This story is a sequel to Beyond the Express
Immediately following her dream of time travel, Twilight tells her husband Don all about the machine that she'd seen, and how she believed that it could be built. Don still doesn't fully believe her, but at her insistence, he contacts Jim Bender, the Chief Engineer of the Battleship Express, and tells him all about his wife's idea on how they could return to Earth. Jim is able to produce rudimentary blueprints, and now with the goal of returning to Earth long enough to see the end of WW6, the Crew of the Battleship Express get to work on the brand new machine.
In spite of shortcomings, failures to meet deadlines, and PLENTY of mechanical troubles, the rudimentary machine is FINALLY completed, before being placed inside of the old pillbox located on the front of the Big Boy 4009, just above the front cowcatcher. The device is then linked to DELCI, as well as the rest of the Big Boy's systems, and once the crew and the rest of Battalion 4009 are ready, they then try to return to Earth. However, something goes horribly wrong.
Due to a severe malfunction, the machine, dubbed "Oddball" not only fails to send the Battleship Express back to Earth, but it also sends them back to the Imperial War, before breaking down! However, all is not as lost as it seems. Seeing an opportunity to change the future by making it better, the crew make decisions that have IMMENSE consequences in the future. Unable to repair Oddball by themselves, the crew head back to the future, only to find that the future is not the same anymore!
They arrive back in Ponyville, but it's not the same Ponyville that they left. Sure, they ended the Imperial War with fewer casualties, ensured that King Danin and his followers died at Bryerton, and Leopard ensured that Sombra's spirit didn't escape from him, but at the cost of the ENTIRE 5 years of their lives after the Imperial War! Leopard never married Spitfire or Daring Do, and Dash seemingly broke up with him after a falling out. Alex was also asked to leave by Applejack, and he and Leopard were very sad. To make matters worse, once they arrived in this strange new future, Oddball breathed its last, before exploding, and burning to a crisp!
Now, trapped in a new and different future, the crew of the Battleship Express must figure out a way to fix the damage that they caused, and get their timeline back on track. However, this may not be possible. All actions have consequences, and sometimes, once something's broken, there's just no way to fix it.
This story is a Sequel to "Beyond the Express", and contains violence, language, combat scenes, time travel, the Battleship Express, and ANOTHER wild adventure! No sex this time, and no mentions of it either. Just another story of mine, a short one maybe, but one that is VITAL for what's coming next!
Good so far
9406114
Hello Sanguine,
And congradulations on being the first to comment!
And I'm glad that you like the story so far.
9406126
I mean st admit I thought at first this would be used to show more of the RWD fleet. Still good though
9406143
Hello Sanguine,
And no, that's not in this story. However, I do have a chapter in mind for a future story in the Battleship Express timeline that will do just this. I'm glad that you still like it though.
I like it so far it's on travel that's nice.
So far this story is AWESOME, I can't wait to read the rest of it, and the Back to the Future music, that was CLASSIC to use for this story.
9406614
Hello marcus12,
And I'm glad that you like it so far. And yes, the Time travel plays a VERY vital role in this story, the sequel, and the one after.
9406711
Hey Dusk, and I'm glad that you like the story so far.
And yes, the Back to the Future Theme really was a nice touch, and I knew that people were going to like it. And believe me, the rest of the story is REALLY gonna be amazing!
9406660
Hello marcus12,
And yes, this chapter had a LOT of twists and turns to it. And PLEASE remember the scene that Leopard had in the Cloudsdale Archives where he met the other Leopard. It's CRITICALLY important for what's to come.
Here's a bit of a spoiler, though not much. The truth is, the Leopard in this story, aka the Human-wolf, is NOT the Leopard that you know and love. The "REAL" Leopard is the Human-Bat-Pony who told him to destroy the document, which was only a copy. There's now 2 Leopards in this timeline, and there can be only one. The only way for this to work is for the wolf-Leopard to leave it, and this does happen, and this is what I was hinting at when I talked about that picture of Him, and that mysterious woman with black hair that he was hugging. This is all I will reveal for now. And it's not really spoilers, as I do talk about it more in the next chapter, Chapter 3.
9406704
Hello marcus12,
And yes, this chapter marks the end of the relationship between Human-Wolf Leopard, and Rainbow Dash. However, you need not fret. Everything is STILL well in hand, and Rainbow Dash WILL be back with Leopard again soon, the REAL Leopard that you know and love. However, this chapter had to happen for the sake of the greater timeline as a whole.
Great work so far can't wait for more.
9406922
Hello marcus12,
And I'm glad that you like it so far. And what I said at the end is no exaggeration. The next chapter will indeed be taking things to new heights. In fact, it's called "Chapter 5: Airfield of Wonder". I'll let you decide on what that means!
The big mech could work realistically. Just size it down, make it one-man operated, and use it as a support unit, rather than a one man army. That's what we did, and the New German Empire's military has been even more successful (no longer call the IGS, the old Kaiser stepped out of line, we took care of him. New Kaiser is a friend of mine, he reunited the old German Empire, annexing a few countries in the process).
Oh yeah, we're still here, just bored out of are mind. We ran out of Timberowolves and Maticores to kill a while ago.
You never mess with time. Ever.
I remember one time the Imperial States (before the reunification of the German Empire) tried to travel back in time to prevent the old German Empire from falling apart (by making them win World War 1) and sent some Storm-troopers to assist them.
As soon as they stepped into the portal, they just...exploded. Bits and pieces were everywhere. It got in my fucking mouth.
We never played god again.
