//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Corrupted Future 
// Story: Tracks Backwards 
// by ScarFox9700 
//------------------------------//

Unfortunately, my gut feeling was more than just going to pan out. Something bad did indeed happen, and it ended up being worse than we could have possibly imagined. Sure, we made the jump, but it all ended there. 

Due to the immense strain on Oddball's parts, his systems overloaded, and he began to go into a critical systems failure. His reactor was overloading, the Dark Matter containment unit was threatening to fail, and everything was getting hot enough to combust. In fact, once everything DID combust, the force was so great that we were actually physically RIPPED out of our Time Vortex, and deposited somewhere in Time! From here though, things just went from bad to worse. 

In one final moment, Oddball's central gauge went from "Systems Critical", all the way up to "Whoops!" in a matter of seconds. 

"EGAD!!!!! DON, IT JUST HIT 'WHOOPS'!!!!!" 

"WHAT?!?! LEOPARD, BRAKES NOW!!!! ALL OTHER HANDS BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!!!!" 

I reached for the brakes, but it was too late. In one final, heart-wrenching moment, Oddball's systems had all that they could take, and a split second after DELCI "grabbed" her "little brother" and "pulled him to safety" inside of her own systems, the physical machine form of Oddball exploded violently into an immense ball of fire. Unfortunately, while this was already bad enough, the ball of fire quickly spread down to the front leading-truck, and driving wheels below, and just behind the pillbox. The immense heat caused the axles of the wheels to begin to melt, and this in turn caused them to bend, which bent the wheels, and began to cause the drive rods to snap, which put even MORE stress on the front set of drive pistons. 

During all of this, I slammed on 4009's brakes, Todd hit the brakes for the rest of the train, while Daryl hit Iron Glory's brakes. As we were slowing down though, there came one final explosion from Oddball, and this one took out not only the reactor, but also the containment unit for the Dark Matter-infused Anomaly. Once that was released, the full might of the Dark Matter-infused-Anomaly washed over those on the trains, but yet the full effects wouldn't be felt until later. After washing over us though, the Dark Matter-infused Anomaly then left the area, and returned to the spot in the Everfree where we'd first arrived, and rejoined the rest of the Dark Matter that made up itself, and the whole Anomaly simply remained where it was. The Anomaly would have to be recaptured at a future date once a new containment unit was built for it.

I could already tell that the engine's front wheels, as well as the front set of drive wheels, and the front 2 drive pistons were probably trashed. Sparks and smoke were flying from the front of the engine, and flames were still visible as well. We did manage to fully stop somewhere outside of Ponyville, and once we did, those who didn't black out raced to the front with hoses and fire extinguishers. 

Once the blaze was out, the full scope of the damage was realized. Oddball was completely gone! Somehow, someway, the pillbox itself was still there, albeit EXTREMELY burnt and scorched. However, while it was still there, all that was left of Oddball were a few shattered fragments of parts, and a LOT of unidentifiable debris. Even worse, it was pretty clear that the 4 wheels of the lead-truck, as well as 4 of the first 8 drive wheels, the driving rods, and the front drive pistons would have to be completely replaced. 4009 would also need a new headlight, her number plate would have to be worked on, she needed new front handrails, although luckily her spiked plow-catcher survived intact. 

Don was beside himself with panic. He did calm down a bit once he realized that everyone was ok, but then he started panicking again once he saw the state of the front of 4009. 

"Talk to me Jim, how bad is this?!" 

"It looks a lot worse that it really is Don. All we're going to have to do is remove the front 4 wheels of the leading-truck, the first 4 of the 8 drive wheels, the front pistons and driving rods, repair their axles, and then either repair or replace the other parts, depending on how badly damaged they are. Beyond this, 4009'll also need a new front headlight, and some new railing. Maybe a few other parts in the front here and there, but overall, this is easily repairable. We have the parts to do so, and the facilities to do so as well." 

Don breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I mean, we lost Oddball, and our engine is damaged, but at least we made it home, right?" 

"Um, Sir, we didn't quite make it home." 

"Huh? What do you mean DELCI?" 

"I mean Sir that yes, we made it back to Ponyville, but no, we're not home. According to both my calculations, and Oddball's calculations, today's date is Friday, August 3rd, 2029! We're still in the past!" 

"W.....wha......WHAT?!?!?!" 

"And that't not all Sir. According to my scanners, and Oddball double-checked this for me, but because of the release or ALL of that Dark Matter that was inside of Oddball's reactor, not only are we the ONLY Battleship Express, Iron Glory, and Battalion 4009 in this timeline now, but you guys are now 5 years younger as well!" 

When Don heard what DELCI had just told him, about how we were still 5 years in the past, and were now also de-aged 5 years, he straight-up fainted! 



 

When we all heard the news as well, we were both glad that we were now 5 years younger, but we were also worried, as we now had to deal with repairing the Big Boy locomotive, all while the Imperial War Museum that was supposed to house it was only about a month along in construction! Luckily, the railroad workshop that we turned into Big Boy Workshops was still there, so there was that. It was fully tooled, and fully equipped, so all we had to do was get the Big Boy to it. 

And that was one other thing that we found bizarre. Once we made it into Ponyville to get help, Ponies not only looked at us like everything was normal, but they also seemed to have at least some knowledge of Oddball's existence, and what he was supposed to do.

With help from the Equestrian Railroad, as well as Iron Glory, we managed to uncouple 4009 from the Battleship Express, and once her fire was completely out in the firebox, we uncoupled her tender, and all while Unicorns were using their Magic to hold the damaged front of the engine off the rails, Iron Glory and 2 other engines were able to push her back to the railyard, and into the workshop at the back. Once the engine was inside and being secured, Iron Glory and her 2 helper engines then assisted with the moving of the train part of the Battleship Express to the railyard as well. 

