SORRY IT'S NOT THE NEW CHAPTER!

"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire

After their merciless slaughter of the Zebra shamans, Shadow slowly retreated to Canterlot castle and retired for the night. The other ponies meanwhile wouldn't stop panicking and finally fell asleep during sun rise.

The city of Canterlot had been left in much ruin. Luckily, there was no poison gas to worry about and all potion bombs had been properly disposed of. 'Clean up' however, was a rather gruesome event. All mutilated corpses of the Zebras were moved to a cemetery and cleaners were wiping away the rest of the organs.

All ponies who had witnessed the combat had to go under psychological check ups eventually. The noble ponies of Canterlot were either shell shocked from the entire event or were depressed how their fabulous apartments had been destroyed by potion bombs and rail guns.

When it came to casualties, ponies reported only minor injuries and no deaths. All the wounded, including Zecora and Twilight had been moved to the Canterlot hospital for examination.

Most ponies who lost their homes had to sleep in the guest rooms of their rich friends' mansion (to their horror) and work had been cut off for the day.

Then there came the question of Shadow squad. Almost everypony wanted the commandos gone from Equestria as far away as possible. Due to their presence in Equestria, all other races had waged war on the single pony nation. Stalliongrad and Saddle Arabia remained neutral.

However, it was not like anypony had the courage to tell the humans to piss off. The very thought of Shadow squad doing something horrible was enough to drive the Equestrians mad.

In fact, most ponies had to point out that Shadow went out of their way to protect them during the attack when they could have easily said 'fuck it'. But then there was the ultimate dilemma:

Was Shadow truly benevolent, or were they acting out of orders to enforce UTF law?

It was 12:30 in the afternoon. Shadow hadn't woken up yet, or at least the ponies thought so. All servants refused to be on the same floor of the castle as them.

Celestia and Luna trotted alongside the art gallery, wondering if their accomplishments paled in comparison to humanity's. The humans survived horrible eras of suffering to become a space faring race, while Equestria had inept villains trying to accomplish some outlandish goal.

Cadance, disgusted by the darkest of humanity, left immediately after the battle with her husband on a carriage where she slept through the morning. Shining Armor protested to stay because of Twilight, but even he didn't feel safe next to people as unpredictable as Shadow.

"I'm telling you Tia, they must leave." sighed Luna.

"And why is that?" glared Celestia. She wasn't in the best of moods.

"Are you blind?" spat Luna. "Look at all the destruction they have brought!"

"And what about all the destruction they spared us from?" countered the solar alicorn.

"What do you mean? Their horrendous weapons turned central Canterlot to rubble."

"Would have you rather had a few rich ponies loose part of their everlasting mansions? Or would you rather have us all gassed to death while the Zebras pick us off one by one?" questioned Celestia.

The lunar alicorn sighed and glanced to the right. "You've become one of them."

"May I remind you that YOU were ready to kill last night as well?" pointed Celestia. "I despise violence on any level, but this was the first time where Equestria was faced with opposition with enemies who wanted NOTHING, but to kill us."

"But out of all of humanity, it had to be Shadow." muttered Luna.

The alicorns finally exited the art gallery and started walking around the castle aimlessly.

"Even if it wasn't Shadow squad, we would still be attacked by every other race regardless." spat Celestia. "There is still truth in their words however; change doesn't come easily. But either we adapt or we die, and I will NOT let anything happen to my little ponies."

"One can not deny their sour attitude however." said Luna.

"Most definitely." agreed Celestia. "They turned Cadance into all ponies into a bitter mess. Although one can not blame them for their inability to feel remorse."

"But what will happen next?" asked Luna to the air. "An entire planet made up of the strongest militaries is after us. The elements of harmony are gone and our troops are far too ineffectual."

"We are the alicorns of day and night." reminded Celestia. "You know that we have untapped magic that could easily bring down a mountain."

"Don't patronize me." muttered Luna. "If a human took one of us out in an injured state, what good are we?"

"And all forms victory are assuming that the humans humans don't abandon us to our fates." groaned Celestia.

"Even if we do emerge as the victors in the upcoming storm, what will become of it?" trivialized Luna. "Regardless in the outcome of the conflict, many ponies would loose their life and our cities would be in ashes."

"We could take the path humanity took by rebuilding and becoming stronger than ever." suggested Celestia.

"But at what cost?" cried Luna. "Almost everypony we know would be dead and many of our former allies would become enemies. I just wish those confound humans hadn't shown up."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you sister." nervously said Celestia.

Luna formed a confused expression and raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because we might be standing right behind you." called out a mechanical voice.

The two alicorns were taken by surprise and turned around as Shadow squad uncloaked. The counter terrorists had their masks on as well as their equipment.

Celestia broke the silence. "How long have you been awake?"

"We woke up an hour ago, made breakfast, used the bathroom, got our gear equipped and was asked by the UTF to report on your current predicament discreetly." explained Scorch.

Luna scowled. "In other words, you've been spying on us."

"More or less." shrugged Scarecrow. "We just want to know at least once race isn't out to kill us on this planet."

The regal sisters exchanged glances.

"What's the situation on Canterlot?" inquired X-ray.

Celestia took in a deep breath. "Well the damage isn't as bad as we expected. You did do a good job with decimating the enemy after all."

"Unfortunately, your weapons did such a great job blowing through Zebras, that also managed to penetrate at least an entire building before stopping." muttered Luna.

