(WARNING!!!! Chapter contains scenes of PTSD, as well as the FINAL mentions of the KKK in this series, EVER!!! Chapter also includes an apology for bringing racism into the story in the first place. You have been warned!)

While I was still in shock over learning about Carla and Leo, another event happened that would change not only my life, but also the lives of all others who were involved with it.

On December 30th, I had a nightmare that was far worse than ANY nightmare that I ever had, even the ones that involved Sally Face. My dream started out normal enough. I was walking alone through the Imperial War Museum one night, looking all around at the various exhibits. However, as I was walking through the section dedicated to the war in the Zebra Empire, I saw a wing of the museum that I'd never seen before.

"Huh? 'WW4 and WW5'? When did this wing get here?" I went to investigate. I entered through a set of double doors, which suddenly slammed shut and locked behind me!

"What in the world?!" I began to bang on the doors. "HEY!!!! SOMEPONY LET ME OUT!!!! I'M STUCK IN THIS WING!!!!!" I kept banging and shouting, but nopony came to let me out. "Well, I guess that the best thing to do now is to find my own way out. There should be another door, or even a fire door that I can use." I then ventured deeper into the WW4 and WW5 wing.

As I walked through it, all of the lights came on, and all around me, I saw displays from the time period. WW4 and WW5 were fought by the Allied Forces, (The US, Central America, Europe, Russia, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and a few others) against the the One Race Empire. They believed that it was their "Divine Destiny" to wipe out all races on Earth that were not minorities, and rule supreme, and the Allies had to be the ones to stop them. We lost WW4, but yet the ORE didn't win it either. Sure, they had the world in their grasp, but the Allied Forces retreated either out to sea, or underground, and continued to fight back VICIOUSLY! ORE forces couldn't be everywhere at once, and we were gaining footholds, but we needed allies. These allies would help us in WW5, and they came in the form of the Futa Kingdoms, ruled over by Queen Boudica, and her 2 daughters, Princess Demetria, and Princess Natasha. Sure, the Allies won WW5, but we had to do some pretty terrible things to do it. "Operation Salvation" was the worst, and it was so bad that it has since been erased from the history books.

All around me I saw weapons, uniforms, ammunition, a few planes hanging from the ceiling, screens showing videos from the time period, other battlefield artifacts, and even battle scenes complete with mannequins.

"Wow, this is all so cool! I wonder when the Imperial War Museum had the time to build this wing." I decided to keep going. Still to this day, I wish that I didn't.

Towards the end of my tour of the museum wing, as I was walking past the sections dedicated to the Allies fighting alongside the Futas against the ORE, I came to one final gallery. Over the doorway, the words "Operation Salvation" were visible in black letters.

I frowned. I knew how terrible "Operation Salvation" had been, and how on the one hand it had saved not only ALL of Humanity from extinction, but also the Earth itself from being destroyed, but on the other hand though, it had led to the destruction of the ENTIRE Black Race, as well as number of other minority races as well. Yes, I was involved with it, and what was done still haunts me even to this day. I was no racist, but yet I was NOT just going to sit idly by while Humanity was destroyed by those who had gone so far off their rails that 'off their rails' didn't even describe them anymore. There comes a point when a person loses everything that marks them as Human, and becomes nothing more than a living embodiment of Evil itself. This was the justification used, and there was some merit to it, but yet was it REALLY the right thing to do?

I walked into the gallery, but to my surprise, the lights were all off. I reached around for a switch, but I couldn't find one.

"Welcome, Lt. Scar." A voice suddenly said from inside the gallery. "Or should I say, 'Captain Scar'? It's been a LONG TIME since you were last here! We've been waiting for you!"

"Who are you?" I asked the voice.

"Remember what you did Captain? Remember what ALL of you did during WW5, or to be more specific, during 'Operation Salvation'?"

"Yes, and I've done EVERYTHING to try and forget!"

"Everything?" The voice seemed to laugh. "I beg to differ! Remember the 'Ghost Robes'? Yeah you do! It's time Captain. Time for you to remember what you REALLY are!" Suddenly, the lights in the gallery came on, and what I saw within is something that will haunt me until the day I die.

The ENTIRE gallery was full of display cases, and in those display cases were none other than the white KKK robes and hoods that had been worn by the Allied Forces during 'Operation Salvation'. Other cases held weapons, a few wooden crosses were on display, and the walls were covered in pictures from this time period as well. The KKK outfits came from a company in South Carolina called "Spencer Outfitters", named for it's "beloved" founder, Richard Spencer. Spencer Outfitters worked tirelessly to create the KKK robes and hoods for anyone who wanted one, and even those who DIDN'T want one! For a mere $110, anyone could have one, and for those who DIDN'T want one, $110 suddenly vanished from our paychecks, and a package from Spencer Outfitters arrived a week later containing a full white KKK outfit. I fell into the 'DIDN'T want one' category. I had my outfit, but I only used it a handful of times before burying it in that trunk. Dren found it by accident that day in my house, bringing a nightmare to light once again.

All around me I saw these outfits once again, their empty eyeholes staring back at me, only they didn't seem quite so empty anymore. Now they seemed sinister, and accusing.

"You did this Captain!" The voice said again, "YOU are guilty of the greatest crime against Humanity of ALL TIME! YOU went along with Operation Salvation!"

"I was following orders! I had no choice! Humanity would have been ERADICATED if action wasn't taken!"

"So said the Nazis at Nuremberg. You slaughtered tens of millions, and there was no distinction between soldiers and civilians. NOW you will FEEL their pain!"

From all around me, I heard the screams of the damned. All of those that we had killed, screaming in agony. Suddenly, the glass around the outfits disappeared, weapons appeared in what would have been where a hand would be, and blood began to appear on them. On the floor of the gallery, the bodies of those belonging to the ORE, both soldier and civilian, began to appear. They were all dead, and were being cut down by the outfits. In addition to the screams, I also heard laughter; the insane laughter of those out of their minds with slaughtering.

"No.....NO!!!! IT DOES NOT END LIKE THIS!!!! MAKE IT STOP!!!!! I WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!!!!" I screamed.

"It's too late!" The voice yelled back at me. "You've condemned yourself by your actions, and now you shall BURN for your sins!"

From all around me, I found myself surrounded by the KKK outfits. They were floating in midair at the height of the average Human, and were reaching out their empty sleeves to grab me! I tried to fight them off, but I was grabbed from behind by the outfit that I was able to identify as my own.

"It's too late Captain!" It whispered. "Your own actions, and your racism, have condemned you to Hell. The fallen are your accusers, and we are your executioners!"

Then, the ground beneath me gave way, and I was dragged down into the depths of Hell by the KKK outfits. I felt the eternal fires, I heard the screams of the damned, I felt ALL of their torments. It was all around me, and it was going to last for eternity. I screamed out in a way I have NEVER screamed before or since, and then, it was all over.

Back in bed, Dash, Spitfire, and Daring were desperately trying to wake me up. They could see that I was gripped in the throws of a nightmare, but to their horror, they were unable to wake me up from it! I kept screaming and thrashing around, but they couldn't wake me up! Since Dash was practically 9 months pregnant with our twins, she had no choice but to let Spitfire and Daring take the physical approach to waking me up.

"STUD!!!! PLEASE WAKE UP!!!!" Daring screamed as she smacked me as hard as she could.

"COME ON STUD!!!!! WAKE UP!!!" Spitfire was also hitting me as hard as she could.

Suddenly, I screamed in a way that my wives had NEVER heard me scream before, and then I jerked awake, and kept screaming for a good minute or so longer.

