were still Zebras taking away sick stallions, as well as dragging away laundry bags.

"Where are they even taking those anyway? To the dry cleaners?" I went to go see. To my horror, they placed them out in the snow surrounding the empire, before setting them on fire! "ARE YOU F@#KING KIDDING ME?!?!?!"

I also noticed that once a cart was full of sick stallions, it was taken away. I asked where, but nobody gave me the same answer. Some said a hospital, others said a Zebra clinic, while still others said a quarantine facility.

"It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with, my fine, fluffy friend! Everything is entirely under control!"

I just stared blankly at him. "Is it? Is it REALLY?! Because it seems to me like the whole world is on fire, and we're all burning with it!"

"Eh, it all depends on your point of view. But I can certainly tell you that SOMETHING'S burning tonight!" He then pointed to the burning piles of laundry bags, before laughing at his own bad pun.

I glanced down at my watch. The time read 12:47am. "Damn, this is gonna be a long night!"

Just then, I heard a Zebra ask for orders. "Sir, we've almost cleared out the entire Crystal Empire of both sick stallions, and contaminated items! Are there any places left to look?"

"Excellent! The rest of Equestria is following suit, although check that freight depot over there. We haven't searched there yet!"

"Yes Sir!" In horror, I realized that he meant the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company! The Zebras were heading right for it!

"No! NO, NO, NO!!!! This CANNOT be happening!!!!" I tried to run after them, but I kept almost running into those who were pulling away laundry bags, and carts full of sickly stallions.

I kept trying to make it there, but it was REALLY slow going! Unfortunately, I was unable to make it there in time.

On the end for those inside the freight Depot, about an hour passed between my departure, and the beginning of the "Night of Fear". At first, they heard the air raid sirens, but because they didn't hear any followup, they assumed that it was just a test.

Jake and Evan were out working on the Daylight in the engine shed, Frank was in the bathroom taking a shit, Jon, Rick, Lyra, Amethyst and Night Glider were playing a round of cards, Gilda was on her bed listening to her Walkman, and Derpy was eating a muffin.

Suddenly though, there came a LOT of shouting, and running.

"Huh? What's going on out there?" Rick wondered.

"I don't know Hun", Amethyst answered.

"Maybe it's those crazy Zebras again."

Derpy looked up at her. "You might be right Lyra. Maybe they're running around with laundry bags again!"

Before anyone could say anything else though, the door of the freight depot got kicked in, and a number of Zebras came pouring inside!

"AEEEHH!!!!"

"F@#K!!!!!"

"SHIT!!!!!"

The rest just screamed.

"Search this entire building! Check EVERYONE in here for contaminants, and get all contaminated items out of here!"

"Yes Sir!"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?!?!" Rick demanded.

"I'm sorry Sir, but the flu strain has gotten WAY too far out of control! Almost all stallions are infected, and we HAVE to make absolutely certain that the survivors are ok!" Then, while some grabbed those inside the freight depot and began to scan them, others began to look around the depot.

"All clean so far Sir! No signs of any contaminants!"

"Good. Now then, just to be safe, strip the beds, grab the clothes, strip these good people, and then let's move on!"

"Wait, what?!" Before they all could react though, all of those present were grabbed and stripped, before being dropped rudely back onto the floor!

When 2 of them kicked open the bathroom door where Frank was, he panicked! "HOLY SHIT!!!!" He was then grabbed right off the toilet, scanned, declared clean, then forcibly stripped, had all of his clothes stuffed into a bag, before being dumped back onto the toilet naked! "HOLY SHIT!!!!" Frank muttered, before passing out!

Since they were out in the engine house next to the depot, Jake and Evan were the last ones to get jumped. When they were though, they were searched, found to be clean of the flu, then stripped, and left behind.

Once they both made it back to the main depot, it looked like a tornado hit. Various chairs and tables were knocked this way and that, other items were knocked over, and the beds were missing everything on them except for the mattresses. As they all looked at each other, the full gravity of what had just happened hit them like a sack of bricks. They had just been jumped, grabbed, forcibly searched, and then stripped buck naked! However, even more strange was the fact that they were all still there. None of my guys were taken away that night.

Suddenly though, Rick realized that somepony was missing. "Wait, where's Scar?!"

Then they all remembered that I'd been up at the Crystal Castle, and still hadn't come back. All of them then raced out onto the streets, trying to find me.

Suddenly, Frank spotted me. "Hey! He's over there!"

"Where?!"

"There! Wandering around!"

Rick and the others looked, and sure enough, there I was in the middle of the street, seemingly wandering dazedly around. I was holding a fire ax in my right hand, and just like the rest of them, aside from my grown out fur, I was nude as well.

"Scar!" Gilda came running over to me. "Scar, are you ok?!"

"Fine. Just f@#king peachy Gilda! Where's everyone else?"

She pointed, and I saw all of them standing outside of the depot. Everyone was present, and they were also nude!

"Ok, great. Now then, let's try and put this nightmare behind us, and go to bed!" Gilda could see that I was at the mental breaking point.

"Yeah, let's do. Only, they stripped our beds, and f@#king BURNED everything!"

I sighed. "I know."

Once we reached the group again, we all hugged each other, and then we held our marefriends close. Rick held Amethyst, Jake held Roseluck, Jon held Derpy, Frank held Lyra, Evan held Night Glider, and I held Gilda. All of us were too stunned to move, or even say anything.

One Zebra did spot us though. "All of you, head back inside, take a shower, and then try and get some sleep. It's been a long night, and we have everything covered out here!"

For once, we all actually did what we were told to do by a Zebra.

Once we were back inside of the freight Depot, Rick locked the place up tight from the inside, before we all showered, and after finding some old mattress protectors, as well as a few plastic tarps, we placed those on our beds, before climbing into them, and snuggling with our marefriends for warmth. We all had our fur, and the heat was on, but even still, we were still somewhat cold, and we were all still in shock over what had just transpired.

"I still CANNOT believe this Gilda! WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?!"

She shrugged. "I........don't know Dweeb. I'm just glad that we're all still here! I mean, we're naked sure, but yet, we're all still here."

I held my beautiful Griffon girlfriend close to me, and wrapped my wings around her. "Yeah. We're still together, our building is still standing, we still have our train, but most importantly, I still have you!" I snuggled as close to Gilda as I possibly could.

For once, she didn't tell me to stop cuddling with her. "And if you wanted to, you could slip your wolfy dick inside of me to keep it warm; I don't mind!"

I looked at her. "Wait, really Gilda?"

She nodded. "Yes. Like I said, I don't care."

I then kissed her. "Thanks Gilda, you're the best!" (How does a Human kiss a Griffon? VERY carefully! Gilda opens her beak, I move my mouth over it, she closes her beak gently onto the sides of my mouth, and we mix out tongues together. It's kinda weird, but yet kinda hot at the same time.)

She then raised one of her back legs, giving me access to her slit. "Don't mention it."

By this point, I was out of my sheath, and once I was hard, I slipped my dick into her gooey love tunnel. Gilda and I took each other's virginity nearly a year and a half ago, and for a while, Gilda even quietly began to drop hints about us getting married, and maybe even one day having a family!

"Ngh, you're still SO good at this Dweeb!"

"Just as you're my sexy lion-bird!"

Some of the other guys were having sex with their marefriends too, but eventually, we all finished up.

As we lay there on my bed, Gilda was snuggling close to me. Suddenly though, she noticed that I had tattoos. "Huh?" She then looked up at me. "Hey Scar?"

I looked at her, glad for a little pillow-talk. "Yeah Babe?"

"I just realized that I forgot that you had all of these tattoos. Can you remind me of what they all mean?"

I nodded. "Sure Babe. One quick kiss first?"

Gilda rolled her eyes, before pushing her beak into my mouth for a kiss. She then broke it a few moments later. "There, happy now Dweeb?"

I nodded. "Yep! And now on to the tattoos. I then pointed to my left shoulder. "This black wolf's head here I got in honor of the Marine battalion that I served in; Wolf-Pack Battalion." (Wolf-Pack meant nothing to the Equestrians, so I was able to at least talk about the basics with them). "A lot of us got tattoos like this, and I've always been fond of wolves, so I got this one! And the numbers below it, '04014', are my military serial number. We all had our numbers tattooed onto us."

"And what about this big American Flag on your chest? With the words 'Never Forgotten' underneath?"

"I got this in honor of my grandfather, Major Thomas "Tommy" Anderson. He was an officer in WW2, and he was one of the few who survived the D-day Landings in Normandy! He landed on Omaha Beach!" I then explained a bit more about that to Gilda. "He finished the war as a major, and then retired. I loved my Grandpa Tommy growing up, and he LOVED to tell me his stories."

Gilda was impressed. "Wow, that's so cool Scar! Is your grandpa still alive?"

I shook my head sadly. "No, he isn't Gilda. He died back in 2017 at age 99. I was so sad when he died, and the day after his funeral, I got this tattoo, so that his exploits in WW2 wouldn't be forgotten."

"Well, that was nice of you. Now he'll always be with you." She then looked at my lower back. There was a tattoo there of a red heart with devil horns and a devil tail that said "Lion-Bird Lover" in black letters. She smirked. "Heh, still got your tramp-stamp back here I see!"

I shot her a look. "Hey, I ONLY got that because you said that you wanted me to Gilda! And don't forget, YOU have your own tramp-stamp! It looks IDENTICAL to mine, except that it says 'Howlin' Good Time!'"

Gilda knew that I was right. We got couple's tattoos once we were in a committed relationship, and they were in a position to be called a tramp-stamp. She wasn't ashamed of it though. "I got it for you too Dweeb!" She then noticed a tattoo on my left arm. "Hey, what's this one for?"

I looked, and when I did, I felt extremely sad. The tattoo in question was a golden heart with a pair of white angel wings. Below the heart were the words “In loving memory. I miss you Mom.”

I was almost crying. "I.....I got this when I was a teenager to remember my Mom, Maggie. She.......she died in a car accident when I was 7. My Grandpa Thomas had to pick me up from school, and my dad, Air Force Colonel Stan Anderson, had to race home from his air force base. All 3 of us were DEVASTATED at what happened. It was after this that my Grandpa Thomas moved in with Dad and I, so as to be close to us. My dad has a tattoo just like this, though his says, 'In loving memory, I miss you Maggie'. My dad never remarried after this, and left the air force to raise me."

When Gilda heard that, she was shocked. She NEVER knew that my mom had been killed until right then, and she was sad. "That's.....that's so sad Babe. And I know what that's like. As I might have told you, I lost my mom too."

I nodded slowly, wiping a few tears away. I knew that Gilda had been an orphan, and that she and her little sister Gabby had been raised by their grandpa, Grandpa Gruff. She was so sad when she lost her mom and dad, so she knew what I was feeling.

Gilda then pointed to her own shoulder. "I also have these tattoos to remember them by. One for my dad Gavin, and one for my mom Mary." I looked, and I saw that she had two heart tattoos, and both had their own set of wings. One had black Griffon wings and the other had brown Griffon wings.

I nodded. "Oh, well it's nice that you did that for them Gilda. If they could see you right now, I KNOW that they would be so proud of you!"

"So would your mom and grandpa if they could see you today Scar."

We talked about our families for a little while longer, and then all of us of the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company fell asleep in the warm embrace of our Beloveds in our beds inside the freight depot, while outside, a brand new world was just beginning.

Author's Note

And, that was Chapter 1. Longest thing that I ever wrote, but it's done now! Now, the Zebras are in power, and are feeling pretty invincible. It would be a real SHAME if a group of somebodies were to rain on their parade, wouldn't it? Like say, a group of 6 former US Marines, their marefriends, a Griffon girlfriend, and a train? These Zebras need to watch out, because we're coming for them now!

Starting in Chapter 2, the REAL action starts! No, unlike the original story that I'm writing this anti-fic from, the nobody will be leaving Equestria at all! They're all going to be staying right where they are, except the Zebra population might start taking a decline, and more and more Ponies may fight back, and cures might even be found for these illnesses!

No more will these Marines sit idly by while Equestria dies. Now, they will fight, and when they do, Zebras WILL die! Hang on, because crap, is about to get real!

As always, Comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story, are always appreciated, and I'll see you all again in Chapter 2!

ScarFox out for now!

Chapter 2: Aftermath, Battle plans (Original Timeline)

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 clothes line 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. My sister and I only helped spread it. We didn't make 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 maybe 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 razor blade 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 what 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've actually grown somewhat fond of you guys, 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 glanced behind me to make sure nopony was looking. "Sure, I guess." She then put her face up to the bars, and after pursing her lips, I gently pressed mine into hers for a quick kiss.

"Wow", I whispered after breaking the kiss, "You're actually a pretty good kisser Zuri."

She blushed a bit. "Thanks. And how do lips compare to a Griffon's beak?"

I thought for a second. "Well, lips ARE better for kissing, but yet, I also enjoy kissing Gilda too. 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 train gets delayed due to a dust storm, and THEN it gets captured by those....FILTH!!!!!"

Cadence looked over from her bed. "And we'll get it 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 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, 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!

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!

Chapter 3: Cracks Forming, Bloody Snow (Original Timeline)

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 screaming 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 system's 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 her. "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 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 Phillydelphia, 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 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? Will they try to steal away the mares, and take them back to Zebrica? 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!

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 Chapter 4!

ScarFox out for now!

Chapter 4: Fight to the Finish Line (Original Timeline)

By about 4:15am, Shining and I had cooked up a plan for the remaining areas that we had to capture. We decided to save Van Hoover for last, while we captured the areas around it.

Moving our forces out from the Crystal Empire, we first took the Ghastly Gorge, then the Unicorn Range, and then the Smoky Mountains. All throughout this time, we didn't meet a single Zebra. However, we also made the discovery of a town that we previously didn't know about. The town was called Tall Tale, and in fact, even though it was located between Van Hoover and the Smoky Mountains, and it was on the map, it was one of those places that most Ponies just didn't know about.

"Huh, well how did we miss this?"

I shrugged. "I don't know Shining. Most likely though, we just missed it because it wasn't on the map. Or if it was, we just missed it."

Spike then began to look over a map of Equestria he brought with him from the Crystal Empire. "Um, according to this map, Tall Tale is here, but it's not the most noticeable town ever. It also has a pretty small population."

We came to the town, and our forces took it, but the entire town was abandoned.

I then looked at the map. "And if I had to venture a guess, I'd say that that town was used by the Zebras who manned the quarantine camp in the Smoky Mountains. And once the facility was blown up after we liberated it, I guess that the town was abandoned as well. Nevertheless, we took it, and once we have Van Hoover, we control the rest of the North Luna Ocean, we have access to the Undiscovered West if we need it, and somewhere between 1/4-1/3 of Equestria is back in Pony hands!"

Spike nodded, but then shook his head. "Yeah, but therein lies the problem. Van Hoover is home to a large military garrison, and from what I've heard in the past, more Zebras than Ponies. How do we go about taking it?"

I looked at the map. "Well, we get our guys to surround it on all sides, and then we storm it like we did for the Crystal Empire. HOWEVER, our primary targets are ANY and ALL ships in Van Hoover Harbor! At the very least, we HAVE to neutralize them!"

"And, why do we have to do that?" Big Mac asked.

Shining then took up the story. "Because if they have those ships, then they can start loading mares aboard them for a hasty exit. They may not be able to make it to Zebrica, but those aboard would still make it to Faust knows where, and most likely never be heard from again."

Big Mac nodded slowly. "Uh, yeah, that's REALLY bad! Right, we take out the ships first! But wait. Ain't there more ships on the other side of Equestria where Manehattan is? What about them ships?"

I sighed. "We'll take care of those when the time comes. Recently, I learned an interesting nugget of information that the Trottingham group was withholding from us. As it turns out, The majority of the ships in the Equestrian Navy were either burned or scuttled to prevent the Zebras from using them. The remaining ships and sailors were taken in by the Trottingham group, and have been patrolling the Equestrian Coast on the Celestial Sea side, preventing Zebra smuggling."

"And is it true that the Griffons have offered to help us if actual war breaks out?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that's true Spike. It seems that although the Zebras were able to take Equestria, other nations, including the Griffon Kingdom, basically told them to go f@#k themselves. The Griffon Kingdom, and the Dragon Lands may prove to be our primary allies in this fight. All we have to do is complete our victory here, then Shining, as the De Facto leader of Equestria, declares war on the Zebras. Then our allies join us, and together we kick those Zebras's asses from one end of Equestria to the other, before driving them into the sea, and away from Equestria for good!"

"Yeah, but how do we take Van Hoover?"

I looked at the map again. "Ok, here's the deal. We first surround the city on all sides, then we neutralize the ships, before finally heading in by rail via the Wabash Cannonball, and then storming the city! The odds are still in our favor, so let's do this thing once we've gathered our forces together again!"

"Right! And Bro?"

"Yeah Shiny?"

"While I'm the 'De Facto leader of Equestria', you, Spike, and Big Mac will be my advisers/right hand stallions! You'll be my chief military adviser, Spike can be my chief planner and map specialist, and Big Mac can be head of my security detail!" (In truth, while we were storming the Crystal Castle, Big Mac killed more Zebras than the rest of us!)

We all looked at him. "Are you.........are you being serious Shining?"

He nodded. "As serious as I can be. I NEED more guys like you! Under you Scar can be the rest of your Marines, and under all of you will be troops. Sure, Braeburn is still in charge of the Appaloosa Resistance, but I'm now in charge of the Equestrian Armed Forces. And now, we have breakfast in Van Hoover!"

We all agreed to that, and with a force of 300 Ponies, we all snuck towards Van Hoover.

It was a very delicate operation. The time was getting close to 6am, and not too long after that, the sun would rise.

"And how's the sun even being raised anymore anyway?" I asked Shining and the others. "Do Celestia and Luna still do it, or do the Zebras do it now?"

Shining shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea Bro."

"And neither do I." Spike agreed. "Twilight never mentioned it, although she never really talked to me much anymore."

I shrugged. "Well, at any rate, I'm sure that we'll all find out how it works in the end. In the meantime though, we have a city to take over!"

We all then split up our troops, and we all got into position. Frank and his troops would be sabotaging the ships, while those under Rick and Jon would be guarding the outside of the city. Spike and Big Mac would also be leading troops alongside Jake to be the second wave into the city with the Wabash Cannonball, and Shining and I? Well we, and a few of our troops were going to be making a REAL entrance! We were sitting inside of our armored vehicle, waiting for Frank and his team to finish up with the ships before we all came pouring into the city as the first wave.

"How much longer do you think Frank? We're running out of time here!"

"We're almost done Scar. Most of these ships were empty, and the ones that weren't wouldn't be ready to go anytime soon. However, yes, for the sake of Equestria, we rigged them to blow. They'll sink into the harbor, and be completely useless to the Zebras!"

"Good work Frank, and whoever else is with you. You're the best men and stallions, (not to mention mares if there are any with you!) for the job!"

"Eh, thanks Scar. It's just what we do!"

A few minutes later, Frank gave us the word. "Ok Scar, we're all clear! All explosives are set, we weren't spotted, and we're still in the clear!"

"Roger that Frank!"

I then checked with the other guys once I got the word from Frank. "You guys all ready?"

"Affirmative Sir! We're all good!"

"Yes, the perimeter is sound, we've got eyes on ALL routes in and out of the city, and it should fall fairly quickly!"

I then said another quick prayer for God's protection while we did His good work. "Please God, don't let us blow this now!"

I then radioed Frank again. "You got the detonator ready Frank?"

"Affirmative! I'm just waiting for my signal!"

I looked at my watch. The time was now 5:45am. I began a countdown with my fingers. 3......2.....1........I then raised my head, and howled another howl!

With that, all hell broke loose, and the battle for Van Hoover was on!

Once he had my signal, Frank then hit the button on the detonator, and one by one, ALL of the ships in Van Hoover Harbor blew sky high! I knew that the explosives had been planted in strategic places so as to only sink the ships, not outright destroy them. We all then POURED into the city!

From the train tracks, the Wabash Cannonball came in guns blazing, as well as launching the canisters of the gas. Just like back in the Crystal Empire, once the gas began to take effect, the results were almost immediate, and EXTREMELY deadly to the Zebras! Once again, the mares and older fillies grabbed whatever weapons that they could, and laid waste to the Zebras alongside us.

I then led my troops into the city by busting through a gate with our armored vehicle. "YEAH!!!! Let's show these Zebras who's boss!!!!"

However, if we were expecting a long, drawn out battle, we were sorely mistaken. The number of Zebras in Van Hoover was actually very small, and most of those were NOT warriors! First chance they got, many of them threw down their weapons and surrendered. By 6:10am, it was all over. Van Hoover was ours, and we'd only lost 17 of our own, including mares. The Zebras had lost 111, with a further 200 or so surrendering.

The only problem was, we had no idea what to do with them. Luckily though, there were pens made for "troublemakers" inside of the city, so we herded the Zebras into there for the time being.

"What's going to happen to us now?" One of the Zebras asked.

"Well, you'll be kept here until the war is over, and then, provided that you behaved yourselves, you'll be sent back to Zebrica."

The Zebra nodded sadly. "I could have expected as much. I KNEW that taking over Equestria the way that we did was too easy, but did anyone listen to me? NO!"

Once we had the chance to regroup, some remained behind to hold our new areas, and once the sun was up in the sky, the rest of us returned to the Crystal Empire.

"VERY well done all of you!" Shining commended. "Last night, we literally did the IMPOSSIBLE! We SHOWED the rest of Equestria that the Zebras are NOT invincible, and that they CAN be defeated!"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, by God's Grace, we pulled through. We're doing ok so far, but from here on out, it will be MUCH harder! Soon, the Zebras WILL catch wind of what's happened, assuming of course that they haven't already! We HAVE to be able to meet the counterattack when it comes!"

"And we will Bro. Now, I think that it's time we contacted the Zebras to declare war, wouldn't you all agree?"

"Eh, there's something that I think we should do first, but yes, THEN we reach out to the Zebras!"

Shining gave me a curious look. "Oh? And what do we have to do first?"

"I think that we should break one of the rails leading to the Crystal Empire in a strategic point, so that if Zebra reinforcements come by rail, they'll derail, and then we can pick off any survivors."

Shining nodded. "Yeah, good point Bro. We'll do that, THEN contact the Zebras!"

We all then set about doing just that, all while preparing for what we were going to say to the Zebras.

Meanwhile, many miles to the south in Canterlot, former princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight, as well as their Zebra lovers, were meeting with the rest of the Zebra Elders, so as to discuss the future of Equestria. All of the Princesses were naked, and sitting on the floor next to their respective lovers.

Zed currently had the floor. "This is starting to get worrisome for my people Princess Celestia", He was saying. "Even with the stallions gone, I fear that their influence still lingers among the remaining population. We must be ready to COMPLETELY cleanse their lingering filth, and start over again."

"So what exactly do you propose that we do Zed?" Cadence asked him.

On the inside, Zed smirked. ALL of the princesses were like putty in their hands, and would do ANYTHING that the Zebras told them to do. On the outside though, he put up an air of deep concern. "I fear Princesses, that we must all be prepared to LEAVE Equestria behind, and all evacuate back to where we came from, Zebrica!"

When they heard that, the Princesses were SHOCKED! LEAVE Equestria?! Their native homeland for thousands of years?! It was UNHEARD OF!

Zed was prepared for their gasps of shock. "Now please, before any of you get TOO upset, let me explain myself. For FAR too long, you have been chained to those stallions that SAY that they love you, and would always be there for you, but where are they all now? Sick, and possibly dying. Now we Zebras are the only ones left who can help you continue on your race. However, Equestria is all wrong. It MUST be evacuated, so that the proper Zebras can return, and render it FULLY safe for the Zebras to use as their new homeland....that we will share with the Ponies of course!" Zed winced at having slipped up like that.

Luckily for him though, the Princesses didn't seem to notice. "And what does, 'make it FULLY safe for the Zebras' mean, Zed?" Celestia asked.

Zed was just about to vaguely explain a whole lot of bullshit, when all of a sudden, a messenger burst into the room!

"MY KING!!!! WE HAVE TERRIBLE TROUBLE!!!!!!"

Zed looked up. At first, he was angry at having been disturbed, but then he saw the look of fear on the messenger's face. "What's......going on?"

"IT'S THE STALLIONS!!!!! NOT ONLY HAVE THEY ESCAPED FROM ONE OF THEIR CAMPS, BUT THEY'VE ALSO TAKEN THE NORTHERN END OF EQUESTRIA!!!!!"

When the messenger said that, the entire room went so quiet that you could have heard a bead of dew fall from a blade of grass and hit the ground!

"W-wh-what????? WHAT?!?!?! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!"

"I don't know King Zed! It happened sometime last night! They struck first at the Crystal Empire, then Rainbow Falls, that one Village, Van Hoover, and ALL of the areas in between them and Neighagra Falls, which they've ALSO taken!"

It was then that Zed realized the full scope of what had just happened. They'd lost a HUGE amount of territory to what seemed to be a combination of resistance groups, AND formerly sick stallions! Now, Las Pegasus, Manehattan, and possibly even Cloudsdale were DIRECTLY threatened by the enemy! The same enemy that now held the Crystal Empire, Rainbow Falls, Starlight's Village, Tall Tale, Van Hoover, and EVERYTHING else in between!

Cadence turned to Zed with fear. "What.....do we do Zed?"

Zed looked like he was going to die of fright! Obviously, the Ponies were MUCH worse of an opponent than the Zebras initially thought that they were going to be!

Zed then turned to the others. "We HAVE to act IMMEDIATELY on this! Those stallions are ALL still contaminated with that virus, and if they're allowed to roam free, it could prove CATASTROPHIC to the rest of us!"

"So, what would you recommend that we do Zed?" Celestia was getting worried.

"Well, first of all, you let my people handle this! We took care of all of the stallions before, so now we'll just do it again! They will NOT last long against the Zebras!"

Zed then summoned one of his commanders, and ordered him to load up troops onto a train, and leave IMMEDIATELY for the Crystal Empire to restore order there, round up all of the stallions again, and then decontaminate EVERYTHING!

"You must NOT fail us Commander Zundo!"

He saluted. "I will not, My King!" He then left to fulfill his king's bidding.

"So, what do we do now?" Cadence asked nervously.

"Now, we wait for the situation to be FULLY brought under control, which should be before too long. The stallions will NOT be able to hold out against us, and it should all be over by lunchtime!"

The Princesses had confidence in their new Zebra overlords. They SHOULDN'T have!

Lunchtime came and went, and STILL there was no word from Zundo, or those under his command.

"What could be keeping them?" One of the other elders muttered.

"Perhaps they're still engaged in battle."

Zed had a different conclusion. "Or perhaps they've already met with death." He didn't say this out loud, as he did NOT want to sound like the situation was out of his control in front of the former Princesses, but yet he felt more than a twinge of fear at what was happening.

Suddenly, Zed's holographic communication device began to beep. "Well FINALLY!" He then grabbed it, and turned it on. "Well, it's about TIME you reported in Commander Zundo! I was beginning to think that something bad happened to you!"

He and the other Zebras looked, and there stood Commander Zundo, but to their surprise, something seemed.......off about him. His eyes were wide open and were bleeding, and there was blood coming from his mouth as well. He also looked like he'd gotten crushed by something.

"Um.....C-Comander? Are you feeling ok?"

"No....." He said in a weird muffled voice. "I'm actually QUITE dead! As are the others!" The figure that had apparently been using Zundo's dead body as a puppet then dropped him to the ground, before revealing himself, AND his comrades!

"No.....NO!!!! IT CAN'T BE!!!!! YOU'RE ALL DEAD!!!!!"

Shining then stepped up to the communicator a bit closer. "What's wrong Zed? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"B-b-b-but, THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS CAMP!!!!!"

I then stepped into view. "Oh, that was MY doing Zed! Quite the little plan I cooked up for the Appaloosa Resistance, as well as my other comrades to execute! Your boys over there NEVER knew what hit 'em! Oh sure, we took a FEW of them prisoner, as we HAD to know more information about them!"

"And were YOU responsible for the attacks on the Zebra Embassy?!?!?!"

I nodded, smirking. "Yep, that was Jake and I's finest hour! We just strolled right on in, stole some of your stuff, took 2 Zebra mares, and then left the way we came!"

Zed narrowed his eyes. "You can keep those filthy sluts for all I care, but for the crimes that you've committed, you will all DIE!!!! But before I give the order for ALL of your deaths, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY COMMANDER AND HIS TROOPS?!?!?!"

I sighed. "They all died, but we NEVER touched them!" I then smirked, and began to sing in a sing-song voice, "We saw their train coming towards the Empire, riding fast the whole darn way, but then they got a chance to meet, our local Mountain Timberwolves! Then, just 4 miles further down the line, they hit a broken rail! The whole train came flying off the tracks, and landed in the ditch! We tried to get to them in time, but a steam pipe broke in 2, and 100lbs of pressure hit those poor engine crew! The rest were crushed beneath the train, when it flipped its lid! All of them all died, and there was nothing we could do!"

(2:00-2:24)

When the full gravity of what I'd just said hit the Zebras, they were all SHOCKED! Their ENTIRE force that they'd sent out was now dead, and we were BRAGGING about how we'd killed them!

"Your..........your deaths will be SLOW!!!!"

Shining then stepped back up to the communicator. "What my best friend Scar has said is indeed true. However, what he did NOT tell you is that we're here to stay! Everywhere we advance WILL become the new Equestrian border! And we will NOT stop until ALL of Equestria has been freed form your tyranny! ALL of you will PAY for what you did to MY Ponies! You all had BETTER be preparing yourselves, because as of this moment, Equestria declares war on the Zebra Empire! The documents have all been signed, and I, as De Facto leader, have notarized them! You would be MORE than wise to surrender right now!"

Zed was STILL unable to recover from the shock of everything that had just happened. In his stead, Cadence tried to reason with Shining. "Shiny, you're sick, you NEED to be cured!"

"Cadence, I HAVE been cured! We've ALL been cured! The scientists in the Appaloosa Resistance have cured the virus!"

"That's what they WANT you to think Shiny! You're all still VERY, VERY sick! You HAVE to let the Zebras help you get better!"

Before Shining could answer though, Rune Star, one of the mares who'd been under the Zebra's influence until the battle in the Crystal Empire, spoke up. "I'M a mare, and I can tell you right now that NONE of these stallions are sick! The Zebras LIED to us! They are NOT our friends; they only do what's best for THEM!"

"BLASPHEMY!!!!" Twilight suddenly screamed. "SHE HAS SPOKEN RACIST BLASPHEMY AGAINST OUR ZEBRA OVERLORDS!!!!!"

All of us could see that trying to reason with the Zebras, as well as the mares with them, was futile. We would have to see our war through to the end.

I looked at Zed. "One final time. Do you surrender, or not?"

"NEVER!!!!" Zed screamed. "We will NEVER surrender to lowlifes like you!"

"So be it. We shall do whatever it takes to win."

"And you will DIE!!!!" Zed then terminated the call. He also knew that war as imminent now.

"What, do we do Zed? Do we still evacuate the mares?"

Zed shook his head. "No. We CANNOT take the risk of losing them along the way! We'll deal with the stallions ONCE AND FOR ALL, put them BACK into those camps where they belong, and THEN proceed with our plans from there!"

"And what do we do now, King Zed?" One of the other elders asked.

"Now, we mobilize our forces IMMEDIATELY, BEFORE they can strike again!"

The Zebras then set about doing just that, all while hoping that the war would be over soon.

Back in the Crystal Empire, we all were preparing for war as well, but a few of us were getting some much needed rest. In an actual room in the Crystal Castle, I had Gilda on her back in the bed, all while screwing her brains out! She continued to screech in bliss, before I buried my my mouth into her beak.

"Oh Faust, I needed this Stud!"

"Mmm, so did I Gilda, so did I!"

"Oh FAUST I love you Stud!" She then flipped us over until I was on bottom, and she was riding me for all she was worth!

For the next number of minutes, all that was really heard were the sounds of a Griffon and a Human-wolf hybrid submitting to their feral instincts. Just to be safe, Gilda did take one of the birth control pills that she had with her, but I wasn't wearing a condom, although this was due to the Zebras seemingly having gotten rid of them all! (Not that I even COULD get Gilda pregnant, but yet, this was war, and that was a risk that we could NOT afford to take!)

Eventually, I blew my load into my lion-bird's pussy, before she flopped forwards onto me, and began to purr.

I wrapped my arms around her. "Nyah, I love you Gilda."

"Ngh......I.....l-love you too Dweeb. And I'll have you know right now that I pledge my love to you, now and forevermore. If we get outta this alive, I wanna settle down with you. I don't know about kids but DEFINITELY not off the bat!"

I stroked Gilda's feathery head gently. "Yeah, I'd like that too Babe. But yeah, no kids until we're ready!" We both laughed at this before falling asleep.

For the next few days, we did have to fend off Zebra attacks form the south trying to take back the Crystal Empire and Van Hoover. However, by October 24th, we had another plan for an attack.

This time, the target was Las Pegasus, and we planned to take it in a pincer maneuver. One force would come down from the North and East through the Whitetail Woods, while a second force would come in from the South and East. Along the way, the Pie Rock Farm would also be liberated.

"As it should be!" Igneous Rock said angrily. "Though I usually do not condone violence, those Zebras will PAY for what they have done to my family!" (I'd heard that his wife Cloudy Quarts, and his daughters Maud, Limestone, Marble and Pinkie Pie all were kept on the farm as breeders, while a few stallions, and even Griffons were forced to work the mine on the farm, and break up rocks).

"We will take back your land Sir." I told him. "You can be a part of the force that comes in from Appaloosa to take back your farm if you want to."

"Much obliged, Captain Ben Anderson." (Igneous was one of the few folks who called me by my real name. Most others just called me by my nickname, Scar.)

The date for the attack was set to commence at 2am on October 26th for Las Pegasus, and Midnight for the attack on the Pie Farm. If successful, then the ENTIRE West Coast of Equestria would be liberated, as well as the Northern border. Most of the Southern border would be secured as well, with the lone exception being Baltimare on the East Coast, which would be dealt with in due time.

Once our forces were moved into place, we began to hear strange stories from the big cities on the East Coast, and even from Ponyville and Canterlot. Apparently, most mares were DEMANDING to know how a bunch of supposedly "sick" stallions managed to escape from a quarantine camp, take over a HUGE amount of territory in just one night, and then hold it for days. The Zebras were refusing to comment, and that only ticked off the mares even more.

Mass demonstrations were held by mares DEMANDING answers in front of the Zebra Embassy, and also in Canterlot, Ponyville, Manehattan, Phillydelphia and Baltimare. (Las Pegasus was more Zebras than Ponies. Plus, they were all REALLY out of touch with reality over there!)

In Canterlot, Princess Luna was REALLY beginning to question why the Zebras were allowed into Equestria in such huge numbers in the first place, as they were seemingly causing FAR more harm than good! Princess Celestia was on the fence about the whole ordeal, Cadence wanted to believe what Zed told her to think, and Twilight STEADFASTLY refused to see ANY faults with the Zebras.

"The STALLIONS are the ones at fault here!" She screamed. "THEY rebelled against our beloved Zebra overlords! THEY WILL ALL DIE!!!!!" It was quite clear that Twilight's mind was at the point of no return. If something couldn't be done soon, then she could become permanently insane.

"We HAVE to hold on until the Equestrian Army gets to us!" Luna told her sister. (Luna had actually murdered her own Zebra coltfriend, and then blamed it on a Human assassin.)

Celestia didn't know what to think. "I.........don't know what to say, Dear Sister. I KNOW that we were wrong for allowing this to happen, but yet is it REALLY all bad? Surely the Zebras HAD to be thinking of us at some point, right?"

Luna placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Sister, the Zebras NEVER had our interests in mind! They want to END our ENTIRE RACE!!!!! Right now, thank FAUST for those 6 Humans, and their abilities to fight back! Now they've taken 2 resistance groups, and turned them back into the Equestrian Armed Forces! They WILL be giving the Zebras a run for their money, if not outright DESTROY THEM ALL!!!!!"

Celestia sighed. "If another city falls, I'll reconsider what you have said Sister. In the meantime though, we let this play out." Celestia then went back to the food that she was eating, while Luna looked out of a window in the direction of the Crystal Empire.

"Please Shining Armor." She thought. "Please hurry up!"

Another target that we had to deal with was another quarantine camp located outside of town in the Palomino Desert. According to our scouting forces, the camp was well defended, but yet it seemed to be VERY poorly constructed, and in the end, we decided to begin the attack on the city, while another force under Jon and Jake went to liberate it.

Later that night, just before the attack began, I addressed our troops. "Ok people, here's the deal. We're up against a MASSIVE force of the enemy here. Unlike the previous times, they KNOW that we're probably coming, but yet they don't know when. We're here in the Whitetail Woods right now, and hopefully by tomorrow morning, Las Pegasus, the rest of the Southern Border of Equestria, AND the Pie Family Rock Farm will be BACK under Equestrian control!"

All of the soldiers cheered, and then I continued. "We're in for the fight of our lives though. According to our scouts, we're up against a large garrison, and approximately 4,000 Zebras. There are more Zebras, but the rest of them are stationed out at the quarantine camp."

"And how will we be going in?" Frank asked.

I sighed. "We're going in similar to how we did with Van Hoover, but yet with a few changes. This time we don't have a harbor to take care of, although there may be a few ships that will have to be neutralized. For going in, we'll use the Wabash Cannonball to take on anything that comes in by train, as well as to disperse the gas.

Then Frank, Rick and their troops secure the perimeter of the city, while Jon and Jake will take their forces, as well as our other trains, and liberate the quarantine camp. They will be provided with the cure, as well as the vaccines, and once they're out, the rest of us will protect them until we can get the sick stallions on their way to safety in Appaloosa."

"And how will we get into the city?" Shining asked.

"Well, like with Van Hoover, we surround the city, and then work our way in. Our first priority will be the Zebra garrison, which our train will hopefully be able to knock out with artillery." I then looked at my watch. "Our time is running out. We HAVE to move now!"

I then finished laying out the plan, before our soldiers began to split up into their groups, and we all moved out for both Las Pegasus, and the Pie Family Rock Farm.

At Midnight, Igneous Rock, as well as the force of soldiers under the command of Jon and Jake reached the outskirts of the farm. All was quiet, and then they stormed the farm. Still to this day, details of exactly what happened when they did are somewhat scarce. From what I've pieced together from Jon and Jake, NO mercy was shown to ANY of the Zebras on the farm, and Cloudy Quarts and her daughters, including Pinkie Pie, were safely rescued by the Equestrian forces, as were a number of other stallions and Griffons who were being used as slaves on the farm, and were also apparently immune to the virus. Some of our forces stayed behind to hold the area in case the battle in Las Pegasus got out of hand, but the rest of the soldiers, including Jake and Jon, moved in on Las Pegasus from the South and East. The rest of us came in from the North and East as well.

Once the forces who were going to be storming the quarantine camp were in place, hiding in the Palomino Desert, the rest of us began our attack on Las Pegasus.

Using the artillery guns on the train, the Zebra garrison was targeted, and we began to drop shells onto it. At this same time, other guns on the train began to lob the gas. The only problem was that we didn't quite have the same amounts of gas that we were able to use on the Crystal Empire and Van Hoover. We were still able to cause damage, and we also learned that the mares themselves could pass the effects of the gas on to other mares by prolonged physical contact.

Also unlike before, we faced a LOT more resistance! These Zebras were well trained, and better equipped. We still had the element of surprise, as well as superior weaponry, but it still took a LOT longer than we thought that it was going to! We started the attack at about 2am, and at 6am we were STILL going!

"This is INSANE!!!" Gilda screamed from the barricade that we were hiding behind.

I then popped up and put down 3 more Zebras. "Yeah, no kidding! However, we now hold about 90% of the city, and the Zebras are losing more and more all of their guys all of the time!"

"Just as long as we make it out of here alive Dweeb, I'll be MORE than happy!"

"Oh, we'll make it out of here alright!" I then loaded a fresh magazine into my gun. "We've still got our WHOLE LIVES ahead of us to live as we want after the war's over!"

"Right, so let's DO THIS!!!" We both then popped over our barricade and began to let the remaining Zebras in our area have it with our guns!

By 7:30am, it was FINALLY over. We'd lost 137 troops, with 300+ wounded, and 35 missing. The Zebras had 2,800+ dead, 150+ wounded, and an uncertain number of missing. 45 Zebras were also taken prisoner. We'd taken back Las Pegasus, liberated the quarantine camp, and added another 11,000 stallions to our ranks. There was only 1 quarantine camp left outside of Baltimare, and now the ENTIRE Northern region of Equestria, as well as the entire West Coast was now in Human and Pony hands.

I looked around at the city. "Wow, we've sure caused a LOT of damage here today, but yet it CAN be repaired. The Zebras have got to REALLY be hurting, and we're still gaining ground."

Gilda leaned her head on my shoulder. "Yeah. We won, they died, and we keep moving forwards. Can we go somewhere private? I REALLY need a good f@#k right now!"

I groaned. "Gilda, is sex all you think about?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. I also think about food, being cool, and killing Zebras."

I just shook my head. "You Griffons are SO weird sometimes."

Gilda then grabbed my collar with one of her taloned hands. "What was that Dweeb? You talkin' shit over there?"

"I dunno, maybe I am. What are you gonna do about it bird brain?"

"I'm gonna drag you into an alley, rip your clothes off, and f@#k you until your hips are broken!"

I then gently wrapped my arms around Gilda, and held her close to me. "I love that fire in you Gilda. I think that's one of the reasons that I fell for you."

She hugged me back. "Shut up, hybrid freak! It's not like I actually LOVE you, or anything! B-baka!"

I then kissed Gilda on her beak. "Yeah, and I love you too Babe."

Gilda then opened her beak so that she could kiss me. We then shared a few deep, passionate kisses, before heading off so that I could stuff her like a fat turkey!

Back in Canterlot, the Zebras were REALLY starting to lose their minds! We were gaining ground, and they were losing troops, mares, AND land!

"And they take it back so easily that WE become the idiots in this picture!" Zed raved. "Our mares are asking us why the f@#k we can't deal with the threat, and the more time goes on without a Zebra victory, the more agitated they become!"

One of the Zebra commanders, Bania, looked at the maps. "Without Las Pegasus, our largest city is Manehattan, followed by Baltimare, Phyledelphia, Cloudsdale, and then Canterlot. However, they've GOT to be running out of steam! Now they've got all those sick stallions to take care of, so I doubt that they will be able to mount an assault for a while."

Zed sighed. "Which should give us time to prepare our defenses better. Since we control Cloudsdale, we also control the weather! We'll keep holding back the Winter, and we also see if we can't cause some 'weather delays' for them as well!"

Bania looked at a few charts. "That COULD work, but it'll be hard, as we don't have the largest mare workforce in the world. Also, since only Pegasus mares and Zebras using that one serum to allow them to walk on clouds are in Cloudsdale, and the city moves VERY slowly, it could take us a while to create clouds for storms."

"Well, then what would you suggest?"

"Well, like you said My King, we HAVE to strengthen our defenses! If the Ponies take ANYMORE territory back, it will be a DISASTER!!!! And I would also recommend that we begin the evacuation of the mares and fillies immediately!"

Zed shook his head. "I would, but we can't. We've lost the West Coast, and that fleet of enemy ships keeps prowling around on the East Coast. If we tried to evacuate, I doubt that we would make it very far."

Bania looked up at his king. "We'll continue to strengthen our defenses. Wherever they strike next, we WILL be ready for them!"

Suddenly, a messenger brought in 2 more letters addressed to King Zed. Zed read them, and then turned so pale that his black stripes almost disappeared!

"Oh great, now the Griffons AND the Dragons have declared war as well!"

"Well, isn't that a good thing? Won't they help us take out the Ponies?"

"That's the problem, they've sided WITH the Ponies!"

When the word of the Griffons and Dragons entering the war on the Pony's side hit the streets, mass panic ensued. The Zebras ASSURED the public that the enemy would NOT be taking any more territory, but not all of the mares believed them.

Meanwhile, I had to make a stop in Appaloosa since it was somewhat close by. I had to see how Zuri and Zena were fairing.

I found them still in their cell, and they looked somewhat happy.

"Hey guys."

"Scar!" Zuri came rushing up to the bars. She reached her arms though the bars to hug me. (Even if she was trying to grab at anything in my pockets, shucks for her, I didn't have anything in my pockets or on my body, aside from a shirt, empty pants, and shoes!)

I hugged her back. "Did you miss me Zuri?"

"Oh, more than you know!" I was then actually let into their cell. (I had to bribe a LOT of money to do that!)

I sat on Zuri's bed, and she sat on my lap. She gently began to nuzzle, and kiss me. She was so soft and gentle, so unlike a Zebra.

I then kissed her back, before gently beginning to brush her rather long mane with a hairbrush that I was given. Zuri's mane was black and white, and rather long. Instead of the Mohawk that some Zebras had, she left her mane natural, and just let it hang down her back. Zena was similar, although she cut her mane short so that it didn't quite reach her shoulders.

"So how goes the war Scar?" I've heard that the Zebras are REALLY sweating to stop you!"

I laughed. "And you'd be right Zuri! We've managed to take back the Crystal Empire, Rainbow Falls, Starlight's Village, Van Hoover, Tall Tale, Las Pegasus, and ALL of the land between them! The Zebras only hold Manehattan, Baltimare, Phyllidelphia, Ponyville, Canterlot, and Cloudsdale, as well as the spaces between them."

Zena looked over at me with shock. "Wow, that's.......pretty insane actually! And any ideas on when we'll be able to get out of here, and what will happen to Zuri and I when we do?"

I sighed. "Well, if I had my way with it, you would be free to choose what you wanted to do. However, since I don't, most likely you'll be held here until the end of the war, and then deported like the rest of the Zebras who survive surrendering."

Zuri looked at me sadly. "Wait, we'll have to go BACK to Zebrica?"

"I'll do what I can to ensure that those who don't want to go back don't have to, but no guarantees."

Suddenly though, a deputy poked his head in. "Captain Scar?"

"Yes?"

"You're needed at the town hall right away. Big meeting."

"Ok, coming." I then got up. "I have to go girls, but I'll be back again soon."

Zuri hugged and kissed me one last time. "Goodbye Scar."

"Goodbye Zuri, and I'll see if I can talk Gilda into allowing you to join our relationship as well if you're allowed to remain here."

"Mmm, that would be nice Scar."

I then left for the town hall.

When I arrived, I found Braeburn leading a meeting, while Shining, Spike, Big Mac, the rest of my guys, and a few other leaders were present as well.

"What's going on Brae?"

"Well, our scientists are done with their secret project, and they're ready to unveil it to us."

I was surprised. "What, really?"

"Yes."

"Oh, well, this should be good." I then took my seat.

The lead scientist, Dr. Stables, formerly the head doctor at the Ponyville General Hospital before escaping with a number of male patients and staff to Appaloosa, stepped forwards.

"Thank you Braeburn. Now then, the meat of why you've all been called here today. Well, for the past few months, we've been trying to come up with something to infect the Zebras with that the Ponies are immune to, and now we've had our breakthrough." He then held up a bottle full of dark colored liquid.

"THIS will become the bane of the Zebra's existence! It'll mix into the water supply, and under normal circumstances it would take a while for it to work, but we've been able to aggravate it so that it'll kick in MUCH faster, and when it does, it will be EXTREMELY deadly to male Zebras!"

"Yes, but what does it do Dr. Stables?" I asked.

"It...........will give the Zebras testicular cancer!"

When we all heard that, all we could do was stare in shock.

"Give them........testicular cancer?! How is that even possible?!"

"It's possible, because this chemical creates the PERFECT conditions to develop the cancer, as well as aggravating the testicles so that the cancer will form."

Shining looked at Dr. Stables. "But......won't that lead to Zebra extinction?"

"I can see why would you think that Prince Shining, but no. Only a fraction will be effected, but it will be a VERY high number. By our initial estimates, we estimate that up to 65% of the Zebra males will be effected."

"And how will we get it into the water supply?" I asked.

"That's where you boys come in." The doctor answered. "You're going to have to bag us Cloudsdale. If we have control of Cloudsdale, all we have to do is rain the poison down on the areas affected by Zebras! Stallions and mares are immune, but the Zebras won't be!"

I was surprised. "Ok, Cloudsdale. So now all we have to do is plan out how to do that. In the meantime though Dr. Stables, you and your people just keep us supplied with the special gas to allow the mares to see the truth, as well as the chemicals to dump into the water supply of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, so that it can be made into clouds, before getting rained down on the Zebras."

"Will do Captain Anderson."

The meeting then adjourned, and then reconvened so that we could discuss the plans for the attack on Cloudsdale.

"Ok people this is going to be our HARDEST campaign yet, and this is due to the terrain. As I'm sure that you know, only Pegasai and Griffons can walk on clouds. This means that the Zebras must be using some kind of serum, which we don't have the time to develop!"

"And why's that?" Spike asked.

"Because now that the word of the Griffons and Dragons joining the war on our side has hit the streets, the Zebras WILL be taking the initiative to launch a counterattack!"

"So what do we do?" Shining asked.

"This time, we'll have a 2 front assault. The Dragons, as well as a number of others who will be using the airships that we managed to capture in Van Hoover and Las Pegasus, will draw fire from the Zebras in the city, while the forces of Pegasai and Griffons, including the (male) Wonderbolts, will storm the city. Then, once inside, priority number 1 will be securing the weather factory. Then we take the rest of the city."

"And what of the Zebras?" Jake asked.

I smirked. "If they surrender, prepare them for transport to the surface. If they wanna fight, then let's give them free flying lessons!"

"And what time will be be attacking?"

"Halloween Night, at sunset." I then noticed the blank looks I was getting from the Ponies. "Oh, yeah. Or as you would call it, Nightmare Night."

"And why at sunset?"

"Well Gilda, the lower the light levels, the less likely the enemy will be to be able to effectively attack us. Plus, it WILL be Halloween/Nightmare Night, so if any screams are heard, any blood is seen, or any bodies fall from the sky, the chances of the Zebras ignoring it are SO MUCH higher!"

Shining smirked, as did many others. "Heh, I REALLY like the way that you think Bro!"

We all then waited for Nightmare Night to begin our attack.

When it began, we all went to where Cloudsdale was in sight. Jake and I would be the only Humans up there in Cloudsdale itself, as we were the only Pegasai of us Humans-hybrids. At the time of our arrival, Cloudsdale was about 100 miles East of the Unicorn Range. The Pegasai and the Griffons, as well as Jake and I would be going in first, followed by the Dragons, and then the others on the 4 airships that we had for the attack. At sunset, the attack began.

ALL of us were nervous. We didn't know what to expect, as we really couldn't risk too many scouting missions. However, when you have pissed off stallions and mares, 2 angry former US Marines, 4 armed airships full of MORE angry Ponies, and a whole slew of Griffons and Dragons, what could possibly go wrong?

The first wave went at the city from above. We landed in various places, and sure enough, just like we previously thought, the Zebras hardly gave us a second glance, as it WAS Nightmare Night. Soon though, once we'd managed to neutralize the long-range radio equipment, the time had come to attack.

In the blink of an eye, our wave whipped out our weapons, and went to town!

"Game on Shining!" I yelled over my radio. "Bring in the airships, and tell General Cinder to bring in his Dragons!"

"Bring on the gas Bro?"

"Yes, and hurry!"

"Roger that, here we come!" The city was then SWARMED by the rest of our forces!

The Zebras did NOT know what to do when we attacked. Unlike what we previously believed, most of them had actually rebuilt a number of floors and roads so that they could walk on them without touching the clouds.

"They can't walk on clouds!" Jake yelled when he saw all of the extra road structures, "Take out the extra roads! The Zebras will fall through the clouds!"

While we were doing this, our 4 airships, as well as the Dragons, were doing battle with the Zebra's airships. The Dragons were our first line of defense, as their scales were so think that NOTHING that the Zebras could throw at them could stop them! They absolutely SCORCHED them with their fiery breath, and tore them to shreds with their claws!

Whenever a Zebra airship went down, usually all aboard were killed due to a SEVERE lack of things like parachutes on the airships! Also most of us who could fly would also grab Zebras, and then drag them out of the city before dropping them to their deaths!

For what it was worth, the Battle of Cloudsdale was one of the best battles of the entire war. Thanks to the gas, as well as our new allies, by the time that that Midnight rolled around, the entire city was ours! We also took back Wonderbolt Academy, freed all of the female Wonderbolts, and we even found Rainbow Dash being held prisoner at the Academy as well.

"Well FINALLY!!!! It's about TIME that you guys showed up!"

"You're welcome Rainbow Dash." I said as she and the other female Wonderbolts were escorted away so that they could be taken care of better.

"So now that we've saved Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, that just leaves Twilight and the other princesses in Canterlot, and Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack in Ponyville."

"Yeah." Shining replied over his radio. "And now we wrap everything up here, and then we bring on the drugs!"

"The drugs, AND the Winter!"

"Wait, what do you mean 'the Winter'?"

"Well, since it IS almost November, Winter will soon be upon us. However, the Zebras can't STAND Winter, as they live in a very hot climate! That's why they've been controlling Cloudsdale; they HAVE to keep it forever Summer!"

"Oh, NOW I see what you mean! We hit them with the drugs, then FREEZE them with an Equestrian Winter! Great thinking!"

I nodded. "Thanks Shining."

And not too long after that, the last parts of the Battle of Cloudsdale ended. We now controlled Cloudsdale, the weather, the drugs that we were going to dump on the Zebras via rain, Wonderbolt Academy, and all mares and fillies within, including the female Wonderbolts!

Before we took steps to act on what we were about to do, we tried to contact the Zebras again.

"You HAVE to surrender to us!" Shining warned them, "Because if you DON'T, ALL of the Forces of Nature will be released upon you, and bring you low!"

"HELL NO!!!!!" Zed yelled, "We STILL will not surrender to you! And sure, MAYBE you took Cloudsdale, but that's IT!!!! You'll NEVER take anymore territory! We have defenses will take down Ponies, Griffons, and even Dragons! This is the END of your little rebellion!"

Shining sighed. "It's your loss Zed. We GAVE you the chance to surrender, but you didn't take it! We'll give you until we take Phillydelphia. Get out of our cities, get back on your ships, and go BACK to where you came from! If you don't, we'll take Phillydelphia, and then it will be TOO LATE!!!! NO mercy will be shown, and we WILL take back what rightfully belongs to us!"

Zed promptly hung up after giving Shining the finger.

"So, I guess that we play this the hard way?" I asked

Shining nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately we have to do it the hard way."

"At least Zuri and Zena are safe in Appaloosa", I muttered.

We then brought the Weather Factory back online, and once we were ready, we began to dump the chemicals that we'd been provided with into the weather machines.

By November 3rd, the last of our clouds full of chemical rain reached the last cities and settlements full of Zebras in Equestria. The chemical rain began to fall, and although it didn't hit most of the Zebras directly, it was absorbed into the ground, and it went all over the trees, and other food that the Zebras ate that was still outside. The rest of the drug seeped into the water supply. The Zebras didn't know it yet, but up to 65% of them had just been rendered PERMANENTLY sterile!

Following the last day of our rainstorms, we gave Nature time to adsorb the poison, and then on November 6th, Winter arrived in Equestria. The clouds rolled in, the temperatures dropped, and then the snows began to fall in full-force!

"What's going on?!" Many Zebras asked. "Why has Winter come?!"

Some Zebras on the East Coast had enough. They were NOT going to die from the cold, and they were NOT going to wait for us to come and kill them. As quickly as they could, they packed their bags, loaded up onto a few ships, and headed BACK to where they came from! Sure, the ships were stopped by the Equestrian Navy, searched for mares, and then let off on their way once they were found to be clean. For the ships that had mares, the mares were removed, and the ships were then sunk!

In total, approximately 4,000 Zebras left in this manner, and none of them were never seen or heard from again. Whether or not they made it back to Zebrica remains unclear, as we never conducted any followups. As long as they were gone, we were as happy as could be!

Once again in Canterlot, Zed was wringing his hands. Ever since Cloudsdale, we hadn't moved from our positions, but yet the Winter was upon them.

"What do we do, My King? We were NOT made for this kind of weather! We HAVE to surrender before this gets any worse!"

"How?" Zed asked. "How is ANY of this even possible?!"

General Bania looked at his king. "It happened for several reasons. First of all, we DIDN'T get rid of those 'Human' creatures when we had the chance! Instead, we kept them around! Secondly, we did NOT crush the Appaloosa Resistance, or those in the Trottingham Resistance! We just let them do their thing, and now we're reaping what we've sown! Finally, our troops got careless. NONE of them were vigilant, or properly prepared, and as such, they were EASILY overwhelmed!"

Zed knew that Bania was right, but yet he couldn't admit that it was true. Zed knew as did many of the others that the Zebras were in SERIOUS trouble, but yet if they admitted that that was the case, MORE Ponies would rebel, and that would undermine their position even further.

In the end, Zed immediately ordered Winter clothing to be made, and then distributed to the Zebras, mares, and fillies still under Zebra rule.

When they were alone, Luna spoke to her sister again. "Have you reconsidered what I've said yet Sister?"

Celestia nodded slowly. "With the fall of Las Pegasus and Cloudsdale, the Zebras only hold Baltimare, Manehattan, Phillydelphia, Ponyville, and Canterlot, and now Winter has fallen upon us as well. Yes, I see now that the Zebras may indeed be destined to fall. We'll see how this plays out next, but I wouldn't be surprised if the war is over by the thaw of Spring."

"And neither will I Sister. I will NOT be missing the Zebras, and if you were wise, you would also do away with your Zebra 'lover', just as I have done."

Celestia sighed. "I may not have to. He seems to be sick with something; almost like some form of cancer."

Luna was surprised. "Wait, cancer? What are the symptoms?"

Celestia described then. Luna smirked. "Testicular cancer! How much are you willing to bet that our Human friends are responsible for that?"

"I'd be willing to bet a LOT on money on it, Dear Sister! I've also heard whispering that many other male Zebras are falling ill with it as well. It's the perfect payback in the most ironic way. They hurt us, and now our forces are hurting THEM! But in any case though, I think that I'll hurry my coltfriend's death along a bit faster!"

Celestia would use poison on him a bit later, and once again, just like her sister, she blamed it on a Human assassin.

Even with the Winter weather, and the Zebra stallions falling ill with testicular cancer, the war still wasn't quite over just yet. By Thanksgiving, we'd managed to fully fortify our holdings, and push all of the way to the Everfree Forest. We were closing in on Ponyville, although our goal was to drive the Zebras East, and back to the coastal cities where they would board their ships, and get the hell out of dodge. Some did, but yet we knew that the Zebras would need MORE coaxing before they did what we wanted them to.

On December 3rd, our time had come. Using our ships, it was time to begin to close our pincer on the East Coast. After splitting up our forces, we hit both Baltimare, and Manehattan.

The fighting was brutal, vicious, took a LOT longer than we thought that it was going to, and it ended up being VERY costly. These 2 cities had the LARGEST Zebra populations outside of Canterlot, and the fighting took on the nightmarish form of the Russian Front during WW2, with places like Stalingrad coming to mind!

It went from street to street, building to building, floor to floor, and even room to room in a number of cases! All around us the snows continued to fall, and the temperatures were in the single digits oftentimes. Sometimes our forces would come out ahead, and other times they would be driven back towards oblivion.

Then, on December 17th, the last defenders of Baltimare fell. The city was Equestrian once again, the quarantine camp outside of the city was liberated, although most Zebras who were captured weren't killed. Instead, they were thrown onto their ships, told to get out of town, and NEVER come back! Needless to say, they fled Equestria, and NEVER came back!

375 of the Allies fell, all of them Ponies or Griffons, 798 were wounded, including Rick, Frank, and myself, and 27 were missing. For the Zebras, an estimated 3,000+ were dead, 1,500+ were wounded, and an unknown number were missing. The surviving wounded, plus maybe 3,000+ others were sent away on their ships. There was also an estimated 375 or so civilian casualties.

The battle for Manehattan was even worse. Christmas came and went, and then New Years 2025, and STILL the city didn't fall! Due to a SEVERE blizzard, fighting had to be postponed for about 2 weeks, and when it resumed, it continued until January 21st! Unlike Baltimare though, only 150 Zebras survived to be sent away. 5,000+ were killed, and an estimated 5-7,000 just straight up froze to death. We lost a lot of good troops as well, but we had what we came for, Manehattan.

Now, the Zebras only held Phillydelphia, Ponyville, and Canterlot, though this was soon to change.

When the time came, on January 22nd, Shining contacted Zed again.

"What do you want NOW?!?!" Zed spat when he saw us.

"What we WANT is for your surrender! Please, for the love of FAUST Zed, STOP DOING THIS TO YOUR OWN PEOPLE!!!!! THOUSANDS of them just straight up FROZE TO DEATH out here! We've left the city of Phillydelphia untouched so that you have an evacuation route. Just head there, get to your ships, and leave!"

Zed looked like he was going insane. "NO!!!" He roared. "I will NEVER surrender to the likes of you! I conquered Equestria, and now I intend to hold onto what's left of it!"

I then tried to reason with him. "King Zed, PLEASE listen to me! It's OVER for you! You only hold a town, and 2 cities. You have MAYBE 100,000 of your people left now. The rest are either dead, missing, or have left. You CANNOT hope to win. Your people are starving, freezing, and even dying of a severe illness! If you surrender now, and evacuate, we will NOT follow you! You can still have a chance to LIVE!"

"I.....said........NO!!!!"

Shining then looked up at Zed again. I saw the hatred in his eyes. He HATED Zed for being so stupid, and FOOLISHLY wasting the lives of his own people! "Zed, you have until February 2nd to leave. On that day, your last door closes, and soon after, Phillydelphia WILL be ours. Then, we'll close in, and take you down. This is your FINAL WARNING!!!! Take heed, and make your escape. Like my Bro said, we will NOT follow you!"

To our dismay though, Zed simply signed off the video call.

For the entirety of the 11 days between January 22nd, and February 2nd, we all watched the Zebras to see what they would do. Sure enough, a LOT of them saw the writing on the wall, and fled. They came to Phillydelphia, we gave them food, blankets, and whatever else they needed, before helping them onto their ships, and then they left.

Not all of the Zebras wanted to leave though. Some of them were willing to spend the rest of the war in internment camps just for the chance of being able to remain in Equestria. An estimated 10,000 or so did this, while an estimated 30,000 or so fled. This left approximately 60,000 Zebras for us to deal with.

Then, on February 2nd, with the flow of Zebras having come to a stop, we made good on our deal, and began our conquest of Phillydelphia. 3 days later, the city was ours. Casualties were minimal, and now the Zebras had no escape back to Zebrica. A few did still come to be held in interment camps, but now we prepared for our final drive.

With Spring about a month away, we all prepared for our final drive to the last 2 cities that were held by the Zebras, Ponyville, and Canterlot. There, the Zebras would take their last stand. There, they would die. Their end was nigh, and it was only a matter of how painful it was going to be for them.

Author's Note

Whew, ANOTHER chapter done! Another chapter full of battles, bringing it down to the last 2 battles in Ponyville, and Canterlot. The end is nigh for the Zebras, they had their chance to escape, and now, they're going down!

How will these last 2 battles play out? Will they be brutal? Will the good guys be able to save the last 4 Elements of Harmony, including the seemingly deranged Twilight? And what about the other 3 Princesses, will the good guys be able to save them? Will Shining and Spike, as well as Big Mac be able to get revenge on the Zebras who ruined their lives? ALL will be revealed in Chapter 5, so stay tuned!

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 in Chapter 5!

ScarFox out for now!

Chapter 5: New Allies, Blood in Ponyville, It ends in Canterlot! (Original Timeline)

With the last of Winter upon us, we of the Equestrian Armed Forces prepared for our final drive. We knew that it was going to be bad, but what we didn't know was what was waiting for us in Ponyville and Canterlot. We set up shop in the Everfree Forest, as well as a few other forward bases surrounding Ponyville and Canterlot, and were forced to just stay put for the time being.

Scouting forces were unable to get any closer than 3 miles of Ponyville, and so far, most air reconnaissance missions to Canterlot had ended in failure. The plan was to take Ponyville first, but just how we were going to do that was what had us so concerned. We knew that there was a high possibility of the Zebras just killing Ponies right and left if they knew that the war was lost.

"What we need to do is hit the Zebra's center, and show the rest of the Ponies that even though their enemy is still all around them, and could kill them at any time, there is still hope!"

I sighed. "Yeah, but how do we do that Shining? I mean sure, we HAVE been getting reports of protests, and even a few riots from the mares and fillies, but how do we hit the Zebra's center?"

Suddenly, Spike had an idea. "Wait, here's a thought. What if we made a raid on Canterlot, and tried to rescue at least one of the Princesses? I mean, we know for sure that Celestia and Luna are there, and most likely Cadence is there too, and.......possibly even........." Spike couldn't bring himself to say her name.

I thought about that. "Well, I'm pretty sure that Twilight is still in Ponyville, but it's possible that she's in Canterlot if she's not there. All I know is that we DO have the cure ready for her if we manage to capture her, and YOU have first dibs on killing her Zebra coltfriend!

Spike smirked. "Heh, now THAT sounds like a good plan to me! But what about my idea, could it work?"

I sighed. "It's a good idea Spike, but yet I don't quite see how we could pull it off, at least........." I trailed off. "No, I'm NOT going to use that weapon!"

Spike looked at me curiously. "Huh? What weapon?"

"The weapon that I vowed to NEVER use! Hidden in the bunker underneath the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company freight depot is a weapon that I left behind. A weapon so terrible that only 5 of them were made, and all of them have been retired from service, with only 2 of them remaining today!"

"Whoa, this weapon sounds pretty bad! What even is it?"

I pulled out a picture, and showed him. In the picture was a large suit of black armor that seemed to be positively BRISTLING with weapons!

"Whoa, what is that thing?"

"It's called a 'Terror Suit'. It was never given a proper name, and only 5 of them were built, including this one, which was the prototype. Basically, this suit turned the one who operated it into a one-man army. It had machine guns, chain guns, missile launchers, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, was able to launch flash-bangs, and even had a number of saws, and swinging blades as well. Most of the weapons were located along the arms and legs of the suit, although the chain guns were located on the shoulders. All bullets fired were depleted uranium, which is the toughest armor piercing substance currently known to Man. The suit itself is made from an alloy I can't even pronounce, and it was the next closest thing to being impenetrable."

When I finished giving my description of the suit, Spike's jaw hit the ground! "WHAT?!?! It can do all of THAT?! If that's so, why didn't you use it before?!"

"Because, the one we have was a PROTOTYPE! The final design prototype sure, but it was EXTREMELY dangerous, and not just to the enemy, but to the suit operator as well! 9 guys died operating those suits, and only 2 of those were to combat related incidents. The other 7 were either 'training accidents', or 'causes unknown'."

Spike sighed. "That's.....pretty bad. But what if that suit could help us turn the final tide of the war?"

"Well, then I MIGHT consider using it, but......"

Suddenly, I was interrupted. Braeburn's voice came over my radio. "Captain Scar!"

"What is it Braeburn?"

"We've got some REALLY weird dog-like critters over here! They're all gray, and tan, with big glowin' eyes, and are holdin' a white flag. They say that they wanna help us!"

"What? Diamond Dogs? What are they doing out here?! How many of them are there? And are they armed?"

"'Bout 20 if I had to guess! And yeah, they had weapons, but they tossed them to the side when confronted."

"Hang on, I'm on my way! Hold them there until I can get there!"

I then went to go and see what was going on.

When I arrived on the scene a few minutes later, I had my gun ready. To my surprise though, I saw Braeburn and some of his forces holding the Diamond Dogs at gunpoint, but yet they all just sat on the ground, and made no moves to do anything.

Braeburn saluted when he saw me. "Scar."