Once inside, Big Boy 4009 was being held up in her front by heavy-duty crane hoists, and once she was fully secured, engineers and maintenance personnel began the somewhat tedious task of taking the front drivers and leading-truck apart, as well as the front pistons and front drive rods so that they could be repaired, or replaced. Jim estimated that the entire process could take an estimated 1-2 months, and he also said that the damage could have been a hell of a lot worse. If the train had derailed at those speeds, it's more than likely that lives would have been lost. Luckily, the lips of the wheels remained intact, and even though the axles of the wheels got bent, the front wheels stayed on the tracks long enough for Todd and I to bring the Battleship Express to a complete stop. The train's boiler was completely intact, and some of the damage parts could be salvaged, and repaired. 

However, while I began to help with the initial repair work, I was beginning to feel rather sickly. My head felt like it was swimming, I felt cold, and sick to my stomach as well. Others said that I looked pale, and that my eyes were rather bloodshot. I did manage to finish my shift, and then I collapsed into my bunk in my room on the train. I fell asleep that night somehow, little suspecting just what was going to lay ahead for me now. 



 

When I woke up the next morning, I had the worst migraine of my entire life. It was ear-splitting, my throat felt like it was on fire, I was vomiting up what looked to be blood into the toilet in my bathroom, and I couldn't even stand up. 

Aurora looked over at Briana with extreme fear. "Whatever he's contracted has GOT to be serious Briana! We have to get him to the train's infirmary immediately!" 

"Yeah, but how?! He can't even stand up!" 

Aurora thought on her paws. "You carry him on your back, and I'll hold him steady!" 

For once, Briana decided not to argue. Instead, she made herself larger, and once she was large enough, I was able to move over to her enough to climb onto her back. Then, while Aurora held me steady as best she could with her paws, Briana made her way back to the train's medical car. 

Along the way, Auorora told DELCI to tell Dr. Fritz and his medical team to be ready to receive a possible quarantine case. "Master's condition is HORRIBLE DELCI! It could easily be something contagious!" 

"I know Aurora! Just get him there, and I'm alerting Dr. Fritz now!" They then continued to haul me to the medical car. 

While most of the train's personnel were either engaged with helping with 4009's repairs, helping to build the Imperial War Museum, or spending time with their marefriends, a skeletal crew remained behind to look after the Battleship Express. 8 of these individuals were Dr. Wilhelm Fritz, the Chief Medical Officer of the Battleship Express, and his team of doctors and nurses. They were on call 24/7 just in case of an accident at the railyard. When Briana and Aurora arrived carrying me though, Dr. Fritz freaked out. 

"Oh Mein Gott!!!! Vat ze hell happened to him?!?!?!?!" 

"That's what we hope that you can tell us Doctor! Whatever it is though, it's serious!" 

"Right!" Dr. Fritz then turned to his medical staff. "Get him to ze Isolation Vard immediately! He must be quarantined until ve can figure out vat is vrong viz him!" 

"Yes Doctor!" One of the nurses answered. Then after they put on protective gear, I was taken to the Isolation Ward where I could be fully examined. 

When I was examined though, much to Dr. Fritz's shock, he was unable to determine what was wrong with me. I was showing no sign of a serious illness, despite what it appeared. However, once he realized that I was once again a Human-Wolf, he ran a few tests, and was able to come up with an answer to the problem. 

"What's........wrong with me Doc?" I muttered weakly. 

"Your condition is very serious Captain. Your entire system is once again corrupted, and you may very vell be dying!" 

"Is......is it the 'Apex Sickness'?" 

Dr. Fritz nodded. "Yes, it is indeed zat, or 'Lycan Syndrome' as it's also called." 

"Can.......anything be done?" 

"Zat's ze thing Captain. Unlike last time, zis is a much more complicated matter zan just removing failing genetics, and replacing zem viz new ones. As you probably know, ze problem here stems back to your time under Apex Industries." 

I felt a burning hatred that I hadn't felt in years when Dr. Fritz said that. Apex Industries was the laboratory facility where "Project Sterling", aka the project that was designed to turn us all into Human-wolf super-soldiers by adding wolf DNA to our genetic code, was performed. However, Apex was one of the most evil companies of all time. They cared NOTHING for anyone under them, and only cared about profits. "Project Sterling" was nearly 20 years away from being ready for testing, but they decided not to wait, and the results were often fatal. THIS is why we Human-Wolves suffered from so many health issues. Not only do Human and animal genetics not mix, but the technology used on us could just barely even be CONSIDERED experimental, and it had so many flaws that were never corrected! 

Apex was thankfully wiped out in WW5, and after that, the search was begun to find the remaining scientists who had wronged millions of soldiers, and bring them to justice; both so that they could stand trial for their crimes, and so that they could either find a way to correct the problems with "Project Sterling", or to even reverse the effects entirely. Once I became a Human-Pony hybrid though, I no longer suffered because of my failed genetics, but now that I was a Human-Wolf again due to the release of the Dark Matter, I was once again in the danger zone. 

"What.......can be done for me Doctor?" 

He sighed. "Unfortunately, zer is no vay to reverse vat vas done to you. I simply do not have ze technology to do so. However, vat I DO have is ze technology to make you vell again. Ze perfected 'Project Sterling' if you vill." 

By this point, I had passed out, and was at death's door. Dr. Fritz knew that he was going to have to act fast before anyone realized what he was going to do, so he ordered one of the 2 operating rooms prepped for emergency surgery. 