"That's kinetic energy for you." shook X-ray.

"What about Canterlot or the rest of the ponies living here?" checked Scorch.

"They're alright." assured Celestia. "Nothing more serious than a bruise or light burn."

"I don't suppose the ponies think fondly of us do they?" guessed Scarecrow.

"Not at all." revealed Luna. "Many ponies wish to see you humans leave immediately."

"I don't blame them. Not at all." admitted Scarecrow.

The Equestrian princesses weren't expecting that statement.

Scorch looked away from the princesses. "Because the 4 of us had to show up in Equestria, we just put your entire race in a situation that will most likely result in your extinction. Shadow is supposed to prevent the innocent from aggressors, not be the reason for aggression. But now they've chosen to fuck with humanity, and I swear every last child of each of the races will regret it."

"Do you regret coming to Equestria?" awed Celestia.

"I think you know us perfectly well that we don't." defended X-ray. "But in all honesty, we really wish that our presence in Equestria didn't equate our demise. And to think we were looking forward to starting a multi racial alliance."

"Speaking of alliance, what does humanity have in store for us?" pondered Luna.

"Assuming we have a way to by pass the planet barrier and repel the invasion, I don't think we have a plan for you regardless." revealed Scorch.

"Why not?" frowned Luna.

"Like we said, Ponies aren't a space faring race, so there isn't much use we'll have for you. I'm sorry, but those are the facts." responded X-ray. "If you do survive, all ponies need-"

"Can we please focus on current events!" ordered Celestia.

"Affirmative." nodded Overwatch. "Is Nigeria still in his containment cell?"

"Don't you mean dungeon?" sighed Celestia.

"If you want to be regressive about it, than yes." remarked X-ray.

"What do you need him for anyway?" inquired Celestia.

"Interrogation." flatly stated Scarecrow. "The only reason why we spared Nigeria in the first place is for questioning. We need answers on what is going on."

"What do you plan on asking him?" demanded Luna.

"For starters, we're going to figure out exactly what we're up against." informed Scarecrow. "Nigeria is the leader of the Zebra people, so obviously he's a highly ranked official in this alliance. With more knowledge on what's coming, we'll at least have a better chance in victory."

"And how do you know he'll just open up after you brutalized him and his men?" frowned Celestia.

"Self preservation and the power of fear." gritted Overwatch.

"I think now would also be the best chance as to find out why every race is pissed at us." pointed Scorch. "Form what we know, humans may have been on this planet before, and we've done something wrong."

"The matter regarding Epona and humans is a theological matter." reminded Luna. "Religion is the one subject no one will open their mouths on."

"So I guess we'll have to force it open one way or another." suggested X-ray.

"And what will we gain once we learn of the background behind the attack?" questioned Celestia.

"There might be some sort of loophole in this theological insanity." suggested Scarecrow. "If we can find it, then maybe we won't have to make every race feel our wrath."

-------------

Celestia and Luna stood side by side in the entrance of the royal study where Nigeria was bound to a chair, mouth tied. Shadow had deemed the conditions of the dungeons as a violation of judicial law, so Nigeria was to be interrogated in a more 'humane' environment.

The members of Shadow entered the room, all of them reading excerpts on human judicial practices.

"Is he ready?" asked Scorch.

The princesses simply nodded.

Scarecrow turned off the hologram on his wrist computer. "Alright since we're interrogating him under UTF law, we can't question him unless we a have judge, jury, prosecutor, lawyer, and under no circumstances can we torture nor drop the death penalty on him."

Luna spoke without even having considering the words of the humans.

"As modern as your laws may be, you are still in Equestria, interrogating a prisoner of Equestria, and thus you will adhere to the judicial constrains of Equestria."

"Fuck that." muttered X-ray.

"No!" yelled Celestia. "We are sick and tired of you enforcing your laws on our people. I hope you humans have at least a cent of dignity to at least see things from our perspective for once."

Scarecrow didn't need Celestia pissed off. "Alright, hand me your documents or rulebook, whatever, that goes over treatment of prisoners in Equestria."

Celestia nodded and her horn glowed. The alicorn materialized a parchment and levitated it towards Scarecrow.

The humans studied the document for a moment. Sure enough, the regulations for questioning a prisoner mirrored those of renaissance England.

"Are you sure these are the laws Equestria uses to interrogate prisoners?" checked X-ray.

"Of course! Why would we lie?" questioned Luna.

"Has Equestria ever interrogated a prisoner recently?" added Overwatch.

"Not at all." shook Celestia. "This is the first time we've had a prisoner of war for thousands of years."

Well that explained it. Since loving Equestria never had to question any prisoners before, they wouldn't be able to notice that their laws where grim and unjust.

Scorch radioed the congressmen on Apex. "Sir, are we authorized to use these laws to interrogate Nigeria?"

"They're primitive and violate the most basic human rights." radioed the HOD. "But I'm afraid we can't risk the ponies becoming an enemy of humanity. This might sound surprising, but we're going to need you to do what they say. At least for now. Besides, I don't think our progressive questioning methods would get Nigeria to talk."

The members of Shadow looked at each other, shrugged and closed the browsers on their wrist computers.

"Fine, aggression, torture and suspension of the rights of the defendant it is." muttered X-ray in a tone nopony could hear.

"So are you sure we should interrogate Nigeria with these laws?" asked Scorch to the alicorns.

"We are certain." nodded Luna.

The members of Shadow stepped inside the room slowly.

