The Invasion

I couldn’t take any more of the torturous scene in front of me. Cutthroat was ruthless in his ravaging of Twilight, beating her with his hooves while his penis shoved in and out of her reproductive organs. She screamed and cursed at him, using language that I never dreamed she could, but it was no use. He had her, and he bent her over, tying her up like a pretzel in the interest of absolute domination. She finally gave up and accepted fate, laying there with a dull look in her eyes as Cutthroat made ruffage out of her body.

Meanwhile, Breeze was the prize of every other zebra there, male and female. They did not know the meaning of the words “mercy” and “compassion.” They labeled her a traitor, forcing her to stand on her hind legs with her private area open to the wind. Once this was accomplished, they tied her to the cliff face behind her and began the process. As one zebra gave her oral, another would slam into her from behind, earning screeches of pain from the poor striped equine. My heart ached for her, because I remembered how tender and sweet our own session had been. I also remembered how she’d selflessly led Twilight and I on our escape. Now, she was paying the price for what had happened to us. I knew that the male zebras wouldn’t let up, on either her or Twilight, until their seed had been planted in their womb’s soil.

But I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to let that happen. So, I gave my bonds one last tug, struggling hard against the rigid rope. I put all of my love for Twilight, and all of my care for my new zebra friend, into that pull. I felt the rope burn marks into my fur that would probably never be erased, but I didn’t care. I needed to leave that horrifying hell and rescue my friends. My teeth ground together as I pulled at the rope with all my might. I listened desperately for a snap, a crunch, or anything that might help me to escape from this awful plight. It seemed hopeless, and it felt like hours were going by, all accentuated by the screams of my friends as they were brutally raped.

Then, finally, I heard one rope snap from behind me. I smiled as I pulled even harder, knowing that this was my chance! Time seemed to slow down significantly as the world began to move in slow motion. I heard the smack of crotches meeting, the howls of pleasure from the offending zebras, the screeches of pain from my friends, and then, the sweet snap of the final two ropes. I leapt forward from the tree, snorting and pawing at the ground. I was more enraged than I’d ever been before. To be honest, it felt pretty good. It seemed heroically right for me to have so much fire burning in my chest and stomach.

“CUTTHROAT!” I screamed as I galloped toward him, “you’re mine…”

I jumped on him, and suddenly, the clearing broke out in a massive fight. Twilight and Breeze doubled back on their rapists, slashing and screaming as they went. I had Cutthroat on the ground, but I still managed to notice Twilight using the same rope she’d been tied up in to embalm a few zebras. Across the clearing, Breeze was doing the same with the rope I was in. I smiled with glee, but then I felt a sharp hoof grasp my throat. I looked down to see Cutthroat’s eyes glow red with evil as he reached for his broadsword. He went to pull it out, but I rolled off and dodged just in the nick of time. I felt the “WHOOSH” as it passed by my ear, and I knew I had gotten very lucky. Once on all fours, I used a bit of serpentine movement to avoid his ever swinging weapon.

“UGH!” He grunted, “WHY WON’T YOU JUST DIE?!”

“I’ll never die!” I shouted, “not when there are innocent lives at stake!”

“Oooo, you’re so heroic,” he said sarcastically, “it’s pathetically pitiful!”

“At least I’m not like you!” I shrieked with anger, “so lonely that I have to resort to violence and rape just to get what I want!”

“I’m not lonely!” Cutthroat spat, “I just HATE ponies! You miserable Equestrians are ALWAYS getting involved in zebra business! You bring your culture here, you bring your business here, you bring yourselves here! Meanwhile, the zebras of our home have nothing to fall back on! They’re always going to you! They’re enamored with you! They hate their own kind!”

“There are no ‘kinds,’ Cutthroat!” I shouted, “there are only individual equines! Pony, zebra, donkey, it doesn’t matter! We all have niches in this world that are unique to ourselves! Why can’t you find yours?!”

“Because zebras are zebras, you son of a bitch!” Cutthroat snarled, “and zebras must always stand together against every other creature! Nothing is more important than being a zebra, especially when it comes to ponies! We are better than you, we’ll always be better than you, and if it takes slitting your throat to prove it, then so be it!”

He came after me again, but suddenly, a blast of magic emanated and blew his sword away from him. I felt a warm presence standing next to me, and I knew immediately who it was. I looked to the side and saw the same beautiful purple fur and compassionate violet orbs that I’d fallen in love with so long ago. Having Twilight there gave me extra strength, and I realized that I was capable of completing this task. We turned and stared Cutthroat down, who looked just a little more scared without his weapon.

“What’s the matter?” Twilight asked, “not as tough without your sword?”

“You royal pain in my ass,” Cutthroat growled, “you…you…friendship lover!”

“As far as insults go, that one’s about a 1 on a scale of 1 to a zillion,” came the voice of our new zebra friend, Breeze, as she stood beside us, “even for you.”

“Breeze Light,” Cutthroat snarled, “you’re a traitor to your kind!”

“You know,” she said, “maybe there doesn’t need to be a ‘kind.’ Why can’t zebras and ponies be friends?”

“Because, they killed Waterfall!” He finally broke down, “they killed her! They left her to die in that cave! She was a good zebra, kind, and warm hearted. She was the most beautiful equine I’d ever laid eyes on, and they took her from me! They…they took her…”
It was at this point that Cutthroat reverted back into Striped Flame. No longer did we see the brutal, dictatorial zebra that we knew. Rather, we saw somepony who was hurting deeply. A broken heart had left its shards buried deep in his psyche, and it had all come to a rather vicious head. It became easier to tell what the zebra was thinking, and we knew that he was considering his special somepony. So, being the compassionate pony she is, Twilight stepped forward and laid a comforting hoof on his shoulder. Breeze and I both followed suit, trying to show the zebra that there was a better way to live life. He didn’t have to use such primitive, destructive, and devastating tactics to combat what he was feeling inside. He simply needed a friend.

“Striped Flame,” Breeze said.

“My name is-“ He began.

“-Striped Flame,” she went on, “it always has been, and it always will be. Look, I made a mistake by joining your evil Order. But it doesn’t have to be evil any more. You can make a choice and turn it all around.”

“But…what will I do?” He asked, “I mean, they’ll punish me. My crimes are real, and there’s no way that the Homeland Council will ever let me live.”

“The Homeland Council?” I asked.

“The governing body of zebras that creates law and order, along with peace and protection for our land,” Breeze explained before turning back to the downtrodden Striped, “and I’m certain they will listen. Yes, you’ll be punished, perhaps very severely. But, you’ll be able to turn things around and become a better zebra.”

For a moment, I thought he truly was a changed equine. But, much to our dismay, he arose and picked up his sword once again. He turned to face us and charged directly into our path, screaming anti-pony insults. His heart could not be mended, as it seemed that Waterfall’s memory had crushed him. He had nothing to lose, so he attempted to take our lives. But Breeze sidestepped him, and Twilight leapt upon his back. Even though her horn was broken, she could still fire magic, and she had a hard decision to make. Would she end his life, or would she give him one more chance?