He then looked down at some notes that he was holding. "Yes", he muttered to himself, "Captain Leopard could easily become the first truly perfect Human-Volf Super-Soldier, and nobody vill EVER be able to tell ze difference!" He then began to laugh a bit as I was transferred to the operating room for my surgery. 



 

Once he was ready himself, Dr. Fritz went to work on me. What few people knew was that Dr. Fritz was one of the doctors contracted to work for Apex Industries. He abhorred the company, but yet at the same time, he did gain a rather unhealthy interest in a number of Apex's unethical medical experiments. For a number of years he tried to perfect "Project Sterling", and at long last, he did so. Much to the German doctor's delight, he had created what he called "Sterling 2.0", also called "Project Redemption".

Unfortunately however, to reverse the damage that had already been done so that I could be made new, a LOT of changes had to be made. And to protect himself, Fritz worked alone in the operating room with only the aide of his computer assistant COMPUTER, and a medical robot. Even DELCI had no cameras in there. When he began, the first thing that Dr. Fritz did was give me an injection to the heart that stopped it beating. Yes, you read that right. The first thing that Dr. Fritz did was kill me, at least for a while. This did serve a purpose, as my body wasn't ready to undergo the changes that it was about to undergo while I was still alive. A faint spark could be kept alive to restart my brain once the time came, but in the meantime, there was work to be done. 

Most of the surgery involved me being cut open in various places, and then being injected with a variety of chemicals, and other substances. The first of these began to seep into my bone structures. They made my bones MUCH stronger than they currently were, and even gave them the ability to quickly self-repair should the need arise, thanks to nanobots. This same process was repeated for my muscle structures, internal organs, my eyes, my odd mixture of skin and black fur, and even my wolf ears and tail. Now, whenever I was brought back to the land of the living, I would be slightly taller, weigh a bit more than I used to be, and be MUCH faster, stronger, able to see farther, and in almost total darkness, be able to hear MUCH better than before, and yes, even my bad left ear, the same one I lost hearing in to the frigid waters of the Arkansas River in March of 2025, was fully restored! My sense of smell increased tenfold, I gained some black fur on my back, in addition to my black fur covered Wolf legs and paws becoming permanent as well. Even my wings were given new life. While just prior to my surgery they were black, feathery Pegasus wings, they were altered to have increased size, strength, and built up flight endurance. Previously I had a wingspan of about 8 feet, but now I had a wingspan of 16 feet! 

Some of the final changes were made to my reproductive system. Through a chemical process, my fertility was once again restored, though instead of having wolf genitalia, I was given back my old stallion package! I was now a Human-wolf with a stallion's dick! It was still black, as was my sheath and balls, but it and they were now slightly bigger than they were before. My balls were bigger, and were now full of VERY potent, virile sperm, and my stallion's dick was increased in size from 12 to 16in! With things the way that they were now the chances of a successful impregnation of a Human female, female Human-wolf hybrid, or even a Mare on the first try, were increased dramatically. And to cap it all off, my brain was rewired to be able to handle the immense strain of my new form. It was also given a number of other upgrades that would make my reflexes be able to fire much faster than they had previously. 

I would also be able to calculate a situation, and within 3 seconds be able to predict the end of it, and react accordingly. For instance, if somebody was coming at me to throw a punch, I would be able to detect it, find the perfect angle, and then deliver a knockout blow before the perpetrator could even realize what had happened!

Once I was all put back together, Dr. Fritz looked down at his handiwork lying on the operating table in front of him. 

"Vundurbar! Zis might just be my finest vork yet!" He then began to laugh a bit more manically than he normally would. 

"I wouldn't celebrate too early Doctor", COMPUTER reminded him. "Remember, he is still quite dead. We must first bring him back, and then stabilize his vital signs. If we can do that however, THEN we can celebrate a job well done!" 

Dr. Fritz pushed his round glasses back into place. "Yes, you are right COMPUTER. And vat are his vital signs currently?" 

"Currently, they are at 0% all around, with the exception of a small spark in his brain, even though it's a faint spark, and it's rapidly going out. We must resuscitate immediately!" 

"Right!" Dr. Fritz and the other medical robot began to hook me up to various health monitors, and once it was all charged up, the robot used a defibrillator on me. This was meant to shock me, and send the needed electrical impulses to my brain to restart it, which would in turn start up the rest of my systems. 

"Clear!" The robot shouted before shocking me. 

"Anything?" Dr. Fritz asked COMPUTER.

"Negative Sir, hit him again!" 

The robot again did so, and then did so another 4 times! 

COMPUTER then piped up. "Wait, I'm getting vital signs! Systems showing that there is brain activity! He's coming back!" 

"Vunurbar! Another successful procedure!" 

Meanwhile, I was waking up while having no idea what had just happened to me. When I first woke up, I remember not feeling sick at all, although I did feel extremely weak. 

"Ugh......what.....happened? Is.....it all over?" 

"Patient has reawakened! He is back from the dead!" 

I sat up in bed. "Wait, what?! Did I just die?!" 

"To an extent, yes". Dr. Fritz answered. "During ze procedure, your body did indeed stop vorking. However, I was able to resuscitate you before you passed on to the Next Life!" 

I put a hand over my face. "Well, thank you for that Dr. Fritz!" I then looked myself over. To my slight surprise, I seemingly looked exactly the same. I mean, I was now wearing a hospital gown instead of my regular uniform, but other than that, I looked at the mirror next to me and I saw that I still had black hair, 2 furry black wolf ears on top of my head, blue eyes, a large scar over my left eye, 2 large black feathery wings, a black wolf tail, wolf legs, and wolf paws. Heck, even my black paw-print Cutie-Mark was still there on my hips! However, I did notice that I felt different. 