"Fine, but according to your laws, the prosecutors must be the only ones in the room other than the defendant. In other words, we go alone." informed Scarecrow.

Celestia was about to open her mouth to protest, but Overwatch slammed the door on the two alicorns.

Now the room was quiet. The slam of the door was loud enough to wake Nigeria from his sleep. Part of the Zebra's face was still bruised after X-ray knocked him out.

The 4 humans approached Nigeria slowly while the Zebra shot them dirty looks.

Scarecrow pulled the chair on the other side of the table and laid down his rifles so his weight wouldn't break the furniture. Shadow's commander sat slowly and stared at Nigeria with his glacial mask all the while.

X-ray crossed his arms and sternly stared at the Zebra while Overwatch guarded the door. Finally, Scorch approached Nigeria, and pointed his rail pistol at him.

After a moment's thought, Scarecrow removed the cloth from the gagged Nigeria.

The Zebra spoke venomously. "You harbingers! You butchered my men!"

"Because you totally weren't about to do the same thing to the Equestrians right?" sarcastically asked X-ray.

"Bedsides, there's a very good chance you'll be joining them." hinted Scorch.

"What do you want from me?" gritted Nigeria.

"We have questions, you have answers." said Scarecrow.

Nigeria scowled. "I will never answer to a human. Not in a thousand lifetimes."

Scorch sighed and slammed the butt of his pistol on the Zebra's skull, causing Nigeria to cry out in pain.

"Don't worry. Death isn't an option." grimly stated Scarecrow. "Either you talk, or we make your life a living hell."

The Zebra tried to focus his eyes on the masked humans, who vacantly stared back at him.

"Nigeria, do you really want to know what we could do to you if you don't comply?" trivialized X-ray.

The leader of the Zebras hissed and shook his head.

"Then I suggest you cooperate, so maybe you'll live." suggested Scorch, still pointing his pistol. "For starters, tell us about this alliance."

"And ruin the element of surprise?" laughed Nigeria. The Zebra was cut off when Scarecrow thrust his hand forward and slammed his head into the table.

Nigeria shook it off. "You need to be more specific if you want me to help you."

"Whose involved in the alliance?" interrogated Scarecrow.

"All of us." answered Nigeria with a smirk. "Dragons, Zebras, Griffins, Mules, Diamond Dogs and more."

"Is there a command structure of some sort?" questioned X-ray.

Nigeria didn't open his mouth, causing Scorch to fist him in the back of the head.

"There are 5 central rulers in this alliance." coughed Nigeria. "It is compromised of me, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, Emperor Talonclaw of the Griffins, duke Jackson of the Donkeys and Master Elvarg of the dragons."

"As for the other races?" demanded Scarecrow.

"They other races are far too small and lack significant leadership." explained Nigeria. "They are trained under the leaders of other armies."

"How strong are your numbers?" asked Scorch.

"In the millions mark." gloated Nigeria. "The Griffins have a proud military tradition, the Changelings are nothing but a slave race and the other species are instituting drafts."

"Wow, you need that much to take us out? I'm flattered." smirked X-ray under his mask.

"It is not the quantity of troops that is necessary, but the quality." began Nigeria. "The alliance has been discreetly sending its best units to the clone pool in the Everfree Forest to strengthen our assets."

Shadow was startled into silence for a good minute. Scarecrow buried his gloves into his mask.

"Fucking clone pool. Why didn't we think of that?" complained Shadow's leader.

"Now, you will face our best men by the hundreds." laughed Nigeria. "If only the clone pool wasn't finite."

The Zebra was fisted to silence by X-ray. Nigeria spat a broken tooth.

"We don't care how many soldiers you send." growled Overwatch from the wall. "We still can find tactics to diminish your alliance indefinitely."

"Helped by the fact that almost none of the alliance races can perform magic." added Scorch.

"You plan on using the ponies to help you fight?" squealed Nigeira. "That is like asking a dragon to blow you some air in the summer time."

"What do you know?" defended Scarecrow. "The ponies might have a fucked up ideology, but we can see what kind of magic they can. May I remind you that Celestia and Luna raise the sun and moon on this world? And don't you count on humans installing artificial gravity generators."

Nigeria didn't want to get his face smashed, so he refrained from smiling. "We have a certain ally that can handle that part."

"Are any of your fuck buddies planning another preemptive strike?" glared X-ray.

"How should I know? I'm not exactly within their presence." blurted Nigeria.

"Speaking of which, what did you and your men hope to accomplish by attacking us in the middle of the night without back up? Did you not get the message even after we slaughtered an alicorn?" questioned Scorch.

"Trixie attacked with no strategy." responded Nigeria. "We Zebras planned out attack. You humans were with the elements of harmony and the princesses in one location. The perfect time to take you all out. We would have crawled into the city while you slept, planted the poison bombs and evacuate."

"And then what would have happened if we did die?" asked Scarecrow.

"The barrier would have kept the other humans out, we would be safe, Equestria would be vulnerable and left to its fate." gritted Nigeria. "Unfortunately, we didn't count on you humans being awake."

"Well, we did have a fun time debating those ponies." chirped X-ray.

"And I hate to break it to you, but your men died for nothing." chastised Scorch. "Didn't any of your strategists consider that a space faring race may be immune to poison, or have gas masks and sensors?"

Nigeria rose from his seat. "Shut up! Even if we couldn't kill you, we would have at least stealthily killed a large number of ponies in the process."

