The next morning, Stacy had another visitor to her cell.

"Hey Mistress Stacy."

She looked up. "Huh? Oh, hey Sally. What's up?"

He smirked at her. "Oh, I just came down to talk to you."

"And am I any closer to being able to get out of here?"

Face shrugged. "Well, like Empress Demetria said, you're stuck in there until you've apologized to your sister Carla, and learned your lesson about controlling your temper."

Stacy groaned. "Well, I'm NOT going to be apologizing to Carla! She's a bitch, and a slut! She got herself knocked up by He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named, and had a SON! NOT a Futa! Inexcusable! Filthy Hermaphrodite!"

Face put a hand over his mask. For so long, he'd listened to Stacy whine, moan, and complain about her sister Carla. It got really old, really fast, but since his mask hid his entire face except for his eyes, he could make all of the faces that he wanted, and nobody would notice.

"Hey Sally?"

"Yeah Mistress Stacy?"

"Why do you always wear that mask? I know that I've asked you this before, but I cannot for the life of me remember the answer."

Face sighed. "It's not a mask Mistress Stacy; it's a prosthetic. A prosthetic face, to be exact. If you remember correctly, back in the days of WW6, back while I was still a US soldier fighting AGAINST the Futa Empire, I got into a life-threatening accident. My entire face, and parts of my torso and chest had been almost completely stripped of flesh by shrapnel. Somehow, my eyes survived completely intact, although I was in the hospital in a coma. Artificial skin was placed over the wounds, but the look was horrid, and unnatural.

Eventually, I was given my prosthetic face, and I've worn it ever since. My wounds still haven't healed, so I always wear my mask. Captain Le........He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named........also had one, although his was a Kitsune mask. I got mine first, but HIS was more popular! I heard that he wore it all of the time after my little sabotage mission, and never really took it off."

Stacy nodded. "Ok, that makes sense. I'll be able to remember that now. And is that all? You kinda looked like you wanted to ask or tell me something."

Face nodded. "Yeah, I did. While I was out with your ball yesterday, I met a creature who offered us a chance at ruling the Futa Empire......." Face then went on to explain all about Sombra, and what had been promised if they helped him. "....Basically, you'd be the majority of the operations, while I gave you the power to make it happen. We WILL rule Stacy!"

Stacy smirked. "Heh, yeah, I don't really like 'General Stacy' too much anymore. However, 'EMPRESS Stacy' sounds MUCH better! Don't you agree?"

Face smirked, but it couldn't be seen. "Yeah, it does Mistress Stacy. With you at the helm, me providing support, and Sombra backing us, your empire could one day cover an entire planet!"

Stacy was once again becoming consumed with her ambitions. Technically, if and when Demetria died, Carla would become the next Empress. However, if she died, then it used to fall down to Stacy, until Demetria removed her from the chain of command. As to who her replacement was, Stacy didn't know.

She looked back at Face. "Soon, I could be the Empress instead of my mother! I'll let this go a little bit longer, because why would I waste effort building the empire myself when I can just wait for my mother to finish it before killing her?!"

"But, what about Carla though? Isn't she next in the chain of command?"

Stacy laughed. "My SISTER!?!?!? Have you seen her lately Face, she's LITERALLY early-onset senile! All she cares about is that little bastard-brat of hers, and her mind still yearns for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. She's barely there anymore Face. She'll be ZERO threat to me!"

Stacy then laughed, Face laughed, and even Sombra laughed. He still could not BELIEVE how easy it was to get Stacy and Face to do his bidding. He was able to play off of their feelings to get them to do what he wanted, as well as feed off of their anger and ambitions. Already he was starting to regain his lost strength, and every day, he got slowly stronger. He knew that it was going to take a while, but even a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.

"This will be a long road to recovery, but with those two naive little shits doing all of the heavy-lifting, I will get my powers back!"

Sombra then got back to work with laughing with Stacy and Face.