"AAAAAEEEEEEHHHHHH!!!!!!! *Gasp* *pant *gasp* *pant* *gasp* *pant* Oh Faust!" I then seemingly reached around, feeling myself all over. "Head, furry ears, arms, legs, small fangs, black feathery wings, black tail, wolf legs and paws........I'm still here!" I then fell back on the bed, still sweating and breathing pretty heavily. "Thank God! It wasn't real............"

I then looked up, and saw my 3 wives looking down at me. I could see the terror on their faces, and I could tell that they'd been trying to wake me up, and hadn't succeeded until just then.

Before I could say anything though, my kids poked their heads into the room. "Mommy? Daddy? Aunties? What's going on?"

I looked over at them. "It's.......ok kids. Daddy's just had.........one of his 'Shell Shock' dreams. It's nothing that you need to worry about."

My kids knew what that meant. Every now and again they would be awakened by the sounds of me screaming after having another PTSD-induced dream. Sometimes I would tell them about it, but sometimes I wouldn't. This was one of the times that I wasn't going to.

"What.......was it about Daddy?"

I sighed. "I don't.....want to talk about it Amber. This is one of the dreams from my old life on Earth." I then began to get up from the bed, and start to pull on my bathrobe, pajama pants, and slippers.

"What are you doing Stud?" Daring asked.

"I have to go guys. Yes, I KNOW that it's 2 in the morning, and that it's snowing outside, but I HAVE to go and talk to the rest of Battalion 4009 about this!" I then left the room, and after heading down the hall to my office, I grabbed my infamous trunk, and began to leave the house with it. Just before I left, I pulled on a coat, a fur hat, and gloves.

Spitfire looked at her sister-wives. "You two stay here with the kids. I'm gonna go make sure that Stud's ok, and doesn't try to hurt himself."

Dash and Daring nodded, and then went to go and comfort their kids. Spitfire then got dressed in her warm clothes, and left the house after me. Somehow, Dren and Olivia slept through all of this, and nopony was going to bother them right then.

I arrived at the Battleship Express a little while later, and I was able to catch Don there while he was working in his office. I explained to him what I was thinking of doing, and he quietly told me that he'd had a similar nightmare.

"Mine was about viewing this tape Leopard. I was forced to view it again, before being dragged down to Hell." He then pulled out an old VHS tape. The tape was labelled "Arkansas Rally, 4/27/22. Final Night."

"Remember that night Leopard? Were you there?"

I nodded. "Yes, I was there Don. And so were those 3 news reporters trying to report the truth. That was the last night before Operation Salvation began."

Don then popped the tape in, and we watched it for a bit.

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Once it was over, I looked back at Don. "It's time Don. We HAVE to put these demons to rest."

"I know Leopard. The pits of Hell will swallow us whole if we don't." Don then noticed the trunk that I was hauling. "What's in the trunk?"

I sighed. "What do you think?"

"I know, but I'm shocked that you even still have it. I mean, I destroyed mine long ago."

"I know that others might still have theirs too Don. It's time we talk about this, and put it to rest."

Don then got on the intercom, and summoned the Battalion 4009 soldiers and Battleship Express crew where were on duty in the railyard at the time, and messengers were sent to grab those off-site. Those who still had their "outfits" were told to find them, place them in a cardboard box, seal the box with tape, and bring them to the meeting that was happening in the railyard.

Even though it was almost 2:30am, and lightly snowing, with perhaps 5 inches of snow on the ground, we built up a bonfire in the middle of the railyard to keep warm with, wrapped up in our warmest clothes, and gathered around the bonfire in chairs. Everyone and everypony there wondered why they'd been summoned, and why they'd been asked to bring their "outfits" with them.

Once we were all gathered together, with Spitfire behind me, hugging me tightly for warmth, I stood at the head of the fire, and addressed everyone and everypony present.

"Good evening everyone and everypony. No doubt you're all wondering why you've been summoned here tonight. Am I right?"

They all agreed with me.

I sighed, and then continued. "Well, the time has come to put a LOT of demons and bad memories to rest. By a show of hands, how many of you all fought in WW5?"

A number of hands went up.

"And keep your hands raised if you were a part of 'Operation Salvation'."

Most of the hands remained raised.

"And how many of you deeply regret with every fiber of your being what you did then?"

All hands remained raised.

I continued. "Like you, I too regret with EVERYTHING in me what I had to do. I did NOT want an 'outfit', but I still got one anyway! What we did was inexcusable, and should have NEVER been done!"

"Yes, but didn't we save Humanity and the Earth?" Someone asked. "I mean, the ORE made it VERY clear that if they were going down, ALL of Creation was going with them! We did what we had to do!"

"But were we told the full story?" I asked. "Sure, we were told everything by our superiors, but did THEY tell us everything? Would you believe me if I told you that I later uncovered evidence of immense racism among some of the higher-ups? Sure, we did what we BELIEVED was right, but was it really? We wiped out an ENTIRE RACE because our superiors told us that there was no other way. However, what if there WAS another way, and we were all deeply brainwashed to do what we did?"

"Do you have any proof of this?"

I shook my head. "Not with me, no. I had some evidence back on Earth, but it wasn't on the Battleship Express when we came here. However, I can tell you right now that 'Operation Salvation' was mostly for the preservation of the White Race, NOT the saving of Humanity! THEY DELIBERATELY LIED TO US!!!!! They lied to us, they lied to General Sumner, they lied to then-US President Gregg Peterson. They brainwashed ALL OF US into believing that there was no other way to save Humanity!"

"And who's 'they'?" Todd asked.

"'They' were a handful of military officers who were staunch racists, and saw an opportunity to fulfill their sick agenda. Yes, I agree, most of the ORE needed to be eradicated, but not ALL of the ORE, or the Black Race, or any other minority races for that matter! Under the guise of saving Humanity, and all of Earth, we committed one of the greatest Crimes Against Humanity of all time. And as my nightmare earlier this evening revealed, we WILL be sent to Hell if we do not atone for this!"

The crowd looked at each other in shock. Had they all really been played for fools by those who had abused their power? Were they really pawns in somebody's sick game? Don, Jim and a few other officers backed up what I'd said, and Don even passed around a few transcripts of official documents that had been given to him by General Sumner from the Battleship Express's archives. Sumner wanted the TRUE story told about this, and although he was only able to secure transcripts, Sumner slipped what he had to officers that he knew that he could trust to hold onto. The more those gathered in the railyard read the documents, the sadder, and more disgusted that they all became.

"What.........have we done?"

"We......killed them. All of them. And we did it because we were brainwashed to believe that there was no other way!"

"And there weren't any of us to question anything! We were NEVER shown solid proof that the Earth would have been fully destroyed, or Humanity lost to extinction! Yes, we were told by the ORE that the world would be destroyed, but what if it was just a bluff? We acted out of anger and fear, and we burned the wheat with the chaff!"

Many others were down on their knees, begging God to forgive them for the grievous sins that they'd committed during WW5. I too said a silent prayer for forgiveness, before speaking on my final point that night.

"I must also inform all of you that there is one last point that I must make tonight. And yes, this same point is why I asked all of you to bring your 'outfits' with you tonight if you still have them. By a show of hands, how many of you still have them?"

Surprisingly, a number of hands went up.

"And how many of you want to destroy them?"

All of the hands remained in the air.

I then asked everyone to open up their boxes, while I took the key, and opened my trunk. Spitfire was watching from behind me as I did so. When she saw the bundled up KKK outfit, she looked in shock and awe, and not the good kind either.

"Wow. Considering how many people you killed while wearing that thing, how the heck is it still that white?"

I sighed. "Ever heard of bleach? Oxi-Clean Bleach and some detergent who's name escapes me, (I think that it might have been Tide) was how we cleaned these things up after a battle. Sure, it's faded some with age, and it's not entirely white, but I've tried to bury this thing and forget about it."