"Braeburn." I then turned to the Diamond Dogs. "Now then, I'm Captain Scar. I'm a US Marine, one of only 6 Humans here in Equestria, and I help lead the Equestrian Armed Forces under Prince Shining Armor. Now then, who are you all, and why are you here?"

One of them that I guessed was the leader looked up at me. "I'm Captain Ruby Gem-Biter, of the Gem Biter Pack. We've come here, cuz we ALL want revenge!"

I was shocked at first, as the leader was a female! She was all light gray, had yellow eyes, as well as some soft, gray colored hair on top of her head, and she also wore pieces of metal armor, as well as a large black collar on her neck. However, none of this covered her too well, and a LOT of fur was showing! Her lady-bits were all covered, but aside from those, her legs, arms and her head, not too much else was!

"Revenge? Revenge on who?"

"The Zebras! They promised us SO MANY gems if we stayed neutral in the war, and even more if we sided with them, but they NEVER delivered! They kept INSISTING that our gems were comin', but they STILL haven't arrived! They've double-crossed my pack, so now they will PAY!"

"Wait, a FEMALE is in charge of a Diamond Dog Pack? I thought that that was a male's job. No offense or anything!"

She seemed to smirk at me. "Heh, yer cute! I like you already Scar! And no, some females can lead their own packs too! Oh, and you TOTALLY haven't been staring at me this whole time! Go ahead, look all you want!"

I quickly averted my eyes to the ground. "Eh, I think I'll pass Captain Ruby. In the meantime though, how do we know that we can trust you? How do we know that you're not spies for the Zebras?"

She looked up at me. "I can see where you'd be concerned there Captain, but have you ever heard of my pack? SURELY you must have heard of the Gem-Biters! We were the SCOURGE of the Zebras in the Smoky Mountains! Ever wonder why there were so few Zebras there when you arrived? Well, that was because of US!"

I then turned to Braeburn, as well as a few others, including Shining and Spike, who had also come over to see what was going on. We talked among ourselves for a few minutes, before I finally turned back to the Diamond Dogs.

"Ok Captain Ruby. I've talked it over with my fellow officers, and now I have to ask you; if we were to let you join us, what would you have to offer us, and what would you want in return?"

Now it was Ruby's turn to talk to her pack. When she turned back to me, she stood up for the first time. "We have to offer your our services of both muscles to fight, and our skills with digging tunnels! Think about it Captain, you can't get close to Ponyville on the surface? No problem! We'll get you there UNDER it! We can tunnel all over the town so that you can pop up and REALLY bring the hurt to the Zebras! And as for what we want, my pack wants the 20 sacks of gems that we were promised, and what I want I will tell you, and you alone."

I thought about that. "Yes", I said slowly, "Yes, you WOULD be a valuable addition to our team! However, the only place you're gonna find gems is in the Royal Treasury, and THAT is located in Canterlot. And that's even assuming that there even IS anything in the treasury anymore! However, in any case, I WILL be having a talk with the Princesses on your behalf when this is all over, and believe me, we WILL find a way to pay you! But what was the thing that you wanted for yourself?"

"I'll only tell that to you, and you alone."

"What.....does that mean?"

She seemed to be smirking a bit. "Come closer, and I'll whisper it to you."

I looked over to my guys. "I'm going in close, cover me. If they try anything funny, kill them all!"

Shining nodded. "Right!"

I then took an EXTREME leap of faith, and walked over to Ruby. Once I reached her though, all she did was place her paws on my shoulders, (Diamond dog hands look a LOT like paws!) before leaning in close, and whispering into my ear. When I heard what she wanted, I recoiled a bit in shock!

"I'll.......have to discuss this with the others. Wait here!" I then walked back to the others.

As I did, Ruby's words echoed through my head. "All I want for myself is to be at your side for as long as I live! I can SMELL the wolf in you Captain; you were MADE to breed with a bitch like me!"

"All I know is that Gilda had better be ok with this, because if she's NOT, I'm screwed!" I then finished my trip, and I talked to my guys for a while longer.

Finally, I turned back to Ruby and her pack. "Captain Ruby, and the rest of Gem-Biter Pack? After talking it over, I would like to extend my hand......and welcome you to the Resistance, otherwise known as the Equestrian Armed Forces!" I then held out my hand.

To my surprise though, instead of just shaking my hand, Ruby leaped over, and jumped into my arms! She wrapped her paws around me, and even locked her lips with mine! I felt her tongue all over the inside of my mouth, and I can honestly tell you that if I wasn't a Human-wolf, I most likely would have thrown up!

"Mmm, wow!" she purred when she broke the kiss, "Yer a REALLY good kisser! I can't WAIT to spend some time alone with you! In fact, you'll get your own private show tonight as well!" Her tail was also REALLY wagging a lot, indicating that she was CLEARLY enjoying herself!

I decided to nip that one right in the bud! "Um, well, this's been fun Ruby, but I have somewhere else that I need to be! I have to head off to the Crystal Empire to grab something, but in the meantime, I'll direct you to Gilda the Griffon, my right hand. SHE'LL be sure to show you your place here!" I the looked at the rest of the pack. "And the rest of you can take orders from Braeburn here, although most likely you'll be put to work right away on getting us those tunnels that we need!"

I then managed to pry myself loose from Ruby's grip, and get away! Then, with Spike, Big Mac, and a few others, I took one of our other trains to the Crystal Empire to retrieve the Terror Suit.

I planned to be back after nightfall, and I knew that we had a LONG night ahead of us! Once we reached the old freight depot, I went inside, and after accessing the bunker, with help from the others, I lifted up the crate that the suit was in, and hauled it over to the train, before loading it into a boxcar for the trip back to our forward firing base in the Everfree.

By the time that we arrived back there, it was about 9:30pm. I left the suit where it was, before heading to find my tent. It was a homely structure, but it contained a small stove, a sort of cot/bed, a desk, a chair, and a planning table, plus a trunk for storage. I also shared the bed with Gilda. My tent, as well as the rest of the tents did have electric lighting, though this was supplied by a generator that only worked about half the time!

When I did find it though, I saw Gilda wating for me. "Dweeb?!" I could tell that she was either upset, angry or surprised.

"Yeah Gilda?"

"Where in Gruff's name did that giant hairball Ruby come from?!"

"Eh.....well......" I then explained all about where Ruby and the other Diamond Dogs had come from. When I finished though, Gilda said nothing. "And......is that a good thing, or a bad thing Gilda?"

Gilda then grabbed me by the collar. "That Diamond Dog............just gave me..........the 2nd STRONGEST orgasm in my entire F@#KING life!!!! I'm TOTALLY keeping her!"

When Gilda said that, to say that my jaw just hit the ground would have been an understatement! "W-wha.........??? You mean she's gonna be sticking around for a while?"

"Yes! And if you let her join our relationship, I MIGHT be open to allowing you to bring in that one Zebra mare that you took from the Zebra Embassy as well!"

I was still standing there in shock. In the course of the past few hours or so, Gilda had gone from me and me alone, to her, me, Ruby, and maybe even Zuri!

"And.......where is she now?"

Gilda smirked a bit. "In the tent, wating for you to come back!"

My head was still swimming with the revelation that had just been dumped onto me. I then shook my head, and went into my tent. Gilda followed shortly after. Once I looked around the tent, when I saw the bed, I placed a hand over my mouth!

There, lying on my sort of cot/bed, was Ruby! She was looking right at me with her soft yellow, glowing eyes, and she seemed to be smirking. She was lying on her side facing me, and she was completely nude! Her large, furry breasts were fully exposed, and her nipples were dark gray. I also saw traces of what would be 4 other nipples for breasts if she was pregnant. Her tongue was hanging out of her mouth slightly, and she seemed to be panting a bit as well. She was also rubbing her furry slit gently with 2 of her fingers. I could also see that she was even wagging her tail a bit in anticipation.

"Come on big boy!" She cooed softly. "Wanna make this bitch howl?"

I looked to Gilda to see if this was a set-up of any kind. My arm still hurt from where I accidentally banged it against the engine's backhead, so I was definitely NOT dreaming!

Gilda just looked back at me. "Hey, if you wanna f@#k her, I'm not gonna stop you! I'd LOVE to see you make her howl!"

I nodded. "Ok, well then, let me just slip into something a bit more, 'comfortable'!" I then went outside, and after shifting into my wolf form, before heading back inside.

"*Better*?" I asked Ruby in my native Wolf-Speak.

She smirked. "*Oh, you know it Baby!*" She replied back, "*Come to Mamma!*"

I was on top of her in an instant!

I'll admit it, I'd NEVER had sex like that before! There really were no female werewolves at all, let alone in Wolf Pack Battalion, so to actually meet another canine who could take it like she needed it from me in wolf form? UNBELIEVABLE!

We both ended up falling off of the bed and onto the grassy floor, but yet that was for the best as I did NOT want to have my bed break! We were both kissing, licking, and groping each other like our lives depended on it! Eventually, I was out of my sheath, and rock hard!

Ruby then stood up, and moved her tail to the side, revealing that her slit was DRIPPING wet! "*Ngh, come on big boy! Make this bitch howl!*" I complied, and after mounting her from the rear, I thrusted into her! We both howled a bit, but I KNEW that I could make her howl louder than that!

All while we were giving into our feral instincts, Gilda sat on my bed, and watched us. "Hot DAMN!" she muttered while rubbing her own snatch, "I mean watching porn is one thing, but to actually SEE it in person?! CRAZY!" She then began to rub herself in time to our rutting.

Meanwhile, outside of my tent, a number of others heard the sounds of wild sex.

"Dang!" Spike muttered, "Sounds like SOMEPONY'S sure having fun!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Shining then shook his head. "I also find it kind of weird that most of the Diamond Dogs were female, but I think that this was because a lot of them killed those who allied with the Zebras before fleeing."

Spike then looked towards my tent. "Sheesh! I hope that Scar and Ruby are ok in there! I mean, I knew that canine sex could be wild, but that's MAD!"

Shining then gave him a smirk. "Why, you jelly?"

"Wha......n-no!"

"You sure? Cuz if you are, there's a female Diamond Dog over there that looks a little bit lonely!" Shining pointed to a black diamond dog who seemed to be looking for sex.

"Wow! Bye!" Spike then RACED over to her, and after seemingly talking for a minute or so, the Diamond Dog led him to her tent, and not long after, the sounds of sex were heard from within.

Shining just laughed. "Heh, lucky bastard!" He then sighed. "Just hang in there a little bit longer Cadence, and you too Mom and Twily! Dad and I will be there soon, and THEN we can all be back together again!"

Shining then went back to planning on what we were going to do next.

Eventually, after rutting Ruby in the doggy position for a while, I flipped her onto her back, and then REALLY began to plow into her! I hadn't slipped my knot into her yet, but I was more than just planning on doing it! Ruby just lay there, flat on her back, tongue hanging out, panting, whining, moaning and REALLY enjoying herself!

"*EEEYYAAHHH!! That's it Stud! THAT'S what a bitch like me needs; a HUGE dog-cock inside of herself! You wolves are WAY bigger than the Diamond Dog males, and you're SO much better at rutting too!*"

I continued to thrust into her, all while licking her, and somewhat roughly fondling her tits.

I then looked deep into her glowing eyes, and I saw her smirk. "*Come on big boy! Make this bitch YOURS! Make me YOUR bitch! Fill me up with your wolf-babies! I'm in heat right now, and I REALLY need to be bred!*"

Since my Human brain got lost somewhere between "Is this REALLY a good idea?" and "WHY am I doing this?!" I went with my wolf brain, which told me to breed with Ruby, and fill her womb with my offspring. (Gilda had made it VERY clear that she really didn't want any kids, but she would tolerate them if they happened. Here though was a gal who WANTED kids, and was MORE than willing to let me give her what she wanted!)

"*Ngh, I'm.....g-getting close Ruby, are you SURE that you want it inside of you?*"

"*Of COURSE I'm sure Stud! I WANT to have your wolf-babies!*"

"*Good enough for me!*" I then thrusted into her a few more times, before my knot slipped into her, and then with a few more pumps, I unleashed a HUGE geyser of my hot puppy-batter DEEP into her fertile womb, while she unleashed a geyser of fluids out of herself!

"*AAAAWWWWOOOOOLLLLL*!!!!!!!!" We both howled together. I then collapsed on top of her in exhaustion, and we both just lay there on the grass, gently licking, kissing, and nuzzling each other. I didn't pull out of her, both due to my knot, and I wanted to keep as much of my baby-fluid inside of her as possible. Gilda then climaxed at the same instant we did, and then fell back onto my bed a bit.

Once she saw that we were practically passed out on the floor though, she shut off the lights in my tent, before coming over to us, and snuggling close to our furry bodies for warmth. We all then fell asleep in a warm, furry pile.

However, as we slept, deep inside of Ruby, a wave of my swimmers found several of her eggs, and fertilized them. Ruby was now pregnant with a small litter of my pups, and she didn't fully know it yet.

Over the course of the next few days, the Diamond Dogs were hard at work tunneling underneath Ponyville, and even heading towards Canterlot! The rest of us who weren't helping were either making sure that everything stayed where it was supposed to be, or were helping plan out our raid on Canterlot. Our primary targets were rescuing Celestia and Luna, although Cadence and Twilight were the secondary targets. Tertiary was the assassination of Zed, as well as the rest of the Zebra Elders.

"Yeah, but HOW are we going to do this?! That's the question!"

I sighed. "Well, it MIGHT be a little easier now that we have help from Captain Ruby, and the rest of her Diamond Dogs. They've already reached the outskirts of Ponyville, and so far their work has gone unnoticed."

"Yeah, assuming that they even ARE on our side!" Spike pointed out.

"They are." ("And even if they AREN'T, in 9 months or so, Ruby's gonna have a VERY 'special reminder' of her time with me, so she'd BETTER be ready to take care of them without me if she's turned!") I muttered.

"What was that Scar?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. I was just talking to myself. Anyway, here's how I think that it should work. On the same night that the Diamond Dogs finish their work, we head up to Canterlot, conduct our raid, get whatever we can, get back to safety, wait a day for the panic to set in, and THEN take Ponyville, and hopefully even Canterlot on the same day!"

Shining looked at me with shock. "That's.......REALLY ambitious Scar. Can we even do that?"

"Yes, but that was just the overview of the plan. Each component will have to be broken down into its own section. First, the tunnels. Ruby's pack gets us underneath Ponyville, as well as Canterlot, we conduct our raid, and then retreat. We then let the riots and panic set in, and THEN we burst up from the ground in strategic places around Ponyville, and take the town, with points of interest being Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight's castle, Rarity's boutique, and Fluttershy's cottage." I paused for a second. Since her cottage WAS close to the Everfree, a few had tried to save her, but sadly, the 4 man team was slaughtered. How exactly it happened I still don't know, as neither Shining, Spike, Big Mac or I even AUTHORIZED such a thing!

"And then, once Ponyville has been secured, we swing our forces 'round, and hit Canterlot with everything that we have. We wipe out the remaining Zebras, and THEN we secure our victory, and then help rebuild our shattered world."

Shining then looked over at me. "Ok, NOW your plan makes a bit more sense! But yet how much longer until Ruby and her Dogs are done?"

I shrugged. "Hopefully only about another week or so. With March closing in fast, we HAVE to move! Sure, we COULD keep Winter on if we have to, but I REALLY don't want to do that if we don't! But in the meantime, we draw up the plans for the attack on Ponyville! Big Mac?"

"Yeah Scar?"

"You and the soldiers under you will be in charge of retaking Sweet Apple Acres, as well as the quadrant around it. Got that?"

He saluted. "Yes Sir!"

"Spike?"

"Yeah Scar?"

"Twilight's Castle, as well as the quadrant around it. Got that?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Shining?"

"Yeah Bro?"

"You and yours get the South side of Ponyville."

"Yes Sir!"

"The rest of the guys, as well as our Griffons and Dragons, not to mention Diamond Dogs, will be taking care of the rest, as well as holding the perimeter. Then, once the town has been secured and cleared out, we move on to our final target, Canterlot!"

Shining nodded. "Ok, makes sense to me!"

We all then continued with the planning.

When I got the chance, I talked to Ruby again about how her Dogs were progressing.

"Oh, we're doing remarkably well Stud! It should only be a few more days now."

I nodded. "Ok, good. That makes things a LOT easier for us!"

Ruby then grabbed my arm a bit. "Oh, and one other thing I wanted to tell you Stud!"

"Which is?"

She then blushed a bit, before rubbing my hand against her belly. "Remember that night we had 'fun'? Well, I'm now carrying a LITTER of your puppies!"

My jaw hit the ground. Somehow, I had a feeling that Ruby had gotten pregnant from that, but yet I wasn't expecting her to find out about it so soon!

Instead of being angry or upset though, I just pulled Ruby into a tight hug. "Wow, that's wonderful Ruby! And assuming that we can end this war soon, we'll have PLENTY of time to settle down and raise them! Any ideas on how many?"

Ruby giggled a bit, before wrapping her paws around my back in a hug as well. "Yeah, and I'd LOVE to do that Stud! Oh, and I think that it might be 4. That's the usual size for a Diamond Dog litter."

I nodded. "So, so amazing! Now if we could only end this war......." I trailed off there.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, if only we could. I know that we'll get it soon though, maybe even by the 2nd week of March!"

"Which is only about 2 weeks away, and that would work ONLY if everything went according to plan!"

Ruby then licked my face gently. "Yeah, and I'm REALLY hoping that the plan works!"

"So do I Ruby, so do I!"

Sure enough, on February 28th, everything was ready. Ruby and her pack had finished all of their tunnels underneath Ponyville, as well as the tunnels that led to Canterlot, and the raid was set for that night. I would be leading, Jake, Frank and Evan would we with me, as would Shining's dad Nightlight, and a dozen or so others. All of us slept that afternoon, as that night at nightfall, it would be mission go!

I slept in my tent with Ruby in my arms. Both of us were nude, although we were just snuggling. I was also gently rubbing Ruby's paw-like hands, so as to massage them after a long day's work for her.

"Hmm, you're SO good to me Stud", she whispered gently, "I mean, even though we HAVE been together for about a week now, I don't even DESERVE a mate as caring, and devoted as you!" She then gave me a loving lick.

I gently kissed her soft nose. "I know Ruby, I don't even deserve you either. But it's like we were made for each other, just like Gilda and I are."

"Yeah, I know Stud. Plus, I AM also pregnant with your puppies, so you'd BETTER be taking care of me for that!"

I nodded. "Don't worry Ruby, I will. I'll take care of you, and Gilda. I have plans to marry both of you once the war is over. I'll also have to see about Zuri once the war's over as well."

Ruby nodded, before we both fell asleep to the soft beating of each other's hearts.

Later that night though, after one final quickie, I had to go get ready for the mission.

"PLEASE come home to me safely Stud!" Ruby whispered as I hugged her one last time. "I'd be DEVASTATED if I lost you, just as Gilda would be too!"

I held her close. "Yeah, I know Ruby. I'll do what I can." I then left her in Gilda's care, and after saying goodbye to her too, I left for the mission.

The others were all suited up, but yet they all INSISTED that I wear the Terror Suit.

"I'll feel that much better if at least one of us has some REALLY heavy firepower!" Nightlight told me.

I just sighed. I REALLY didn't want to use the suit again, but something deep down told me to do it. It wouldn't say why, but I listened to the voice.

Once I was all suited up into the suit, I did a quick systems check, armed all of the weapons, and even activated Ace, the onboard computer system. Her job was to monitor the suit, as well as all of its weapon systems.

"You ready for this Ace?"

"As ready as I'll ever be Sir. This suit is a SEVERE danger, but if handled properly, then there shouldn't be any problems!"

"Well, that's good to hear Ace." I then gave the orders for the troops to follow me, and once we entered the tunnel that Ruby's pack had dug, we began our REALLY long journey to Canterlot! Luckily, the tunnel that we were in was in a straight line, but yet we still had to move double time, as we had MANY miles to go!

Eventually, we FINALLY reached what our map told us was the base of Canterlot Mountain, and when I checked my watch, I saw that the time was close to 1am.

"Ok, we're still doing pretty good on time, and we're now at the base of Canterlot Mountain if our map is accurate, although judging by the bedrock all around us, I'd say that we are indeed here!"

"Just so long as we can get up there, get it done, and get back out again!"

I sighed. "Calm down Frank! We've still got PLENTY of time, and first we need to regain our strength before we go any farther!"

We all then took a breather, as well as a water break, before entering the tunnel that led up into the mountain.

"And where does this tunnel even come out?" Evan asked.

"It comes out inside of one of the sewer tunnels underneath Canterlot. This was verified by Rick, so once we get up there, all we have to do is find a ladder leading up to a manhole cover, then push that up to get up to street level. Then we begin to work our evil!"

The others laughed a bit while we then entered the tunnel that led up the mountain.

Meanwhile, in the city itself, all was not well. The situation in Canterlot was going from bad to worse. The Zebras knew that we were all around them, and that our attack could come at any time now. They were weakened by the cold, as well as food shortages, since no supplies could get into the city, not to mention an outbreak of a "mysterious disease" that affected Zebra males! Also, nopony was allowed to leave the city, and surrendering was NOT an option!

Twilight suffered a mental breakdown, and had to be taken back to Ponyville so that she could be cared for by Zuko, her Zebra 'coltfriend'. Cadence was still under Zed's care, while Celestia and Luna were increasingly left to their own devices. The Zebras didn't seem to care about them anymore, but yet they were still watched over, just in case they tried to be stupid, and surrender to the Equestrians.

"How much longer will this go on, Dear Sister?" Luna asked her.

Celestia sighed. "Hopefully not too much longer. The Zebras are REALLY running out of steam, and soon our subjects will be storming this city, assuming of course that they haven't already started to do that!"

Luna knew what Celestia was referring to. For the past several days, from some parts of the castle, both Princesses would SWEAR that they heard what sounded like digging coming from deep within the mountain.

"It's possible that our subjects have managed to convince a pack or 2 of Diamond Dogs to help them, as remember, the Zebras DID double-cross them!"

"Maybe so, Dear Sister, maybe so. But at any rate, I'm just REALLY hoping that they make a move soon, as I cannot BEAR to watch what's happening all around us!"

"So do I Sister, so do I."

Both of the Royal Sisters then sat on the floor of the room that they were in, completely unaware that deliverance for them was LITERALLY just around the corner!

Once our group, Shadow Stalk, had reached the main sewer, Ace was able to locate the nearest manhole cover, and once we'd climbed up the ladder under it, we pushed the cover to the side, before climbing out, and putting the cover back into place. We all then slipped into the shadows, and began to examine our surroundings.

What we found was deeply saddening. While Canterlot had once been so beautiful, now it was horribly scarred. Buildings were crumbling and falling apart, windows were all boarded up, there was trash everywhere, graffiti littered various walls, and there was not a soul to be seen anywhere, Zebra, Pony or otherwise. There were even packs of wild dogs roaming around the streets as well.

"Gosh. Is it just me, or does this place look an awful lot like Detroit?"

I looked at him. "No, it's not just you Frank, Canterlot really HAS turned into the Hood!"

"I'm just.....REALLY hoping that all of this damage can be cleaned up and repaired once this is all over." Nightlight whispered.

"So do I Nightlight. I'm also REALLY hoping that we can save not only the Princesses, but also your wife Velvet, and your wife Fleur, Fancy Pants."

"So do I", Nightlight seemed to be trying to contain himself.

"I do too", Fancy Pants added. "Hopefully tonight, the Zebras will pay for what they've done!"

I smirked. "Oh believe me, they WILL pay!"

We all then began to make our way to the objectives just before the castle. The primary missions here were to rescue both Velvet and Fleur from the Zebra's clutches. This was done by sneaking over to their houses, slipping inside, quietly slitting the throats or breaking the necks of all Zebras inside, before giving the mares a quick dose of the "Mare Gas" as it came to be known, to break the Zebra's control over them.

Then, while they, as well as a few other mares who were rescued with them were taken away to the tunnel that we'd used to get up there, the rest of us made our way over to the castle.

Once we reached it, we saw that it too was in just as bad of, if not worse shape than the rest of the City of Canterlot. Various Zebra troops were stationed all around, and they looked ready to kill at any moment!

"Oh great! How are we going to get inside?"

I then noticed a sewer drain. "We take the sewers again! I'm pretty sure that there's a drain that opens up in the castle's basement, so THAT'S how we get in there!"

We all agreed to this, and after slipping back down into the sewers, we moved through them until we reached the drain that I'd been talking about. Sure enough, we were now in the basement of Canterlot Castle! Once I'd pushed the drain up and to the side, we all then climbed up, and then I closed up the drain again.

"Ok people, this is it. We fan out, and see what we can find. Remember, save the Princesses, KILL the Zebra leaders! Got it?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Good!" We all then began to fan out.

Compared to what it had been, Canterlot Castle was now VERY dimly lit, and most of that was done by candles. Apparently the Zebras were so lazy that once the power grid had gone down, they hadn't even bothered to fix it properly! Sure, there was SOME electricity, but the castle, just like the rest of the city, was barely using any of it. This gave us ample shadows to hide in, and PLENTY of leeway to sneak around!

Along the way, we did run across a number of Zebras; all of whom would be grabbed, dragged into the shadows, and then shot, stabbed, or had their necks broken. (All of our guns had silencers on them, so as to make them quiet!)

Suddenly, Frank and Evan, as well as their men, heard soft crying coming from a room close by them. They investigated, and to their shock and surprise, there on the floor were Celestia and Luna! Both of them were naked, and they seemed to be holding each other!

After IMMEDIATELY giving them the motions to be quiet, Evan went over to them, while Frank got on his radio with me.

"Shh, it's ok Princesses, we're the good guys! We're here to rescue you!"

"Who.....are you?" Celestia asked.

"My name is Evan, and I'm one of the 6 Humans who arrived here from Earth about 2 years ago. We've managed to run a stealth ops mission to get here, and now we're here to get you out of here!"

Celestia then hugged him gently. "Thank the Heavens! I KNEW that you guys would be here soon! When will the rest of the attack occur?"

"Soon, I hope! First we had to rescue you, as well as also seeing about taking out any of the Zebra Elders, or even Zed himself!"

"To hell with him!" Luna whispered angrily, "He DESERVES to die!"

"And he will! Just as soon as we can get our mitts on him anyway!"

Meanwhile, Frank was on his radio with me. "Yeah, we've got them Leopard! Celestia and Luna are safe!"

"That's GREAT news Frank! Where are you guys right now?"

"Eh, were way up in the castle a ways, but we're heading back down now. We'll meet you at the rendezvous point here in a few minutes."

"Ok, roger that." I then sighed, off, as did Frank, and once the Princesses had been provided with cloaks, they were quickly ushered through the castle, and back to the rendezvous point.

Once we reached it again, we saw Frank, Evan and their team, as well as the Princesses. We started to make plans to escape, or to even see about finding Cadence and Twilight, as well as our assassination missions, but we were all then rudely interrupted.

"HEY!!! WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK THAT YOU'RE DOING DOWN THERE!?!?!?!"

We all turned to look, and to our horror, up on a level above us, looking down over a railing, stood Zed! He then sounded an alarm, and all throughout the castle, as well as throughout the streets of Canterlot, the alarms sounded. MANY Zebra troops came rushing in, and it looked like this was going to be the end for us. We'd come so far, only to fail now.

"Hands up, ALL OF YOU!!!!" Zed yelled. Since we were outnumbered, and also seemingly outgunned, those of us with weapons all put them down. "Good! Now then, on your knees!"

The guys were all looking to me to save us all. I didn't want to do what I was about to do, but yet I had no other choice. I HAD to save the lives of the others.

"We may be trapped, but it's only temporary, and one can save them all!" I then broke away from the rest of the group, while Ace armed ALL of the Terror Suit's weapons! "HEY DICKWADS, LOOK AT ME!!!!" I then activated the machine gun on my right arm, and after firing it, I began to move it around the ENTIRE atrium that we were in!

"LOOK OUT!!!!" Zed screamed. He and a few others were able to hit the floor, but yet the others weren't so lucky. Almost ALL of them were cut down by my machine guns, and those who weren't, (minus Zed and those few others who hit the floor immediately) were GRAVELY wounded!

"GUYS, GO!!!! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO ESCAPE!!!!" I continued to blast away at the Zebras.

"But what about you?!" Frank yelled.

"I'm gonna clear you guys a path! GO NOW!!!!"

Frank came to life immediately. "You heard the man, we HAVE to move right now! All we gotta do is make it back to the tunnel, so let's move!"

They all then ran for the tunnel, while I covered them.

What followed was seen by many as to be the greatest murder streak by one individual in CENTURIES, if not MILLENNIA!

From one end of the castle to the other, I let the Zebras HAVE IT! I unleashed HUGE bursts of gunfire, as well as launching grenades and rockets. So many Zebras fell, and even though I was still unable to locate Zed, Cadence or Twilight, I WAS able to find a number of Zebra military commanders, as well as Zebra Elders!

"PLEASE!!!!!" One of them screamed when he saw me, "HAVE MERCY!!!!!"

I just smirked. "No Mercy here!" I then grabbed him, before slamming him into the floor, and running a saw through his guts!

In total, I killed 9 Zebra Elders, 11 military commanders, and approximately 500+ Zebras, while maybe 700+ others were injured. When I took my killing spree to the streets though, things REALLY got interesting!

I began to sweep all of Canterlot clean of the Zebra's filth. I blasted with my guns, and I also fired rockets, grenades and missiles at my enemies as well. Sure, I did take hits, but they were able to do very little, if ANY damage to my suit! I also got the chance to use the 2 chain guns mounted to my shoulders for the first time. With Ace aiming them, I fired in a full 360 circle, turning all the while so as to get an even spread!

"I count over 1,000 kills and rapidly rising Sir!" Ace reported.

"Excellent work Ace!" I then radioed Frank. "How's it going Frank?"

"Well, we're still moving! We're getting close to the tunnel, but if you would kindly cut down a few more of our odds, that would be REALLY great!"

I then looked over to my right, and I saw the Zebra Embassy. "Ok, I'll do that. And I also think that it's FINALLY time to deal with the Zebra Embassy once and for all!" I then flew over to it.

Once I reached it, after bashing the gates open, I strode up the steps, and into the Embassy. Once Inside, I slaughtered all Zebras in sight, while giving all mares that I came across a dose of the gas. Once I made sure to check EVERY nook and cranny of the ENTIRE Embassy, I walked back outside, before kneeling down, and firing a HUGE barrage of missiles at it!

The entire building erupted into a MASSIVE fireball, and not too long after, collapsed completely!

"YAHOO!!!!!! Embassy down Frank, I repeat, the Zebra Embassy is down!"

"That's REALLY great Scar! However, we're STILL taking heavy fire, so if you could direct it towards you, that would ALSO be really great!"

"Will do Frank!" I then continued my killing spree, although this time, I worked my way over to where Frank and Co were.

Sure enough, once I reached the area where they were, all of the Zebras stopped focusing on them, and then turned their attention to me.

"Yeah, that's right you striped freaks, come and get me!"

I then unleashed my chain guns onto them, as well as a few more grenades. "Damn, how many more of these guys are there?!"

"I don't know, but each one that we kill now is one that we do NOT have to face later!"

"Yeah, but there's still SO MANY of them Ace!" I kept blasting away at them, but yet at the same time, I was starting to get overwhelmed. Even with a suit as powerful as the Terror Suit, they were coming at me almost faster than I could shoot them! However, I KNEW that I had to give Frank and Co the opening that they needed to escape fully!

"Hey, I'm over here shitheads!" I then jumped to a rooftop about 25 feet to the right of where I had been.

"STOP THAT F@#KER RIGHT NOW!!!!!" I heard a Zebra scream. They all then charged me all at once.

"That's our chance!" Frank yelled, "This is our only window to escape!" He then began to lead the way down the tunnel with the others following him, including the Princesses.

"WAIT!!!!" Evan screamed, "We CAN'T just leave Scar behind, we HAVE to rescue him!"

"We will Evan! We just have to......" Frank never got a chance to finish that thought.

Before he could, he saw me take a number of possibly damaging hits, before unleashing my chain guns on the attacking Zebras. Soon though, I ran out of ammunition, and resorted to my machine guns, as well as a few rockets. Suddenly though, it looked like I was about to get swarmed. In one final, desperate move, I aimed ALL of my remaining rockets and missiles at the roof in front of me, before launching them! In an instant, there came a MASSIVE fireball that killed not only the Zebras attacking me, but the shock-wave from it killed a LOT of other Zebras as well! However, at the same time, the building that we were on was close to the edge of Canterlot, and when the building blew, I was blown backwards over the edge!

"CAPTAIN SCAR!!!!!" Evan screamed. He tried to run back out of the tunnel, but Frank stopped him.

"Evan, no! You CANNOT go out there!"

"B-b-but, CAPTAIN SCAR!!!!"

"He's.......gone Evan. He died so that ALL of us could live, and quickly storm this place again!"

"But...!!!!"

"We have a JOB to do Evan! We have ours, and Scar had his. There's nothing more that we can do for him now. We HAVE to move now, or Scar died for NOTHING!!!!"

Evan then backed down, and they all fled back through the tunnel, before sealing it up behind themselves.

In truth, I didn't die right away. After getting blasted off of the rooftop, I began to fall down the mountain. Ace tried to engage the suit's thrusters, but they'd gotten damaged during the battle. I was also barely conscious, and the last thing I can remember was Ace screaming at me, and then nothing. My body hit the river FAR below Canterlot Mountain, before my suit partially sank due to its weight, and got carried away by the current.

For Zed and the rest of the surviving Zebras, what had just happened was an absolute shit-show. Now thanks to our raid, 9,300+ Zebras were dead, and over 10,000 more were injured, while a further 3,000 were missing. The Zebra Embassy was demolished, and a number of other buildings were destroyed as well. The Zebras had also lost both Celestia and Luna, and with them half of their bargaining power!

Zed was screaming up a storm, and Cadence tried to calm him down. Zed didn't want to listen to her though, and he smacked her. Not hard enough to hurt her, but yet strong enough that she REALLY began to question the Zebra's motives, as well as what their TRUE intentions could be!

At the other end of this spectrum, the remainder of the group managed to make it back to base camp at about 3am. None of them had died, but yet some of them were wounded, a few of them seriously. Most of them were MORE than dreading how they were going to explain what happened to me to Ruby and Gilda.

Once they all reached camp again, both Celestia and Luna were taken immediately to be cleaned up, given clothes and properly cared for, while the rest were trying to figure out what to do.

Suddenly though, Gilda and Ruby came rushing up to the group. They looked all around, seemingly trying to find me, but they didn't.

"Where.....is he?" Gilda asked Evan. "Where's Stud?"

Evan sighed. "I'm sorry............Currently, Captain Scar is missing in action. He got blown off of a roof trying to take down a HUGE wave of Zebras that were about to swarm us, and fell off Canterlot Mountain. As of now, his current whereabouts, either living or dead, are unknown."

When Ruby and Gilda heard that, they both IMMEDIATELY broke down crying.

"No......no, no no!!!! STUD!!!!! NOOOOO!!!!"

"There IS a chance that he's still alive, as like I said, he's just missing. We have no confirmation that he's dead, and he WILL be found soon!"

Both of them then looked at Evan with fire blazing in their eyes. "And Ruby and I WILL avenge his death!"

"Yeah! I vote that we attack NOW, and OVERWHELM the Zebras!"

At this same time, Shining was coming to the same conclusion. After hearing the reports about what happened in Canterlot, he, as well as Celestia and Luna, who after being taken care of were reinstated as the Diarchs of Equestria, ALL swore to avenge what happened to me.

Even though it was past 3am, Shining called together a meeting of ALL of the Armed Forces, and addressed them.

"Everypony, this night, we lost a very brave soldier. Captain Ben 'Scar' Anderson was a brave and honorable Human, and he gave his life so that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna could be brought to safety!"

Everypony was shocked when they heard about my untimely demise.

"HOWEVER, his death MUST be avenged! We WILL be attacking Ponyville and Canterlot, and we WILL be starting it at precisely 4am today! Today, March 1st, 2025, marks the END of the Zebras, and the RETURN of the Ponies to power! They've been running scared because of us and our allies, and today we WILL finish the final push, in honor of one of the Humans who started it all, Captain Scar; my best friend, and a TRUE soldier! Who's with me?!"

EVERY Pony, Human, Griffon, Dragon and Diamond Dog was RABIDLY screaming for Zebra blood, and once all supplies had been prepped, including the gas for the mares, ALL necessary weapons and ammunition, and ANYTHING else that they would need, the troops entered the Diamond Dog tunnels, and RAPIDLY closed in on Ponyville!

Going with my original plan, they would take Ponyville, before moving quickly on to Canterlot. If all went well, the battles would be over not too long after sunrise, and the war would FINALLY be over! Soon, all of the troops were in position in the tunnels underneath Ponyville, waiting for the signal from Shining to begin the attack.

Just before he gave the word, Shining looked at a picture of the two of us together. We were both hugging, and smiling happily, and Gilda and Cadence could also be seen in the background.

"I will avenge your death Bro, and if you're still out there, I WILL find you!" He then put the picture back into his pocket. "This ends, RIGHT NOW!!!!" He then ordered Rick, who was close to him at the time, to send out the signal.

Rick then put his hands up to his mouth, and howled long and loud! His howls echoed through the tunnel systems, and with that, at exactly 4am, the Battle of Ponyville began!

For the Zebras, even though there had been a SERIOUS incident in Canterlot just a few hours prior, they all believed themselves to be safe.

"Don't worry Everypony!" Twilight reassured them, "ZERO Ponies will be coming in here with their diseases, and the Zebras WILL protect us!"

Nopony really believed her though. In fact, many of them knew that the Equestrian soldiers and their allies were right beneath their hooves, awaiting the order to attack! They'd all prepared to surrender, while a few Zebras committed suicide, and the remainder either prepared to surrender, or got ready to fight to the death. There were an estimated 5,000 or so Zebras in Ponyville, and about 1,500 or so had committed suicide. A further few hundred prepared to surrender, while the remainder were going to fight.

Suddenly, there came an almighty rumble beneath their hooves, and then from up out of the ground came a swarm of Ponies, Griffons, Dragons, and even Diamond Dogs! ALL of them had their missions, as well as their own sections of town to take.

Right off the bat, Big Mac and his crew went straight to Sweet Apple Acres. All of the Zebras there were sound asleep, at least until they started getting killed! Before the attack began, gas was lobbed into the farm buildings, and once Applejack, Applebloom and a few other mares realized that they'd been played for sluts, they were MORE than just a little mad! With help from their brother and his crew, as well as even Granny Smith, they ALL attacked and completely MAULED the Zebras!

No mercy was shown to any of them. "PLEASE, have mercy!" A zebra screamed as Granny stood over him with a meat cleaver.

Granny Smith smirked. "Sorry Sonny, ain't got no more mercy!" She then brought her meat cleaver down on his face, and hacked at him until he was dead!

Applejack and Applebloom were doing likewise. Applebloom tossed her big sis her trusty shotgun, and she went to town on the Zebras while Applebloom used a revolver that Big Mac loaned to her. In short order, the small battle there was over. All Zebras were dead, and there were only a few injuries on the opposing side. Applejack and Applebloom were given proper clothing, and they joined in the battle as well.

Now, 3 of the 6 Elements of Harmony had been restored, and the remaining 3 were soon to follow.

At the Friendship Castle, a package had just arrived at the front door. It was small, only about the size of a breadbox, and it said "To Twily" on it.

The Zebras in the castle brought it inside on Twilight's orders, but suddenly, from the seemingly tiny box burst out Shining, Spike and more troops!

"WASSUP BITCHES?!?!??!" Shining screamed when he jumped out.

"What the?!?!?! HOW THE HELL DID YOU ALL FIT IN THAT BOX?!?!?!"

Shining stabbed him with a sword. "It's called 'Magic' dumbass! Ever heard of it?!"

The Zebras were taken wholly off guard, and were quickly surrounded. Shining however, had one target in mind, and that was his sister.

"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU STALLION FILTH!!!!!!!" Twilight screamed. "ZUKO, SAVE ME!!!!"

Zuko came running, but yet a purple dragon stood in his way. "What the?!?!?! YOU again?! I thought that I took care of you, you scaly freak!"

Spike just smirked. "Heh, I'll bet that you never thought that you'd see ME again after that night, did you? Well now I'm BACK, and I'm REALLY pissed off!"

"Oh yeah, and whatcha gonna do tiny dragon? Roast me?!" Zuko laughed.

Spike smirked. "Don't tempt me!" He then inhaled, and out from his mouth came a HUGE stream of fire that instantly engulfed Zuko!

Zuko screamed for a minute or so, before falling over dead. With him also went the device that he was using to control Twilight. Without that, Shining was able to corner her, and use the gas on her. When he did that, she immediately came to herself again!

"W.......wha.....? What.......happened?"

"Twily? Twily! Can you hear me?"

Twilight looked up at him. Suddenly, her face lit up. "BBBFF!" She then ran over and hugged him. "You saved me!"

"Hey! I helped him too Twilight!"

"SPIKE!!!!" She hugged him too. "Oh thank Celestia that you were able to get to me in time! I thought that I was going to lose my mind being trapped in my own head like that while under Zuko's control!"

"And now with you back Twily, that just leaves Rarity and Fluttershy of the Element Bearers, and Cadence for the Princesses."

Twilight was shocked. "Wait, what happened to Celestia and Luna?"

Shining then explained about the success of the raid, even though it had led to my untimely demise.

Twilight sighed sadly. "Yes, we must salute Captain Anderson for his bravery. Now then, let's finish cleaning house here, and then spread out to the rest of Ponyville!" Twilight then summoned a spare set of clothes that she kept hidden away in a special vault to be used in the event of an emergency, and after pulling them on, she helped her brother, Spike and the rest of the troops clear out the rest of the Friendship Castle, before turning their attention to the rest of Ponyville.

Spike was also present when Rarity was saved, although by that point, most of the Zebras were either dead, or were surrendering. They saw the writing on the wall, and did NOT want to die! Even so, some were spared, while others were still killed by the mares that they had been using and abusing. Some wanted revenge for themselves, while others wanted revenge for their daughters, husbands or other male family members.

By almost 5am, Ponyville was back in Equestrian hands, and the remaining Zebras made their last stand out at Fluttershy's cottage. BIG MISTAKE! From all around the cottage came a HUGE flood of animals! They had seen what had been done to the Pony who had been taking such good care of them, and they were PISSED! They all attacked in DROVES, and managed to kill off the Zebras who both tried to take a stand out there, as well as trying to escape. By the time that the good guys managed to reach Fluttershy's cottage, she was sitting on the floor of her living room crying, while her animals were trying to comfort her.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight said when she saw her friend.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy went over and hugged her. "It's over, it's FINALLY over!"

Twilight sighed. "Well close, but not quite. The remaining Zebras still hold Canterlot, as well as Princess Cadence. They've also destroyed the railroad tracks leading up there, so even though the Humans won't be able to get their train up there, we will STILL carry the day!"

"Are..........are we gonna use the Elements of Harmony?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight nodded. "Yes. We'll use them to finish cleansing the rest of Equestria once we have the Zebras dead to rights!"

Fluttershy looked up at her friend. "Even though I HATE violence, sometimes there just is no other way to deal with those as vile as the Zebras who won't surrender. How soon until we leave for Canterlot?"

"Right now actually. These last 2 battles are back to back, as we CANNOT afford to wait around anymore!"

Fluttershy nodded, and after being given her Element necklace, she rounded up her animals who still wanted to fight, before following Twilight and the other soldiers back to town.

Meanwhile, Gilda and Ruby were walking back towards town. Gilda was holding the fire ax that I'd given her to hold onto for me while I made the run to Canterlot, and she and Ruby were still so sad. In a moment of frustration though, Ruby threw a rock towards the river that she and Gilda were walking beside, and they suddenly heard a loud metallic sound.

"Huh? What was that?"

"I don't know Gilda. Sounds like the rock that I threw hit something metal!"

They both tried to see what it was, but even though they could both see in the dark, they still couldn't tell what the rock had hit. Luckily though, a few soldiers led by Braeburn were headed their way, and they had lights. They shined the lights around, and they suddenly saw a large, black metal suit lying on the river bank! The suit was lying on its back, and seemed to be somewhat damaged. The water from the river was flowing over the lower parts of it as well.

When Gilda saw it, she flipped! "EYAH!!!!! THAT'S SCAR'S SUIT!!!!!"

"WHAT?!?!?!" Braeburn then turned to those with him. "Quick, get that thing outta there!"

They all quickly grabbed the suit, and managed to pull it out of the river, and up onto the grassy bank beside it.

"Is.....is he in there?" Ruby asked.

"I.....dunno!" Braeburn answered. "I ain't never seen nothin' like this suit before!"

One quick call to the other Marines later, Rick arrived on the scene to examine the suit.

"Well", He said at last, "I can tell you that there IS something still in there, but no readout yet on what, or if it's still alive or not."

"Open the suit!" Gilda urged him, "I HAVE to know!"

"Right!" Rick then used a series of special tools that had to be retrieved from my tent, and then manually started the suit's opening sequence.

Soon, with a loud series of clicks, and metallic clanks, the suit opened to reveal me! I was lying inside, still wearing my green operator's jumpsuit. My eyes were closed, and my face and the rest of me were EXTREMELY pale, and I seemed to be dead.

"I think he's dead."

Rick then put his head up to my chest. "I.........think you're right Braeburn. I can't get a heartbeat."

Gilda was NOT taking that for an answer! "No, he is NOT dying on me! Not now!" She then jumped onto my stomach, and promptly began to smack me across the face! "Wake up you idiot! You CANNOT just die on me now!"

"Yeah! She's right Stud! Don't leave us now!"

In reality, I wasn't dead. However, I was in a coma for a brief time.

"GWAHH!!!!" I suddenly jerked upright. "No, I'm not dead, stop slapping me!!!" I then made a grab for Gilda's clawed hands.

"STUD!!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!" She and Ruby both just about strangled to to death with hugs, and smothered me to death with kisses.

I hugged and kissed them back. "Yeah, I'm ok guys, I'm right here! A little worse for wear, but it's gonna take a LOT more than a fall from the top of Canterlot Mountain to get rid of me!"

"And how did you even do it Stud?" Ruby asked.

I thought for a second. "Well, after getting blown off the roof, I fell off Canterlot mountain, hit my head a few times on the way down, before hitting the water of the river far below. My partially floating suit then got carried downstream, before eventually ending up in the spot where you and Gilda found it. The trauma of what had just happened sent me into a coma, but Gilda's EXTREMELY violent slapping snapped me out of it!"

"Well, at any rate, I'm just glad that you're alive!"

I then looked at my watch. The time was close to 5am. "Wow, I've been out for a few hours now. What did I miss?"

Rick then took up the story. "Well, thanks to your contributions, the Princesses were saved, and we managed to take Ponyville, and now ALL of the Elements of Harmony are safe as well! The only real concern is Princess Cadence, as she's still under Zebra control in Canterlot."

I nodded slowly. "And I take it that we're gonna move out for Canterlot here before too long?"

"Actually, we've already started doing that. They've taken out the rails leading up there, so we unfortunately won't be able to use the train, but the tunnels are still there, and some of us can still fly, so we're good there! In fact, we were all on our way up there right now when I got the call from Braeburn that Gilda and Ruby had just found your suit."

I sighed. "Well, at any rate, thanks for coming to get me, and if you'll kindly excuse me, I have to suit up again!" I then began to reactivate the suit, before standing up again. "There, MUCH better! Now then, on to Canterlot!"

"On to Canterlot!" Ruby echoed.

"On to Canterlot!" Gilda agreed.

Then, once I reloaded all of my suit's weapons, we all formed up, formed our various units, before Humans, Ponies, Griffons, Dragons and Diamond Dogs ALL converged on Canterlot!

For the Zebras within, the suicide rate was MUCH higher than it was in Ponyville! They all KNEW that they were not going to be leaving the city alive, so many of them took the easy way out, and ended their own lives.

Never before had that many soldiers, their allies, or even just ordinary civilians just storm a city like we did in Canterlot! We were EVERYWHERE! Gas canisters were being lobbed everywhere, the Dragons were busy keeping any airships from escaping, as well as rescuing any mares from them before they crashed. Canterlot burned, and now the Zebras were all burning with it!

Gilda had given me my ax back, and with it, in addition to the EXTREME amount of weapons that I was already packing, I led the way up to the castle. "Come on guys! Just a little bit farther! I can smell Zed's fear from out here!"

Shining smirked. "Hehe! Yeah! And with him, AND the rest of the Zebra Elders gone, THEN we can deal with cleaning up the rest of their mess!"

"Right, so let's go!" I then kept leading the charge.

Meanwhile, up in the castle, Zed knew that the end was coming, however, he had no intention of taking his own life. Grabbing Cadence by the arm, he ran with her through the castle to the highest tower. Once he was up inside it, he blasted out the entire stairwell leading up to the top balcony where he was with gunpowder.

"There, NOW they can't get us!"

Cadence just looked at him. All the time, more and more of her mind continued to be restored to her, and she was now teetering on the fence. One little push would be all it would take to make her fully come back to herself again.

"Why are we hiding up here Zed?" She asked him.

"Because the stallions are coming! They're STILL carrying the virus, and I MUST keep you safe from it!"

Cadence nodded, but she REALLY didn't believe it anymore.

Meanwhile, down below them, Canterlot was falling fast. By the time that the sun was up, or at about 6:15am, 80% of the city was in Equestrian hands, and our forces were then storming the castle.

"Remember!" I yelled over the din of the battle, "Find Princess Cadence, as well as ANY other females in the castle, but as for the Zebras, KILL THEM ALL! Except for Zed though, leave HIM for Shining Armor, as HE was the one who stole his wife!"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

We all then broke down the gates, and charged inside.

We didn't meet the most resistance ever, but it was still a bit of a challenge. Most of those we faced were either mentally insane, or had nothing left to lose. Since there were SO MANY of us though, we were able to clear out the castle in short order. Every last surviving Zebra Elder was hunted down, and gutted like a fish. They had ALL warranted death for their actions, as now those they had wronged were their judge, jury and executioners. Sure, maybe it wasn't the right way, but yet it WAS war, and war is hell, and we all did things that we'd much rather forget about.

Eventually, once the rest of Canterlot was cleared, all that we had left to clear was one tower in the castle, but yet the entrance to it was blocked by rubble. We'd also found no sign of Cadence or Zed.

I looked up at it from the ground. "Wow, that's a long way up there!"

"Yeah, no kidding Bro!"

I then grabbed a megaphone. "Hey! Anybody home up there?!"

My efforts were rewarded when a face peered down at me, Shining and the others who were with us as well. It was Zed, and I could also see Cadence just behind him.

"What do you want Human?"

"I want you to surrender Zed, it's OVER! Your empire is FINISHED, and all you have left is your own life, Cadence and that tower. ALL of the others are either dead, or captured now. You're the only one left. If you surrender now, I MIGHT be able to let you off easy! Assuming of course that you don't get torn to shreds by the Princesses, the Elements of Harmony, and of course Shining Armor, the stallion who's WIFE you're holding up there!"

"Yeah? and I'm NOT coming down!"

"Fine, then WE'RE coming UP!"

I then saw Zed pull out what looked like a gun, and hold it to Cadence's head! "You do that, and SHE dies! All of you all back off, and leave me be!"

"Do we use the Elements of Harmony now Princess?" Twilight asked.

Celestia shook her head. "Not yet, my Faithful Twilight. I think Zed's about to reap what he's sown. Cadence will do just fine on her own, TRUST ME!"

We all took a few steps back, and waited to see what was going to happen next.

"Why are you doing this Zed?!" Cadence was close to panicking. "I thought that the Zebras were supposed to be helping us!"

Zed then turned to her, and FINALLY dropped the masquerade he'd been pulling off for MONTHS! "You still don't get it, do you? You silly Bitch! It was NEVER about you, it was about ME, and what the ZEBRAS wanted!" Zed then smacked Cadence across the face as hard as he possibly could!

"AAAEEHH!!!!" Cadence fell to the balcony floor in severe pain. She then saw Zed turn back to us and begin to yell at us again.

Her pain though soon turned into SEETHING anger. Her eyes were FINALLY opened to the true evils of the Zebras, and after she spotted Zed's dagger that he kept tied to his waist, she knew what to do! "This ends.........right now you F@#KER!!!!" Cadence then drug herself back to her hooves, before slipping over to Zed, grabbing his dagger, and then stabbing him in the back with it repeatedly!

"DIE YOU F@#KING SON OF A BITCH!!!!!!" She screamed.

Zed merely choked on his own blood, before falling forwards over the balcony railing, and then falling 9 stories to the pavement below! The impact was sickening when he hit. Luckily, nobody was directly under the balcony, but a LOT of us still got hit by Zed's bloody debris!

(0:58-1:16)

Shining then looked up at Cadence. "Cadence!"

"Shiny! Hang on, I'm coming down!" She then used her wings to gently lower herself to the ground, or at least, she TRIED to. She made it part way, before her wings cramped up, and she began to fall!

"AAAHHH!!!!"

Luckily for her though, Shining was able to grab her with his magic, before lowering her safely to his arms.

"Oh Shiny!" She then hugged her husband.

"It's ok Cadence, it's over. At long last, this nightmare is FINALLY OVER!!!!!!"

All of us began to cheer, and then Celestia turned to Twilight and her friends. "Ok, NOW you all can use the Elements of Harmony!"

"Right away Princess!"

They all then used the Elements of Harmony, and from the Castle, through the rest of Canterlot and beyond, a MASSIVE wave of pure magical energy flowed. Everything that was touched by the wave was fully restored to what it once was. ALL of the Zebra's filth, including their corpses, were wiped away from Equestria. EVERYTHING that had been destroyed was made new again, including all clothing that the Zebras took away and burned, and the Equestrian Royal Treasury was fully restored as well! Once it was all over, EVERYTHING in Equestria had been made new again, and it looked just as good, if not BETTER than the day the Zebras showed up!

All across the land, Ponies and their allies alike ALL cheered that the war was FINALLY over, and that the Zebras would NEVER bother them EVER again! Celestia and Luna had been restored as the Diarchs of Equestria, Cadence and Shining Armor once again ruled the Crystal Empire, Big Mac and the rest of the Apples worked Sweet Apple Acres again, Spike was once again Twilight's faithful assistant, Rainbow Dash was once again in charge of the weather, Fluttershy cared for her animals, Rarity was right back to making dresses, and Pinkie Pie was back at Sugarcube Corner alongside Mr. and Mrs. Cake, while the Wonderbolts were flying high as well. ALL Royal and Crystal Guards were fully reinstated with clean bills of health, and if you hadn't known beforehand, you would have NEVER guessed that the war had even happened!

Back in Canterlot though, I was congratulating everyone, and everypony on our victory. Suddenly though, I had my arms full of both Gilda, and Ruby! Both of them were hugging and kissing me for all they were worth, and I was almost getting smothered!

"Awww!" The crowd cooed.

I hugged both of them. "It's over guys, FINALLY OVER!!!! Now we can FINALLY live normal lives for a change!"

"Yes, yes we can!" Gilda agreed.

"Totally! And when can we slip off to another bedroom Stud?" Ruby asked me quietly. "I REALLY want to show you what these paws can do in the bedroom!" She gestured to her paw-like hands.

I smirked a bit. "Oh, I think that THAT can be arranged!"

We all then cheered and celebrated that the war was FINALLY over!

Author's Note

And, there was Chapter 5! There's an Epilogue, so stay tuned for that, but this was the last big chapter! Whew! SO now the Zebras are gone, and Equestria has been fully restored, and all thanks to 6 former US Marines, 5 marefriends, a Griffon girlfriend, and their guts, and willingness to do whatever it would take to save their nation! It was a long journey to get there, but in the end, it WAS worth it!

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 the Epilogue!

ScarFox out for now!

Epilogue: 2 years later (Original Timeline)

After the war ended, most of us tried to pick up the pieces of the lives that we'd lost during the war, and carry on. Of course, it didn't happen overnight, but by the end of the first few months, we were well on our way.

ALL of us wanted out of the military after that, and most of us even went our separate ways. After they were married, Evan went to live with Nightglider in Starlight's old village, where he found a job as a maintenance man. Rick married Amethyst, lived within the Crystal Empire, and found a job as a chemistry teacher there, while she became a head nurse at a local health clinic.

Jon, Jake and Frank all settled in Ponyville. Derpy started her own muffin bakery, and whenever her husband Jon wasn't working on the rails, he helped her with her bakery. Frank married Lyra, and he, Jake, (who married Roseluck) and Jon established the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company Freight Depot No.2 right there in Ponyville! From right there, as well as the original freight depot up in the Crystal Empire, we continued to run our operations for our freight and passenger trains.

And me? What happened to me? Well, first I think that I should explain what happened to the Zebras who were taken prisoner.

Most of the males were put on trial for the crimes that they had committed, and the ones who escaped the gallows were sentenced to VERY lengthy prison sentences in the mines of both Canterlot, and the Crystal Empire. Some of the females were returned to Zebrica, and those who stayed in Equestria were settled in their own communities. There, although they were watched closely, they began to integrate into Equestrian society. Many were still viewed with fear and suspicion, but they were largely left alone.

And as for Zuri and Zena? Once the war ended, they were released for their cell in Appaloosa. Zena went to live with Jake and Roseluck in Ponyville, while Zuri came up to the Crystal Empire where I lived with Ruby and Gilda.

I still resided in the Crystal Empire. I still helped to run the original Daylight Freight and Shipping Company Freight Depot, but I had help. Aside from Gilda, Ruby and her Pack helped too! Once they were given the reward of gems that they were promised for their service to the Equestrians, they were offered jobs helping with the DFASC. They all accepted, and while most of the dogs took care of the depot, I could often be found riding the rails around Equestria on the Wabash Cannonball, now once again known as Southern Pacific Daylight 4449. She was now once again hauling both freight and passengers around Equestria, just like she used to do before the war!

Jake would be in the fireman's seat next to me, Frank would be at the back of the train, Gilda would be behind me, and sometimes she would switch with Ruby. Both of them learned the trade of engine driving from me, as well as the trade of being a fireman from Jake.

Yes, in the end, I ended up marrying Gilda, Ruby and Zuri. All of us lived together in a comfortable house close to the freight depot. In due time, on December 14th, 2025, Ruby brought our litter of pups into the world! All 4 of them, (2 boys and 2 girls) were so cute, and their mother was a Diamond Dog, while their father was a Human-wolf hybrid! All of them had gray fur, and 2 of them had blue eyes like their father, while the other 2 had glowing yellow eyes like their mother. Ruby took time off from work to take care of her pups, and I would help take care of them as well.

Eventually, when Gilda felt that the time was right, she too wanted to get knocked up, and I gave her a small litter of......well, I honestly don't know WHAT they are, as their mother's a Griffon, and their father's a Human-wolf hybrid! The 4 of them, (3 girls and a boy) looked a lot more like Gilda than me. Their fur was gray, but they had the distinct lion-like body. However, instead of eagle talons, they had the front legs and paws of a wolf. They also had furry heads, but they also had beaks. I wanted to call them Hippogriffs, but yet, that wasn't what they were. In the end, Gilda and I decided to refer to them as "Lycangriffs".

Even Zuri and I had a foal together eventually, and she was the cutest hybrid ever. She had gray fur with black stripes, a mane that would eventually hang down to her shoulders, and a wolf-like tail.

Everypony else thought that I was strange for having 3 wives like I did, not to mention that one of them was a Zebra, but yet it was tolerated. I was a war hero, and that's what mattered.

It's been about 2 years now since the Zebras left. Things are largely back to what they have been, and I'm still riding the rails! I've pretty much vowed to ride the rails until the day I get to old to do it anymore. SP Daylight 4449 is now the fastest train in all of Equestria. So many Ponies still stop to watch her in action, and ALWAYS flying by on her way to somewhere. At the throttle is yours truly, the fireman is often Jake, my brakeman/conductor is Frank, and Ruby or Gilda are behind me as well.

The train always flies by, and in fact, there's one song that almost describes what it's like when I take the controls!

Though the Zebras are gone, we ALL still remain vigilant, for you NEVER know when some other hydra could rear its ugly heads again! I'll grow old with my wives and kids, doing what I love, and ALWAYS keeping Equestria safe. I mean after all, what else was a US Marine born and bred for?

Author's Note

I REALLY hope that you all enjoyed this story, and it was the first exclusively Ant-Zebra Dom fic that I've ever written! This story was just a one-shot, so there won't be a sequel, but don't worry, more stories will be coming from me soon, so stay tuned!

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

ScarFox out for now!

Introduction (New Timeline)

It feels like it's been SO many years since the Zebras took over, but then again, maybe it has. Time's been a bit hard to keep track of since the end, but I do my best!

Oh, how silly of me, allow me to introduce myself! Hi, my name is Ben Anderson, but my friends call me "Scar". This is due to the prominent scar over my left eye. I'm in my late 30's now, but when all of this happened, I was 26. For nearly 12 years, I was a United States Marine. I thought that I'd seen it all during my time on Earth, and maybe I had. My scar came from a miss-thrown frag grenade, and if it hadn't been for my goggles, I most likely would have lost my eye! However now, I just have the scar.

I don't talk too much about my time in the Marine Core, but this is NOT by choice. For you see, my old unit, Wolf-Pack Battalion, was HIGHLY classified, and NO ONE outside of the top US Military Brass even knew that they existed. Why is this? Well, because all of those within the battalion were a part of a top secret project. The goal of this project was to create a new breed of soldier that was bigger, faster, stronger, had greater endurance, could see farther, smell better, and take and inflict MUCH more damage than a normal soldier could. Basically, they took some of the finest US Marines in the Marine Core, turned them into werewolves, and made them a part of Wolf-Pack Battalion!

Yes, I KNOW how strange that this sounds, but PLEASE bear with me here! The enemies of America were TERRIFIED of us! Because their was no record of our existence, and we were given a pretty loose leash for our operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other such places, we were free to use a LOT of different methods to complete our missions, and we did so with ruthless efficiency! We looked like ordinary Humans, but we could turn into our werewolf forms at will. (My wolf form was all gray, with a bit of white, while my Human-self had brown hair and blue eyes). Also while we were serving in Wolf-Pack Battalion, our families had NO IDEA what we were really doing. They knew that we were US Marines, but they knew very little else. An exception to this rule was my dad, Air Force Brigadier General Stanley "Stan" Anderson. He told me that he knew about Wolf-Pack Battalion, though I was unable to ask him how he knew, and how much, as it went against policy.

I retired as a Captain after 12 years, as I felt that it was time to move on to other things. When I did so, I was taken to a lab, where I had ALL of my werewolf features removed from my body. I was now 100% Human again, and I was given all of my credentials for "Fireside Battalion" which was the front for Wolf-Pack. I now had documented proof that I had been a US Marine, and I was now free to return to civilian life. However, I was warned about the "hazards" of what happened to those who talked about something that didn't exist, and I agreed that aside from my dad Stan, I'd never tell a soul. (Even so, I couldn't talk to my dad about this for another 2 years or so. I'm not sure why, some other policy).

I went about trying to find a new job, and thankfully, one came my way pretty quickly, and it was one that I REALLY wanted!

Since I've been a railway enthusiast my ENTIRE life, I went about getting a job with the railway. Long story short, I ended up in Oregon, where I became an engineer on one of the most legendary steam engines, pulling one of the most famous trains of all time! THIS beauty right here!

Yep! SP Daylight 4449, and her train! I worked with 5 of my closest friends, who like me were also former Marines from Wolf-Pack Battalion, and life-long railway enthusiasts. 42 year old Richard "Rick" Dennis, 33 year old Erwin "Evan" Young, 30 year old Patton "Jake" Blithe, 28 year old Franklin "Frank" Sinatra, (Yes, his name really was Frank Sinatra!) and 27 year old Jon Meers. He didn't have a nickname like the rest of us, as everyone just called him Jon.

I was an engineer, while Jake and Evan were firemen, Frank and Jon were brakemen, and Rick was a conductor. We also LOOKED to be fully Humans, but thanks to our time in Wolf Pack, we weren't quite. In truth, while we no longer had any visible wolf features, we still had 20/0 (aka better than perfect) vision, very acute hearing, heightened senses, could see in almost total darkness, had perfect night vision, and were still stronger, faster, and had greater endurance than most Humans. However, we WERE former US Marines, so we were able to pass off a lot of our abilities to our time in the Core.

It was a good life, but yet little did we suspect at the time that our lives were about to get a WHOLE lot more interesting!

One day, we were out for a maintenance run with 4449 and her full train in Wyoming, and although the weather was bad, we had to get to Cheyenne, Wyoming. We decided to head up the famous Sherman Hill, but just as we reached the top, lightning struck the tracks in front of us!

"WHOA!!! SHIT!!!!" I was driving at the time, and I immediately began to put the brakes on, while I yelled back for Frank and Jon to do the same.

Suddenly, from where the lightning struck, there appeared a MASSIVE ball of white light! There was no time to stop, and soon we hit the mass of light, and were immediately gone. Gone from Earth for a LONG time to come!

We suddenly found ourselves on a track surrounded by snow, but with what seemed to be a city off in the distance. We pulled into the station there to see where we were, as we believed that we were still in Wyoming. To our shock though, we were greeted by these bipedal, multi-colored Equine-like creatures!

We were then informed that we were in the nation of Equestria, in the far northern region known as the Crystal Empire. We also got the chance to meet Princess Cadence, and Prince Shining Armor, the rulers of the Crystal Empire. They were VERY curious about us, and where we'd come from, as they'd NEVER seen creatures like us before!

It was also during this time that we learned that during our trip through the sort of "portal" caused by the lightning, we were slightly changed. Jon and Rick now had gray horns on their foreheads, Evan and Frank now had super-human strength, and Jake and I had black, feathery wings on our backs as well! We could both fly, while Jon and Rick could move objects with their Magic, as well as cast shield spells, and even use Magic to attack! We also realized that we once again had our wolf ears, wolf tails, had wolf paws for feet, and that we had.....um.....wolf genitals! We weren't sure how this happened, but we assumed that it had something to do with the portal.

Our train was changed as well. We discovered that she no longer burned oil, but had been reconfigured to burn coal again! The 4449's 2 tenders were both full of coal and water, and when we searched the rest of the train, in the baggage and mail cars, we discovered that impossibly, not only were our old Marine field uniforms in there, but so were our weapons, as well as a LOT of other guns, ammunition, and even an armored vehicle! The rest of the passenger coaches looked the same, although they now smelled like lemon furniture polish for whatever reason!

Soon, we were allowed to use out train to work on the railroad, and the Daylight became the best, and fastest train in all of Equestria! (This is debated, as some still think that the Crystal Express is faster, and we have raced before, but the results of the races are disputed).

Together, the 6 of us started the "Daylight Freight and Shipping Company". With our single train, and an old railroad freight depot at the edge of the Crystal Empire, we were in business hauling freight and Ponies all over Equestria. Everywhere from the Crystal Empire, to Canterlot, Ponyville, Las Pegasus, Van Hoover, Baltimare, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Appaloosa, Dodge City, to even far away Trottingham. Everywhere we went, Ponies, and other creatures always cheered and waved at us, and the "Flaming Orange", as they'd nicknamed the Daylight.

We all LOVED what we did, and we all made our way around Equestria as well. And while we'd all been single before, we all even managed to find love! Rick was dating a Crystal mare named Amethyst, while Jake was with Roseluck, Jon and Derpy were together, Frank got in with Lyra, Evan was dating a Pegasus named Night Glider, and me? I was dating a Griffon! She was brash, sometimes rude, and rough around the edges, but sweet and kind underneath, and all around cool. She had a brown lion's body, large brown feathery wings, a lion's tail, an eagle's head with white feathers, yellow eyes, and purple marks around her eyes. She also had some pretty nice muscles, not to mention a sweet rack of Double-D's, and a nice ass! Her name was Gilda, and she would help out at the freight depot from time to time. Although she tried to hide it, I could tell that she was actually pretty interested in trains.