In Ponyville, all of us were still hard at work. For the rest of that week, those of us who weren't servicing or taking care of the train were hard at work helping clear out the Old Railyards. The same bulldozers, loaders, tractors, and excavators that had helped rebuild Ponyville and Appaloosa, and had fought in Zebrica and Donneth now found use fighting dirt, rocks, rubble, and ballast.

The rails were still being torn up, and the debris from them was being sent to be recycled. There were a few buildings, such as water towers, coal hoppers, signal boxes, and storage sheds that needed to be torn down as well.

Iron Glory, since she was a 4-4-0, and was small enough to be used on the rails a lot, was put to work hauling away the debris, which went either to the landfill, a dumping site for dirt and rocks, or a recycling facility outside of town that dealt with construction and demolition site waste.

The whole site was fenced off, although holes were left in the fences so that ponies could watch us work. From 9am to 6pm every day from Wednesday, August 1st, to Friday, August 3rd, we all worked hard. Eventually, by Saturday, August 4th, the job was done. Aside from a water tower and coal hopper that serviced the Battleship Express and Iron Glory, As well as the tracks that they sat on that still hooked up to the main line, the entire area that used to be the Old Railyard was all dug up. Now the real work of leveling the area, as well as the rest of the surveying work, could begin. Then once that was finally done, then we could get to work on beginning to dig the foundations for the museum.

Don looked over the site. "Well done boys, this was a fine piece of work! We're well on our way to getting this museum built, and everything's going according to the schedule!"

"Actually", The foreman piped up, "We're slightly AHEAD of schedule now! The rest of the demolition wasn't slated to be done until the middle of next week! We're now 4 days ahead of schedule! With all of you helping the rest of the construction crews, as well as putting your big heavy machines to work here, the work's been going MUCH faster than we ever believed that it would."

Don nodded. "Well, we're just glad for the employment! With some of us working on the Battleship Express, it leaves the rest of us free to work on the museum."

The foreman agreed, and then he, Don, and later Jim, talked about this for a while longer.

Meanwhile, before it was time to start getting ready for the ball, I had a meeting to get to. Dash and I were on our way to the Wonderbolt Academy, so that we could meet up with Spitfire. Then, once she was with us, we would head over to Cloudsdale City Hall, and look through the archives until we'd found that contract that the two of them signed in their own blood. I wanted to see it for myself, and see if it had any loopholes.

"I sure hope that Spitfire will be happy to see us again." I told Dash as we flew.

"Are you kidding me Stud? OF COURSE she'll be happy to see us! I'm her best flyer, and you're her kinda-sorta coltfriend!"

I blushed a little bit. "Eh, let's just focus on the matter at hand! We have to meet her, and then get over to Cloudsdale City Hall so that we can find that contract of yours. I want to see for MYSELF what this whole deal is really all about!"

Dash nodded. "Yeah, I know Stud, so that's why we're doing this now!"

I sighed, and a few minutes later, we saw it; Wonderbolt Academy.

"Wow, this place is even cooler up close!"

Dash smirked. "Yeah, no kidding Stud! This place is awesome!"

Once we'd landed, we slowly made our way over to Spitfire's office. All while we walked though, Wonderbolts, recruits, and staff alike all stopped and stared at me.

"Whoa, that's Captain Leopard!"

"What? NO! THE Captain Leopard?!"

"Yeah, the guy who helped win the Imperial War!"

"One of the engineers of the Battleship Express, war hero, as well as being the coltfriend to Rainbow Dash! How much luckier can you get than that?!"

"You can't!"

I sighed. I was used to the celebrity status by now. Even while we were still back on Earth, whenever the Battleship Express was in town, EVERYBODY came out to see us! Battalion 4009 was the most popular, and well known unit in the US Military. EVERYONE knew us by name, as there was even merchandise! T-shirts, hats, hoodies, golf balls, commemorative coins, Frisbees, buttons, pins, toys, models, and of course, Lionel and MTH got in on the act, and made O-Scale electric trains of the Battleship Express and Iron Glory.