Scorch slammed the top of his rail pistol on the Zebra's fore head. Before Nigeria could let out a cry of pain, the demo man forced him back down.

Nigeria shook of the damage. "You did have to admit, we did elude your detection technology. I say, we had a chance of sucess."

"Unlikely. Even if we were asleep, Zecora would have still been screaming her muzzle off and the Blackjack would diverted more power to threat detection once we slept." debunked X-ray.

"The entire operation was flawed from the start." pointed Scarecrow. "And now, all your best men are dead."

"And the rest of your kind will follow." warned Overwatch.

Nigeria was boiling with anger. "Let me tell you, that I've taken the liberty to clone my best warriors. I hope you have had difficulty facing them, because there is more of them to come. And second, you wouldn't dare harm any of the civilian races of the alliance. Would you?"

"We've had to do unspeakable things to civilians for the sake of the greater good." informed Scarecrow. "And if all the other races are against us to, UTF protocol requires we wipe out ANYTHING that can't be talked down."

"Besides, you were willing to harm pony civilians as well." reminded Scorch.

"That was not my calling." defended Nigeria. "The Zebra temple calls for the eradication of all who support the humans in their return for domination."

"Most ponies haven't even interacted with us. Yet you want the entire race to suffer?" called out X-ray.

"If Celestia, who the ponies obey to a fault, is okay with your arrival, then surely they will be too." replied Nigeria.

"Obey to a fault?" screeched Scorch. "I strongly believed that you Zebras were a pleasant kind, but your theology has turned you into ignorant warmongers."

"I know humans are a godless race." glared Nigeria. "Do the 4 of yo not obey the laws and constitution of your government as if it were a bible?"

"To an extent." exhaled Scarecrow. "But laws are continuously changing and have gone through numerous revisions, I think it's safe to obey them word by word."

"Your religion on the other hand, doesn't sound like it has gone through updates anytime in the past." added X-ray.

"Well, why must we change what is perfect?" defended the Zebra.

"If your theology told you to jump off a cliff the moment you saw a chicken, would you do it?" questioned Scarecrow.

Nigeria spat. "You dare mock the holy-"

The Zebra was cut off by Scorch slamming his muzzle into the table and leaving a dent.

"So to be clear, the entire conflict that surrounds us with the other races is a theological one?" checked X-ray.

Nigeria nodded.

"And all other races have a passage detailing humans brutalizing them tens of thousands of years into the past?" added Scarecrow.

"Yes." sighed the wounded Zebra. "The un sapient races however, with the exception of the dragons and hydra, do not have any organized religion. The beasts I mentioned rather pass down the tale of humans through oral tradition."

"Why was our ancient onslaught not recorded as a piece of history instead of theology?" inquired Scorch.

"Because what happened to our races was for too grand to be considered mere history." explained Nigeria. "To us, such a predicament was viewed as the precursor to an apocalypse."

"That doesn't make any sense." insulted X-ray.

Nigeria scowled and opened his mouth, but right before he could speak, X-ray curled his gloved and thrust it forward in an all powerful blow.

"By extension, do all species retain the same view on other fields of theology considering they share the same on humanity?" interrogated Scarecrow.

"It is forbidden to discuss religions on Epona." started Nigeria.

Scorch raised an eyebrow under his mask. "Because of sensitivity issues?"

"Correct." muttered Nigeria.

"So how did all other races form this grand alliance based on a religious aspect if no one has access to another race's belief system?" questioned X-ray.

"Because what happened in the past was such a grand event that no race could have missed recording it in their books. By common sense, all religions, no matter how different they are, would thus declare humans as harbingers." explained Nigeria. "Even if it were the two most different belief systems ever, they would agree on humanity's wickedness."

"Then why can neither ponies, nor humans remember such an event occurring?" stared Scarecrow.

"I do not know how ponies could have missed recording such destruction, but I believe that you humans purposely erased the chaos from your sources of knowledge in order to avoid seeking atonement." accused Nigeria.

The Zebra paused and spoke again. "Although, had we recorded your presence as history rather than theology, the ponies would no doubt be on our side."

"Well I'm glad you didn't." countered Scorch. "That would have been one more race to kill."

"So, if we're going to find out the source behind this attack, we're going to need some answers on your religion." demanded Scarecrow.

Nigeria turned his head around. "Forget it. I will stick true to my pledge and not discuss my religion with nonbelievers."

Scorch diverted electric power to his gloves and grasped the Zebra. In response, Nigeria was electrocuted by the powerful current. It was not a lethal dose, but it was painful.

After a moment, Scorch let go. Nigeria was frightened beyond repair.

"Feel like talking now?" checked X-ray.

"B-burn i-in tar-tartarus human." insulted Nigeria.

Scorch simply diverted more power to his gloves and further electrocuted the Zebra.

"Unless you want slow and painful torture, I suggest cooperating." advised Scarecrow.

Nigeria gave up and complied.

"Alright then, exactly when did the humans attack all primitive races?" questioned X-ray.

"A hundred years or so after our inception." answered Nigeria.

"And how do Zebras exactly believe they came to be?" muttered Scorch.

"We believe that we were created by a race of elder gods that left us in their midst of this vast empty planet as a canvas for us to thrive." replied Nigeria. "We Zebras further believe that after death, one becomes a member of the Elders."

"On the other hand, the ponies believe that an alicorn created all living life on Epona." noted Scarecrow. "So, I guess I can't exactly agree with this claim."