"Do you like trains Gilda?" I asked her once.

"What's it to you Dweeb?"

"Hey, I'm just asking."

She sighed. "Yeah, I think that they're kinda cool. Just like you!" She then gave me a quick peck on the cheek when nopony was looking. Gilda could actually be pretty sweet when she wanted to be, but too bad this didn't happen unless we were alone. (Gilda was also WILD in the sheets, but let's not talk about that right now!)

What matters now is that life seemed to be perfect for us. Perfect, but yet it was to end all too soon. Little did we suspect at the time just how IMPORTANT to the future our being in Equestria was going to be. Looking back on it now, I REALLY wish that we'd at least gotten a little bit of a heads up before everything hit the fan, but we didn't.

I can still remember it like it was yesterday. You can't forget a day like that. March 30th, 2024, the day EVERYTHING as we knew it changed forever. The day that THEY came to Equestria............

Author's Note

Ok People, here we go! Now that the introductions are out of the way, both new and old, the REAL action can begin! From the next chapter, until the end of the story, there WILL be action! Maybe not always outright combat, but action nonetheless!

The Zebras are (still) coming, and with them, (still) comes fear-mongering, destruction, death, sickness, pain, and above all, conquest. It's about to hit the fan! Hold on tight, because when this "Train of Fear" leaves the station once again, it still has about as many brakes as the Rape Train does, so stay tuned!

In the meantime though, comments, questions, feedback, as well as spreading the word about this (new) story are always appreciated, and I'll see you all in the New Timeline Chapter 1!

ScarFox out for now!

Chapter 1: The Zebras Come, Our World Falls (New Timeline)

I can still remember that day that the first Zebras started to arrive in Equestria. March 30th, 2024. At first, I really didn't pay too much attention to the reports. I mean, they were landing in Southern Equestria, and seemed to simply remain there. They were refugees, although nopony seemed to know where from, and the Zebras themselves couldn't seem to keep their story straight either. First it was the Zebra Lands, then it was Zebafrica, then finally Zebrica. This should have been the first warning flag that something was wrong. Refugees who seem to have no idea where they came from, and tell conflicting stories? What's up with that?

When the first Zebras began to arrive in the Crystal Empire though, I was a bit surprised. Instead of seeing gaunt, skinny, possibly sickly and scared refugees, I saw healthy, well muscled males, and somewhat plump, curvaceous females, as well as healthy looking Zebra colts and fillies; not like refugees at all! Soon, I heard from others at some of the stations that we stopped at that the Zebras were spreading out all over Equestria, and more and more of them seemed to be arriving daily.

"Something's REALLY fishy about all of this is you ask me!" The station master at Ponyville told me. "These don't look like refugees to me; they're WAY too healthy!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean Phil. Something's not right here. I've seen what refugees look like, and they do NOT look like refugees! I'll talk to Shining when I get back to the Empire, maybe he'll have some answers for me."

"Sure, and if you get anything, be sure to pass it along!"

"Sure thing Phil!" I then climbed back into the cab, and once Rick blew his whistle, we started back for the Crystal Empire. (Also, there were typically only 3 of us on the train at any given time. An engineer, a fireman, and a brakeman for a freight run, or a conductor for a passenger run).

When we arrived back there, I went over to see Shining. We'd become pretty good friends since we arrived in Equestria about 2 years prior to that point, and we often hung out a lot.

"Hey Shining!"

"Oh, hey Bro! What's up?"

"Oh, I wanted to talk to you about something, is there somewhere private that we can go?" (There were a number of Zebras in the Crystal Empire at that point, and I really did NOT want to be overheard!)

He nodded. "Sure. We can go to the Game Room."

When we arrived there a few minutes later, I asked him my questions. "Hey Shining, where are all of these Zebras even coming from?"

"Oh, they're refugees from Zebrica."

"And where is that even? I couldn't find it on a map."

"And you won't. Zed, the leader of the Zebras, told me that it wasn't on Pony maps, as it was beyond the oceans that we've mapped so far."

I thought about that. It seemed like a reasonable enough answer, but I still had to know more. "Ok, and I know that there's a lot of them, but why do more and more seem to be arriving every day? I mean, if these ships keep going and bringing back more refugees, why hasn't who, or what they're fleeing from put a stop to it?"

Shining shrugged. "I don't know actually. All Zed said was that they bring over as many as they can."

"And that's my main point Shining, I'm getting worried here."

"Oh? And why's that?"

I looked at him like he was blind. "Have you SEEN some of these supposed 'refugees' Shining?! The males are strong, muscular, and healthy, while the females are plump, and curvaceous. NONE of them seem to have had to endure hardships, or ANYTHING even REMOTELY close to what REAL refugees have to endure! Plus, if they were fleeing from a war, or a famine, then WHY are there SO MANY more males than females?!"

Now it was Shining's turn to look at me like I was crazy. "Bro, that's REALLY racist! They're refugees! They HAVE to be! Zed said so!"

I was stunned. "Shining, have you lost your FAUST-DAMNED MIND?!?!?! Just because somepony SAYS IT, does NOT mean that it's true! This is playing out just like the 'refugee crisis' that happened in Europe about a decade ago......." I then explained to him all about that. "They were NOT refugees Shining, they were a practical INVASION ARMY!!!! Now, I'm getting a SEVERE case of deja-vu!"

That seemed to make Shining come to his senses. "Yeah.....I can see your point now Bro. At the end of this week, Cadence and I, as well as Celestia, Luna and Twilight, will be meeting with Zed, and the other Zebra elders to discuss some of these things. I'll be sure to bring up what you've told me!"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, and thank you Shining."

"You're welcome Bro."

I then left Shining to get back to our bunkhouse connected to the freight depot. I wish that I could say that that conversation with Shining, as well as the meeting that later followed ended the whole ordeal, but it didn't. In fact, our problems were about to get a hell of a lot worse.

A few weeks later, the rest of the guys and I began to notice something even stranger. We noticed that some of the regular Ponies that we usually saw at our stops were missing. This MIGHT not have been too serious of an ordeal, but yet those who were missing were railway staff. In their place were Zebras.

"Hey, what happened to Phil?" I asked the Zebra that was apparently the new station master in Ponyville.

"Oh him? He went on an extended vacation to um........Las Pegasus. He'll......be back soon!"

I could tell that the Zebra was lying. I'd learned a thing or 2 about reading body language during my time as a Marine, and he seemed like he was trying to spin up a story on the spot. I also noticed that he was actually wearing Phil's uniform! It even still had the name tag that said "Phil" on it!

I nodded. "Ok, well, I'll be glad to see him again, as he's one of my good friends. Tell him I said hi if you hear from him!"

"I'll be sure to."

Our train then left Ponyville, but on the way to our next stop, we had trouble. A train full of Zebras had broken down on the tracks ahead of us, and we had to haul them, as well as our regular passengers. This wouldn't have been too much of a big deal, if what happened in the passenger coaches hadn't happened.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!" Rick yelled. He'd just witnessed a Zebra dumping some kind of liquid into one of the tanks that held drinking water for those on the train.

The Zebra looked at him. "Nothing."

"I SAW what you did! What did you just dump into the water?!"

Rick snatched the bottle that the Zebra was holding from him. It was empty, but when he sniffed it, Rick almost gagged. "Sweet Celestia! What IS this stuff?!"

"Like I said, it's nothing, and you're going to FORGET that you ever saw this!" Rick then noticed 2 other Zebras standing behind him.

"Oh, so it's intimidation now, is it? You POISON our water, and just expect me to do nothing about it?!"

"Yes. If you value your life, as well as the lives of your Human friends, to say NOTHING of your marefriend, you'll forget what you saw here! This is OUR train now!"

Rick knew that he was outmatched. The only other crew on the train were myself and Jake, and we were up in the cab. The only ones on the rest of the train were him, a few stallions, some mares, and a LOT of Zebras! They had also just threatened the lives of Amethyst, and the rest of his friends as well.

Rick glared at them. "Fine. But don't forget, what goes around comes around!" Rick then left that car. Once he reached the nearest valve wheel, he opened it, and let all of the water from that car drain out onto the tracks. "NOPONY poisons water on my train!"

Once we got to the next stop, Rick lodged a formal complaint with the Zebra Embassy in Canterlot, and after that, the Zebras left us be. None of them rode our train anymore, and they kept their distance from all of us as well. Nevertheless, Amythyst, Lyra, Roseluck, Night Glider, Gilda, and Derpy were all kept close to us just in case.

After this though, things went from strange and threatening, to bad and dangerous. More and more Zebras seemed to be holding high-ranking positions around Equestria, and while Zed became a close.....well......I don't what he claimed to be....to Cadence and Shining Armor, Celestia, Luna and even Twilight seemed to have a LOT of Zebras close to them as well. Rumors also began to circulate about them having Zebra lovers.

One day though, I was going to see Shining, but I was stopped outside of the castle by 2 Zebras with weapons.

"I'm sorry, but nobody is allowed into the castle today!"

"On who's authority?" I'd never seen these 2 Zebras before.

"The authority of Princess Cadence! She has given STRICT orders that she and Zed are NOT to be disturbed!"

"I'm not here for THEM, I'm here for Shining Armor!"

"Don't care, now leave!"

I held my ground. "I'm not leaving until......"

"GET LOST!!!!!" One of them screamed at me.

I then feigned fear, and pretended to run away with my tail between my legs. In reality though, I was PISSED! Who did those bastards think that they were?!

The next day though, Jake was getting a glass of water, when he suddenly spit it out!

"OUGH!!! That's NASTY!!!!"

Frank looked over at him. "Huh? What's wrong Jake?"

"This water! It literally tastes like shit!"

I looked up from some paperwork. "Maybe it's something wrong with the sink. Try another one."

He did so. "STILL tastes like shit!"

The rest of us then tried the rest of the sinks, and water faucets in both our freight depot, and the bunk house. All of them gave out water that although it looked and smelled ok, tasted like shit!

"Huh, must be something wrong with the plumbing. I'll go check with the Public Works." I then got up, and went to go see what was going on.

When I arrived there, I saw that there were only Zebras present. They offered to come and check our water, and for the sake of having even MORE reasons not to trust them, I let them come. (All of our marefriends were hiding though!)

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with your plumbing, are you sure that the water tasted bad?"

I nodded. "Positive. We tested all of the 6 sinks and water faucets on our premises here, and the water in all of them tasted horrible!"

"Hmm, well, we looked, and although we checked everything, we couldn't find anything wrong. Try the water now."

While Rick, Frank and Jon watched the Zebras closely, Jake, Evan and I went to test the water. After letting the sinks and faucets run for a bit, we tried the water again. This time, it seemed to be normal, but none of us trusted it.

"Tastes great!" I told the leader of the Zebras who came out. "Thanks for helping us out."

"You're welcome! Glad that we could be of service, my dear slu.....train crew!"

I froze. "Wait, WHAT were you about to call us?!"

"Um........I was about to call you 'slunders' but yet, I feared that you would take that the wrong way. It's just a simple Zebra word for ‘worker’, I assure you!"

I nodded. "Ok, well then, have a nice day, and we'll call you if we have any more problems."

Once the Zebras left, and we made SURE that they were gone, I turned to the others. "I SWEAR that he was about to call us sluts!"

Rick was equally outraged. "Yeah, and if they 'fixed' our water, then I'm the King of Siam! How much do you wanna bet that they jacked with it?"

"I'd bet you a small loan of a million dollars!" Frank agreed.

I then looked over my 5 comrades. "This is a dangerous world that we live in now guys. These Zebras are NOT our friends, nor are they refugees, assistants, or ANYTHING other than conquering bastards!"

"Here here!" The others agreed.

Cautiously, we humans drank the water, but yet we made SURE that we boiled it, filtered it, then boiled and filtered it again, before injecting it with iodine, and running it through MORE filters before we let our marefriends drink it. So far, none of us were suffering from any ill effects. We were still healthy and sound, and our marefriends were grateful for us protecting them, even Gilda.

"Thanks for doing this for us Dweeb!" She hugged me.

I hugged her back. "You're welcome Gilda. We're just doing what we can to keep you all safe."

We all knew that the water was contaminated with something, and we tried to raise the alarm about it. Most just called us crazy or paranoid though.

"You guys are crazy! There's NOTHING wrong with the water!"

"Yeah! The Zebras tested it for us, and they said that it's as clean as a whistle! In fact, they even set up a plant in Cloudsdale to monitor it!"

"Did any Ponies check the water though?"

"No, the Zebras told us that there was no need to."

"And you didn't QUESTION that?"

"What are you, a racist or something?! What do you have against Zebras?!"

All of these conversations ended with us being accused of racism, xenophobia, sexism, and a lot of other terrible things. However, the more time passed, the more and more convinced that we became that we were somehow immune to the disease in the water.

Although we had no proof, we were actually right. Because our systems were mixture of Human and Wolf, they were able to filter out the toxins, and expel them as urine. We could safely drink contaminated water that other Ponies couldn't. We were immune to what the Zebras were doing, and in the long run, this would prove MORE than vital!

By the end of that Summer, those of us who ran the Daylight around Equestria dreaded it. Ponies were becoming more and more hostile towards us, and the Zebras seemed to be openly encouraging them. In fact, once they realized that we were on to them, the Zebras actually boycotted the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company, and encouraged others to do the same as well. Because of this, our trains got emptier and emptier, and our freight loads got lighter and lighter. Soon, we were barely taking out the train at all.

"This isn't good guys." I told the others as we ate dinner that night. "If we can't keep making money here, we may go out of business, and in times like these, that CANNOT be allowed to happen!"

Jon looked sad. "Yes, but what can we do to attract more business?"

I sighed. "Well, we COULD just beg the Zebras to lift the boycott, but I think that you all know what that would mean. The ONLY reason that we're still standing right now is because we're a private company. If we were part of the Equestrian Rail Service, we'd be LONG GONE by now! We will NOT capitulate like that!"

"I agree!" Rick added. "We built this company from the ground up, and even though our trains are light, we're now some of the last ones standing. We HAVE to make a difference!"

We all agreed to that, and later that day, Jake and I, with Jon as our conductor took the train out on a passenger run.

To our dismay, only 5 Ponies were on our train, all of them stallions. We also had a lot of garbage thrown at us, and Jake was even hit with a metal trash can that a Unicorn lobbed into the cab!

"OWWW!!!! HEY!!!!"

"Racist Xenophobes go home!!!!! We love Zebras!!!!" It also really unnerved us that all of those shouting at us were either mares, or Zebras!

We were forced to retreat, and we stayed at the freight depot for the next few days.

When we did venture out again though, an eerie sight greeted us. (Oftentimes, 1-3 of us would venture out, while the rest stayed behind to protect our mares. We'd already made a few nosy Zebras "disappear", and we knew how to hide the bodies!)

There was hardly a mare to be seen anywhere in the Crystal Empire! All we saw were stallions, and Zebras.

"What's.......going on Frank?" I asked him.

Frank shrugged. "I don't know Scar. This is really eerie." We continued to look around.

Everywhere we went, the Zebras glared daggers at us, and we also noticed that some of the stallions appeared to be sickly. They were very pale, and their eyes were VERY bloodshot. We asked around, but were told that it was just the flu, and not to worry about it........by the Zebras who now ran the local urgent care clinic of course.

"It's just a bad strain of the flu, nothing to worry about my good Sirs!"

Frank looked around. "Um, I may not be an expert, but yet I WAS a medic in the military for nearly a decade, and I must say that this does NOT look like the flu to me. This looks more like a case of a junked up system."

"Oh, well then, it's certainly a good thing that I'M a doctor then, is it not? You OBVIOUSLY don't know what you're looking at, as this is NOT a normal case of the flu, but rather a foreign strain! We're not quite sure where it comes from, but we're working on that. It also only seems to affect stallions, but I must ask you, do either of you feel sick?"

Both Frank and I knew that this could turn EXTREMELY ugly EXTREMELY fast. I'd already heard stories of stallions being taken away "for treatment", and were never seen or heard from again. However, if this Zebra wanted to take us ANYWHERE, his ass was gonna have another thing coming for it! We DID allow him to look at us, but we were also a split second away from making his death look like an accident!

"Hmm, well, surprisingly, both of you seem to be very healthy for.....eh, whatever you are.....such as yourselves. I dare say that you may be as healthy as we are!"

Frank and I looked at each other, before looking back at the Zebra "doctor". "Ok, well, thank you for the medical exam, however, we need to get going."

As we were walking out of the door, I turned back one last time. "Oh, and one more thing. What happened to all of the mares? I haven't seen a single mare in days now."

"Oh, well they went in batches to other facilities, just to make sure that they're healthy. They should be back before too long."

I nodded. "Ok, well, my marefriend, Dusty, went to one of those facilities, and I haven't heard from her since." (I was testing the Zebra. I pulled this "marefriend" out of my ass!)

"Well, outside contact is not allowed, as the staff do not wish to stress the patients under their care."

"Oh, I understand. Have a good day."

"You too Gentlemen!"

Once we were outside, I turned to Frank again. "I'm pretty sure that I know EXACTLY where 'Dusty' is right now, don't you Frank?"

"If you're referring to the large number of trains that we keep seeing heading towards the Zebra Embassy in Canterlot, then yes, I do!"

I knew what Frank meant. For several months now, we kept seeing all of these trains full of mares and Zebra males stop at Canterlot, and their passengers would head over to the Zebra Embassy. We'd all tried to get in there at some point to try and see what was going on, but we'd all failed. We kept trying for nearly a month straight. We even went so far as to try outrageous antics such as trying to mail ourselves, impersonating Zebras, and trying to feign fainting so that we could get inside. All of our attempts failed.

Failed that is, until later the same day that we left the clinic, we almost lost poor Jon. Jon was able to use his Magic to try to impersonate a mare. To his surprise, as well as the surprise of Jake, Frank and I who were with him at the time, the Zebras bought it! However, to our horror, we realized that it worked too well. Jon was dragged inside the embassy, and we then realized that we had no plan to get him out!

"SHIT!!!!"

Luckily for Jon though, he put his Marine skills to use, and made it back out to us. He was red in the face, and completely out of breath, but he was alive!

"What.....happened in there Jon?" Frank asked him on the train ride home.

"No.....no, no!" Jon was mumbling. "Horrors!" he finally yelled. "House of horrors! I was taken to some medical facility in there, where I was 'to be examined', as they told me. They then tried to make me drink some potion, and I freaked out and booked it! They tried to stop me, but I was able to evade them, and I was even able to steal some medical files!"

"You did what?!"

Jon pulled a few files out of his jacket. All of them were marked "CONFIDENTIAL". I grabbed one and opened it, but when I did, I REALLY wished that I hadn't.

"Oh jeez!" I tried to keep from vomiting.

"What?" Frank asked. I showed him what I was looking at. "OH....!!!!!!" He almost threw up too.

Each one of the 5 files was about a specific mare. Included were height, weight, eyecolor, mane color, fur color, and even things like sexual preferences. Full-nude pictures were also included as well as all of the information about the Zebras who were apparently their mates. A few of the files even said "Status: pregnant." Some of the pictures also included the mares with their Zebra mates.

I then looked up at Frank and Jon. "Guys, do you know what this means?"

"That the Zebras are sick and deranged, and need to die?"

"Well that too Jon, but look at these files! These are solid PROOF that they're up to no good!"

Frank looked alarmed. "They're trying to breed the Ponies out of existence!"

"Exactly Frank! We HAVE to get these back to the others NOW!!!!"

Jon then held onto the files as we raced back to the Crystal Empire.

Once we arrived back at the depot, we showed them to Rick, Jake, and Evan, as well as our marefriends, and Gilda, and all of THEM were about to wretch everywhere too!

"Oh God, that's DISGUSTING!!!!! Where did you guys even get these?!?!" Night Glider asked.

Jon then explained about what happened at the Embassy.

Rick sighed deeply. Even though he was a conductor, and a former Marine like the rest of us, he was 40 years old, the oldest out of all of us. We also all looked up to him as a leader, even though I technically was the one in charge.

"What do we do Rick?" Jake asked him.

"Well, we HAVE to get these to the proper authorities, but yet therein lies the problem. Who do we tell who's not ALREADY corrupted by the Zebras?! The Princesses have all fallen, and so have most of the local authorities! If we leak it to the media, it'll be a DEATH SENTENCE for our 'racism' and 'xenophobia'!"

I was trying to think of a solution, but then, one hit me! "Of course! I'll take them to Shining! HE'LL know what to do!"

Frank looked at me like I was deranged. "Leopard, you're NUTS!!!! He and Princess Cadence were the ones who pulled the trigger on this whole ordeal!"

I looked at him. "Wait. Did you just call me 'Leopard' Frank?"

He stiffened a bit. "Whoops! Sorry Scar! I was thinking of somepony else!"

I cocked my head a bit, but I decided to let it go. I knew that Frank had a good point. Each week some new law, or decree would come from the Crystal Castle, seemingly giving Zebras even more "rights", and "privileges", while Ponies seemed to become more and more isolated.

I shook my head. "I really don't think that that was him though. Princess Cadence for sure, but yet I think that it was ZED who is the one with her behind this! Plus, Cadence and Zed are gone anyway. It's only Shining, and who knows when they'll be back!"

Jake looked at Rick. "Scar's right Rick. Each new day that passes brings the Zebras closer and closer, and who knows when Cadence or that Zed could be back! If we don't act now, we may NEVER get the chance to again!"

Rick then looked at me. "Go on Scar, do it!" He then handed me a what appeared to be a manila envelope. "Use this. It has a secret compartment in it for smuggling. In the rest of it is a cake recipe!"

I then took the envelope, and after stuffing the files into the secret compartment, I stuffed the envelope down my overalls, and after leaving the depot, I went straight for the castle.

Since the doors were guarded by Zebras, I used my wings to fly through an open window. I then stood up, and looked around. There was hardly a soul to be seen anywhere. I only saw a few maids, plus a few female guards. Of course, when I say, "hardly a soul to be seen anywhere", I mean the Ponies, as there were PLENTY of Zebras roaming around!

Luckily for me though, none of them really seemed to pay me any mind, and I was able to make it up to see Shining. I found him in his office, and when he turned around to face me, I saw that he didn't look so good. He looked rather sickly, his eyes were all bloodshot, and he looked like he could throw up.

"Whoa, what happened to you Shining? You look horrible!"

"I don't know Bro. The Zebras said that it could be that flu strain going around. And you look good, why don't you have it?"

I shot him a worried look. "You say that like it's a bad thing Shining."

"No, not bad, just....unusual. Perhaps you guys have better immunity to certain things than us Ponies."

"Um, yeah......about that. Shining, we need to talk, and no, this CANNOT wait any longer!"

Shining saw the sense of urgency on my face. "What is it Bro? What's wrong?"

I then shut and locked his office door, before pulling out the files from the envelope. "These!!! THESE are what's wrong!" I tossed them onto the desk in from of him.

He picked them up, and began to look them over. He then looked back up at me. "What even ARE these?! And better yet, where did you GET them?!"

"They were leaked to me by a reliable source. According to them, they came directly from the Zebra Embassy, and after reading them over, I'm inclined to agree!"

Shining just sighed. "Well, I'm going to have to hand these over to the Zebras. Since Zed is indisposed, I'll give them to his second in command, Zuka."

I looked at him like he was insane. "Shining, you CAN'T do that!!!!"

"I have to. Don't worry, I won't tell them that I got them from you, so you just forget about these files, and I'll take care of the rest."

I couldn't believe my ears! "But......But......Shining, this is WRONG!!!!!"

"Seriously Bro, what is WITH YOU?! You've been NOTHING but HOSTILE towards the Zebras since they got here!"

I decided that enough was enough. I then took off the gloves, and laid everything down just about as brutally as I possibly could.

"Shining, listen to me, and listen to me very carefully. Outside of my coworkers, you are my closest, and dearest friend. I have NEVER steered you wrong before. But please Shining, for the love of GOD, LOOK AROUND YOU!!!!! Equestria is DYING, and it's the Zebras who are KILLING IT!!!! Before they came, when did we EVER have wide-spread viruses like this?! When were mares EVER throwing garbage and rocks at railway workers?! When did Ponies just up and VANISH without a trace on such a large scale?!"

"I can at least answer that. They were found to be too sick to be near other Ponies, and the Zebras took them to a special clinic to heal them."

"No they DIDN'T you IDIOT!!!!! NO RECORDS of ANY such 'clinic' exist! The Zebras take them away, and they are NEVER seen or heard from again! Also, if the Zebras are supposedly 'immune' to this flu, and they have 'doctors', WHY THE HELL HAVEN'T THEY BEEN TRYING TO CURE IT?!?!?!"

"Because they CAN'T! Zed's told me that they've tried and keep trying, but yet only mares and Zebras are immune to it! And speaking of which, why are YOU immune?!"

"I don't know why! But what I DO know is that the source of the flu is in the WATER SUPPLY!!!!! The Zebras are trying to POISON our water! Our conductor, Rick, even CAUGHT one of them trying to poison the water on our train! Shining the Zebras are NOT our friends! They HAVE to be removed before it's too late!!!"

Shining looked to be at SERIOUS war with himself. On the one hand, he knew that I had NEVER steered him wrong on something like this before. Most likely, I KNEW what I was talking about, and had more proof! But yet on the other hand, Zed said that the Zebras were their allies, and only wanted what was best for the Ponies. Shining knew me MUCH longer than he knew Zed, and at least I wasn't sleeping with his wife like Zed was!

"Bro......I WANT to believe you.......but.......but....."

"But WHAT?! What is it Shining?!"

"But.......I just..........need more time to think about this! This is WAY too overwhelming for me right now! I know that you're probably right, but I feel like SHIT, and I need to feel better first!"

I didn't want Shining to flip out and tell the Zebras, so I did what he asked. "Ok, and we'll be in touch. You take care of yourself Shining."

"You too Bro."

Just after I closed his office door though, I heard the sounds of a paper shredder. I knew what Shining did with the files, but at least we'd made copies before I took the originals to Shining! Little did I suspect though, that that would be the last meaningful conversation that I would ever have with Shining.......for a long, long time!

The guys were waiting for me when I got back. "What happened Scar?"

I sighed. "Well, I have good news, and I have bad news."

"Better get the bad news out first Scar." Rick told me.

I sighed again. "I'm just REALLY glad that we have copies of the files, as Shining shredded the original ones!"

The other guys were stunned. "HE WHAT?!??!?!"

"HOWEVER! He did that to protect me! My fingerprints were on those!"

"Well then what's the GOOD news?!"

"The good news is that I was able to at least get through to him. I was finally able to make him realize that something was wrong with the Zebras."

"And then what?" Jake asked.

I sighed. "He asked me to leave, and to give him a day or so to think about it. When I saw him, he looked kinda sickly."

"Was it that 'flu'?" Frank asked.

"I would assume so. And by this point, I'm REALLY glad that our systems make us immune to whatever that junk in the water that's causing all of this is!"

"Same here!"

"I can agree to that!"

"Got that right Scar!"

"No kidding!"

"Yep!"

That night, we did have to take some time to defuse, and let out our "wolf sides", which we were able to do WAY out in the Northern Wilderness surrounding the Crystal Empire, FAR AWAY from prying Zebra eyes! (Yes, we still have the ability to turn into werewolves. Why didn't I mention this before? Because we can ONLY do it during times of extreme stress, such as during combat, or what was soon going to happen next).

The next morning though, we suddenly got a surprise. A HUGE order had come into Manehattan for Apex Industries, and it needed to be shipped IMMEDIATELY to Las Pegasus. Surprisingly, we got the call.

I then faced my fellow coworkers. "Ok people, here's the deal! Apex's latest shipment of machine parts just came in, and they need us to get it to their facility in Las Pegasus, PRONTO!!!!"

I was met with surprise. "Wait, they want US to take it?"

"That's what I was told. And it DID come directly from Gill at the freight depot over there, so it has to be legit. Yeah, I know, I'm REALLY skeptical too guys, but we NEED the money!"

"So who'll be going?" Rick asked.

"I'm going, and I'm taking Jake and Jon with me. This should be an overnight trip at most! We'll be in CONSTANT contact by radio. If we suddenly go silent, assume the worst, and get ready to go with the contingency plan." (We'd already drawn up a plan if something REALLY bad should happen. Underneath the freight depot and engine storage shed was a sort of a bunker. Inside this bunker were our old Marine uniforms, as well as a HUGE stockpile of weapons, and enough supplies to ride out the apocalypse! If the contingency plan would be activated, the survivors would open the bunker, set the freight depot on fire, and then get down there to safety. The building would them burn down on top of the bunker, hiding it from view. Then, they would simply ride out the apocalypse, until such as time as they would be able to leave the bunker. It was NOT the most thought out plan, but it was the best that we could come up with for the time being!)

Jake and Jon looked at me. I could tell that they were just as nervous as I was. "What route are we going to take?" Jake asked.

I pointed it out on a map. "We're taking this track from here, through Ponyville, until we pass Rainbow Falls, and get to Manehattan. Then, from Manehattan, we reverse course, head back to Ponyville, head on through it, go over the.....no. we BYPASS the Ghastly Gorge Bridge, and take this route here all of the way to Las Pegasus!"

The other guys knew why I said that. A bridge, over a huge gorge, on a train, with the way things were then? It was a death trap, and we were going to AVOID it!

"When do we need to leave?" Jon asked.

I looked at my watch. "In about an hour." We all then went to get our train ready.

Sure enough, 1 hour later, Jake, Jon and I were on our way with our set of freight cars to Manehattan. For the most part, our trip went fairly well. We were on high alert at all times, but yet nothing happened. We arrived there on time, and pulled into the freight depot.

Sure enough, when we pulled in, there were Zebras ready to load up the crates. However, Gill, the manager at the freight depot, let us inspect everything before it was loaded onto the train.

"Oh, and I'll just need you to sign right here Scar." I then looked over to the clipboard that he was holding. However, instead of a freight order to sign, there was a message. "Your lives are in GRAVE danger! The Zebras know that you are immune to their filth. Prepare for the 'Night of Fear'!"

"Ok." I pretended to sign. Instead, I wrote, "What's the 'Night of Fear'?"

Gill wrote one final thing. "The end of EVERYTHING as we know it! You will be the last ones standing. Make it count!" He then took the page, and using his Magic, disintegrated it.

I nodded slowly, and after the train was ready, we all climbed back onto it, and left Manehattan behind us. Sadly, that would be the last time that I ever saw Gill alive. The next time I saw him, his picture was in the paper. Apparently, he'd been murdered at the depot later that same night. The case was still unsolved, but we knew that Gill knew too much, so the Zebras had to get rid of him. A tragic loss indeed, but without Gill's warning, none of us would still be around today!

The trip to Las Pegasus also passed pretty uneventfully, and when we reached the freight depot there, our train was unloaded, and our check from Apex was waiting for us as well. We then made a fast turnaround, and were on our way back to the Crystal Empire. However, this was where things fell apart.

We'd managed to reach the Smoky Mountains, but then the tracks were blocked by snow! I tried to stop the train, but we ran into a huge snowdrift, and ended up getting stuck!

"Dammit!" I cursed. I tried to back up the train, but the engine was stuck fast in the snow.

"Great, NOW how are we gonna get out of here?!"

I then flew up to see how far the snow drifts went. "Shoot! If only we could have made it another 50 feet! The snow drift gets smaller and smaller, and then vanishes altogether!"

"Yeah, and how much you willing to bet that this is the ZEBRAS'S doing?"

"I'll take a small loan of a million dollars!" John laughed.

"Same here. This'll take us all night to dig through, but it MUST be done!"

We were NOT going to be freezing to death in the snow, so we all grabbed shovels, and got to digging! Our first priority was getting the snow away from the train itself, which we completed by the time that the sun went down. We radioed back to Rick that we were stuck, and we continued to send back radio messages all through the night.

By Dawn the next day, we were FINALLY out of there! Using the engine herself, we pushed through the last few feet of snow, and were FINALLY on our way again!

"We're on our way back now Rick! We're FINALLY free of the snow!"

"Yeah, that's great Scar. Just hurry on back though, I'm REALLY starting to get almost paranoid. Did you hear about Gill?"

I nodded sadly. "Yeah, we heard about it on the train's regular radio. Obviously he knew too much, or they wouldn't have done that."

"Yeah, and now with Gill gone, I hope that that's our LAST trip to Manehattan for a long, LONG time!"

I agreed with Rick, as did Jake and Jon. We all then continued on our way. Once we made it back to the freight depot, we all collapsed into our respective bunks, and fell asleep. We'd been up all night shoveling snow, and we were utterly EXHAUSTED!

The next few days passed peacefully enough, but then came the night that Gill had warned us about. That night is still etched into my memory even to this day. August 27th, 2024. The night that EVERYTHING as we knew it changed forever.

The day started normally enough. As per the usual, there were no shipments of freight that needed moving, and we were still not back onto the official circuit for carrying passengers. We did the usual cleaning of the depot, the engine maintenance, and the sanitizing of the water so that it would be safe for our marefriends and Gilda to drink.

In the afternoon though, Frank suddenly spotted a number of Zebras racing about for seemingly no apparent reason. They were carrying what looked like empty laundry bags, and they were just running with them.

"What's going on out there Frank?" Evan asked him.

"I don't know. Either the Zebras are exercising, or they're fixing to rob a clothing store, or even the local dry cleaners! They're running around with laundry bags!"

"What?" Evan looked, and sure enough, Frank was right.

As suddenly as it began though, the weird display was done. All of the laundry bags disappeared, and the Zebras went about their daily duties.

"Well, THAT was really weird!"

"Yeah, no kidding Frank! What were they even doing?"

"I don't know Evan, but I get the feeling that we're going to find out soon." And find out soon we would indeed!

After the sun went down, I went out for some air. I told Rick that I was going to try and talk to Shining again, and he told me to be careful.

"The Zebras have gotten strangely quiet all of a sudden. Be careful Scar."

I nodded. "I will Rick." I then set off for the Crystal Castle.

When I arrived there a few minutes later, I was met with a strange sight. For once, there were no Zebra guards outside.

"Huh, that's really weird." After venturing inside, I didn't see anypony anywhere, not even a Zebra!

Now knowing that something was wrong, I retraced my steps a bit, and back out in the hallway, I found a box on the wall with a glass cover. Inside the box was a wooden-handled fire ax with a red blade. A sign on the front said, "In case of fire, break glass!" Deciding that there WAS a fire, I used the little tool provided, and broke the glass. I then grabbed the ax from the hooks inside, and held it with both hands.

"Well, I'm armed now at any rate", I muttered. I then headed off to find somepony.

Higher up in the castle, I saw a few maids, but no guards. I was just about to give up all hope, when I heard what sounded like somepony coughing violently.

"Huh? What's that?" I followed the noises to a large set of double doors. Finding them to be unlocked, I pushed them open, and stuck my head in.

I then realized that the room I'd found was Cadence and Shining's bedroom! It smelled like bleach, and then I noticed the figure sitting on the edge of the bed. It was Shining. His face was buried in his hands, his clothes were dirty, as was his mane, and he was violently coughing.

"S-Shining? I asked, stepping into the room, "A-are you ok?"

He then looked up, and saw me. When our eyes met, I almost wretched into a nearby trashcan! He looked HORRIBLE! His face was a sickly green color, his eyes looked like he'd been smoking meth for days on end, and he looked ready to throw up!

I dropped my ax onto the floor next to me. "SHINING!!!! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!?!?!"

"NO! Stay back! Don't come near me!"

"Wasn't planning on it! But when did this happen?!"

I....d-don't know! But you guys HAVE to leave here, NOW! Equestria is NOT safe anymore!"

"Gee, ya think Dum-Dum?"

"No, LISTEN TO ME!!!! You were right! All along you were right, and I didn't want to listen! But they're coming!"

"Wait, who's coming?"

"Our Mares, and the ZEBRAS!!!! They're coming back!"

I was getting confused. "And, is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"BAD!!!! Our mares CANNOT be exposed to this!" He gestured to himself. "It's that Faust-damned Flu! The Zebras brought it with them, and now it's spiraling out of control!!"

I was trying to come up with a plan. "We HAVE to call a doctor!"

"WE CAN'T!!!!! The males have all come down with......." Suddenly, we both heard voices out in the hall, and they were coming towards the door! It was Zed and Cadence!

"Oh jeezums!"

"SHIT!!! They CANNOT see you! Quick, HIDE!!!!"

Without even thinking twice, I dove under the bed! Moments later, Shining grabbed my ax with his Magic, and tossed it under there with me as well. "Take this!"

"Thanks!"

Just then, the door opened, and Cadence walked into the room.

"Shining? Oh Shining Honey? I'm back! How did you do while I was............SWEET CELESTIA!!!!!" I couldn't tell from where I was, but I knew that she must have seen Shining!

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU SHINING?!?!?!"

Instead of answering, Shining ran to the bathroom, and began to violently throw up!

I then heard the sounds of footsteps. "ZED!!!! ZED!!!! Where are you?!"

"Right here! What's wrong My Dear?"

"It's my husband! We HAVE to call the doctor!"

"We can't!" I heard Zed say. "This Flu strain is MUCH WORSE than we originally thought! It's spread to almost EVERY Pony stallion in Equestria!"

"WHAT?!?!?! WHAT DO WE DO?!?!?!"

"Now now, calm down, my Dearest Cadence, we have a plan! Thanks to us Zebras being immune, we will handle this! All that must be done is for us to take the stallions to our special isolation clinics, so that we can take care of them. They WILL get better, trust me! Also, there must be a FULL decontamination/disposal of ANYTHING that could have been contaminated!"

Suddenly, from outside in the city, I heard what sounded like air raid sirens going off. I also heard a LOT of running about everywhere, not to mention the sounds of a lot of wagons and carts moving about. Then Cadence and Zed left the room for some reason. Once they were gone, I quickly crawled back out, and ran over to the balcony to my right. What I saw going on down in the streets below me was like Dante's Inferno, Orwell's 1984, the Black Death, and the Holocaust, all rolled into one!

There were mares and fillies running around screaming, as well as Zebras in masks, gloves and what looked like lab coats going into various buildings, and dragging out sick Pony stallions, before placing them onto the carts. My worst nightmare was unfolding right before my very eyes. The "Night of Fear" that Gill had warned us about was happening!

Suddenly though, I heard more voices coming closer.

"SHIT!!!" I once again dove under the bed. This time, I saw 2 Zebra stallions enter the room, before heading for the bathroom. Moments later, I saw them drag Shining between them. Suddenly though, one of them dropped him!

"Ough!" Shining muttered as he hit the floor.

"Augh, clumsy bastard!" The other Zebra yelled.

"Sorry.” The one who dropped Shining rolled his eyes.

In that brief moment that he was on the floor, Shining's eyes met mine. Just before he was picked up again, Shining mouthed the words "RUN, NOW!!!!" And then he was gone.

Once the room was empty, I came out from under the bed again. This time, I was about to make a break for it, but just before I did, I heard something that made my heart stop.

"Ok, now that he's gone, as well as the rest, we've GOT to go through this place TOP TO BOTTOM!!! We HAVE to get rid of clothing, sheets, blankets, other bed coverings, curtains, drapes, towels, shower curtains, ALL OF IT!!!" Zed was saying.

"Yes Sir!" Another voice said.

"This was TOO EASY!!!" Zed laughed. "These little Ponies fell for the whole shebang; hook, line and SINKER!!!"

I was SEETHING in anger!

"Start with this bedroom! Search EVERYWHERE!!! Oh, and when you find the other intruder, bring him to me!"

Zed probably meant me! Worse still, they were coming back, AND they were coming to search the entire room! Thinking on my paws, I was able grab my ax, and hide inside a nearby ventilation duct, before pulling the vent cover back in front of myself. Moments later, Zebras entered the room, and began to strip the bed, while others grabbed clothes, drapes, and anything else that seemed to be made out of fabric, before stuffing them into the laundry bags that Frank had seen earlier.

"Ok, now that's this room! Now let's move on!" They then left.

Once they were gone, I tried to take a moment to collect myself. However, when I thought of Gilda, one thought hit me like a bolt of lightning. "I..............I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE AND GET BACK TO THE FREIGHT DEPOT!!!!"

I then set about trying to do just that.

As fast as I could, I pushed away the vent cover in front of me, grabbed my ax, and made it to my paws again. Once I was out of Shining's room, I ran through the halls of the castle. All around me, rooms were being searched, and more and more laundry bags were being dragged away. Nobody seemed to notice me, and I kept running, still with my ax in hand.

Unfortunately, when I reached the stairs, I ran into a problem. There was a HUGE traffic jam! Zebras were trying to get down the stairs with full bags, while Zebras with empties were trying to get upstairs. It was a fire marshal's worst nightmare!

"Nope! Not going that way!" I then ran to the elevators. The freight one was being used for sickly stallions, so I had no choice but to try the main one. I knew that it was an insane risk, but I had no other choice. The stairs were all clogged up, and the freight elevator was crawling with Zebras. I wanted to fly, but if I got spotted, then I was as good as the other stallions that I'd seen try that. They got shot down with arrows, and then fell down to the crystal pavement below! Basically, I was as good as dead!

I reached the elevator, and once it arrived, I saw that it was empty. I then got inside, pushed the button for "G", and once the doors closed, the elevator started downwards. To my surprise, the elevator never stopped once on its trip down. Once I reached the ground floor, I saw that I was less than 100 feet from a main set of exit doors!

"Yes! Made it!" I then began to run towards the doors. Unfortunately, I spoke too soon. As I was running, I suddenly tripped over a dropped shoe, and went sprawling! My ax flew out of my grip, and skidded across the floor, before getting stuck under a cabinet.

"Oh Pony-feathers!" I quickly got up, and went over to retrieve my ax. Unfortunately though, I never made it there.

"Hey, you!" I heard a voice behind me yell. I turned, and there stood a group of 4 Zebras.

"Me?"

"Yes you! What are you doing in those clothes?!"

I looked down at myself. I was wearing the typical blue shirt, denim overalls, brown shoes, and cap that most train engineers wear. "Um, heading back to my train, why?"

"Check him for contaminants!"

"Yes Sir!"

Before I knew what hit me, I was grabbed by 2 of the Zebras, who held me in place while another scanned me with some sort of device.

"Anything?" The leader of the group asked.

"Negative Sir, he's clean! However, his clothes WILL have to be removed for disposal!"

"Wait, WHAT?!?!?!" Before I knew what hit me, ALL of my clothes had been removed, and tossed into a bag! "HEY! GIMME THOSE BACK!!!!"

"We can't take that risk Son! Your clothes HAVE to go! But count yourself VERY lucky! You're immune to the flu!" Then, to my shock, they let me go, and went about their business elsewhere.

I still had my watch, however, without my clothes, I was FREEZING!!! Luckily, because I was a werewolf, and could switch back and forth during times of VERY high-stress, I simply grew out my fur. I left my head the way that it normally was, but then I went over, and grabbed my ax. Once I had it, I took a deep breath, and walked out of those doors, and down into the streets of the Crystal Empire, buck naked aside from my fur.

I continued to walk in a straight line, trying DESPERATELY to ignore the chaos all around me. Luckily, no buildings were on fire, but there were still Zebras taking away sick stallions, as well as dragging away laundry bags.

"Where are they even taking those anyway? To the dry cleaners?" I went to go see. To my horror, they placed them out in the snow surrounding the empire, before setting them on fire! "ARE YOU F@#KING KIDDING ME?!?!?!"

I also noticed that once a cart was full of sick stallions, it was taken away. I asked where, but nobody gave me the same answer. Some said a hospital, others said a Zebra clinic, while still others said a quarantine facility.

"It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with, my fine, fluffy friend! Everything is entirely under control!"

I just stared blankly at him. "Is it? Is it REALLY?! Because it seems to me like the whole world is on fire, and we're all burning with it!"

"Eh, it all depends on your point of view. But I can certainly tell you that SOMETHING'S burning tonight!" He then pointed to the burning piles of laundry bags, before laughing at his own bad pun.

I glanced down at my watch. The time read 12:47am. "Damn, this is gonna be a long night!"

Just then, I heard a Zebra ask for orders. "Sir, we've almost cleared out the entire Crystal Empire of both sick stallions, and contaminated items! Are there any places left to look?"

"Excellent! The rest of Equestria is following suit, although check that freight depot over there. We haven't searched there yet!"

"Yes Sir!" In horror, I realized that he meant the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company! The Zebras were heading right for it!

"No! NO, NO, NO!!!! This CANNOT be happening!!!!" I tried to run after them, but I kept almost running into those who were pulling away laundry bags, and carts full of sickly stallions.

I kept trying to make it there, but it was REALLY slow going! Unfortunately, I was unable to make it there in time.

On the end for those inside the freight Depot, about an hour passed between my departure, and the beginning of the "Night of Fear". At first, they heard the air raid sirens, but because they didn't hear any followup, they assumed that it was just a test.

Jake and Evan were out working on the Daylight in the engine shed, Frank was in the bathroom taking a shit, Jon, Rick, Lyra, Amethyst and Night Glider were playing a round of cards, Gilda was on her bed listening to her Walkman, and Derpy was eating a muffin.

Suddenly though, there came a LOT of shouting, and running.

"Huh? What's going on out there?" Rick wondered.

"I don't know Hun", Amethyst answered.

"Maybe it's those crazy Zebras again."

Derpy looked up at her. "You might be right Lyra. Maybe they're running around with laundry bags again!"

Before anyone could say anything else though, the door of the freight depot got kicked in, and a number of Zebras came pouring inside!

"AEEEHH!!!!"

"F@#K!!!!!"

"SHIT!!!!!"

The rest just screamed.

"Search this entire building! Check EVERYONE in here for contaminants, and get all contaminated items out of here!"

"Yes Sir!"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?!?!" Rick demanded.

"I'm sorry Sir, but the flu strain has gotten WAY too far out of control! Almost all stallions are infected, and we HAVE to make absolutely certain that the survivors are ok!" Then, while some grabbed those inside the freight depot and began to scan them, others began to look around the depot.

"All clean so far Sir! No signs of any contaminants!"

"Good. Now then, just to be safe, strip the beds, grab the clothes, strip these good people, and then let's move on!"

"Wait, what?!" Before they all could react though, all of those present were grabbed and stripped, before being dropped rudely back onto the floor!

When 2 of them kicked open the bathroom door where Frank was, he panicked! "HOLY SHIT!!!!" He was then grabbed right off the toilet, scanned, declared clean, then forcibly stripped, had all of his clothes stuffed into a bag, before being dumped back onto the toilet naked! "HOLY SHIT!!!!" Frank muttered, before passing out!

Since they were out in the engine house next to the depot, Jake and Evan were the last ones to get jumped. When they were though, they were searched, found to be clean of the flu, then stripped, and left behind.

Once they both made it back to the main depot, it looked like a tornado hit. Various chairs and tables were knocked this way and that, other items were knocked over, and the beds were missing everything on them except for the mattresses. As they all looked at each other, the full gravity of what had just happened hit them like a sack of bricks. They had just been jumped, grabbed, forcibly searched, and then stripped buck naked! However, even more strange was the fact that they were all still there! NONE of my guys were taken away that night!

Suddenly though, Rick realized that somepony was missing. "Wait, where's Scar?!"

Then they all remembered that I'd been up at the Crystal Castle, and still hadn't come back! All of them then raced out onto the streets, trying to find me.

Suddenly, Frank spotted me. "Hey! He's over there!"

"Where?!"

"There! Wandering around!"

Rick and the others looked, and sure enough, there I was in the middle of the street, seemingly wandering dazedly around. I was holding a fire ax in my right hand, and just like the rest of them, aside from my grown out fur, I was nude as well.

"Scar!" Gilda came running over to me. "Scar, are you ok?!"

"Fine. Just f@#king peachy Gilda! Where's everyone else?"

She pointed, and I saw all of them standing outside of the depot. Everyone was present, and they were also nude!

"Ok, great. Now then, let's try and put this nightmare behind us, and go to bed!" Gilda could see that I was at the mental breaking point.

"Yeah, let's do. Only, they stripped our beds, and f@#king BURNED everything!"

I sighed. "I know."

Once we reached the group again, we all hugged each other, and then we held our marefriends close. Rick held Amethyst, Jake held Roseluck, Jon held Derpy, Frank held Lyra, Evan held Night Glider, and I held Gilda. All of us were too stunned to move, or even say anything.

One Zebra did spot us though. "All of you, head back inside, take a shower, and then try and get some sleep. It's been a long night, and we have everything covered out here!"

For once, we all actually did what we were told to do by a Zebra.

Once we were back inside of the freight Depot, Rick locked the place up tight from the inside, before we all showered, and after finding some old mattress protectors, as well as a few plastic tarps, we placed those on our beds, before climbing into them, and snuggling with our marefriends for warmth. We all had our fur, and the heat was on, but even still, we were still somewhat cold, and we were all still in shock over what had just transpired.

"I still CANNOT believe this Gilda! WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?!"

She shrugged. "I........don't know Dweeb. I'm just glad that we're all still here! I mean, we're naked sure, but yet, we're all still here."

I held my beautiful Griffon girlfriend close to me, and wrapped my wings around her. "Yeah. We're still together, our building is still standing, we still have our train, but most importantly, I still have you!" I snuggled as close to Gilda as I possibly could.

For once, she didn't tell me to stop cuddling with her. "And if you wanted to, you could slip your wolfy dick inside of me to keep it warm; I don't mind!"

I looked at her. "Wait, really Gilda?"

She nodded. "Yes. Like I said, I don't care."

I then kissed her. "Thanks Gilda, you're the best!" (How does a Human kiss a Griffon? VERY carefully! Gilda opens her beak, I move my mouth over it, she closes her beak gently onto the sides of my mouth, and we mix out tongues together. It's kinda weird, but yet kinda hot at the same time.)

She then raised one of her back legs, giving me access to her slit. "Don't mention it."

By this point, I was out of my sheath, and once I was hard, I slipped my dick into her gooey love tunnel. Gilda and I took each other's virginity nearly a year and a half ago, and for a while, Gilda even quietly began to drop hints about us getting married, and maybe even one day having a family!

"Ngh, you're still SO good at this Dweeb!"

"Just as you're my sexy lion-bird!"

Some of the other guys were having sex with their marefriends too, but eventually, we all finished up.

As we lay there on my bed, Gilda was snuggling close to me. Suddenly though, she noticed that I had tattoos. "Huh?" She then looked up at me. "Hey Scar?"

I looked at her, glad for a little pillow-talk. "Yeah Babe?"

"I just realized that I forgot that you had all of these tattoos. Can you remind me of what they all mean?"

I nodded. "Sure Babe. One quick kiss first?"

Gilda rolled her eyes, before pushing her beak into my mouth for a kiss. She then broke it a few moments later. "There, happy now Dweeb?"

I nodded. "Yep! And now on to the tattoos. I then pointed to my right shoulder. "This black wolf's head here I got in honor of the Marine battalion that I served in; Wolf-Pack Battalion." (Wolf-Pack meant nothing to the Equestrians, so I was able to at least talk about the basics with them). "A lot of us got tattoos like this, and I've always been fond of wolves, so I got this one! And the numbers below it, '04014', is my military serial number. We all had our numbers tattooed onto us."

"And what about this big American Flag on your chest? With the words 'Never Forgotten' underneath?"

"I got this in honor of my grandfather, Major Thomas "Tommy" Anderson. He was an officer in WW2, and he was one of the few who survived the D-day Landings in Normandy! He landed on Omaha Beach!" I then explained a bit more about that to Gilda. "He finished the war as a major, and then retired. I loved my Grandpa Tommy growing up, and he LOVED to tell me his stories."

Gilda was impressed. "Wow, that's so cool Scar! Is your grandpa still alive?"

I shook my head sadly. "No, he isn't Gilda. He died back in 2017 at age 99. I was so sad when he died, and the day after his funeral, I got this tattoo, so that his exploits in WW2 wouldn't be forgotten."

"Well, that was nice of you. Now he'll always be with you." She then looked at my lower back. There was a tattoo there of a red heart with devil horns and a devil tail that said "Lion-Bird Lover" in black letters. She smirked. "Heh, still got your tramp-stamp back here I see!"

I shot her a look. "Hey, I ONLY got that because you said that you wanted me to Gilda! And don't forget, YOU have your own tramp-stamp! It looks IDENTICAL to mine, except that it says 'Howlin' Good Time!'"

Gilda knew that I was right. We got couple's tattoos once we were in a committed relationship, and they were in a position to be called a tramp-stamp. She wasn't ashamed of it though. "I got it for you too Dweeb!" She then noticed a tattoo on my left arm. "Hey, what's this one for?"

I looked, and when I did, I felt extremely sad. The tattoo in question was a golden heart with a pair of white angel wings. Below the heart were the words “In loving memory. I miss you Mom.”

I was almost crying. "I.....I got this when I was a teenager to remember my Mom, Maggie. She.......she died in a car accident when I was 7. My Grandpa Thomas had to pick me up from school, and my dad, Air Force Colonel Stan Anderson, had to race home from his air force base. All 3 of us were DEVASTATED at what happened. It was after this that my Grandpa Thomas moved in with Dad and I, so as to be close to us. My dad has a tattoo just like this, though his says, 'In loving memory, I miss you Maggie'. My dad never remarried after this, and left the Air Force to raise me."

When Gilda heard that, she was shocked. She NEVER knew that my mom had been killed until right then, and she was sad. "That's.....that's so sad Babe. And I know what that's like. As I might have told you, I lost my mom too."

I nodded slowly, wiping a few tears away. I knew that Gilda had been an orphan, and that she and her little sister Gabby had been raised by their grandpa, Grandpa Gruff. She was so sad when she lost her mom and dad, so she knew what I was feeling.

Gilda then pointed to her own shoulder. "I also have these tattoos to remember them by. One for my dad Gavin, and one for my mom Mary." I looked, and I saw that she had two heart tattoos, and both had their own set of wings. One had black Griffon wings and the other had brown Griffon wings.

I nodded. "Oh, well it's nice that you did that for them Gilda. If they could see you right now, I KNOW that they would be so proud of you!"

"So would your mom and grandpa if they could see you today Scar."

We talked about our families for a little while longer, and then all of us of the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company fell asleep in the warm embrace of our Beloveds in our beds inside the freight depot, while outside, a brand new world was just beginning.

Author's Note

And, that was the new Chapter 1. It's still one of the longest things that I've ever written outside of the "Battleship Express Saga",, but it's done now! Now, the Zebras are (once again) in power, and are feeling pretty invincible. It would (once again) be a real SHAME if a group of somebodies were to rain on their parade, wouldn't it? Like say, a group of 6 former US Marines, their marefriends, a Griffon girlfriend, and a train? These Zebras (once again) need to watch out, because we're still coming for them!

Starting in Chapter 2, the REAL action starts! No, unlike the original story, there won't be any herds, or multiple wives, at all! Everyone will have one wife, and one wife only! And just like before, no Mares will be leaving Equestria. They're all going to be staying right where they are, except the Zebra population might start taking a decline again. More and more Ponies may start fighting back again, and cures might even be found for these illnesses!

No more will these Marines sit idly by while Equestria dies. Now, they will once again fight, and when they do, Zebras WILL die! Hang on, because crap is about to get real!

As always, Comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story, are always appreciated, and I'll see you all again in New Timeline Chapter 2!

ScarFox out for now!

Chapter 2: Aftermath, Battle Plans (New Timeline)

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!

Chapter 3: Cracks Forming, Bloody Snow (New Timeline)

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!

Chapter 5: New Allies, Blood in Ponyville, It ends in Canterlot! (New Timeline)

With the last of Winter upon us, we of the Equestrian Armed Forces prepared for our final drive. We knew that it was going to be bad, but what we didn't know was what was waiting for us in Ponyville and Canterlot. We set up shop in the Everfree Forest, as well as a few other forward bases surrounding Ponyville and Canterlot, and were forced to just stay put for the time being.

Scouting forces were unable to get any closer than 3 miles of Ponyville, and so far, most air reconnaissance missions to Canterlot had ended in failure. The plan was to take Ponyville first, but just how we were going to do that was what had us so concerned. We knew that there was a high possibility of the Zebras just killing Ponies right and left if they knew that the war was lost.

"What we need to do is hit the Zebra's center, and show the rest of the Ponies that even though their enemy is still all around them, and could kill them at any time, there is still hope!"

I sighed. "Yeah, but how do we do that Shining? I mean sure, we HAVE been getting reports of protests, and even a few riots from the mares and fillies, but how do we hit the Zebra's center?"

Suddenly, Spike had an idea. "Wait, here's a thought. What if we made a raid on Canterlot, and tried to rescue at least one of the Princesses? I mean, we know for sure that Celestia and Luna are there, and most likely Cadence is there too, and.......possibly even........." Spike couldn't bring himself to say her name.

I thought about that. "Well, I'm pretty sure that Twilight is still in Ponyville, but it's possible that she's in Canterlot if she's not there. All I know is that we DO have the cure ready for her if we manage to capture her, and YOU have first dibs on killing her Zebra coltfriend!

Spike smirked. "Heh, now THAT sounds like a good plan to me! But what about my idea, could it work?"

I sighed. "It's a good idea Spike, but yet I don't quite see how we could pull it off, at least........." I trailed off. "No, I'm NOT going to use that weapon!"

Spike looked at me curiously. "Huh? What weapon?"

"The weapon that I vowed to NEVER use! Hidden in the bunker underneath the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company freight depot is a weapon that I left behind. A weapon so terrible that only 5 of them were made, and all of them have been retired from service, with only 2 of them remaining today!"

"Whoa, this weapon sounds pretty bad! What even is it?"

I pulled out a picture, and showed him. In the picture was a large suit of black armor that seemed to be positively BRISTLING with weapons!

"Whoa, what is that thing?"

"It's called a 'Terror Suit'. It was never given a proper name, and only 5 of them were built, including this one, which was the prototype. Basically, this suit turned the one who operated it into a one-man army. It had machine guns, chain guns, missile launchers, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, was able to launch flash-bangs, and even had a number of saws, and swinging blades as well. Most of the weapons were located along the arms and legs of the suit, although the chain guns were located on the shoulders. All bullets fired were depleted uranium, which is the toughest armor piercing substance currently known to Man. The suit itself is made from an alloy I can't even pronounce, and it was the next closest thing to being impenetrable."

When I finished giving my description of the suit, Spike's jaw hit the ground! "WHAT?!?! It can do all of THAT?! If that's so, why didn't you use it before?!"

"Because, the one we have was a PROTOTYPE! The final design prototype sure, but it was EXTREMELY dangerous, and not just to the enemy, but to the suit operator as well! 9 guys died operating those suits, and only 2 of those were to combat related incidents. The other 7 were either 'training accidents', or 'causes unknown'."

Spike sighed. "That's.....pretty bad. But what if that suit could help us turn the final tide of the war?"

"Well, then I MIGHT consider using it, but......"

Suddenly, I was interrupted. Braeburn's voice came over my radio. "Captain Scar!"

"What is it Braeburn?"

"We've got some REALLY weird dog-like critters over here! They're all gray, and tan, with big glowin' eyes, and are holdin' a white flag. They say that they wanna help us!"

"What? Diamond Dogs? What are they doing out here?! How many of them are there? And are they armed?"

"'Bout 20 if I had to guess! And yeah, they had weapons, but they tossed them to the side when confronted."

"Hang on, I'm on my way! Hold them there until I can get there!"

I then went to go and see what was going on.

When I arrived on the scene a few minutes later, I had my gun ready. To my surprise though, I saw Braeburn and some of his forces holding the Diamond Dogs at gunpoint, but yet they all just sat on the ground, and made no moves to do anything.

Braeburn saluted when he saw me. "Scar."

"Braeburn." I then turned to the Diamond Dogs. "Now then, I'm Captain Scar. I'm a US Marine, one of only 6 Humans here in Equestria, and I help lead the Equestrian Armed Forces under Prince Shining Armor. Now then, who are you all, and why are you here?"

One of them that I guessed was the leader looked up at me. "I'm Captain Ruby Gem-Biter, of the Gem Biter Pack. We've come here, cuz we ALL want revenge!"

I was shocked at first, as the leader was a female! She was all light gray, had yellow eyes, as well as some soft, gray colored hair on top of her head, and she also wore pieces of metal armor, as well as a large black collar on her neck. However, none of this covered her too well, and a LOT of fur was showing! Her lady-bits were all covered, but aside from those, her legs, arms and her head, not too much else was!

I swallowed hard. I knew that I had to stay clean for Gilda, so I forced myself to keep my eyes glued on hers. "Revenge? Revenge on who?"

"The Zebras! They promised us SO MANY gems if we stayed neutral in the war, and even more if we sided with them, but they NEVER delivered! They kept INSISTING that our gems were comin', but they STILL haven't arrived! They've double-crossed my pack, so now they will PAY!"

"Wait, a FEMALE is in charge of a Diamond Dog Pack? I thought that that was a male's job. No offense or anything!"

She seemed to smirk at me. "Heh, yer cute! I like you already Scar! And no, some females can lead their own packs too! Oh, and you TOTALLY haven't been staring at me this whole time! Go ahead, look all you want!"

I quickly averted my eyes from her's to the ground. "Eh, I think I'll pass Captain Ruby. In the meantime though, how do we know that we can trust you?" I looked back up at her again with a dark look on my face. "How do we know that you're not spies for the Zebras?"

She looked up at me. "I can see where you'd be concerned there Captain, but have you ever heard of my pack? SURELY you must have heard of the Gem-Biters! We were the SCOURGE of the Zebras in the Smoky Mountains! Ever wonder why there were so few Zebras there when you arrived to liberate the prison camp there? Well, that was because of US!"

I then turned to Braeburn, as well as a few others, including Shining and Spike, who had also come over to see what was going on. We talked among ourselves for a few minutes, before I finally turned back to the Diamond Dogs.

"Ok Captain Ruby. I've talked it over with my fellow officers, and now I have to ask you; if we were to let you join us, what would you have to offer us, and what would you want in return?"

Now it was Ruby's turn to talk to her pack. When she turned back to me, she stood up for the first time. "We have to offer your our services of both muscles to fight, and our skills with digging tunnels! Think about it Captain; you can't get close to Ponyville on the surface? No problem! We'll get you there UNDER it! We can tunnel all over the town so that you can pop up and REALLY bring the hurt to the Zebras! And as for what we want, my pack wants the 20 sacks of gems that we were promised, and what I want I will tell you, and you alone."

I thought about that. "Yes", I said slowly, "Yes, you WOULD be a valuable addition to our team! However, the only place you're gonna find gems is in the Royal Treasury, and THAT is located in Canterlot. And that's even assuming that there even IS anything in the treasury anymore! However, in any case, I WILL be having a talk with the Princesses on your behalf when this is all over, and believe me, we WILL find a way to pay you! But what was the thing that you wanted for yourself?"

"I'll only tell that to you, and you alone."

I was getting concerned. "What.....does that mean?"

She seemed to be smirking a bit. "Come closer, and I'll whisper it to you."

I looked over to my guys. "I'm going in close, cover me. If they try anything funny, kill them all!"

Shining nodded. "Right!"

I then took an EXTREME leap of faith, and walked over to Ruby. Once I reached her though, all she did was place her paws on my shoulders, (Diamond dog hands look a LOT like paws!) before leaning in close, and whispering into my ear. When I heard what she wanted, I recoiled a bit in shock!

"All I want for myself is to be at your side for as long as I live! I can SMELL the wolf in you Captain; you were MADE to breed with a bitch like me!"

I then sighed before taking my hands, placing them on her paws, and trying to gently pry them loose. "I'm sorry Ruby, but I'm afraid that I can't agree to your personal request. Like I said before, I know that we can agree to your other terms, but I can't agree to taking you as my own."

She looked at me in shock. "What? Why?" Her eyes then narrowed. "What's the matter, you don't like me?" I could tell that she was getting angry. If I couldn't diffuse the situation quickly, guts were going to be flying!

I quickly shook my head. "No Ruby, that's not it. Please listen to me. I DO like you, but as a comrade, and MAYBE as a friend. Other than this, I CANNOT like you any further, because I ALREADY like someone else!"

Ruby's anger then gave way to a bit of shock. "Oh.........oh? You're.........you already got a mate? I see. Well, then........." Ruby seemed to be trying to find the right words to say.

I then jerked a thumb back towards my guys. "If you're looking for a boyfriend Ruby, my buddy Spike over there's single! Do you want him instead?" I pointed to Spike.

Ruby looked past me, and when she saw Spike, her eyes widened even more. "Whoa! A Dragon! I've NEVER gotten to see one up close before! Yeah, I think that I'll be taking him instead! Now do we have a deal for us joining you?"

I was a bit shocked that the situation had diffused so quickly, and was back on track. "Oh.....ok then. I'll.......have to discuss this with the others. Wait here!" I then walked back to the others, and talked to my guys for a while longer.

Finally, I turned back to Ruby and her pack. "Captain Ruby, and the rest of Gem-Biter Pack? After talking it over, I would like to extend my hand......and welcome you to the Resistance, otherwise known as the Equestrian Armed Forces!" I then held out my hand.

To my surprise though, instead of just shaking my hand, Ruby leaped over, and jumped into my arms! She wrapped her paws around me, and even locked her lips with mine! I felt her tongue all over the inside of my mouth, and I can honestly tell you that if I wasn't a Human-wolf, I most likely would have thrown up!

"Mmm, wow!" she purred when she broke the kiss, "Yer a REALLY good kisser! I can't WAIT to spend some time with you guys! In fact, Spike'll get his own private show tonight as well!" Her tail was also REALLY wagging a lot, indicating that she was CLEARLY enjoying herself!

Once my brain could function again, I KNEW that I had to nip that one right in the bud! I yanked my face away from hers. "RUBY!!!!! I JUST TOLD YOU THAT I WAS SPOKEN FOR!!!! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!?!?!"

She then gave me a curious look. "What? Diamond Dogs always do that to their allies. It's how we show friendship, and that we'll hold up our end of the alliance."

My mind was still reeling. "Um, well, this's been fun Ruby, but I have somewhere else that I need to be! I have to head off to the Crystal Empire to grab something, but in the meantime, I'll direct you to General Shining Armor." I pointed to him. "He'll be sure to show you and your pack your place here around camp!" I the looked at the rest of the pack. "And the rest of you can take orders from Commander Braeburn here, although most likely you'll be put to work right away on getting us those tunnels that we need!"

I then managed to pry myself loose from Ruby's grip, and get away! Then, with Spike, Big Mac, and a few others, I took one of our other trains to the Crystal Empire to retrieve the Terror Suit. I planned to be back after nightfall, and I knew that we had a LONG night ahead of us!

Once we reached the old freight depot, I went inside, and after accessing the bunker, with help from the others, I lifted up the crate that the suit was in, and hauled it over to the train, before loading it into a boxcar for the trip back to our forward firing base in the Everfree. As we were driving back there, I hit the engine's backhead in frustration. I KNEW that Gilda was going to be VERY upset with me for what happened earlier with Ruby kissing me, and I could only PRAY that I could make her understand that it was NOT my fault that that happened, and that I was VERY sorry that it did!

By the time that we arrived back at the Everfree Forward Base, it was about 9:30pm. I left the suit where it was, before heading to find my tent. It was a homely structure, but it contained a small stove, a sort of cot/bed, a desk, a chair, and a planning table, plus a trunk for storage, and I also shared the bed with Gilda. My tent, as well as the rest of the tents, did have electric lighting, though this was supplied by a generator that only worked about half the time!

When I did find it though, I saw Gilda wating for me. "Dweeb?!" I could tell that she was either upset, angry or surprised.

"Yeah Gilda?"

"Where in Gruff's name did that giant hairball Ruby come from?!"