"It'll wear off eventually", I thought. "One day, we'll just be normal Humans, and everypony will move on from us." I then sighed, and Dash and I walked inside of the main academy building.

Eventually, we reached Spitfire's office. I knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Leopard and Dash Spits. We're here."

"Oh, well come on in guys!"

"Ok." I opened the door, and sure enough, Spitfire was there. She was sitting behind her desk, working on some paperwork.

She was wearing her blue academy uniform, and had goggles on her forehead as well. When she saw us, she got up and walked over to us.

"Hey Dash, hey Stud!" She hugged both of us.

"Hey Spits, it's nice to see you too. How are you today?"

She sighed. "As good as the Captain of the Wonderbolts can be Stud."

"Well, that's good to hear. So are you able to go to Cloudsdale City Hall now?"

She nodded. "Yeah. With the Victory Ball later on tonight, most of us are just wrapping up our work now. We can go now if you want."

I nodded. "Yeah. I want to see this document for myself, and see if I can find any loopholes in it."

Sptifire sighed. "Yeah, so let's just get this over with. Let's go."

We all then left the Academy, and took flight for Cloudsdale.

Once we arrived in the city a little while later, we all went straight for City Hall. When we walked inside, we were greeted by a receptionist.

"Ah, Captain Spitfire. So nice to see you again! Oh, and I see that you brought some friends with you as well."

Spitfire nodded. "Yeah. This is Rainbow Dash, one of my fellow Wonderbolts, and this is Captain Leopard."

"The guy from the Battleship Express!!! EEEE!!!! I'm such a huge fan of yours Captain Leopard! What you did during the Imperial war was AMAZING!!!!!"

I sighed. "Yeah, it was something else alright!"

Once the receptionist was able to get a better grip on herself, she looked back at us. "So, what can I do for you all today?"

Spitfire sighed. "Well, we need to get into the archives. There's a document in there that I need to find."

The receptionist nodded. "Certainly! I will be with you in just a moment to take you down there."

We all sat down on some nearby chairs, and waited for a few minutes. Finally, when the receptionist was able to help us again, she took us down to the basement of City Hall.

Once we were down there, she opened a door at the end of the hallway, and beckoned us inside. "Ok, here we are, the archives!"

I looked around. The entire room was massive, and was filled with rows upon rows of shelves and filing cabinets that went all of the way up to the ceiling.

"Whoa, this place is HUGE!!!"

The receptionist nodded. "Yes, it is indeed!" She then turned back to Spitfire. "So, what document are you looking for?"

Spitfire thought for a moment. "Well, it was filed away about 2 years ago, just before the Imperial War began. I filed it under my name, and it should be under marriage contracts."

"Ok, marriage contracts. Got it. Follow me!" She then led the way over to a massive series of filing cabinets. After climbing up a ladder, she began to look.

"Just for reference, what is your full name Captain?"

"It's Flare. Spitfire Flare."

"Ok, Flare. F. Got it!" She reached a file drawer for F's. After searching for a few minutes, she found it. "Ok, I found it!" She then flew back down to us. She handed the file to Spitfire. "Here it is Captain!"

Spitfire then handed it to me. "Ok, this is it, open it Stud!"

With trembling hands, I opened up the file folder. What I found inside was very shocking indeed. The document was indeed there, and at the bottom, I saw where it had been signed in blood! I then began to read the document.

"Ok, so this document hereby states that the loser of the race will be the lesser wife in a relationship, while the winner will be the primary wife. It also states that all parties must sign the document in their own blood. The contract is not valid without it. Well there's your loophole right there. If I sign this in INK, then it automatically becomes null and void! If I sign this contract in ink, then I release all of you from it."

Dash was looking over my shoulder. "Um, I don't think so Stud. Look at this!" She pointed to another line.