Spitfire then asked me a question that actually made me threw up when I thought about it.

"Stud? If it had been us Ponies instead of the ORE, and wiping us out would have 'saved all of Humanity', would you still have done it?"

I turned away from my wife, and violently vomited into the snow behind her. Shot after shot of vomit, followed by coughing, and even crying. I never answered her question, and Spitfire never demanded one. My reaction to her question was enough to show her that I wouldn't have followed orders, and that I loved her to the end no matter what. She continued to comfort me while I tried to get a better grip on myself.

Once they had them out, some of the guys threw their KKK uniforms into the bonfire, and let them burn to a crisp. Some of the guys who had them also threw in pictures, and other memorabilia that they had with them from that time period. All of they guys who threw their stuff into the fire said later that they felt like a great burden had been lifted from their shoulders. They were FINALLY free from the torment that they'd felt. Indeed, the mood at that gathering got a lot lighter as we laid our inner demons to rest. Sure, we would still be repaying our debts until they day that we died, but we also knew that we were a lot better off than we were before.

Joe Dixon decided to hold onto his outfit, and Don decided to keep his tape, but they were placed in a sealed box, locked with a code created by 3 random guys from Battalion 4009, and then stashed away somewhere in the Battleship Express archives. They were to be retained for archival purposes, and nothing more.

In the end, I too decided to keep my outfit. I knew that one day, there would be those who would try to deny what was done, so I decided to hold onto the evidence, even though I was going to be keeping it at arm's length. I folded it up neatly, placed it back in the trunk that I got it from, placed the photos that I still had in the trunk with it, shut up the trunk, locked it, and then I summoned Briana, gave her the key to the trunk, and told her to get it to a place far away.

"Take it far away Briana. I don't want to know where the key goes."

Briana nodded. "Right away Master!" I then watched her take flight, and fly off to the West. When she came back, the key was gone.

"I discarded it somewhere over the Undiscovered West. I don't know where, nor do I care. All that I do know is that it'll NEVER be found again!"

I hugged her. "Thanks Briana. You're the best!"

"Nyah, you're welcome Master!"

After the meeting concluded, we waited for the bonfire to go out, before scattering the ashes, and then going our separate ways. Spitfire, Briana and I returned home, and I went to my office, put the trunk in a far corner of the "Relics Archives" next door, placed a lot of things on top of it, and forgot about it.

It was over. It was FINALLY over. My past with the KKK outfit had been put to rest for the last time, and I had put the demons to rest as well. Sure, I would still have the guilt that I had for what I did, but now I was free from the constant torment. And I knew that Briana had ditched the key somewhere over the Undiscovered West, most likely to never be found. But yet, while Life may not want something to happen, her pesky sister Fate might want something to happen. Oh yes, the key would be found, though the finder would never know what it was, at least not for a long, long time.

New Years passed peacefully enough, (aside from the parties of course!) and we all passed from the year 2033, into 2034. We were now closing in on 5 years since the Imperial War had ended, and the 5th anniversary of our arrival in Equestria as well.

And throughout it all, Dash was getting closer and closer to her due date. Due to it still being January, she wasn't going to be able to give birth on the balcony like she'd done with Misty and Skyler. In the end, she decided that she was going to have her 2 fillies in a spare bedroom on the second floor, as that room had close access to the hot tub in the pool room, which she was planning on using to help her ease through her labor. And like the last time, I was in contact with Bundle Joy, and she said to alert her the moment Dash went into labor.

Amber, Midnight, Misty and Skyler were ALL asking their Mom/Auntie Dash when her twins were going to be born.

"When are they gonna be born Auntie Dash?" Midnight asked.

"Soon, Midnight. They could be born any day now."

"And what are you and Daddy gonna name them Mommy?" Misty asked.

Dash smiled a bit. "Your dad and I decided to name them Cara and Cassidy. Your Dad said that he wanted to name them this, and when I asked him why, all he said was that he once promised someone VERY special to him that if he ever had twin daughters, he would name them Cara, and Cassidy. He made an exception for you two Amy and Middy, but now he's going to make good on his promise."

Misty then hugged her mom's belly gently. Sure enough, she could feel the kicks from Cara and Cassidy. "Were Skyler and I like this in your tummy Mommy?"

Dash stroked her daughter's rainbow mane a bit. "Yes, yes you were Sweetie. You and your brother were just like this. You sure kicked a lot, and I was VERY glad when you were born!"

Dash was also eagerly awaiting to see what her daughters would look like, as unlike last time, or even with Daring's pregnancy, Amber and Midnight, as well as Misty and Skyler, were fraternal twins; this time, Cara and Cassidy were identical twins! We were only expecting one foal this time, but when Dash went in for her ultrasound, she was told that she was having identical twins! Both of them had feathery wings, though beyond this, Dr. Karen was unable to tell us anything further on colors, or what the foals would look like.

"Just a little bit longer", Dash thought quietly, "Just a little bit longer. Soon, you two will be out of me, and THEN we can see what you little fillies look like!" And find out soon she would.

On January 5th, Dash was going about her day as usual. Spitfire and I had just gotten home from work, Daring was writing her latest Daring Do book, Amber and Midnight were taking a nap until Spitsy and I got home, and Misty and Skyler were by their mom's side every minute. Dash was wearing her favorite leopard spots bathrobe, and the time was about 7pm; almost time for dinner.

As I was hugging Dash though, she suddenly felt a pain. "Ough!"

"You ok Dash? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She shook her head. "No, it wasn't you.........." The pain came again. "OUGH!!!!! Shit, that was a contraction!"

I knew what that meant. I then ran to the nearest intercom button, and pressed it. "Daring?"

"Yeah Stud?"

"Can you please come downstairs and watch these little rascals for a bit? I've gotta get Dash to the room, and Spitfire's going to go get Bundle Joy!"

"Wait. Is Dash in labor?"

"Yes!"

"Hang on, I'm coming down!"

Daring was there a minute later, and while she helped corral her 2 daughters and 2 nieces, I helped Dash to the spare bedroom, while Spitfire went to go get Bundle Joy.

Just like last time, Dash was in very little pain when she was in labor. She did pace around a lot, though she also relaxed in the hot tub, which also helped to keep her calm.

"You holding up ok Dash?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine Stud. Just a little bit longer, and then Cara and Cassidy will be out in the world. And can you please tell me again why exactly you wanted to name them this?"

I sighed. "I made a promise to Carla way back in September of 2025. She made me promise that if we ever had a single daughter, we were going to name her Jenna, and if we had twin daughters, then the younger daughter would be named Cassidy, while the older one would be named Cara. I let it go for Amber and Midnight, but now I HAVE to fulfill my promise to her!"

Dash could tell that I was thinking about the letter again, but she decided not to call me on it. After all, she agreed that Cara and Cassidy were nice names for her twins, though deep down, she felt that those were names that Alex and Applejack might give their foals instead!

Bundle Joy arrived a little while later, and once Dash moved back into the bedroom for good, she got ready to start giving birth. Amber, Midnight, Misty and Skyler were in the room watching, while Daring and Spitfire kept an eye on them. I was gently hugging and kissing Dash, and Bunny was ready to start helping as soon as Dash's water broke. I was also stunned that my kids were that quiet while their sisters/half sisters were born, but I just decided to roll with it. They were quiet, Dash was calm, Bunny was ready, and all was right with the world!

By about 8:10pm, Dash's water finally broke. "Ough! There it went again! One of them's in the birth canal!"

"Still holding up ok Mrs. Dash?"

"I'm good Bunny. Low pain, high excitement!" Dash then kept pushing, and I helped ease our first twin along by gently massaging Dash's belly.