"Eh.....well......" I then explained all about where Ruby and the other Diamond Dogs had come from. When I finished though, Gilda said nothing. "And......is that a good thing, or a bad thing Gilda?"

Gilda then grabbed me by the collar. "That Diamond Dog............kissed you.......AND YOU DIDN'T F@#KING TELL ME ABOUT IT?!?!?! WHAT THE F@#K IS WRONG WITH YOU SCAR?!?!?!?!"

I winced a bit. I then reached for Gilda's hands, as she was kinda choking me a bit. "Gilda! PLEASE listen to me! That was NOT my fault! Yes, it WAS my fault that I didn't tell you right away, but it was NOT my fault that I kissed her! She did that without warning!"

Gilda glared at me, her yellow eyes blazing. "And why should I believe you?" She growled.

"Just ask Braeburn, Spike, Shining, or Big Mac! They were ALL right there when it happened, and they can vouch for me!"

Gilda then eased up on her choking. She then sighed a bit. "Ok, yeah, fine, I believe you Babe. I did talk to Shining and Braeburn while you, Big Mac, and Spike were gone, and they both DID vouch for you. I'm sorry that I choked you out like that Stud, but it's just that we Griffons are SO overly-protective of our mates! We love them, and we NEVER want to lose them! Oh, and if we see any competition, well....." Gilda smirked a bit. "Let's just say that these claws, talons, and beak are NOT just for show!" She then showed me her claws, talons, and beak to prove her point.

She then grabbed me by the collar again, but more gently this time. "Always remember, you're MINE Stud, and MINE ALONE! I'll NEVER share you with ANY other females! I love you, and will be loyal to you to the end! Provided of course that you love ME in return, and are loyal to ME, and NEVER leave me!"

When Gilda said that, to say that my jaw just hit the ground would have been an understatement! "W-wha.........???" I had literally just heard my girlfriend, who in our ENTIRE time together had been acting like almost nothing but a Tsundere, actually just poured out her heart to me!

I looked up at her, before reaching up, and grabbing the side of her face gently. "Gilda, ever since we first met, I always KNEW that there was something special about you. You were so similar to other Griffons, but yet, SO different! I thought that you were really cool, and I liked the fire that was in you. I think that that's what made me fall for you." I then began to gently stroke the feathers on her face. "Gilda, I love you. More than you can POSSIBLY imagine! I'd NEVER cheat on you, or leave you for ANYTHING! Once shit hit the fan with this war, we VOWED to love each other no matter what, and to keep each other safe! Plus, we have the tattoos that we got as soon as we became a committed couple. On my lower back is a red heart with devil horns and a devil tail that says 'Lion-Bird Lover, and on your lower back is an identical red heart with devil horns and a devil tail that says 'Howlin’ Good Time!'!" I then smirked a bit. "Like it or not Babe, you're stuck with me, just as I'm stuck with you!"

Gilda then smirked a bit. "Babe, NOTHING in the world makes me happier than being stuck with you, the Dweeb I fell in love with! You MADE ME fall for you somehow, and it was the BEST decision that I've ever made!" She wrapped her arms and wings around me. "Stud, I want us to be together, to be engaged, go down the aisle together, settle down and raise a family together, and then get old and go insane together! Then, when it's all over, I want us to be buried in the same coffin in the same grave, in a cuddling position so that we NEVER have to be without the other! And then, once we get to the Afterlife, then we can look back, and have a great laugh at how STUPID we were when we were together!"

So......does this mean that........."

Gilda licked her beak while smirking. "Pucker up Soldier-Boy!" She then shoved her beak into my mouth for a DEEP French-kiss!

I quickly wrapped my arms and wings around her too, and kissed back just as hard. "Mmmmm, I love you Gilda!" I moaned when we broke the kiss to breathe.

"Mmmmm, I love you too Stud. Wanna go into our tent and f@#k? I REALLY need it!"

I smirked. Sure, if that's what you want, you sexy Lion-Bird!"

Gilda laughed a bit, before grabbing my hand. "Come on then, let's go!" She then drug me inside of the tent.

Once we were inside of the tent, I shut the door flaps, and zipped them shut. I then turned on the lights, so that we would be able to see better while we had sex. I knew that there wasn't gonna be any foreplay this time, and that we were going to be heading RIGHT into wild, carnal f@#king!

As we continued to kiss and grope each other, we also began to pretty much rip each other's clothes off as well! (Yes, we were being somewhat careful, as we DID have to use my uniform and her army clothes again, but they were still roughly ripped off!

Once I had her top off, I began to roughly suck and fondle Gilda's large breasts, and thick nipples. "Mmm! I'll NEVER get tired of these big ol' Griffon boobies of yours Gilda!"

She giggled a bit as she held my head in place while I lightly bit and pulled on her nipples. "Ngh, enjoy them Stud. These big ol' puppies right here came from my Mom. From the pictures I've seen, she had big knockers too, and I got them, just as I think that my little sister Gabby's gonna get them too!"

I smiled a bit when Gilda mentioned Gabby. I'd met her little sister a few times before, and she was a sweet young Griffon. She was now 14, and was a real joy to be around. Gilda and I decided that once the war was over, we would invite Gabby to live with us once we'd settled down. Plus, we both KNEW that she'd love to spend more time with her big sister, and her soon-to-be brother in law! My mind though then jerked me back to the matter at hand, and I went back to work on Gilda.

I'd ripped her pants off by this point too, and while Gilda leaned up against one of the tent's main supports, I began to chow down on some Griffon pussy!

She held me in place with her taloned hands while I ate her out. "Oh Faust YES you Stud! YES, RIGHT THERE!!!! Eat me out! Munch on that pussy like it's the last one that you're EVER gonna get!"

"That's because it IS Babe!" I muttered when I came up for air. "If you're gonna be my wife, then your pussy WILL be the last one that I'm ever gonna get!"

She looked down at me with a glare. "Exactly! SO GET EATING!!!!!" She then shoved my face back into her crotch.

For those who don't know, Griffons have a lion's pussy. It looks the same as a lion's, however, the taste is something all its own. Gilda tasted like a mixture of fish and beef mixed with sweat, but I'd grown used to the taste, and actually quite enjoyed it. I LOVED eating Gilda out, just as she loved me eating her out. I always knew JUST what to do to make her cum, and that night was no exception. Once I got my mouth over her clit, it was all over.

"EEEEEYYYYEEEAAAHH!!!!!" Gilda screamed as she climaxed. She then lost her balance, and fell back onto my bed for support. She just lay there panting and sweating. After a few minutes or so, she finally looked over at me. "Stud, THIS is why I fell for you. You make me feel SO AMAZING in bed!"

I wiped off her juices with the back of my hand as I sat on the grass next to the bed where she was. (These tents don't have any floors). "Well, for what it's worth, you're welcome Babe!"

Gilda then rolled onto her side, and lay facing me. She held up her head with one arm, and the other one was close to her still soaking wet snatch. Her breasts heaved with each breath, and I could see her lion toes curling with pleasure. Gilda's wings were unfurled behind her, and her lion tail flicked a bit in anticipation. In her current position, Gilda could have EASILY passed for a Griffon pinup model!

She then made the "come here" motion with one of her fingers. "Come on big boy!" She cooed softly. "Wanna make this Lion-Birdie squeal? I KNOW that I can make it worth your while!"

I was a bit stunned. My hand still hurt from where I banged it against the engine's backhead in frustration, so I knew that I was definitely NOT dreaming! I then licked my lips like a predatory animal, and once I was crawling up onto the bed with Gilda, my red-rocket wolf-member was out of its sheath, and was rock hard, knot and all!

Once I was up on the bed, Gilda flipped out of her "pinup position", and quickly got into the doggy position. She gripped my pillow with her talons, stuck her rump into the air, and moved her tail to the side. Her snatch was SOAKING wet, and it was winking almost constantly while leaking fluid!

Gilda then looked back at me, her wild need fully apparent in her yellow eyes. "Ngh, come on big boy! Make this bitch howl!" I complied, and after mounting her from the rear, I thrusted into her!

"Ough!" Gilda half-moaned, half-screamed into my pillow in front of her.

"Ngh!" I half-moaned, half-growled. I then pulled out of her a bit, before pushing back in. I was soon working her over at a steady pace. We both howled a bit in pleasure, but I KNEW that I could make her howl louder than that.

Gilda knew it too, and she turned back to look at me. "Ngh, come ON big boy! PLEASE give it to me like I need it! I KNOW that you have more in you that that! COME ON, F@#K ME!!!!! F@#K ME LIKE THE BITCH IN HEAT THAT I AM!!!!!"

I grunted in response, but I quickly did as she asked. I grabbed her hips with my hands, and I was soon going to TOWN on her pussy! I'll admit it, I'd NEVER had sex like that before! Gilda was screaming out in bliss, clearly not caring who heard us, and I was groaning and moaning a lot too. In fact, our sweaty f@#k-session got so intense that we both ended up falling off of the bed and onto the grassy ground, but yet that was for the best, as I did NOT want to have my bed break! Despite falling on the ground, we were STILL both kissing, licking, groping, AND f@#king each other like our lives depended on it!

Meanwhile, outside of my tent, a number of others heard the sounds of wild sex.

"Dang!" Spike muttered, "Sounds like SOMEPONY'S sure having fun!"

"Yeah, no kidding! Scar and Gilda sure do that a lot. I'm glad that my Bro's with her; they're SO happy together!" Shining then shook his head a bit. "I also find it kind of weird that most of the Diamond Dogs were female, but I think that this was because a lot of them killed those who allied with the Zebras before fleeing."

Spike then looked towards my tent. "Sheesh! I hope that Scar and Gilda are ok in there! I mean, I knew that their sex could be wild, but that's MAD!"

Shining then gave him a smirk. "Why, you jelly?"

"Wha......n-no!"

"You sure? Cuz if you are, I think that Captain Ruby, the Diamond Dog leader looks a little bit lonely over there!" Shining pointed to a black Diamond Dog tent that Ruby was standing outside of, seemingly looking for sex. "She seemed to be into you, right? And Scar did convince Ruby to take you over him, so why don't you go on over?

Spike's eyes got REALLY wide! "Wow! Bye!" He then RACED over to her, and after seemingly talking for a minute or so, Ruby led him to her tent, and not long after, the sounds of sex were heard from within.

Shining just laughed as he looked at our tents. "Heh, lucky bastards!" He then sighed. "Just hang in there a little bit longer Cadence, and you too Mom and Twily! Dad and I will be there soon, and THEN we can all be back together again!"

Shining then went back to planning on what we were going to do next.

Eventually, after rutting Gilda in the doggy position for a while, I flipped her onto her back, and then I REALLY began to plow into her! I hadn't slipped my knot into her yet, but I was more than just planning on doing it! Gilda just lay there, flat on her back, tongue hanging out, panting, moaning, cooing, squealing and REALLY enjoying herself!

"EEEYYAAHHH!! That's it Stud! THAT'S what a bitch like me needs; a HUGE dog-cock inside of herself! You Human-wolves are WAY bigger than the Griffon males, and you're SO much better at rutting too!"

I looked down at her. "What, really?" I asked.

"YES!!!" She practically screamed. She then grabbed my back with her talons to hold me in place better, and she even grabbed me with her lion back legs and paws! "I'm NOT letting you go Stud! I want to savor this for as long as I POSSIBLY CAN!!!!"

I continued to thrust into her, all while kissing and licking her, and somewhat roughly fondling her huge Griffon tits.

I then looked deep into her glowing eyes, and I saw her smirk. "Come on big boy! Make this Lion-Birdie Bitch YOURS! Make me YOUR bitch! Fill me up with your hot wolf cum! I may be in heat right now, but we're 2 different species, and I REALLY need to be bred!"

Since my Human brain got lost somewhere between "Is this REALLY a good idea?" and "WHY am I doing this?!" I went with my wolf brain, which told me to breed with Gilda, and fill her with my seed. I already knew that even though she really was in heat, and we weren't using any form of protection, Gilda and I were 2 VASTLY different species, and even though I was going to be cumming inside of her, a pregnancy was logically impossible.

Eventually though, I could feel a HUGE load building up inside my balls. "Ngh, I'm.....g-getting close Baby. Are you SURE that you want it inside of you?"

"Of COURSE I'm sure Stud! There's no WAY that you can get me pregnant! I WANT you to jizz inside of me!" She then grabbed me tighter with her taloned hands and lion paws, as well as her wings now too!

I nodded. "Good enough for me!" I then thrusted into her a few more times, before my knot slipped into her, and then with a few more pumps, I pushed past her cervix, and unleashed a HUGE geyser of my hot puppy-batter DIRECTLY into her fertile womb, while she unleashed a geyser of fluids out of herself!

"AAAAWWWWOOOOOLLLLL!!!!!!!!" We both howled together. (Yes, Gilda actually howled, or at least mimicked one of my howls!) I then collapsed on top of her in exhaustion, and we both just lay there on the grass, gently licking, kissing, and nuzzling each other. I didn't pull out of her, both due to my knot, and the fact that I wanted to keep as much of my baby-fluid inside of her as possible.

Once she saw that I had practically passed out on top of her though, Gilda had just enough strength left to grab me, stand up, she shut off the lights in my tent, before falling over onto the bed, pulling the blankets over us, and with her still lying on bottom and me on top of her with my knot still in her pussy, Gilda began to fall asleep herself.

"Ngh, I love you Stud. That was so......SO amazing! Thank you!"

"Ngh, you're......you're welcome Gilda. And you're right, that WAS amazing!" We both then fell asleep on that note, snuggled into the warmth of each other's embrace.

However, as we slept, deep inside of Gilda, a wave of my swimmers found several of her eggs, and actually fertilized them! Yes, you read that right. Even though she was a Griffon, and I was a Human-wolf, practically hybrids of 2 different species in our own rights, and TOTALLY not compatible biologically at all, I had just gotten Gilda pregnant! She was now pregnant with twins from me, and she didn't even know it yet!

Over the course of the next few days, the Diamond Dogs were hard at work tunneling underneath Ponyville, and even heading towards Canterlot! The rest of us who weren't helping were either making sure that everything stayed where it was supposed to be, or were helping plan out our raid on Canterlot. Our primary targets were rescuing Celestia and Luna, although Cadence and Twilight were the secondary targets, and tertiary was the assassination of Zed, as well as the rest of the Zebra Elders.

"Yeah, but HOW are we going to do this?! That's the question!"

Shining rubbed his forehead a bit. "Well, it MIGHT be a little easier now that we have help from Captain Ruby, and the rest of her Diamond Dogs. They've already reached the outskirts of Ponyville, and so far their work has gone unnoticed."

"Yeah, assuming that they even ARE on our side!" I muttered.

Spike sighed. "They are. (And even if they AREN'T, in 9 months or so, Ruby's probably gonna have a VERY 'special reminder' of her time with me, so she'd BETTER be ready to take care of it without me if she turns!") He muttered.

I looked over at him. "What was that Spike?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. I was just talking to myself."

I nodded. "Sure. Anyway, here's how I think that it should work. On the same night that the Diamond Dogs finish their work, we head up to Canterlot, conduct our raid, get whatever we can, then get back to safety, wait a day for the panic to set in, and THEN take Ponyville, and hopefully even Canterlot on the same day!"

Shining looked at me with shock. "That's.......REALLY ambitious Scar. Can we even do that?"

"Yes, but that was just the overview of the plan. Each component will have to be broken down into its own section. First, the tunnels. Ruby's pack gets us underneath Ponyville, as well as Canterlot, we conduct our raid, and then retreat. We then let the riots and panic set in, and THEN we burst up from the ground in strategic places around Ponyville, and take the town, with points of interest being Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight's castle, Rarity's boutique, and Fluttershy's cottage." I paused for a second. Since her cottage WAS close to the Everfree, a few had tried to save her, but sadly, the 4 man team was slaughtered. How exactly it happened I still don't know, as neither Shining, Spike, Big Mac or I even AUTHORIZED such a thing!

"And then, once Ponyville has been secured, we swing our forces 'round, and hit Canterlot with everything that we have. We wipe out the remaining Zebras, and THEN we secure our victory, and then help rebuild our shattered world."

Shining then looked over at me. "Ok, NOW your plan makes a bit more sense! But yet how much longer until Ruby and her Dogs are done?"

I shrugged. "Hopefully only about another week or so. With March closing in fast, we HAVE to move! Sure, we COULD keep Winter on if we have to, but I REALLY don't want to do that if we don't! But in the meantime, we draw up the plans for the attack on Ponyville! Big Mac?"

"Yeah Scar?"

"You and the soldiers under you will be in charge of retaking Sweet Apple Acres, as well as the quadrant around it. Got that?"

He saluted. "Yes Sir!"

"Spike?"

"Yeah Scar?"

"Twilight's Castle, as well as the quadrant around it. Got that?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Shining?"

"Yeah Bro?"

"You and yours get the North side of Ponyville near Spike's group. Got that?"

"Yes Sir!"

"The rest of the guys, as well as our Griffons and Dragons, not to mention Diamond Dogs, will be taking care of the rest, as well as holding the perimeter. Then, once the town has been secured and cleared out, we move on to our final target, Canterlot!"

Shining nodded. "Ok, makes sense to me!"

We all then continued with the planning.

When I got the chance, I talked to Ruby again about how her Dogs were progressing.

"Oh, we're doing remarkably well Stud! It should only be a few more days now."

I nodded. "Ok, good. That makes things a LOT easier for us!"

Before either Ruby or I could say anything else though, Gilda suddenly came STORMING over to the planning table where Ruby and I were looking over the maps of the tunnels.

"SCAR?!?!?! YOU, YOUR TENT, NOW!!!!!" I noticed that she looked furious.

I looked at her in alarm. "What? What's wrong Gilda? What did I do?"

Instead of answering though, Gilda grabbed my arm, and drug me back to my tent! Once we were inside, she turned to me in a fit of rage.

"I'm telling you this RIGHT NOW, and no, it's NOT gonna wait any longer!"

"Which is?" I was still confused.

Gilda glared at me. "Remember that night we had 'fun'?"

"Yeah, why?"

Gilda then began to wave something in my face. "YOU KNOCKED ME UP YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!! Because of that night, I'm now PREGNANT in the middle of a F@#KING WAR-ZONE!!!!"

I then saw that the object that Gilda was holding was a pregnancy test, and I also saw that it was positive! She then showed me several more, and ALL of them were positive! Somehow, someway, Gilda was now pregnant by me, and the war wasn't even over yet!

My jaw hit the ground, and remained stuck there! Somehow, I had a feeling that Gilda had gotten pregnant from that, but yet I wasn't expecting her to find out about it so soon!

Instead of being angry or upset though, I just pulled Gilda into a tight hug. "Wow, that's wonderful Babe. And assuming that we can end this war soon, we'll have PLENTY of time to settle down and raise our family! Any ideas on how many?"

Gilda then turned to me with a look of shock and anger. "How the F@#K can you ask me something like that?! This is NOT wonderful! I'm NOT supposed to be pregnant by you! Not only are we in the MIDDLE of a war, but we're also NOT married, not even ENGAGED, and on top of that I'm NOT ready to be a full-time mom yet either! I NEVER wanted this!"

She then calmed down a bit as I was still hugging her. She did hug me back, and we just stood there hugging for a little while longer. "Damn", she muttered. "Here I am pregnant with twins at 25 to my boyfriend that I'm NOT married to, in the middle of a war-zone, and I'M the only one freaking out about it!"

I shook my head. "No, I'm freaking out too Gilda, but I'm just better at not showing it. I'm scared too, as I have NO experience with parenting either! I guess that we'll be learning together, and we'll have 10 months to do it too. Now if we could only end this war before then......." I trailed off there.

Gilda nodded. "Yeah, if only we could. I know that we'll get it soon though. I overheard Shining Armor say that we might even get it done by the 2nd week of March!"

"Which is only about 2 weeks away, and that would ONLY work if everything went according to plan!"

Gilda then nuzzled my face gently. "Yeah, and I'm REALLY hoping that the plan works!"

I sighed. "So do I Gilda, so do I!" We both then continued to hug for a while longer, as we faced our uncertain future together.

Sure enough, on February 28th, everything was ready. Ruby and her pack had finished all of their tunnels underneath Ponyville, as well as the tunnels that led to Canterlot, and the raid was set for that night. I would be leading, Jake, Frank and Evan would be with me, as would Shining's dad Nightlight, and a dozen or so others. All of us slept that afternoon, as that night at nightfall, it would be mission go!

I slept in my tent with Gilda in my arms. Both of us were nude, although we were just snuggling. I was also gently rubbing Gilda's eagle-talon hands, so as to massage them after a long day's work for her.

"Hmm, you're SO good to me Stud", She whispered gently. "I mean, even though we HAVE been together for about 2 1/2 years now, I don't even DESERVE a mate as caring, and devoted as you!" She then gave me a loving nuzzle.

I gently kissed her hard beak. "I know Gilda, I don't even deserve you either. But it's like we were made for each other."

"Yeah, I know Stud. Plus, I AM also pregnant with your twins, so you'd BETTER be taking care of me for that!"

I nodded. "Don't worry Gilda, I will. I'll take care of you, and once the war's over, we'll finally settle down, then we'll get married, and then we can raise our family. Does that sound like a plan?"

Gilda nodded, before we both fell asleep to the soft beating of each other's hearts. Later that night though, after one final quickie, I had to go get ready for the mission.

"PLEASE come home to me safely Stud!" Gilda whispered as I hugged her one last time.

"I will." I whispered as I hugged her.

"And I'd be DEVASTATED if I lost you Bro, just as Gilda would be too!"

I then held him close after I was done hugging Gilda. "Yeah, I know Shining. I'll do what I can." I then left Gilda in Shining's care, and after saying goodbye one more time, I left for the mission.

The others were all suited up, but yet they all INSISTED that I wear the Terror Suit.

"I'll feel that much better if at least one of us has some REALLY heavy firepower!" Nightlight told me.

I just sighed. I REALLY didn't want to use the suit again, but something deep down told me to do it. It wouldn't say why, but I listened to the voice.

Once I was all suited up into the suit, I did a quick systems check, armed all of the weapons, and even activated Ace, the onboard computer system. Her job was to monitor the suit, as well as all of its weapon systems.

"You ready for this Ace?"

"As ready as I'll ever be Sir. This suit is a SEVERE danger, but if handled properly, then there shouldn't be any problems!"

"Well, that's good to hear Ace." I then gave the orders for the troops to follow me, and once we entered the tunnel that Ruby's pack had dug, we began our really long journey to Canterlot. Luckily, the tunnel that we were in was in a straight line, but yet we still had to move double time, as we had many miles to go.

Eventually, we FINALLY reached what our map told us was the base of Canterlot Mountain, and when I checked my watch, I saw that the time was close to 1am.

"Ok, we're still doing pretty good on time, and we're now at the base of Canterlot Mountain if our map is accurate, although judging by the bedrock all around us, I'd say that we are indeed here."

"Just so long as we can get up there, get it done, and get back out again!"

I sighed. "Calm down Frank. We've still got PLENTY of time, and first we need to regain our strength before we go any farther."

We all then took a breather, as well as a water break, before entering the tunnel that led up into the mountain.

"And where does this tunnel even come out?" Evan asked.

"It comes out inside of one of the sewer tunnels underneath Canterlot. This was verified by Rick, so once we get up there, all we have to do is find a ladder leading up to a manhole cover, then push that up to get up to street level. Then we begin to work our evil!"

The others laughed a bit while we then entered the tunnel that led up the mountain.

As we were walking though, I kept moving my arm inside of the Terror Suit to rub my back. Frank noticed this. "Is something wrong with your back Scar?"

I sighed. "I have 8 HUGE talon claw-marks on my back, and they STILL hurt!"

"Wait, why do you have........" Then Frank realized where I got them. "Oh, did Gilda give them to you in bed one night?"

I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. And they still hurt due to her digging deep!"

"I don't envy you for having a Griffon lover Scar. Bite marks from Lyra are bad enough, but I can't imagine bite marks, not to mention claw marks from a Griffon!"

"And believe me Frank, you don't WANT to imagine it!"

He and the others laughed a bit, and then we kept going.

Meanwhile, in the city itself, all was not well. The situation in Canterlot was going from bad to worse. The Zebras knew that we were all around them, and that our attack could come at any time now. They were weakened by the cold, as well as food shortages, since no supplies could get into the city, not to mention an outbreak of a "mysterious disease" that affected Zebra males! Also, nopony was allowed to leave the city, and surrendering was NOT an option!

Twilight suffered a mental breakdown, and had to be taken back to Ponyville so that she could be cared for by Zuko, her Zebra “coltfriend”. Cadence was still under Zed's care, while Celestia and Luna were increasingly left to their own devices. The Zebras didn't seem to care about them anymore, but yet they were still watched over, just in case they tried to be stupid, and surrender to the Equestrians.

"How much longer will this go on, Dear Sister?" Luna asked her.

Celestia sighed. "Hopefully not too much longer. The Zebras are REALLY running out of steam, and soon our subjects will be storming this city, assuming of course that they haven't already started to do that."

Luna knew what Celestia was referring to. For the past several days, from some parts of the castle, both Princesses would swear that they heard what sounded like digging coming from deep within the mountain.

"It's possible that our subjects have managed to convince a pack or 2 of Diamond Dogs to help them, as remember, the Zebras DID double-cross them."

"Maybe so, Dear Sister, maybe so. But at any rate, I'm just REALLY hoping that they make a move soon, as I cannot BEAR to watch what's happening all around us!"

"So do I Sister, so do I."

Both of the Royal Sisters then sat on the floor of the room that they were in, completely unaware that deliverance for them was literally just around the corner.

Once our group, Shadow Stalk, had reached the main sewer, Ace was able to locate the nearest manhole cover, and once we'd climbed up the ladder under it, we pushed the cover to the side, before climbing out, and putting the cover back into place. We all then slipped into the shadows, and began to examine our surroundings.

What we found was deeply saddening. While Canterlot had once been so beautiful, now it was horribly scarred. Buildings were crumbling and falling apart, windows were all boarded up, there was trash everywhere, graffiti littered various walls, and there was not a soul to be seen anywhere, Zebra, Pony or otherwise. There were even packs of wild dogs roaming around the streets as well.

"Gosh. Is it just me, or does this place look an awful lot like Detroit?"

I looked at him. "No, it's not just you Frank, Canterlot really HAS turned into the Hood!"

"I'm just.....REALLY hoping that all of this damage can be cleaned up and repaired once this is all over." Nightlight whispered.

"So do I Nightlight. I'm also REALLY hoping that we can save not only the Princesses, but also your wife Velvet, and your wife Fleur, Fancy Pants."

"So do I", Nightlight seemed to be trying to contain himself.

"I do too", Fancy Pants added. "Hopefully tonight, the Zebras will pay for what they've done!"

I smirked. "Oh believe me, they WILL pay!"

We all then began to make our way to the objectives just before the castle. The primary missions here were to rescue both Velvet and Fleur from the Zebras' clutches. This was done by sneaking over to their houses, slipping inside, quietly slitting the throats or breaking the necks of all Zebras inside, before giving the mares a quick dose of the "Mare Gas" as it came to be known, to break the Zebra's control over them.

Then, while they, as well as a few other mares who were rescued with them were taken away to the tunnel that we'd used to get up there, the rest of us made our way over to the castle.

Once we reached it, we saw that it too was in just as bad of, if not worse shape than the rest of the City of Canterlot. Various Zebra troops were stationed all around, and they looked ready to kill at any moment!

"Oh great! How are we going to get inside?"

I then noticed a sewer drain. "We take the sewers again! I'm pretty sure that there's a drain that opens up in the castle's basement, so THAT'S how we get in there!"

We all agreed to this, and after slipping back down into the sewers, we moved through them until we reached the drain that I'd been talking about. Sure enough, we were now in the basement of Canterlot Castle. Once I'd pushed the drain up and to the side, we all then climbed up, and then I closed up the drain again.

"Ok people, this is it. We fan out, and see what we can find. Remember, SAVE the Princesses, KILL the Zebra leaders! Got it?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Good!" We all then began to fan out.

Compared to what it had been, Canterlot Castle was now VERY dimly lit, and most of that was done by candles. Apparently the Zebras were so lazy that once the power grid had gone down, they hadn't even bothered to fix it properly! Sure, there was SOME electricity, but the castle, just like the rest of the city, was barely using any of it. This gave us ample shadows to hide in, and PLENTY of leeway to sneak around!

Along the way, we did run across a number of Zebras; all of whom would be grabbed, dragged into the shadows, and then shot, stabbed, or had their necks broken. (All of our guns had silencers on them, so as to make them quiet!)

Suddenly, Frank and Evan, as well as their men, heard soft crying coming from a room close by them. They investigated, and to their shock and surprise, there on the floor were Celestia and Luna! Both of them were naked, and they seemed to be holding each other!

After IMMEDIATELY giving them the motions to be quiet, Evan went over to them, while Frank got on his radio with me.

"Shh, it's ok Princesses, we're the good guys! We're here to rescue you!"

"Who.....are you?" Celestia asked.

"My name is Evan, and I'm one of the 6 Humans who arrived here from Earth about 2 years ago. We've managed to run a stealth ops mission to get here, and now we're here to get you out of here!"

Celestia then hugged him gently. "Thank the Heavens! I KNEW that you guys would be here soon! When will the rest of the attack occur?"

"Soon, I hope! First we had to rescue you, as well as also seeing about taking out any of the Zebra Elders, or even Zed himself!"

"To hell with him!" Luna whispered angrily, "He DESERVES to die!"

"And he will! Just as soon as we can get our mitts on him anyway!"

Meanwhile, Frank was on his radio with me. "Yeah, we've got them Scar! Celestia and Luna are safe!"

"That's great news Frank! Where are you guys right now?"

"Eh, were way up in the castle a ways, but we're heading back down now. We'll meet you at the rendezvous point here in a few minutes."

"Ok, roger that." I then sighed, off, as did Frank, and once the Princesses had been provided with cloaks, they were quickly ushered through the castle, and back to the rendezvous point.

Once we reached it again, we saw Frank, Evan and their team, as well as the Princesses. We started to make plans to escape, or to even see about finding Cadence and Twilight, as well as our assassination missions, but we were all then rudely interrupted.

"HEY!!! WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK THAT YOU'RE DOING DOWN THERE?!?!?!"

We all turned to look, and to our horror, up on a level above us in the atrium, looking down over a railing, stood Zed! He then sounded an alarm, and all throughout the castle, as well as throughout the streets of Canterlot, the alarms sounded. MANY Zebra troops came rushing in, and it looked like this was going to be the end for us. We'd come so far, only to fail now.

"Hands up, ALL OF YOU!!!!" Zed yelled. Since we were outnumbered, and also seemingly outgunned, those of us with weapons all put them down. "Good! Now then, on your knees!"

The guys were all looking to me to save us all. I didn't want to do what I was about to do, but yet I had no other choice. I HAD to save the lives of the others.

"We may be trapped, but it's only temporary, and one can save them all!" I then broke away from the rest of the group, while Ace armed ALL of the Terror Suit's weapons! "HEY DICKWADS, LOOK AT ME!!!!" I then activated the machine gun on my right arm, and after firing it, I began to move it around the ENTIRE atrium that we were in!

"LOOK OUT!!!!" Zed screamed. He and a few others were able to hit the floor, but the others weren't so lucky. Almost ALL of them were cut down by my machine guns, and those who weren't, (minus Zed and those few others who hit the floor immediately) were gravely wounded!

"GUYS, GO!!!! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO ESCAPE!!!!" I continued to blast away at the Zebras.

"But what about you?!" Frank yelled.

"I'm gonna clear you guys a path! GO NOW!!!!"

Frank came to life immediately. "You heard the man, we HAVE to move right now! All we gotta do is make it back to the tunnel, so let's move!"

They all then ran for the tunnel, while I covered them.

What followed was seen by many as to be the greatest murder streak by one individual in CENTURIES, if not MILLENNIA!

From one end of the castle to the other, I let the Zebras HAVE IT! I unleashed HUGE bursts of gunfire, as well as launching grenades and rockets. So many Zebras fell, and even though I was still unable to locate Zed, Cadence or Twilight, I WAS able to find a number of Zebra military commanders, as well as Zebra Elders!

"PLEASE!!!!!" One of them screamed when he saw me, "HAVE MERCY!!!!!"

I just smirked. "No Mercy here!" I then grabbed him, before slamming him into the floor, and running a saw through his guts!

In total, I killed 9 Zebra Elders, 11 military commanders, and approximately 500+ Zebras, while maybe 700+ others were injured. When I took my killing spree to the streets though, things REALLY got interesting!

I began to sweep all of Canterlot clean of the Zebra's filth. I blasted with my guns, and I also fired rockets, grenades and missiles at my enemies as well. Sure, I did take hits, but they were able to do very little, if ANY damage to my suit! I also got the chance to use the 2 chain guns mounted to my shoulders for the first time. With Ace aiming them, I fired in a full 360 circle, turning the guns all the while so as to get an even spread!

"I count over 1,000 kills and rapidly rising Sir!" Ace reported.

"Excellent work Ace!" I then radioed Frank. "How's it going Frank?"

"Well, we're still moving! We're getting close to the tunnel, but if you would kindly cut down a few more of our odds, that would be REALLY great!"

I then looked over to my right, and I saw the Zebra Embassy. "Ok, I'll do that. And I also think that it's FINALLY time to deal with the Zebra Embassy once and for all!" I then flew over to it.

Once I reached it, after bashing the gates open, I strode up the steps, and into the Embassy. Once Inside, I slaughtered all Zebras in sight, while giving all mares that I came across a dose of the gas. Once I made sure to check EVERY nook and cranny of the ENTIRE Embassy, I walked back outside, before kneeling down, and firing a HUGE barrage of missiles at it!

The entire building erupted into a MASSIVE fireball, and not too long after, collapsed completely!

"YAHOO!!!!!! Embassy down Frank, I repeat, the Zebra Embassy is down!"

"That's REALLY great Scar! However, we're STILL taking heavy fire, so if you could direct it towards you, that would ALSO be really great!"

"Will do Frank!" I then continued my killing spree, although this time, I worked my way over to where Frank and Co were.

Sure enough, once I reached the area where they were, all of the Zebras stopped focusing on them, and then turned their attention to me.

"Yeah, that's right you striped freaks, come and get me!"

I then unleashed my chain guns onto them, as well as a few more grenades. "Damn, how many more of these guys are there?!"

"I don't know, but each one that we kill now is one that we do NOT have to face later!"

"Yeah, but there's still SO MANY of them Ace!" I kept blasting away at them, but yet at the same time, I was starting to get overwhelmed. Even with a suit as powerful as the Terror Suit, they were coming at me almost faster than I could shoot them! However, I KNEW that I had to give Frank and Co the opening that they needed to escape fully!

"Hey, I'm over here shitheads!" I then jumped to a rooftop about 25 feet to the right of where I had been.

"STOP THAT F@#KER RIGHT NOW!!!!!" I heard a Zebra scream. They all then charged me all at once.

"That's our chance!" Frank yelled, "This is our only window to escape!" He then began to lead the way down the tunnel with the others following him, including the Princesses.

"WAIT!!!!" Evan screamed, "We can’t just leave Scar behind; we HAVE to rescue him!"

"We will Evan! We just have to......" Frank never got a chance to finish that thought.

Before he could, he saw me take a number of possibly damaging hits, before unleashing my chain guns on the attacking Zebras. Soon though, I ran out of ammunition, and resorted to my machine guns, as well as a few rockets. Suddenly though, it looked like I was about to get swarmed. In one final, desperate move, I aimed ALL of my remaining rockets and missiles at the roof in front of me, before launching them! In an instant, there came a MASSIVE fireball that killed not only the Zebras attacking me, but the shock-wave from it killed a LOT of other Zebras as well! However, at the same time, the building that we were on was close to the edge of Canterlot, and when the building blew, I was blown backwards over the edge!

"CAPTAIN SCAR!!!!!" Evan screamed. He tried to run back out of the tunnel, but Frank stopped him.

"Evan, no! You CANNOT go out there!"

"B-b-but, CAPTAIN SCAR!!!!"

"He's.......he's gone Evan. He died so that ALL of us could live, and come back to quickly storm this place again!"

"But...!!!!"

"We have a JOB to do Evan! We have ours, and Scar had his. There's nothing more that we can do for him now. We HAVE to move now, or Scar died for NOTHING!!!!"

Evan then backed down, and they all fled back through the tunnel, before sealing it up behind themselves.

In truth, I didn't die right away. After getting blasted off of the rooftop, I began to fall down the mountain. Ace tried to engage the suit's thrusters, but they'd gotten damaged during the battle. I was also barely conscious, and the last thing I can remember was Ace screaming at me, and then nothing. My body hit the river FAR below Canterlot Mountain, before my suit partially sank due to its weight, and got carried away by the current.

For Zed and the rest of the surviving Zebras, what had just happened was an absolute shit-show. Now thanks to our raid, 9,300+ Zebras were dead, and over 10,000 more were injured, while a further 3,000 were missing. The Zebra Embassy was demolished, and a number of other buildings were destroyed as well. The Zebras had also lost both Celestia and Luna, and with them half of their bargaining power!

Zed was screaming up a storm, and Cadence tried to calm him down. Zed didn't want to listen to her though, and he smacked her. Not hard enough to hurt her, but yet strong enough that she REALLY began to question the Zebra's motives, as well as what their TRUE intentions could be!

At the other end of this spectrum, the remainder of the group managed to make it back to base camp at about 3am. None of them had died, but yet some of them were wounded, a few of them seriously. Most of them were MORE than dreading how they were going to explain what happened to me to Shining and Gilda.

Once they all reached camp again, both Celestia and Luna were taken immediately to be cleaned up, given clothes and properly cared for, while the rest were trying to figure out what to do.

Suddenly though, Gilda came rushing up to the group. She looked all around, seemingly trying to find me, but she didn't.

"Where.....is he?" Gilda asked Evan. "Where's Stud?"

Evan sighed. "I'm sorry............Currently, Captain Scar is missing in action. He got blown off of a roof trying to take down a HUGE wave of Zebras that were about to swarm us, and fell off Canterlot Mountain. As of now, his current whereabouts, either living or dead, are unknown."

When Gilda heard that, she IMMEDIATELY broke down crying.

"No......no, no no!!!! STUD!!!!! NOOOOO!!!!"

"There IS a chance that he's still alive, as like I said, he's just missing. We have no confirmation that he's dead, and he WILL be found soon!"

Gilda then looked at Evan with fire blazing in her eyes. "And I WILL avenge his death!"

"Yeah!" Agreed Spike, who had just wandered over after hearing about me. "I vote that we attack NOW, and OVERWHELM the Zebras!"

At this same time, Shining was coming to the same conclusion. After hearing the reports about what happened in Canterlot, he, as well as Celestia and Luna, who after being taken care of were reinstated as the Diarchs of Equestria, ALL swore to avenge what happened to me.

Shining had to take a moment though, as he was still crying about losing his best friend. He never said anything, but he did bury his face into his hands, and cry for several minutes straight. Eventually though, he knew what he had to do. Even though it was past 3am, Shining called together a meeting of all of the Armed Forces, and addressed them.

"Everypony, this night, we lost a very brave soldier. Captain Ben 'Scar' Anderson was a brave and honorable Human. He was a former US Marine, and he gave his life tonight so that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna could be brought to safety!"

Everypony was shocked when they heard about my untimely demise.

"HOWEVER, his death MUST be avenged! We WILL be attacking Ponyville and Canterlot, and we WILL be starting it at precisely 4am today! Today, March 1st, 2025, marks the END of the Zebras, and the RETURN of the Ponies to power! They've been running scared because of us and our allies, and today we WILL finish the final push, in honor of one of the Humans who started it all, Captain Scar; my best friend, my almost-brother and a TRUE soldier! Who's with me?!"

EVERY Pony, Human, Griffon, Dragon and Diamond Dog was RABIDLY screaming for Zebra blood, and once all supplies had been prepped, including the gas for the mares, ALL necessary weapons and ammunition, and ANYTHING else that they would need, the troops entered the Diamond Dog tunnels, and RAPIDLY closed in on Ponyville!

Going with my original plan, they would take Ponyville, before moving quickly on to Canterlot. If all went well, the battles would be over not too long after sunrise, and the war would FINALLY be over! Soon, all of the troops were in position in the tunnels underneath Ponyville, waiting for the signal from Shining to begin the attack.

Just before he gave the word, Shining looked at a picture of the two of us together. We were both hugging, and smiling happily, and Gilda and Cadence could also be seen in the background.

"I will avenge your death Bro, and if you're still out there, I WILL find you!" He then put the picture back into his pocket. "This ends, RIGHT NOW!!!!" He then ordered Rick, who was close to him at the time, to send out the signal.

Rick then put his hands up to his mouth, and howled long and loud! His howls echoed through the tunnel systems, and with that, at exactly 4am, the Battle of Ponyville began!

For the Zebras, even though there had been a SERIOUS incident in Canterlot just a few hours prior, they all believed themselves to be safe.

"Don't worry Everypony!" Twilight reassured them, "ZERO Ponies will be coming in here with their diseases, and the Zebras WILL protect us!"

Nopony really believed her though. In fact, many of them knew that the Equestrian soldiers and their allies were right beneath their hooves, awaiting the order to attack. They'd all prepared to surrender, while a few Zebras committed suicide, and the remainder either prepared to surrender, or got ready to fight to the death. There were an estimated 5,000 or so Zebras in Ponyville, and about 1,500 or so had committed suicide. A further few hundred prepared to surrender, while the remainder were going to fight.

Suddenly, there came an almighty rumble beneath their hooves, and then from up out of the ground came a swarm of Ponies, Griffons, Dragons, and even Diamond Dogs! ALL of them had their missions, as well as their own sections of town to take.

Right off the bat, Big Mac and his crew went straight to Sweet Apple Acres. All of the Zebras there were sound asleep, at least until they started getting killed! Before the attack began, gas was lobbed into the farm buildings, and once Applejack, Applebloom and a few other mares realized that they'd been played for sluts, they were MORE than just a little mad! With help from their brother and his crew, as well as even Granny Smith, they ALL attacked and completely MAULED the Zebras!

No mercy was shown to any of them. "PLEASE, have mercy!" A zebra screamed as Granny stood over him with a meat cleaver.

Granny Smith smirked. "Sorry Sonny, ain't got no more mercy!" She then brought her meat cleaver down on his face, and hacked at him until he was dead!

Applejack and Applebloom were doing likewise. Applebloom tossed her big sis her trusty shotgun, and she went to town on the Zebras while Applebloom used a revolver that Big Mac loaned to her. In short order, the small battle there was over. All Zebras were dead, and there were only a few injuries on the opposing side. Applejack and Applebloom were given proper clothing, and they joined in the battle as well.

Now, 3 of the 6 Elements of Harmony had been restored, and the remaining 3 were soon to follow.

At the Friendship Castle, a package had just arrived at the front door. It was small, only about the size of a breadbox, and it said "To Twily" on it.

The Zebras in the castle brought it inside on Twilight's orders, but suddenly, from the seemingly tiny box burst out Shining, Spike and more troops!

"WASSUP BITCHES?!?!??!" Shining screamed when he jumped out.

"What the?!?!?! HOW THE HELL DID YOU ALL FIT IN THAT BOX?!?!?!"

Shining stabbed him with a sword. "It's called 'Magic' dumbass! Ever heard of it?!"

The Zebras were taken wholly off guard, and were quickly surrounded. Shining however, had one target in mind, and that was his sister.

"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU STALLION FILTH!!!!!!!" Twilight screamed. "ZUKO, SAVE ME!!!!"

Zuko came running, but yet a purple dragon stood in his way. "What the?!?!?! YOU again?! I thought that I took care of you, you scaly freak!"

Spike just smirked. "Heh, I'll bet that you never thought that you'd see ME again after that night, did you? Well now I'm BACK, and I'm REALLY pissed off!"

"Oh yeah, and whatcha gonna do tiny dragon? Roast me?!" Zuko laughed.

Spike smirked. "Don't tempt me!" He then inhaled, and out from his mouth came a HUGE stream of fire that instantly engulfed Zuko!

Zuko screamed for a minute or so, before falling over dead. With him also went the device that he was using to control Twilight. Without that, Shining was able to corner her, and use the gas on her. When he did that, she immediately came to herself again!

"W.......wha.....? What.......happened?"

"Twily? Twily! Can you hear me?"

Twilight looked up at him. Suddenly, her face lit up. "BBBFF!" She then ran over and hugged him. "You saved me!"

"Hey! I helped him too Twilight!"

"SPIKE!!!!" She hugged him too. "Oh thank Celestia that you were able to get to me in time! I thought that I was going to lose my mind being trapped in my own head like that while under Zuko's control!"

"And now with you back Twily, that just leaves Rarity and Fluttershy of the Element Bearers, and Cadence for the Princesses."

Twilight was shocked. "Wait, what happened to Celestia and Luna?"

Shining then explained about the success of the raid, even though it had led to my untimely demise.

Twilight sighed sadly. "Yes, we must salute Captain Anderson for his bravery. Now then, let's finish cleaning house here, and then spread out to the rest of Ponyville!" Twilight then summoned a spare set of clothes that she kept hidden away in a special vault to be used in the event of an emergency, and after pulling them on, she helped her brother, Spike and the rest of the troops clear out the rest of the Friendship Castle, before turning their attention to the rest of Ponyville.

Spike was also present when Rarity was saved, although by that point, most of the Zebras were either dead, or were surrendering. They saw the writing on the wall, and did NOT want to die! Even so, some were spared, while others were still killed by the mares that they had been using and abusing. Some wanted revenge for themselves, while others wanted revenge for their daughters, husbands or other male family members.

By almost 5am, Ponyville was back in Equestrian hands, and the remaining Zebras made their last stand out at Fluttershy's cottage. BIG MISTAKE! From all around the cottage came a HUGE flood of animals! They had seen what had been done to the Pony who had been taking such good care of them, and they were PISSED! They all attacked in DROVES, and managed to kill off the Zebras who both tried to take a stand out there, as well as trying to escape. By the time that the good guys managed to reach Fluttershy's cottage, she was sitting on the floor of her living room crying, while her animals were trying to comfort her.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight said when she saw her friend.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy went over and hugged her. "It's over, it's FINALLY over!"

Twilight sighed. "Well close, but not quite. The remaining Zebras still hold Canterlot, as well as Princess Cadence. They've also destroyed the railroad tracks leading up there, so even though the Humans won't be able to get their train up there, we will STILL carry the day!"

"Are..........are we gonna use the Elements of Harmony?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight nodded. "Yes. We'll use them to finish cleansing the rest of Equestria once we have the Zebras dead to rights!"

Fluttershy looked up at her friend. "Even though I HATE violence, sometimes there just is no other way to deal with those as vile as the Zebras who won't surrender. How soon until we leave for Canterlot?"

"Right now actually. These last 2 battles are back to back, as we CANNOT afford to wait around anymore!"

Fluttershy nodded, and after being given her Element necklace, she rounded up her animals who still wanted to fight, before following Twilight and the other soldiers back to town.

Meanwhile, Gilda and Shining were walking back towards town. Gilda was holding the fire ax that I'd given her to hold onto for me while I made the run to Canterlot, and she and Shining were still so sad. In a moment of frustration though, Shining threw a rock towards the river that he and Gilda were walking beside, and they suddenly heard a loud metallic sound.

"Huh? What was that?"

"I don't know Gilda. Sounds like the rock that I threw hit something metal!"

They both tried to see what it was, but even though Shining had a light spell, and Gilda could see in the dark, they still couldn't tell what the rock had hit. Luckily though, a few soldiers led by Braeburn were headed their way, and they had more powerful flashlights. They shined the lights around, and they suddenly saw a large, black metal suit lying on the river bank! The suit was lying on its back, and seemed to be somewhat damaged. The water from the river was flowing over the lower parts of it as well.

When Gilda saw it, she flipped! "EYAH!!!!! THAT'S SCAR'S SUIT!!!!!"

"WHAT?!?!?!" Braeburn then turned to those with him. "Quick, get that thing outta there!"

They all quickly grabbed the suit, and managed to pull it out of the river, and up onto the grassy bank beside it.

"Is.....is he in there?" Shining asked.

"I.....I dunno!" Braeburn answered. "I ain't never seen nothin' like this suit before!"

One quick call to the other Marines later, Rick arrived on the scene to examine the suit.

"Well", He said at last, "I can tell you that there IS something still in there, but no readout yet on what, or if it's still alive or not."

"Open the suit!" Gilda urged him, "I HAVE to know!"

"Right!" Rick then used a series of special tools that had to be retrieved from my tent, and he manually started the suit's opening sequence.

Soon, with a loud series of clicks, and metallic clanks, the suit opened to reveal me. I was lying inside, still wearing my green operator's jumpsuit. My eyes were closed, and my face and the rest of me were EXTREMELY pale, and I seemed to be dead.

"I think he's dead."

Rick then put his head up to my chest. "I.........think you're right Braeburn. I can't get a heartbeat."

Shining slammed his hands over his mouth, but Gilda was NOT taking that for an answer! "No, he is NOT dying on me! Not now!" She then jumped onto my stomach, and promptly began to smack me across the face! "Wake up you idiot! You CANNOT just die on me now!"

Shining agreed. "Yeah! She's right Bro! You can't leave us now!"

In reality, I wasn't dead, however, I was in a coma for a brief time.

"GWAHH!!!!" I suddenly jerked upright. "No, I'm not dead, stop slapping me!!!" I then made a grab for Gilda's clawed hands. "GILDA, I'M FINE!!!!!"

"STUD!!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!" She and Shining both just about strangled me to death with hugs, and then Gilda almost smothered me to death with kisses!

I hugged and kissed them back. "Yeah, I'm ok guys, I'm right here! A little worse for wear, but it's gonna take a LOT more than a fall from the top of Canterlot Mountain to get rid of me!"

"And how did you even do it Bro?" Shining asked.

I thought for a second. "Well, after getting blown off the roof, I fell off Canterlot mountain, hit my head a few times on the way down, before hitting the water of the river far below. My partially floating suit then got carried downstream, before eventually ending up in the spot where you and Gilda found it. The trauma of what had just happened sent me into a coma, but Gilda's EXTREMELY violent slapping snapped me out of it!"

"Well, at any rate, I'm just glad that you're alive!"

I sighed. "Yeah, you and me both Babe!" I then looked at my watch. The time was close to 5am. "Wow, I've been out for a few hours now. What did I miss?"

Rick then took up the story. "Well, thanks to your contributions, the Princesses were saved, and we managed to take Ponyville, and now ALL of the Elements of Harmony are safe as well! The only real concern is Princess Cadence, as she's still under Zebra control in Canterlot."

I nodded slowly. "And I take it that we're gonna move out for Canterlot here before too long?"

"Actually, we've already started doing that. They've taken out the rails leading up there, so we unfortunately won't be able to use the train, but the tunnels are still there, and some of us can still fly, so we're good there! In fact, we were all on our way up there right now when I got the call from Braeburn that Gilda and Shining had just found your suit."

I sighed. "Well, at any rate, thanks for coming to get me, and if you'll kindly excuse me, I have to suit up again!" I then began to reactivate the suit, before standing up again. "There, MUCH better! Now then, on to Canterlot!"

"On to Canterlot!" Shining echoed.

"On to Canterlot!" Gilda agreed.

Then, once I reloaded all of my suit's weapons, we all formed up, formed our various units, before Humans, Ponies, Griffons, Dragons and Diamond Dogs ALL converged on Canterlot!

For the Zebras within, the suicide rate was MUCH higher than it was in Ponyville! They all KNEW that they were not going to be leaving the city alive, so many of them took the easy way out, and ended their own lives.

Never before had that many soldiers, their allies, or even just ordinary civilians just storm a city like we did in Canterlot! We were EVERYWHERE! Gas canisters were being lobbed everywhere, the Dragons were busy keeping any airships from escaping, as well as rescuing any mares from them before they crashed. Canterlot burned, and now the Zebras were all burning with it!

Gilda had given me my ax back, and with it, in addition to the EXTREME amount of weapons that I was already packing, I led the way up to the castle. "Come on guys! Just a little bit farther! I can smell Zed's fear from out here!"

Shining smirked. "Hehe! Yeah! And with him, AND the rest of the Zebra Elders gone, THEN we can deal with cleaning up the rest of their mess!"

"Right, so let's go!" I then kept leading the charge.

Meanwhile, up in the castle, Zed knew that the end was coming, however, he had no intention of taking his own life. Grabbing Cadence by the arm, he ran with her through the castle to the highest tower. Once he was up inside it, he blasted out the entire stairwell leading up to the top balcony where he was with gunpowder.

"There, NOW they can't get us!"

Cadence just looked at him. All the time, more and more of her mind continued to be restored to her, and she was now teetering on the fence. One little push would be all it would take to make her fully come back to herself again.

"Why are we hiding up here Zed?" She asked him.

"Because the stallions are coming! They're STILL carrying the virus, and I MUST keep you safe from it!"

Cadence nodded, but she REALLY didn't believe it anymore.

Meanwhile, down below them, Canterlot was falling fast. By the time that the sun was up, or at about 6:15am, 80% of the city was in Equestrian hands, and our forces were then storming the castle.

"Remember!" I yelled over the din of the battle, "Find Princess Cadence, as well as ANY other females in the castle, but as for the Zebras, KILL THEM ALL! Except for Zed though, leave HIM for Shining Armor, as HE was the one who stole his wife!"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

We all then broke down the gates, and charged inside.

We didn't meet the most resistance ever, but it was still a bit of a challenge. Most of those we faced were either mentally insane, or had nothing left to lose. Since there were SO MANY of us though, we were able to clear out the castle in short order. Every last surviving Zebra Elder was hunted down, and gutted like a fish. They had ALL warranted death for their actions, as now those they had wronged were their judge, jury and executioners. Sure, maybe it wasn't the right way, but yet it WAS war, and war is hell, and we all did things that we'd much rather forget about.

Eventually, once the rest of Canterlot was cleared, all that we had left to clear was one tower in the castle, but yet the entrance to it was blocked by rubble. We'd also found no sign of Cadence or Zed.

I looked up at it from the ground. "Wow, that's a long way up there!"

"Yeah, no kidding Bro!"

I then grabbed a megaphone. "Hey! Anybody home up there?!"

My efforts were rewarded when a face peered down at me, Shining and the others who were with us as well. It was Zed, and I could also see Cadence just behind him.

"What do you want Human?"

"I want you to surrender Zed, it's OVER! Your empire is FINISHED, and all you have left is your own life, Cadence and that tower. ALL of the others are either dead, or captured now. You're the only one left. If you surrender now, I MIGHT be able to let you off easy! Assuming of course that you don't get torn to shreds by the Princesses, the Elements of Harmony, and of course Shining Armor, the stallion who's WIFE you're holding up there!"

"Yeah? and I'm NOT coming down!"

"Fine, then WE'RE coming UP!"

I then saw Zed pull out what looked like a gun, and hold it to Cadence's head! "You do that, and SHE dies! All of you all back off, and leave me be!"

"Do we use the Elements of Harmony now Princess?" Twilight asked.

Celestia shook her head. "Not yet, my Faithful Twilight. I think Zed's about to reap what he's sown. Cadence will do just fine on her own, TRUST ME!"

We all took a few steps back, and waited to see what was going to happen next.

"Why are you doing this Zed?!" Cadence was close to panicking. "I thought that the Zebras were supposed to be helping us!"

Zed then turned to her, and FINALLY dropped the masquerade he'd been pulling off for months. "You still don't get it, do you? You silly Bitch! It was NEVER about you, it was about ME, and what the ZEBRAS wanted!" Zed then smacked Cadence across the face as hard as he possibly could!

"AAAEEHH!!!!" Cadence fell to the balcony floor in severe pain. She then saw Zed turn back to us and begin to yell at us again.

Her pain though soon turned into SEETHING anger. Her eyes were FINALLY opened to the true evils of the Zebras, and after she spotted Zed's dagger that he kept tied to his waist, she knew what to do! "This ends.........right now you F@#KER!!!!" Cadence then drug herself back to her hooves, before slipping over to Zed, grabbing his dagger, and then stabbing him in the back with it repeatedly!

"DIE YOU F@#KING SON OF A BITCH!!!!!!" She screamed.

Zed merely choked on his own blood, before falling forwards over the balcony railing, and then falling 9 stories to the pavement below! The impact was sickening when he hit. Luckily, nobody was directly under the balcony, but a LOT of us still got hit by Zed's bloody debris!

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Shining then looked up at Cadence. "Cadence!"

"Shiny! Hang on, I'm coming down!" She then used her wings to gently lower herself to the ground, or at least, she TRIED to. She made it part way, before her wings cramped up, and she began to fall!

"AAAHHH!!!!"

Luckily for her though, Shining was able to grab her with his magic, before lowering her safely to his arms.

"Oh Shiny!" She then hugged her husband.

"It's ok Cadence, it's over. At long last, this nightmare is FINALLY OVER!!!!!!"

All of us began to cheer, and then Celestia turned to Twilight and her friends. "Ok, NOW you all can use the Elements of Harmony!"

"Right away Princess!"

They all then used the Elements of Harmony, and from the Castle, through the rest of Canterlot and beyond, a MASSIVE wave of pure magical energy flowed. Everything that was touched by the wave was fully restored to what it once was. ALL of the Zebra's filth, including their corpses, were wiped away from Equestria. EVERYTHING that had been destroyed was made new again, including all clothing that the Zebras took away and burned, and the Equestrian Royal Treasury was fully restored as well! Once it was all over, EVERYTHING in Equestria had been made new again, and it looked just as good, if not BETTER than the day the Zebras showed up!

All across the land, Ponies and their allies alike ALL cheered that the war was FINALLY over, and that the Zebras would NEVER bother them EVER again! Celestia and Luna had been restored as the Diarchs of Equestria, Cadence and Shining Armor once again ruled the Crystal Empire, Big Mac and the rest of the Apples worked Sweet Apple Acres again, Spike was once again Twilight's faithful assistant, Rainbow Dash was once again in charge of the weather, Fluttershy cared for her animals, Rarity was right back to making dresses, and Pinkie Pie was back at Sugarcube Corner alongside Mr. and Mrs. Cake, while the Wonderbolts were flying high as well. ALL Royal and Crystal Guards were fully reinstated with clean bills of health, and if you hadn't known beforehand, you would have NEVER guessed that the war had even happened!

Back in Canterlot though, I was congratulating everyone, and everypony on our victory. Suddenly though, once I was out of the Terror Suit, I had my arms full of Gilda She was hugging and kissing me for all she was worth, and I was almost getting smothered!

"Awww!" The crowd cooed.

I hugged and kissed Gilda back. "It's over Gilda, FINALLY OVER!!!! Now we can FINALLY live normal lives for a change!"

"Yes, yes we can!" Gilda agreed. "And when can we slip off to another bedroom Stud?" She asked me quietly. "I REALLY want to show you what ELSE these eagle-talons can do in the bedroom!" She gestured to her eagle-talon hands.

I smirked a bit. "Oh, I think that THAT can be arranged!"

We all then cheered and celebrated that the war was FINALLY over!

Author's Note

And, there was Chapter 5! There's a brand-new Chapter 6, and a brand-new Epilogue, so stay tuned for that, but this was the last New-Timeline Chapter that has a counterpart in the Original Timeline! Whew! So now the Zebras are gone, and Equestria has been fully restored once again, and all thanks to 6 former US Marines, 5 marefriends, a Griffon girlfriend, and their guts, and willingness to do whatever it would take to save their nation! It was once again a long journey to get there, but in the end, it WAS worth it!

And now Scar is devoted to Gilda, and Gilda ALONE! NO OTHERS will ever be getting between them, and their love for each other! After a MASSIVE overhaul, Chapter 5 is now what it was MEANT to be, Ben X Gilda!

Next up is Chapter 6, which is going to be brand-new! In it, the Humans get to see their families again, and there will be weddings and pregnancy plannings too, so stay tuned for that!

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 6!

ScarFox out for now!

(And I just have to say this one more time, BEN X GILDA FOREVER!!!!

Chapter 6: Familiar Faces, and New Relationships (Part 1)

One week after the end of the war, now called the Last Zebra War, there was a HUGE celebration all across Equestria to properly celebrate the victory.

On March 1st, the same day as the Battle of Canterlot, General Bania, the highest ranking Zebra to survive the war, signed the final surrender documents. He was subsequently put on trial with other Zebra soldiers and prisoners who needed to be tried, and while he did escape execution, he was doomed to spend the rest of his life in a prison mine, with no chance of parole until he was too old and feeble to hurt anypony anymore.

Also on March 1st, Princesses Celestia and Luna agreed that every March 1st was now VE (Victory in Equestria) Day, and was now a national holiday. Every year on March 1st, Ponies would gather together to remember the war, and most importantly, the 6 Human Marines, and those of the Appaloosa Resistance, and the Trottingham Group who fought back, and broke the backs of the Zebras, therefore enabling the Equestrians to declare war on the Zebras, and drive them to oblivion! However, on that first year, while there were PLENTY of celebrations on March 1st, the biggest celebration of all took place on March 8th, one week after the war ended.

On that day, which was declared a holiday, there was a HUGE victory parade in Canterlot. All 6 of us Marines were guests of honor, as were our marefriends, Gilda, and those of the Appaloosa Resistance, and the Trottingham group. Shining and Cadence were present, as were the Mane 6, Spike and Ruby, and even Braeburn and Zuri, and Big Mac and Zena! Shining, Cadence, and the Mane 6 were with the Princesses, but Spike, Braeburn, Big Mac, Ruby, Zuri and Zena were all riding in the parade with us Marines and Resistance Groups! They’d all done their part too, and were now being honored as such.

All around the parade, and even in the rest of Equestria, Ponies were cheering, clapping, whistling, eating, drinking, kissing and hugging their loved ones, and just all around having a REALLY great time. Everypony was enjoying themselves, as well as thanking the Resistance Groups for never giving up, and the 6 Human Marines from Wolf Pack Battalion who had ignited the fire that led to the war to expel the Zebras. We Humans started it all, and once we united with the Appaloosa Resistance, and the Trottingham Group, we were able to raid the Zebra’s prison camp in the Smoky Mountains, and liberate the stallions there. Then, with that army, we took back the Crystal Empire, and the areas and cities around it, before moving South. It was all thanks to us for igniting the fire, and we were still in a bit of shock. We had just helped to save the world, and we all had a hard time believing that it was real!

At the end of the day, Princess Celestia gave a speech to all of those gathered in Canterlot for the victory celebration, and the speech was also being broadcasted to the rest of Equestria via radio.

“My subjects, fellow Ponies, and all others, this is a time of GREAT celebration! We have just defeated the Zebras, and are at the end of the longest, and hardest-fought war in Equestrian history! We won, and we made the Zebras PAY for what they tried to do to us!”

The crowds all started cheering, but then Celestia motioned for silence.

“HOWEVER! NONE of this would have been possible if it hadn’t been for a band of 6 Humans, former US Marines with the famous Wolf Pack Battalion, who were working at their freight depot for their Daylight Freight and Shipping Company. They were left behind when the Zebras took over, and locked up all of the stallion in those prison camps. They were immune to the Zebra’s virus, and the Zebras intended to use them as slave labor. However, before they could, the Humans and their marefriends fled to the desert, where they linked up with the Appaloosa Resistance, and then the Trottingham Group. Together, these groups then attacked and liberated the Zebra’s main prison camp in the Smoky Mountains, before attacking and liberating the Crystal Empire, Van Hoover, and other settlements in Northern Equestria. They then fought for and took back Las Pegasus, Cloudsdale, Baltimare, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and then finally Ponyville and Canterlot. They won every battle that they fought, and their numbers got larger all the time with more Ponies that they liberated. They won the war, and its to them that we owe the greatest thanks! At this time, I would like to call Rick Dennis, Frank Sinatra, Jake Blythe, Evan Young, Jon Meers, and Ben Anderson, as well as their marefriends to the stage now!”

The Ponies all cheered again as we were all walking to the front, but Celestia still had a few more things to say.

“And of course, let us not forget our allies in this war. Thanks to the efforts of the Ponies to take back their homeland, and the Zebra’s arrogance, the Griffon Kingdom, the Dragon Lands, and a pack of Diamond Dogs all came to the aide of the Equestrians, and helped them drive off the Zebras. While they may have helped Equestria, they also did this for their own homelands, for if Equestria had fallen completely, their nations would have been next. I would also like to extend my thanks to Captain Ruby of the Gem-Biter Pack. It was thanks to her and her Diamond Dogs that the Equestrian Armed forces were able to get underneath Ponyville and Canterlot, rescue myself and Luna, and of course pour in and liberate both Ponyville and Canterlot. And of course, let us not forget the actions of Ponies such as Braeburn and Big Mac. They helped lead soldiers under Shining Armor and Captain Anderson, as well as Spike the Dragon, who also led soldiers. And who could forget the actions of Zebra defectors Zuri and Zena? It was thanks to them that those in the Appaloosa Resistance were able to crack the Zebra's virus, and develop not only a cure, but also a vaccine for it! I would also like to call all of them up to the stage too!”

They all began to come up, and there was more cheering. Once they joined us up on the stage, all of us were given medals and other decorations for our service. Captain Ruby was also given the 20 sacks of gems that she and her pack had been promised for their service, and for that she was as happy as she could be! The rest of us were also congratulating each other on our victory, and how by the grace of God, we’d liberated Equestria from the Zebras, and had almost wholly wiped them out; at least the Zebras who’d come to Equestria, and then not fled back to Zebrica. It was certainly a moment to savor, and it would last for the rest of our lives.

A few days later, back in the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor decided to visit all of us at the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company. He was wondering how we were doing, as well as how well we were holding up.

When he arrived, he found all of us sitting around our main card table, having a meeting. I looked up when I saw him. “Oh, hey Shining. What’s up?”

“Well, I just wanted to stop by, and see how all of you were doing.”

“Oh, well that was nice of you. And for what it’s worth, all of us seem to be doing ok, at least for now.”

“And what’s this meeting about, if I may ask.”

Rick looked over at him. “We’re discussing the future of the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company. The truth is, I wanted to step back from the company, and possibly see about becoming a teacher again.”

“And I wanted to leave too.” Evan confessed. “Night Glider and I were planning on moving to Canterlot, where I wanted to learn the trade of blacksmithing.”

I then turned back to Shining. “And we were also discussing the possibility of possibly establishing daughter-freight depots in Van Hoover, Manehattan, Rainbow Falls, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Las Pegasus, Appaloosa, Ponyville, and Canterlot.”

He cocked his head a bit. “So, some of you want to leave, the rest of you want to stay, and you’re talking about hiring new employees to replace them, as well as expanding the company, and hiring more employees for these new locations?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much the gist of it anyway. So far, Evan backs the depot in Canterlot, Spike backs the one in Ponyville, and Braeburn agreed to back the one in Appaloosa.”

“What do you mean by ‘back’?”

I blinked once. “Oh. I mean agree to help oversee its construction. Financial backing will hopefully come the city governments.”

“Oh, ok. That makes sense.”

“Yeah.”

As Shining and I were still talking though, Jon said something that would chance the course of our entire conversation.

He was talking to Derpy. “I REALLY wish that you could meet my family Derpy”, He was saying, “I know that they would LOVE you!”

“I wish that I could see my family again too”, Evan admitted. “And I think that the rest of us do too.”

Shining then heard what they’d been talking about. “Wait, you guys want to see your families again?”

Jon looked at him like he was crazy. “Yes, of COURSE we want to see our families again!”

“I......I didn’t even know that you guys HAD families! I mean yes, I assumed that you did, but you never talked about them until now!”

I then looked at him. “So, do you want to hear about our families?”

He nodded. “Of course I do! I’ve got plenty of time to listen.”

We all agreed to talk about it, and once we were ready, we talked about our families for the first time with someone other than each other, and our marefriends.