"Also, if any parties refuse to sign the document in blood, or sign it in ink, then they will be punished to the full extent of the law, as they have violated the legal terms of this contract."

"What the.....what? Did you guys put this in here?!"

They both shook their heads. "No Stud, we swear!"

"It must have happened either when we got it authenticated, or notarized."

"So now if I don't sign this contract, I could be in legal trouble! But yet, how can I be held responsible for barely-legal actions not my own? I did not consent to this, so why should I be held responsible?"

Spitfire sighed. "Now I'm REALLY wishing that I paid better attention when they drew up this contract! I was so busy bragging to Dash that I never really read it all carefully."

"And neither did I stud."

I put my hands over my face. "Great, just great. Now I'M stuck in a legal contract that I can't get out of, and if I refuse then I end up in court! Just.......I don't even know what to say right now."

Spitfire thought for a moment. "Well", she said slowly, "We could always take this document to a legal expert and have it interpreted for us."

"And what's THAT going to cost?"

Spitfire shrugged. "Well, since it's only a simple matter of having a document interpreted, it shouldn't cost too much. Plus, there's a law office just down the street."

Dash and I agreed, and then we took the document to the law office.

When we arrived there, after waiting for a bit, we were ushered over to the office of L. Eagle, Attorney at Law.

Once we were inside of his office, the aging Pegasus with gray fur, and a white mane and tail looked at us. "So, what can I do for you three today?"

Spitfire sighed. "Well Sir, the truth is, we need you to help us interpret this document. It was drawn up about 2 years ago, and now we have need of it. However, it involves the matter of a polygamous marriage, so we need legal help with this."

He glared at me. "Is he forcing you to do this?"

"No! He's the one caught up in all of this...." Spitfire then explained about the bet, as well as the events leading up to, and after it. "So that's where everything currently stands. We need help interpreting this document, and none of us want to get into any legal trouble."

After Spitfire handed him the document, he put on his glasses, and looked it over.

"Well", he said after a time, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but you three are legally bound by this contract."

"What?!" I was shocked.

"I'm afraid so. In layman's terms, this contract calls for the marriage of 3 individuals; 2 mares and 1 stallion. The 2 mares in question have already signed and sealed the deal, which leaves you the odd one out Captain Leopard. Have you signed the document?"

"No Sir."

"Are you in a relationship with either Rainbow Dash or Captain Spitfire?"

"Yes Sir. Rainbow Dash is my marefriend, and Captain Spitfire is a close friend."

"Have you handled the document?"

"Yes Sir, I have."

"That's the problem then. By handling the document, as well as being in a relationship with both of the mares who signed it, you are now legally bound to marry them. If you do not sign this contract, then you WILL be in serious legal trouble. It would take thousands to fight this in court, and even then, the odds are not in your favor. If you want, I can go and talk to my boss, as he's legally licensed to perform marriage ceremonies. We can just get this over right now if you want."

We all looked at each other in horror, before looking back at Eagle. "NO!!!" We all said together.

"Um, we're making other arrangements by ourselves!" Spitfire quickly added.

I then looked at Mr. Eagle. "Um Sir, does the contract say that I have to marry both of them at the same time? Both of my marefriends here were each hoping for their own ceremony. Also, their families don't like each other very well, and I don't want to cause any unnecessary stress for anypony."

He shrugged. "No, you can marry each of them in their own ceremony if you want; this contract gives leeway for that. However, the other ceremony must be done within 1 year of the first."

I sighed. "Well, thank you for your time Sir. I guess that we'll just be going now. We have to get dressed for the Victory Ball tonight in Canterlot."

Eagle nodded. "Ah, yes, that would be a very nice place to propose to your marefriends! I wish you all the best of luck!"

We all looked at each other, and once we were convinced that L. Eagle had lost his mind, we all got out of that office and fled back out into the streets of Cloudsdale.