Soon, she reached the end of the birth canal. Dash then gently moved her tail to the side, and kept straining a little bit more. Soon, a small, furry little head appeared, followed by a neck, shoulders, arms, and then the rest of a foal. However, to our shock, when Cara's leg exited Dash, to our shock, Cassidy was holding onto her sister's ankle!

"Whoa!" I was stunned at what I was seeing.

"Wow, it's been a REALLY long time since I last saw this!" Bunny informed us. "Sibling jealousy. The one holding the ankle wanted to be first, but the other sibling beat them to it. Undeterred, they grab the sibling's ankle and hold on."

"And Cassidy isn't stuck, right? Can she still get out?"

Bunny nodded. "Yes, she can. Her arm'll be out before her head, but it shouldn't be too much longer now."

Indeed, a mere 5 minutes later, at 8:47pm, Cassidy came into the world. Dash then began to lick her new daughters clean, and while they both did cry a bit, they soon began to gently nurse from their mother. As they did so, Dash and I began to look them over.

Because they were identical twins, they both had bluish fur, a rainbow-colored mane and tail, blue cat-like eyes, no fangs, but they did have black feathery wings just like I did!

"So they do still have a little bit of you in them after all Stud." Dash murmured quietly.

I was trying to hold back the tears. "Yes, yes they do. They have the eyes of a Bat-Pony, although they do lack the fangs. And of course the wings. But yet, I don't have those wings either."

"Any idea on why that is?" Dash asked me.

I shrugged. "It's anypony's guess. All I know is that I like my feathery wings, and I wouldn't give that up for anything." (Some Ponies kept mistakenly thinking that I had Bat-Pony wings, since I looked so much like a Bat-Pony. This thinking is false, as I just have feathery Pegasus wings. Sure, they might be black, but they're still feathery. Midnight and Skyler are the same way, and now they're joined by Cara and Cassidy too).

I continued to look at my daughters as they nursed from Dash. They were so beautiful, and I knew that Daring and Spitfire agreed as well. Bundle Joy stayed with us for a little while longer, just to make sure that our new foals were ok, and she told us to call her again if we had any problems. We promised to, and we also told her that we could contact her again if we were to ever need her services again in the future.

A few nights after this, I was putting my other 4 kids to bed, when they begged me to tell them a story.

"We want to hear a REALLY cool story Daddy!" Midnight told me.

"Can it be a funny story too Daddy? Amber added.

"And maybe not one about war?" Misty finished. Skyler didn't say anything, but he did agree with his sister.

I thought about that. "Hmm, a really cool story, that's also funny, and doesn't have to do with war? I'm gonna have to REALLY think about that one!" I wracked my brains to try and think of something. Suddenly though, like a bolt of lightning, the answer came to me.

"Have I ever told you kids the story of when I met myself from a different universe?"

My kids stared at me in shock. "Wait, you met another YOU Daddy?!"

I nodded. "Yes. I met another Leopard from an alternate universe. He stumbled into our universe by accident, and I got a chance to talk to him for a while."

Midnight gave me a look. "Is this a REAL story Daddy?"

I nodded . "As real as I'm sitting here tonight. If you don't believe me, just ask your moms. THEY were there too!"

My kids looked first at each other, and then back at me. They could see that I was serious, and didn't seem to be joking.

"This story sounds really interesting Daddy. Can you please tell it now?"

I nodded. "Yes I can Sky."

My kids then got comfortable, and I began my tale.

"This story takes place in late February of 2031, while your moms Daring and Dash were still pregnant with all of you. Your mom Daring was 8 months pregnant with you Amber and Midnight, and your mom Dash was 6 months pregnant with you Misty and Skyler. Winter was almost over, and it was soon gonna be time for Winter Wrap Up. The exact day was February 23rd, and I remember that it was a nice day.

I was sitting in the living room with your moms. Auntie Spitfire was with the Wonderbolts getting ready for Spring Training, and it was one of my days off. All of a sudden though, the house began to shake a bit, and up on the living room's ceiling, a large white mass appeared."

"What was the mass Daddy?"

"The mass was a multidimensional portal. In simple terms, it was a doorway between our dimension, and the dimension that the other Leopard lived in.

'Whoa! What is that Stud?' Your mom Dash asked me.

'I....I don't know Babe. It kinda looks like a portal!' I then got up from the couch, and walked over to it. I then stood underneath it for a few moments, looking up at it. I shouldn't have done this. As I was staring up at it, we all suddenly heard what sounded like screaming from inside of the portal. I jumped back from it, landing on the couch again, and just in the nick of time too!"

"Why Daddy? Did something come out of the portal?"

I nodded. "Yes, yes it did. 4 somethings actually."

"What were they Daddy?"

"Well, a large, gray mass suddenly landed on the floor under the portal, followed by a white one, then a purple one, and finally a black and gray striped one as well. As Dash, Daring, and I all looked at the 4 masses, we suddenly realized that they were Ponies! None of us had any idea who they were, or where they came from, or even if they were good or evil, so I was taking no chances. Faster than the eye could detect, I flew upstairs, grabbed my military shotgun, and flew back downstairs. Your moms then got behind me as I went to confront the new arrivals.

I pointed my shotgun at them. 'Alright, all four of you! Stay right where you are unless you wanna meet your Maker!' To my surprise though, instead of doing anything, all 4 of them simply looked up at me, before moving their hands out in surrender.

'Ok, now then, who are all of you, where did you come from, and how did you get here? Talk fast and DO NOT LIE!!!!"

Then, the dark gray stallion who landed first spoke. 'You'd NEVER believe me in a million years Leopard, but since you insist, I'll tell you. My name is Leopard, and I'm you, but from another timeline in an alternate universe.' He then pointed to the white Pony next to him. 'This is my wife Gleaming Shield, this is my brother in law Dusk Shine', he pointed to the purple Pony, 'And last but not least, this is my good friend Jeff Smith.' He pointed to the one that looked like a Zebra. 'And as for why we're here, well.....we came here by accident! Jeff and his fiance, Vinyl Scratch, were looking into other worlds, and they found this one. Gleaming, Dusk and I came to see what they found, and quite by accident, all 4 of us fell through the portal to here. All I wanted to do was to confirm that there really IS another Leopard, nothing more!'

I looked closer at all of them. To my shock, I suddenly realized that Leopard, Gleaming, and Dusk ALL appeared to be Alicorns! 'Stand up, all of you. And no sudden moves!'

'Ok.' They all did so, and I got a better look at all of them.

I saw that Jeff Smith was a Zebra, but yet he also had the horn of a Unicorn. He was dressed in dark pants, a riverboat captain's trench coat, and a riverboat captain's hat. I guessed that he was a Zebra-Unicorn hybrid. I saw that Dusk was dressed in what looked like a school uniform, and that he had purple fur, a purple mane and tail with a pink and purple streak, purple eyes, and was an Alicorn. I also noticed that he almost looked like a male version of Twilight Sparkle. Gleaming was wearing a white dress with blue trim, and had white fur, a blue mane and tail, white wings with blue tips, and I saw that she too was an Alicorn, and that she appeared to be pregnant as well. It was Leopard though that REALLY made me stop and stare. He too was an Alicorn, but he didn’t look like ANY Alicorn that I'd ever seen before!"

"What......did he look like Daddy?"

"Well, unlike me, he was a full stallion. He was tall, very muscular, had dark gray fur, a thick black mane and tail, Bat-Pony ears, visible fangs, dark blue cat-like eyes, a scar over his left eye, a dark gray horn was on his forehead, and he had black Bat-Pony wings as well. I also noticed that he seemed to be dressed like a Battalion 4009 soldier, but that his uniform had a patch that said 'Battalion 4014' instead. He.....was a Bat-Pony Alicorn!