Rick went first. “Well, I don’t have a very large family, but I do love them all very much. Still around today is my 72 year old dad Chester, my 48 year old brother Jimmy, and my 36 year old younger brother Garrett. We all lived outside of Corpus Christi, Texas, and my dad was SO proud when I joined the Marines! My brother Jimmy was a bit jealous, but my other brother Garrett loved it. He was ALWAYS asking me for stories of my time in the Marines when I was home. Sure, I couldn’t tell him everything, but he did like what I told him. He’d wanted to join the military, but was unable to due to a heart murmur.

After I retired from the Marines, and became a part of 4449’s crew, my family was once again very proud of me. Jimmy loved trains, as did my Dad. Sure, I was just a conductor, but SOMEBODY had to do it! And I know that they were all devastated when I went missing. I hope that they’re still doing ok.”

We all agreed to this, and then Evan went next.

“Well, my family list is even shorter than that. Still alive today is my 55 year old mom Lillian, and my big brother Hank, who's 3 years older than me. We all lived in Buffalo, New York, and had a nice life. My brother used to be with the Coast Guard, and that’s what inspired me to join the Service. I decided to try and become a US Marine, and low and behold, I did! My mom and brother were SO proud of me, and they were always so happy when I was home to visit. When I became a fireman on 4449, my Mom was proud of me once again. Sure, I was working in Oregon, which was on the other side of the US from Buffalo, but she was still so happy for me. I also imagine that she was heartbroken when I went missing. My brother Hank was most likely really upset too.

Next it was Jake’s turn. “My family hails from Tucson, Arizona. There was me, my 55 year old dad Martin, my 58 year old mom Debbie, my 75 year old Grandpa Jeremiah, and my 38 year old big sister Betty. My grandpa served in the Vietnam War, and always wowed me as a kid with the stories of his service. And I don’t know if I ever told you this, but my dad works for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base just outside of Tucson, home to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center.”

I looked at him. “Wait, Davis-Monthan? Your dad works at the Boneyard?!”

Jake nodded. “Oh yes! He works at the Boneyard!”

“Um, what’s the 'Boneyard'?” Shining asked.

Jake explained. “Oh, the Boneyard is a HUGE aircraft graveyard in the desert outside of Tucson, home to aircraft retired from the US Military over the past 50 years. They’re stored there, restored there, and some are gutted and scrapped there. It covers thousands of acres, and is the largest aircraft boneyard in the world. Many billions of dollars worth of planes and parts are there, and while some planes with fly again, most will not. It’s a very eerie, yet also VERY surreal place.” Jake then went on to explain more about the Boneyard.

When he finished his explanation, Shining’s jaw was on the ground! “Wow.....that......that’s so amazing Jake! Too bad we didn’t have some planes from the Boneyard here during the war with the Zebras. Then we might have ended the war sooner! I can’t imagine that many aircraft in one place, and if all of them took flight again, they could whip all of the air forces on Earth? That’s REALLY incredible!”

“Yes, it is. It was thanks to my dad’s work with the Air Force that inspired me to go for the Marines. And once it was over, and I was retired, and a fireman on 4449, my family was still proud of me. I also know that they miss me something awful.”

Once we’d gotten over our shock of Jake’s dad working at the Boneyard, it was Frank’s turn.

“Well, there’s not a whole lot to say about my family. It was just me, my 78 year old grandpa Dakota, and my 17 year old little brother Joel, all living in my Grandpa’s house outside of Helena, Montana. My Grandpa served a tour in the Vietnam War, and I’m pretty sure that it was because of this that he discouraged me from joining the military. However, it was my lifelong dream to do so, and when I became a Marine, I’ll never forget what he told me.

‘Frank my boy, you’ll NEVER know how proud I am of you! Wear that uniform with pride, for you’re now one of the Few, and the Proud!’

I hugged him. ‘Thanks Grandpa!’ My brother Joel was proud of me too, but not quite as much as Grandpa Dakota was. And when I signed on as a part of 4449’s crew, THEN Joel was interested a lot, as he was really fond of trains too! He’d loved them ever since he was little, and was ALWAYS begging for me to tell him stories from my time with 4449. I don’t know what happened after I disappeared, but I KNOW that they were devastated, and were desperately seeking answers for why I disappeared.”

Jon went next. “Well, I do have a bit of a story to tell, so I guess I’d better start talking. My family hails from Clifton Forge, Virginia, and I still have my 49 year old mom Lindsey, my 49 year old dad Brad, my 73 year old grandpa Ethan, my 69 year old grandma Muriel, and my younger twin brother and sister Peyton and Bertha, who're both 22.”

We all looked at him in shock. Up until then, we had no idea that so many members of his family were still alive!

“Whoa, that’s a REALLY big family Jon!”

“Yeah, it kinda is Frank. My Grandpa served in the Marines under Reagan, and that’s what inspired me to try for the Marines too. However, my Mom, Grandma, and my younger siblings were against it. They didn’t want to lose me, and I could understand their point. However, both my Dad and my Grandpa supported me, and in the end, I decided to go for it. They were all there for my Marine graduation ceremony, and they were ALL cheering for me. Of course, they were all terrified every time I went overseas, but each and every time I came back ok. They all breathed a sigh of relief when I retired from the Marines, and joined 4449’s crew, but then imagine their shock and surprise when I vanished with the train. I survived actual war, simply to vanish into thin air with a train!” He then put his hand over his face, and began to cry a bit. Derpy tried to comfort him.

I then sighed, and took my turn. “Well, my story is the shortest of all. I came from Dayton, Ohio, and all I have left is my dad, 52 year old Air Force Brigadier General Stan Anderson. He’s the only member of my family still alive. I never had any siblings, and growing up, at least until I was 7, I had my mom Maggie, and my Grandpa Thomas. My Grandpa used to wow me with stories of his time in the Army in WW2. Did you guys know that he was one of the few people who survived Omaha Beach on D-Day?”

When I said that, the others were SHOCKED!

“WHAT?! He was on Omaha Beach?!”

“And he survived?!”

I smiled. “Yes! And he survived the war, and retired as a Major.” I then frowned again. I never got to meet my Grandma though, as she died of cancer before I was born. As I said, I never had any siblings, and my Mom died in a car accident when I was just 7. After this, my Dad left the Air Force as a Colonel, and he and Grandpa Thomas helped raise me. I was SO sad when my Mom died, as was my Dad. Still to this day, on our left arms, we have tattoos in her memory.” I then pulled up my left sleeve, revealing a tattoo of white angel wings, with the words, “In Loving Memory. I Miss You Mom” just below it in gold letters. “My Dad’s tattoo is almost identical, though his says ‘In Loving Memory. I Miss You Maggie’.”

The others looked at me with both shock and sadness. They’d never really heard me talk about my Mom before. They knew that she was dead, but they never knew that she’d died in a car accident, or that I’d only been 7.

“That must have been so hard for you, growing up without your Mom.”

I nodded. “It was Jon. I don’t really want to talk about it anymore. It’s really painful. However, it was thanks to my Grandpa, and my Dad that I decided to join the military. I wanted to join the Air Force like my Dad, but I was told that I was better suited for the Marines. My Dad was SO proud of me! Sadly, by this point my Grandpa Thomas had passed away, but I know that he and my Mom were looking down from Heaven, and were VERY proud of me! And once I was in the Marines, my Dad returned to the Air Force, and was reinstated. He was eventually promoted to Brigadier General, and last I heard, he’s in charge of Wright-Patterson AFB outside of Dayton!”

“Your Dad’s in charge of Wright-Patterson?”

“Yeah, he is Rick. At least, he was as of 2 years ago. I’d assume that he still is though. God only knows what he was feeling when he heard that I went missing though. Everyone else in his family was dead, and now his son was missing. I’ve prayed every day since we came here that my Dad made it through, and didn’t kill himself, and I can only PRAY that he’s still alive! I want to see my Dad again!” I then began to cry, and Gilda held me while I did so.

Shining them looked at the other 4 who weren’t crying. “So, after hearing your stories, I can tell that all of you REALLY want to see your families again, or at the very least, let them know that you’re still alive.”

All of us looked at Shining, and nodded.

“And I think I know of somepony who can help!”

“You......you do?” I asked him.

“Yeah. My little sister Twilight! She’s knows SO MUCH about so many things, and I’d be willing to bet MONEY that she could help you guys!”

I thought about that. If Twilight could help us, then maybe we could build a device that would enable us to be able to communicate with Earth. And if we did that, then maybe we would be able to contact someone in America, and try to get them to patch us through to our families!

I went over and hugged Shining. “Bro, you’re a genius!”

He hugged me back. “Yeah, I know Scar. And is that why you see me as a brother? Because you never had any growing up?”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s most of the reason."

"Well, I never had any brothers growing up either, so I can understand where you're coming from! That's why I see you as a brother too."

I smiled, and then asked, "And when do you think that you could get in touch with Twilight?”

“I can send her a letter right now.” He then began to write down a letter. Once he was done, he used his Magic to deliver it directly to Twilight, and we all waited to see what she would say.

A while later, Shining got a letter back.

"What's it say Bro?" I asked him.

"It says that she would be MORE than happy to help you guys! It's the least that she can do for you all saving her...........yada yada yada............you're her heroes who enabled the rest of the Ponies to fight back........you get the idea. The short of it is, 'Yes, of COURSE I'll help you guys! I have a few ideas for what we can do to build it, and we can start tomorrow! I'll be up there in the Crystal Empire early tomorrow afternoon, and we can go from there. Thanks for saving Equestria from the Zebras!'"

We ALL laughed a bit at that. Even during the 2 years before the war began, we ALL knew how Shining's sister Twilight was. She had OCD, wanted to learn EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING, AND she tended to ramble a LOT! Once she had an idea in her head, she was going to see it through to the end. However, Twilight was a very sweet mare, and her heart was in the right place, not to mention she was the Princess of Friendship, AND one of the 6 Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, so she was ok in our books!

Sure enough, the next afternoon, Twilight came to the Crystal Empire. When she arrived, she saw the 6 of us, our marefriends, and Shining all gathered around our main table.

She looked at all of us. "So, you guys want to get in contact with your families again?" She asked gently.

I spoke up after I nodded. "Yeah, that's the gist of it Twilight. For a little over 2 years now, we've been wholly out of contact with them. The last time that they heard from us was just before we took 4449 out on her maintenance run, and then we disappeared. We've been missing without a trace ever since, and our families are most likely DEVASTATED! We HAVE to let them know that we're ok!"

Twilight then took a seat at the table, and began to write on a notepad that she brought with her. "Hmm, inter-dimensional communication. It would be easier than actual inter-dimensional travel, and if you could pinpoint a signal, then we might be able to connect with it. Where would such a signal be? Anypony know?"

The others had their ideas, but then I gave mine. "We need to connect to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. That's where my Dad works, as he's in charge of the entire base! If we can contact Wright-Patterson, then maybe my Dad can alert the rest of the families to the situation!"

"And if he does that, then our families get summoned to Wright-Patterson........" Frank added.

"And then we get to talk to them again!" Jon finished.

"Great idea Scar!"

I nodded. "Thanks Jake." I then turned to Twilight. "And.......how exactly do we even go about performing inter-dimensional communications?"

Twilight's facial expression shifted a bit. "Well, that's the problem Captain Anderson, it's NOT going to be easy. Such a thing has never truly been successfully done before, but if you ask me, what we need to build is a large set of radio equipment. If we had that, as well as find a way to power it successfully, (as it will take a MASSIVE amount of energy to get a signal back to Earth!) then we might stand a real chance at contacting your Dad at Wright-Patterson AFB."

All of us were surprised. We needed radio equipment, and a way to power it, in order for it to do something that had NEVER been done before? Only one of us even was an engineer (Evan), but even then, he was better with computers than radios.

"So........how do we do this Princess Twilight?" Rick asked.

"You can just call me Twilight Rick. But I think that our work will have to be done in 3 stages. Stage 1, we build the radio equipment, as well as all of the necessary hardware components. Stage 2, we figure out a way to power the equipment. And Stage 3, we turn it on, and calibrate it to intercept signals from Earth, particularity those from Wright-Patterson AFB."

Rick nodded. "Yes, that does make sense Twilight. And when do you think that we can start with Stage 1?"

Twilight looked at her notes. "As soon as we've completed the plans for the final design. This may only take a day or so, and then we can get to work."

We all agreed to this, and then got to work on helping Twilight finish her final design for the inter-dimensional radio.

About a day or so later, we had the final design. Right off the bat, I KNEW that this machine was going to be a f@#king beast! It was seemingly going to be taking up almost an entire room, with said room being 20' by 10', contained within the basement of the Crystal Castle. Contained within the room was all of the radio equipment that we were going to need, which was a LOT, as well as a central control console, where everything was going to be controlled from, and where the main speakers, tuning dials, headsets, and microphone were, as well as other radio controls.

The good news was, radio equipment was easy to find. There was a lot of it in Equestria, and it was easy enough to find the high-quality radio-news equipment that we were going to need, as well as powerful communications-radio communication equipment. The only real challenge was having to repair/revamp some of it, as some of it was outdated, or missing parts and wires. All 6 of us guys were working on it, as were our marefriends, Twilight, and other Ponies who knew how the equipment worked, and knew how to repair it.

Against the room's far wall, we were setting up the central control table. This is where all of the radio equipment would be controlled from, and where the main microphone would be. It would be from here that at least one of us would attempt to contact Wright-Patterson AFB.

One night about 2 weeks later, Gilda and I were lying in our bed in the freight depot. She was holding me, and I was holding her close.

"How are you holding up Babe?" I asked her.

She looked up at me. "I'm fine. Why?"

"Well, you ARE almost 1 month pregnant now."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm FINE! I still feel perfectly normal." She then jerked away from me, and rolled over. "Dumbass". I heard her add under her breath.

I then reached around, and gently spooned with her as I held her around her middle. "I only ask because I love you Gilda. You're gonna be my wife, and the mother of our babies, so I kinda HAVE to care!"

I heard Gilda faintly snicker, before rolling over to face me. She then rubbed my face a bit, before leaning in to kiss me. "No matter what Stud, I just CAN'T hate you, no matter how hard I try! I love you just as much as you love me, and you'll be there for me during my before-marriage pregnancy. I can tell you that not very other male Griffons would do that!"

I laughed a bit. "Well, I'm NOT another male Griffon, am I?"

"No, you're SO much better!" Gilda then kissed me, and after we cuddled for a while longer, we both fell asleep.

The work on the radio continued for almost another month. After the whole set was assembled, the REAL challenge began; figuring out how the heck we were going to power all of it, since combined, the equipment was going to need enough power to be able to power almost half of Ponyville!

"How are we gonna do this?!" Rick asked Twilight.

She was looking over her notes. "Well......." She said slowly. "This equipment is WAY too powerful to hook up to a conventional power grid, so that's a no-go! However, there are a number of special crystals that are capable of producing energy, and they can be found in the Crystal Mountains surrounding the Crystal Empire."

"Crystals capable of producing power? You know, that might actually work, provided of course that these Crystals can provide power for a long period of time."

Twilight nodded. "They actually can. Before the Last Zebra War, a series of experiments were performed with these types of Crystals with the sole purpose of seeing how many it would take to power a city, or at least part of one. During the trials, the Downtown District of Manehattan was powered by a series of Crystals for nearly a week, and even when the trial ended, the crystals STILL had power left to spare!"

Rick, as well as Evan, Jon and I, who were present when Twilight said this, were wholly shocked!

"What?! They powered all of Manehattan's Downtown District for a week?!"

"And with power to spare?!"

"How is that even possible?!"

Twilight smiled a bit. "Well, answering your questions in order Rick, Jon, and Evan, yes, they really did power the Downtown District of Manehattan for a week, and with power to spare! And it's possible because the crystals are........." Twilight then went off onto a HUGE scientific lecture about how the crystals produced power, and could sustain that power, almost like a self-recharging battery. Unfortunately however, none of us, not even Rick, who had a degree in chemistry, had ANY idea what she was talking about!

".......So in conclusion, that's how the crystals work! Does that make sense?"

I blinked twice. "Um.........yeah, sure. It all makes sense! Now the question becomes, how many do we need for our radio equipment?"

Twilight looked at her notes again. "Well, since it took 50 crystals to power Manehattan's Downtown District, and this equipment, while smaller than that, still needs a LOT of energy, I'd say that we're looking at needing between 25-30 crystals for powering the radio."

"And.....how hard are these crystals to find?"

"Eh, not too hard, but the trick is finding the bigger ones, since those seem to self-sustain power production better."

We all agreed to this, and Twilight then informed Shining and Cadence, who in turn sent out an order to one of the mines in the Crystal Mountains that 30 large Power Crystals were needed at the Crystal Castle ASAP. The order was filled the next day, and while Rick, Evan and Frank, as well as Twilight and a few other technicians were hooking them up to the generators that were going to be the radio's power supply, Jon, Jake, Shining and and I were at the VERY top of the Crystal Castle, installing the radio's main antenna.

Jake and I, since we were Human-Pegasai and could fly, did most of the work while Shining directed us from a balcony maybe 30 feet below, and Jon would send us up the tools that we needed via a pulley lift system that we Jerry-rigged.

"At least there's no wind today." I muttered as I was bolting the antenna in place.

"Yeah, no kidding Scar. If there was, then it would be MUCH harder to install the antenna! And at least it's a long, slender pole with its own lightning rod, AND doesn't interfere with the Crystal Empire's flag on the flagpole up here!"

"Yeah. It blends right in with the flagpole, AND it has its own lightning rod, which should help prevent the antenna from getting struck by lightning! And now that's it fully installed, now all we have to do is hook up the cables, and run them down to the basement where the main radio is, and hook them up there too."

"And then we're ready to turn everything on?"

I nodded. "Yes, but then we have to test everything. Remember, this IS the VERY FIRST attempt at a radio project of this size in Equestrian history, not to mention the largest radio ever built, so EVERYTHING has to be tested first!"

Jake agreed, and once Jon handed us up the cables, we attached them to the antenna, and then began to run them down the entire length of the castle until we reached the ground, and then after slipping them through a specially-drilled hole, we slipped them down to the basement, where Rick, Frank and Evan attached them to the radio's main control station. Less than an hour after this, the radio setup was FINALLY complete, and then the main testing could begin.

From start to finish, the entire construction of the radio took almost a month. Finally, on April 8th, 2025, we were FINALLY ready to test everything, and if the tests were successful, the radio would then be turned on to full power, and a signal would be sent from the Crystal Empire, through the Space-Time Barrier/across the Multiverse, and on to Wright-Patterson AFB just outside of Dayton, Ohio.

As we were all gathered in the middle of the room, I looked around at the rest of my 5 Marine buddies, their marefriends, Gilda, Shining, Cadence, and Twilight, as well as a few other technicians. I then looked over all of the radio equipment.

"Alright, let's check everything. We can't let anything slip through the cracks, or it's all gonna fail, so let's get this right!"

"Got that right Bro!" Shining agreed. He then ordered the technicians to start checking over everything, while Twilight and Evan checked the work behind them.

Meanwhile, I was sitting at the main control table with Gilda, and we'd turned on the controls just enough to begin to receive static. I was beginning to input the frequency that was used by Wright-Patterson AFB, while Gilda was watching what I was doing.

"So, what are you trying to do Babe?"

"I'm just trying to input the frequency that WPAFB uses. I won't know for sure if I've gotten it until we've turned everything on for real, but I'm just setting it up for now." I then continued to move the knobs, dials, and various switches, as well as push a few buttons. "There. That's all I can do until we give the rest of the radio equipment full power. That's when we'll know for sure if I'm right."

I then looked behind me. "How's it looking back there Twilight?"

"Eh, it should only be another hour or so Ben."

I nodded, but yet cocked my head a bit. I'd been called "Scar" for so long that it always felt weird for me to be called by my real first name.

Eventually though, it was time to turn everything on. "Everything looks ok Princess Twilight." One of the technicians reported. "Everything seems to be sound, and you can now begin the startup procedure."

Twilight nodded. "Excellent." She then looked at the others in the room. Each of the 5 Marines and their marefriends were close to one of the 5 out of 6 main sections of radio equipment to monitor them, while Shining and Cadence monitored the 6th. Gilda and I were at the main control table, and the technicians were on standby just in case anything went wrong.

"Ok, is everypony ready?"

"We're ready Twily!"

"Amethyst and I are ready!"

"Derpy and I are ready!"

Night Glider and I are ready!"

"Frank and I are ready!"

Frank gave Lyra a look, as HE wanted to sound off, but he just shook his head.

"Jake and I are ready!" Roseluck added.

"And Gilda and I are ready too." I finished.

Twilight nodded. "Ok then, begin powering-up procedures. Shining, you and Cadence go first." Shining then began to turn his section on.

"Holding steady so far Twily!"

"Rick, now you and Amethyst!" Rick then began to do so.

"Holding steady."

"Jon and Derpy, your turn."

"Right!" Jon then began to flip the switches.

"Holding steady Princess Twilight!"

"Frank, Lyra, your turn."

"Ok, on it!" They both began to flip the switches.

"Evan, Night Glider, go!"

"On it Princess Twilight!" Night Glider chirped.

"Ok, good. And lastly, Jake and Roseluck!"

"On it!" They then flipped the switches, and now the ENTIRE set of radio equipment was powered up, and sending their signals to the main control station. So far, everything was holding steady.

"Ok, Ben, Gilda, it's all on you. Turn the main control station on fully!"

"Roger that Twilight!" Gilda then helped me flip everything on.

Then, with a great humming, and a few flashes of orange, yellow, and amber lights behind the control gauges, as well as some beeping, and sounds of static, the entire radio came to life! We were all about to start cheering, but then something went wrong.

"Oh shit! Twilight! We've got a fire over here!" Evan reported.

"What?! A FIRE?!" She turned around just in time to see Evan using a fire extinguisher on his section of radio equipment. Something inside of it had caught fire, and had been burning. She then looked at the rest of us. "TURN EVERYTHING OFF!!!!!"

"RIGHT!!!!" We all agreed in unison. We all then shut everything down, while Twilight and a few of the technicians came over to help Evan fully put out the fire.

Once it was out, the section was examined, and it was found that a few wires had gotten crossed. At lower power, nothing was wrong, but at full power, a small short quickly became a full-blown electrical fire! Luckily, Evan's quick actions saved the section, and maybe 2 hours later, once the proper repairs had been made, it was time to try again.

This time, there was no sparks, or electrical fires. Once full-power had been achieved, I once again flipped on the main control station. Then, after waiting a few minutes, all stations reported that everything was holding steady.

"Ok, here's goes nothing." I then picked up a headset, and put it on. (It came from 4449, so it fit over my Human ears just fine!) I then reached forwards, and after pulling the radio microphone a bit closer to me, I turned it on. Then, after checking everything one last time, with help from Gilda, I finished inputting the frequency for Wright-Patterson AFB, and once everything was ready, I began to broadcast the signal.

"Attention, attention. This is Captain Ben Anderson, of US Marine Battalion Hearthstone! I'm attempting to contact General Stan Anderson of Wright Patterson AFB. Does anyone copy? Over." There was only static for the time being, but it was quiet static, meaning that my messages were indeed going somewhere. I kept repeating my request, hoping desperately for a reply.

Meanwhile, across the vastness of the Multiverse, back on Planet Earth, within the United States, outside of Dayton, Ohio, Wright-Patterson AFB was standing tall and proud. Planes were still taking off and landing, various aircraft experiments were being done, and presumably, the Government was still experimenting with Alien spacecraft too! All was quiet at the base, just like it always was. Suddenly however, the base's communications center began to pick up a strange signal.

"Um, Sir?" The on-duty technician who picked up the signal alerted his superior.

His superior, Lt. Charles Lassen, looked over. "What'cha got Ensign?"

"I'm picking up a strange signal Sir."

Lassen came over. "What kind of a signal?"

"It's.....almost like an old radio signal. It's coming over on one of the old frequencies, and it keeps repeating itself."

"And......what is it? Is it in code?"

"No Sir, it's very faint......but.....it almost sounds like a voice!"

"What?" Lassen then picked up a headset. He then began to listen to what the ensign, Mike Henderson, was listening to. Sure enough, there did seem to be a voice talking, but he wasn't able to make out what it was saying. "Ensign, is there any way to amplify this? We need to see what this voice is saying."

Henderson nodded. "I'll try Sir." He then began to try and boost the incoming signal.

"Anything?"

"Not yet Sir. I'll try to........" Suddenly though, from over the radio, a voice came through crystal clear!

"Attention, attention. This is Captain Ben Anderson, of US Marine Battalion Hearthstone! I'm attempting to contact General Stan Anderson of Wright Patterson AFB. Does anyone copy? Over." Maybe 10 seconds later, the voice repeated itself. "Attention, attention. This is Captain Ben Anderson, of US Marine Battalion Hearthstone! I'm attempting to contact General Stan Anderson of Wright Patterson AFB. Does anyone copy? Over."

Both Lassen and Henderson looked at each other. Neither of them could tell where the signal was coming from, but Henderson decided to reply.

"Unknown transmitter, unknown transmitter, this is Ensign Michael Henderson, at Wright-Patterson AFB. I have picked up your transmission. Please acknowledge, over."

There was a pause. Then, the voice spoke again. "Wait. Ensign Michael Henderson, of Wright-Patterson AFB?! I acknowledge, over!"

"Yes, this is Ensign Michael Henderson. Please identify yourself, over."

"This is Captain Ben Anderson, of US Marine Battalion Hearthstone! I HAVE to reach General Stan Anderson! Can you patch me through?"

Lassen then spoke up. "Listen whoever this is, I don't care who you THINK that you are, but if you were legit, you would NOT be contacting us over some obsolete radio frequency! If you do not properly identify yourself, further communications will be blocked, and you WILL be reported to the authorities!"

"I already told you! I'm Captain Ben Anderson of US Marine Battalion Hearthstone! AKA Wolf Pack Battalion! I HAVE to reach General Stan Anderson!"

"There's no such thing as 'Wolf Pack Battalion'! It's just a myth! I'm done with this bullshit, and am blocking you."

"BY THE LIGHT OF THE CRYSTAL DAWN!!!!" The voice suddenly screamed.

"That means nothing. See you in Federal Prison!" He then made the move to block the frequency.

However, a nearby major, Major Fred Bannister, heard what the voice over the radio had just screamed. He looked over at Lassen. "What did that voice just say Lassen? What's going on over there?"

"Nothing Sir. It's just some punk trying to masquerade as a US Marine Captain over an obsolete radio frequency. I'm about to block him, and alert the FBI."

Bannister walked over. "Hold on just a second Lassen." He then picked up a headset too. "Unknown contact, this is Major Fred Bannister at Wright-Patterson AFB, please repeat your last phrase, over."

"By the light of the Crystal Dawn!" The voice repeated.

The Major's face then became serious. He then asked a VERY serious question. "At what point does the sun shine darkest?"

After a moment of silence, the voice spoke again. "It shines darkest in the blue desert at dawn!"

"*Unknown contact, please identify yourself, over!*" The Major asked in Wolf-Speak, which was the wolf-language used by all of Wolf-Pack Battalion. (For he was once one of us, before he retired, and joined the Air Force).

"*Major, this is Captain Ben Anderson of Wolf Pack Battalion, serial number 04014! You HAVE to get me in contact with General Stan Anderson!*"

Bannister then looked over at Lassen with a mixture of shock and fear. "Lassen, patch this guy over to the General, ASAP!!!! He is indeed who he claims that he is, and must speak to General Anderson immediately!"

Lassen and Henderson were shocked. "But Sir..........what?!"

"Who is he Sir? And what did you ask him? What was that language? Aand what did he say back?"

The Major narrowed his eyes. "Lieutenant, the answers to those questions are FAR above your pay-grade! All you need to know is that you have 30 seconds to patch Captain Anderson of US Marine Battalion Hearthstone over to General Stan Anderson, or you WILL be court-marshaled! DO you understand Lieutenant Lassen?! And the same goes for you too Ensign Henderson!"

Both of them saluted. "Sir, yes Sir!"

"On it now Sir!" Both of them then patched my radio transmission over to the office of General Stan Anderson, the man in charge of Wright-Patterson AFB.

When my radio call received a reply, all of us in the basement radio room were BESIDE OURSELVES!!!!! We had just completed the very first inter-dimensional radio transmission in Equus's history! Unfortunately however, things began to go wrong. It soon became clear to the others that whoever I was talking too wasn't buying my story.

I looked over my shoulder. "They're not buying it guys! They said that I'm a fraud, and that if I really WAS a US Marine officer, then I would have contacted them over the proper channels!"

"Blast!" I heard the others curse.

"Oh no!"

"What?" Rick asked.

"Lt. Lassen just said that if I don't properly identify myself, the frequency will be blocked, and I WILL be reported to the federal authorities!"

The others were shocked, angry, and deeply saddened, all at once!

"NO!!!!" Frank yelled.

"THEY CAN'T DO THAT!!!!" Jon added.

I tried one last time to tell them who I really was. Alas, I still wasn't believed. "HE'S GONNA BLOCK THE FREQUENCY!!!!"

Rick then had an idea. "SCAR!!!! GIVE HIM THE CODE PHRASE!!!!!"

"RIGHT!!!! BY THE LIGHT OF THE CRYSTAL DAWN!!!!" I then screamed into the radio's microphone. I then waited for a moment.

"Did he buy it?" Evan asked nervously.

"NO!!! HE'S STILL BLOCKING US!!!! WAIT!!!!!"

"What?" Gilda asked.

"I just heard another voice. Another officer's telling Lassen not to block me! Hold on." I then went silent for a moment.

The others were all holding their breath, praying by ALL that they held dear that whoever I was speaking to would give me a chance to prove who I really was.

"It shines darkest in the blue desert at dawn!" I suddenly almost yelled.

"What does that mean?" Derpy asked Jon.

"That's one of our code-phrases that we used to use in Wolf Pack. It's how we identified ourselves to our superiors. If Scar just said that, then that means an ex-Wolf Pack officer just asked him 'At which point does the sun shine darkest?' to which he replied, 'It shines darkest in the blue desert at dawn'."

The others in the room then heard me say something in Wolf-Speak, before jumping up out of my seat! "YES!!!! YES!!!! YES!!!!!"

"What's going on Scar?" Evan asked.

"The guy I was just talking to was Major Fred Bannister! He was a former Wolf Pack Battalion officer! HE'S PATCHING US THROUGH TO MY DAD!!!!"

When the others heard that, they were ALL celebrating. There was screaming, shouting, cheering, hugging, kissing, whistling, and all manor of other celebratory noises! Thankfully, Twilight was able to use a soundproofing spell, so no one outside of our basement radio room heard us!

I then turned back to the radio, and waited to hear what would happen when my Dad picked up.

Meanwhile, inside of his office at Wright-Patterson, 52 year old Brigadier General Stanley "Stan" Anderson was a tired man. At one time, he had a loving wife, a proud father, and a happy son, but he lost them all. His wife Maggie died in a car accident when his son was only 7, and 12 years later, his father Thomas also passed away at age 99. Then, a little more than 2 years earlier, his son Ben had vanished without a trace while driving 4449. The whole train, and 5 other crew had gone missing, and hadn't been heard from since. No traces of anything had ever been found, and it was as if the whole train and those on it had simply vanished from existence.

Stan was EXTREMELY upset when his son went missing, and he cried for a long time. Every day since, he kept PRAYING that his son would turn up, but he still remained missing. However, on that day, April 8th, 2025, that was all about to change.

Suddenly, the intercom on his desk buzzed. "General Anderson?"

"Yes?"

"This is Major Fred Bannister in Communications. I've got a radio transmission coming to you now that you HAVE to hear! It's PRIORITY LEVEL 1!!!!"

Stan was surprised. In all of his time with the Air Force, he'd almost NEVER gotten a transmission that was Priority Level 1.

"What's going on Major?"

"It's nothing serious Major, except to you personally."

Still confused, Stan ordered the transmission patched through to his office. A few moments later, the radio in his office came to life.

"Hello? I'm calling for General Stan Anderson!"

Stan picked up the microphone on his end. "This is General Stan Anderson, go ahead."

There was a slight pause on the other end. "Um.....D-Dad........It's me. It's Ben. I.........I'm ok. We're ALL ok!"

When Stan heard that voice, the voice of his SON, the son who had been missing for just over 2 years without a trace, he almost had a heart attack! "B-B-BEN?! Son?! IS THAT REALLY YOU?!?!"

"Yes! It's me Dad! I'm right here! I'm fine! I'm fine, and so are Rick, Evan, Frank, Jon and Jake, not to mention SP Daylight 4449! We're ALL ok!"

"And........just for verification purposes, what tattoos do we both have on our left arms, and who's it for?"

"Dad, we both have a pair of golden wings, and they're to remind us of Mom. Underneath my wings, it says, 'In Loving Memory, I Miss You Mom', and under your's, it says, 'In Loving Memory, I Miss You Maggie'. And if that's not enough for you, I also have the American flag on my chest with the words, "Never Forgotten" below it in honor of Grandpa Thomas!"

There was silence for a moment. Finally, Stand said, "Ben! It REALLY IS YOU!!!!! My Boy! You're not dead!"

"No! I'm alive and well! And so are the others, and our train!"

"Where are you right now?! Tell me EVERYTHING that's happened in the past 2 years! Spare NO details! PLEASE, I HAVE TO KNOW!!!!"

"Ok, here goes Dad." I then explained everything. From the lightning creating the portal on top of Sherman Hill, to our arrival in the Crystal Empire, and by default Equestria, to our creation of the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company, to the Zebras coming, our suspicions of them, things getting worse, Gill's death, the Night of Fear, our survival, our finding the Appaloosa Resistance, the liberation of the Smoky Mountains Quarantine Camp, the Battle in the Crystal Empire, the liberation of the rest of Equestria, the total annihilation of the Zebras, the war's aftermath, the celebrations, and of course, our FINALLY succeeding in building the radio to communicate back to Earth. And of course, I told my Dad all about Gilda, though I neglected to mention that she was pregnant.

When I finally finished my explanation nearly an hour later, for the longest time, there was only silence from my Dad's end.

"Um.....Dad? You still there?"

Finally, he said something. "........You mean to tell me that not only did the 6 wind up in another world, but you started your own freight company, all of you helped save Equestria from the Zebras, and you also found a girlfriend, and she's a GRIFFON?!"

"Yeah, that's the gist of it Dad! It's been a REALLY busy past 2 years!"

I then heard my dad chuckle a bit. "THAT'S my Boy!"

I then laughed a bit. "Thanks Dad! Oh, and do you want to talk to Gilda? She's right here with me."

"Yes, and then I want to talk to the other 5 who are with you. I HAVE to know how to contact their families right away! They're no doubt sick to death with worry just like I was, and once I know where to find them, I'll summon them all to Wright-Patterson so that they can talk to them!"

"Ok sounds like a plan to me Dad!" I then handed off the mic and headset to Gilda.

"Hello, this is Gilda."

"Miss Gilda, this is General Stan Anderson. I'm Ben's dad."

"Wow, it's nice to finally be able to meet you Sir. And I must tell you, your son is AMAZING! He's been the BEST boyfriend I could have EVER hoped for, and he's SO good to me! He protected me all throughout the Last Zebra War, and he's promised to love and take care of me for the rest of my life!"

"Well, that DEFINITELY sounds like my Son alright! And I still can't believe that I'm talking to a Griffon right now! Here on Earth, you're nothing more than beasts of legend!"

Gilda smirked a bit. "Just as I can't believe that I'm talking to the dad of my boyfriend!"

My Dad and Gilda talked for a little while longer, before my Dad then talked to Rick, Jake, Frank, Evan and Jon, and from them learned where each of their families lived. He then agreed to contact each of their families, and summon them immediately to Wright-Patterson on the Air Force's dollar so that they could talk to their sons/brothers/grandsons/other male family members. He then told us that he was going to call back once he'd contacted the families, and I said that we would be waiting. The transmission then ceased for the time being, and we were all still so shocked that our plan to contact my Dad had worked!

With the information given to him by Rick, Evan, Jake, Frank and Jon, he contacted their families in Corpus Christi, Texas, Buffalo, New York, Tuscon, Arizona, Helena, Montana, and Clifton Forge, Virginia.

One can only imagine the shock of the families when they realized that an officer from the Air Force was trying to contact them. Some picked up, while others let the call go to voicemail. However, those who did that learned that the officer identified himself as General Stan Anderson, the father of Ben Anderson, a coworker to their missing male family member. He said that he had new information regarding them, and THEN they called General Anderson back!

Rick's dad Chester was one of the ones who picked up the first time. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this the family of Rick Dennis?"

"Yes, this is his father Chester. Who am I speaking to?"

"My name is General Stan Anderson, US Air Force. My son Ben served with Rick onboard SP Daylight 4449. I have new information regarding your son."

".......Which is.....?"

"Your son Rick is still alive! I just heard from him through my son Ben! They're alive, as are the others!"

"WHAT?!?!?!" Chester screamed, drawing the attention of Rick's younger brother Garrett. "Yes! We're on our way to Wright-Patterson right now!" He then hung up the phone.

"What is it Dad?" Garret asked.

"We HAVE to go to Wright-Patterson AFB immediately! Call Jimmy, and tell him to meet us at the airport!"

"What? Why?"

"THEY FOUND RICK!!!!! HE'S STILL ALIVE!!!!"

"WHAT?!?!?!"

"YES!!!"

Garrett then called Jimmy, who agreed to meet them at the airport.

When my Dad called Evan's house in Buffalo, New York, there was no answer the first time. However, a little while later, Evan's big brother called back. When he heard the news about Evan, he IMMEDIATELY called his mother at her quilting club!

"Mom! The Air Force just found Evan! He's alive and well!"

"WHAT?!?!?! EVAN'S ALIVE?!?!?!"

"YES!!!! General Stan Anderson at Wright-Patterson AFB said that he has Evan on the radio there!"

Lillian did ask why Evan was at Wright-Patterson, and Hank then explained a bit more about what my Dad had told him about us being transported to another dimension. When she heard that, her mind was made up. "Hank, pack for us for the next 3 days! I'm coming home, and then we're going to the airport to catch the next flight to Dayton!"

"Right away Mom!" He then went to go pack.

Down in Tuscon, my Dad was able to get through to Jake's dad Martin at the Boneyard. When he heard about Jake, he IMMEDIATELY called his wife at home, and she in turn called Betty and Jake's Grandpa Jeremiah.

"WHAT?!?!?! THEY FOUND JAKE?!?!?!"

"Yes! Your Dad just got off the phone with General Stan Anderson at Wright-Patterson AFB! He said that his son Ben contacted him, and that he, Jake and the others were launched into another dimension! They've got them on the radio at Wright-Patterson, which is where we HAVE to go now!"

"Right!!!" Betty then began to pack, while Debbie packed for herself and Jeremiah. Martin handled his own packing, and they were all soon on their way to Dayton on an Air Force plane.

In Helena, Montana, the phone rang, but eventually, Frank's grandpa Dakota picked up. "Hello? Who am I speaking too?"

When he heard what my Dad had to say, Dakota almost dropped the phone! "W.....w-what?! FRANK'S ALIVE?!?!?!"

"Yes Sir, he is! He's alive and well, and he's eagerly waiting to talk to you, and his little brother Joel!"

"Right! Let me just go grab Joel, and we're on our way!" He then hung up the phone, and after packing for himself and Joel, he drove immediately to where Joel was having high school baseball practice. He got there just in time for practice to end, and once it was, he ran up to Joel.

"Joel!"

"Grandpa! You made it just in time to pick me up!"

"Never mind that Joel! They found him! THE AIR FORCE JUST FOUND FRANK!!!! HE'S ALIVE!!!!!"

When Joel heard that, he dropped his bag with all of his baseball gear in it! "WHAT?! THEY FOUND FRANK?!?!"

"YES!!!! He got blasted into some other dimension with the rest of his crew and the Daylight, but he's alive and waiting to talk to us via radio!"

Once Joel had gotten over himself, he jumped into his Grandpa's truck, and the 2 of them raced for the airport in Helena.

Finally, in Clifton Forge, Virginia, my Dad's call reached Jon's house. No one answered the first time, until Jon's mom Lindsey saw the answering machine light flash. She then pushed the button, and my Dad's voice was heard. When Lindsey heard that, she immediately called back, and when she heard what my Dad told her about Jon, to say that she was beside herself was an understatement! She then called Peyton and Bertha at their college, and she told them to contact their grandparents, while she called Jon's dad Brad.

"JON'S STILL ALIVE?!?!?!"

"Yes, the Air Force found him Brad! According to General Stan Anderson, the dad of Jon's coworker Ben Anderson, SP Daylight 4449 and her crew were blasted into another dimension, but they've managed to contact Wright-Patterson AFB! WE HAVE TO GO THERE NOW!!!!"

"Right!" Brad then left work early, and Peyton and Bertha left school early to pick up Grandpa Ethan and Grandma Muriel. Once they were all together, they all drove to the nearest airport, and took off for Dayton.

The next day, April 9th, all of the families were met at the airport in Dayton by Air Force officials, and were being taken by car to Wright-Patterson, where they were going to meet my Dad, and then finally get to talk to their missing family member.

As they were driving out to Wright-Patterson, the families got to know each other a bit better. Yes, they had met before one time soon after they learned that Rick, Jake, Frank, Evan, Jon and I were missing, and they had kept in contact a bit since then, but it had been a while since they'd last contacted each other. None of them knew what to expect when they arrived at the base, but they knew that they were soon going to get to talk to their missing family member again.

When they arrived, security waved them through the main gate, and when the small convoy of vehicles arrived at the main base, the families got out of the vehicles, and were ushered inside. Once inside, they were subjected to a bit more rigorous security, but of course, they were clean, and once the security officials were satisfied, the 17 family members were led to a communications room.

Once they arrived, and the door was locked behind them, they saw that the only other person in the room was an Air Force officer with dark hair, brown eyes, and wearing a blue officer's uniform, with the insignia of a Brigadier General. They quickly realized that he must be General Stan Anderson.

"Greetings, family members of Rick, Evan, Jake Frank, and Jon. It's such an honor to FINALLY be able to see all of you again! No doubt you all got my calls, and came at once. Yes, I told you that you were all going to be able to talk to your missing family member, and today you're going to get to do that, and one better. Last night they were able to rig up a video screen, so now you'll all be able to see them, in addition to talk to them!"

"And where are they now?" Rick's dad Chester asked.

"They're on the line now, waiting for the signal to turn on the video screen on this end. The call is over the radio, but we've been able to convert it more or less into a Skype call on this end. Now then, if all of you could kindly take your seats that have been provided, we can get this show on the road!"

The families all did so, and took their seats in front of a video screen on a far wall. Stan then sat at a console, and put on a headset.

"Can you hear me Ben?"

"Yep, I can hear you Dad. Are all of the families here yet?"

"Yep, they're all here, and waiting anxiously. Is everything good on your end?"

"It looks like it. The radio is still working fine, and the video screen looks good too. How's everything on your end?"

"Everything's fine here. Are you ready to turn the screen on?"

"Roger that! Can we turn it on now?"

"Yes. You can turn it on now, and add the audio."

"Ok, here goes nothing!" Suddenly, the screen in front of the families began to turn on. At first, it was only black, but then a hand removed what looked like a lens-cap, and the figure of a male appeared. He had brown hair and blue eyes, and was dressed in the standard field uniform of a US Marine. Behind him the families could see a lot of radio equipment, as well as a few other figures milling about.

"Ok, can you all see and hear me?"

"Yep, we can see you and hear you Ben!"

"Ok good!" I then looked out at the families. "Hi everyone!"

"Hello Captain Anderson!"

"And no doubt you've all came to see your family members, so let's get right down to that. You're up first Rick!" I then stepped back, and Rick took my place.

When he stepped up, Chester, Garrett, and Jimmy all got up, and came up close to the screen. Rick looked almost the same as he had before, though he had a few more scars, his brown, graying hair was a bit grayer still, but his brown eyes were still the same. However, to his family's surprise, they saw that Rick had 2 gray wolf ears on top of his head, as well as a gray horn smack dab in the middle of his forehead!

At this same time, Rick was also looking at his family. His Dad Chester had white hair with blue eyes, Jimmy had brown hair with graying streaks and blue eyes, and Garrett had black hair and blue eyes.

Chester spoke first. "Rick! My Son, you're still alive!"

"Yeah, I'm ok Dad! I mean, we all got sent to another dimension, not to mention having to fight a MAJOR war, but I'm ok!"

"What's on your forehead Rick?" Jimmy asked. "And are those wolf ears?

"Well Jimmy, you're probably NOT going to believe this, but thanks to the portal that sent us to Equestria, I got wolf ears and a wolf's tail, as well as the horn of a Unicorn! I can use Magic to pick things up!"

"Really Rick?" Garrett asked.

Rick then used his Magic to pick up a coffee mug that was sitting on the control table. "See? Nothing too it! But enough about me, I'm just SO HAPPY to see you guys again!"

"So are we Rick." Chester told him. "It's been a LONG 2 years without you!"

Rick then remembered something. "Oh, and Dad, Jimmy, Garrett, there's someone else that I want you to meet." Rick then pulled Amethyst close to him. "This is is Amethyst, she's my girlfriend." His family saw a Crystal Pony with light turquoise fur, amber colored eyes, and a curly pink mane and tail. She was also wearing a nurse's uniform.

Amethyst looked up at the screen. "So great to FINALLY be able to see all of you! You're exactly as Rick described you!"

"Nice to meet you too Amethyst." (All of the families had been briefed by Stan over the phone on what they should expect. Stan told them that Equestria was inhabited by bipedal, equine-like beings called Ponies, and to not be too surprised to see one!)

Once they were done talking, (during which Rick explained the Last Zebra War, much to his family's shock!) Rick looked behind him. "You're next Evan!"

"Right!" He then stepped up to the table, while his mom and older brother stepped up on their end. Evan looked at them. His mom Lillian had short blonde hair and green eyes, while his brother Hank had blonde hair and brown eyes. Evan himself meanwhile was wearing his Marine field uniform, and he looked almost unchanged with his blonde hair and blue eyes, though like Rick, he too had 2 gray wolf ears.

"Mom! Hank!"

"Evan! You're ok!"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine Mom. Despite everything that's happened, I'm ok!"

"You look the same Little Bro, aside from the wolf ears. You don't have a horn like Rick does!"

Evan shook his head. "Not quite Hank. I might LOOK the same, but I'm what they call a 'Human-Earth Pony', which means that I have super-Human strength! I can pick up VERY heavy objects, and move them like they weigh nothing! And I would show you, but alas, there's nothing heavy in this room that I can pick up safely!"

"Well, in any case, it's just nice to know that you're ok! Oh, and do you have a girlfriend like Rick?"

Evan nodded. "Well, we call them 'marefriends' around here, but yes, I do!" At this moment, a bluish-blur raced up next to him. Hank and Lillian saw that she was a mare with dark blue fur, blue eyes, a white mane and tail, and was wearing sweatpants, and a workout shirt.

She waved to them. "Hello, my name is Night Glider. It's nice to meet you Hank and Lillian."

Lillian nodded. "Yes, and it's nice to meet you too Night Glider. Have you and Evan been together long?"

"Well, we've been together for about 2 years now. He kept me safe all during the Last Zebra War, and I'm hoping that we can get married soon."

"Well, you seem like a nice mare, and it would be an honor to have you as a Daughter in Law!"

Night Glider giggled a bit, and then she and Evan talked with Lillian and Hank for a while longer.

Eventually, Evan looked behind him. "Jake, Roseluck, your turn!" He and Night Glider then stepped back, and they stepped up, as did the rest of Jake's family.

Jake then looked over his family. His dad Martin had brown hair with small hints of white and brown eyes, while his mom Debbie had blonde hair with small hints of white and blue eyes, his grandpa Jeremiah had pure white hair and green eyes, and his older sister Betty had thick curly brown hair and blue eyes.

When his family saw Jake though, he seemed normal enough. He still had light brown hair, as well as one green eye, and one brown eye, and was wearing his Marine field uniform, but to his family's shock, he too had 2 gray wolf ears and a wolf tail, AND he had 2 black feathery WINGS on his back! Standing next to him was a mare with tan fur, green eyes, and a pink and red mane and tail. She was also wearing a green dress.

"Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Sis!"

"Jake! And you have wolf parts, wings, and a marefriend!"

Jake laughed a bit. "Yeah, that's the gist of it Mom! I have a wolf tail, wolf ears, black feathery wings that I can fly with", He then took flight, and hovered a bit to prove his point, "And this is Roseluck!" He placed a hand on Roseluck's shoulder. "We've been together for about 2 years now."

Debbie and Betty looked at Roseluck. "Well, it's nice to meet you Miss Roseluck."

"Likewise Mrs. Blythe."

"And what's this I heard 'bout some war you fought Jake?" his Grandpa asked.

Jake then explained the Last Zebra War in a nutshell.

Grandpa Jeremiah smirked. "Heh, THAT'S my Grandson! I would have done the same thing!"

"Yeah, I know that you would have Grandpa!" Jake then turned to his Dad. "And how are things at the Boneyard Dad?"

"Just like they always are Jake. Planes to preserve, planes to gut, parts to ship off somewhere, planes to restore, planes to sell, and of course, planes to wholly scrap. It's just the usual out at Davis-Monthan!"

Jake laughed a bit, and then he and his family got to talk for a while longer, and his family got to know Roseluck a lot better too.

Eventually though, Jake remembered that Frank and Jon were still waiting to see their families, so he knew that he had to cut the chat short. He said goodbye to his family, they said goodbye to him and Roseluck, and then Jake looked behind him. "Come on Frank! Joel and your Grandpa Dakota are waiting!"

"Coming Jake!" Frank then walked up, as did Joel, and Grandpa Dakota.

When they saw him, both of them looked Frank over. His brownish-red hair and green eyes were the same, as was his Marine field uniform, though he too had the wolf ears and tail, though he seemed to lack wings or a horn. Frank meanwhile saw that Grandpa Dakota was still bald and had green eyes, and that Joel still had his short thick brown hair and green eyes.

Dakota spoke first. "You've done me proud once again Frank my Boy! You did your part to help save the world from a foreign invader!"

Frank saluted. "I just did what I had to do Grandpa. Those Zebras wanted to invade and conquer Equestria, and the boys and I weren't gonna let them! We just did what we had to do, what ANY US Marine would have done!"

"I like your wolf ears Frank!" Joel told him. "They look kinda cool! But you don't have wings or a horn?"

Frank shook his head. "Nope, sorry Joel. But before I tell you what I DO have, how's baseball been?"

"Oh, it's been great! A bit sad since you weren't there like you sometimes were, but we still won quite a few games!"

"That's good to hear Joel. And like Evan, I've got super-Human strength! I can pick things up..........like my marefriend Lyra over here!" Frank then ducked off camera for a moment, and when he came back, he was holding a mint-green Unicorn mare with yellow eyes, and a whitish-light blue mane and tail. She was wearing jean-shorts, and a yellow shirt. She hugged Frank happily.

"Hello Joel, hello Grandpa Dakota! As Frank just said, my name is Lyra, and I'm his marefriend! We've been together for about 2 years now!"

Joel looked at her in surprise. "Whoa! You're a Unicorn!"

"Yep, I sure am! And you look just as nice as Frank described you as Joel!"

The 4 of them continued to talk for a little while longer.

Finally though, it was down to just Jon. Frank looked behind him. "It's down to you Jon! Bring it home with Derpy!"

"You got it Frank!" Jon then walked up to the screen to see his family, with Derpy right behind him.

Like all of his other comrades, his family saw that Jon also had the wolf ears and a tail, as well as his Marine field uniform, and his usual auburn hair and blue eyes, but to their surprise, like Rick, Jon also had a gray horn on his forehead! Jon also looked his family over. His dad Brad had blonde hair and blue eyes, his mom Lindsey had long curly auburn red hair and green eyes, his grandpa Ethan had thin white hair and green eyes, his grandma Muriel had thin curly white hair and brown eyes, and of course, his younger brother and sister were identical twins. Peyton had curly blonde hair and green eyes, while Bertha had wild, short blonde hair and green eyes

Jon spoke first. "Well, it's nice to know that you all still look the same 2 years later! I wish that I could say the same for me!"

"Eh, you don't look THAT different Bro." Peyton told him.

"Yeah!" Bertha added. "You still look like the same old big brother who left to join the Marines, and then came back to join 4449's crew."

"Well, that's nice to know." He then looked at his Grandpa and Grandma. "And both of you still look great too. How have you been Grandpa and Grandma?"

"Well, we've been doin' as well as we older folks can!" Muriel told him.

"Yeah. And did ya kick those Zebra's asses? I'll bet that you REALLY made 'em cry, didn't ya?"

Jon laughed. "Yep, we sure did Grandpa! We made them wish that they'd NEVER messed with Equestria while it was under our watch!"

Jon then turned to his mom and dad. "And how's everything been back in Clifton Forge? C&O 614 still on display, or did they FINALLY find someone who was willing to restore her?"

Brad spoke first. "Nope, 614 is still on display. No restoration yet."

"Darn it."

"And everything has been ok back home. We've REALLY missed you though Jon. It hasn't been easy since you went missing, and we all prayed each and every day that you would come home to us safely."

"I'll bet that you guys did. I prayed every day that I would get to see you all again too. I guess that all of our prayers have FINALLY been answered!"

"Yes, yes they have!"

Lindsey then noticed who was standing next to Jon. She saw that she was a mare with gray fur, a blonde mane and tail, and yellow eyes. She was wearing a white tank top, and blue shorts.

"And is this your marefriend Jon?"

Jon nodded. "Oh yes. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Peyton and Bertha, I'd like you to meet Derpy. She's the mare I kept safe during the Last Zebra War!"

Derpy blushed a lot. "H-hi! It's so......so nice to finally be able to meet all of you. Jon's talked SO much about you, and you all sounded so nice!"

"Aww, she's so cute Jon!" Bertha cooed.

"Sis!" Jon groaned.

"What? She's right Jon." Lindsey agreed. "Derpy is really cute!"

"You treat that girl right or I'll tan your hide Boy!" Muriel suddenly yelled.

"Don't worry Grandma, I WILL!!!"

"Good. She's too good of a girl to lose!"

All of them continued talking for a while longer. Derpy was SO glad that she got to meet Jon's family, just as Jon was glad to see his family again, and they were glad to get to meet him and Derpy.

Once they were all done, I then sat back down at the control table. "Well, I guess that that's it."

"No, no it's not Ben." My Dad informed me, "I haven't gotten to see you and Gilda yet!"

"Oh, right." Suddenly though, from my right, Gilda came rolling in on an office chair. She was wearing her favorite gray tank top, as well as ripped jean shorts. (Her tank top was too big on purpose, so as to be better able to hide her pregnancy better. We both agreed to just surprise my Dad once our baby was born).

"Hello!" Gilda chirped once she was at my side.

I then stood up. I too was wearing my Marine field uniform, and my brown hair and blue eyes looked the same, though like Jake, I too had black feathery wings, and gray wolf ears and a tail. I saw that my dad was wearing his usual blue Air Force officer's uniform, and that his brown hair was still whitening. His brown eyes still looked the same though.

"It's SO good to see you again Dad, as well as hear you."

"Yeah, I know Ben. You still look pretty good, all things considered!"

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I feel about the same, but still a bit tired after the Last Zebra War. I'm sure that you understand."

My Dad laughed a bit. "Yeah, I do!" He then looked at Gilda. "And you must be Gilda."

She nodded. "Yep. Gilda the Griffon. Girlfriend to your son Ben, and the love of his life, and I right?" She turned to me.

"Absolutely Babe!"

She then kissed me on the nose to the best of her ability. "And it's nice to finally be able to meet the man who fathered such an amazing son. Scar.......eh, Ben.....told me all about you, and how much of an amazing dad that you were."

Stan nodded. "Yes, I'm sure that he did. It's not every day that one is a general in the Air Force, and has a son who was a captain in the Marines, who then retired to help operate 4449, and then got whisked away to another dimension, and had to help fight a war there, but I'm SO proud of my son!" He then looked at me. "Just as I know that your mom Maggie and your Grandpa Thomas are looking down from Heaven, and couldn't be prouder either!"

"Yeah, I know Dad." I then had a sudden thought. "Oh, and speaking of 4449, did you contact the Southern Pacific Railroad? I'm sure that they're PISSED about 4449 going missing!"

"Oh yes, they FLIPPED when you guys went missing! Losing 4449 was a MASSIVE public relations nightmare for them, ESPECIALLY considering how the Santa Fe Railroad is trying to restore a steam engine of their own."

"They are?"

"Yeah. They reacquired Santa Fe 5000, aka Madam Queen, the famous 2-10-4 Texas-Type almost 3 years ago back in 2022, and are almost done restoring her to operating condition. It's been a HUGE blow for the SP to lose 4449, ESPECIALLY in the way that they did!"

"Yeah, I can imagine! Too bad we don't have a portal of our own. That way you could come see us, we could come see you, and the SP Railroad could maybe get 4449 back, and end this public relations nightmare!"

My Dad then thought about what I had just said. "Ben..........that's.......that's actually a REALLY great idea! Sure, it might seem a little bit far-fetched, but if you guys were able to build radio equipment that was capable of reaching us, how hard would it be to build an actual portal? Is that even a feasible idea?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea. I'd have to ask Twilight, the little sister of my best friend Shining Armor. She'd know a LOT more about that than me!" I then went to ask Shining to send a letter to Twilight. Maybe 5 minutes later, a reply came.

"Well, Twilight said that it MIGHT be possible, but it would take up to another year to research, develop and test such a device. It MIGHT be possible, but don't cross your fingers, or anything."

I talked about this with my dad for a little while longer, as well as coming up with a system that would enable us to communicate better, without having to rely on the radio. In the end, my dad was able to secure 6 old fax-machines, get them modified, and once they were hooked up, they ran on a secured modem to Wright-Patterson, before being transferred over to Equestria, and then coming to one of 6 identical fax machines on our end, where the person who was being called would pick up. It worked like a secured phone line, but pictures and documents could also be sent back and forth. It was known as the "Fax Express", and it was the latest thing in secure, inter-dimensional communications!

Then, once the "Fax Express" became fully operational, and the call was over, it was time to start looking into possibly building a portal, as well as what that was even going to entail.

In the midst of the technology for the portal being researched and developed, I was still trying to help Gilda through her pregnancy. As it progressed, her symptoms began to hit her hard. She was sick a lot, she kept throwing up, she had to pee a lot, she had the really weird pregnancy cravings, her ankles felt like rubber, she was tired a lot, and her mood swings hit her hard too. She could be loving one minute, and a Tasmanian-Devil the next!

"Ugh, Dweeb?!"

"Yeah Babe?"

"Where the f@#k's all the fudge ice cream?!"

"Check behind the meat in the freezer. I just bought some more yesterday."

"Oh, here it is! And where are those BLT sandwiches with cheese and mustard that I asked for?"

"They're coming as soon as I make them Babe!"

"Well hurry up! Pregnant females wait for NO ONE!"

"Yeah, I know, so I'm hurrying!"

Eventually, by about 3 months, (May, 2025) Gilda went in for her maternity checkup. She had a visible baby-bump, and she glared daggers at any Pony or other creature who stared at her! Once it was her turn, I went back with her. Once she was on the exam table, the nurse helping her, (none other than Amethyst!) began to look her over.

After Gilda took her shirt off, Amethyst checked her heart rate, breathing rate, and the heart and breathing rates of our baby. She then began to gently poke around a bit, just to make sure that everything was ok.

"Well, everything looks ok so far Gilda. Your pregnancy's progressing quite nicely. Now it's time for the ultrasound."

"And is today the day that we might figure out what kind of creature is inside of me?"

Amethyst nodded. "Yes, I'm pretty sure that today's the day. I should also be able to tell the gender of your baby too." She then took the special gel, and after putting it onto Gilda's tummy, she began to move the ultrasound monitor over her belly.

"Oh my!" Amethyst said after a few minutes.

"What?" I asked.

"Gilda, you don't just have one baby, you have twins!"

"WHAT?!?!" Gilda almost sat bolt-upright on the exam table.

"Yes, you have twins. And here's what I can tell you about them, One of them is a male, and the other is female. Both of them have wings like you, though they both seem to lack beaks. The female seems to have a bit more in common with Gilda, while the male has a bit more in common with you Ben."

Gilda and I both looked at each other. Sure we both knew that our baby was going to be a 4-way hybrid, (lion, eagle, wolf, Human), but we NEVER expected to be having twins, nor that they were going to be looking like that!

"And......any way to tell fur colors, or if they'll have any flesh like I do?" I asked.

Amethyst shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not Ben. You'll have to wait until they're born for that."

A little while after this, Amethyst finished looking over Gilda, and after declaring both her and her babies to be healthy, she and I went back to the freight Depot. (I was still in the process of buying us a house in the Crystal Empire, so we still lived at the freight depot).

"Well, that was..........a little bit surprising to say the least!" I said quietly.

"This is ALL your fault Dweeb!" Gilda told me angrily. "ALL YOUR FAULT!!!! You should have worn a condom!"

"Well YOU didn't use birth control, so touche! Plus, we're hybrids of VASTLY different species! How the hell is any of this even possible?!"

"WHY THE F@#K ARE YOU ASKING ME?!?!?!"

"Because I don't f@#king know!"

Gilda and I argued about this the whole way back to the freight depot.

When the kicking began at 4 months though, that's when Gilda REALLY began to lose it! Her mood swings became even worse, and she even swung at me a number of times! Whenever she did this, I tried to dodge her blows, though I never retaliated. I knew that it was just the pregnancy talking, not her, so I never hit back.

However, on July 4th, 2025, on a picnic to celebrate Independence Day, aka the 4th of July, (Yes, the Ponies did celebrate some American holidays too!) as the fireworks were going on, I took Gilda by the hand, got down on my knee, and proposed to her.

"Gilda, will you marry me?"

She gave me a weird look. "Um....duh! You knocked me up, so what other choice do I have? Plus, I ALREADY said that I love you, and want to be with you forever!" She then took the ring, and placed it on her finger. "Wow, this is a really nice ring Stud!"

I then stood up again. "Well, I'm glad that you like it Gilda."

She then grabbed me by the collar. I looked into her yellow eyes, but all I saw was playful love in them. "C'mere Soldier-Boy!" Then then pulled me close, and kissed me deeply.

I kissed her back, and the others around us either cheered for me, "aawwed" for Gilda, or helped us both out by filming the ordeal.

Not too long after this, I finally managed to secure us a house in the Crystal Empire. It was a nice big house, and it was also pretty close to the freight depot, so the commute wasn't going to be an issue! Gilda loved her new house, and said that it was going to be great to raise our kids in. However, she wasn't quite as thrilled as who was going to be sharing it with us.

Yes, Gilda's little sister Gabby now lived with us too. In keeping with an earlier promise that I made to her, now that the war was over, and everything had settled down, I invited Gabby to live with us. She was such a sweet and lively girl of 15, and was such a joy to be around. And she was ALSO thrilled that she was about to become an aunt!

"Eee! This is SO exciting Sis! I'm gonna be an Auntie!" She then kneeled in front of her sister, and placed her soft gray feathery head against Gilda's now 5 month pregnant belly.

Gilda sighed, but all she did was place one of her hands against her sister's head. "It's good to see you again Sis. I was starting to miss you."

Gabby then stood up, and hugged her big sister. "Yeah, I missed you too Gilda. I was so scared when the war broke out, and I'm glad that you're safe."

"So am I Gabby. I'm just glad that the war didn't spread out to the Griffon Kingdom. I mean, yes the Griffons sent troops, but you were never threatened by the Zebras."

"All thanks to my Brother in Law Scar, and the rest of the 'Marine 6'!"

"Wait. The what now?"

"The Marine 6. That's what some folks call the 6 Human Marines."

Gilda nodded. "Oh, ok."

Gilda and her sister then talked for a little while longer.

As time went on, Gilda continued to get more and more angry that I'd gotten her pregnant. By 7 months, her belly was VERY swollen, her bellybutton was popping out, very few of her clothes fit her anymore, the kicking was getting insane, she was moody almost constantly, her ankles felt like rubber, her breasts were getting very swollen with milk, she was tired a lot, and she was still eating a LOT of weird foods. Gabby took care of Gilda while I was working, and I took care of her when I came home.

We all knew that Gilda's due date, based on the date of conception, would be in late November of that same year, 2025. However, while the mother was a Tasmanian-Devil most of the time, the babies seemed to be developing very nicely. Gilda had a pretty easy pregnancy in Griffon terms, and she even admitted this sometimes.

"From what I heard from Grandpa Gruff, my Mom's pregnancy to Gabby and I was pretty rough. Yes, we were born 12 years or so apart, but both times were pretty hard for her. I haven't had any complications like she did."

"Which is good Babe."

Gilda stretched out on the couch a bit. "Yeah, and while our twins will be born out of wedlock, we'll get married once I've recovered from my pregnancy."

I nodded. "Sure. We can plan for the wedding next Spring or Summer or so. Once we've seen my Dad again."

Gilda laughed a bit. We were still going to keep my Dad in the dark about Gilda's pregnancy until she gave birth, and then he got to meet his grandchildren once Gilda and I stepped through the portal! (Provided of course that it eventually did come into existence one day!)

"And what are we going to name them again Gilda?"

Gilda sighed. "We're going to name our daughter Glacier, and our son Daylight. And yes, he'll be named 'Daylight' after your train, just like you wanted, and I promised my mom that if I ever had any kids, I'd name my firstborn daughter 'Glacier'."

I thought about that. "Glacier and Daylight. Those are nice names."

"Yeah. Nice names, for the LAST kids that I EVER have! I an't doing this again!"

I laughed a bit, but it was more of a "keep your angry pregnant wife happy" laugh!

In those last 2 months or so, with help from Gabby, Gilda and I began to set up a sort of nursery in our new house. We got a cradle, changing table, a rocking chair, diapers, bottles, (no formula though, Gilda INSISTED on only her milk for our twins!), clothes (Gabby helped a lot here!) and even a few toys that belonged to Gilda and Gabby when they were Griffon chicks/cubs! (Both of these terms are used interchangeably).

Once we were all done, we looked over our handiwork. Daylight and Glacier's nursery looked AMAZING, and I knew that they were going to be so happy to live there once they were born.

"We sure did a great job with this, eh Gilda?"

"Yeah, all thanks to you and Gabby. Reminds me of the nursery at my old house when Gabby was a cub."

"I think that it's so pretty!" Gabby was saying. "I REALLY hope that your kids, my niece and nephew, love it!"

I turned to her. "Me too Gabby."

Also during this time, Gilda read some books on childbirth, and she thought that she was an expert by the end of it. However, on November 16th, 2025, she was proven otherwise.

I was just getting off work in the evening, and I was walking back home with Shining, Jake and Rick. We were all laughing about something, when all of a sudden, Gabby came running out of the house towards us!

"SCAR!!!!!"

I looked up in alarm. "Huh? What is it Gabby?"

She pointed back towards the house. "It's Gilda! IT'S TIME!!!!"

All 4 of us froze when we heard that. Gilda had just gone into labor, and it was time to get her to the hospital!

"Right!" I then began to run after Gabby. I looked back at the other guys. "You 3, on me!"

"Coming Bro!"

"Yes Sir!"

"On it Scar!" All 3 of them followed me inside.

Once we were there, I confirmed that Gilda was indeed in labor. "Shining, Rick! Help me get Gilda to the hospital!"

"Right!" Both of them then helped me carry Gilda downstairs, and off to the hospital.

"What about me Scar?" Jake called after me.

"Jake, you and Gabby gather what we'll need once we're there! She'll show you what to grab!"

"Ok, got it!"

"And run back to the freight depot and tell the others if they're still there!" I yelled just within earshot.