"Great. This is just PEACHY!!!! Now I'm stuck with this, your parents are going to kill me, and I don't even have anything to say in my defense!"

Dash and Spitfire both looked at each other, before turning back to me.

"Eh, this might not be as dark as you think Stud. Remember, this was our fault, not yours. Spitfire and I made that bet, and you just got caught in the crossfire."

"I'll have to tell that to my attorney....oh wait, that's right, I don't have one, and the ones around here are loons!"

They could both see the amount of stress that I was under. "Well, if you want, we could try to talk to our mothers about it at the ball, and see what they would say."

I shrugged. "Sure, if you think that it would help."

We all then parted ways so that we could all get ready for the ball. We all agreed to meet back up at the Battlehip Express, as it was going to be taken with us to Canterlot.

Dash went back to her house, and after picking up the dress that Rarity had made for her, she quickly showered, and put it on. When she did, she admired herself in the mirror. "Wow, I actually look pretty cute!"

I did stop by to pick up Aurora, but Dash told me that I couldn't see her until the ball. "Ok, fine, I can wait!" I then took Aurora, and after flying her to the ground, we quickly made our way back to the train.

When we arrived there a few minutes later, I quickly got into the shower, and once I was out, from my dresser, still wrapped up in plastic from the last time that it was dry-cleaned, I pulled out my formal uniform. I'd never gotten a chance to wear it during WW6, but now I would finally get to. "Gosh, I only wore this when I got outfitted with it. I certainly hope that it still fits!"

I then pulled on a pair of clean boxers and socks, and then I began to pull on the uniform. (I did have to cut holes into it for my wings and tail, but that's besides the point!) It greatly resembled a US Marines Class A uniform. There were black shoes, dark blue pants with a red stripe running down the sides of the legs, a dark blue button-up tunic, a white belt around the waist, and a dark blue hat. On the shoulders of the uniform was my rank, which was Captain, as well as all of the medals, and other honors I had been awarded with over the years I'd been in the US Army, and RWD, and the insignia of the Railway Warfare Division was on the front of my hat as well. (I also had to cut holes in my hat for my ears as well!) I then looked myself over in the mirror on the back of my door.

"Wow, I look pretty good in this! I'm glad that it still fits!"

Aurora barked an approval as well.

"Oh yeah, I can't forget about you Girl!"

I then gave Aurora a bath as well, and once she was all dried off, I helped her into her own uniform. Yes, just like the rest of us, because she was the official mascot of the Battleship Express, she had her own uniform! It consisted of a small blue tunic with an attached tie, a blue skirt with a hole for her tail, small black shoes for her back paws, and of course, a blue hat for her head. The entire uniform was custom made for her, and she loved it.

"Ok, now I'm ready too Master!"

I nodded. "I know Aurora. However, it's almost time for that meeting with Don, so let's go!"

I then put a leash on Aurora, and together we walked outside of the train.

Sure enough, Don was standing there in his formal uniform, as was everyone else.

"Ok, everyone, this is it. Tonight is the night of the Victory Ball! The ball is being thrown to honor the heroes who have returned from battle, so remember we are HONORED GUESTS! This will be no different than a ball thrown to honor the President of the United States. We all must be on our BEST behavior, so that means NO running! NO shouting! NO discharging of firearms! NO falsifying stories! Basically, if you weren't at a certain battle, DO NOT say that you were! NO drinking out of chocolate fountains!" Here he glared directly at a gunnery officer. "NO sex in the bathrooms!" He glared at somebody else. "NO grinding against your partner! (This means YOU Alex Barkley!) NO cussing! NO spitting! NO getting drunk! NO drugs! NO picking up mares! NO picking up stallions! NO....."

"Um, Major Don?"

"Oh, yes Todd?"

"What CAN we do at this ball?"

Don sighed. "Oh, right. Well, I just got a little carried away. I just DO NOT want a repeat of that fancy dinner in Chicago back in May of 2028! I think that you ALL remember that episode!"