I was legitimately freaking out! 'Wait, you're a Bat-Pony Alicorn?!'

He smiled. 'Close. I'm a Thestral-Alicorn actually. And enjoy the view Leopard, as THIS is what you could have looked like!'

'What I could have looked like', I echoed softly. I then put down my shotgun. 'Well, now that you're all here, I can see that we have a LOT to talk about!'

Sure enough, once Dash and Daring saw that it was safe, they came and sat on the couch with me, while Leopard, Gleaming, Dusk and Jeff sat in chairs opposite us. Daring, Dash and I then began to ask them a TON of questions. I learned that Leopard had been married to Gleaming for about 6 months, and that she was pregnant with twins from him, Leo and Jenna. He and Gleaming were also a Prince and a Princess, and ruled over the Thestrals, aka Bat-Ponies, from Castle Everfree in the Everfree Forest, which became the Bat-Ponys's new kingdom. Their capital city was called Cheyenne City, and was very beautiful. I also learned that Gleaming and Dusk have counterparts in our world as well, but we call them Shining Armor, and Twilight Sparkle."

"Wait, Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle? As in Mrs. Twilight, the wife of Major Don, and Shining Armor, the husband of Princess Cadence?"

I nodded. "Yes, the very same Misty. In this timeline though, Twilight was a stallion named Dusk Shine, and Shining Armor was a mare named Gleaming Shield. We all learned so much from Leopard, Gleaming, Dusk, and Jeff, and he made me SO GLAD that I live in this timeline, and not theirs!"

"Why's that Daddy?"

"Because! After the Imperial War ended in their timeline, they had to fight another war against the Futas, another war against the forces of Blueblood, King Sombra, AND rouge Griffons and Dragons! Then they had to fight ANOTHER war against the new Zebra Empire, and now they were about to fight yet ANOTHER war! It was literally war, after war, after war, after war for them! It was MADNESS!!!! There was NEVER peace for them really, as they ALWAYS had to fight another war!

'Be glad Leopard!' Leopard told me sadly, 'Be glad that the Imperial War was it for you. Our wars are still ongoing. Sure, I'm a Thestral-Alicorn, but look at the cost!'

They told us a lot more about the wars that they fought in their Equestria, but most of it is NOT kid-friendly! Let's just say that war is hell, Blueblood was evil, Sombra became good, Overlord Zakia and Blueblood died twice and wouldn't stay dead, Poison Joke sucks HORRIBLY, never anger a pregnant mare, and NEVER EVER have too many wives! It could potentially KILL YOU! Leopard, Dusk AND Jeff made this mistake, and it cost them!"

My kids looked at me like I was crazy. Yes, they were beginning to catch on that I had 3 wives, and that they were actually half-siblings instead of cousins, but there were actually others with MORE than 3 wives?

"And who was Jeff Smith?" Midnight asked. "You really haven't talked about him too much."

"Oh, yeah. Well, Jeff Smith came over from Earth on a steamboat called the American Queen. It was being towed to Washington DC so that it could become a museum. Long story short, the ship tore free from the tugs towing it, and it and Jeff got sucked through the Bermuda Triangle, and found themselves in the Celestial Sea. They eventually reached Manehattan, where they took the Applish River to Ponyville. Again, long story short, but Jeff Smith became fast friends with Leopard, and the 2 of them, plus another Human who became a Human-Pegasus hybrid, Sal Ferguson, all became life-long friends, and comrades on the battlefield. Jeff also told me that he had to give up his humanity to continue to live thanks to a lethal poison given to him when he was captured, and as a result of treatment, became a Zebra-Unicorn hybrid. Leopard too was once a Human-Thestral hybrid, but after battling terminal illness brought on by the same poison for 2 years following the Imperial War, he had to undergo full-conversion to become a full Thestral to save his life. He became an Alicorn later, and helped Gleaming ascend a few weeks later.

But back to the matter at hand, Jeff Smith was extremely talented with runes and rune spells, and he earned his Cutie-Mark in them. Jeff would eventually settle in Ponyville, on an island called Manor Island in the middle of a lake called Lake Smith. He created the lake himself, and built his house on an island in the middle of the lake."

"He lived on an island in the middle of a lake? That's really cool Daddy!"

I nodded. "Yes, it was. Anyway, we talked for a while longer, although by the time that the sun began to go down, it was time for Leopard, Gleaming, Dusk and Jeff Smith to head home. We all said goodbye, and Leopard said that he'd stop by again one day. However, before he left though, he said something to me that's baffled me even to this day."

"What did he say Daddy?"

"He said, 'Beware of messing with things that were NEVER meant to be messed with! When you play God, you reap what you sow. Remember, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.'

'What does that even mean?' I asked him.

In response, all he said was, 'I can't tell you, as it would wreck the timeline even further. I've probably already said too much as it is. Goodbye Leopard.' Then, in a flash of white light, he was gone. The portal closed not long after, and our ceiling was once again just that, a ceiling.

Once they were gone, Dash, Daring, and I all looked at each other. We were still shocked and stunned beyond belief at what we'd just witnessed.

'Wow. I guess that alternate universes really DO exist!' I said quietly.

'Yeah, no kidding Stud!' Dash whispered. 'Spits is NEVER gonna believe this!'

'It's still so strange', Daring mused. 'I mean, he said that I fought in the Imperial War too, but I had a different role than a scout. I wonder what I did.'

'I don't know Daring.' I told her."

"And......what happened after this Daddy? Has the other Leopard come back yet?"

I shook my head. "No, no he hasn't. I still keep wondering if I ever will see him again, but so far, he hasn't come back yet. And the 3 of us have tried to convince your Aunt Spitfire that what we saw was real, but still to this day she doubts our claim. My only real regret was that taking pictures never ONCE crossed any of our minds! DELCI was doing updates, upgrades and maintenance work on herself, so her cameras were offline at the time. We didn't take any pictures, and now we have no proof that we really DID meet a Leopard from another timeline."

My kids then looked at each other with wonder. I once again swore that the story that I just told them was absolutely true, and that I didn't make it up. They weren't sure what to think, but they were inclined to believe that I was indeed telling them the truth. They fell asleep that night trying to picture the event in their heads, while I was also picturing it in my own head that night as well.

A few weeks later, on January 17th, while Dash was taking care of Cara and Cassidy, and Spitfire was at Wonderbolt Academy, Daring and I decided to take Misty, Skyler, Amber and Midnight to the Imperial War Museum so that they could use their tickets that we'd given them for Christmas. Aurora was also coming with us, as she was a favorite at the museum as well. Even Dren decided to come along, as he too wanted to learn more about the Imperial War, as well as Battalion 4009's role in it.

Once we reached the museum, we all went inside, and got in line at the ticket counter. Once we had everything squared away, we all went into the main part of the museum.

"Wow, I almost forgot how incredible this place is Stud." Daring told me.

"Yeah, I know Babe. Heck, I helped build this place, and I'm a tour guide at times, and I'm STILL in awe of it as well!"

"And where are we going first?" Dren asked.

"Well, we're gonna start upstairs, as that's all about the Imperial War before the Humans got involved, while downstairs is after. If you want the full timeline of the Imperial War, then we start upstairs."

"And when do we get to the Battleship Express?"

"That's at the very end of the tour, when we get to the Battleship Express Gallery where the Battleship Express, Iron Glory and Battle Glory are housed, and now thanks to expansions, the Wabash Cannonball is housed there as well."

"Ok, sounds like a plan to me. Lead the way Leopard."

I nodded, and then led the way upstairs.