"What.....did you do to me Doctor?" 

"Vell, I healed you for starters. I vas able to reverse ze damage before it became permanent. How do you feel now?" 

I sighed. "That's the weird thing doctor, I feel extremely healthy; MUCH healthier than I've felt in years. To put it simply, I feel like I'm a teenager again, like I can run for hours at top speed, I can jump higher than before, be able to lift VERY heavy objects with ease, my senses feel like they've been heightened, my reflexes feel ready to fire at a split-second's notice, my wings feel larger, and much stronger than before, and I even feel like I've regained the fertility that I first lost at the Tower 9 Nuclear Fire, regained as a Human-Bat-Pony, and then lost again when we first arrived here when Oddball malfunctioned the first time. I feel like a whole new creature!" 

While I explaining how I felt, Dr. Fritz was taking notes. He wanted to know everything that he could about my new condition, all while not revealing what he had really done to me. He knew that there were a few side effects to his "treatment", but it was nothing that we Human-wolves hadn't dealt with before. 

I then looked back up at him. "And, how much longer until I can get back to work Doctor?" 

"Soon, Captain. I just have to perform a few more tests just to make sure zat everything is vorking as it should." 

I waited patiently while her performed said tests. 

Soon, he was done, and I was free to leave. After pulling my uniform back on, I once again thanked Dr. Fritz for saving my life. "Thank you again for saving my life Doctor. You did so before at Zandia, and now you did it again." 

"No need to thank me Captain. Saving lives is just my job after all, as I AM a doctor!" Once I left the medical coach, I met back up with Aurora and Briana, and we all went back to work. 

Once I was gone, Dr. Fritz looked over his notes. "Well, since zat vent so vell zat now I'm hoping that others vill follow Captain Leopard's example, and come to me for treatment as vell. Zen maybe, just maybe, ze vorld will FINALLY see that zer really is something to 'Project Sterling' after all!" Dr. Fritz then laughed a bit, before turning back to his work. 



 

Back outside, as I was walking with them, I asked Aurora and Briana why they did what they did. "Why did you guys drag me to Medical yourselves? Why didn't you just call for help?" 

"Because we had no idea what was wrong with you Master, and we didn't want to risk anyone else getting sick. We Combat Wolves are immune to Human diseases......" 

"And I'M Life! You can't kill life! Sure, my PHYSICAL form can die, but when that happens, I just regenerate! I'm immortal!" 

Aurora glared at Briana. "Don't interrupt! But yes, what she says is true. We didn't want to risk anyone else's health, so we brought you to medical ourselves. And I must say Master, you look pretty great. What did Dr. Fritz do to you?" 

I shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know Aurora, as I was under anesthesia, but whatever it was, I feel AMAZING now! I feel just as young and healthy as I did before the World Wars started, and I feel like I can take on the whole world by myself! (Aside from my black stallion dick and balls, I don't know what happened there!)" 

"Well, I don't know about that, but you look like you were never even sick to begin with! And come to think of it, what were you even sick with in the first place?" 

"My sickness was a result of 'Project Sterling'. It's a serious illness known either as the 'Apex Sickness', or 'Lycan Syndrome'. Basically, my Wolf DNA was failing once again, and because I changed from a Human- Bat-Pony hybrid, back to a Human-Wolf hybrid, my failed genetics were back, and had nothing been done, I would have died as a result. Human and animal DNA weren't made to mix, and when you force things in Nature, disasters often result." 

"Well, in any case, I'm just glad that you're ok Master, and will be sticking around for a while longer!" 

I reached down, and began to scratch her behind the ears. "So am I Aurora. Dr. Fritz and his medics can truly work medical miracles, and God didn't want me to go just yet, so He kept me around for a while longer." We both then got back to work. 



 

As I was working though, I began to notice strange things. While before I had to periodically stop for rest and breaks, I no longer felt the need to do that. I also found that I was able to lift heavier objects than I used to, and others began to take notice of this. 

"Wow Leopard, you're sure going at it a lot harder and faster than you were before. Any reason for this?" 

I shrugged. "I'm not sure Jim. I've felt like this ever since I had to pay a visit to the infirmary earlier today because of another bout of Apex Sickness brought on by my Wolf genetics. Dr. Fritz fixed the problem, and now I feel great! 

"Well, I can certainly say that you're looking pretty healthy. Any idea what Dr. Fritz did?" 

"No, I was under anesthesia at the time, so it must have been something pretty major." 

Jim thought about that. I could see the wheels spinning in his head, but yet I couldn't tell what he was thinking about. Eventually, he said, "Well, I don't know about that, but I do think that I should remind you that tonight's the night of your annual meeting with Don and the other train founders." 

I knew what that meant. Every year on August 8th, myself, Don, Russ Thompson, Joe Dixon, and Frank Otis would have a small gathering in the PCC to remember the day we finalized the plans for the Battleship Express. We would also drink a glass of aged Kentucky bourbon, and although there were only 5 of us, we would also set out a 6th glass. This was to remember Major Jeff Coleson, who was also a founding member of the train, and our leader, though he was no longer with us as he lost his life in WW6. He was with us only once for the first founder gathering, and he was killed just 2 days later. Ever since then, we've kept the meetings going in his honor, and would continue to do so until only 1 of the original 6 founders of the train remained. 

"Thanks for reminding me Jim. I did remember, but thanks for the reminder anyway." 