We all looked down at the ground. Yes, most, if not ALL of us remembered that night!

Don then continued. "What you all CAN do however, is have fun, eat some food, spend time with your friends and those you love, and enjoy your accomplishments. This ball was made possible by your contributions, so please act like it!"

We all nodded, and once we were all onboard the train, Joe blew the whistle, and the train departed Ponyville for Canterlot. (Dash sent word to me that she was just going to head to the ball, and meet me in Canterlot.)

For the most part, the train ride to Canterlot was dull and boring. Every now and again though, we would see some Ponies who would wave and cheer for us. We would often blow a quick blast of our whistle in thanks.

Eventually, we reached the base of Canterlot Mountain. Now we had to be really careful, as the tracks and bridges going up it were NOT rated for a train as heavy as the Battleship Express! Slowly but surely, Big Boy 4009 made her way up the mountain. Higher and higher she went, until she finally reached Canterlot Station at the very top.

"Woo hoo! We did it!" Joe then blew the whistle to signify our arrival, and once the train stopped, most of us got out onto the station platform. The few who remained on the train then drove it to a siding, and then they got ready for the ball, while detachments of Royal Guards stood guard over the train.

The crowds at the station were enormous.

"Dang! Is this a ball, or Black Friday?!" I heard Alex yell. "I'm confused!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Fred added. "This place is nuts!"

Somehow though, we were able to find our dates. Alex, Don, Dan, Todd, and myself were able to find Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Dash.

When I saw Dash, I gasped slightly in surprise. "Oh my gosh!" I thought, "She's GORGEOUS!" Dash was wearing a dress that from the waist up was cyan blue, and had short sleeves. Her rainbow colored mane was tied up in a ponytail, and draped over her shoulder. From the waist down, her dress was as rainbow-colored as her mane and tail. On her hooves she wore golden colored shoes. She also had a small brooch in her mane that looked just like her Cutie-Mark.

Dash then sauntered up to me. "Hey Stud. Like whatcha see?"

I couldn't even remember my own name, much less tell her that I liked what I saw!

"I know ya do!" Dash then kissed me gently on the cheek.

"Aww." The crowd around us cooed. "Such a cute couple!"

I was blushing like mad, but I still didn't really say anything. To Dash though, I did say, "Yeah, you look beautiful Dash."

Now she blushed a bit. "Aww, thanks Stud. You're so sweet."

After a few more minutes, it was time for us to make our way inside of the castle for the ball. All of the other ponies went in first, and because we were honored guests, we would come in a bit later.

Don and Twilight then moved to the front of the group. "Ok guys, this is it. Form up!"

We all then formed into our ranks as best we could. All of us who had marefriends were at the front; soldier on the left, mare on the right. Behind us came the rest of the train crew in columns of 2. Don and Twilight were leading the way, then Dash and I, Alex and Applejack, Todd and Fluttershy, Pinkie and Dan, Cole and Missy, and finally, Rarity and Andy Shepherd, who was one of the Engine Guardsmen of Secondary Crew. (They were paired up for the night, as Rarity was feeling left out. All of her friends had coltfriends, except for her. Andy volunteered to be her date for the ball.)

"Ok, Company steady, forward march!"

We all then began our slow walk into the castle. All around us, other ponies were taking pictures, and cheering for us. Once we'd made it inside, the crowd within went wild. A band was playing an upbeat tune, and from further inside, we heard,

"And now please put your hands together for the boys who made it all happen, the American Humans from Battalion 4009!"

Up at the front of the main ballroom, I saw Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, as well as General....well, now Prince again, Shining Armor. Celestia was motioning for us to come up to the front. Once we were all up there, all 216 train crew, and all 1,112 soldiers of Battalion 4009 lining the aisle, Celestia spoke.