The upper part of the museum is actually pretty interesting. Even though it's not quite as large as the downstairs areas, it's still quite nice. Everything in the sections up there tell the stories about who Danin, Zakia, and the Zebras and Caribou even were, how Danin and Zakia rose to power, how the Imperial Alliance came to be, and how the Imperial War started in the first place. They also told the stories of the desperate struggles between the Equestrians and the Imperial Alliance, and how the front lines were threatening to collapse at any time.

"Wow, this is pretty dark Leopard. Was the war really like this before the Humans intervened?"

I nodded. "Yeah Dren, it IS dark. The Imperial Alliance could have broken through the lines at almost any time, and a few forces, such as one under Caribou General Stuggs and Zebra Commander Freda, did. It was a very dark time indeed."

At the very end of the gallery were stairs leading down to the lower level. As you walked down the stairs, the sounds of battle could be heard, and a voice was heard to say, "With the Imperial War raging on, and the Equestrian forces suffering, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were at their wits ends. They HAD to save their Pony subjects, and in their despair, they cried out to the Heavens, BEGGING them to send them the allies that they so desperately needed. Luckily, their prayers were answered, and their liberators came. The Humans from Earth came to aid the Ponies, and they came onboard the deadliest weapon ever to ride the rails. They came........on the Battleship Express!" This narration was quickly followed by the Battleship Express's signature whistle that sounded like a Banshee's scream.

"Now THAT'S how you make a transition from one section of a museum to the other!"

I looked down at Aurora. "Yeah, I agree Aurora. Adding that was actually Jim's idea, and he was the one who provided the narration, while Don and I wrote the script for him to read."

We all then continued into the lower part of the museum.

While Aurora and I walked around, a number of Ponies stopped and stared, as well as took pictures. Even after all this time, Ponies were still in absolute awe at those of us from Battalion 4009.

Aurora was glad when we reached the gallery dedicated to her. Here, her famous battle armor was on display in the center of the room in a glass case, and on the walls were pictures of her wearing it, as well as video footage of her in action, and there were even disarmed bullets, missiles, rockets, grenades that her suit fired in a case of their own, and there was even a disarmed 1 kiloton nuclear warhead on display too!

Aurora walked around the gallery happily, and Ponies would always stop, take pictures of her, as well as ask her questions. None of them could believe that she was actually almost 10 years old!

"You do NOT look almost 10 years old Aurora!"

Aurora giggled. "Well, I don't FEEL almost 10 years old either! However, I was born in July of 2024, and I was 5 years old during the Imperial War, and that was almost 5 years ago now. However, never fear as I'm most likely NOT going to be dying on you guys anytime soon! Thanks to genetic enhancements, I was given a MUCH longer lifespan than normal dogs, and I've heard that 50 years is the norm, with beyond that still being normal too! I'm only 9 1/2, so I'm still young!"

Once we moved on, Dren asked me where the body of General Tarrath used to be on display. "It was in the gallery dedicated to the war in the Zebra Empire. His body was replaced with a wax statue, because apparently having a real taxidermied corpse on display is 'too morbid'! He lasted about 2 weeks before I had to take him to my relic room where you saw him."

"And will his body ever be brought back here?"

I shrugged. "I keep petitioning the museum's board of directors, as do a few other Ponies and Battalion 4009 soldiers, but for the past 4 years since the museum opened, they've held firm. 'No actual corpses on display. It's too morbid!'"

"And what happened to the body of Overlord Zakia?"

"His body is preserved in a vault in Canterlot. A few times a year it's brought out up at the Caribou War Beast Museum up there in Canterlot, and some were considering putting it up on full-time display, but like with General Tarrath, actual corpses are 'too morbid'!"

"Wait, there's a museum in Canterlot that has Caribou War Beasts?"

"Eh, to an extent. It's not actually called that, but that's the name it's been given. In reality, it's called the Equestrian Cavalry Museum, which as its name implies, is dedicated to the history of military cavalry, but ever since we brought back a few herds of Caribou War Beasts following the Imperial War, they were kept there, and the name stuck. And while some were studied, others were put in stables in the museum there. They're both there to be displayed, and they're used for breeding so that more War Beasts can be produced. Ever since the Imperial War, the Equestrian Military has used them as mounts, as well as to pull artillery pieces, and farmers have put them to use out in the fields. They're remarkably hardy creatures, and can be used for a lot more than just war. The most famous War Beast of them all though is Argus. He's the War Beast that I rode during the Battle of Carlon, and the Battle of Donneth. I tamed him with Sombra's magic, and used him to help me storm the Imperial Palace in Donneth. I haven't seen him in a while, but from what I've been told, he's the star attraction, and has sired a large number of new War Beasts."

Dren was impressed. "Wow, that museum sounds pretty cool. I'll have to visit it sometime."

"Yeah, you really should Dren. Maybe this Summer if you have time, as that's the best time to go."

He nodded, and then we continued the tour.

Eventually, we reached the star attractions. Everypony who was anypony ALWAYS flocked to the Imperial War Museum to see the Battleship Express, as well as Iron Glory, Battle Glory, and now the Wabash Cannonball. The Battleship Express was displayed in the center of the room, Iron Glory and Battle Glory were to the right of the train, and a new section of the wing was added for the Wabash Cannonball just beyond those 2 trains.

"So this is where the Battleship Express ended up?"

I nodded. "Yep. The wing was built up around the train, although it has 2 sets of double doors at both ends so that the train can roll in and roll out. And do you see those large tanks up close to the ceiling above the Big Boy's tender?"

"Yeah."

Well, those contain 25 tons of coal, and 25,000 gallons of water. For the first run of the year in the Spring, that's how we fill up the tender. However, their original purpose was just in case the train had to be activated again in a hurry. The fuel and water could be loaded up in seconds so that the fire in the firebox could be built up again quickly. So far, we've only used those tanks 3 times at the beginning of each railroad season. We haven't had to reactivate the train yet, and I pray that we never will."

We all then began to walk towards the train. It was protected all around by a 4 foot tall black metal fence that was made entirely out of recycled railroad rails. The fences at the front and back of the train were made to be gates so that the train could roll out and back in again, and all along the fence were pictures of the train, as well as signs pointing out the various features, and telling a few stories about the train.

Originally, there used to be stairs leading up to the Big Boy's open cab windows so that Ponies could look inside, but we had problems with some young Ponies reaching over the cab’s windowsills, and touching the controls inside of the cab, despite signs telling them not to, so they were removed. In their place, the cab windows were still left open, but now Ponies climbed up stairs that led to the space between the cab and the tender. The doors of the cab were left open, but the cab was still roped off. Now Ponies could get a little bit better look at the inside of the cab, as well as being able to look into the massive tender for the first time too. They would then climb down the stairs on the other side, and this eliminated Ponies trying to reach inside of the cab to touch the controls, and some museum-goers told us that they liked the new arrangement better.

A few parts of the train were open so that Ponies could see inside of them, and these areas included the PCC, the officer's dining car, the car that used to contain our nuclear shells, my room, the SCC, the TCC, one of the train's laundry rooms, the quarters for the train's enlisted crew, and a few of the recreational areas. The hallways in these areas were open, but the rooms themselves were roped off. Every now and again, on special VIP tours, we would allow Ponies into these areas, as well as some of the "off-limits" areas of the train, such as the control rooms for our railguns, and the 16in gun turrets, though the "no touching!" rule still applied!

As we were walking by the PCC, Daring noticed an artificial candle in one of the windows, and the candle was also turned on.