Jim nodded. "You're welcome Leopard." He then went back to work, as did I. 



 

Throughout the rest of that day though, others began to notice my changes that resulted from my treatment. 

"So, why exactly are you like this now Leopard?" Todd asked me while we were working alone in a back section of the Big Boy Workshop. 

I shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure Todd, but I can tell you that it was because of a treatment that Dr. Fritz performed on me." 

"Was it because of the 'Apex Sickness'?" 

I nodded. "Yes, it came back, and this time it was worse than ever. I was at death's door when Aurora and Briana got me to the medical coach." 

He sighed. "I honestly almost forgot about it when we became Human-Pony hybrids, and our wolf genetics were cancelled out. But now that we're Human-wolves once again, does this mean that the 'Apex Sickness' could strike again?" 

"That's what I'm afraid of Todd. It so easily could, but at least Dr. Fritz has a treatment ready if it does. I mean, it worked on me, so most likely it would work for others." 

"I hope so Leopard. And I'm SO GLAD that Apex was wiped out in WW5. Sure, a few splinters survived, not to mention a few renegade scientists still at large, but over all, they'll NEVER hurt anyone again. And now that a cure exists for the 'Apex Sickness', their last lingering influence will fade away into the history books." 

I was still so angry and frustrated from thinking about Apex Industries that I punched the wall next to me. It was an unintended reflex, but then I heard Todd cry out. 

"Oh Gosh! Leopard! Are you ok?!" 

I pulled my hand back. I looked it over, but aside from a few scrapes, it was fine. "Yeah, I'm fine Todd. Nasty hole in the wall that I'm gonna have to fix though." 

"How did you.......?! WHAT?!?!?! HOW ARE YOU FINE?!?!?!"

I looked at him like he was crazy. "What do you mean, 'how am I fine'? It was just drywall Todd." 

He was pointing at the hole. "Leopard, that's NOT drywall!" 

I turned to look, and to my shock, and even slight horror, I saw that I had just punched a hole in a brick wall, and suffered no ill effects from it! 

I then looked back at my scraped hand, and then at a petrified Todd. "Oh..........my GOSH!!!!" 

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

I sighed. "Well, first of all, we don't panic. Second of all, you and I were the only witnesses. All we have to do is fix a few broken bricks, add in some new mortar, and then bingo. It never happened!" 

"Right!" He then went to go get 4 new bricks from a storage room, while I secured a trowel, mortar cement, and water. 

Once Todd got back with the bricks, we quickly removed the broken and damaged ones, and scraped out the damaged mortar as well. Then, I mixed together the new mortar, and while Todd handed me the bricks, I put mortar onto them, and then cemented them in place. Before too long we were done, and it did indeed look like nothing had ever happened. 

Once we cleaned up, Todd confronted me again. "Leopard, what did Dr. Fritz do to you?" 

"Honestly Todd, I have no idea. I was under anesthesia for the entire procedure." 

"Well, whatever it did changed you! It's most likely made you faster, stronger, have more endurance, and a HUGE number of other things aren't beyond the realm of possibility either!" 

Suddenly, I came to an earth-shattering conclusion. "Todd, what if what Dr. Fritz gave me wasn't a 'treatment'? What if instead he worked with my systems and PERFECTED 'Project Sterling'?" 

Todd looked at me with wide eyes. "If that's the case Leopard..........you could easily be the FIRST true success story of 'Project Sterling'!" 

"But that means..........I'm........" 

"A Human-Wolf Super-Soldier!" 

Before I could reply though, Alex suddenly came running up to us. "Guys, where's the plaster and drywall sections?!" 

I pointed to the back of the warehouse. "In the supply room Alex. Why? Is something wrong?" 

"No, but there WILL BE if Don sees what I just did! I swear that it was just an accident! I took a bet from Andy that I could break a brick in half with my bare hand. I couldn't do it, and I was so mad that I punched a wall and put a huge friggin' hole in it!" 

I looked at Alex in shock. "Wait, did YOU see Dr. Fritz recently by any chance?" 

"Yeah. I was getting sick, and I knew that it had to be the 'Apex Sickness', so I went to the medical coach, and I came out the way that I am now!" 

"And how many others have been to Medical today Alex?" Todd asked him. 

"Eh, a lot of the guys actually. Whenever the 'Apex Sickness' rears its ugly heads and there's a cure that was perfected on you Leopard, one tends to get that cure! Why, was there something wrong with it?"

Todd and I then told him everything that I had just done, as well as my conclusion based on the evidence that I had. 

Alex was stunned. "Whoa! So that means that we're all becoming what we should have been before, but WITHOUT the serious health issues? COOL!" 

"It's just a theory Alex, but yet I think that it's a pretty valid one. Although just how much 'super-soldier' we really are remains to be seen. All it could really be could just be increased durability." 

We all decided to keep this to ourselves, although I knew that I was going to have to talk to Don about it at the gathering that night. 

For the rest of that afternoon though, some of us did indeed test our new-found abilities. Some of us found ourselves to be faster, while others became stronger, able to see farther, hear better, lift and carry VERY heavy objects, fly higher and for longer periods, use their Magic to a more enhanced degree, have greater durability than they previously had, and a number of other amazing features such as heightened senses, and the ability to problem-solve on the fly. However, only a few others, including myself, had all of these abilities, with the exception of not being able to use Magic for those who weren't Human-Unicorns, or being able to fly at all if they weren't Human-Pegasai. Overall though, we didn't seem to be all that different than we were before, but it was still so strange. 



 

Later that night, I made my annual trek to the PCC for the gathering. Don was already there, and the rest arrived a few minutes later. The curtains of the PCC were closed, and we all sat at the table in the room, and we all looked at each other. 