"It's certainly hard to believe that just 2 and a half months ago, we were all at the bottom of the bottle. The Imperial War was still raging, and the enemy was making new gains all of the time. However, just when all hope seemed lost, the Heavens answered our prayers, and they sent the Battleship Express, as well as Battalion 4009 to us! In less than a week, they'd begun rolling back the enemy's advances, and in just 2 short months, both the Caribou Empire, and the Zebra Empire were wiped out, never to rise again!"

The crowd cheered for us.

"However!" Celestia continued, "Now that the war is over, it is time for these boys to begin making new lives for themselves. By their sides, they do have their marefriends, however, I would like to offer them something as well. Well actually 2 somethings! First of all, I'm proud to announce the creation of the first Equestrian Foreign Legion! The backbone of this foreign legion will the Battleship Express, it's crew, and Battalion 4009. The rest of the legion will be made up of Griffons, Diamond Dogs, Minotaurs, Donkeys, Dragons, and all others who hold Equestrian Citizenship, but are not natural-born natives.

Secondly, one cannot serve in the military, nor can they marry any of my subjects, unless they have Equestrian Citizenship. Major Don, Captain Leopard, and the rest of Battalion 4009, it is my greatest honor to announce that if you join the Foreign Legion, then you will be granted automatic Equestrian Citizenship!"

Some of our jaws hit the floor, but all of us stared in shock. If we joined the Foreign Legion, then we would be given automatic Equestrian Citizenship!

"Oh, and if you still want Equestrian Citizenship, but do not want to be full-time military, then we have a solution for that. Not all of the Foreign Legion will be active all the time. Most of it will only be activated in a time of severe crisis. Just like with the Battleship Express at the planned Imperial War Museum in Ponyville, you will all be in active reserve, and only be called up in the event of a severe crisis. So what do you all say? Are you ready to begin a new chapter in your lives?"

For a moment, there was still only stunned silence. Then ALL of our hands went up! We also cheered for becoming a part of Equestrian Society as a whole.

Once the formalities, (as well as singing all of the necessary paperwork!) were out of the way, it was time for the ball to begin. We all began to mix and mingle, as well as dance, stand around talking, some were signing autographs, standing for photos, and getting refreshments.

"So, what do you think of this ball so far Stud?"

I shrugged. "I don't know Dash. I was never really into stuff like this."

"Do....you want to dance with me?"

I sighed. "That's the problem Dash, I don't even know how to dance anymore. I did once, but I've long forgotten how to now."

Dash was maybe about to say something, but before she could, I saw somepony waving to us.

"Oh hey look, there's Spitfire!"

"Oh yeah! Let's go say hi!"

We walked over. When we got over there, Spitfire was standing next to a mare in a purple ball gown. She had yellow fur, and an orange mane and tail, and she looked an awful lot like Spitfire. Spitfire herself was wearing her Wonderbolt jumpsuit.

"Hey Stud." She hugged me.

"Hey Spitsy."

"Hey Dash."

"Hi!"

Spitfire then indicated the mare next to her. "Oh and Stud, I would like you to meet my mom, Stormy Flare. Mom, this is Captain Leopard, the guy I told you about."

She then looked at me. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person Captain. My daughter's told me so much about you."

I took her hand and kissed it gently. "The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Flare."

"Wow, a war hero, AND a true gentlecolt too! There's not much better of a combination!"

While I was still talking to Stormy, Dash saw her parents, and waved them over as well. When I saw them come over, I suddenly got the very bad feeling that Dash and Spitfire were about to tell their parents the truth about their wager, and the legal document that followed. At that moment, my nerves failed me.

After talking for a while, Dash looked over at Spitfire. Spitfire looked back at her, and nodded. Then they both looked at me, and I could tell by their facial expressions that they were about to take the leap of faith, and tell their parents. I already knew off the bat that we were screwed, but NOTHING could have prepared me for what happened next.

Spitfire started the conversation. "So, Mom......um, t-there's something t-that I need to.....talk to you about......"

Stormy looked at her daughter. "Oh? And what would that be Dear?"