"Hey Stud, I keep seeing that artificial candle in that window of the PCC, but I never knew what it meant. Does it mean anything?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, it does. Way back when the train was first put together, its first commanding officer, Major Jeff Coleson, would always put that candle in that window of the PCC to tell everyone that he was working late in there. After he was killed during the Battle of Omaha during WW6, we left the candle up in his honor. Now that the train's here in the museum, that candle is never turned off anymore."

"Wait, anymore? It used to be turned off?"

"That's.....quite the interesting story actually." I then looked at her, Dren and my kids. "Did you guys know that the Battleship Express is actually haunted?"

"Oh COME ON Bro! You don't ACTUALLY expect me to believe that, do you?"

"It's true Dren. Just ask ANYONE who's served on the train, they'll tell you! Heck, guys like Don were even HARDENED SKEPTICS of the Paranormal! Now even Don believes that some of those who died while serving on the Battleship Express never left. And yes, even I've seen things during both WW6 and the Imperial War that I couldn't explain. Doors opening on their own, footsteps late at night, weird, garbled voices on the intercom system, and even full and partial apparitions have been seen as well!

The train's second most famous resident though isn't a ghost. Melanie Bender, the wife of Chief Engineer Jim Bender, still lives on the train. Nopony ever sees her, but she's still there. She lost her mind after losing her children and grandchildren in the world wars, and she refused to ever leave the train. From St. Louis, to Vegas, to the Imperial War, even to the present day, Melanie still lives on the train, though few ever see her. She's still in there somewhere right now even!"

"Have.....have you ever seen her Daddy?"

"Yes, but only for a few seconds. I saw her as she was closing a door once, and another time just as Jim was leaving his quarters. She's still around, but she hides away from everypony except Jim.

However, back to my original point, as well as the candle, the train's most famous ghostly resident is that of Major Jeff Coleson himself. He never left the train either, and still watches over all of us. His spirit is very rarely seen, and he was only ever seen standing at the windows of the PCC, and even then, only during times of great crisis. However, from time to time, all of us on the train have felt like someone was watching us, even though we were alone. Jeff himself said just before he died that Death wasn't the end, and that he wasn't going to be leaving us. The last time that I ever saw Jeff's ghost was almost 5 years ago after the Imperial War ended. He was standing up in the PCC, still in his old uniform, and he seemed to be smiling. I could tell that he was proud of all of us, and then after waving goodbye, he disappeared, and hasn't been seen since. However, even though he hasn't been seen, his presence can still be felt from time to time.

That candle in the window was found to have been turned on one night, and a staff member turned it off, only to have it turn right back on again! The staff member was so freaked out that she just left the candle on, and we've kept it on ever since. It became a memorial to Jeff Coleson, and except for changing batteries or a bulb, it's never turned off."

Dren still didn't look like he believed me. My kids looked like they didn't know what to think, and I knew that Daring had seen some pretty strange things in her time as an adventurer, so she believed me.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Dren muttered.

"It's doubtful that you will Dren. Jeff's ghost is only seen during times of great crisis, or like in the case of the Imperial War, his ghost was seen just beforehand, and was a warning of the crisis to come. There's no crisis now, but I'm REALLY hoping that I don't see his ghost again, as it could be a Harbinger of a disaster coming soon."

Dren just shook his head, and repeated that he would believe it when he saw it.

Once we were done looking at the Battleship Express, I showed Dren, Daring and my kids Iron Glory and Battle Glory.

"What's up with Battle Glory? It looks like it could fall apart at any second!"

I laughed. "That's why some call her 'Rattletrap Sorry'! She was taken from the Caribou by my team and I just prior to the Battle of Dock Town, and was used by us for the rest of the war before being studied. Despite her appearances, she's actually still quite sound, and often works with Iron Glory hauling freight."

"And how did Iron Glory get her name? I mean, her number is 1, but how did she come to be called 'Iron Glory?"

"Well, she came to be called that because she looked like an 'Iron Horse', and she did her job for the Glory of Freedom. There was some debate over what she was going to be called once the Union Pacific returned her to service with her original number, 1. Some said 'Iron Freedom', other's said 'American Glory', and a few other ideas were put forwards as well. Eventually, she was given the name 'Iron Glory'; a name that's stuck with her ever since."

"And she's the oldest train here, right Daddy?"

"Yes she is Amber. She's also the 3rd oldest train in the ENTIRE Railway Warfare Division! She dates back to 1862, while The Texas is from 1856, and The General dates from 1855. Iron Glory was the supply train assigned to the Battleship Express, and in fact, we still had her when I was held by the Futas in Kansas."

"Liar!" Dren suddenly interrupted. "That train was NOT with you guys!"

I turned to him annoyed. "Yes, it WAS! It was saved from the scrapyards because the Futas in that area needed an engine to help haul light freight trains of farm goods in that area, as well as helping built new rail lines. She was kept at Creamy Dream Ranch in a storage shed, and myself, Don, Jeff, Russ, Joe and Frank maintained her. It was with Iron Glory that we learned how to drive a train at all, even though we just maintained her, and really weren't allowed to drive her, at least at first. Once Jim and the rest of the RWD under him found us, we took Iron Glory with us when we fled. She also has the most mileage of any engine in the RWD with a whopping 4,784,231 miles on her!"

My kids looked at me in shock when I said that! "Whoa! It REALLY has that many miles on it Daddy?!"

"Well, currently the odometer only says 784,231. However, on the glass of the odometer are 4 tally marks. Each of those marks represents 1 million miles. Every time the odometer hits 1 million miles, the number wheels inside all hit 0 again. 4 times this has happened, and now everypony's speculating on when it'll happen again. It'll probably take another few years, but Iron Glory WILL hit 5 million miles someday!"

My kids were still in awe, and we all continued to look around for a while longer.

Eventually, we did have to get ready to leave, as the museum was about to close for the day. The area with the Battleship Express was practically empty as we were leaving, and for whatever reason, Dren looked back at the train one more time. As he looked over the train one last time, he suddenly saw something that made him stop.

"Wait, what?"

Up at one of the windows of the PCC, Dren saw a figure standing with a hand on the window. Dren saw that he was wearing a Battalion 4009 field uniform, but he was wearing an officer's cap. He also seemed to have dark hair, brown eyes, and a few scars on his face. The figure seemed to be looking out of the train, but Dren couldn't tell if he was looking at him or not. At first, Dren thought that he was Don.

"Hey Leopard, Major Don's working late on the train, right?"

"No, he and Twilight are up in Canterlot right now with little Dusk visiting Twilight's parents Nightlight and Velvet. Why?"

"Well, is anyone on the train right now working late?"

"Jim usually does, as he still lives on the train with Melanie, but aside from them, I don't think so. Again, why?"

"Well, if that’s not Don, then who's the guy standing at the window towards the middle of the PCC?"

I then turned around to look at what Dren was looking at. "What guy standing at the window towards the middle of........." Then I too saw the figure. When I did, I froze where I was, and my face drained of all color. I could see that the figure was looking straight at me, and I knew all too well who he was.

"No......NO!!!! I-I-IT......IT CAN'T BE!!!!!"

"Can't be what Stud?" Daring was turning around too.

"RIGHT THERE!!!! MIDDLE WINDOW OF THE PCC!!!!!" I pointed to the figure. Daring saw it, as did Aurora and my kids.

"Who is that Stud?"

"IT'S JEFF!!!! THAT'S THE GHOST OF MAJOR JEFF COLESON!!!!!" Without even thinking, I ran back to the train.

Once I reached it, I vaulted the fence close to the PCC, and got onboard the train. When I reached the PCC, I opened the door. Sure enough, to my shock, surprise and horror, there at the window stood my friend, comrade, mentor and boss, Major Jeff Coleson. He died in Omaha saving the lives of 5 men trapped in one of the 16 in gun turrets, as well as the rest of the train from a Futa air attack.