There were 5 of us in the room. Major Don Curry, the man in charge of the Battleship Express and Battalion 4009, myself, Captain Leopard Campbell, the train's 2nd Engineer, and one of 2 captains of Battalion 4009, Captain Russ Thompson, the other captain of Battalion 4009, 1st Engineer Joe Dixon, and 1st Fireman Frank Otis. 

Once we were all ready, Don stood up. "My friends and fellow comrades, we are gathered here tonight to remember a VERY special occasion. As I'm sure that you all remember, 3 years ago tonight, (or 7 years ago if we're still seeing this as 2034 instead of 2029) down in that old bunker underneath Creamy Dream Ranch in Kansas, the 5 of us and Jeff Coleson created something amazing. On a roll of discarded wallpaper, we all helped draw up the plans that we later showed Jim Bender of the then infantile RWD, and he took them to create the final blueprints of the Battleship Express. THIS roll of wallpaper right here!" From behind him, Don pulled out a roll that was wrapped in plastic. This roll was the roll of wallpaper that contained the ORIGINAL blueprints for the Battleship Express! Normally contained in a fireproof case in the train's archives, on this night they would be removed so that we could see them again. Don then began to unroll the roll, and we all looked at it again. 

"Gosh, I've almost forgotten the level of detail we put into this Don!" Joe was saying. "I mean, NONE of us were engineers, but MAN could Jeff and Frank draw!" 

Frank nodded. "Yes, I agree with you Joe. These blueprints were, well.....not really blueprints at all, but yet what can one do when they live under the Futas?" 

I too marveled at the level of detail. "The Battleship Express well and truly was the brainchild of Jeff Coleson, which is why it's so sad that he lost his life in WW6. But yet if he hadn't done what he did, then those 5 men in that turret would have either been burned alive, or died of smoke inhalation, and who knows how many more would have died if those Futa aircraft hadn't been shot down either. It was Jeff's last gift to us to ensure our survival, and he died with a smile on his face." 

Don nodded sadly. "Yes, his loss was a great blow to the RWD; to the whole US Armed Forces for that matter. He'd been my friend since childhood, and now I know that he's up in Heaven, just waiting for us to come up and join him one day." 

We all smiled at this a bit, and after Don put away the wallpaper roll, and wrapped it in plastic once again, he pulled out 6 glasses, and then filled them with a shot of aged Kentucky bourbon. 5 were for us, and the 6th was to remember Jeff Coleson. 

I then looked up at a small picture of him that was still hanging in the PCC. I raised my glass. "This one's for you Jeff. You were a great leader, and friend to all of those under your command, and God decided to call you home early. We'll never forget you, and we'll continue to carry on your legacy, and continue to care for the deadliest land-based weapon of all time. The weapon that was your brainchild!" 

"Amen to that!" 

"Here here!" 

We all then toasted our glasses, and drank the Kentucky Bourbon. 

As we sat there talking for a while longer, I saw Russ glaring at me. Russ Thompson was a pretty big guy. He stood 6'5", and weighed at least 230lbs. He'd been a SWAT officer in a previous life, but joined the Armed Forces in WW4. He was in the Army, and survived WW4, WW5, and most of the first half of WW6. He was the captain of Stone Cold Battalion, and they holed themselves up in Nebraska at the same time I was with my Firestorm Battalion, taking our final stand in Sue Falls. Just days after Firestorm Battalion was no more, Russ was able to take his remaining battalion, split them up into a lot of small splinter units, and they then tried to make their way back to the US. Not all of them made it, but a lot did, and they reformed into Stone Cold Battalion when they did. Russ himself was not among them however, and he was captured, before being sold off to Creamy Dream Ranch. It was here that he met Jeff and Don, as well as Frank, Joe and me. He was a valuable addition to our team, as he was a veteran soldier, but yet he didn't seem to like me very much. 

Russ and I didn't get along very well, though a lot of this was due to Russ's unstable mental condition. He had PTSD, and I'd begun to suspect that he was also bipolar as well. Russ never let me forget that I lost my entire battalion, but yet at the same time, he lost a good percentage of his own one as well. (The circumstances surrounding us were different as well. My battalion was wholly surrounded on all sides for miles, and there was no way out. Russ's battalion had a few gaps that we didn't have, and they were able to slip out through the gaps). 

He also firmly believed that I was a Futa spy, and was the first one to point the finger of guilt at me when Big Boy 4009 was blown up by Face. Sure, he was later proven wrong, but he STILL insisted that I was another spy! Most of those in Battalion 4009 were afraid of Russ due to his unstable mind, and even guys like Don and I were wary around him. 

"You ok Russ?" I asked him. 

"What's it to you?" 

I recoiled a bit. "Hey, no need to be rude Russ. I just noticed that you didn't seem to be ok. I was just checking." 

"Just as I STILL think that we need to have you taken out for being a Futa spy!" 

Don turned to him. "Russ, we've been over this DOZENS of times now. Leopard is NOT a spy! Plus, even if he WAS, WW6 is over, and the Futas are EXTINCT! Sure, maybe he was adopted by Empress Demetria, but that does NOT mean that he was s spy! He's proven his loyalty to America time and time again!" 

"If you were adopted by a Futa, then your mind is automatically considered compromised. They should have killed those males ON SIGHT!" 

"Then be glad that they DIDN'T Russ, or nearly 55% of our Armed Forces, plus ALL of us in this room, including you, would have been killed! The Futas had more males than you think enslaved, and many of those would later return to the Armed Forces. Captain Leopard for one, Frank and Joe too, and I know that Jeff was bounced around between mistresses for a while, as was I." 