Jake and Gabby then grabbed diapers, a few bottles, a blanket, a camera, and a few other essential items, and while Gabby ran to the hospital, Jake ran back to the freight depot.

When he arrived, Frank, Evan and Jon were still there, as were Lyra, Derpy, Roseluck, and Night Glider. (Amethyst was on duty at the hospital).

Frank looked up when he came in. "Whoa! Jake! Where's the fire?"

Jake pointed behind him. "Scar told me to come and tell you all. Gilda just went into labor!"

They all froze where they were. "What? Gilda's in labor?!"

"Yeah Frank! He, Shining, and Rick are getting her to the hospital, and he told me to come and tell you guys!"

"And does he want us there now, or not?"

"I don't know Jon, he didn't say. However, if you ask me, I'd say that we go, and we can wait in the waiting room until he comes and gets us."

The others agreed to this.

"Ok, sure."

"Let's go then!"

Evan and Night Glider then left, followed by Jon and Derpy, and then Frank and Lyra.

Jake looked at Roseluck. "You ready?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Both of them then ran after the rest.

When we arrived at the Crystal Hospital, one of the on-duty nurses alerted Amethyst, since she was Gilda's maternity doctor, and we all quickly got Gilda to a room. Rick then stayed behind to wait for the others, but Shining and Gabby followed us to the delivery room.

Once we arrived, Gilda lay back on the bed, I sat next to her, and Shining sat with Gabby close by. Soon, Amethyst and another maternity nurse came in. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was about 8:27pm.

"How are you holding up Gilda?" Amethyst asked her once she came in.

"It hurts!" Gilda almost yelled.

"Shall I administer some epidural?" The nurse asked her.

"F@#k your epidural! And f@#k you too!"

The nurse recoiled, and Shining quietly explained to her that Griffon childbirth, since it involved birthing a creature of 2 vastly different species, was oftentimes painful, and usually involved a LOT of profanity! He then put up a sound-proofing spell, so as to protect the ears of others!

I then tried to calm Gilda down. "Babe, please. We can work through this. You're making this SO much harder than it needs to be! If you would just......"

Gilda then grabbed me by the neck. "YOU!!!! YOU DID THIS TO ME YOU F@#KING CUNT!!!! YOU F@#KING SON OF A BITCH!!!!"

I was trying to pry Gilda's hand loose. "Gilda, PLEASE! Gabby does NOT need to hear this!"

"F@#k Gabby! And F@#K YOU TOO!!!!"

I finally got a good grip on her fingers. "Gilda, we're BOTH responsible for this! We had sex, now we deal with the consequences!"

All while this was going on, Amethyst was working close to Gilda's vagina, getting ready to help ease out the first baby when it came. She knew that Gilda's water had already broken, and that her next contraction was due VERY soon!

"As I was TRYING to tell you earlier Gilda, you're making this SO much harder than it needs to be by fighting the pain! If you'll just move with the contractions, it won't be NEARLY as bad!"

"And how the f@#k do you know that?!"

"My Mom did it with me! My Dad told me the story when I was older!"

Gilda was maybe about to say something, but then another contraction hit her. "EEEAAAHHHH!!!! YOU ARE NEVER TOUCHING ME AGAIN AFTER THIS!!!!!! WE'RE THROUGH!!!!!!! We're.........." Gilda then met her next few contractions head on, and pushed with all of her might. "We're..........." She was almost crying now. "Done!!!!" She kept pushing, sometimes screaming, sometimes crying, but she kept pushing.

"I'M NEVER HAVING KIDS AGAIN!!!! THE BOOKS NEVER SAID THAT IT WOULD BE LIKE THIS!!!!!! F@#K ME!!!!!!" She then started crying again.

Suddenly though, at that exact second, both of us suddenly became aware of loud crying coming from close by. Both of us looked, and to our shock and surprise, Gilda had just given birth! Her anger towards me, as well as her constant screaming, had helped dull some of the pain, and her pushing with each contraction had helped ease our babies along. Before she knew it, Gilda had just become a mother!

"Congratulations Gilda! You're a mother now!"

"It's a boy, and a girl!" The nurse added.

Soon, Amethyst and the nurse had them both cleaned up, cut their umbilical cords, and after wrapping them up, handed them both up to Gilda. When she saw them, her Griffon maternity instincts kicked in, and after nuzzling them both in an effort to get them to stop crying, she opened up her hospital gown, and after guiding them to her breasts, soon felt them both gently begin to nurse from her.

Once both of them were nursing, I leaned in a bit closer, and began to look my new son and daughter over. I saw Daylight first. To my slight shock, I saw that he had the body of a Human, the lower arms and hands of a Human, the head of a Human, no beak, my dark brown hair, Gilda's yellow eyes, my black wolf ears, Gilda's brown wings, and the lower body, legs and paws of a wolf, though his tail was a lion's tail, just like Gilda's.

I then looked over at Glacier. Unlike her brother, she looked a bit more like her Mom. She had a lion's body, the lower arms and taloned hands of a Griffon, and a lion's lower body, legs, and paws. However, Glacier had a Human's head, no beak, my blue eyes, my black wings, (though they were a Griffon's wings), and for hair, she had the same white feathers that Gilda did. I also noticed that Glacier also had a wolf's tail, instead of Gilda's lion tail.

Gilda was trying to keep from crying as she held them. Sure, it was clear that they were hybrids of 4 different species, but they were her son and daughter, and planned or not, she loved them so much.

"They're.......so........so beautiful!" She whispered.

By this point, both Gabby and Shining had wandered over, as they too wanted to see what Gilda had just given birth to. Shining had no words for when he saw Daylight and Glacier for the first time. He didn't want to accidentally say anything offensive, but he didn't know what to say. Neither did Gabby for the first few minutes either. Her niece and nephew were the first of their kind, and she had no idea of what to say!

I glanced at the clock. The time was now 9:27. Based on what Amethyst said when I asked her, Daylight was born first at 9:14, and Glacier followed him at 9:20. I was about to say something, but then Gilda beat me to it.

She grabbed my neck again, but this time, she pulled me close to her, and kissed me deeply. "Oh Stud, I love you SOOOOO much! More than you can POSSIBLY imagine! I know that I've screamed at you a lot these days, and I've been such a pain, but you've stuck with me, and for that, I love you even more! I want us to be together forever. And look at what we just made!" She gestured with one of her wings to Daylight and Glacier.

"Yes, they're so.....so perfect!"

"Yes, yes they are!"

I then looked at my fiance. "I love you Gilda!" I then leaned in close, and kissed her.

"I love you too Stud. And now, after seeing Daylight and Glacier, I just MIGHT be open to the idea of having kids again in the future!"

I was surprised. "Really?"

"Yes, but ONLY because these 2 are so perfect!"

"What ARE they though Sis?" Gabby asked her. "I mean, they have parts from a Human, a wolf, an eagle, AND a lion in them!"

"Well......they're a 'griff' of some kind, that much I can tell you Gabby."

I thought for a second. "Hmm, how about 'Lycan-Griff'? 'Lycan' covers Human and wolf, and 'Griff' can cover eagle and lion."

Gilda thought about that. "Lycan-Griff. It's pretty unusual, but yet, it DOES describe our twins pretty good, so yeah, that'll work!"

"I like it too!" Gabby agreed.

I then glanced over at Shining. "And what do you think Bro? You've been awfully quiet over there."

Shining shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know what to say right now Bro. I'm just happy that you're a father now, and that your twins were born without issue. And do you want me to go tell the others?"

I then remembered Rick and Jake in the waiting room, as well as their marefriends.

"Yeah, you can go tell the others. Tell them that everything's ok, Daylight and Glacier were born at 9:14 and 9:20 respectively, and that they're both perfectly healthy for Lycan-Griffs."

"Ok, I'll do that." He then went to go tell the others.

When he did, they all breathed a sigh of relief that everything had gone smoothly. Gilda had given birth to the first Lycan-Griffs in Equestrian history, one was a boy and one was a girl, and both of them were perfectly healthy. They were allowed back to see Gilda and I, as well as the twins, but only 2 at a time. All who saw them marveled at Daylight and Glacier, for none had ever seen such creatures before!

When she heard the news, Twilight came to the Crystal Empire as fast as she could to see Daylight and Glacier too. She arrived the next day, and even though they'd been moved to cradles in a room with all of the other babies (foals) at the time, she still saw them through the window.

"Part Human, part wolf, part lion, and part eagle! Or rather, half Griffon, and half Human-wolf! They're so incredible! What did you and Gilda decide to call Daylight and Glacier?"

I smiled. "Yeah, they really are amazing, aren't they? Gilda and I decided to call them 'Lycan-Griffs', as it describes what they are the best."

"Yeah, it sure does, doesn't it? I'm so happy for you and Gilda. I know that you'll make great parents, just as Gabby will make an amazing aunt!"

I sighed. "Well, I know that Gabby will make a great aunt, I'm just REALLY hoping that Gilda and I make great parents. Neither of us really have any experience with it, but the good news is that we'll have our friends close by us every step of the way, and I know that that will help us out a lot!"

"Yes, yes it will!"

We both then continued to watch Daylight and Glacier as they lay in their cradles.

Soon after this though, I heard from both Rick and Jon that both Amethyst and Derpy were now pregnant too! Rick was shocked, since he was now 44 years old, and was almost CERTAIN that he was too old to be a father!

"How is this possible Babe?!" He asked Amethyst when he heard the news.

She just shrugged. "I don't know Babe, but I'm SO happy, aren't you?"

"More than you can POSSIBLY imagine! I've ALWAYS wanted to be a dad!" He then hugged Amethyst.

"This is SO amazing Derpy! We're gonna be parents!" Jon hugged his now-fiance once he heard the news.

"Yeah, I know Jon! I'm SO excited! I've ALWAYS wanted to be a mother, and now I'm FINALLY gonna get to do that!"

Jon sighed. "Following in the footsteps of Ben and Gilda, and now Rick and Amethyst too!"

Derpy agreed with him. "Yeah, we are. Now 3 out of the 6 of you guys are either parents, of you will be soon. I wonder who will be next; Jake and Roseluck, Evan and Night Glider, or Frank and Lyra."

"Yeah, I wonder too Babe. Just like I also wonder if we'll ever be able to get that portal working so that we can FINALLY be able to go home."

Derpy nodded, and she continued to hug her fiance for a while longer, both of them wondering what was going to happen next.

Author's Note

Whew! And that was Chapter 6 Part 1!

Yes, I KNOW that it was REALLY long, but yet, it kinda had to be, considering how much information I had to pack into it! There was SO MUCH that happened in this chapter, wasn't there? First the 6 Humans talk about their families, then the build a radio to talk to their families, then Ben's Dad tells the other families that they're still alive, and they all come to Wright-Patterson AFB to talk to them. Then they make plans to possibly build a portal to allow the Humans to go home, and the families to come visit, then Gilda wraps up her pregnancy, and Daylight and Glacier are born! Then to top it all off, Amethyst and Derpy learn that they're going to be mothers too, just as Rick and Jon learn that they're gonna be fathers! And this was just Part 1!

Be sure to stay tuned for Part 2! What's going to happen with that portal? Will it ever be built, and if so, will it work? Will the Humans be able to go home, and the families come to visit them in Equestria? How will Stan react to finding out that he's now a grandpa? When will Lyra, Roseluck, and Night Glider announce their pregnancies? Will The Southern Pacific ever get 4449 back? And how have Spike and Ruby, Braeburn and Zuri, and Big Mac and Zena been fairing since the war ended? Well, you all know the drill, stay tuned, and I'll tell you!

In the meantime, as always, comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story are always appreciated, and I'll see you all again in Chapter 6 Part 2!

ScarFox out for now!

Also, I'd like to give a VERY special shout-out to my good friend "Terry the Human". If you like this New Timeline in "Fear From the Rails", then you have him to thank for convincing me to overhaul the story, end the polyamory in it, and create this new timeline. You also have him to thank for helping me to create ALL of the families of the 6 Human Marines, plus what they look like, the descriptions of the other 5 Marines, and what Daylight and Glacier look like, among other things! (I'll let you know what these are in both Chapter 6 Part 2, and the Epilogue!)

But thank you again Terry for helping me make this New Timeline for "Fear From the Rails" possible. I REALLY Appreciate it!

Chapter 6: Familiar Faces and New Relationships (Part 2)

The day after the video call with the families, (and yes, 7 months before Gilda gave birth!) she and I, as well as Shining and Twilight, were sitting in an upstairs room in the Crystal Castle. We were discussing the feasibility of a portal, and if such a thing had ever been done before.

"What do you think Twilight? Have any portals ever been created?"

She nodded. "Yes, but not like what you're thinking. Yes, we have been able to create 'portals', but yet they were used as a form of teleportation."

"You mean like from one location to another in Equestria without using a teleportation spell?"

She nodded. "Yes. Like a temporary doorway from one spot to another, with both locations still being within Equestria. And those portals were either spells, or created by Magical artifacts; there's NEVER been a machine to create portals.......well, technically that's not true, but......" She frowned a bit.

"What do you mean by that Twilight?" Gilda asked her.

Twilight sighed. "Well, the truth is, there WAS another portal between our world, and one a lot like yours. It was called the 'Magic Mirror Portal', and it went from a mirror here in the Crystal Empire, (later relocated to my Castle in Ponyville) and it came out in the base of a statue in the other world. It was like a parallel Earth, but those who lived there were simply Human copies of us Ponies. They had our same eyes and manes........or rather 'hair', and they wore almost the same clothes that we do, but they have skin instead of fur, though their skin is the same color as our fur."

I was greatly surprised, as was Gilda. Another world that was like Equestria mixed with Earth? It seemed impossible, but Twilight was being serious.

"And what.....happened to the portal?" I asked her.

Twilight frowned again. "Well, that's the thing Ben, it's been destroyed. It HAD to be done to protect that world from the Zebras! On the Night of Fear, with some of my last ounces of sanity away from Zuko's influence, I got in contact with Sunset Shimmer, who was a Pony here, and a fellow student of Celestia, but she now lives in that other world. I told her what was going on, and we both agreed that the portal HAD to be destroyed at all costs, so as to protect her world. I was going to destroy the mirror on my end, and she would destroy the statue on hers. Long story short, she did so, just as I did too. The portal was destroyed, and the technology was destroyed too. Oh sure, Zuko and I tried to reopen the portal on our end, so as to give the Zebras another world to conquer, but thankfully, we failed. I'm not sure if Sunset Shimmer had a hand in this too, or not. Thankfully, I was able to get a message to her to tell her that the war was over, and that everything was ok again. I used a few coded phrases to tell her that it really was me writing to her, and that everything was indeed ok."

"And, what did she say?" Shining asked.

"Well, she told me that the statue has since been rebuilt, and she asked me if the Mirror Portal had been repaired. I told her that unfortunately it hadn't, and that it would be VERY hard to rebuild without the technology."

Meanwhile, the wheels in my head were spinning. "Here's an idea Twilight. What if we helped you rebuild the Mirror Portal, and then that would serve as a prototype for the portal that we want to build to return to Earth? Think about it. The technology really isn't all that different! Assuming of course that the Mirror Portal even COULD be rebuilt."

Twilight looked over at me. "That is a really nice idea Ben, and it would work if I had the technology, as well as a number of specialized parts. However, while I do have some transcripts of notes on the Mirror Portal, most of the parts that it was made up of were one-of-a-kind, specialized-parts. Those would ALL have to be rebuilt from scratch, and they were NOT easy to make the first time! Yes, I did have spare parts, but on the Night of Fear, I destroyed them too."

I sighed. "So we'd be starting almost completely from scratch, and with no clear readout on if our efforts will even be successful."

"Yeah, that's the gist of it anyway. But look at it this way, if all of us working together were able to build an inter-dimensional radio, plus a video-screen for said radio, then maybe we actually stand a chance at first rebuilding the Mirror Portal, and then building another one for Earth!"

Shining, Gilda and I agreed to this, and then once we had Rick, Evan, Jake, Frank, Jon and their marefriends present, we began to look over the notes that Twilight had, and see about how we were going to go about this.

In the end, we decided to build 3 portals. The first would be the Mirror Portal, and be our prototype, the second one would be for the transport of people/Ponies to and from Earth, and the 3rd would be a large cargo portal hopefully capable of transporting 4449 back to Earth, so that we could give her back to the Southern Pacific Railroad. While we were confident that we could one day rebuild the Mirror Portal, it was the 2 other portals that we were so unsure on.

We all spent long hours working on the designs, as well as trying to build the new parts under Twilight's direction. She was still in contact with Sunset, and she was trying to help rebuild the portal on her end, but while that world did have Magic too, it was wild and unpredictable, and she wasn't able to do too much.

However, by late July of 2025, the Mirror itself was all put back together again, and Twilight was able to charge it up with her Magic.

"How's it holding Twilight?" Evan asked her.

"It seems to be holding together so far Evan. Of course, my Magic is just low-power right now. We'll have to put in the rest of the crystals that power it, as well as me charging it up with more of my Magic, not to mention us running it through the Magic of the book that I use to communicate with Sunset, but if all of that works successfully, THEN we can try and test the Mirror Portal."

"And when do you think that that will be Twilight?" Frank asked.

Twilight shrugged. "Hopefully not too much longer Frank. I'd say maybe another month or so."

Sure enough, on August 18th, everything was ready. All of the crystals were in place, the book was all ready, and Twilight sent Sunset a message saying that she should be waiting on her end of the portal, as we were about to try and reopen it on our end.

"That's great news Twilight! Here's to hoping that we can get it reopened again!"

"Yeah, I hope so too Sunset. Here we go. Standby!" She then got ready to charge up her magic.

We all stood a healthy distance away from the Mirror Portal, just in case anything exploded, or somehow malfunctioned. Twilight then charged up her Magic, and once she was ready, she sent a beam of it into the crystal at the top of the Mirror Portal. Once she did, the Mirror began to absorb her Magic, and seemingly use it to begin to charge itself up. We were all standing behind various desks, and other objects that we were using as barricades, and we all had our fingers crossed that our hard work was going to pay off!

Soon, we could hear the Magic humming, and then several arcs of Magic began to come out of various parts of the Mirror's frame, before the arcs began to bleed into the glass of the Mirror. Eventually, the Mirror gave of a brilliant white light, and after a few moments, there came the sound of a Magical blast, and when Twilight and the rest of us looked again, the Mirror was shimmering with Magic.

"Did.......did it work Twilight?" I asked her.

"I......I think so Ben. I'll go check." She then walked up to the Mirror.

After placing her hand on it, we all saw the glass of the mirror ripple like water!

"I think that it's working. Give me 10 more seconds to check." Twilight then stepped through the portal. We all held our breath for 10 seconds, and exactly 12 seconds later, Twilight stepped back through. She looked up at us, and nodded, smiling.

"Yep, it works guys! We just successfully rebuilt the Mirror Portal! It connects to the other world once again, and Sunset and the others were SO HAPPY to see me again! They also said that they wanted to meet you all if you wanted to walk through the portal."

We all agreed, and we too stepped through the portal. The 6 of us, plus our marefriends and Gilda spent a few hours on the other side of the portal. Sure enough, it really WAS a world almost identical to ours, though the inhabitants were Humanized-Ponies. We found ourselves outside of a school called Canterlot High School, and we were soon introduced to Sunset Shimmer, and that world's versions of Twilight, Pinkie, Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity. We also met a guy named Flash Sentry, and he was pretty cool too. It was also really strange for Derpy, Roseluck, and Lyra to meet the other versions of themselves, and Gilda, Amethyst and Night Glider asked where their counterparts were.

"Oh, well I don't know for sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say that your counterparts either go to Crystal Prep, the other major school around here, or have already graduated." Sunset explained.

The others were a bit disappointed that they probably weren't going to be able to meet their counterparts, but they got over it.

Meanwhile, the other girls from this world, and the guys too, were REALLY interested in hearing how we cleaned house on the Zebras. We told them stories about our experiences in the Last Zebra War, and they all told us that they were REALLY glad that we were able to take care of the Zebras, and how Sunset and Twilight were able to keep them from figuring out how the portal to their world worked. They were so thankful that they were all still safe.

I sighed. "We just did what we had to do. The Zebras COULD NOT be left unchecked, so we took out the bad ones, and took care of those who surrendered peacefully. The Zebras will NEVER AGAIN be a threat to Equestria; we made SURE of it!"

Sunset nodded. "Yes, and we REALLY thank you for it Captain Anderson, and the rest of you Rick, Frank, Evan, Jake and Jon."

They all thanked us again, and after talking for a little while longer, we all returned to Equestria.

Following the success of the restoration of the Mirror Portal, as well as the continuing research and development of the 2 other proposed portals, there came a few other announcements from the marefriends, and fiances of the other Marines.

One afternoon, Evan was out for a walk with Night Glider. They were in a park in the Crystal Empire, sitting on a bench, and feeding some bread crumbs to some ducks close to a pond.

"So peaceful here." Evan said quietly.

"Yes, yes it is Babe. However, it might not be for much longer."

Evan turned to her, confused. "Huh? Why's that? The Last Zebra War is over, and there's no other wars on the horizon."

"Yes, but it might cause a bit of a disturbance."

"What might cause a bit of a disturbance?"

Night Glider looked up at him, before smirking a bit, taking his hand, and placing it on her belly. "Babe, I'm a month pregnant!"

When Evan heard that, 2 things happened. First, his jaw hit the ground, and then he jumped up from the bench, and the ENTIRE park heard his screams of joy!

"YEAH!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!! I'M GONNA BE A DAD!!!! YES!!!!!!"

Night Glider laughed a bit at Evan's celebration. "Yeah, I know Babe. I had the same reaction when I saw my pregnancy test!"

Evan then hugged her, and the 2 of them were also congratulated by others in the park.

Just after this, after a nice date night, Jake and Roseluck were coming home to the freight depot. Just before they went inside though, Roseluck decided to spill her secret.

"Hey Jake?"

"Yeah Rosie?"

"I have to tell you something."

"What?"

Roseluck then hugged him. "Babe, I'm pregnant. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do that at the restaurant, just in case you freaked out like Evan did! I'm almost 3 weeks along now."

When Jake heard that, he slammed his hands over his mouth. However, after this, all he did was hug Roseluck. "Babe......that's.......so..............so awesome!" He was trying to resist the urge to cry.

"Jake.....are you.......are you crying?"

He nodded. "I'm.......I'm trying not to! This is just..........it's just so..........I don't even know what to say right now!"

"I'm trying not to cry too Babe. "We're gonna be parents!"

"Yes, yes we will!"

They both kept hugging, and prepared to tell the rest of us.

However, out of all of us, Frank's reaction to becoming a dad was the most memorable, even more so than Evan's public-freakout!

Frank was cooking dinner in the tiny little kitchen at the freight depot, and Lyra was helping him.

Lyra looked over at him. "Hey Babe?"

"Yeah Ly?"

"Do you........do you ever want to become a dad?"

He nodded. "Of course I do! It's been my dream for a long time to find a nice girl, settle down with her, and raise a family. I've already done 2 of those things, and I guess we'll just keep waiting for the 3rd."

"Yeah, I guess that we will." Lyra was messing with something in her pocket.

"Oh, hey Babe?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you hand me the salt? I need to add some to this mac n' cheese."

"Sure Babe." Lyra then reached into her pocket, and handed it to Frank instead of the salt shaker.

"Thanks." Frank then tried to use it, unaware that it wasn't a salt shaker! He kept shaking it, but no salt was coming out. "Huh?" He then realized that the object he was holding was too long and slender to be a salt shaker. "What's this?" He then began to look at what he was holding.

Lyra giggled a bit. "It's our future Frank!"

Frank's eyes then got to be about the size of dinner plates when he realized that he was holding a pregnancy test, and that it was positive! When Frank realized that Lyra was pregnant, and that he was going to be a dad, he was so shocked that he fainted! He fell back from the stove, and ended up on the kitchen floor!

"Whoa!" Lyra then had to help revive Frank after he passed out.

Once he was conscious again, he looked up at her. "We're gonna be parents?" He finally asked her.

She nodded, smiling. "Yes, we're gonna be parents Frank!"

Frank was still in shock, but he did sit up and hug his marefriend. "That's so great Lyra! I'm SO happy right now!"

Lyra was trying to keep from crying. "I know. So am I Babe!"

A few months after this, in October of 2025, Shining told me that Cadence told him that she was pregnant too!

"Really?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna be a dad like you Bro!"

I hugged him. "That's so great Shining! I'll bet that Cadence is really excited too, right?"

"You bet that she is! She screamed when she got the positive pregnancy test, and I came running when she screamed to see what was going on! Imagine my shock when I found out!"

I laughed a bit. "Yeah, I can imagine Shining. And now that Gilda has maybe a month left until she gives birth, I'm REALLY on pins and needles, as is Gabby."

"I can imagine. And have you decided on godparents yet?"

"Yeah. Gilda and I decided that we wanted you and Cadence to be our kids's godparents."

Shining's face lit up. "Really?"

I nodded. "Of course. "You're my best friend. We've been through Hell and high water together. Of COURSE I want you to be the godfather of Daylight and Glacier, as well as any other kids that I have."

Shining hugged me again, and we talked about this for a little while longer. He also told me that he and Cadence wanted Gilda and I to be their kids's godparents, to which I said that we both would be.

One can only imagine the shock of the families of the other 5 marines when they heard that they were going to be grandparents, great grandparents, uncles and aunts!

Using the special phones linked through the fax machines, one by one the other guys began to tell their families the great news.

Rick and Amethyst went first.

"Hey Dad?"

"Yeah Rick?"

"Are Garret and Jimmy around? Something has happened, and I want ALL of you to hear it!"

Chester was worried, but he was able to call Garrett and Jimmy to the phone.

"What's going on Rick?"

"Dad, Garrett, Jimmy, Amethyst and I wanted to tell you.............Dad, you're gonna be a grandpa, and Jimmy and Garrett, you're gonna be uncles!"

When they heard that, all 3 of them were silent for a moment, before both Rick and Amethyst became aware of VERY loud cheering! It was pretty clear that his family was VERY glad at the news, and while they did ask if they were having a boy or a girl, Rick had to tell them that it was too early to tell.

Later on, it was Evan's turn to talk to his mom and brother.

"Mom, Hank, Night Glider and I have something to tell you. Something's happened, and......"

"I'M GONNA BE A GRANDMA?!?!?!?!" Lillian interrupted.

Evan was shocked that his mom figured it out so quickly. "Yes! How did you know?"

"I'm a mom Evan, I ALWAYS know!"

"Congrats Little Bro!" Hank told him. "Am I gonna have a niece, or a nephew?"

Evan shrugged. "It's too early to tell Hank. We're hoping for a colt, (or a boy!) but we'll be happy with a filly, (or a girl!)"

"So will I Evan."

"I can't WAIT to see them when they're born!"

Evan laughed. "Yeah, I know Mom. I can't wait either!"

As soon as he'd recovered from his fainting, Frank got on the phone with his Grandpa and little brother Joel.

"Grandpa! I have to tell you and Joel this, and I have to tell you this right now!"

"What? What happened Frank? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, but you're gonna be a great-grandpa Grandpa, and you're gonna be an uncle Joel!"

"WHAT?!?!?! I'M GONNA BE AN UNCLE?!?!?!"

"YES!!!! Lyra just told me that she's pregnant!"

"That's.......I don't even know what to say Frank............other than........I'm SO proud of you! Are you gonna have a boy or a girl?"

"We don't know yet Grandpa, it's still too early to tell."

"Hope for a girl Frank!" Joel told him. "Grandpa says that we need one around here!"

"Joel!" Dakota hissed at him. "Uncalled for!"

Frank laughed a bit. "Well, if it makes you feel any better Grandpa, Lyra's hoping for a filly, (or a girl) too!"

Dakota laughed a bit now too, and he and Joel continued to talk to Frank about this new development.

In Tucson, AZ, Jake's family was learning the news from him and Roseluck. His parents were SO excited that they were going to be grandparents, his grandpa was so happy that he was going to be a great-grandpa, and his sister Betty was excited that she was going to be an aunt.

"This is SO exciting Jake!" His mom Debbie was saying. "I'm SO excited!"

"As am I!" Betty added. "I've ALWAYS wanted to be an Auntie, and now I can!"

"It it gonna be a guy or a gal?" Jeremiah asked.

"We're not sure yet Grandpa. We're hoping for a boy, but we'd be happy for a girl too."

"I'm just still SO happy that I'm gonna probably live to see my great-grandchild, or even great-grandchildren!"

"So am I Grandpa!"

And last, but certainly not least, Jon was telling his huge family the good news too. Just like all of the other families, they were shocked at first, but that shock quickly gave way to ecstatic joy.

"Mom and Dad, you're gonna be grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa you're gonna be great-grandparents, and you Peyton and Bertha are gonna be an aunt and uncle!"

Jon's family was MASSIVELY freaking out.

"We're SO happy for you Jon!" His Dad Brad told him. "You're mother and I were REALLY hoping that you would make us grandparents soon, and now you did!"

"And now we're gonna have a new niece or nephew to play with once their old enough!" Bertha added.

"Or maybe even a few! Is it possible that you're gonna have more than 1 kid Bro?" Peyton asked.

Jon nodded. "Yes Peyton, Derpy and I were planning on having at least a few kids, hopefully a few boys and girls, or as they call them around here, colts and fillies. And what do you think about all of this Grandma and Grandpa?"

Grandma Muriel then took the phone. "I kept prayin' that I would live to see this day Jon! Now Ethan and I are gonna get to see our great-grandkids!"

"Yes, yes you will! Derpy and I are SO excited, and I know that all of you are too!"

"And how's that portal coming?" Brad asked.

Jon sighed. "It's coming along. It's taking longer than we thought that it was going to, but our target date is the first quarter of next year (2026). That's all I can tell you right now, as the work is still ongoing."

He and his family talked about this for a little while longer, and then Jon hung up, as he had to get back to work, but he promised to talk to his family again soon.

From October of 2025, to November, and on into early December, all of us who were willing and able continued to work on the portal. Using the Magic Mirror Portal as a template, we began to build a second sort of mirror, as well as a means to power it.

Thanks to my Dad, I learned that on the other end at Wright-Patterson AFB, a "doorway" was being built against the wall in a disused mess hall that used to be used for meetings between soldiers and family, until a new and better facility was built. Now this old facility was used for overflow, if that. Now though, it was closed off, allegedly for maintenance, but in reality, this was where our portal was going to come out if everything worked out correctly. Like I said before, a literal 4' by 8' doorway was being built against one wall, but the doorway lacked a door, and it didn't go anywhere. Our portal would (hopefully!) link up with this doorway, and it would be where we would return to Earth.

"The doorway is done now Ben. How are things going on your end?"

"Well, they seem to be going well enough. It's all coming together, but the real question is, will it work? And a better question would be, will we be able to connect it with that doorway there in that old mess hall if it does work?"

"That's what we don't know, but we're hoping for too Ben. I have full faith that you, your comrades, and those Ponies helping you will be able to get this portal done, and hopefully soon."

"Yeah, me too Dad. Like I said before, our target date is still the first quarter for 2026, and we're still on target for that. We're running a little bit behind, but that's for the best since we HAVE to test EVERYTHING as we go along!"

"Yeah, no kidding!"

Starting in mid-November, I had to take a break from the project, as I had to be home helping Gilda take care of Daylight and Glacier.

"So how's the portal going?" Gilda asked me one day.

I sighed. I was holding Glacier on my lap, holding a rattle for her. She loved to play, and it was seemingly already clear that she was showing tomboyish tendencies, very much like Gilda.

"You're so cute Glacier." I whispered as I held her close. Glacier giggled a bit, and snuggled close to me. "Yes you are!"

"The portal?" Gilda asked me again, somewhat more annoyed this time.

I looked up at her. "Huh?"

Gilda rolled her eyes. "How is the portal going?"

"From what I heard from Twilight, it's going pretty well. Our target date for activation is sometime in late February of next year, 2026." I then looked down, and I saw Daylight sleeping in her arms. "You're so good with kids Gilda."

She shot me a look. "What? Me good with kids? Look at you and Glacier! She totally adores you!"

I then looked down at Glacier again, and I saw that she'd fallen asleep snuggled against me, just like what Daylight had done to Gilda. "Yeah, and Daylight adores you too. Our twins may have been a mistake Gilda, but you've got to admit, they're the best mistakes that we ever made!"

Gilda sighed. "For once, yeah, I agree with you Babe. Daylight and Glacier, while VERY unexpected, now that they're in the world, I must say that they're not unwelcome!"

I then stood up with Glacier in my arms, and walked over before sitting down next to Gilda. I then kissed her, and she kissed me back. We both then looked at each other, and then down at our sleeping twins. Neither of us had to say anything, as we both already knew what the other was thinking. We loved each other, and our twins were the cutest Lycan-Griffs of all time!

From November to December, the portal's basic construction was done, and now all that remained to do was power it up, and of course, calibrate it, test it, and make sure that it connected to that doorway at Wright-Patterson. However, that was the biggest challenge yet. The portal needed a LOT of energy, and not just from a power source, but also from Magic, and rune stones as well. All of this combined would be enough to power 15 inter-dimensional radios, or the entire city of Canterlot for a week!

Just like with the radio, a number of special power crystals were secured, though this time 60 were needed! Also secured from contracted rune-carvers were 6 special rune stones that would go into the frame of the portal, and help to power it with their Magic. It was all coming together now, and we were still on target for our planned activation date.

Another challenge to be overcome was how to hook the power crystals up to the portal. We planned to do this just like the Mirror Portal, and use a series of cables, but we had to find cables that were thicker, and more well-insulated, or else they would overload, and burn to a crisp! After several near-fires, we FINALLY figured out what kind of cables to use, and how to properly hook them up!

"Well, THAT was a lot harder than I was expecting it to be!" Evan sighed as he wiped some sweat off of his forehead.

"Yeah, no kidding Evan!" Frank agreed with him. "And I thought that trying to power up the radio was hard!"

"It was, until we had to build this portal!"

Rick then walked by. "Yeah, but look on the bright side Evan, now that we know how to build a portal, building the 3rd one so that the Southern Pacific can get back 4449 will be a WHOLE lot easier!"

Jake looked over from where he was working with the power crystals. "Yeah, but I'm going to be sad to see 4449 go. I mean yes, the SP DOES have to get her back, but do you think that they'd be open to sharing?"

"What do you mean by that Jake?" Frank asked.

"I mean that she goes back and forth. We use her for a while, and then send her back home for a while."

"That might work, but what would we use for an engine for the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company? We can't work without an engine!"

"And that's the real catch too. You guys would need an engine that A, can be fully restored to operating condition, B, can be delivered to Equestria quickly and quietly, and C, and most importantly, would be an engine that few know about, and it wouldn't be missed if it 'disappeared'. Finding an engine that would fit that bill would be the hard part."

Jake, Evan, and Frank knew that Rick was right. Where would they find an engine to partially replace 4449, or wholly if the SP wasn't open to the idea of sharing?

"Scar might know". Jon spoke up suddenly. "After all, HE'S a big railroad fan. He might know of an engine that fits the bill."

Evan looked over at him. "Yeah, you're right Jon, he might know! Of course, the first step in this is even reestablishing contact with our old bosses on the Southern Pacific, who might NOT be very happy to hear from us, ESPECIALLY since we've been missing with THEIR special train for 3 years!"

The other 4 winced when Evan said that. Up until right then, that was NOT something that they'd thought about. No doubt our old bosses on the SP Railroad were REALLY pissed about us going missing with 4449 for almost 3 years now, and might not be open to talking to us again. Heck, we might even wind up in prison if they were mad enough! The loss of 4449 by itself, ESPECIALLY in the way that she went missing was no doubt a HUGE public relations nightmare, but then couple in the fact that their rivals on the Santa Fe Railroad almost had Santa Fe 5000, aka Madam Queen up and running again, it could be a REAL disaster for EVERYONE if 4449 was not returned to them, and then if they pressed charges against us for theft, misuse of company property, AND cheating on our time-cards! (We'd clocked in the day that we left Earth, but we'd never clocked out!) Yes, we'd probably been clocked out a LONG time ago, but we could still get into trouble for not clocking out!

The plan was get the portal up and running, go to Earth, meet with our families for a day or so, then return to Equestria, contact the Southern Pacific, give them the full rundown on the situation, try to get on their good sides, get the 3rd and final portal up and running, and then try to get 4449 back to her rightful owners. It seemed simple enough on paper, but in reality, we had a feeling that it was going to be anything but!

In January of 2026, everything was all complete, and testing could finally begin. This included powering up the portal, calibrating it to connect with that doorway at Wright-Patterson, and then making sure that a living being could safely pass from one world to another. We assumed that this was possible, but in reality, this was only theoretical.

The first order of business was powering up the portal, and testing all of its systems. These included the power crystals, as well as all of the main cables. The next order of business was testing the rune stones, as well as the Magic within them. After this, it would be time to combine Magic with engineering, and see if the portal could stand up to both the runes and the energy from the crystals being used on it at once. If it could, then we could power the portal up, and finish the calibrations. Then, if all of this went successfully, we all decided that someone would toss a hat through to Wright-Patterson, followed by a banana, and then finally, a rat on a LONG leash. If all 3 of these objects survived, then we would know that the portal was safe. However, if we lost one of the items, then we would know what to fix. (We also all promised NOT to tell Fluttershy if the rat died crossing through to Earth!)

For the tests of the power crystals and cables, everything seemed to be going well. They, and the control panel that they were attached to, powered up and powered down as they should, and everything was within normal levels.

Twilight was looking at her clipboard. "Ok, so far so good. We know now that the crystals and the cables are ok. Now it's time to test the rune stones, as well as the Magic within them."

This was the next test, and it had a few of our guys, plus a few technicians, somewhat worried. Rune stones had NEVER been used like this before, (at least, not for a long time!) and no one knew what was going to happen. However, to everyone and everypony's relief, the runes fed their Magic to the portal, which in turn held together nicely, and glowed lightly. The glass of the mirror in the center of the portal even rippled slightly.

"Ok, now that's all going good." She then talked with a few of the technicians, and they all agreed to wait a few more days before testing the rune stones and the power crystals together, so as to be able to take VERY strong precautions in case something went wrong.

Over the course of the next few days, Magical and Crystal shields were installed in the area of the basement of the Crystal Castle where the portal was being built, more Magical and Crystal Shields were used to protect our original inter-dimensional radio equipment in the room next door, and a series of circuit breakers were installed so that the power could be cut just in case anything overloaded.

I was there for this test, as were the other 5 guys, Shining, and Cadence. Twilight and a few technicians were inside the room with the portal, while the rest of us waited outside, safely protected behind all of the shields. We could still fully see what was going on inside, though we were still fully protected.

"Do you think that it's gonna work Bro?" Shining asked me.

"I REALLY hope Bro. This is our ONLY chance at ever getting to see our families again, so yes, I REALLY hope that we can get this right!"

Shining looked inside the room at Twilight as she was setting everything up with help from the technicians. "Well, as long as Twilight is still heading this project, I don't think that we have anything to worry about. Even if it doesn't work the first time, I can tell you with a fair amount of certainty that we'll all still be here to try again the next time!"

I looked over at him. "Yeah, I hope so Shining, otherwise they'll be scraping bloody hamburger off of the walls down here!"

The others looked over at me with fear and worry when I said that. They all knew that there was a bit of a real chance that someone could get hurt if something went awry during these tests, which was yet another reason that we were REALLY praying that nothing did!

I then got on my radio with Twilight. "How are things looking in there Twilight?"

"We're almost done Ben! And if this test works, then all we have to do is power everything on fully, and then finish calibrating everything. Then we can begin the final tests; sending the hat, banana, and rat from Equestria to America!"

"If the combining Magic and power crystals work, are you going to turn it on today, or not?"

"No, we'll have to wait a little bit longer on that. More things will have to be tested first, and more safety precautions will have to be taken."

"Ok, I understand Twilight. And how much longer until you guys are done in there, and can begin the test?"

"Almost. We're all getting into position now!"

"Ok, roger that!"

I then watched as all of them got into their positions, pulled down their goggles, and got ready to go. The power crystals were turned on first, and they began to feed their energy into the portal. Once this had been going on for a few minutes, then Twilight ordered the runes to be activated too. She herself, as well as 2 Unicorn technicians were responsible for this, and soon the 6 runes in the portal's frame were glowing bright pink, meaning that they were powering up nicely.

"So far so good guys! Everything is holding steady!"

We all kept expecting something to blow up, or catch fire, but to our slight surprise, nothing did. Everything continued to hold steady, and power up like it should.

"Wow, it's actually holding steady this time without any problems!"

I nodded, but frowned. "Yeah, but everything is still in the 'off' position Frank. This is still to be considered 'low power mode'. The REAL test will be once everything is turned on to full power!"

Frank realized that I was right. Everything was still technically in 'low power mode', and while it was holding steady so far, that could change when everything was turned on for real. The rest of the test went remarkably well, and there were no problems.

On January 29th, 2026, it was time for the REAL test; powering everything on at full power, and making sure that everything worked as it should. Also during this test, some of the calibrations would be performed, hopefully bringing the portal to the doorway at Wright-Patterson, and if it didn't, finishing the rest of the calibrations shortly afterwards.

We all held our breath as everything was turned on again. This time however, more control levers and switches were thrown, and as we all watched in awe, the glass of the mirror began to ripple like water, before it began to swirl in a bright blue vortex of energy.

"Everything still holding steady!" Twilight told us. "It's all holding together, and from what we can tell so far, the portal does come out at Wright-Patterson. What's your dad saying Ben?"

At this same time, I was on the phone with my Dad, who was directing efforts on their end to make sure that the portal came out where it was supposed to.

"What's going on over there Dad?"

"You're a little off-target. There's some shimmering energy coming from a wall, but it's almost 500 feet away from where it should be!"

"And which direction do we need to go?"

"Left! Move it 480 feet to the left, and 20 feet back!"

"Ok." I then relayed this to Twilight.

She and the technicians adjusted a few knobs, as well as used their Magic to move the runes a bit.

"How about now?"

"Now what's it doing Dad?"

"The waves of energy are still off target. 10 feet to the right, 3 feet back!"

I relayed this to Twilight, and they tried again.

After more maneuvering, I talked to my Dad again. "Now?"

"Now the waves are right where they need to be. They're right in the center of the doorway, and are holding steady!"

"Ok, I'll relay this to Twilight." I then grabbed my radio. "Ok Twilight, you guys got it! The portal seems to be right where it needs to be now!"

"Ok, roger that Ben!" She and the techs then fully activated everything, and still the portal held steady.

We all went to bed that night knowing that everything was seemingly in place, and that the portal was fully steady. Within 3 days, the final 3 tests would happen with the hat, banana and rat, and if they too were fully successful, then my Dad would contact the families, and they would return to Wright-Patterson, this time to see their sons/brothers/grandsons in person!

On February 3rd, it was time for the final tests. My Dad, a few other Air Force officers, and a few scientists were waiting on the Wright-Patterson side of the portal, while Twilight, Shining, and the 6 of us guys were on the other side. Rick was holding the hat, (it was a Marines cap), Evan held the banana, (It was fresh from the local market), and I held the rat. The rat had been named "Ben", though oddly enough, it wasn't named for me, but rather for Ben, the rat from the Michael Jackson movie from 1972 by the same name. (Who also gets a song, but that's besides the point!) What mattered was that the final tests were just moments away, and if they all succeeded, then it would mean that the portal was safe for use to travel between Equestria, and Wright-Patterson AFB.

"Are you all ready over there Dad?"

"Yeah, we're all ready here Ben. How's it looking on your end?"

"Everything looks ok so far. Rick, Evan, Twilight, Shining and I are in the room with the portal, Frank, Jake and Jon are just outside watching, and all of their mares are here too. Not Gilda though."

"Why?"

I thought fast. "She has something that she has to take care of. She wishes us the best of luck though, and she'll be here for the 'real' opening of the portal once these tests are done."

"And do you have the 3 objects?"

"Yeah. Rick has the hat, Evan has the banana, and I have the rat!"

"Eh.......why a rat again? Why not something else?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think that it has something to do with how a rat's systems are at least somewhat close to a Human's. That way we'd have a better chance at knowing if a Human could survive portal travel. And if we could survive it, then most likely a Pony could too."

"Well, I guess that that makes sense. And are you ready to begin the tests?"

I checked in with the other guys. "Yeah, we're all ready."

Twilight then looked at Rick. "Ok Rick, step up to the portal, and just toss the hat through."

Rick nodded. "Ok." He then stepped up close to the portal.

As we all watched, he tossed the hat through. It hit the portal, before seemingly going through it in a shimmer of blue energy. We all kept watching after the hat disappeared, but the portal remained stable.

"Is the hat over there Dad?" I asked him.

"Affirmative, the hat is here. It's lying on the ground in front of the portal, and one of the scientists is picking it up." After a few minutes of silence, my dad added, "And the hat is still perfectly intact! It survived the trip just fine! Hang on, we're going to toss it back through, just to make sure that it works both ways."

We all watched on our side, and soon the hat came back. It landed on the floor, and Rick picked it up before handing it over to Twilight. After taking a few minutes to examine it, she gave me the signal that it was perfectly intact.

"We got the hat back, and it's perfectly intact. So now that we know that inorganic items can survive, let's see about organic ones."

"Is it time for the banana?"

"Yeah, it's time for the banana. Hang on, it's coming through." I then looked over at Evan. "Ok Evan, send the banana through!"

"Roger that Scar." He then walked over to the portal. "Banana incoming!" He then tossed it through with an underhanded pitch.

"Did you get it Dad?"

"Affirmative! The banana is here, and since it went a little bit farther than the hat did, we were able to catch it. The scientists are looking at it now." A few minutes later, my dad contacted us again. "Ok, and the banana is still perfectly intact. Hang on, we're sending it back through!"

We all then waited to catch it. Sure enough, the banana came back. Evan caught it, before handing it over to Twilight for analysis.

"The banana looks ok to me. You can tell your dad that it's ok Ben."

"Ok Twilight." I then contacted my Dad again. "Ok, the banana is still intact Dad. Now we know that both inorganic, and organic objects can survive, but now comes the REAL test. Can living beings survive portal travel?"

"And that means the rat, but how are you going to do this exactly?"

"Well, We'll attach a sort of harness to the rat, and then tie some string to that, before sending the rat through. We'll then use the string to retrieve it once the test is over. Do you have the bit of peanut butter on your end?"

"Yes. One of my guys is putting it on a cracker, and setting it on the ground maybe 5 feet in front of the portal."

"Ok, and standby, here comes the rat, I hope!"

Twilight then helped me attach the harness to Ben the Rat, to which we then tied some string. I then looked at Ben. "Ok Ben, now it's time for the final test. If you survive this, then you've just help prove once and for all that living creatures really CAN survive portal travel! Go on Ben; become the first living portal traveler!" I then set Ben on the ground.

Once he was on the ground though, Ben didn't quite want to cooperate. He was content to just run around on the floor, and not go through the portal.

"Oh come on! I thought that rats were supposed to be really smart!"

"Maybe he IS smart, and isn't going through the portal because he knows that he'll die!" Twilight pointed out.

I winced. "Yeah, maybe so Twi, or maybe he just needs a little bit of incentive." I then had Shining hand me a bit of cheese, and after breaking off a small chunk, I held it where Ben could smell it, before tossing it through the portal.

"Go get it Ben!"

"Um, what just came through the portal?" My Dad asked.

"That was just a bit of cheese. We were having some problems with Ben the Rat, and we had to resort to tossing the cheese through the portal. And here he comes!"

Ben the Rat then ran across the crystal floor of the Portal Room, before running up to the portal, and then through it. We were all holding our breath. Was he going to make it? And more importantly, was he going to survive? I kept feeling the string get pulled, which I took to be a good sign.

A few moments later, I heard my Dad over the radio. "We just received the rat, and not only did he survive, but he's now eating both the cheese, AND the cracker with peanut butter on it! The rat arrived alive! I say again, the rat arrived alive!"

When we heard those words from my dad, those of us involved with the portal experiment, as well as the other guys just outside were BESIDE ourselves! We had just transported a living being from one world to another instantaneously via a portal, and the being stayed alive! A minute or so later, Ben the Rat finished his food, and I gently pulled the string to bring him back through the portal. We had more cheese waiting for him on our end, and he came back through, ran to the cheese, and began to eat it.

I then looked over at the portal with wonder. "Well, if a rat could do it, what would happen if a Human did it?"

Twilight was looking at her notes. "Well, presumably, they would arrive alive too, but....." She then heard a noise, and looked up just in time to see me step through the portal!

"BEN!!!!!" She screamed. She then ran over to the portal, as did Rick, Evan, and Shining, while Frank, Jake, and Jon watched from just outside with looks of panic on their faces. What had I just done?

On the other end at Wright-Patterson, my Dad, the few other officers, and the scientists, since they weren't expecting any more tests that day, began to get ready to leave the room that the portal was in. However, before they could, they all heard a *Whoosh!* behind them, and they and my Dad turned to see me standing in front of the portal!

"I......I MADE IT!!!! I'M HOME!!!! I MADE IT BACK TO EARTH!!!!!" I then began to feel myself all over, just to make sure that I was ok. To my shock though, I could no longer feel my wolf ears, my wings, or my wolf tail, and to my further shock, my wolf legs and paws were Human legs and feet again, and my wolf's junk was now a Human's junk instead!

"Wait.....I'm fully Human again?!"

Before I could say anything else though, my Dad had reached me, and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back, though neither of us could say anything. It had been almost 3 years since we'd last seen each other, and 2 of those years were without any contact at all. Now here we were, FINALLY able to see each other again.

"I missed you so much Ben!" My Dad whispered softly.

"I know, and I missed you too Dad. I NEVER meant to just up and disappear like that, but it seems that the Universe had different ideas in mind!"

"You fought the Last Zebra War, saved Equestria, and found your soulmate, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that you're here, you're safe, and you're...........fully Human?!" My Dad then realized that I was fully Human again too.

I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. I can't really understand it either. Maybe this is because of the portal? I don't know."

"Or maybe it was because you were fully drained of your wolf DNA here on Earth, and only regained it once you reached Equestria. Now that you're here, it's all drained out again."

"Yeah, that makes sense Dad."

Before I could say anything else though, the portal sputtered again, and to our shock, a Human female stepped through! She was wearing a purple school uniform, but she had purple hair, and lavender eyes.

"Wait......Twilight?! Is that you?!"

She gave me a strange look. "Yeah. What do you mean by that?"

"Look down at yourself right now Twilight. And PLEASE don't scream!"

She did so, and while I could tell that she was shocked, I then remembered that we'd already paid a visit to Canterlot High, where she became a Human then too. However this time, instead of being a Humanized-Pony, she was a Humanized......well Human, though she still had her purple hair (mane?) and lavender eyes. She also checked under the skirt of her school uniform, and she found that she still had her Cutie-Mark.

"Huh......well, I wasn't expecting this! But yet, maybe it does make sense, since we would stick out like sore thumbs here on Earth! It also seems that while our clothes remain the same, they change color a bit to match what our fur used to be. This is all SO fascinating!" She then noticed that I'd found my Dad.

She then walked over to us. "Allow my to introduce myself. I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. You can just call me Twilight though, and I assume that you're General Stan Anderson?"

My Dad nodded. "Yes, I am General Stan Anderson, US Air Force. And it's an honor to finally meet you in person Twilight." He then shook her hand.

"The honor is mine General. I'm just so amazed to finally be able to meet the father of such an incredible Human."

"Thank you Twilight."

Twilight then took a moment to step back through the portal, (where she was instantly transformed back into her normal Anthro-Pony self) and she quickly reassured the others that she and I were ok. Once she came back, she then began to talk to the scientists for a little bit longer, before it was time for us to head back to Equestria for the time being.

I hugged my Dad one last time. "I'm sorry that I have to go Dad, but we'll be in touch."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. However, we'll see each other 1 week from today once we have all of the families up here again. Then we'll ALL finally be able to see each other again!"

I nodded. "Yeah, and I know that ALL of the guys and their mares are REALLY looking forward to that, ESPECIALLY now that we've proven that portal travel is indeed safe!"

My Dad and I then said goodbye one more time, and then Twilight and I returned to Equestria again.

Sure enough, one week later, on February 10th, 2026, ALL of the families of the 6 of us Human Marines were once again all gathered at Wright-Patterson AFB. This time though, instead of that room where we'd all chatted through the video screen, the families were ushered into the cafeteria meeting hall where the portal was located. Tables were set up, and there were tables with food on them, (sandwiches, chips, salads, other side dishes, lemonade and soda, and desert items), as well as plenty of tables to sit at. It was a big lunch meeting for us all, and all of the families were eagerly waiting on their end for all of us to finish getting ready.

Sure enough, at about 12:30, my Dad's radio came to life. "Dad? Are you there?"

"Right here Ben. Are you guys all ready over there?"

"Yeah, we're ready over here. What's going on on your end?"

"We're all ready here. All 18 of us are VERY eager to see all of you!"

I laughed a bit. "Heh, yeah, I can imagine! Well, hang on. We're almost ready to come on through, and when we do, we'll be in pairs. First Rick and Amethyst, then Jake and Roseluck, Evan and Night Glider, Frank and Lyra, Jon and Derpy, and then finally Gilda and I. And don't worry, we've briefed all of them on how they'll change when they come through the portal, and we'll also be joined by Twilight, as well as her brother Shining Armor, and his wife Princess Cadence. They rule the Crystal Empire where we all live at the current moment."

My Dad nodded. "Ok, sure, that works. And is it time yet?"

"Yep, we're ready. Hang on, we're starting to come through."

After I said this, all eyes were VERY eagerly glued to the portal at the far end of the room. Soon there was a flash of blue energy, and moments later, Rick and Amethyst walked through. They were followed moments later by Jake and Roseluck, and then Evan and Night Glider, Frank and Lyra, Jon and Derpy, and then finally, Gilda and I stepped through, followed closely by Twilight, Shining and Cadence.

As soon as we were in that cafeteria, the room was FILLED with applause, cheering, some whistling, and then the families broke into their units, and made their way over to their respective loved one, as well as his bride-to-be.

Rick and Amethyst were first. Rick hugged his dad Chester, and his brothers Jimmy and Garrett. They all hugged him back just as hard.

"Rick, Son! I'm SO happy to FINALLY be able to see you in person again!"

"Me too Dad."

"Hey, you don't have your ears and tail anymore!" Garrett pointed out.

"You're right Garrett, I don't. Now I'm 100% Human again, though this only lasts while I'm here on Earth."

"Well, no matter, you're here, and that's what REALLY matters!" Jimmy added as he hugged Rick.

Chester then looked over at Amethyst. "And it's nice to finally be able to see my future daughter-in-law." He then lightly hugged Amethyst, only to remember that she was pregnant! "And I was going to ask you, is it a boy or a girl?"

Amethyst blushed lightly. "It's a girl, or a filly as I would say. Rick and I are going to name her Drizzle Belle."

"Such a nice name. And how far along are you?"

"A little over 7 months now. And don't worry, we WILL have the wedding before she's born!"

Chester laughed a bit at this, and Jimmy and Garret were both surprised and glad that they were soon going to have a niece.

When Evan and Night Glider found Lillian and Hank, Lillian IMMEDIATELY hugged her son. "Evan, I'm SO glad to see you again!"

"Yeah, so am I Mom. I missed you and Hank SO MUCH!"

"We missed you too Bro!"

Lillian then looked over at Night Glider. "Wow, you're even prettier in person Night Glider!"

She blushed a bit. "Ngh, thanks Mrs. Lillian."

"Oh none of that Dear. You can just call me 'Mom', since you'll soon be a part of our family too!" She then looked down at Night Glider's belly. "And I've been DYING to know. I know that you're 5 months along, but what are you having?! PLEASE tell me!"

Night Glider giggled a bit. "Well, Evan and I are having twins, one colt and one filly, or as you would say, one boy and one girl!"

Lillian started bouncing up and down after she let go of Evan. "EEEE!!!!! This is SO exciting! And what are you going to name them?!"

"Night Glider and I decided to name our son Golden Crescent, and our daughter Gleaming Pearl."

Hank spoke up. "Wow, I like those names. I bet that they'll be PERFECT for my niece and nephew!"

"I know that they will be Hank."

Lillian then hugged both of them again, and then she began to gently feel Night Glider's belly, which caused Night Glider to giggle a bit.

Next, it was Jake and Roseluck's turn. Soon, they found Jake's parents, as well as his older sister Betty, and his Grandpa Jeremiah.

He hugged his parents as soon as he saw them. "Mom! Dad!" He then hugged his sister and grandpa. "Betty! Grandpa!"

His parents hugged him back, as did Betty and Jeremiah.

"It's SO good to have you back Jake."

"Yes, you're Mother and I missed you so much. We were SO GLAD that you guys FINALLY figured out a way to come home!"

"Yeah, so now you can come and see us, and we can come and see you Little Brother!"

"I'm so happy to see you again Jake!"

"Me too Grandpa. And yeah, you will be able to come and see us now Betty!"

Betty then looked over at Roseluck. "Well? Don't keep us in suspense and longer, am I getting a niece or a nephew?"

Roseluck blushed a giggled and blush a bit. "Well Betty, you're getting both plus 1. I'm pregnant with triplets, 2 sons and a daughter!"

When Jake's family heard that, their jaws were on the floor! Their son and his soon-to-be wife were having TRIPLETS?!

"What are you going to name them?" Martin asked.

"Well Dad, Rosie and I decided to name our sons Oliver and Silver Night, while our daughter will be named Harmony."

"Aww, those are such nice names. I'll bet that your babies will be SO cute!"

Jake nodded. "Yeah, I hope that they will be Mom. I mean, they have me for their dad, and Rosie here for their mom, so shouldn't that be enough to make them cute?"

"Yeah, it should be Jake!" They all continued to talk about this for a while longer.

At this same time, Frank and Lyra were making their way over to Dakota and Joel.

As soon as he saw his big brother again, Joel immediately hugged him. "Frank!"

Frank hugged him back. "Hey Buddy. How are you?"

"I'm good. And I'm SO happy to see you again!"

"Me too Joel." He then looked over at Dakota. "Just as I'm also really glad to see you too Grandpa." He then went over to hug his grandpa.

"So am I Frank. 3 years with only being able to talk to you by phone for 1 of those years is WAY too long!"

"Yeah, but no more! Now that the portal is fully up and running, now we'll never have to deal with that problem again. Now I'll be able to come and see you, and you'll be able to come and see us."

Joel meanwhile was hugging Lyra. "Wow, you looked a little bit different on the video call Lyra. Now you look like a Human instead of a Unicorn!"

Lyra laughed a bit. "Yeah, I do Joel. It's all because of the portal. It changed me into a Human, just as it changed Frank back into one too!"

Dakota then looked over at her. "And I know that I'm a great-grandpa, and that you're 5 months along, but am I going to have a great-grandson, or a great-granddaughter?"

Lyra blushed a bit. "Well Grandpa Dakota, you're going to have 2 great-grandsons! Frank and I are having twin colts, or boys, take your pick. We've decided to name them James and Thunder."

"Thunder? Is that an Equestrian name?"

"Yes. It was the name of my grandfather, and now I pass it on to one of my sons."

Dakota nodded. "Yes, it's certainly a strong-sounding name. I like it!"

"And so do I!" Joel added. "I like it too!"

The 4 of them then talked about this while the last 2 families got to talk to their male family member, as well as his future wife.

Of course, once it was time for Jon and Derpy to meet his family, like always, because his family was so large, this was a VERY big affair, since Jon had his parents Brad and Lindsey, grandparents Ethan and Muriel, and his younger twin brother and sister Peyton and Bertha!

As soon as he saw them, Jon ran over and hugged his family. “Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Peyton, Bertha!”

They all hugged him back.

“I’m SO happy to see you again Jon.” Lindsey whispered. “The video call, plus the other phone calls were nice, but they just can’t replace the real thing. I’m SO glad that you guys got that portal working!”

“Me too Mom.”

“Wait, you don’t have any wolf or Pony parts! Where did your wolf and Pony parts go?!”

Jon looked over at her. “I don’t know Bertha. Scar was the first one to discover that once we step through the portal, we become fully Human again. However, once he stepped back through, he became a Human-wolf with wings again.”

“Will we get those parts if we step through the portal?”

“Eh, I actually doubt it Peyton. It only works for the 6 of us Marines, and of course any creatures from Equestria. And before you ask why, it’s because you were fully Human to start with, and they weren’t.” (Jon had to be VERY careful with how he worded his answer, as he STILL couldn’t reveal any information about Wolf Pack Battalion!)

Peyton however seemed to accept this answer. “Oh, well that’s good. I didn’t want to look like that anyway!”

“Oh, well ok then!” Jon then looked over at his dad and grandparents. “And how have you all been?”

Brad spoke first. “I’ve been good Jon. I’ve really been missing you though. It’s SO good to have you back!”

“Just as it’s good for us to have you back too.” Ethan added.

“It’s good to have you all back too.”

Muriel then looked over at Derpy. She was surprised to see that she was a Human, though she still had her blonde hair (formerly mane!) yellow eyes, and was wearing a gray sun dress with bubble patterns on the sides. “And how have you been with your pregnancy Miss Derpy?”

Derpy blushed a bit. “It’s been ok so far Grandma Muriel. And no doubt you also want to hear about what I’m going to have?”

Lindsey perked up when she heard that. “Yes, I for one have been VERY eagerly waiting for this!”

“As have I!” Bertha added. “I REALLY want to know if I’m having a niece or nephew!”

Derpy then giggled a bit. “Well, you don’t have to wait any longer. I’m now 7 months pregnant...............with triplets! Jon and I are having 3 sons, and we’re naming them Jon jr., Billy Hooves, and Graystone.”

When Jon’s family heard that, their jaws were on the floor! They were NOT expecting news like that!

“Wow, your Dad and I are getting 3 grandsons?!”

“3 nephews?!”

“3 great-grandsons?!”

Jon nodded. “Yeah, that’s the gist of it anyway. And I take it by those reactions that ALL of you are really excited by the news?”

“YES!!!” His family answered together.

They all then hugged Jon and Derpy, before talking about their triplets once again.

And last but not least, it was time for me and Gilda to see my Dad. Twilight discovered that she could still use her Magic to a limited degree on Earth, and she was using it to help Gilda and I hide our twins. They were in a carrying pack on Gilda’s back, and Twilight used her Magic to hide both them, and the pack.

Once we reached my Dad, I hugged him again, and for the first time, he also got to hug Gilda. “Wow, you REALLY don’t look like your profile picture Gilda”, My Dad joked. “I was expecting a Griffon!”

Gilda laughed at this. (Once I explained to her what the joke meant anyway!) She then looked down at herself. Sure enough, she was Human now. Her skin was rather pale, her hair was white with purple highlights, her eyes were yellow, and she was wearing jeans, low-heeled shoes, and a brown leather jacket with a white T-shirt underneath.

“Yeah, I guess that I don’t General Anderson!”

“You can just call me Stan Gilda. Or even Dad, since we are going to be family soon.”

“Ok, sure.”

My Dad then turned to me. “And I heard all of the other pregnancy announcements from the other 5 Marines and their mares, but what about you guys? Do you have a pregnancy announcement?”

I shook my head. “Nope. We don’t have one.”

My Dad frowned a bit. “Oh. I guess that you guys can’t have kids because of the whole ‘hybrids’ thing?”

Gilda then smirked ever so much. She was about to reveal her secret, but she got interrupted before she could.

“Oh, there you are Bro, I was looking for you!”

I then looked up, and I saw Shining. He was now Human, though his blue hair and blue eyes were the same. He was also wearing his old military field uniform, which was a mixture of purple and gold.

“Oh, hey Shining. And I’d like you to meet my Dad. Dad, this is Shining Armor, my best friend, and he rules the Crystal Empire with his wife Princess Cadence. Shining, this is my dad, Air Force Brigadier General Stan Anderson.”

Shining then shook hands with my Dad. “It’s nice to finally be able to meet you in person Sir. Scar’s told me a LOT about you!”

“Just as it’s nice to finally be able to meet the stallion, (or man at the current moment!) who fought beside my Son in the Last Zebra War.”

“Yes, I owe Scar my life. He helped save me from that Zebra Quarantine Camp in the Smoky Mountains, and we fought side by side through most of the remaining battles of the war.”

“Ahem!” Gilda suddenly interrupted.

Shining turned to her, only to realize that he had accidentally interrupted her just as she and I were about to show our kids to my Dad!

He winced a bit. “Oh, sorry Gilda! I’ll give you the spotlight again!”

“It was nice meeting you Shining.” My Dad told him. It’s nice to know that my Son has a friend like you.”

Just as it was nice to be able to meet you too Sir.”

My Dad then turned back to Gilda. “What were you going to say before he walked over Gilda?”

Gilda smirked a bit again. “Well, Ben and I were about to explain why we didn’t have a pregnancy announcement. As it turns out, there was no need for an announcement............since I already gave birth!”

Then, before my Dad could react, I signaled Twilight, and she dropped the illusion spell that she was using.

Gilda then turned to the side a bit, revealing the carrying pack on her back. “Dad, meet Ben and I’s twins, your grandchildren, Daylight and Glacier!”

When my Dad realized that we already were parents, and had been hiding it from him, he SLAMMED his hands over his mouth in shock! He looked like he was about to FAINT he was so shocked!

“Wha..........WHAT?!?! HOW DID...........?!?!?!”

Gilda laughed. “I actually got pregnant last February, just before the end of the war! I gave birth last November, and our twins are now 3 months old.”

My Dad then came closer, and he saw Daylight and Glacier better. They were both fully Human at the current moment, but they were not quite normal. Daylight had brown hair, but his eyes were yellow like Gilda’s. Glacier meanwhile had Gilda’s white hair, but my blue eyes. Both of them were also wearing matching outfits of blue shirts, and gray pants.

“Wow........they’re so........they’re so cute!”

I shifted a bit. “Eh, well, if you think that they look cute now, you should see what they REALLY look like! They’re the first of their kind, a sub-species that’s been dubbed ‘Lycan-Griff’, due to them having elements of a lion, an eagle, a Human, AND a wolf in them!” I then showed my Dad a picture of what the twins really looked like.

When he saw the picture, my Dad, like so many others, truly had no words. He had no idea what to say, however, he DID ask why we kept them hidden from him.

“Well, Gilda and I wanted to tell you, but yet we wanted to make it a surprise at the same time. That’s why Gilda was wearing a baggy tank-top, and was sitting down during the video call, so that she would be able to hide her baby-hump! This is also why we never made any pregnancy announcements, and why Gilda wasn’t present during the final tests last week; she had to take care of our twins!”

“Well, I can certainly say that I was VERY surprised! I STILL don’t know what to say about this!” My Dad then asked a very serious question though. “However, I do have to know, what is your current marital status?”

I sighed. “Well, Gilda and I are engaged, but we’re not married. Yes, Daylight and Glacier were born out of wedlock, but this will be rectified here shortly. We’re planning for a Spring wedding, and then our twins will be in wedlock.”

My Dad sighed. “Ok, just as long as your married here before too long. I want both of my grandchildren to be in wedlock.”

“I know Dad, and they will be soon.”

“And.......can I hold them?”

Gilda nodded. “Of course you can.”

My Dad then sat down on a nearby chair, and with my help, Gilda lifted Daylight and Glacier out of their carrying pack, and gently handed them to my Dad. Unlike what I was half-expecting, both Daylight and Glacier seemed to immediately sense that my Dad was family, and instead of crying, both of them seemed perfectly content to let him hold them.

“They’re........they’re perfect. I wish that Maggie was here to see this. She would be completely fawning all over both of them!”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know that Mom would be Dad. She would be so............so happy.” I then had to sit down too, as I didn’t want to start crying.

Eventually, Gilda did have to take the twins back, as it was time for her to feed them, and it was time for the rest of us to eat as well.