The pain the Zebra felt made Shadow's inflictions seem like a breeze.

"I assure you, we Zebras are not deluded and-"

"We can name a thousand reasons as to why your creation story is futile." gritted X-ray. "Now what did Zebras do after they were 'created' and before humans attacked them?"

"Zebras were at a state of blissful harmony for the first few decades of our lifetime. When our ancestors were born, they found the tools provided by our creators-"

"Hold up. You're implying that Zebras had some form of civilization that they did not even need to develop." noted Scorch.

"Yes." insisted Nigeria. "The first homes and appliances were not developed by us mortal Zebras. They were there from the start, waiting for us use them."

"Nigeria, matter can not just conjure up from nowhere." debunked Scarecrow.

"It did not come from nowhere, it came from the elder gods!" insisted Nigeria.

X-ray had an epiphany. He took out his tablet and lit up a hologram. The device, as well as the motions required to operate it, mesmerized the Zebra.

The skinny counter terrorist browsed through the 23rd data banks and accessed images regarding paleolithic era appliances developed by African tribes.

Nigeria was too stupefied by the hologram itself to pay attention to the images.

"Nigeria, are these what the Zebras regarded as the first tools for civilization?" questioned X-ray.

The leader of the Zebras took an expectant look at the image and nodded. "Yes, the history and theology books match up with these depictions."

"The first tools the Zebras claimed to have encountered match up exactly with what was used by ancient African tribes." pointed Scarecrow.

"And does the first incarnation of the Zebra language equate something like this?" added X-ray. The commando showed a depiction believed by anthropologists to be the primary language of Central and Northern Africans.

Nigeria's eyes widened. "It does, but how do humans know of our language?"

Scorch took a small breath. "Nigeria, the Zebras are an echo of the African culture."

"Who?" blurted Nigeria.

"The Africans are one of the many races that make up humanity. The culture and values of Zebra kind imitate theirs the same way ponies imitate....whites." informed Scarecrow.

"That is preposterous!" exclaimed the Zebra. "My kind is of its own. We have never and will never follow in the steps of humanity."

Scorch grasped his muzzle and pulled Nigeria forward. Staring him from mask to eye.

"Open your deluded mind. You speak the same languages as the Africans, you come from a land named Zebrica and utilize the same appliances they did in context that doesn't make sense."

"Hell, you're name is an African country." muttered Overwatch.

"Speaking of which, what drove your people to utilize the tools given to you at creation?" interrogated X-ray.

"We had to, for it was given to us by the elder gods." muttered Nigeria.

"Unlikely. I doubt any Zebras have even met these elder gods in their lifetime." debunked Scarecrow.

"Don't mock their existence hu-" Before Nigeria could finish his sentence, Scorch fisted the Zebra in the chin. Nigeria squirmed in pain as Shadow spoke.

"I can understand a tribal race utilizing assets because a deity told them to." nodded X-ray. "But since deities don't exist, for now, then why would Zebras just accept using a bunch of objects in the middle of a wasteland?"

"I bet it was a compelling urge." theorized Scarecrow. "If Zebras are evolving like Africans like ponies are evolving like caucasians, then perhaps they would utilize African resources instinctively."

"There was no instinct involved!" glared Nigeria. "Our elder gods instructed us to use their blessings, and we complied."

"Nigeria, if your elder gods were real, then why would they honestly give you equipment meant for fingered bi-peds to utilize and the cultures that are an exact replica of a tribe on Earth?" pointed Scorch.

"So what do you humans think happened?" rose Nigeria before being forced back down again.

"Guys." whispered Scarecrow. "Do you think we created every life form on this planet?"

"Doubt it." denied X-ray. "Not even our current state allows us to create worlds and intelligent life forms, so there is no way we could even achieve space flight in the past."

"But if every race opposing us is extremely sincere in their words, then what if we really were a space faring race thousands of years ago." insisted Scarecrow.

"Then where is our evidence?" countered Overwatch.

"What are you talking about." spoke up Nigeria. "Weren't you humans still a space faring race even after your attack?"

"No." said Scarecrow. "But if we were a space faring race, I believe that it was us humans who created you. We could have been the elder gods all along."

"Impossible." spat Nigeria. "Humans are only capable of destroying life, not creating it."

X-ray pulled the Zebra forward. "Listen bitch. Humans aren't a race that's set out to get everyone. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Why would Zebras, which are an animal from Earth, utilize African appliances unless they were created by humans themselves?"

"Put your money where your mouth is human." insulted Nigeria. "If we were created by your kind, then we would have recorded it. Our species had not seen a single human until the First Ravaging."

"Okay, before the ravaging, what was the state of the Zebra people?" asked Scorch.

"Thriving." answered the Zebra. "As primitive as we were, progress was being made. We built farms and set up homes."

"And it was hundred or so years before we humans arrived to fuck it all up right?" checked Scarecrow.

"Indeed. We never saw it coming." glumly stated Nigeria.

"So how did it all happen?" asked X-ray. "Were you bombarded from orbit, or were you assaulted from the ground?"

"It is complicated." stated Nigeria. "And as if I want to give you humans ideas."

Scorch slammed the Zebra's head into the table, finally splitting the furniture in two.

"Speak."

Nigeria's nose started to bleed. "Alright. For the first few decades of our existence. The Zebras were a happy people. Life was easy under the tools given to us by the elder gods. Then, we began to move on."

"Move on?"