"And...um, you're gonna want to hear this too Mom and Dad.....It involves me too." Dash did refrain from studdering, but I knew that she was just as scared as Spitfire and I were.

"Huh? What is this all about?" Windy asked.

Dash and Spitfire both looked at each other. "Well......um.....it, um, k-kinda involves a little wager that we made a while back...." They then told their parents everything. From the original bet, to how blown up it got, to the legal document, to getting it notarized, signing it in their own blood, the actual race, Dash winning, their telling me about the results, then the retrieval from the Clousdale City Hall archives, to taking it to L. Eagle to have it interpreted, to the final verdict.

"And sadly, that's where everything stands." Dash then wrapped her arm around my left arm, just as Spitfire wrapped her arm around my right arm.

"Mom and Dad...."

"As well as you Mom..... Say hello to the first polygamous union in Equestria in a long time. "

For the longest time after they told their parents this, all they could do was stare. I didn't know if that was a good sign, a bad sign, or what it indicated. Then I saw eye twitching, as well as irregular hand moments. I knew that this was going to be trouble.

Finally, Stormy Flare spoke up. "So there's no legal way out of this? All 3 of you are going to be married?"

Spitfire shrugged. "Well, kind of. I don't know if I'll be married to Dash, but Stud here will be married to both of us."

"And are you SURE that this is what you all want?" Bow asked.

I sighed. "I really do not have a say in this. I was never a part of it; I was just caught up in the aftermath."

I saw all 3 of them narrow their eyes at me. I knew this to be an ESPECIALLY bad sign!

Finally, Windy said, "Ok, we'll talk about this later. For now, you Sir!" she pointed to me, "Are in BIG trouble! And YOU Missy!" She pointed to Dash, "Are grounded!"

"Yes, and the same with you Spitfire! You're grounded!"

Both Dash and Spitfire looked at each other. "Um, in case you've forgotten, we're both grown mares who live on our own, and I don't know if you can ground us."

Her mom looked at her angrily. "Oh, we'll see about that Missy!"

Their parents then stormed off, leaving the 3 of us alone with our thoughts.

Dash sighed. "Well, that actually went a lot better than I thought that it was going to. I was fully expecting my parents to try and beat you up Stud!"

"Yeah, my mom too! She looked mad enough to, but she didn't do it."

I put my hands over my face. "Yeah, but now, I think that we're in SERIOUS trouble! I.....need to go get some air!"

I then went out of a side door, and out into a side garden.

I then began to try and put all of my thoughts together.

"Great, so now 3 parents hate me, and it wasn't even my fault! I didn't do ANYTHING!!!" I continued to ramble to myself, completely unaware that I was being watched from the nearby bushes.

Once I'd walked past the bushes, from behind them, what looked to be 2 figures stepped. One was shortish, while the other was taller.

"Ok, remember the plan?"

"Yeah, grab him, drag him to our 'special room' and interrogate him! See what kind of good info we can get out of him!"

One of the figures laughed. "Ok, on my signal.....NOW!!!!"

Suddenly, from the back of my head, I felt a shattering pain as a blunt instrument impacted with my skull. "OUGH!!!" I then hit the ground like a bag of bricks.

"Ok, now we've got him! Let's get him to our 'special room' and see what kind of information we can get out of him!"

"Roger that!" The 2 figures then dragged me away, where I was to face an uncertain future.

Uh oh, this ain't good. I just got knocked out, and KIDNAPPED!!! Who has done this to me? Was it the angry parents, or was it someone(s) much, much worse? What'll happen to me now? Where am I being taken? And will anypony even notice that I'm missing? Well, stay tuned, and I'll tell you! Chapter 5, will be VERY interesting, and it will end on an interesting note as well. It'll be great, so don't you dare miss it!

Meanwhile, as always, comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story, are always appreciated, and I'll see you all again in Chapter 5!

ScarFox out for now!