While we were eating, I did get the chance to talk to my Dad a little bit more.

“Have you gotten in contact with the Southern Pacific Railroad yet?”

He shook his head. “No, not yet. How’s that 3rd portal coming?”

“Well, the plans have been finalized, and while we have all of the parts for it, we haven’t built it yet. Coming home to see you and the rest of our families was the top priority.”

“I can understand that.”

“And has the SP calmed down any yet, or are they still going bonkers?”

My Dad sighed a bit. “Nope, they’re STILL going bonkers, though now it’s because of the Santa Fe’s great triumph.”

“Great triumph? Has Madam Queen returned to steam yet?”

My Dad nodded. “Yes, she has. Santa Fe 5000 has run again under her own power. She’s made 2 excursion trips so far, and she’s about to be put to work on the freight circuit. I haven’t heard anything more about this yet, though I have heard that the Santa Fe is looking for new crews for Madam Queen. Her current crews are getting close to retirement age, and they’re looking to pass the mantle on to the next generation.”

“Oh, well that’s good of them to do that. I hope that they get some takers here pretty soon.”

“Yeah, me too Ben.”

I then glanced around us. All of the other families were eating, and talking to each other, Twilight, Shining and Cadence were at their own table, and Gilda was sitting a little ways away from us feeding Daylight and Glacier. I could see that she was breastfeeding them, though she was covered by a modesty blanket. I then knew that the time was right to talk to my Dad about Wolf Pack Battalion, and what he knew about it. The 2 years were up, and now it was safe to talk about it with him.

“Hey Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“With me being out of it, and the 2 years having run out, I think that it’s time you and I talk about ‘WPB’, or more specifically, how much you really know about it, and how you know so much about it.”

My Dad sighed. I could tell that he knew that this conversation was coming, though I couldn’t get a feel for how he felt about it.

“What do you want to know?”

“How much do you know about it?”

“A lot. Granted, I don’t quite know everything, but I do know that they took you guys, gave you wolf DNA, made you into werewolf super-soldiers, and then unleashed you on the battlefield. Granted, I don’t know about your missions, or how exactly you were made, but I do know a lot about it, based on what I just told you. I also know that at the end of it, you all have your wolf DNA fully extracted, and once you're fully Human again, you’re given your paperwork from Hearthstone Battalion, aka the cover-story for Wolf Pack, and then you’re free to return to civilian life, provided of course that you don’t talk about something that doesn’t exist.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s pretty much the gist of it. And how do you know all of this? You’re Air Force, not Marines.”

“No, but I wasn’t left out of the briefings. Granted, I wasn’t present for all of the briefings, but I was present for at least 60% of them. Those behind Wolf Pack informed the President, the top-brass in the Department of Defense, FBI, and CIA, as well as those higher-ups who needed to be in the know in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. I was one of the ones who needed to be in the know, so I was informed about Wolf Pack, and what they were created for. I had a hard time believing that all of it was real, but yet if I was being informed about such a project in a top-secret briefing, then there was no way that it was just a joke!”

I shook my head. “No, it’s no joke Dad. Wolf Pack is still out there somewhere. They’re still doing their duty to America, still in their werewolf forms, and still in the greatest of secrecy. They were before, and I hope that they continue to do so for a LONG time to come!”

“Me too.”

My Dad and I continued to talk about this for a while longer as we ate.

A little later that day, there was something that my Dad and I knew that we had to do, and we decided to take Gilda and the twins along too. It was something that my Dad and I hadn’t done in a long time, but it was something that we had to do.

Even though it was cloudy, and cold that February 10th, the 5 of us took a car from Wright Patterson AFB, drove to Dayton, and then drove out of town a little ways. Eventually, we arrived at a cemetery. After pulling in, we drove to a spot towards the back of the cemetery, and after parking, we began to walk to a spot close to a tree.

Finally, my Dad and I found what we were looking for. Close to a maple tree, there was a large bluish-gray stone with these words on it.

"Margaret ’Maggie’ Anderson.

B. April 23, 1976 D. September 8, 2005

Maggie was a loving wife and mother, taken before her time. She was a good woman, and God called her home early. Survived by her husband and son, she will be dearly missed."

When I read those words again, I felt very sad. My Dad felt the same way. It had been a long time since either of us had been here, but now that we were here again, we felt very sad.

“This..........this is where your Mom was buried?” Gilda asked me quietly.

I nodded. “Yes, she was buried here. It’s been almost 10 years since I was last here. The last time I was here was just before I was deployed with Wolf Pack for the first time. Then it was 8 years as a Marine, and 2 more in Equestria. Now I’m finally back again.”

I could tell that Gilda felt sad too, though she was better at not showing it. “And where’s........where’s your Grandpa buried?”

I pointed to a stone just behind my Mom’s. “Right there.”

Gilda then walked over to it. My Grandpa’s stone was a white marble, military-style stone with black letters.

“Major Thomas ‘Tommy’ Anderson, US Army, Baker Company. WWII Veteran.

B. August 12th, 1918 D. May 4th, 2017.

Major Anderson was one of the few men who survived Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6th, 1944. He stormed Omaha Beach with the rest of his company, and managed to survive the day. He helped with the Liberation of France, and fought in Holland, Belgium, and Germany. Retired from the Army as a Major in 1948. May his courage and sacrifice never be forgotten.”

“Wow, your Grandpa was an amazing man Stud. I wish that I got to meet him before he passed.”

“Me too Gilda. I know that he would have LOVED to have met you though. He was such an amazing guy.”

“I wish that I could have met your Mom too.”

“I DEFINITELY know that she would have loved you too Gilda. My Mom loved just about everybody, and she loved me, my Dad, and my Grandpa Tommy the most. I miss them so much.” I leaned on my Mom’s grave ever so much, and began to cry a bit.

I felt my Dad’s hand on my shoulder, and I could tell that he was almost crying too. A moment or so later, I felt Gilda pull me into a hug.

“Shh, it’s ok Babe. I know that you miss your Mom and Grandpa, but I also know that you’ll see them again one day. As both you and your dad have said before, they’re both looking down from Heaven right now, and couldn’t be prouder of you. I know that they miss you too, and can’t wait to see you again either.”

I then hugged Gilda back. I didn’t say anything, but Gilda could tell that I was glad that she was there to comfort me. We spent a little bit longer at the cemetery, though we did have to leave eventually to get back to Wright-Patterson to rejoin the rest of the group.

After a day or so of being back on Earth, it was decided to bring our families with us back to Equestria for another day or so. That way they could see where and how we all lived, as well as the actual sites from the Last Zebra War. Princess Celestia had given her approval for this, as had Shining and Cadence, (which was important, since the portal was located within the boundaries of the Crystal Empire!) and the families were to be given space to live in the Crystal Castle for the time that they stayed in Equestria.

Once everyone was ready again, we all lined up, and walked back through the portal. Sure enough, once we Human-wolves stepped back through, we regained our wolf features, as well as our wings, horns, or super-Human strength. Our mates turned back into Ponies, as did Shining, Twilight and Cadence, Gilda became a Griffon again, and Daylight and Glacier became Lycan-Griffs again.

Once we arrived back where we started from, my Dad look around the room. "Wow, so this is the basement lab where you guys built the portal?"

I nodded. "Yeah, at least, this is the main one. A few components were tested in labs nearby, and in the room next door to this one is where all of the radio equipment that we used to communicate with you the first time is."

"And what basement are we in right now?"

"We're in the basement of the Crystal Castle, which is the centerpiece of the Crystal Empire, which is the northernmost territory in all of Equestria. It's ruled over by Princess Cadence, and Prince Shining Armor."

My Dad nodded, and as we were all walking upstairs to the main levels of the castle, my Dad looked over at Gilda.

"Well, it's nice to see you looking like your old self again Gilda. You wouldn't happened to have seen a Human girl with white hair and yellow eyes around here, would you?"

Gilda turned to him annoyed, but she did smirk. "No, I have no idea where she might be. Have you checked the portal to Earth?"

My Dad laughed at this a bit, and once we were up on the main level, while the other families began to fan out and look around, my Dad finally got to see Daylight and Glacier in their true forms.

"Wow. They're so............so...........unique. What do you call them again?"

"Gilda and I decided to call them 'Lycan-Griffs'. They're part Human, part wolf, part eagle, and part lion. Quite literally 4 creatures in 1!"

"And............how is that even remotely possible again?"

Both Gilda and I shot my Dad a "Really Bruh?" look, and we ended up answering at the exact same time. "You're REALLY asking us that?"

"It's all YOUR FAULT for not wearing a condom!" Gilda spat at me.

"YOU didn't use birth control Gilda!" I shot back.

"That shouldn't have been a problem. We're 2 COMPLETELY incompatible species Scar; there should be NO WAY that Daylight and Glacier even exist!"

I sighed, and put a hand over my face. "Yeah, but they do, and no one, not even Twilight or the other Princesses are ANY closer to figuring out why they do, or even how the heck they were conceived in the first place!"

My Dad could tell that both of us were still at each other's throats over how Daylight and Glacier came to be, so he decided to change the subject.

"Not to get too far off topic, but where's the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company building located at? I'd really like to see that."

I looked at him. "It's only about a few blocks from here. We can stop there on the way to our house, assuming of course that you want to see our house."

"Of course I do."

"Ok then, follow me." I then began to lead the way from the Crystal Castle over to the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company.

When we arrived there a few minutes later, I could see that some of the other families were looking around too.

"Wow, so this is it?"

I nodded. "Yep, this is it. We started this company when we first arrived here, and up until recently, all 6 of us, plus our mates, all lived here too."

"And how did you do that?"

"Well, on the ground floor is the main freight warehouse, though off to the side of it is a small kitchen, sitting area, and a bathroom, and the sleeping quarters are upstairs. This whole building, plus the engine house behind it, survived the entire Zebra occupation with very few scars to show for it." I then explained a bit more about how that happened, including the Night of Fear.

All while I was talking, Gilda was looking at the ground. It was clear that she was in shock from the memory of the whole affair, especially from the Night of Fear.

Once I finished my explanation, my Dad looked up at me. "Wow.........that's..........I don't even know what to say right now Ben. To have lived through all of that.........I mean, you weren't here at the depot when it was raided, but the others who were............"

"It was the scariest few minutes of my entire life up to that point." Gilda said softly. "The Zebras came, ripped the place apart, stole all of our clothes, and anything else made out of fabric, and then left again. For those few minutes, none of us knew if we were going to live or die, or if we were going to be taken away."

Gilda then began to cry a bit, and I sat down next to her to comfort her. She hugged me, and leaned her head against my shoulder. I gently nuzzled the top of her head, and calmly reassured her that everything was ok. My Dad was still looking around the freight depot in quiet awe. There was still some damage, as well as other signs of the Last Zebra War, and it just seemed so surreal to him, and to the rest of the families as well. He still could barely fathom the beginning of the Zebra conquest of Equestria; from when they first arrived, leading up to the Night of Fear, much less the immediate aftermath of that night. We all survived it somehow, and that just made it that much more seemingly unbelievable. However, there was hard evidence that it really did happen, which meant that we weren't crazy, and really did survive what we said that we did.

"Thank God that you 6, and your mates, were able to turn the tide before this got out of control." He finally said softly. "6 retired US Marines, 5 mares and 1 Griffon, working out of a freight depot with SP Daylight 4449, united 2 resistance groups, turned them into a VERY effective fighting unit, and began to take back Equestria from the Zebras. It all seems so fantastic, but it's all true!"

I nodded. "Yeah. But if you think that this freight depot is cool, just wait until you see our house. I have plenty of other war-trophies in there from the battlefield."

We all looked around for a little bit longer, and then we all moved on to our house.

When we arrived, it was time for Daylight and Glacier's naps. After feeding and changing them one more time, Gilda quietly went upstairs to put them in their crib. While she was doing that, I showed my Dad the downstairs of our house.

"I bought this house towards the end of Gilda's pregnancy. We both live here, as does Gilda's little sister Gabby. She's out with her friend right now though, otherwise I would call her in to meet you. You'll love her when you do meet her though, she's such a sweet girl."

"She sounds like it. And was she here during the war?"

I shook my head. "No, she was still living in Griffonstone with her and Gilda's grandpa, Grampa Gruff. After the war, and once we had this house, we invited her to come and live with us, and she accepted. It was a little bit of an adjustment for her, but she's adapted quite well."

My Dad was looking at a few pictures of the 3 of us on a nearby wall. "From the looks of these pictures, it sure sounds like it. It also looks like Gabby is SO happy to be an aunt."

"She is. She's the PERFECT auntie to Daylight and Glacier, and they seem to love her just as much as she loves them."

After looking at the pictures, I then showed my Dad the room where I kept my war trophies. Inside were Zebra weapons, a few cloaks, and even a number of hides, tails, hooves, and even a few heads mounted to the wall!

"Wow, you guys were REALLY not playing around with the Last Zebra War!"

I laughed dryly. "No, no we weren't! We DEFINITELY played for keeps!"

My Dad then noticed a glass case that contained a black armored suit of some sort. The suit was bristling with guns and other weapons, and looked quite dangerous. "Whoa! What is this thing?"

I smiled. "This is called a 'Terror Suit'. Only 5 of them were ever made, and this is the only one still operating today. They were designed to turn a single soldier into a one-man army, and from my time of using it in combat, first for the raid on Canterlot, and then later for the Battle of Canterlot, I can tell you that that description is MORE than accurate! I killed more Zebras with this suit than I EVER did without it!"

"And how did it get here?"

"Well, after the war ended, I cleaned it up just enough, and it used to be on display at the freight depot, but once we had this house, I moved it over here to my trophy room. Sure, its weapons are unloaded, and it lacks a power cell, but if it had those, then it could easily be brought back online again. I keep it in serviceable condition just in case some other group tries to invade Equestria. Then THEY can meet the Terror Suit!"

My Dad laughed at this a bit, and he and I kept looking around the trophy room for a little while longer.

For 2 days more the families stayed with us in Equestria, but all too soon, they had to head back home again. We all promised to be in touch thanks to the fax-machine phones, and we promised to visit them, just as they promised to visit us. The families were SO glad to have gotten to see how we lived in Equestria, just as we were really glad to have been able to head back to Earth for a brief time. They were happy, we were happy, there was just one group that wasn't happy; the Southern Pacific Railroad.

For 3 years now, 4449 had been missing without a trace, and they were PISSED! Now the Santa Fe Railroad had brought back Madam Queen, aka Santa Fe 5000, and they were threatening to overshadow the SP forevermore. We REALLY wanted to apologize to our old bosses, as well as give them back 4449, but first things first, we had to get into contact with them again, and we already knew that THAT was going to he a HUGE battle in and of itself!

Thanks to my Dad, Rick, Jake, Frank, Evan, Jon and I were finally able to talk to our old bosses at the SP Railroad again via Skype. We already knew that we were in for a REALLY tough conversation, but what we were NOT prepared for was the conversation when it came.

Imagine the shock of the SP Railroad’s Steam Division when they suddenly received a call from General Stan Anderson of the USAF out at Wright-Patterson AFB. And THEN imagine their shock when he reveals that not only are the 6 of us still alive, but that we also have 4449 with us, she’s completely intact, (he failed to mention her service in the Last Zebra War!), and most importantly, we did NOT steal her, but were instead blasted into another dimension via lightning striking a set of lay-lines that were underneath the train tracks on top of Sherman Hill. We were fully ready and willing to give her back to the SP, once we had all of the wrinkles ironed out anyway.

“So, all 6 of you, plus the Daylight, are indeed ok?” Our old boss Andrew Pike asked me.

“Yes Sir, we are. All 6 of us, plus the Daylight, are ok. We have been using her on a regular basis for the past 2 years, but we’ve cared for her every step of the way.”

“That’s nice to hear. We’ve REALLY been on the rocks without her. I mean, the Norfolk and Western has 611, and are currently trying to restore 1218, Union Pacific has 844, 3985, 4014, and NOW they’ve reacquired, and are trying to restore Challenger 3977, and of course, those down at the Santa Fe have brought Santa Fe 5000, aka Madam Queen, back to full working order, and have been using her ever since. Yes, they are in need of new crew, but that doesn’t cover the fact that we lost 4449, AND in the way that we did!”

I winced. "And what happened after we disappeared? We never heard about it."

Pike sighed. "It was pretty bad. At first, we all thought that you boys were just delayed in getting back from the maintenance run due to the weather, and we kept trying to contact you, but we never received any replies. We then began to hear rumors from train-spotters up on Sherman Hill that you all just up and disappeared following a lightning strike. We dismissed these rumors, until you all were not found."

"And......did you think that we stole the train?"

Pike shook his head. "No, at least, I didn't. I knew that you 6 were good men, plus, how would you steal a train that's THAT recognizable, and get away with it? I didn't know what happened, but others were DEMANDING that we find 4449, and do so at once! We kept looking, but we weren't finding anything. Around this same time, the press began to catch wind that something big was happening. We told the public that 4449 was down for extensive boiler and firebox maintenance, but somehow they found out that we were lying, and called us out on it."

"And that's where the public relations nightmare started?"

"Yes. People were DEMANDING to know where 4449 was, just as our financial backers, not to mention that museum in Oregon where 4449 is kept were also demanding to know. We kept telling them that she vanished without a trace, and they of course all told us that that was impossible. It kept getting worse as time went on, and of course, the Santa Fe took FULL advantage of this. Union Pacific was kind enough to keep quiet about it, same with the N&W, but not them."

"They started flaunting Madam Queen?"

"Yes! At least, to a large degree. They were ALWAYS using the disappearance of 4449 to make us look bad, and they kept the public up to date with each and every new thing that they did with Madam Queen while she was being restored. Finally, earlier this year, Madam Queen ran again, and has been put on the SF freight circuit. The only silver lining is the fact that they need new crew for her, since the guys who work with her now are getting older, and they need to start training the younger generation."

I sighed. "Yeah, that must have been pretty hard for you, and for the others who were backing you, not to mention the fans of 4449. However, your worries are over. We have the train with us here in Equestria, though that leaves 2 VERY critical challenges to overcome; how to get the train back home, and how to cover up this INSANE PR nightmare!"

Pike agreed. "Yes, both of those are serious challenges alright. Do you have any ideas for them?"

I talked with Rick and the others for a minute or so. "Well, we are in the process of building a portal large enough to get 4449 home, and after talking to the guys, we just got a REALLY great idea that no only will cover your PR disaster, but it will also steal the spotlight from Madam Queen, and keep the public focused on the SP, and 4449 for a good long while!"

Pike was surprised. "Ok, you have my interest. What are you guys have in mind?"

I then smirked, and explained what we had in mind for this.

When Pike heard our plan, he was STUNNED. It was a bold, and VERY daring plan, but if it worked, and the chances of that happening were more than good, it would COMPLETELY reverse the damage, and cover the nightmare!

"But yet, therein lies another problem Ben. While you need 4449 for our freight company, we need her just as much. How do we cross this impasse?"

I thought for a second. "Well", I said at last, "We might be able to compromise. What if the SP Railroad acquired another steam engine, one that's not very well known, and you gave it to us to restore, while you pretend to restore it on your end? Then, once we're done, we rotate the engines back and forth between us. That way the public doesn't become too suspicious, we both get 4449, and we get a new engine to use as well."

Pike was stunned. "Yes. Yes, that just might work! However, what steam engine would that be?"

"Well, what about an engine like C&O 1601?"

"Wait. Was that that engine that survived that flood on November 4th, 1985 at that railroad museum in Roanoke, VA?"

"No, that was 1601's sister, C&O 1604. Very few people know about 1601 aside from a few railroad enthusiasts, and I don't think that anyone would really notice or care if she was withdrawn from display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI for 'restoration'. Sure, she really will be restored, but in a different world!"

Pike thought about that, and quickly told me to tell the others. Once we'd discussed it, we in turn got in touch with Cadence and Shining, who also informed Princess Celestia. After talking to Luna, Celestia gave her answer to Cadence and Shining, who in turn informed us, and then I told Pike.

"After talking it over with the Princesses and Prince Mr. Pike, I'm pleased to inform you that not only would we be willing to take 1601, but we'd also be able to cover the costs of buying her, as well as fully restoring her. We'd just need to go over the fine points, not to mention the red tape, and other agreements between Equestria, the SP Railroad, and of course, the current owners of 1601, the Henry Ford Museum, though they won't know about Equestria."

Pike agreed, and he and the Princesses, as well as Shining, not to mention other officers of the SP Railroad, spent the rest of that day hammering out details, putting together agreements, and working out the fine points of how this sort of "railroad exchange program" was going to work. Then Pike and the officers of the SP spent the next few days working out a deal to acquire 1601, and then arrange for transporting her by rail to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she would be temporarily kept while being prepared for the final leg of her trip to Equestria.

At this same time, the 6 of us, plus Twilight, and a number of other technicians got to work on putting together our Railroad Portal, and then testing it. It didn't take nearly as long as it did the first time with the portal to Earth, though it did take a while. Finally, on April 5th, 2026, after almost 2 months of solid work and testing, we were finally ready. The next day, April 6th, we put our plan to save the SP Railroad from its public relations disaster into effect.

That day, April 6th, 2026, was a bit of an overcast day in Wyoming. There were some chances of rain, but a few train-spotters were at their posts on Sherman Hill, waiting to see the trains that came by. Big Boy 4014 came by on one of her excursion trips at Noon, and the next train wasn't due for a bit. However, as they watched, some of their electronics equipment began to go crazy.

"Huh? What the heck? What's going on?"

Suddenly, there came a flash of bright blue light, and then a train appeared out of nowhere! It was bright red and orange with a black boiler, and it came pulling a long line of coaches that were also red and orange, and had black roofs. The train blew its whistle as it raced past them, and on down the other side of Sherman Hill.

"WHAT?!?!?! 4449?!?!?!"

"BUT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!! SHE WENT MISSING!!!!"

"Well, it looks like she's back now!"

The train-spotters then got into their cars, and all raced after 4449. Sure enough, the train pulled into a station in Cheyenne, and came to a complete stop. 6 crewmembers disembarked, and were going about filling up their engine's tender with more water and oil. (We discovered during portal testing that once 4449 returned to Earth, she would reconfigure herself to burn oil instead of coal). The 6 were going about their business, almost as if nothing was wrong.

When they were surrounded by reporters, railroad staff, and steam-enthusiasts, the 6 crew were "shocked" to find out that they'd been missing without a trace for 3 years! It was now April 6th, 2026, and NOT April 6th, 2023! The crew "couldn't believe it". 3 years had gone by since they went up Sherman Hill on a maintenance run?! How had that happened?! When asked, the crew insisted that they had no idea what happened.

"I don't know!" I told the reporters. "We were racing up Sherman Hill in the midst of that rainstorm, and then all of a sudden, we saw a BLINDING flash of white light! Moments later, the flash was gone, and we were going down the other side of the hill. Nothing seemed to be different, though we were glad that the rain stopped. We had no idea that 3 years had passed since we'd gone up the hill, at least until all of you just suddenly surrounded us!"

Rick, Jake, Frank, Evan and Jon told similar stories. None of us "had any idea" that any time had passed. The press was having a field-day with this. Stories of time-travel, wormholes, and even alien abduction were quickly hitting the news, and just like we'd hoped, ALL attention was on the Southern Pacific and 4449, and NOT Madam Queen for once! Some were pretty upset about this, though many were glad to know that 4449 was still ok.

After the investigations, the official explanation for the disappearance was the appearance of a mysterious anomaly caused by lightning when it struck the lay-lines that existed under the tracks at the top of Sherman Hill. This anomaly swallowed the train and its crew whole, and then spit them out 3 years into the future. The trip was instantaneous for us, but 3 years for the rest of the world. Many accepted this answer, though many more were demanding to know more about the lay-lines, and the anomaly. Some questions were answered over time, but the whole affair largely sunk into "Conspiracy Theory" territory.

Some still insisted that it was aliens, while others said that it was another version of the "Philadelphia Experiment", or some other new aspect of "Project Rainbow". Others said that Sherman Hill was cursed, and that only trains from the Union Pacific Railroad could use it.

"Sherman Hill is cursed! If ANY other train not from the UP tries to use it, they'll disappear too!" No one really bought this story, but the media ran with it to make fun of it. Some thought that it would die out, but the "Curse of Sherman Hill", as it soon came to be known, is still a talking point in railroad lore, even to this day. The story was "proven true" in March of 2028, but that's another story..............

At the same time 4449 reappeared on Earth, another story hit the news. C&O 1601 had been acquired by the SP Railroad, and was going to be taken away for restoration. The story hardly caused a splash, though some were glad that the proud 2-6-6-6 Allegheny was going to be given new life. It did take a while to get her out of the museum, but once she was, she was hooked up behind another train, a Southern Pacific one, and began her journey; first south to Kansas City, and then West to Cheyenne.

At this same time in Cheyenne, people were STILL all over 4449 and her crew, and no one really noticed when 1601 and her train rolled into town. A few did, and they clapped and cheered for the Allegheny, but most were still so focused on 4449. The engine was taken to a yard close to the Cheyenne Roundhouse, and was left there for the time being. A few people came to see her, and take pictures of her, as few had ever seen a 2-6-6-6 locomotive before, though some did wonder why the SP Railroad was restoring her, and not the C&O, or another railroad in the East. The official answer was that it was a business agreement between the Henry Ford Museum and the SP Railroad, though there weren't really any details on what the agreement was, due to a business confidentiality policy.

However, later that night, at almost 3am, a diesel locomotive came to 1601, and after hooking up to her, began to tow her away from the yard. The locomotive was taken outside of Cheyenne, and out on a side track, in the dead of night, the mouth of a portal appeared in front of the train. A few Humans with oddly colored hair and eyes appeared from out of the portal, and guided the driver of the diesel as he pushed 1601 through the portal. Then, once the train was through, the diesel was unhooked from 1601, 1601 was then grabbed from the front by 2 Equestrian locomotives, the odd "Humans" thanked the engineer for bringing 1601, he said that they were welcome, and he then left. The "Humans" then walked back through the portal themselves, and it quickly closed behind them. 1601 was now no longer on Earth, though it would return sometime in the near future.

After she arrived in Equestria, 1601 was moved to the steam shops in Fillydelphia, where she was to undergo her restoration. Her restoration was scheduled to take maybe 2 years, and this was due to the Ponies being able to use Magic to help speed up the process of her restoration. Like what had been done previously with engines like Big Boy 4014, 1601 had to be almost fully taken apart, cleaned, have a number of her parts replaced, her boiler and firebox redone, given a few upgrades, such as modern radio, and then put FULLY back together again. This entire process was slated to take 2 years, and sure enough, by Summer of 2028, 1601 rolled out of the steam shops in Fillydelphia a brand new engine! She looked just as good as the day that she was made, and the rest of Equestria was pleased with the result as well.

When those of us from the Daylight Freight and Shipping company saw the Allegheny locomotive that we would be working with when we didn't have 4449, we were just as proud.

"Wow, she looks AMAZING!"

"Yeah, no kidding Evan. She looks brand new!"

"The boys over there in Filly did such an amazing job of restoring her."

"And thanks to that, she looks just as good today as she did when she was first put into service."

Rick then turned to Jake and I. "And what do you guys think? Do you think that you can drive 1601 when you don't have 4449?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that we can."

"Well, I'll have to relearn how to be a fireman on a coal-fired locomotive like 1601, but I don't think that that'll be too hard. Yeah, I think that it can be done."

We all talked about this for a little while longer, before heading back home for the day.

Later that night, I was lying in bed with Gilda. Our now 2 year old twins Glacier and Daylight were lying in their crib in their nursery next door, within easy walking distance if they started crying. Gilda had her arms wrapped around me, and she was sighing contentedly.

"So peaceful for once Stud. Hopefully they'll sleep through the night this time."

"Who, Daylight and Glacier, or Aubrey and Emerald?"

She looked at me. "Our twins that are in the world Stupid!"

I winced a bit, but yet, I had been asking for it. Now that we were finally married, Gilda had gotten pregnant once again. This time we were having twin daughters, though although we knew that they were going to be Lycan-Griffs like their brother and sister Daylight and Glacier, we weren't sure what they were going to look like until they were born. Gilda was now about 5 months along in her pregnancy, and it was just like before; she was moody a lot, she had to pee a lot, she had weird food cravings, her ankles felt like rubber, and she was being kicked a lot too.

"Ngh, Stud?"

"Yeah Babe?"

"Could you.............maybe rub my ankles a bit, as well as my paws? They feel REALLY worn out."

I nodded. "Sure." I then got up, and after walking around to Gilda's side of the bed, she pulled back the covers, revealing her nude, pregnant Griffon body. I then smiled a bit, before sitting close to the foot of the bed, grabbing her left paw, and beginning to massage it gently. I still found it a bit unusual that Gilda had the body of a lion, but I loved massaging her paws. Her paw-pads were SO fun to play with, though I did have to watch out for her claws, since she could bring them out and retract them at will!

"How does that feel Babe?"

"Mmmm......so good." I heard her mutter. "You take such good care of me Stud. Thanks."

"You're welcome Gilda. You are my wife after all. It's my job to please you." I then began to massage her right paw. I played with her paw pads for a bit, which did get a few giggles out of Gilda, before I finished, climbed back up into the bed, and pulled the covers over our nude bodies again. I then held my wife of 2 years, and my mate for almost 5 years close to me, and she held me back.

As I lay there, gently rubbing Gilda's pregnant belly, I heard a sound that was so rare for Gilda to make. She was purring! Griffons are capable of purring, (due to the lion in them) though it's pretty rare to hear one purr. I hadn't heard Gilda purr in so long.

"Aww, are you purring Gilda?"

She looked at me. "ONLY because you make me feel so relaxed and content Stud! I ONLY purr when I'm around you. It's not easy for us to purr, since we are only about half-lion, but we still can. It just shows you how much I love you."

I blushed a bit. "Aww, thanks Gilda. I love you too." I then leaned in, and after Gilda opened her beak, we both mixed our tongues for a passionate kiss.

"I love you Stud. So, so much. I NEVER want to live without you!"

"I know, and I love you too Gilda, more than you can POSSIBLY imagine! I never want to live without you either."

We both then continued to lay there in each other's arms, slowly falling asleep. We had our arms and legs wrapped around each other, and we had our wings wrapped around each other as well. Heck, we even had our TAILS intertwined too! How much more perfect can it get than that? I'll tell you, it CAN'T!

Author's Note

And, that was Chapter 6 Part 2.

I'm SO sorry that this took SO LONG to get out, but it was a LOT harder to write than I thought that it was going to be! There were a LOT of characters to write scenes for, a LOT of scenes had to happen, and there was SO MUCH to pack into this chapter! This is on top of my job, not to mention writer's block, and me just not quite knowing what to write. However, I got it done, though I didn't do it alone.

I would like to once again extend my thanks to my good friend Terry the Human. He was the one who helped me brainstorm this chapter, and once I had a handful of scenes complete, I would send them to him to look at. He'd then tell me what he thought of them, and then we'd brainstorm some more for the next few scenes, before I wrote them. It took a VERY long time, almost a month to be exact, but I got it done, and what you just read was the final result!

Thank you SO MUCH for sticking with this story while I hammered out this chapter, which was the last one. Now all that remains to do is tie everything up in the brand-new Epilogue, and then everything will be done, and "Fear from the Rails" will FINALLY be considered overhauled! It was an INCREDIBLE journey that we've taken together with this story. From the now non-canon "Original Timeline", to the brand new "New-Timeline", with all of the new things that I packed into it to give you all the story that you deserved.

In the meantime, as always, comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story are always appreciated, and I'll see you all again one last time for the new Epilogue!

ScarFox out for now!

Epilogue (New Timeline)

In the aftermath of us guys from the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company acquiring C&O 1601 from the Henry Ford Museum through the SP Railroad, we brought her to be used by us on the Equestrian Railroad. As I've said previously, everypony was sad to see 4449 go, as not only was she the engine who helped win the Last Zebra War, but she was so iconic. No other engine could top her speed and style, and she was immediately recognizable thanks to her orange and yellow with a black boiler pint scheme, with her coaches having the same paint scheme. They knew that the SP Railroad had to get her back to end their PR nightmare, though they were thankful that she was on a rotation with 1601, and that they would see her again at times.

Some Ponies marveled when they saw 1601 for the first time once she was fully restored, and due to her paint scheme, and her impressive size when compared to 4449, Ponies started calling her "The Green Giant". None of them had ever seen a 2-6-6-6 steam locomotive before, but others weren't so sure if they liked her.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. 4449 was the best engine that the Equestrian Railroad ever had. How can this engine POSSIBLY be better?!" Somepony asked.

I sighed. "I never said that it was better. Sure, 4449 was and is a lot faster than 1601, but 1601 has a LOT more power than 4449 does, not to mention a larger amount of tractive effort. 1601 will be able to haul a LOT more freight in a single trip than 4449 could, though she can also haul passengers."

"Really? 1601 can haul passengers?"

I nodded. "Yes, that's what she was built for actually. She was made to haul passengers, and her being able to haul heavy freight is just a bonus."

"So......does this mean that 1601 will be hauling freight, AND passengers?"

"Yes. For the first time, the train from the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company will be hauling both passengers and freight in a mixed-traffic train! More freight and passengers can now be hauled in less time than before, which will result in greater profits for the railroad."

"Wow. One engine that can do all of that. Sure, some of us might need a little bit more convincing, but we're willing to have an open mind about it."

"That's the spirit! I know that 1601 will NOT disappoint, nor will she let any of you down!"

"I certainly hope not Captain."

I winced ever so much. Ever since the Last Zebra War, many Ponies still called me "Captain". I kept trying to tell them that I was retired from the US Marines, and retired from the Resistance, but they kept saying that "Once a captain, always a captain, unless you get promoted that is!" I sighed, and I just learned to live with it. It was a former title of mine, and I guess that if I'm going to be bearing that title for life, I might as well make the most of it!

Sure enough, 1601 did NOT disappoint. Thanks to her, and the mixed-traffic trains that were 3 times longer, and 4, sometimes 5 times heavier than what 4449 could handle, the profits of the Equestrian Railroad, and the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company, were growing by leaps and bounds. We were back on the regular freight and passenger circuit, and more and more Ponies were riding our trains, and shipping their freight by us than ever before. Sure enough, just like we planned originally, we had to build more freight depots in other major cities and towns.

Before too long, our first sister-freight depot opened in Manehattan. This was followed closely by other depots in Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Las Pegasus, Canterlot, Ponyville, Van Hoover, Tall Tale, and our latest depot had just opened up in Appaloosa. One more depot was being built in Dodge City, but it was a ways off from being completed.

And just like we planned before, Evan and Night Glider helped set up the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company Freight Depot in Canterlot, Braeburn and Zuri helped build the one in Appaloosa, and Spike and Ruby helped set up the one in Ponyville. It was a great time for the DFASC, but yet, it was also a sad one. Out of the original 6 of us, only myself, Jake, Frank, and Jon remained. Evan and Night Glider left the company, and now lived in Canterlot, and Rick and Amethyst, though they still lived in the Crystal Empire, left the company too. For the rest, Frank, Jon and Jake moved to Ponyville with their pregnant wives, and of course, Gilda and I still lived in the Crystal Empire. However, even though we were a ways apart now, the 4 of us, plus a number of new employees that we had to hire, still proudly worked for the DFASC, and would continue to do so for many years to come.

"I still wish that Evan and Rick were still with us." Frank sighed sadly.

"Yeah, me too Frank." Jon agreed. "It's just not the same without them. I mean yes, their replacements are nice, but they're just not them."

I agreed with both of them. "Yeah. Glowing Chalice is a great conductor, just as Rocky Snow is a great fireman, but they'll never be able to replace Rick and Evan, but I don't expect them to. No one can ever replace Rick and Evan."

"And they might not be working with us at the DFASC, but we still get to see them all the time. They just found jobs elsewhere."

"Yeah, you're right Jake. We'll be ok here at DFASC. The company is growing by leaps and bounds, Ponies are now REALLY fond of 1601, and some will be sad to see her go when we rotate her out with 4449 here in a few months."

"Yeah, and it's the strangest thing. One minute Ponies are BEGGING us to bring 4449 back, and the next they don't want to see 1601 go! It doesn't make sense!"

We all laughed a Frank's statement. It was true, as even though both 4449 and 1601 were on rotation every 4 months or so, Ponies were sad to see the current engine go, and be replaced by the incoming engine. And while it might be upsetting for the Ponies, at least it kept the American media off the Southern Pacific's case for once! With the engines on rotation, there was always a steam engine on the SP Railroad; sometimes it was 4449, and sometimes it was 1601. Sometimes the engines were on display, and sometimes they were out on the mainline. Not too many people asked the questions that they did before, though that wasn't going to last very long. Soon, the "Curse of Sherman Hill" was going to strike again, though this time, it would hit the biggest rival of the SP Railroad where it hurt the most..........

Early in the morning, on March 5th, 2028, Jake and I were taking 1601 back to Cheyenne, where we would pick up 4449, and return with her to Equestria. It was cold that day in March, and the weather was deteriorating as well. There was some snow on the ground, though it seemed that that soon would soon be gone thanks to the rain.

"Damn, the weather's going down the drain fast!"

"Yeah, no kidding Jake. I'm REALLY starting to get some serious deja-vu from this!"

"Me too. It's just like the day we wound up in Equestria, though it was late in the afternoon for us, and in August of 2022, I might add!"

"All the same, it's feeling a little bit creepy, so let's just get this over with, and go back home!"

"Yeah, let's!" We continued on our way.

Once we reached Cheyenne, we put 1601 on her designated siding, and walked over to where 4449 was waiting for us. It felt good to be at her controls once again, and we knew that the good Ponies of Equestria would be glad to have her back too. Once we hooked her up to her line of coaches, I blew the whistle, and 4449 began to pull out of the yard. However, once we were close to the edge of it, we had to stop at a signal. When we did, I looked to my right, and I saw a sight that I never thought that I would see.

"Hey Jake, look! There's Madam Queen!"

"What?" Jake came over to my side, and sure enough, there she was. Sitting on an outbound track in the freight yard, with a HUGE freight train behind her, was none other than Santa Fe 5000, aka Madam Queen! She was steaming nicely, her black paint was all shiny, and her 2-10-4 wheel configuration was visible.

"Wow! Santa Fe 5000, and in all of her post-restoration glory! The engine that put the SP Railway to shame when she was brought back to life. I've heard about her, but I NEVER thought that I would see a 2-10-4 Texas-Type up and running in my lifetime!"

"Neither did I Jake. Oh, and look! There's the new crew!" I pointed close to the engine, where 4 men in railroad work clothes stood. 2 of them were wearing overalls, plaid shirts, work boots, gloves, and engineer's hats, while another was wearing jeans, a plaid shirt, gloves, work boots, and a Santa Fe railroad ballcap, and the 4th was wearing the blue uniform of a railroad conductor, complete with dark blue jacket, dark blue pants, white button-up shirt, black tie, black shoes, a conductor's hat, and what appeared to be a pocket watch.

"Wow. There they are alright. Her engineer, fireman, brakeman, and conductor. Why does a freight train need a conductor again?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Probably because those long freight trains have to have multiple brakemen. Though why have a conductor instead of another brakeman is quite beyond me! Maybe they sometimes work on the passenger circuit like we do."

"Maybe, and what are their names again?"

I thought for a second. "Well, her engineer is a man named Leo Connor, her fireman is named Jake Patton, her brakeman is Frank Casey, and her conductor is Tom Cohen."

"Jake and Frank. It's kinda funny that they share the same names as Frank and I do, though my last name is Blythe, and Frank's last name is Sinatra. But it's strange that Jake's last name is Patton, and my first name is Patton!"

"And if your real name is Patton Blythe, why are you called 'Jake' again?"

"My middle name is Jacob. I've been called 'Jake' for years."

"Oh, ok. I guess that that makes sense." At that exact moment, the signal turned green, and I began to move 4449 forwards again. As we went by, I blew 4449's whistle in hello to Madam Queen, and I saw Leo scramble up to the cab to give a whistle in reply.

All too soon, we were away from the freight yard, and through the portal back to Equestria, little knowing about the drama that was about to unfold behind us. Little did we suspect, we were some of the last Humans to have ever seen Madam Queen while she was still on Earth. History of engines disappearing was about to repeat itself, and the "Curse of Sherman Hill" was about to rear its ugly head once again, or at least, that's what everyone thought..........

As the years went by for those of us who belonged to Wolf Pack Battalion, not to mention their wives, things settled into a peaceful calm.

For Rick and Amethyst, life couldn't have been more perfect. Rick was sad when he retired from the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company, as were the rest of us, but he was getting older, and felt that it was time to move on. He and Amethyst still lived in the Crystal Empire, still in the house that they moved into soon after Amethyst learned that she was pregnant, and we got to see them all the time.

While Amethyst continued her job as a maternity nurse at the hospital there in the Crystal Empire, Rick gave his old career a second life. At the high school there in the Crystal Empire, he got a job as a chemistry teacher. This is what he'd done for a few semesters after leaving the Marines, though before he started working with 4449. Just like back home, Rick was a VERY popular and well-loved teacher, and many Ponies were VERY eagerly waiting to take his chemistry classes!

Oddly enough, Rick couldn't figure out why he was so popular. He saw himself as a bit of a boring teacher, but quite obviously his students didn't see that at all. Rick was very pleased at their enthusiasm, and many of his students earned high marks in his class. Oh sure, he still joked that he was being payed to show kids how to play with fire and dangerous chemicals while also teaching them advanced mathematics, (THIS is why I couldn't take chemistry when I was in high school. It SEEMED like great fun, but in reality, it was nothing more than a math class masquerading as a science class! I HATED math just as much as I sucked at it!) but his students kept coming back day after day to learn more. Rick was always pleased to hear when one of his students who graduated went on to become a scientist, engineer, or something along those lines, or even that they went on to do "ordinary" jobs. While he may have enjoyed playing with fire and dangerous chemicals, at the end of the day, it was the success of his students that really mattered to him.

And in late 2026, Amethyst sent a nurse from the hospital to inform Rick that she'd just went into labor. Rick rushed to her side, and in less than an hour, she'd brought their daughter Drizzle Belle into the world. Neither of them could believe it. Here they were in their early 40's, and now they had a daughter! As she was nursing from her mother, Rick looked over his new daughter.

Drizzle was a unique blend of both of her parents, and she had light skin with turquoise colored wolf fur, brown hair, brown eyes, and furry Pony hooves with a gray horn.

"Aww, she's a Unicorn like you are Rick. And she has your hair and eyes too, not to mention some of the wolf fur!"

Rick was trying to keep from crying. "Yes........yes she does Amy. She's so perfect!"

"Yes, she absolutely is."

Soon after this, Rick called Chester, Jimmy and Garrett, and told them that they were a grandpa, and uncles respectively. They were so happy for Rick and Amethyst when they heard the news, and they promised to come to Equestria as soon as possible to see their new granddaughter/niece.

For Jake and Roseluck, it was still business as usual. Jake never left the DFASC, and he continued to be a fireman on both 4449, and 1601. He loved what he did, and often said so.

"Yeah, I had a choice to leave the company, but why would I? It's one of the coolest jobs out there to be the fireman on 4449, and 1601. Sure, it might be hard work shoveling all of that coal, but at the end of the day, it's totally worth it. I do my job for the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company, and will continue to do so until I have to retire due to my age!"

The rest of us who stayed on, as well as the new staff agreed with him, and we all planned on long careers with the DFASC. However, even though he stayed on, it was a bit of an adjustment for Jake and Roseluck. They both moved out of the Crystal Empire, and they moved back to Ponyville. That's where Roseluck had her family's flower shop, (which was tended to by her sisters Lilly and Daisy while she was living at the freight depot) and she was now returning to run it again. Jake, while still a fireman, also helped Frank, Jon, Spike, Ruby and others establish the DFASC Freight Depot there in Ponyville. Soon, once that new depot was up and running, Jake continued to work hard, though this time it was because his wife was about to give birth.

In late 2026, at about 5am, Roseluck went into labor, and Jake got her to the hospital. While she was giving birth, he was on the phone with his parents, sister, and grandpa.

"Yeah Mom, Rosie's doing just fine. She's not in too much pain, and so far there haven't been any complications."

"That's so great Jake." Debbie told him.

"And are your triplets born yet?" Betty asked. "I REALLY want to be an auntie!"

Jake laughed a bit. "They're coming now Sis." Jake then had to put down the phone for a bit, as the first of his kids were coming into the world.

Oliver was born first, followed closely by his brother Silver Night, and then their sister Harmony. Oliver had Ivory white skin with pale yellow wolf fur, two different eye colors (blue and green), brown hair, Pony hooves, and gray pony wings, Silver Night had ivory white skin with dark gray pony fur, blue eyes, light red hair, and Human feet, and Harmony had ivory white skin with bright yellow pony fur, light green eyes, dark red hair, and Pony hooves.

"Wow", Jake whispered when he saw his kids for the first time. "I heard from Scar and Rick that they would probably be born with a mixture of fur and skin, but now to actually see it...............It just makes them look so.............so........"

"So much like both of their parents?"

"Yeah, exactly Rosie. They look so adorable." He then got to hold his sons for the first time, while Roseluck held Harmony. Both Oliver and Silver snugged close to their dad, and were soon asleep in his arms.

"Scar and Rick were right; kids like this are perfect."

"Yes, they certainly are."

When he was able, Jake got back on the phone with his family, and told them that Oliver, Silver and Harmony had been born without issue over the course of about an hour. They were all SO glad for that, and they couldn't WAIT to see their new grandchildren/great-grandchildren/niece and nephews, just as Jake and Roseluck couldn't wait to show them to their families.

For Frank and Lyra, they too quickly settled into their new lives. Both of them moved back to Ponyville once they were married, and while Frank was a brakeman on both 4449 and 1601, and helped work at the DFASC Freight Depot in Ponyville when required, Lyra had her own job. She taught colts and fillies how to play the lyre, which was her special talent. She loved her job so much, just as she loved playing the lyre. She would often play while at home, both to keep herself calm, and to keep her foals calm. She had twins, but both of her sons were VERY lively!

"You ok Babe?" Frank asked her when he got home one day.

Lyra looked up at him. "Pregnancy is a BITCH Frank! I'm SO GLAD that I only have another 2 weeks at the most until I give birth! THE KICKING IS GETTING INSANE!!!!"

Frank nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine Babe!"

Sure enough, 2 weeks after this, in the mid afternoon, Lyra was in her back garden, getting ready to bring her sons James and Thunder into the world. Unlike the others, she decided on a home-birth in her garden, with the aid of a midwife. Frank supported her decision, and he too was very eager for Lyra to give birth. Using some of the same techniques that she learned from Gilda, and her other friends, Lyra began to push her twins out, aided by her both her midwife Bundle Joy, and of course Frank. In less than an hour, James and Thunder were brought into the world.

After they were cleaned up, had their umbilical cords cut, and were nursing from Lyra, Frank looked at his new sons. James had tannish-white skin with some light mint-green Pony fur, green eyes, brownish-red hair, and Human feet. His brother Thunder had tannish-white skin with dark gray wolf fur, yellow eyes, brown hair, Pony hooves, and a dark chocolate-colored horn.

Frank looked over them, but unlike the rest of us, he honestly had no words to describe what he was feeling, and neither did Lyra. Both of them looked at their sons in quiet shock, unable to believe that they had conceived children so perfect. Finally though, Lyra was able to say something.

She leaned down, and gently kissed her sons on the tops of their heads, causing them to gently coo. "The books never said that motherhood would feel so satisfying." She whispered softly. "I feel like the proudest mom in all of Equestria right now."

"I can agree with you there Babe." Frank said softly. "And I can't wait for Joel and Grandpa Dakota to see them either!"

"Neither can I frank."

Sure enough, when the time came a few weeks later, Joel was dying to meet his nephews, just as Dakota REALLY wanted to see his 2 great-grandsons.

"Aww, they're so cute." Joel cooed when he saw them for the first time.

"I agree Joel. I couldn't have asked for more perfect great-grandsons." He then looked at Frank. "I'm SO proud of you Frank!" He then hugged him.

Frank hugged him back. "I know Grandpa. And I'm so glad that you got to live to see this. I just wish that Mom and Dad, and Grandma too, could see this."

Dakota nodded sadly. "So do I Frank, but like Ben's Mom and Grandpa, I know that they're looking down from Heaven too, and couldn't be prouder."

"I know Grandpa. And I REALLY hope that they like what they see!"

"Me too Frank."

James then burped a bit, followed by Thunder a few seconds later, causing all of them to laugh.

For Evan and Night Glider, when he left the DFASC, and was replaced by Rocky Snow, he and Night Glider moved to Canterlot. This served 2 purposes. The first, and possibly the most important, at least at first, was helping to establish the DFASC Freight Depot there in Canterlot, as well as oversee it in the early days of its existence. This was easy enough for them, and they also bought a house nearby, which was also close to Evan's other place of employment. Yes, once he no longer had to oversee the freight depot, Evan returned full-time to his other job, blacksmithing. Yes, you read that right, Evan became a blacksmith. None of us still working at the DFASC, or Rick, could believe it at first, but once we saw Evan's work, we were amazed.

"Whoa. Evan, your work is amazing!"

He laughed a bit. "Thanks Scar. I'm glad that you think it's amazing."

"And what do you do Evan?" Rick asked him. "Is there anything in particular that you specialize in?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I primarily work in making and repairing metal tools, metal wagon parts, and even horseshoes, and I occasionally get a few other repair requests too, ranging from household items, to even a few small locomotive parts from the Friendship Express Engines!"

"That's.........that's a lot of work Evan!"

"Yeah, it is sometimes Jon. I do have assistants though, so I'm not working alone, but still, it can be QUITE a long workday at times!"

Rick, Jon and I then watched him work for a little while longer, before we had to go back to work ourselves, but we promised to come back by as soon as we could. And come back by again we would.

Maybe 2 months after this, the rest of us as DFASC, Rick and Amethyst, and Evan's family, got word that Night Glider had given birth to her and Evan's twins, and we all came as fast as we could, or as soon as we'd gotten off work!

When we arrived at their house, Night Glider was sitting in bed, holding her twin son and daughter, Golden Crescent and Gleaming Pearl. Golden Crescent had white skin with gray pony fur, blonde hair, blue eyes, Pony hooves, and gray Pony wings, while Gleaming Pearl had white skin with dark blue wolf fur, light blonde hair, sapphire-colored eyes, and Human feet.

The rest of us guys hung back a bit, though Hank and Lilian went right up to the bed, and were talking to Night Glider, as well as Evan, who was sitting in a chair beside the bed.

"What do you think of them Mom and Hank? Are they perfect enough for you?"

Lilian gave him a strange look. "No Evan, they are NOT perfect. Far from it! How could you have done this?"

Evan and Night Glider looked up at Lilian in alarm. What had they done wrong? Even Hank looked weirded out, though before he could say anything, Evan beat him to it.

"Done what Mom?"

"Created twins that are so far BEYOND perfect!"

Evan blinked, but then he, Night Glider, and Hank all laughed a bit when they realized that Lilian was only screwing with them in a way that only a mother could.

"Wow, you really got me there Mom."

"Yeah, you got me too Mrs......eh, Mom. Do you want to hold them?"

Lilian nodded. "Of course!"

Night Glider then handed her Golden Crescent, while Hank held Gleaming Pearl.

"So beautiful. I never thought that my niece would be part Human, part Pony, AND part wolf! Same with my nephew!"

"And up until 4 years ago Hank, neither did I!"

Hank laughed a bit, and Lilian continued cooing over both Golden, and Gleaming.

For Jon and Derpy, while they did move to Ponyville, Derpy was able to open her own muffin bakery, while Jon helped Frank and Jake with the DFASC Freight Depot there in Ponyville, as well as still being a brakeman on both 1601, and 4449 whenever he was needed. He loved his job on the railroad, and often said so.

"I've been working on the railroad since I left the Marines, and I've been working with 4449 and 1601 for that entire time, not to mention the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company, and I love what I do, so why not keep doing it until I get too old to do it anymore?" This seemed like sound logic, and it was something that we all could agree with.

However, at this same time, Derpy was getting closer and closer to her due date. Jon began to worry for her a bit, even though she assured him that she was fine.

"Jon, I'm fine. I'm just close to the end of my pregnancy, is all."

"I know, but I still worry for you Babe. It's just part of my job as your husband; I'm supposed to worry for you!"

Derpy laughed a bit, but she knew that Jon was right. She worried for him, so it was only natural that he worry for her too.

She then held him as close to her as her 9 month pregnant-with-triplets belly would allow. "I know, and I love you for it Jon."

He hugged her back. "Mmm, I love you too Derpy."

A few weeks after this though, Jon's family got word that Derpy had given birth a few hours prior, and they all immediately made weekend plans to come down and see them.

By the time that they arrived, Derpy and her triplets were home from the hospital, though Derpy was in bed resting while nursing her triplets, as taking care of them was quite exhausting! All of them were very proud of Jon though, and said so.

"You did it Jon. You and Derpy just successfully managed to make kids that are even cuter than you, Peyton, and Bertha were!"

Jon laughed a bit. "Really Mom? Are you sure about that?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

"I agree with your Mom Jon, though I'm still a bit surprised at them having a mixture of skin and fur."

Jon sighed. "Yeah, and that's a common trait among the offspring of a Human-wolf and a mare. It just happens that way." Jon then looked over at Peyton and Bertha. "And what do you guys think? You've been awfully quiet over there."

Both of his younger twin siblings were looking at their 3 nephews. Jon Jr. had dark white skin with gray wolf fur, light blue eyes, red auburn hair, Human feet, and a gray horn. His brother Billy Hooves had dark white skin with light gray Pony fur, blonde hair, yellow eyes, Human feet, and gray wings, and his other brother Graystone had dark white skin with dark gray wolf fur, strawberry-blonde hair, blue eyes, Pony hooves, and dark gray wings.

Peyton finally said something. "I'm just.......I don't even know what to say Jon."

"I do." Bertha suddenly put in. "They look so much like you and Derpy. I know that they're gonna be a LOT of fun to play with as they grow up!" To prove her point, she began to make faces at her 3 nephews, causing them all to start laughing. Their laughter began to cause the others to start laughing, even Ethan and Muriel.

"I must say Derpy, your sons, our great-grandsons, are so amazing."

Derpy blushed a bit. "Eh, thanks Grandma Muriel. I'm glad that you like them."

"I know that they're grow up to be strong and healthy........eh.......boys I guess, one day, right Jon?"

"Yeah, that's right Grandpa! They'll grow up to be as strong as their father, and have some of their mother's good looks too!"

This caused Derpy to blush a bit, as well as the others to laugh a bit as well. They all agreed with Jon though, and were so glad that they how had grandchildren/great-grandchildren/nephews.

And me? How did Gilda and I fare? Well, you know most of the basics, but there's more to add. In April of 2026, I was FINALLY able to take Gilda's hand in marriage, and our twins Glacier and Daylight were finally in wedlock. Gilda and Gabby were even able to convince Grandpa Gruff to come to the wedding, and once he saw his granddaughter, he hugged her.

"For what it's worth Gilda, I'm so proud of you. You've done well for yourself", He looked at his grandson and granddaughter, "And you've done well with your kids too. I mean, they look just downright bizarre, and they ain't Griffons, but they're yours, and they're my grandchildren, so I think that they'll do."

Gilda sighed. She knew that that was her Grandpa's way of saying that he liked Glacier and Daylight, and she hugged him back. "Thanks Grandpa."

For her wedding present, Grandpa Gruff gave Gilda and I an old photo album. It had been in the family for a long time, and it not only had pictures of Gilda and Gabby as they were growing up, but it also had pictures of their parents, Gavin and Mary. Gilda was SO grateful to her Grandpa for giving her the album, and so were Gabby and I, since we wanted to know more about their parents too.

About 2 years after the wedding, in 2028, Gilda gave birth to another set of twins; our daughters Aubrey and Emerald. Aubrey looked almost exactly like her mom. She had eagle talons for hands, lion paws and a lion's tail, a brown lion's lower body, Griffon wings, the works. The only things she didn't have were a Griffon's head, and a beak. She had a Human's head, though she had feathery white hair with gray highlights. She also lacked her mom's yellow eyes, and instead had my blue ones. Her sister Emerald though was interesting, because she was 50/50 exactly. She had wolf ears, Human hands, a Griffon's lower body, a Human's upper body black Pegasus wings, a wolf tail, yellow eyes, and a Human's head, though with the same white feathery-hair with gray highlights that her sister had.

About a year after this, Gilda gave birth to our 5th and final child, a son named Blitz, who looked almost exactly like me. He had wolf ears, Human hands, a Human's body, my brown hair, blue eyes and a black wolf's tail. The only things that he didn't have were my wing colors, (they were a brown-black mix instead of pure black).

I already knew that my Dad was proud of me from the time he met Daylight and Glacier, but once he was surrounded by all 5 of his grandkids; 3 granddaughters, and 2 grandsons, he told me what he really thought.

"5 grandkids, and all of them part Human, part wolf, part eagle, and part lion. NEVER in my wildest dreams did I EVER think that I would have grandkids like this, or that my son would be a Human-wolf, and my daughter in law would be a Griffon!"

"And.......that's a good thing, right?"

He gave me a strange look. "Of COURSE it's a good thing! I mean, it might not be conventional, but you certainly won't hear me complaining! I have you back, and now I have grandkids too, not to mention a daughter in law, so what more could a dad like me want?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, not too much I guess."

"Exactly!"

"Well, I didn't see this coming either, but if I had to do it all over again, I STILL don't think that I could pick any other male than my Stud here! I mean yes, he DID knock me up during the Last Zebra War, and he IS a bit of a pain sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way!" She then pulled me close to her, and kissed me.

I hugged her back, and returned her kiss. "Mmm, thanks Gilda. It wouldn't have been the same without you by my side every step of the way."

Gilda nodded, and then we hugged for a little while longer.

On the other end of the spectrum, one can't forget to talk about Braeburn and Zuri, Big Mac and Zena, Shining and Cadence, and Spike and Ruby after the war ended.

For Braeburn, once the war ended, and Zuri was released from Equestrian custody, she was screened, and by her request, backed up by myself, (since I captured her) and Braeburn himself, (since she was being released into his care) she was allowed to remain in Equestria.

Since Braeburn already lived in Appaloosa, Zuri sure didn't have too far to go to move in with him! She moved into his house just outside of town, where he ran a small apple farm.

"Wow, I remember you talking about your small farm Brae, but I never thought that I'd ever get to see it in person."

"Neither did I Zuri, but what do ya think of it?"

She sighed. "It's so beautiful. I NEVER would have expected to see a farm in the middle of the desert, let alone one as nice as this!"

Braeburn blushed a bit. "Aww shucks Zuri, I don't know what to say, aside from I'm glad that you like it!"

Zuri then giggled a bit, and Braeburn then began to give her a tour of his farm.

Not too long after this, the 2 of them were married, and Braeburn also found himself with another job; helping to first build, and then run the DFASC Freight Depot that was being put in Appaloosa. The depot was in a very good place, since a LOT of apple products were being exported from Appaloosa, and since it was in the middle of a desert, a lot of supplies were always coming in, both for the town, and neighboring Dodge City.

"Phew! I never knew that runnin' a freight depot was such hard work!" He told Zuri at dinner one night. "I used to think that the guys who ran the original DFASC Depot up in the Crystal Empire had it easy, but now I see how wrong I was!"

Zuri giggled a bit. "Scar tried to tell you Brae, but you thought that you had it all figured out, didn'tcha?"

Braeburn took off his hat, wiped some sweat off his forehead, and then put his hat back on. "Well, I sure owe Scar an apology, I can tell ya that! I see now that it's hard enough work just runnin' a depot, but up there, they both ran a depot, AND the trains that hauled the freight! Sure, maybe Scar's the only one still living up in the Crystal Empire who works at the freight depot there, but the others still work on the trains in and out of the DFASC System!"

"Yep, they sure do Brae!"

After being married for about a year, both Braeburn and Zuri tried for a foal, though it was very hard for them, due to the imbalance of chromosomes between Ponies and Zebras. It took Gilda and I almost a hundred times of having sex each time we had a baby, and the same also applied to the other guys and their wives. Eventually, they learned that Zuri was unable to have a foal, and while they were devastated for a while, they then realized that they could adopt.

"That's it Zuri! We'll adopt a foal from somewhere!"

"Yeah, that's a great idea Braeburn!"

After looking for a long time, they finally adopted a young colt from an orphanage in Manehattan named Sand Dust. He was a 4 year old Earth Pony colt with tan fur, and orange mane and tail, and yellow eyes. Both Zuri and Braeburn fell in love with him and in instant, and he loved them back just as much.

"He's perfect Brae. And he looks just like you in a way!"

Braeburn nodded. "Yeah, he really does Zuri. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say that he and I were related!"

Zuri laughed at this a bit, and both she and Braeburn continued to watch Sand Dust as he played under the apple tree that the 3 of them were sitting under. He was the perfect son for them, and he made both of his parents so proud as he grew up, and eventually came to work for the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company, just like a number of the kids of the rest of us active and former employees would too.

For Zuri's sister Zena, it was a bit of a similar story. Once she was released from the Appaloosa Jail, while her sister Zuri stayed in Appaloosa with Braeburn, Zena moved West with Big Mac. She too was going to be allowed to stay in Equestria under Big Mac's care, and he was taking her home with him to Sweet Apple Acres.

Her arrival there caused a bit of a stir, both among Ponyville residents, and of course among the other members of the Apple Family living on Sweet Apple Acres, chiefly Granny Smith. She often glared at Zena with great suspicion, and even Applejack wasn't sure what to make of her at first either.

"Why did you have to fall for her Big Mac? Why couldn't you have fallen for a mare like Fluttershy, Cheerilee, Marble Pie, or even Sugar Belle? Why did you have to fall for a Zebra, ESPECIALLY after the war?"

Big Mac sighed. "Ah don't expect ya to understand it Sis, heck Ah can barely even understand it myself. It just sorta......clicked.....Ah guess. Plus, Zena ain't like the others. Yes, she did help them spread the drugs in the water, but it wasn't her choice; she was forced to do it. Plus, if she really was evil, do ya really think that Jake would have let her live when he captured her at the Zebra Embassy? Or Braeburn and the others there in Appaloosa if they thought that she was a spy? She ain't bad Sis, she's quite the opposite."

Now it was Applejack's turn to sigh. She trusted her brother's judgement, and if there really WAS something wrong with Zena, she no doubt would have been killed already. She tried to get along with her, and sure enough, it turned out to be a LOT easier than she thought. Zena wasn't the most talkative Zebra ever, but she was a fast learner, and under the direction of Granny Smith, soon learned to bake apple pies, and other Apple treats.

"Land sakes Girl! If you baked them pies any better, I'd swear that ya were really an Apple instead of a Zebra!"

Zena giggled a bit. "Thanks Granny Smith! I mean, I did learn from the best pie baker in all of Equestria after all. I ain't never seen a Pony, never mind any Zebras, bake any pies as well as you can."

Granny smiled a bit. "Well, thanks for the complement Dearie. And I'm sorry that I was suspicious of ya when ya first arrived here. But yet, given what happened here to the farm, and what happened to us during the war, can ya really blame me?"

Zena shook her head. "No Ma'am. I heard about what happened to you and your granddaughters, never mind what happened to Big Mac, and I sympathize with you completely. You had every right to be suspicious of me, and I'm just glad that I was able to live up to your expectations."

"So am I Zena. And yes, if you were wonderin', ya do have my permission to marry Big Mac if ya want to."

Zena's face lit up, and then she hugged Granny. "Thank you Granny."

Granny hugged her back. "Yer welcome Dearie."

A few months after this, Zena and Big Mac were married, and unlike her sister, Zena was able to give birth, though like the rest of us, it took MANY tries for her to get pregnant. She learned that she was pregnant with twins, and in the Summer of 2029, she finally gave birth to a son and a daughter, whom she and Big Mac named Primrose and Jonagold.

All of us who were able came out to see them, as we all wondered what the offspring of a Zebra and a Pony, (often referred to as a "Zony") actually looked like. When we arrived, since it had been about a week since Zena had given birth, she was gently rocking her 2 foals in their cradle, while Big Mac sat next to her. When it was my turn, I looked over the side of the cradle, and I saw with my own eyes what a Zony looked like.

Jonagold had black and white stripes, with blonde hair and green colored eyes, while Primrose also had black and white stripes with blonde hair, though unlike her brother, she had Zena's blue eyes. Both of them looked a lot like their mother, but at the same time, they clearly had some of their father in them too.

"Wow, so that's what a Zony looks like? They're so cute."

Zena looked up at me. "I'm glad that you think so Scar. You and Jake are responsible for them after all. It was the 2 of you that spared my sister and I, instead of just killing us."

I nodded, though Jake spoke up. "Well, for what it's worth Zena, you're welcome. Yes, I DID want to kill you and your sister Zuri, but looking back, I'm glad that Scar convinced me not to. I see now that it was the right choice."

"Yes, yes it was."

We all then continued to watch Primrose and Jonagold a little while longer, wondering what the future had in store for them.

Way up to the North in the Crystal Empire, Rick and I, as well as our families, weren't the only ones still living there who'd served in the war, or had been a victim of it. Yes, my best friend and comrade Shining Armor, as well as his wife Princess Cadence, were still the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire; had been since the defeat of King Sombra, and were once again now that the war was over.

As we sometimes did when not working, Shining and I took a walk close to the outskirts of the Empire. We would always talk about this and that, though more often than not, our conversations would turn to the Last Zebra War, and more importantly, how vital the contributions of us Humans really were.

"If you hadn't been there Bro, I can't even begin to IMAGINE what would have happened to us! Here we were, being wholly duped by the Zebras; us stallions were getting sick, and the Zebras were sleeping with our female family members, and it seemed like they were going to win. However, they overlooked one little detail; 6 retired US Marines from Wolf-Pack Battalion, who later met up with the Appaloosa Resistance, and the Trottingham Group, turned them back into the Armed Forces of Equestria, and from one end of Equestria to the other drove the Zebras into oblivion! You saved us all, and we're still here today because of it!"

I nodded slowly, but I also shook my head. "Well, yes and no Shining. Yes, we were a key part, but it wasn't all us. God plucked us away from Earth, and deposited us in Equestria at just the right time to be the wrench in the Zebras's gears. He gave us the power to overcome our enemies, and he used us as the means to punish the Zebras for their sins. But seeing what Equestria could have become under them, I'm MORE than glad that God put us here to intervene."

Shining agreed with me. "So am I Bro. He put you here, made you immune to the Zebras's poisons, prevented you from being taken away on the Night of Fear, led you to Appaloosa, and then kept helping you throughout the rest of the war. Heck, I still remember my time in the Quarantine Camp in the Smoky Mountains. As I was lying there chained to that bed, I thought, 'Well, this is it. Scar and the others warned us, but we didn't listen to them. Now the Zebras are taking over, and there's no one left who can stop them.' I kept praying to the Heavens that somepony would come to save us, and sure enough, one night I hear someone urgently whisper my name. After looking around, I eventually look down at the floor, and low and behold, there you are looking right back up at me. My prayers had been answered!"

I laughed a bit. Yes, that night had been no laughing matter, but yet it was a little bit funny when I remembered that it took my almost 3 minutes to get Shining's attention, and then another few minutes for him to realize that whoever was talking to him was doing so from under the left side of his bed. Eventually, he FINALLY looked down, and saw me for the first time since the Night of Fear. His prayers had been answered, and he was soon to be a free stallion.

"I was just doing my job Shining. Ever since you got taken away, I made it my mission to find you, as well as the other stallions, and then hep get you to safety. Yes, it did take a while, but we got the job done. And we did a great job, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh absolutely. The Last Zebra War was the finest hour for those who defended Equestria............once they'd gotten back on their hooves again at any rate!"

Shining laughed a bit, and we continued to talk about this for a little while longer.