"We started developing new tools and created our own customs. After celebrating the same thing for a century it was time to change. Then the humans arrived."

"Could you describe the humans your kind saw?" asked X-ray.

"Shorter than you are as well as having a darker skin complexion." informed Nigeria.

"Definitely sounds like a paleolithic African tribe if you ask me." shrugged Scarecrow. "What did they wear?"

"Just cloth. Nothing like what you wear." replied Nigeria.

"Odd. Why would a space faring race just wear cloth?" pondered Scarecrow.

"Moving on." sighed Nigeria. "The humans arrived on our world around a hundred years after our creation. At first, we welcomed them. Especially considering they spoke the same languages as us and held many of our beliefs."

The members of Shadow closed in on the Zebra. They made sure that the politicians on Apex were listening closely and could hear every word.

"At first they were surprised and proud." added Nigeria.

"Why would they be that?" questioned Scarecrow. Not to Nigeria, but to everyone in the room.

"We don't know, for the moment we started pointing them to certain aspects of our civilization, they became angry." gritted the leader of the Zebras.

"Angry?" blurted X-ray. "Why? What did you do?"

"Nothing!" yelled Nigeria. "Your ancestors for whatever reason became extremely pissed off and started yelling at us for doing it wrong."

"Doing it wrong?" repeated Scorch.

"According to our bibles, they called us infidels and a threat to their culture and civilization." remembered Nigeria. "The humans who visited stormed off in frustration while calling us failures."

"And then what happened?" muttered Scarecrow.

"They disappeared for a few brief hours. And then they attacked." responded Nigeria.

"With what?" asked X-ray. "Railguns? Nukes?"

"I do not know what any of those are." shook Nigeria. "They attacked us with energy blasts coming from behemoth spaceships."

"Energy blasts aren't specific enough." glared Scorch. "And describe the ships for us."

"They were huge. At least a forest long." trivialized Nigeria. "They were sleek, had openings to fire their energy weapons and had a blue pattern."

"Blue pattern? Doesn't sound like anything we have in our current fleet." growled Overwatch.

"We Zebras were not the only one who suffered this fate." said Nigeria. "The Donkeys, the Dragons and all the other species went through a similar ordeal."

"All but the ponies." interrupted Scorch.

"How they forget an apocalyptic event is out of the question entirely." shook Nigeria.

"Any fighting on land?" guessed Scarecrow.

"No. All we did was hide while you humans destroyed the remainder of our species. Sometimes, a human scouting party would find a group of survivors, call us failures and order their ships to resume the onslaught."

"Fuck, if they were attacking you with energy weapons, than surely you would have all been wiped out." hissed X-ray.

"Indeed, but we weren't." thanked Nigeria.

"How did the carnage end?" interrogated Scarecrow.

"It just did." flatly stated Nigeria. "The ravaging went on for a few days, but was not constant. From time to times, the human ships would retreat to space, declare a threat, and attack some time after. One day, the harbingers retreated to space, swearing that they were preparing for another strike, but did not return."

"So that's when you realized the decimation seized?" checked Scorch.

"More or less, even the human colony on this world was abandoned." answered Nigeria.

"Human colony? We lived on this planet?" gasped X-ray.

"For a day or so." laughed the Zebra. "You humans started building an expanding empire over a piece of land, but never finished the job. I doubt you fools even knew what you were doing."

"Well, what happened after the attack?" asked Scarecrow.

"Every species hat felt the wrath of your ancestors was scarred for good." scolded Nigeria. "More than half of each kind was wiped out, only leaving a handful of survivors. All of our advancements were vanquished as well. We resorted to using the same tools we utilized primarily and simply built off those rather than creating new ones."

"I might not be able to feel remorse, but I sympathize with the loss of your people." empathized X-ray.

"You don't sound sincere." hissed Nigeria.

"It was tens of thousands of years ago. You don't see me vilifying Turks for the Armenian genocide 600 years ago."

"We still feel its effects even now." responded Nigeria. "Do you realize what it is like living with the notion that a group of harbingers will return to finish us off?"

"Wow, a couple thousand years pass and you still hate us?" chuckled Scorch. "How long can a race hold a grudge based on a hollow threat?"

"Hollow threat!" exclaimed Nigeria. "I hope you humans are not blind to the fact that you have arrived once more on this cherished planet."

"We never, nor do we currently intend to wipe out an entire species because our ancestors said so!" remarked Scarecrow.

"You humans can not recognize your own fallacies." spat Nigeria. "Humans are the heralds of the apocalypse and all those who support them in their return must be punished!"

Scorch grabbed the Zebra by the neck and gave it a squeeze, nearly chocking Nigeria to death.

"Stop that!" pleaded Nigeria, only for the demo man to fist him in the cheek.

"Don't worry. We'll let you go as long as you listen to reason." assured Scarecrow.

"Reason?" gulped the Zebra. "Since when is listening to a race that nearly succeeded in wiping out all life in the planet a form of reason?"

"When you realize that this race does not want to kill your people." replied Scarecrow. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF?"

Nigeria shrunk in his seat from the loud and mechanical scream.

The Zebra slowly rose and knit his eyebrows. "And why should I believe any of that? Do you not know that history repeats itself no matter how hard you try?"

X-ray looked down. From what he read in text books, history did have a way of replaying the same theme in different contexts. He still wasn't about to let the Zebra win however.

"History does not have to repeat itself. Especially if you know what you're not trying to recall."