"J......J....J-JEFF!!!!" What really spooked me was that his ghost was solid; I couldn't see though him!

He half turned to look at me. "Hello Leopard, it's been a while."

"You......c-came back. Wait, does this mean that a great crisis is about to happen?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid that it is. I don't know when, but I do know that it will be soon. You're ALL in grave danger."

I was almost too dumbfounded to speak. Here I was talking with a guy who had been dead for nearly 7 years now, and was the most famous legend of the Battleship Express.

"I......I've.....really missed you Jeff. We all have."

He sighed. "I know. And you all have made me SO proud with what you've done. Like some keep saying, I have indeed been keeping an eye on you all, though I never manifest unless I'm needed as a Harbinger of a great crisis. I manifested now to warn you, but my time grows short though. It's now time to say goodbye Leopard."

"I......I really wish that I could hug you Jeff. It's been so long."

"You actually can. I can use the last of my spirit energy to hold a truly physical form momentarily."

I then walked into the PCC, and over to Jeff. I then pulled him into a hug. I could sense him struggling to hold his form together, but for a few moments, he did hug me back.

"It's so good to see you again Jeff, even though you're a Harbinger of crisis."

"I know Leopard. I've missed you too. Oh, and just before I leave, Ell and Lilly told me to tell you hi."

"They.....did?"

"Yes. They said that they miss you, just as they know that you miss them. Ell also told me to ask you why you still keep her urn in your room. She doesn't care, but does wonder why."

I knew what Jeff meant. After my first wife Ell died, her body was cremated, but yet she never told me where she wanted to be buried. Lilly's remains I buried in her old hometown of Denver, Colorado, but I still had Ell's urn, as she never said where she wanted to be buried.

"Tell her that I didn't know where she wanted to be buried. That's why I keep her remains around. I also kinda wish that I did the same for Lilly, even if only to keep her close."

"Ok, I'll tell Ell that. Also, your 2 kids Sierra and Max told you hi, and your parents said that they're QUITE upset with you having multiple wives! Oh, and your brother Henry says that he agrees with your parents. Also, Christine told me to say that she misses you too."

"Wait, who's Christine?"

"Lilly's daughter. Remember? She was pregnant when she died, and you never knew if the baby was a boy or a girl? Well, she's a girl, and Lilly named her Christine."

I sighed. "Well, in order, tell Sierra and Max that I miss them and their mother Ell, and tell my parents that I'm sorry, and if I could repeat history then I would have made some different changes! Oh, and tell Henry that he can go screw himself! And tell Christine that I'll come and see her as soon as my time in this life runs out!"

"Ok, I'll tell them that. And my time is up Leopard. I have to go now. Goodbye." He then began to fade away.

"Goodbye Jeff." Suddenly though, I thought of something. It was a question that I'd DESPERATELY tried to find the answer to. "Wait, JEFF!!!! I HAVE TO KNOW; ARE CARLA, DEMETRIA, AND LEO UP THERE IN HEAVEN WITH YOU?!?!?!"

"No........." I heard him whisper. "They're not gone yet............" Then he was gone.

"Wait, 'they're not gone yet'? What does that mean?" I was still confused.

I then left the PCC, before shutting the door again. Just as I was leaving though, I saw Jim in the hallway.

"You........you were just talking to Jeff, weren't you?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he came back."

"I know. I saw him last night. Apparently all of Melanie and I's kids and grandkids are doing just fine up there in Heaven, and are eagerly waiting for us to join them. But yet, this DOES mean that a great crisis is coming, and possibly coming soon."

"That's the scary thing Jim. What's going to happen, and when?"

"I don't know Leopard."

We talked about this for a minute or so longer, and then I left the train and returned to Daring, my kids, Dren, and Aurora.

On the way back home, all of them kept asking me what happened in the PCC.

"I saw him." Was all I said. "I saw Jeff, and he had a LOT of messages from Heaven."

"What.....kind of messages?" Dren asked.

"Messages from Ell and her kids, Lilly and her daughter, Mom and Dad, and Ozwin....Henry. I keep forgetting that ‘Ozwin’ was only his code-name." I then told Dren a bit more about what Jeff had told me.

"I......I can't believe that you just talked to an honest to goodness GHOST Stud!"

"Jeff wasn't really a ghost Daring, he was a spirit. But yes, it was unnerving all the same! However, his appearance does indeed herald a major crisis that'll happen here sometime in the not too distant future."

"Any idea what it might be, or when?"

"Jeff didn't say what, and he doesn't know when. All I know is that we're gonna have to remain vigilant now, and REALLY keep our eyes open for ANYTHING that could be the crisis!"

Dren agreed, and we all continued on our way home.

All while I walked though, I kept thinking about what Jeff had said about Carla, Demetria, and Leo. "No.........They're not gone yet............"

"What does that mean Jeff? Does it mean that they're in Hell? I mean, I certainly hope that Futas like Stacy, Jasmine, Tapper, Diana, and her mother Amanda went there, but.........." I then had a thought, but my brain wouldn't accept it as a possibility.

"No..........does that mean............that they........c-could still be alive?! No, it's.......It's just not possible!" I continued to turn this over and over in my head all the way home.

And, that was Chapter 27. This was was out in record time compared to the 2 others before it. After this, there's only Chapter 27.5, and Chapters 28-30, plus an epilogue. "Beyond the Express" is almost done!

I REALLY hoped that all of you enjoyed this Chapter, as well as everything within. We saw repentance and penance for KKK crimes, the birth of Dash's twins Cara and Cassidy, a MAJOR bombshell story of Leopard who met himself from a different alternate universe, a trip to the Imperial War Museum, to say NOTHING of Leopard seeing the ghost of Major Jeff Coleson!

This also leaves a few questions. How much longer until Leopard realizes that Demetria, Carla, and Leo are still alive? How will he react when he hears the news? When will he see all of them face to face? Well, you all know the drill, stay tuned, and I'll tell you!

Like I said before, Chapter 28 will be all about the Futas, while Chapter 29 will shed more light on Leopard's time in Vegas while under Demetria's care. And Chapter 30? Well, what if I told you that THAT chapter was where Leopard laid eyes on Demetria, Leo, and Carla again? Well, now you'll DEFINITELY have to stay tuned, won't you?

In the meantime, comments, questions, feedback, as well as spreading the word about this story are always appreciated, and I'll see you all in Chapter 27.5 if you read the "EXPLICIT!!!!" Chapters, or in Chapter 28 if you don't. However, PLEASE read Chapter 27.5, as it contains some pretty valuable information to the story as a whole. In any case, I'll see you all again soon!

ScarFox

Oh, and in Chapter 28, Carla goes out on a quest to find more information on Leopard, and her search takes her to none other than Sam Applegate, the owner of Creamy Dream Ranch in Kansas where Leopard was held prisoner! Yes, Carla knows who Sam is, and what she did, just as Sam knows about Carla. What's gonna happen when Sweet, wifey Herm meets unsound, sex-crazed Futa?

(Also, for those who're wondering about that kinda bizarre scene of Leopard meeting Leopard, Gleaming, Dusk, and Jeff Smith, fret not. That scene, while seeming TOTALLY out of left-field, actually serves a VERY important purpose!

In truth, this scene plays out twice in 2 different stories. The first time was here in "Beyond the Express", and the second time will be in an upcoming collab story that I'm writing with my good friend and fellow FIMFiction user Dusk Star Shine. In the scene in that story, it will be from the perspective of the OTHER Leopard, and will also reveal more about the portal, and how all 4 of them ended up in Leopard's house to begin with. So it's not just some random, wacky scene, it's an Easter Egg for what's to come!)

(Right Dusk?)