Eventually, I was truck by a thought. "Oh Shining, I was going to ask you, how have Flurry and Crescendo been doing?"

He smiled a bit. "They're doing just great Scar. Flurry's teaching herself how to crawl now, and Crescendo will soon be following her."

Now it was my turn to smile. I loved getting to see Crescendo Wave and Flurry Heart, and since Gilda and I were their godparents, and we lived not too far away, this happened somewhat frequently. We'd let the 2 of them play with Glacier, Daylight, Aubrey, Emerald, and Blitz, and the 7 of them really enjoyed it.

I then thought back to the day that I'd seen them for the first time. I'd been close at hand when Cadence gave birth, though I'd been waiting outside of her and Shining's room while it happened. When Shining said that I could come in and see the foals, I saw them nursing from Cadence. I could see that Flurry was an Alicorn foal with whitish fur with a pink hue, a slightly curly blue and purple mane and tail, a slightly large pair of feathery wings, a horn that was the same color as her fur, and light blue eyes. Her brother Crescendo was an Alicorn foal with white fur, a light blue and gold mane and tail, and Shining's blue eyes. Since both of their parents were royalty, both Flurry and Crescendo were also royalty upon their birth, and it always made me look on in wonder whenever I realized that one day one of my godchildren would be sitting on the throne of the Crystal Empire with their spouse! (Neither parent had decided yet who would get the throne when they were old enough, and both of them agreed to start sorting it out when Flurry and Crescendo were teenagers).

"That's great news Shining. We'll also have to arrange another play-date for them with my kids here before too long as well. Oh, and how's Cadence doing?"

"She's doing well. I still thank Twilight every chance I get for that amnesia potion that she gave to Cadence to make her forget what Zed did to her during the war. She's done so much better since then."

I nodded. "I'm glad. I was getting worried there for a while."

"So was I Bro. But now we don't have to really worry anymore. Zed's rotting in Hell, and Cadence is no longer forced to remember what he did to her. She and I can finally move on, at least to a large degree."

"Yeah, you finally can."

We spent maybe another 30 minutes talking, but eventually we did have to get back to the Crystal Castle. Shining had to help take care of his kids, and I had my Little Rascals to take care of too!

And last but not least, one cannot forget to talk about Spike, Ruby, and the rest of Gem-Biter Pack, and what happened to them after the war.

After the victory parades were over, Ruby and the rest of the Diamond Dogs of Gem-Biter Pack applied for Equestrian Citizenship. They didn't want to return to the filthy, worn-out caves in the Smoky Mountains where they came from, (or rather, were forced to flee when the war started. Some Diamond Dogs sided with the Zebras, and they were killed by Ruby and her other pack members before they fled into hiding, just prior to them coming to Equestria, and being found by Braeburn and his troops) and instead wanted to settle within the borders of Equestria. Thanks to their contributions to the war effort, their request was granted, and they were not only allowed to stay, but were also granted Equestrian Citizenship. Elated by this, Ruby and the rest of her pack quickly began to look for a place to settle.

"This is it guys!" Ruby told her pack. "We've done our job for the Equestrians, now we gotta settle in this post-war world!"

The other Dogs cheered, and they helped their leader, as well as their new co-leader; none other than Spike the Dragon, find a new place to live. Eventually, after looking around for a fair while, the Diamond Dogs were eventually able to secure a tract of land located in the hills outside of Ponyville. The hills were wooded, but the Diamond Dogs didn't mind at all, due to them wanting to dig caves under the hills anyway. They all got to work as fast as they possibly could, and within a few weeks, already had tunnels and caves large enough to live in! The rest of those in the Ponyville area were surprised at the speed of the Diamond Dogs, but then again, they had already demonstrated their skill with tunnels during the Last Zebra War, when they tunneled underneath Ponyville from the Everfree Forest, and all the way up Canterlot Mountain to Canterlot Castle.

At the same time that the Diamond Dogs were digging their tunnels, Spike and Ruby were building their own house in those same hills. The house was made of both lumber and rocks, and it looked like a cross between a cabin, and a hillside condo. It was 3 stories tall, and the basement opened out into a tunnel that led into the Diamond Dog caves. This way Ruby could help her pack dig, and still go home at the end of the day. It was a comfortable house, and Spike was pretty proud of it.

"It was all thanks to Twilight that the blueprints were created, but it was thanks to my wife Ruby, and the rest of the Gem-Biters that we were able to turn it into a reality. I'm really going to love living here, and I know that it's going to be a great place to raise our family too. I don't know when that will be, but I hope that it's soon."

Around this same time, construction also began on the DFASC Freight Depot there in Ponyville. Spike and a number of the Diamond Dogs helped Jake, Frank, Jon and others build it, and when it was all complete, while Jake, Frank and Jon went back to their duties on the railroad with helping to run the trains on the mainline, (4449 and 1601) Spike and the Diamond Dogs helped run the depot. They loaded and unloaded all of the heavy freight, kept inventory lists, did maintenance around the depot, and helped keep everything running smoothly. Spike was no longer Twilight's assistant, but it was his time with her that helped him greatly.

"Twilight taught me so much during my life with her. While I may no longer be her assistant, I'll never forget my time with her, and I'm glad that I still live so close to Ponyville, so that I'll still be able to see her all the time. Thanks for teaching me all about math, and everything else that I would one day use to help run the DFASC Freight Depot here in Ponyville. I love you Twilight!"

On the flipside, Ruby and a number of other Diamond Dogs worked for their own construction company in Ponyville. They worked primarily in digging and building building foundations, as well as any landscaping projects, planting trees, and they also worked on the demolition end of things too. It was a pretty great business for them, and Ponyville greatly benefited from it. At this same time, the remainder of the Diamond Dogs who didn't work with either Ruby or Spike kept digging in the tunnels underneath the hills, working as miners.

Eventually however, Ruby and Spike began to talk about creating a family of their own. Both of them already knew right off the bat what an incredibly daunting task that it was going to be. Like the rest of us guys who were with mares, it was going to take MANY tries, and possibly even more for them, due to the extreme incompatibility of their species. (But then again, wasn't I the same way with Gilda? I don't know. Hybrids mating with hybrids is an unexplored science in and of itself, but purebreds of 2 different species? That too leaves a lot unexplored. I don't know; it's still being debated to this day, but that's besides the point). Eventually, after many tries, (Spike said that it was in excess of 200, though he never gave an exact number) Ruby FINALLY got pregnant! Neither of them could believe it; a Dragon male had just gotten a female Diamond Dog pregnant!

"This............I don't even know what to say to this!" Ruby mumbled through the paw-like hand that was slammed over her mouth as she looked at her positive pregnancy test.

"Neither........neither do I Ruby. I heard from Scar that it took a lot of tries for him and Gilda to have a baby, and then they got it by accident the first time. We tried on purpose, and even though it took MANY tries, don't you think that it was worth it?"

Ruby nodded. "Oh absolutely Spike. We have to protect our legacy somehow, and through a healthy pup.......or whatever you call a baby Dragon, is the perfect way to do that! Now the only question is........what the hell is growing inside of me, and what's it gonna look like when it comes out?!"

Spike could only shrug. He had honestly no idea. Gilda had asked the same questions when she was pregnant the first time, and what she and I got were babies that were part Human, part wolf, part eagle, and part lion. Thanks to rough estimates, Spike and Ruby knew that their baby, (or maybe twins if they were lucky) would be a hybrid of a Dragon and a Diamond Dog, though they knew nothing more than this. Eventually, ultrasounds confirmed that they were only having one baby, that it was going to be a boy, and that it was seemingly going to be half mammal, and half reptile.

"Geez, NOT what I was expecting at all!"

"Yeah, I can agree with you there Ruby, I didn't see this coming either! But yet, somehow I feel that we should have expected as much. We are 2 COMPLETELY different species after all!"

Ruby agreed with him, and she really began to wonder what their son would look like when he was born, since he was half mammal, and half reptile.

As it turns out, I was on a visit to Ponyville when Ruby went into labor. I was with Spike at the DFASC Freight Depot when one of the Diamond Dogs came running to tell Spike that Ruby was in labor. When the 2 of us arrived at Spike and Ruby's house, she was in her and Spike's bed, being tended to by 2 Diamond Dog midwives. (Yes, Diamond Dogs do indeed have midwives, and they also have their own kinda-sorta physicians! Who knew?) Spike went to Ruby's side, while I took a seat across the room, and waited to see what would happen next.

About an hour and a half later, I heard small cries, and I looked up and realized that Ruby had finished giving birth to the first Dragon-Diamond Dog baby in Equestrian history! After standing up again, I walked over to see what their son looked like. I was in for a real shock. Spike and Ruby's son had the upper body of a Dragon with purple scales, as well as the lower body of a Diamond Dog. This was in addition to having the sharp teeth of his mom, the green eyes of his dad, and a Diamond Dog tail with Dragon spines on it.

"Wow", I said softly. "Is this what the others felt like when they saw Daylight and Glacier for the first time?" I didn't know what else to say. I was well and truly speechless.

"Yeah, I think that it might be." Spike agreed with me. "Though unlike you, I have no idea what to call our son. I mean, I know what his name is, but I don't know what his species would be."

"What is his name?"

Ruby answered that one. His name is Eragon. Eragon Citrine."

I was impressed. "Wow, that's a pretty strong name, but then again, little Eragon here seems like a pretty strong son."

"Dragon-Dog." Spike said suddenly.

"Huh?" I looked over at him.

"Dragon-Dog! That's what Eragon is. A Diamond Dog-Dragon hybrid, or Dragon-Dog for short."

Ruby nodded slowly. "Yes. Yes! I like it. Good thinking Babe!"

"Thanks Ruby."

"Yeah", I agreed. "That's a great name for a whole new species. Great thinking Spike!"

"Thanks Scar." He then looked at his son. "And I heard from Twilight that baby Dragons can sometime burp fire. She said that I did it at times when I was a baby Dragon, (and sometimes still do!) but I wonder if he can."

"Yeah, I wonder too."

At that exact moment though, Eragon suddenly coughed a bit, before belching a little blast of fire!

"Whoa!" Ruby had to jerk her head to the right to avoid the little blast, though thankfully it quickly dissipated.

I looked on in surprise. "Huh. Well, I guess that that answers that!"

Spike nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess that it does. Eragon can burp fire!"

"That's both cool, and REALLY worrying at the same time!"

"Yeah", Ruby agreed. "We'll have to be REALLY careful with this!"

In response to that, Eragon burped again, though this time it was just an ordinary burp. Nevertheless, it still got a bit of a giggle out of him, and his giggling got the rest of us to laugh too. It also made if official. Eragon was the best baby Dragon-Dog, even if he was the first and only as of right then!

One night, in 2032, 8 years after the end of the Last Zebra War, Gilda and I were lying in our bed. All of our kids were now 4-7 years old, and they all had their own rooms now too, meaning that Gilda and I no longer had to have one of their cradles in our room. Yes, we did still have "nighttime visitors" every now and again, but on most nights, once our kids were in bed, they tended to stay asleep until the next morning. It was because of this fact that on some nights, Gilda and I would sleep nude, and while we'd sometimes have sex, other times we'd just lie there and cuddle. We'd been married for 5 years now, but I NEVER got tired of having Gilda close to me.

As we were lying there, and cuddling in the nude, Gilda suddenly turned to look at me. "Mmm, hey Scar?"

"Yeah Babe?"

"Do you remember how it was when we first met? Before the war?"

I looked at her. "Of course I do. You were being paid that one day to make a grocery delivery to the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company Freight Depot, and I was the one you gave the groceries to. We got to talking while Rick sorted through the groceries, and that's how we became friends. Our relationship developed from their, until you were my girlfriend by the time the Zebras came."

"Yeah, and then we fought the war, f@#ked throughout, you knocked me up just before the Raid on Canterlot, then we survived the war, and had our beautiful twins Glacier and Daylight. It certainly was NOT a conventional relationship, but if you could do it all over again, would you have done anything differently?"

I really had to think about that one. Finally though, I had my answer. "Well Babe, I might have been a little bit more careful about where I jizzed, (as well as WHEN I jizzed!) when we had sex, but yet, I really can't think of anything else I could do differently. And even if I did do anything differently, I don't know if I'd WANT to do anything differently! I mean look at what it did for us. Aside from having to deal with an unplanned pregnancy during wartime, you still got me, we got married, you got to meet my Dad, you got to see my old hometown, and we now have 5 beautiful Lycan-Griffs to call our own. I'm still working with the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company driving both 4449, and 1601 when they're here in Equestria, and we still have each other to grow old with, and lose our minds with."

Gilda giggled a bit. "Yeah, just like we always wanted. I'm not sure WHY things had to happen the way that they did, but in the end, I don't think that I could have had it any other way!" She then leaned in close, and kissed me. "I love you Stud!"

I held her close, and kissed her back. "Mmm, I love you too Gilda, now, and for always. You're mine to the end, and if ANYONE, EVER tries to take you away from me, they'll get EXACTLY what the Zebras got!"

"Just as I'll f@#k up ANY female who even so much as looks at you the wrong way Stud! You're MINE, and mine ALONE!"

I couldn't help but laugh a bit. A major war, 5 kids, and aging 5 years had done little to nothing to dampen the fire that Gilda had in her that I loved so much. She was still the same lovable, Tsundere-Griffon that I had fallen in love with, and I knew that she would stay that way for a LONG time to come. Gilda then snuggled close to me, and after kissing me one last time, she fell asleep in my warm embrace.

I then rested my chin on top of her head. I then sighed, and smiled softly. "Well, once I left Wolf-Pack behind for a job with the railroad, I NEVER thought that my life would take a twist in a direction like this! But then again, God took us away from Earth, and dropped us in the right place, at the exact right time to prevent a massive catastrophe. Along the way, we all also found love, and helped to rebuild our new world, on top of seeing our families again, not to mention our jobs with the Daylight Freight and Shipping Company, or different jobs for those who left. We have our wives, kids, jobs, friends, and whole lives ahead of it. It might not be the easiest thing ever, but yet, I wouldn't have it any other way!"

I then drifted off to sleep, knowing that a great future lay ahead for all of us, as well as our kids. It might not have been the most normal life ever, but it sure was the best one that any of us ever had!

THE END

Author's Note

And, that was the Epilogue. Wasn't that quite the finale for the New Timeline? This time around, EVERYTHING was all wrapped up nicely, and everyone got a good and proper ending, unlike in the previous Old Timeline, where it was just a quick glance at what happened after the war.

And now, with the conclusion of the Epilogue, the New Timeline is complete, the overhaul of "Fear from the Rails" is complete, and so's everything else in between! It's ALL complete! The story FINALLY has the ending that it deserves, as well as a whole new timeline to go with it!

I really hope that you enjoyed this New Timeline Epilogue. It took me quite some time to finish up, but now that it has been, I hope that you all enjoyed it. Alas, our journey with the New Timeline has come to an end, as has "Fear from the Rails", but don't worry. My next stories will be coming VERY soon! You'll all hear about them as soon as I mention them in a blog post, which will be in the next few days. I have 2 short stories that are almost ready to be released, as well as news about the upcoming sequel to "Tracks Backwards", "Tale of 2 Big Boys. This story may have come to an end, but the train keeps chugging on!

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

ScarFox out for now!

Chapter 4: Fight to the Finish Line (New Timeline)

By about 4:15am, Shining and I had cooked up a plan for the remaining areas that we had to capture. We decided to save Van Hoover for last, while we captured the areas around it.

Moving our forces out from the Crystal Empire, we first took the Ghastly Gorge, then the Unicorn Range, and then the Smoky Mountains. All throughout this time, we didn't meet a single Zebra. However, we also made the discovery of a town that we previously didn't know about. The town was called Tall Tale, and in fact, even though it was located between Van Hoover and the Smoky Mountains, and it was on the map, it was one of those places that most Ponies just didn't know about.

"Huh, well how did we miss this?"

I shrugged. "I don't know Shining. Most likely though, we just missed it because it wasn't on the map. Or if it was, we just missed it."

Spike then began to look over a map of Equestria he brought with him from the Crystal Empire. "Um, according to this map, Tall Tale is here, but it's not the most noticeable town ever. It also has a pretty small population."

We came to the town, and our forces took it, but the entire town was abandoned.

I then looked at the map. "And if I had to venture a guess, I'd say that that town was used by the Zebras who manned the quarantine camp in the Smoky Mountains. And once the facility was blown up after we liberated it, I guess that the town was abandoned as well. Nevertheless, we took it, and once we have Van Hoover, we control the rest of the North Luna Ocean, we have access to the Undiscovered West if we need it, and somewhere between 1/4-1/3 of Equestria is back in Pony hands!"

Spike nodded, but then shook his head. "Yeah, but therein lies the problem. Van Hoover is home to a large military garrison, and from what I've heard in the past, more Zebras than Ponies. How do we go about taking it?"

I looked at the map. "Well, we get our guys to surround it on all sides, and then we storm it like we did for the Crystal Empire. HOWEVER, our primary targets are ANY and ALL ships in Van Hoover Harbor! At the very least, we HAVE to neutralize them!"

"And, why do we have to do that?" Big Mac asked.

Shining then took up the story. "Because if they have those ships, then they can start loading mares aboard them for a hasty exit. They may not be able to make it to Zebrica, but those aboard would still make it to Faust knows where, and most likely never be heard from again."

Big Mac nodded slowly. "Uh, yeah, that's REALLY bad! Right, we take out the ships first! But wait. Ain't there more ships on the other side of Equestria where Manehattan is? What about them ships?"

I sighed. "We'll take care of those when the time comes. Recently, I learned an interesting nugget of information that the Trottingham group was withholding from us. As it turns out, while the majority of the ships in the Equestrian Navy were either burned or scuttled to prevent the Zebras from using them, the remaining ships and sailors were taken in by the Trottingham group, and have been patrolling the Equestrian Coast on the Celestial Sea side, preventing Zebra smuggling."

"And is it true that the Griffons have offered to help us if actual war breaks out?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that's true Spike. It seems that although the Zebras were able to take Equestria, other nations, including the Griffon Kingdom, basically told them to go f@#k themselves. The Griffon Kingdom, and the Dragon Lands may prove to be our primary allies in this fight. All we have to do is complete our victory here, then Shining, as the De Facto leader of Equestria, declares war on the Zebras. Then our allies join us, and together we kick those Zebras's asses from one end of Equestria to the other, before driving them into the sea, and away from Equestria for good!"

"Yeah, but how do we take Van Hoover?"

I looked at the map again. "Ok, here's the deal. We first surround the city on all sides, then we neutralize the ships, before finally heading in by rail via the Wabash Cannonball, and then storming the city! The odds are still in our favor, so let's do this thing once we've gathered our forces together again!"

"Right! And Bro?"

"Yeah Shiny?"

"While I'm the 'De Facto leader of Equestria', you, Spike, and Big Mac will be my advisers/right hand stallions! You'll be my chief military adviser, Spike can be my chief planner and map specialist, and Big Mac can be head of my security detail!" (In truth, while we were storming the Crystal Castle, Big Mac killed more Zebras than the rest of us!)

We all looked at him. "Are you.........are you being serious Shining?"

He nodded. "As serious as I can be. I NEED more guys like you! Under you Scar can be the rest of your Marines, and under all of you will be troops. Sure, Braeburn is still in charge of the Appaloosa Resistance, but I'm now in charge of the Equestrian Armed Forces. And now, we have breakfast in Van Hoover!"

We all agreed to that, and with a force of 300 Ponies, we all snuck towards Van Hoover.

It was a very delicate operation. The time was getting close to 6am, and not too long after that, the sun would rise.

"And how's the sun even being raised anymore anyway?" I asked Shining and the others. "Do Celestia and Luna still do it, or do the Zebras do it now?"

Shining shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea Bro."

"And neither do I." Spike agreed. "Twilight never mentioned it, although she never really talked to me much anymore."

I shrugged. "Well, at any rate, I'm sure that we'll all find out how it works in the end. In the meantime though, we have a city to take over!"

We all then split up our troops, and we all got into position. Frank and his troops would be sabotaging the ships, while those under Rick and Jon would be guarding the outside of the city. Spike and Big Mac would also be leading troops alongside Jake to be the second wave into the city with the Wabash Cannonball, and Shining and I? Well we, and a few of our troops were going to be making a REAL entrance! We were sitting inside of our armored vehicle, waiting for Frank and his team to finish up with the ships before we all came pouring into the city as the first wave.

"How much longer do you think Frank? We're running out of time here!"

"We're almost done Scar. Most of these ships were empty, and the ones that weren't wouldn't be ready to go anytime soon. However, yes, for the sake of Equestria, we rigged them to blow. They'll sink into the harbor, and be completely useless to the Zebras!"

"Good work Frank, and whoever else is with you. You're the best men and stallions, (not to mention mares if there are any with you!) for the job!"

"Eh, thanks Scar. It's just what we do!"

A few minutes later, Frank gave us the word. "Ok Scar, we're all clear! All explosives are set, we weren't spotted, and we're still in the clear!"

"Roger that Frank!"

I then checked with the other guys once I got the word from Frank. "You guys all ready?"

"Affirmative Sir! We're all good!"

"Yes, the perimeter is sound, we've got eyes on ALL routes in and out of the city, and it should fall fairly quickly!"

I then said another quick prayer for God's protection while we did His good work. "Please God, don't let us blow this now!"

I then radioed Frank again. "You got the detonator ready Frank?"

"Affirmative! I'm just waiting for my signal!"

I looked at my watch. The time was now 5:45am. I began a countdown with my fingers. 3......2.....1........I then raised my head, and howled another howl!

With that, all hell broke loose, and the battle for Van Hoover was on!

Once he had my signal, Frank then hit the button on the detonator, and one by one, ALL of the ships in Van Hoover Harbor blew sky high! I knew that the explosives had been planted in strategic places so as to only sink the ships, not outright destroy them. We all then POURED into the city!

From the train tracks, the Wabash Cannonball came in guns blazing, as well as launching the canisters of the gas. Just like back in the Crystal Empire, once the gas began to take effect, the results were almost immediate, and EXTREMELY deadly to the Zebras! Once again, the mares and older fillies grabbed whatever weapons that they could, and laid waste to the Zebras alongside us.

I then led my troops into the city by busting through a gate with our armored vehicle. "YEAH!!!! Let's show these Zebras who's boss!!!!"

However, if we were expecting a long, drawn out battle, we were sorely mistaken. The number of Zebras in Van Hoover was actually very small, and most of those were NOT warriors! First chance they got, many of them threw down their weapons and surrendered. By 6:10am, it was all over. Van Hoover was ours, and we'd only lost 17 of our own, including mares. The Zebras had lost 111, with a further 200 or so surrendering.

The only problem was, we had no idea what to do with them. Luckily though, there were pens made for "troublemakers" inside of the city, so we herded the Zebras into there for the time being.

"What's going to happen to us now?" One of the Zebras asked.

"Well, you'll be kept here until the war is over, and then, provided that you behaved yourselves, you'll be sent back to Zebrica."

The Zebra nodded sadly. "I could have expected as much. I KNEW that taking over Equestria the way that we did was too easy, but did anyone listen to me? NO!"

Once we had the chance to regroup, some remained behind to hold our new areas, and once the sun was up in the sky, the rest of us returned to the Crystal Empire.

"VERY well done all of you!" Shining commended. "Last night, we literally did the IMPOSSIBLE! We SHOWED the rest of Equestria that the Zebras are NOT invincible, and that they CAN be defeated!"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, by God's Grace, we pulled through. We're doing ok so far, but from here on out, it will be MUCH harder! Soon, the Zebras WILL catch wind of what's happened, assuming of course that they haven't already! We HAVE to be able to meet the counterattack when it comes!"

"And we will Bro. Now, I think that it's time we contacted the Zebras to declare war, wouldn't you all agree?"

"Eh, there's something that I think we should do first, but yes, THEN we reach out to the Zebras!"

Shining gave me a curious look. "Oh? And what do we have to do first?"

"I think that we should break one of the rails leading to the Crystal Empire in a strategic point, so that if Zebra reinforcements come by rail, they'll derail, and then we can pick off any survivors."

Shining nodded. "Yeah, good point Bro. We'll do that, THEN contact the Zebras!"

We all then set about doing just that, all while preparing for what we were going to say to the Zebras.

Meanwhile, many miles to the south in Canterlot, former princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight, as well as their Zebra lovers, were meeting with the rest of the Zebra Elders, so as to discuss the future of Equestria. All of the Princesses were naked, and sitting on the floor next to their respective lovers.

Zed currently had the floor. "This is starting to get worrisome for my people Princess Celestia", He was saying. "Even with the stallions gone, I fear that their influence still lingers among the remaining population. We must be ready to COMPLETELY cleanse their lingering filth, and start over again."

"So what exactly do you propose that we do Zed?" Cadence asked him.

On the inside, Zed smirked. ALL of the princesses were like putty in their hands, and would do ANYTHING that the Zebras told them to do. On the outside though, he put up an air of deep concern. "I fear Princesses, that we must all be prepared to LEAVE Equestria behind, and all evacuate back to where we came from, Zebrica!"

When they heard that, the Princesses were SHOCKED! LEAVE Equestria?! Their native homeland for thousands of years?! It was UNHEARD OF!

Zed was prepared for their gasps of shock. "Now please, before any of you get TOO upset, let me explain myself. For FAR too long, you have been chained to those stallions that SAY that they love you, and would always be there for you, but where are they all now? Sick, and possibly dying. Now we Zebras are the only ones left who can help you continue on your race. However, Equestria is all wrong. It MUST be evacuated, so that the proper Zebras can return, and render it FULLY safe for the Zebras to use as their new homeland....that we will share with the Ponies of course!" Zed winced at having slipped up like that.

Luckily for him though, the Princesses didn't seem to notice. "And what does, 'make it FULLY safe for the Zebras' mean, Zed?" Celestia asked.

Zed was just about to vaguely explain a whole lot of bullshit, when all of a sudden, a messenger burst into the room!

"MY KING!!!! WE HAVE TERRIBLE TROUBLE!!!!!!"

Zed looked up. At first, he was angry at having been disturbed, but then he saw the look of fear on the messenger's face. "What's......going on?"

"IT'S THE STALLIONS!!!!! NOT ONLY HAVE THEY ESCAPED FROM ONE OF THEIR CAMPS, BUT THEY'VE ALSO TAKEN THE NORTHERN END OF EQUESTRIA!!!!!"

When the messenger said that, the entire room went so quiet that you could have heard a bead of dew fall from a blade of grass and hit the ground!

"W-wh-what????? WHAT?!?!?! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!"

"I don't know King Zed! It happened sometime last night! They struck first at the Crystal Empire, then Rainbow Falls, that one Village, Van Hoover, and ALL of the areas in between them and Neighagra Falls, which they've ALSO taken!"

It was then that Zed realized the full scope of what had just happened. They'd lost a HUGE amount of territory to what seemed to be a combination of resistance groups, AND formerly sick stallions! Now, Las Pegasus, Manehattan, and possibly even Cloudsdale were DIRECTLY threatened by the enemy! The same enemy that now held the Crystal Empire, Rainbow Falls, Starlight's Village, Tall Tale, Van Hoover, and EVERYTHING else in between!

Cadence turned to Zed with fear. "What.....do we do Zed?"

Zed looked like he was going to die of fright! Obviously, the Ponies were MUCH worse of an opponent than the Zebras initially thought that they were going to be!

Zed then turned to the others. "We HAVE to act IMMEDIATELY on this! Those stallions are ALL still contaminated with that virus, and if they're allowed to roam free, it could prove CATASTROPHIC to the rest of us!"

"So, what would you recommend that we do Zed?" Celestia was getting worried.

"Well, first of all, you let my people handle this! We took care of all of the stallions before, so now we'll just do it again! They will NOT last long against the Zebras!"

Zed then summoned one of his commanders, and ordered him to load up troops onto a train, and leave IMMEDIATELY for the Crystal Empire to restore order there, round up all of the stallions again, and then decontaminate EVERYTHING!

"You must NOT fail us Commander Zundo!"

He saluted. "I will not, My King!" He then left to fulfill his king's bidding.

"So, what do we do now?" Cadence asked nervously.

"Now, we wait for the situation to be FULLY brought under control, which should be before too long. The stallions will NOT be able to hold out against us, and it should all be over by lunchtime!"

The Princesses had confidence in their new Zebra overlords. They SHOULDN'T have!

Lunchtime came and went, and STILL there was no word from Zundo, or those under his command.

"What could be keeping them?" One of the other elders muttered.

"Perhaps they're still engaged in battle."

Zed had a different conclusion. "Or perhaps they've already met with death." He didn't say this out loud, as he did NOT want to sound like the situation was out of his control in front of the former Princesses, but yet he felt more than a twinge of fear at what was happening.

Suddenly, Zed's holographic communication device began to beep. "Well FINALLY!" He then grabbed it, and turned it on. "Well, it's about TIME you reported in Commander Zundo! I was beginning to think that something bad happened to you!"

He and the other Zebras looked, and there stood Commander Zundo, but to their surprise, something seemed.......off about him. His eyes were wide open and were bleeding, and there was blood coming from his mouth as well. He also looked like he'd gotten crushed by something.

"Um.....C-Comander? Are you feeling ok?"

"No....." He said in a weird muffled voice. "I'm actually QUITE dead! As are the others!" The figure that had apparently been using Zundo's dead body as a puppet then dropped him to the ground, before revealing himself, AND his comrades!

"No.....NO!!!! IT CAN'T BE!!!!! YOU'RE ALL DEAD!!!!!"

Shining then stepped up to the communicator a bit closer. "What's wrong Zed? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"B-b-b-but, THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS CAMP!!!!!"

I then stepped into view. "Oh, that was MY doing Zed! Quite the little plan I cooked up for the Appaloosa Resistance, as well as my other comrades to execute! Your boys over there NEVER knew what hit 'em! Oh sure, we took a FEW of them prisoner, as we HAD to know more information about them!"

"And were YOU responsible for the attacks on the Zebra Embassy?!?!?!"

I nodded, smirking. "Yep, that was Jake and I's finest hour! We just strolled right on in, stole some of your stuff, took 2 Zebra mares, and then left the way we came!"

Zed narrowed his eyes. "You can keep those filthy sluts for all I care, but for the crimes that you've committed, you will all DIE!!!! But before I give the order for ALL of your deaths, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY COMMANDER AND HIS TROOPS?!?!?!"

I sighed. "They all died, but we NEVER touched them!" I then smirked, and began to sing in a sing-song voice, "We saw their train coming towards the Empire, riding fast the whole darn way, but then they got a chance to meet, our local Mountain Timberwolves! Then, just 4 miles further down the line, they hit a broken rail! The whole train came flying off the tracks, and landed in the ditch! We tried to get to them in time, but a steam pipe broke in 2, and 100lbs of pressure hit those poor engine crew! The rest were crushed beneath the train, when it flipped its lid! All of them all died, and there was nothing we could do!"

(2:00-2:24)

When the full gravity of what I'd just said hit the Zebras, they were all SHOCKED! Their ENTIRE force that they'd sent out was now dead, and we were BRAGGING about how we'd killed them!

"Your..........your deaths will be SLOW!!!!"

Shining then stepped back up to the communicator. "What my best friend Scar has said is indeed true. However, what he did NOT tell you is that we're here to stay! Everywhere we advance WILL become the new Equestrian border! And we will NOT stop until ALL of Equestria has been freed form your tyranny! ALL of you will PAY for what you did to MY Ponies! You all had BETTER be preparing yourselves, because as of this moment, Equestria declares war on the Zebra Empire! The documents have all been signed, and I, as De Facto leader, have notarized them! You would be MORE than wise to surrender right now!"

Zed was STILL unable to recover from the shock of everything that had just happened. In his stead, Cadence tried to reason with Shining. "Shiny, you're sick, you NEED to be cured!"

"Cadence, I HAVE been cured! We've ALL been cured! The scientists in the Appaloosa Resistance have cured the virus!"

"That's what they WANT you to think Shiny! You're all still VERY, VERY sick! You HAVE to let the Zebras help you get better!"

Before Shining could answer though, Rune Star, one of the mares who'd been under the Zebra's influence until the battle in the Crystal Empire, spoke up. "I'M a mare, and I can tell you right now that NONE of these stallions are sick! The Zebras LIED to us! They are NOT our friends; they only do what's best for THEM!"

"BLASPHEMY!!!!" Twilight suddenly screamed. "SHE HAS SPOKEN RACIST BLASPHEMY AGAINST OUR ZEBRA OVERLORDS!!!!!"

All of us could see that trying to reason with the Zebras, as well as the mares with them, was futile. We would have to see our war through to the end.

I looked at Zed. "One final time. Do you surrender, or not?"

"NEVER!!!!" Zed screamed. "We will NEVER surrender to lowlifes like you!"

"So be it. We shall do whatever it takes to win."

"And you will DIE!!!!" Zed then terminated the call. He also knew that war as imminent now.

"What, do we do Zed? Do we still evacuate the mares?"

Zed shook his head. "No. We CANNOT take the risk of losing them along the way! We'll deal with the stallions ONCE AND FOR ALL, put them BACK into those camps where they belong, and THEN proceed with our plans from there!"

"And what do we do now, King Zed?" One of the other elders asked.

"Now, we mobilize our forces IMMEDIATELY, BEFORE they can strike again!"

The Zebras then set about doing just that, all while hoping that the war would be over soon.

Back in the Crystal Empire, we all were preparing for war as well, but a few of us were getting some much needed rest. In an actual room in the Crystal Castle, I had Gilda on her back in the bed, all while screwing her brains out! She continued to screech in bliss, before I buried my my mouth into her beak.

"Oh Faust, I needed this Stud!"

"Mmm, so did I Gilda, so did I!"

"Oh FAUST I love you Stud!" She then flipped us over until I was on bottom, and she was riding me for all she was worth!

For the next number of minutes, all that was really heard were the sounds of a Griffon and a Human-wolf hybrid submitting to their feral instincts. Just to be safe, Gilda did take one of the birth control pills that she had with her, but I wasn't wearing a condom, although this was due to the Zebras seemingly having gotten rid of them all! (Not that I even COULD get Gilda pregnant, but yet, this was war, and that was a risk that we could NOT afford to take!)

Eventually, I blew my load into my lion-bird's pussy, before she flopped forwards onto me, and began to purr.

I wrapped my arms around her. "Nyah, I love you Gilda."

"Ngh......I.....l-love you too Dweeb. And I'll have you know right now that I pledge my love to you, now and forevermore. If we get outta this alive, I wanna settle down with you. I don't know about kids but DEFINITELY not off the bat!"

I stroked Gilda's feathery head gently. "Yeah, I'd like that too Babe. But yeah, no kids until we're ready!" We both laughed at this before falling asleep.

For the next few days, we did have to fend off Zebra attacks from the south trying to take back the Crystal Empire and Van Hoover. However, by October 24th, we had another plan for an attack.

This time, the target was Las Pegasus, and we planned to take it in a pincer maneuver. One force would come down from the North and East through the Whitetail Woods, while a second force would come in from the South and East. Along the way, the Pie Rock Farm would also be liberated.

"As it should be!" Igneous Rock said angrily. "Though I usually do not condone violence, those Zebras will PAY for what they have done to my family!" (I'd heard that his wife Cloudy Quarts, and his daughters Maud, Limestone, Marble and Pinkie Pie all were kept on the farm as breeders, while a few stallions, and even Griffons were forced to work the mine on the farm, and break up rocks).

"We will take back your land Sir." I told him. "You can be a part of the force that comes in from Appaloosa to take back your farm if you want to."

"Much obliged, Captain Ben Anderson." (Igneous was one of the few folks who called me by my real name. Most others just called me by my nickname, Scar.)

The date for the attack was set to commence at 2am on October 26th for Las Pegasus, and Midnight for the attack on the Pie Farm. If successful, then the ENTIRE West Coast of Equestria would be liberated, as well as the Northern border. Most of the Southern border would be secured as well, with the lone exception being Baltimare on the East Coast, which would be dealt with in due time.

Once our forces were moved into place, we began to hear strange stories from the big cities on the East Coast, and even from Ponyville and Canterlot. Apparently, most mares were DEMANDING to know how a bunch of supposedly "sick" stallions managed to escape from a quarantine camp, take over a HUGE amount of territory in just one night, and then hold it for days. The Zebras were refusing to comment, and that only ticked off the mares even more.

Mass demonstrations were held by mares DEMANDING answers in front of the Zebra Embassy, and also in Canterlot, Ponyville, Manehattan, Phillydelphia and Baltimare. (Las Pegasus was more Zebras than Ponies. Plus, they were all REALLY out of touch with reality over there!)

In Canterlot, Princess Luna was REALLY beginning to question why the Zebras were allowed into Equestria in such huge numbers in the first place, as they were seemingly causing FAR more harm than good! Princess Celestia was on the fence about the whole ordeal, Cadence wanted to believe what Zed told her to think, and Twilight STEADFASTLY refused to see ANY faults with the Zebras.

"The STALLIONS are the ones at fault here!" She screamed. "THEY rebelled against our beloved Zebra overlords! THEY WILL ALL DIE!!!!!" It was quite clear that Twilight's mind was at the point of no return. If something couldn't be done soon, then she could become permanently insane.

"We HAVE to hold on until the Equestrian Army gets to us!" Luna told her sister. (Luna had actually murdered her own Zebra coltfriend, and then blamed it on a Human assassin.)

Celestia didn't know what to think. "I.........don't know what to say, Dear Sister. I KNOW that we were wrong for allowing this to happen, but yet is it REALLY all bad? Surely the Zebras HAD to be thinking of us at some point, right?"

Luna placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Sister, the Zebras NEVER had our interests in mind! They want to END our ENTIRE RACE!!!!! Right now, thank FAUST for those 6 Humans, and their abilities to fight back! Now they've taken 2 resistance groups, and turned them back into the Equestrian Armed Forces! They WILL be giving the Zebras a run for their money, if not outright DESTROY THEM ALL!!!!!"

Celestia sighed. "If another city falls, I'll reconsider what you have said Sister. In the meantime though, we let this play out." Celestia then went back to the food that she was eating, while Luna looked out of a window in the direction of the Crystal Empire.

"Please Shining Armor." She thought. "Please hurry up!"

Another target that we had to deal with was another quarantine camp located outside of town in the Palomino Desert. According to our scouting forces, the camp was well defended, but yet it seemed to be VERY poorly constructed, and in the end, we decided to begin the attack on the city, while another force under Jon and Jake went to liberate it.

Later that night, just before the attack began, I addressed our troops. "Ok people, here's the deal. We're up against a MASSIVE force of the enemy here. Unlike the previous times, they KNOW that we're probably coming, but yet they don't know when. We're here in the Whitetail Woods right now, and hopefully by tomorrow morning, Las Pegasus, the rest of the Southern Border of Equestria, AND the Pie Family Rock Farm will be BACK under Equestrian control!"

All of the soldiers cheered, and then I continued. "We're in for the fight of our lives though. According to our scouts, we're up against a large garrison, and approximately 4,000 Zebras. There are more Zebras, but the rest of them are stationed out at the quarantine camp."

"And how will we be going in?" Frank asked.

I sighed. "We're going in similar to how we did with Van Hoover, but yet with a few changes. This time we don't have a harbor to take care of, although there may be a few ships that will have to be neutralized. For going in, we'll use the Wabash Cannonball to take on anything that comes in by train, as well as to disperse the gas.

Then Frank, Rick and their troops secure the perimeter of the city, while Jon and Jake will take their forces, as well as our other trains, and liberate the quarantine camp. They will be provided with the cure, as well as the vaccines, and once they're out, the rest of us will protect them until we can get the sick stallions on their way to safety in Appaloosa."

"And how will we get into the city?" Shining asked.

"Well, like with Van Hoover, we surround the city, and then work our way in. Our first priority will be the Zebra garrison, which our train will hopefully be able to knock out with artillery." I then looked at my watch. "Our time is running out. We HAVE to move now!"

I then finished laying out the plan, before our soldiers began to split up into their groups, and we all moved out for both Las Pegasus, and the Pie Family Rock Farm.

At Midnight, Igneous Rock, as well as the force of soldiers under the command of Jon and Jake reached the outskirts of the farm. All was quiet, and then they stormed the farm. Still to this day, details of exactly what happened when they did are somewhat scarce. From what I've pieced together from Jon and Jake, NO mercy was shown to ANY of the Zebras on the farm, and Cloudy Quarts and her daughters, including Pinkie Pie, were safely rescued by the Equestrian forces, as were a number of other stallions and Griffons who were being used as slaves on the farm, and were also apparently immune to the virus. Some of our forces stayed behind to hold the area in case the battle in Las Pegasus got out of hand, but the rest of the soldiers, including Jake and Jon, moved in on Las Pegasus from the South and East. The rest of us came in from the North and East as well.

Once the forces who were going to be storming the quarantine camp were in place, hiding in the Palomino Desert, the rest of us began our attack on Las Pegasus.

Using the artillery guns on the train, the Zebra garrison was targeted, and we began to drop shells onto it. At this same time, other guns on the train began to lob the gas. The only problem was that we didn't quite have the same amounts of gas that we were able to use on the Crystal Empire and Van Hoover. We were still able to cause damage, and we also learned that the mares themselves could pass the effects of the gas on to other mares by prolonged physical contact.

Also unlike before, we faced a LOT more resistance! These Zebras were well trained, and better equipped. We still had the element of surprise, as well as superior weaponry, but it still took a LOT longer than we thought that it was going to! We started the attack at about 2am, and at 6am we were STILL going!

"This is INSANE!!!" Gilda screamed from the barricade that we were hiding behind.

I then popped up and put down 3 more Zebras. "Yeah, no kidding! However, we now hold about 90% of the city, and the Zebras are losing more and more all of their guys all of the time!"

"Just as long as we make it out of here alive Dweeb, I'll be MORE than happy!"

"Oh, we'll make it out of here alright!" I then loaded a fresh magazine into my gun. "We've still got our WHOLE LIVES ahead of us to live as we want after the war's over!"

"Right, so let's DO THIS!!!" We both then popped over our barricade and began to let the remaining Zebras in our area have it with our guns!

By 7:30am, it was FINALLY over. We'd lost 137 troops, with 300+ wounded, and 35 missing. The Zebras had 2,800+ dead, 150+ wounded, and an uncertain number of missing. 45 Zebras were also taken prisoner. We'd taken back Las Pegasus, liberated the quarantine camp, and added another 11,000 stallions to our ranks. There was only 1 quarantine camp left outside of Baltimare, and now the ENTIRE Northern region of Equestria, as well as the entire West Coast was now in Human and Pony hands.

I looked around at the city. "Wow, we've sure caused a LOT of damage here today, but yet it CAN be repaired. The Zebras have got to REALLY be hurting, and we're still gaining ground."

Gilda leaned her head on my shoulder. "Yeah. We won, they died, and we keep moving forwards. Can we go somewhere private? I REALLY need a good f@#k right now!"

I groaned. "Gilda, is sex all you think about?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. I also think about food, being cool, and killing Zebras."

I just shook my head. "You Griffons are SO weird sometimes."

Gilda then grabbed my collar with one of her taloned hands. "What was that Dweeb? You talkin' shit over there?"

"I dunno, maybe I am. What are you gonna do about it bird brain?"

"I'm gonna drag you into an alley, rip your clothes off, and f@#k you until your hips are broken!"

I then gently wrapped my arms around Gilda, and held her close to me. "I love that fire in you Gilda. I think that's one of the reasons that I fell for you."

She hugged me back. "Shut up, hybrid freak! It's not like I actually LOVE you, or anything! B-baka!"

I then kissed Gilda on her beak. "Yeah, and I love you too Babe."

Gilda then opened her beak so that she could kiss me. We then shared a few deep, passionate kisses, before heading off so that I could stuff her like a fat turkey!

Back in Canterlot, the Zebras were REALLY starting to lose their minds! We were gaining ground, and they were losing troops, mares, AND land!

"And they take it back so easily that WE become the idiots in this picture!" Zed raved. "Our mares are asking us why the f@#k we can't deal with the threat, and the more time goes on without a Zebra victory, the more agitated they become!"

One of the Zebra commanders, Bania, looked at the maps. "Without Las Pegasus, our largest city is Manehattan, followed by Baltimare, Phyledelphia, Cloudsdale, and then Canterlot. However, they've GOT to be running out of steam! Now they've got all those sick stallions to take care of, so I doubt that they will be able to mount an assault for a while."

Zed sighed. "Which should give us time to prepare our defenses better. Since we control Cloudsdale, we also control the weather! We'll keep holding back the Winter, and we also see if we can't cause some 'weather delays' for them as well!"

Bania looked at a few charts. "That COULD work, but it'll be hard, as we don't have the largest mare workforce in the world. Also, since only Pegasus mares and Zebras using that one serum to allow them to walk on clouds are in Cloudsdale, and the city moves VERY slowly, it could take us a while to create clouds for storms."

"Well, then what would you suggest?"

"Well, like you said My King, we HAVE to strengthen our defenses! If the Ponies take ANYMORE territory back, it will be a DISASTER!!!! And I would also recommend that we begin the evacuation of the mares and fillies immediately!"

Zed shook his head. "I would, but we can't. We've lost the West Coast, and that fleet of enemy ships keeps prowling around on the East Coast. If we tried to evacuate, I doubt that we would make it very far."

Bania looked up at his king. "We'll continue to strengthen our defenses. Wherever they strike next, we WILL be ready for them!"

Suddenly, a messenger brought in 2 more letters addressed to King Zed. Zed read them, and then turned so pale that his black stripes almost disappeared!

"Oh great, now the Griffons AND the Dragons have declared war as well!"

"Well, isn't that a good thing? Won't they help us take out the Ponies?"

"That's the problem, they've sided WITH the Ponies!"

When the word of the Griffons and Dragons entering the war on the Pony's side hit the streets, mass panic ensued. The Zebras ASSURED the public that the enemy would NOT be taking any more territory, but not all of the mares believed them.

Meanwhile, I had to make a stop in Appaloosa since it was somewhat close by. I had to see how Zuri and Zena were fairing.

I found them still in their cell, and they looked somewhat happy.

"Hey guys."

"Scar!" Zuri came rushing up to the bars. She reached her arms though the bars to hug me. (Even if she was trying to grab at anything in my pockets, shucks for her, I didn't have anything in my pockets or on my body, aside from a shirt, empty pants, and shoes!)

I hugged her back. "Did you miss me Zuri?"

"Oh, more than you know!" I was then actually let into their cell. (I had to bribe a LOT of money to do that!)

I sat on Zuri's bed, and she sat next to me. She gently began to gently hold my arm, and she sighed happily. She was so soft and gentle; so unlike a Zebra.

I then hugged her back again, before gently beginning to brush her rather long mane with a hairbrush that I was given. Zuri's mane was black and white, and rather long. Instead of the mohawk that some Zebras had, she left her mane natural, and just let it hang down her back. Zena was similar, although she cut her mane short so that it didn't quite reach her shoulders.

"So how goes the war Scar?" I've heard that the Zebras are REALLY sweating to stop you!"

I laughed. "And you'd be right Zuri! We've managed to take back the Crystal Empire, Rainbow Falls, Starlight's Village, Van Hoover, Tall Tale, Las Pegasus, and ALL of the land between them! The Zebras only hold Manehattan, Baltimare, Fillidelphia, Ponyville, Canterlot, and Cloudsdale, as well as the spaces between them."

Zena looked over at me with shock. "Wow, that's.......pretty insane actually! And any ideas on when we'll be able to get out of here, and what will happen to Zuri and I when we do?"

I sighed. "Well, if I had my way with it, you would be free to choose what you wanted to do. However, since I don't, most likely you'll be held here until the end of the war, and then deported like the rest of the Zebras who survive surrendering."

Zuri looked at me sadly. "Wait, we'll have to go BACK to Zebrica?"

"I'll do what I can to ensure that those who don't want to go back don't have to, but no guarantees."

Suddenly though, a deputy poked his head in. "Captain Scar?"

"Yes?"

"You're needed at the town hall here pretty soon. Big meeting."

"Ok, coming." I then got up. "I have to go girls, but I'll be back again soon."

Zuri hugged me one last time. "Goodbye Scar."

"Goodbye Zuri, and I'll see what I can do to make sure that you get to stay if you want to, but again, no guarantees."

"Mmm, that would be nice Scar. Oh, and I was going to ask you, how's Gilda doing?"

"Oh, she's doing fine. She can be a bit of a handful sometimes, but I still love her all the same!"

Zuri laughed a bit. "Hee hee! Well, I'm glad that you're happy with her! Oh, and I was going to tell you, I've started seeing Braeburn recently. He was the stallion that I said that I had eyes for."

I turned to her surprised. "Wait, Braeburn was the stallion that you liked?"

She nodded. "Yes. I watched him from a distance for a while, but one day, he came to see Zena and I, and I told him how I felt. He then said that I was pretty, and we started seeing more of each other. I won't bore you with the details, but I think that it's going just fine."

I was surprised. Up until that moment, I thought that Braeburn was gay! "Well, I'm glad that you're happy Zuri. Now you have Jake and I, as well as Braeburn working to make sure that you stay here after the war."

She nodded. "Yeah, it's really great!"

"Just as I have Big Mac doing the same for me!" Zena added.

I turned to her. "Huh? What now?"

"Oh, well, like how my sister Zuri's seeing Braeburn, I've been getting visits from a stallion named Big Mac."

"Big Mac? Large Earth-Pony stallion, red fur, dark blonde mane, green eyes, and white freckles?"

"Yeah, that's him. He's really nice."

I thought about that. "Huh. Well, I remember him saying something about having a potential marefriend, but he never said who she was. Now I'm guessing that she's you Zena!"

"And you're probably right Scar!"

At this moment, the Deputy came back. "Captain Scar? You're needed now."

"Ok, I'm coming." I then looked back at the sisters. "I have to go to the meeting now, but I wish you the best of luck with your relationships!"

"Just as we wish you the best of luck with Gilda Scar!" Zuri giggled a bit.

I hugged them both one last time, and then left for the town hall.

When I arrived, I found Braeburn leading a meeting, while Shining, Spike, Big Mac, the rest of my guys, and a few other leaders were present as well.

"What's going on Brae?"

"Well, our scientists are done with their secret project, and they're ready to unveil it to us."

I was surprised. "What, really?"

"Yes."

"Oh, well, this should be good." I then took my seat.

The lead scientist, Dr. Stables, formerly the head doctor at the Ponyville General Hospital before escaping with a number of male patients and staff to Appaloosa, stepped forwards.

"Thank you Braeburn. Now then, the meat of why you've all been called here today. Well, for the past few months, we've been trying to come up with something to infect the Zebras with that the Ponies are immune to, and now we've had our breakthrough." He then held up a bottle full of dark colored liquid.

"THIS will become the bane of the Zebra's existence! It'll mix into the water supply, and under normal circumstances it would take a while for it to work, but we've been able to aggravate it so that it'll kick in MUCH faster, and when it does, it will be EXTREMELY deadly to male Zebras!"

"Yes, but what does it do Dr. Stables?" I asked.

"It...........will give the Zebras testicular cancer!"

When we all heard that, all we could do was stare in shock.

"Give them........testicular cancer?! How is that even possible?!"

"It's possible, because this chemical creates the PERFECT conditions to develop the cancer, as well as aggravating the testicles so that the cancer will form."

Shining looked at Dr. Stables. "But......won't that lead to Zebra extinction?"

"I can see why would you think that Prince Shining, but no. Only a fraction will be effected, but it will be a VERY high number. By our initial estimates, we estimate that up to 65% of the Zebra males will be effected."

"And how will we get it into the water supply?" I asked.

"That's where you boys come in." The doctor answered. "You're going to have to bag us Cloudsdale. If we have control of Cloudsdale, all we have to do is rain the poison down on the areas affected by Zebras! Stallions and mares are immune, but the Zebras won't be!"

I was surprised. "Ok, Cloudsdale. So now all we have to do is plan out how to do that. In the meantime though Dr. Stables, you and your people just keep us supplied with the special gas to allow the mares to see the truth, as well as the chemicals to dump into the water supply of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, so that it can be made into clouds, before getting rained down on the Zebras."

"Will do Captain Anderson."

The meeting then adjourned, and then reconvened so that we could discuss the plans for the attack on Cloudsdale.

"Ok people this is going to be our HARDEST campaign yet, and this is due to the terrain. As I'm sure that you know, only Pegasai and Griffons can walk on clouds. This means that the Zebras must be using some kind of serum, which we don't have the time to develop!"

"And why's that?" Spike asked.

"Because now that the word of the Griffons and Dragons joining the war on our side has hit the streets, the Zebras WILL be taking the initiative to launch a counterattack!"

"So what do we do?" Shining asked.

"This time, we'll have a 2 front assault. The Dragons, as well as a number of others who will be using the airships that we managed to capture in Van Hoover and Las Pegasus, will draw fire from the Zebras in the city, while the forces of Pegasai and Griffons, including the (male) Wonderbolts, will storm the city. Then, once inside, priority number 1 will be securing the weather factory. Then we take the rest of the city."

"And what of the Zebras?" Jake asked.

I smirked. "If they surrender, prepare them for transport to the surface. If they wanna fight, then let's give them free flying lessons!"

"And what time will be be attacking?"

"Halloween Night, at sunset." I then noticed the blank looks I was getting from the Ponies. "Oh, yeah. Or as you would call it, Nightmare Night."

"And why at sunset?"

"Well Gilda, the lower the light levels, the less likely the enemy will be to be able to effectively attack us. Plus, it WILL be Halloween/Nightmare Night, so if any screams are heard, any blood is seen, or any bodies fall from the sky, the chances of the Zebras ignoring it are SO MUCH higher!"

Shining smirked, as did many others. "Heh, I REALLY like the way that you think Bro!"

We all then waited for Nightmare Night to begin our attack.

When it began, we all went to where Cloudsdale was in sight. Jake and I would be the only Humans up there in Cloudsdale itself, as we were the only Pegasai of us Humans-hybrids. At the time of our arrival, Cloudsdale was about 100 miles East of the Unicorn Range. The Pegasai and the Griffons, as well as Jake and I would be going in first, followed by the Dragons, and then the others on the 4 airships that we had for the attack. At sunset, the attack began.

ALL of us were nervous. We didn't know what to expect, as we really couldn't risk too many scouting missions. However, when you have pissed off stallions and mares, 2 angry former US Marines, 4 armed airships full of MORE angry Ponies, and a whole slew of Griffons and Dragons, what could possibly go wrong?

The first wave went at the city from above. We landed in various places, and sure enough, just like we previously thought, the Zebras hardly gave us a second glance, as it WAS Nightmare Night. Soon though, once we'd managed to neutralize the long-range radio equipment, the time had come to attack.

In the blink of an eye, our wave whipped out our weapons, and went to town!

"Game on Shining!" I yelled over my radio. "Bring in the airships, and tell General Cinder to bring in his Dragons!"

"Bring on the gas Bro?"

"Yes, and hurry!"

"Roger that, here we come!" The city was then SWARMED by the rest of our forces!

The Zebras did NOT know what to do when we attacked. Unlike what we previously believed, most of them had actually rebuilt a number of floors and roads so that they could walk on them without touching the clouds.

"They can't walk on clouds!" Jake yelled when he saw all of the extra road structures, "Take out the extra roads! The Zebras will fall through the clouds!"

While we were doing this, our 4 airships, as well as the Dragons, were doing battle with the Zebra's airships. The Dragons were our first line of defense, as their scales were so think that NOTHING that the Zebras could throw at them could stop them! They absolutely SCORCHED them with their fiery breath, and tore them to shreds with their claws!

Whenever a Zebra airship went down, usually all aboard were killed due to a SEVERE lack of things like parachutes on the airships! Also most of us who could fly would also grab Zebras, and then drag them out of the city before dropping them to their deaths!

For what it was worth, the Battle of Cloudsdale was one of the best battles of the entire war. Thanks to the gas, as well as our new allies, by the time that that Midnight rolled around, the entire city was ours! We also took back Wonderbolt Academy, freed all of the female Wonderbolts, and we even found Rainbow Dash being held prisoner at the Academy as well.

"Well FINALLY!!!! It's about TIME that you guys showed up!"

"You're welcome Rainbow Dash." I said as she and the other female Wonderbolts were escorted away so that they could be taken care of better.

"So now that we've saved Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, that just leaves Twilight and the other princesses in Canterlot, and Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack in Ponyville."

"Yeah." Shining replied over his radio. "And now we wrap everything up here, and then we bring on the drugs!"

"The drugs, AND the Winter!"

"Wait, what do you mean 'the Winter'?"

"Well, since it IS almost November, Winter will soon be upon us. However, the Zebras can't STAND Winter, as they live in a very hot climate! That's why they've been controlling Cloudsdale; they HAVE to keep it forever Summer!"

"Oh, NOW I see what you mean! We hit them with the drugs, then FREEZE them with an Equestrian Winter! Great thinking!"

I nodded. "Thanks Shining."

And not too long after that, the last parts of the Battle of Cloudsdale ended. We now controlled Cloudsdale, the weather, the drugs that we were going to dump on the Zebras via rain, Wonderbolt Academy, and all mares and fillies within, including the female Wonderbolts!

Before we took steps to act on what we were about to do, we tried to contact the Zebras again.

"You HAVE to surrender to us!" Shining warned them, "Because if you DON'T, ALL of the Forces of Nature will be released upon you, and bring you low!"

"HELL NO!!!!!" Zed yelled, "We STILL will not surrender to you! And sure, MAYBE you took Cloudsdale, but that's IT!!!! You'll NEVER take anymore territory! We have defenses will take down Ponies, Griffons, and even Dragons! This is the END of your little rebellion!"

Shining sighed. "It's your loss Zed. We GAVE you the chance to surrender, but you didn't take it! We'll give you until we take Fillydelphia. Get out of our cities, get back on your ships, and go BACK to where you came from! If you don't, we'll take Fillydelphia, and then it will be TOO LATE!!!! NO mercy will be shown, and we WILL take back what rightfully belongs to us!"

Zed promptly hung up after giving Shining the finger.

"So, I guess that we play this the hard way?" I asked

Shining nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately we have to do it the hard way."

"At least Zuri and Zena are safe in Appaloosa", I muttered. Big Mac and Braeburn, who were nearby when they heard me say that, also nodded in agreement.

We then brought the Weather Factory back online, and once we were ready, we began to dump the chemicals that we'd been provided with into the weather machines.

By November 3rd, the last of our clouds full of chemical rain reached the last cities and settlements full of Zebras in Equestria. The chemical rain began to fall, and although it didn't hit most of the Zebras directly, it was absorbed into the ground, and it went all over the trees, and other food that the Zebras ate that was still outside. The rest of the drug seeped into the water supply. The Zebras didn't know it yet, but up to 65% of them had just been rendered PERMANENTLY sterile!

Following the last day of our rainstorms, we gave Nature time to adsorb the poison, and then on November 6th, Winter arrived in Equestria. The clouds rolled in, the temperatures dropped, and then the snows began to fall in full-force!

"What's going on?!" Many Zebras asked. "Why has Winter come?!"

Some Zebras on the East Coast had had enough. They were NOT going to die from the cold, and they were NOT going to wait for us to come and kill them. As quickly as they could, they packed their bags, loaded up onto a few ships, and headed BACK to where they came from! Sure, the ships were stopped by the Equestrian Navy, searched for mares, and then let off on their way once they were found to be clean. For the ships that had mares, the mares were removed, and the ships were then sunk!

In total, approximately 4,000 Zebras left in this manner, and none of them were never seen or heard from again. Whether or not they made it back to Zebrica remains unclear, as we never conducted any followups. As long as they were gone, we were as happy as could be!

Once again in Canterlot, Zed was wringing his hands. Ever since Cloudsdale, we hadn't moved from our positions, but yet the Winter was upon them.

"What do we do, My King? We were NOT made for this kind of weather! We HAVE to surrender before this gets any worse!"

"How?" Zed asked. "How is ANY of this even possible?!"

General Bania looked at his king. "It happened for several reasons. First of all, we DIDN'T get rid of those 'Human' creatures when we had the chance! Instead, we kept them around! Secondly, we did NOT crush the Appaloosa Resistance, or those in the Trottingham Resistance! We just let them do their thing, and now we're reaping what we've sown! Finally, our troops got careless. NONE of them were vigilant, or properly prepared, and as such, they were EASILY overwhelmed!"

Zed knew that Bania was right, but yet he couldn't admit that it was true. Zed knew as did many of the others that the Zebras were in SERIOUS trouble, but yet if they admitted that that was the case, MORE Ponies would rebel, and that would undermine their position even further.

In the end, Zed immediately ordered Winter clothing to be made, and then distributed to the Zebras, mares, and fillies still under Zebra rule.

When they were alone, Luna spoke to her sister again. "Have you reconsidered what I've said yet Sister?"

Celestia nodded slowly. "With the fall of Las Pegasus and Cloudsdale, the Zebras only hold Baltimare, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Ponyville, and Canterlot, and now Winter has fallen upon us as well. Yes, I see now that the Zebras may indeed be destined to fall. We'll see how this plays out next, but I wouldn't be surprised if the war is over by the thaw of Spring."

"And neither will I Sister. I will NOT be missing the Zebras, and if you were wise, you would also do away with your Zebra 'lover', just as I have done."

Celestia sighed. "I may not have to. He seems to be sick with something; almost like some form of cancer."

Luna was surprised. "Wait, cancer? What are the symptoms?"

Celestia described then. Luna smirked. "Testicular cancer! How much are you willing to bet that our Human friends are responsible for that?"

"I'd be willing to bet a LOT on money on it, Dear Sister! I've also heard whispering that many other male Zebras are falling ill with it as well. It's the perfect payback in the most ironic way. They hurt us, and now our forces are hurting THEM! But in any case though, I think that I'll hurry my coltfriend's death along a bit faster!"

Celestia would use poison on him a bit later, and once again, just like her sister, she blamed it on a Human assassin.

Even with the Winter weather, and the Zebra stallions falling ill with testicular cancer, the war still wasn't quite over just yet. By Thanksgiving, we'd managed to fully fortify our holdings, and push all of the way to the Everfree Forest. We were closing in on Ponyville, although our goal was to drive the Zebras East, and back to the coastal cities where they would board their ships, and get the hell out of dodge. Some did, but yet we knew that the Zebras would need MORE coaxing before they did what we wanted them to.

On December 3rd, our time had come. Using our ships, it was time to begin to close our pincer on the East Coast. After splitting up our forces, we hit both Baltimare, and Manehattan.

The fighting was brutal, vicious, took a LOT longer than we thought that it was going to, and it ended up being VERY costly. These 2 cities had the LARGEST Zebra populations outside of Canterlot, and the fighting took on the nightmarish form of the Russian Front during WW2, with places like Stalingrad coming to mind!

It went from street to street, building to building, floor to floor, and even room to room in a number of cases! All around us the snows continued to fall, and the temperatures were in the single digits oftentimes. Sometimes our forces would come out ahead, and other times they would be driven back towards oblivion.

Then, on December 17th, the last defenders of Baltimare fell. The city was Equestrian once again, the quarantine camp outside of the city was liberated, although most Zebras who were captured weren't killed. Instead, they were thrown onto their ships, told to get out of town, and NEVER come back! Needless to say, they fled Equestria, and NEVER came back!

375 of the Allies fell, all of them Ponies or Griffons, 798 were wounded, including Rick, Frank, and myself, and 27 were missing. For the Zebras, an estimated 3,000+ were dead, 1,500+ were wounded, and an unknown number were missing. The surviving wounded, plus maybe 3,000+ others were sent away on their ships. There was also an estimated 375 or so civilian casualties.

The battle for Manehattan was even worse. Christmas came and went, and then New Years 2025, and STILL the city didn't fall! Due to a SEVERE blizzard, fighting had to be postponed for about 2 weeks, and when it resumed, it continued until January 21st! Unlike Baltimare though, only 150 Zebras survived to be sent away. 5,000+ were killed, and an estimated 5-7,000 just straight up froze to death. We lost a lot of good troops as well, but we had what we came for, Manehattan.

Now, the Zebras only held Fillydelphia, Ponyville, and Canterlot, though this was soon to change.

When the time came, on January 22nd, Shining contacted Zed again.

"What do you want NOW?!?!" Zed spat when he saw us.

"What we WANT is for your surrender! Please, for the love of FAUST Zed, STOP DOING THIS TO YOUR OWN PEOPLE!!!!! THOUSANDS of them just straight up FROZE TO DEATH out here! We've left the city of Fillydelphia untouched so that you have an evacuation route. Just head there, get to your ships, and leave!"

Zed looked like he was going insane. "NO!!!" He roared. "I will NEVER surrender to the likes of you! I conquered Equestria, and now I intend to hold onto what's left of it!"

I then tried to reason with him. "King Zed, PLEASE listen to me! It's OVER for you! You only hold a town, and 2 cities. You have MAYBE 100,000 of your people left now. The rest are either dead, missing, or have left. You CANNOT hope to win. Your people are starving, freezing, and even dying of a severe illness! If you surrender now, and evacuate, we will NOT follow you! You can still have a chance to LIVE!"

"I.....said........NO!!!!"

Shining then looked up at Zed again. I saw the hatred in his eyes. He HATED Zed for being so stupid, and FOOLISHLY wasting the lives of his own people! "Zed, you have until February 2nd to leave. On that day, your last door closes, and soon after, Fillydelphia WILL be ours. Then, we'll close in, and take you down. This is your FINAL WARNING!!!! Take heed, and make your escape. Like my Bro said, we will NOT follow you!"

To our dismay though, Zed simply signed off the video call.

For the entirety of the 11 days between January 22nd, and February 2nd, we all watched the Zebras to see what they would do. Sure enough, a LOT of them saw the writing on the wall, and fled. They came to Fillydelphia, we gave them food, blankets, and whatever else they needed, before helping them onto their ships, and then they left.

Not all of the Zebras wanted to leave though. Some of them were willing to spend the rest of the war in internment camps just for the chance of being able to remain in Equestria. An estimated 10,000 or so did this, while an estimated 30,000 or so fled. This left approximately 60,000 Zebras for us to deal with.

Then, on February 2nd, with the flow of Zebras having come to a stop, we made good on our deal, and began our conquest of Fillydelphia. 3 days later, the city was ours. Casualties were minimal, and now the Zebras had no escape back to Zebrica. A few did still come to be held in interment camps, but now we prepared for our final drive.

With Spring about a month away, we all prepared for our final drive to the last 2 cities that were held by the Zebras, Ponyville, and Canterlot. There, the Zebras would take their last stand. There, they would die. Their end was nigh, and it was only a matter of how painful it was going to be for them.

Author's Note

Whew, ANOTHER chapter done! Another chapter full of battles, bringing it down to the last 2 battles in Ponyville, and Canterlot. The end is nigh for the Zebras once again. They had their chance to escape, and now they're going down once more!

How will these last 2 battles play out? Will they be brutal? Will the good guys be able to save the last 4 Elements of Harmony, including the seemingly deranged Twilight? And what about the other 3 Princesses, will the good guys be able to save them? Will Shining and Spike, as well as Big Mac be able to get revenge on the Zebras who ruined their lives? ALL will be revealed in Chapter 5, so stay tuned!

And with this chapter, the new scene was the interactions between Scar, and Zuri and Zena. He checked up on them, and they told him that they had a relationship going with Big Mac for Zena, and Braeburn for Zuri. They also asked him how Gilda was doing, and he told them. Everything's on track as it should be now, and in Chapter 5, the last of Scar's other relationships end, and "Ruby X Scar" will be no more. Chapter 5 will have a MAJOR overhaul, and it'll be the last of the chapters of the original timeline. Chapter 6 and the Epilogue will be brand-new, so stay tuned for those!

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 in Chapter 5!

ScarFox out for now!