"We Zebras view it as an inevitability. Did you humans not wipe out a Griffin army, Trixie as well as my men?" reminded the leader of Zebrica.

Scorch moaned in frustration and beat the Zebra while talking to him. "All of our victims on this world were those attacked us. "It was kill or be killed. None of you had to go through it."

The demo man delivered the final blow. Nigeria's face was in a brutal condition. It hurt to talk.

"You humans are a grave threat to us all." Nigeria cried.

"How so? We have not harmed a vast majority of the species on this world. Especially the Equestrians." pointed X-ray.

"Come now. Surely you know you are a detriment to their existence." smirked Nigeria. "If the ponies weren't so, I don't know adorable? You would have murdered them all a long time ago in frustration."

The members of Shadow squad did not respond to the question. For a solid moment the masked humans were lost in thought. Would have they killed the ponies if they were some other race they found revolting?

"Despite our constant insistence, you seem rather certain that humans are a sign of inevitable war." said Scorch.

"The lives you took on this planet are all the proof I need." defended Nigeria.

Scarecrow slapped the already bleeding Zebra hard. "We never intended to kill every sentient creature we saw. You brought this conflict upon yourself."

Nigeria shot back in his seat and his eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"I said you brought this conflict upon yourself." repeated Scarecrow. "We were not responsible for that lives that were taken, nor are we responsible for the lives that will be ended. You are."

"How am I responsible for the death of Griffin camp?" denied Nigeria.

X-ray formed a malevolent smile under his mask. The commando grabbed the Zebra by the neck and pulled him forward.

"You poor deluded soul. You see, when we humans came to Epona, we had no intention of decimating this planet entirely. Even when we saw intelligent races, we had no desire to kill them. All we wanted to do was form alliances."

"Liar." accused the bleeding Nigeria.

"Liar?" laughed Scorch. "Then tell me. Why is it that we were never the ones to pull the trigger? Why did we always attempt to talk you guys down? Trust me, we never intended to start a fight."

"I do not believe that for a single moment!" cried Nigeria.

"I love how ignorant you're being." complimented X-ray. "Just because our ancestors said we would come back to exact revenge on all creatures here didn't mean we would. We tried to be civil with all the races on this planet, but all you did was ignore and demonize us because of some past tragedy. We didn't war. You did."

"And now your men, along with a large portion of the rest of your race will die." warned Overwatch.

"What's funny is that you could have easily avoided this tragedy had you listened to us. Ironically, you have fulfilled your own prophecy of destruction." mocked Scarecrow.

"Shut up!" threatened Nigeria.

"Do yourself a favor and face the truth." suggested Scorch. "Had the alliance consider that we truly had no idea what was going on and forgot all about our ancestor's threats, countless lives would have been spared. But now we have to go to war, not because we're trying to continue the wrath of our ancestors, but because you all maintained a blind, war mongering and illogical adherence to your faith."

The revelation scarred Nigeria into silence. Had the humans been innocent all along? Had they really forgotten the sins of their ancestors? Was the alliance about to bring forth its own unneeded destruction.

"However, lives can be spared." implied Scarecrow.

"No. Death is inevitable." let out Nigeria. The Zebra had been reduced to a nervous wreck.

"If the alliance promises to stand down, we won't have to fight. Isn't it obvious?" shook Scorch.

"And what makes you think the leaders of each race will respond to your offers of diplomacy?" whispered Nigeria.

"Because the United Terran Federation has a very specific First Contact Law that all alien races that are deemed a threat to humanity will be wiped out for the greater good unless proven otherwise." explained X-ray. "If the alliance cares about the well being of its people, than surely they will surrender."

Nigeria ignored the last part. "Destroying everything that is a threat to humanity? The laws of the UTF are no different from our traditions."

Scarecrow smashed his fist into the Zebra's temples. A few more hits, and Nigeria was as good as dead.

"The UTF does not call for the decimation of a race unless it affects the greater good. And let me tell you that waging war against humanity will be the last thing races of this planet will do!"

"War is the only option." insisted the Zebra. "Like you adhere to your laws, we adhere to our traditions. Whether or not you agree with your ancestors is irrelevant. We will get revenge!"

"Hardly." replied Scorch. "Mark my words, the alliance will either be wiped from the universe or stand down."

"We prefer to go with the latter." assured X-ray. "Now tell us, where was the ancient human settlement?"

"Excuse me?" spat Nigeria.

Scarecrow uppercutted the already injured Zebra's face. "You said that humans were going to build a city on this planet in the past. Where were we going to colonize it?"

"I-I-I.....burn in tartarus human." cried Nigeria.

Scorch grabbed the Zebras skull and stared directly into his face.

"Speak. Now."

"The Crystal Empire!" exclaimed Nigeria quickly.

"The Crystal Empire is a pony settlement." corrected X-ray.

"Not always." defended Nigeria. "The Crystal Empire was constructed with the use of human starships. Once your ancestors finished the job, they would have taken the planet for themselves."

"Then why is it populated with ponies?" demanded Scarecrow.

"When you humans disappeared, the Crystal Empire was left abandoned. Scouts were sent to observed what had occurred, but all they found was a desolate city. A few decades after, it was colonized by the ponies."

"And the other races just let the ponies do it?" muttered X-ray. "Without even mentioning that it belonged to a race that nearly wiped them out?"

"We thought the ponies knew what they were doing!" remarked Nigeria. "We thought they claimed the land in retaliation for being put through hell."