Russ seemed to calm down a bit after that. "Yeah, I can see that Don. I'm....sorry for speaking out like that. Some of us have been through worse than others." 

Don and the others forgave him, but yet Russ still continued to glare at me. He never said anything else to me that night, but I knew that he still didn't like me, and may still have had it out for me as well. 



 

I also knew that the time was drawing close to tell Dash about what I had done to the contract. I had no idea how she was going to react to it, but I was hoping that she would be able to keep it together. 

I had Briana with me at the time, and I asked Dash to meet me at the Ponyville Railyard one night. 

"Hey Stud!" She came over to hug me when she saw me. 

"Hey Dash." I hugged her back. "It's been a while." 

"Yeah, it has been Stud. Are you just that busy, or what's the deal? And where's my kiss?" 

"Yeah, we've been busy, and what's the magic word?" 

Dash rolled her eyes a bit. "Please Stud?" 

I gave her the kiss that she wanted. "Good girl." 

When Dash broke the kiss, it was then that she noticed Briana for the first time. "Oh, hello Briana. I haven't seen you in a while either." 

Briana rubbed up against Dash's legs. "Nyah, it's good to see you too Dash." 

"Where did you find her again Stud? I mean, I've NEVER seen a Sphinx until I saw Briana here!" 

I laughed a bit. "I'd tell you Dash, but I don't think that you'd believe me anyway! It's a story just so fantastical that even I  have problems believing that it's all real!" 

Dash laughed a bit, but then she asked a serious question. "So Stud, why did you call me out here?" 

I sighed. "I called you out here Dash, because I needed to talk to you about something. And before you ask, no, I did NOT cheat on you! I called you out here because we need to revisit that contract that binds me to you, and Spitfire." 

Dash just sighed. "Stud, we've already talked about this. There IS no legal way out of it!" 

"That's the thing Dash, there is, or at least, there WAS. I was talking about it with Briana, and she gave me a solution to the dilemma. I decided that it was a good idea, so I went out and took care of it." 

Dash's expression changed. "Wait. You did what now? Why do I feel like you did something bad?" 

"It.....all depends on your definition of 'bad' Dash. Long story short, I went to the Cloudsdale Archives about a week ago, found the document, and after thinking it over one last time, I took out my lighter, lit it on fire, and then dropped it into a trashcan where it burnt to a crisp. There now is no legal proof of that document existing, as the physical copy has been destroyed. We're now free of that contract Dash." 

For the longest time, Dash said nothing at all. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, and while that COULD have been a good thing, I was starting to get the gut feeling that it wasn't. 

Finally, she said. "So you mean to tell me that you destroyed it?" 

"Yes, I did." 

"WHY?!?!?!" She suddenly screamed at me. 

"Because I didn't want that document to be in our way Dash! It NEVER should have even existed in the first place, and if it hadn't, we could have AVOIDED a lot of legal trouble!" 

"You say that like you can see the future, or something!" I could see the anger welling up inside of Dash. (I also realized that I misspoke, and if Dash had been calmer, she could have realized that the only way I could have known the legal consequences of the document was if I had Time traveled!) 

"I made an educated guess Dash. And I did what I thought was best." 

"WHAT YOU THOUGHT WAS BEST?!?!?!" Dash suddenly tried to lunge at me. "WHAT ABOUT WHAT I WANTED?!?!?!" 

"Whoa!" I dodged her lunge. "What DID you want Dash?!" 

"I WANTED Spitfire to be my wife! Or rather, I wanted to SHARE her with another stallion! Now you've gone and f@#ked it up!" 

Now I was getting upset too, "Hey! That contract trapped me into a legal agreement that I wanted NO part of! There was no way out of it, not even for the stallion if he DIDN'T want multiple wives!" 

"YOU JUST DON'T WANT ME TO BE HAPPY YOU SELFISH WHORE!!!!!" Dash screamed at me. She then charged me, and managed to knock me over backwards onto the ground. I was momentarily stunned, but before I could fully regain my senses, Dash landed on my stomach, grabbed my hands with one hand, and then used the other to beat me senseless! 

"YOU DIRTY, LYING RAT!!!! I HATE YOU LEOPARD!!!!!! I HATE YOU MORE THAN I EVER LOVED YOU!!!!!" (Dash also failed to notice that aside from a few small bruises, her hits really weren't hurting me too much!) 

I grabbed her hands, and after containing her, I flipped us over until she was on bottom, and I pinned her to the ground. 

"DASH, SHUT THE F@#K UP AND LISTEN TO ME!!!!! YOU SHOULD BE ON YOUR KNEES THANKING ME RIGHT NOW!!!! IF I DIDN'T LOVE YOU AS MUCH AS I DO, I NEVER WOULD HAVE RISKED EVERYTHING TO SAVE YOU; FIRST FROM THE ZEBRAS, AND THEN FROM THE CARIBOU!!!! I F@#KING STORMED THAT F@#KING THRONE ROOM BEFORE YOU COULD BE KILLED, AND I CARRIED YOU TO SAFETY MYSELF!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU RAINBOW DASH!!! I ALWAYS HAVE, ALWAYS WILL!!!! AND IF I DIDN'T LOVE YOU, I WOULD HAVE BEAT YOU TO A PULP RIGHT NOW INSTEAD OF JUST HOLDING YOU DOWN ON THE GROUND!!! I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU DASH, I F@#KING LOVE YOU!!!! SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE!!!!!!" 