"Smart move." gritted Overwatch sarcastically.

"Before the ponies moved in, what did your ancestors find?" questioned Scorch.

"I have no motivation to speak." gloated Nigeria.

"Talk now." ordered Scarecrow in a monotonous voice.

The threat overwhelmed the Zebra. "Barely anything. All we found were empty buildings and the data chamber had been sealed off."

"Data chamber?" perked up X-ray.

"It was the place where you humans most likely stored all information regarding your technology and planned your attacks against us." theorized Nigeria.

"Do you know how we could find it and find our way back in?" asked Scarecrow.

"Do I look like I know?" stated Nigeria. "What use would you have for it anyway?"

"Two uses actually." smirked Scorch. "For starters, we could find some information about our ancestors and maybe discover a loophole in the entire system. We could call of the war before it began."

"What a pathetic notion." insulted the Zebra. "No matter what loophole you find, no matter how pacifistic humans are, we still have a quest for vengeance and nothing will change that."

"Nigeria, if you promised to break the Zebras from this stupid alliance, you would be spared along with the entirety of your race." offered X-ray. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"I am not the one decides what my kind will do with harbingers." answered the leader of the Zebras. "This is a commitment far more considerable than silly diplomacy. Besides, I would be branded a traitor and the rest of Zebra kind would fight anyway."

"If the alliance won't surrender willingly, then we'll make them surrender through fear." countered Scarecrow.

"Fear? As potent as the four of you are, you're no match for an army in the millions." laughed Nigeria.

"We're not, but the UTF is." admitted X-ray.

"I hope you haven't noticed, but there is a giant barrier around this planet preventing all sorts of orbital interaction." reminded Nigeria.

"Another reason why we need to visit the ancient data chamber is because any race intelligent enough to form life surely knows of a way to disable barriers such as the one over Epona." explained X-ray. "Once the barrier is down, the UTF will be free to reign whatever hell it wants on the alliance."

"And what makes you think the alliance won't surrender rather than fighting to the death?" coughed Nigeria. His vitals were beginning to fade.

"Because fear is the most powerful emotion there exists." gritted Overwatch. "Once the alliance realizes how much more powerful we are than them, self preservation will kick in and the attack will be called off."

"Unless of course the alliance was willing to sacrifice its civilians." added Scarecrow.

"Don't get your hopes up." whispered Nigeria. "Our ally has assured us that there is no way the barrier can be taken out as long as he is alive."

"You keep mentioning this ally." noted Scorch. "Who is he?"

"No why would I tell you?" chuckled Nigeria.

Scarecrow smacked the Zebra into oblivion. "Because we'll kill you if you don't tell us."

"Our ally is a being far more powerful than Celestia and Luna. Better yet, he holds the greatest grudge against humanity there is." trivialized Nigeria. "He sensed the presence of your starship long before any other race did and attempted to steer you away by preventing your ship from analyzing this planet."

"So that's why there was a distortion field around this planet." noted Scarecrow.

"He hoped that if your ship could not look into this planet, it would leave. Unfortunately, you humans stepped foot anyway." told Nigeria.

"Who is he?" interrogated X-ray.

"Hush now. If I tell you, I'll risk his life and the alliance by extension." replied Nigeria. "Then our little alliance wouldn't get its chance at long awaited retribution."

Scorch smashed his pistol into the jaw of the Zebra and knocked a tooth or two.

"Speak." demanded the demo man.

"I'm tired of you pushing me around." roared the leader of the Zebras. "And I hope you humans have realized that you have wasted your time. As we speak, the alliance grows stronger. As you search for meaningless ways to get us to surrender, the alliance grows stronger."

"Let me tell you pal. The UTF has no intention to kill every race on this planet when it can form alliances. We will find out how to get the barrier disabled, the UTF will arrive, every race will be reminded how powerful we are, and they will surrender." insisted Scarecrow.

"And you call us stubborn." laughed Nigeria as blood rushed from his mouth. "No matter what you say, the alliance would rather die than negotiate with you. THAT IS FINAL!"

The members of Shadow paused for a minute.

"Last chance." muttered X-ray.

"For what?" asked Nigeria.

"For living." replied Scorch. "Right now we have all the information we need. So unless you promise us that Zebras will secede from the alliance, you will be executed."

"If I get Zebras out of the alliance, we will be declared heretics and the alliance will attack us. I will not allow that to happen." informed Nigeria.

"The UTF can protect your people once they arrive." insisted Scarecrow. "All you need to do is man up, realize that you are brining unnecessary destruction and surrender. Otherwise your race will be annihilated"

"I don't need to surrender my race because there is no way you humans can do anything to us." laughed Nigeria. "If I were you I would stop hiding."

X-ray nodded. "Alright. In that case, we have no use for you."

Scarecrow signaled Scorch who pointed his gauss pistol at Nigeria.

The Zebra started sweating like a pig as he was drenched in fear.

"Please! Show mercy!"

"I don't know the meaning of the word." muttered Scorch.

The demo man pulled the trigger and painted the walls with Nigeria's brain and blood.

Author's Notes:

Sorry this is not the new chapter. I just wanted to republish this chapter for it to make more sense as to why Shadow would allow themselves to conform to Equestrian law for the interrogation.

My readers pointed it out so I decided to correct it after much stubbornness. Now I hope it makes a LITTLE bit more sense. Or not.

Anyway, classwork is piling up, but I Pinkie Promise another chapter by saturday night!