I then let go of her, and fell to the ground next to her. Then, for the first time since I lost Lily to WW6, I began sobbing my eyes out. I'd forgotten that I even could still cry, but I was crying my eyes out that night. 

As I lay there on the ground, I suddenly felt somepony grab me from behind. "Oh Stud!" I then felt Dash hug me from behind, before she began to cry her eyes out as well. 

After a long while, we were both able to sit up, and while still gently holding each other, we began to talk again. 

"Stud.....I am so....SO sorry for lashing out at you like that. What you said was more than correct, and you have every right to be angry. I was a fool for drawing up that contract in the first place, and now I fear it's caused so much more harm than good. At the same time Stud, I don't know if we can be together anymore." 

I looked at her like she'd well and truly lost it, but yet I refrained from saying or doing anything, as I knew that she had to have an explanation. 

"Don't get me wrong Stud, you are still a very dear, sweet friend, but yet I just don't know if we were meant to be. Perhaps in another timeline, but not this one. Maybe we are, I don't know. But what I do know is that before we say or do anything further, I need a LOT of time to think this whole ordeal over. I also need to talk to my parents, and a few other Ponies about this before I make anymore decisions. I want to be happy Stud, and I want you to be happy too. We're not wholly through, but yet I think that we need to put our romantic relationship on hold for the time being." 

"Just........take all of the time that you need Dash." I whispered. 

We then hugged one more time, before parting ways. Dash flew back to her own house, sobbing her eyes out the whole way there. She threw herself onto her bed, and continued sobbing. "Why did I have to do that, WHY?!?!?!" She then looked at the letter that she'd been given a few days prior. 

"Dear Dash, 

This letter is from you in about a year's time. I have to keep this letter brief, and I'm writing it as Stud's dictating. And I know that this is going to be SO HARD for you to read, and I was in your same position once, so trust me, I would know! 

But the hard and fast fact is, you're going to have to break up with Leopard, or at the very least, put your romantic relationship on hold for a while.........." The letter then went on to explain all about the failed Time travel, and it even explained about my encounter with myself from the future in the Cloudsdale Archives. The letter concluded with instructions for the breakup, as well as a bit of encouragement. 

"However, all is not NEARLY as lost as it appears to be Dash! EVERYTHING will work out in the end! I've come from the future, and I can tell you that EVERYTHING will work out fine! You still get to marry Stud, just not the Stud that you just put on hold. Well......he IS the same Leopard, but yet he isn't. I'd explain further, but I can't reveal anything that would disrupt the timeline. Just know that in less than a year's time, the timeline will be reset, and EVERYTHING will be back to normal. I guarantee you that by the time you're writing this letter for yourself in the past, you and Stud will be laughing hysterically about that night! I mean, it may not seem funny now, but just wait a year! Well, I guess that this is about it for now. Just stay the course that you're currently on, and the timeline will be restored before you know it. 

Yours Truly,
Rainbow Dash, 2031." 

Dash still didn't know what to think, but yet she knew that the letter had indeed come from herself in the future, as it was her future self that gave her the letter! She was still extremely upset though, and while she cried herself to sleep that night, she listened to this song. 




 

Back on my end, I was still sobbing my eyes out as well. I was lying on my bed in my room on the train, crying my eyes out still. Aurora and Briana were trying to comfort me, but yet there was little comfort to be had. I had just lost the love of my life, and I seemed to have nobody to blame but myself. 

"Nobody to blame but myself. Yeah, but which VERSION of myself is to blame, me or him?!" 

I then remembered the letter that he'd given me that night. "'Don't read it until you've hit the bottom of the bottle' huh? Well, I DEFINITELY think that I've hit the bottom of the bottle!" I then pried the letter out of my nightstand, tore it open, and began to read it. 

"Dear Leopard, 

This is from you in a year. I know that by the time you're reading this you're going to have a LOT of questions, as well as being EXTREMELY angry with me. I will now answer your questions and address your concerns to the best of my abilities, however, please bare in mind that I CANNOT tell you ANYTHING that would further jeopardize the current timeline!" 

"Hmm. Must be something pretty serious then!" I kept reading. 

"However, by the time that you've read this, Rainbow Dash will have most likely put your romantic relationship on hiatus. I know that you may be upset, but believe me when I tell you that it HAD to happen this way! The truth is, one day, the timeline WILL be restored to what it once was! You marry Dash, Spitfire, and Daring Do, and ALL of your foals get born as well! HOWEVER, something else has to happen as well! Please listen to me very carefully, as I won't be able to explain all of this due to a lot of it being information that could alter the Timeline. The truth is.........*there was a huge ink smudge blocking this word* you will always remain the way that you currently are, but the timeline will reset with you being what you once were. I can't tell you any more than this, as it could interfere with the reset. 

I will finish with this though. In less than one year's time, you will meet the love of your life. I can't describe her, but I can say that you WILL have to earn her love, but once you have, she will love you to the bitter end no matter what! Heck you'll even get to.....*crossed out with a Sharpie*......ne day! It'll be kinda........*Sharpie*.......but it'll still be there! I guess that this is it for now. So far, everything is playing out as it should, and the Timeline is on course for being reset. Just keep doing what you're doing, and it'll all work out in the end, I promise! 

Yours Truly, 
Leopard, 2031." 

I just lay back on my bed. I wasn't crying anymore, but I was still so confused, and I still hurt pretty bad. 

"Sir, do you need a song?" 

I sighed. "What'cha got DELCI?" 

"I have this one for you Sir. 


"That'll work DELCI." I then fell asleep listening to this song, with Aurora and Briana snuggled close to me, wondering what was going to happen for the remaining duration of time before the timeline reset.