9415753
Hello Hanz the Machinegunner,
And while this MIGHT be considered spoilers, we work on the Mech in Chapter 4, and do get it working. It's too big, and untested yes, but it could hold it's own in combat, (we think!)
And I know that it may be boring for you, but keep your chin up, there IS a war coming, and when it hits, we WILL need all hands on deck for it! (And when I say "soon", I mean "Like in the sequel to this story soon"!)
9415773
Hello Hanz the Machinegunner,
And yes, we learned this lesson the hard way. HOWEVER, our motives were pure. Instead of trying to change history, we were simply trying to return to Earth in the aftermath of the Battle of Vegas, stop "Operation Fireball" and therefore the nuking of Nevada, and then pick up right where we left off. We end the war as we should have, and then return to Equestria. Unfortunately, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
And I guess that we got MORE than lucky with Oddball. Your guys just up and exploded?! Well, by comparison, we just got stranded in Time! At least until we figure out how to get Oddball working again.
Great new chapter for this story Scar, I can't wait to see what happens next along with what you have planned for the Sequel of this story, how long until you have the Epilogue out?
9435756
Hey Dusk,
I’m glad that you like the Chapter. The Epilogue is in the works, and will hopefully be done soon. And don’t worry, you’re going to LOVE what comes after this story!
What the fuck is that story summary?
I know there are prequels and I should read those first but goddamn! There’s so much inside baseball you might as well be speaking a foreign language.
Whelp *cracks knuckles* more asskicking is on the way
9464140
Hello fanreader999999,
And that was by design. I know that it may seem like a bit of a mess, but I did this on purpose. I WANT to make my would-be readers want to know what happened in the past 2 stories of this series, so I whipped up that summary in order to make them interested! Yes, I know that it might not have been the best choice, but it seems to be working so far.
9464530
Hello Sanguine,
And yes, there is some more ass-kicking coming soon! Starting with the next story, "Tale of 2 Big Boys", and then on into the next story, "Stitches in Time", and then on to "Battleship Express: Back in Action!" The war-action doesn't stop for 3 whole stories after this one!
And stay tuned, as those on the Battleship Express are about to start kicking the asses of Futas, Commies, then the Futas again, as well as the Caribou, Zebras, Griffons, Minotaurs, and their other allies! It's a train of whoop-ass that just keeps on rolling!
I saw 'White Tiger', and even now, after about 4 years, that tank STILL scares me! Even a photo almost made me go into panic mode!
And, IS THAT THE UNION ARMY?!
9465741
Hey Silver,
And I saw "White Tiger" a few years ago too. It didn't scare me, in fact, I really enjoyed the movie, it was remarkably well done.
And I also thank you. It was because of our little chats on our own thread where you gave me the idea of the White Tiger. I'd already seen the movie, but you made me realize that it might be a good idea to have in my story. So I went with it, and so far, most people seem to have enjoyed it. Oh, and sorry if I scared you with that picture of the White Tiger. I didn't mean to!
And I don't know, is it? If so, I'm good, because I and my crew are Americans!
9658243
Hello Damnion,
And I’m glad that you enjoyed the story. Yes, it does end rather abruptly, and on a VERY suspenseful note, but what better way to entice you to read the sequel when it becomes available?
The sequel to “Tracks Backwards”, “Tale of 2 Big Boys”, is in the works, although because it’s a collab Project, it’s going to take longer to get out. It is coming though, and I’ll be talking about it in a blog post here before too long.
no f7u cutlass?
9672050
Hello Jimerjam,
And those might come in the future. The Equestrian Air Force is just getting off the ground, and like I have said, (or will say in the Epilogue if I didn't say it here) there are more planes waiting in storage in Canterlot for shipment to either Ryerson AFB, or other AFB's that will be built in Equestria in the future. F7u cutlasses might make an appearance someday on another AFB, or they might come to Ryerson. You'll have to wait and see as the Equestrian Air Force develops and expands.
Hey I just remember'd something, how about adding a steajm organ? they work just lika a normal organ just that they use steam instead of compressed air,
9673907
I’ve heard of organs like this. I don’t really know where in a story series like this one would fit in though.
hey have you head of railway
guns
9678799
Hello Jimerjam,
And yes, I have heard of these guns. This is partly what inspired some of the weapons on the Battleship Express.
9679180
here is an idea you heard of the metro games? the last game in the franchise just came out in the game the main character and a bunch of solders leave the metro on a train in ssearch of a un aeradeatd place to settle, what it that place is eqestria?
they could become a specal unit that is sent into worse/eradeted situations due to the fact that they all grew up in the metro
they could also have better combat as well due to the fact that they are spartan rangers
just an idea if you have not read/played the metro series please either watch a canonical playthrough and consider my suggestion I just thought of it at work today
9741712
Yeah, I have heard of the Metro Series. It’s funny, when I saw the trailer for Metro Oddessy, I immediately thought of the Battleship Express!
I really don’t know too much about it this series though, and I’m a little backed up on stories at the current moment. It’s a nice idea though.
When is the next sequel going to come out
10382581
Hello Anonymousprime,
And that's a good question. Unfortunately however, there's no easy answer. The next story in the Battleship Express Saga, "Tale of 2 Big Boys", is a collab project between myself, and the author who wrote "Rails of Destruction", "An Iowa Class Battleship". The project began in early 2018, interestingly enough back when "Beyond the Express" was still being written. However, the details were still being hammered out until early 2019, when the writing finally began. Later that same year, I finally finished "Tracks Backwards", though I didn't realize at the time the full scope of what it was going to take to get "To2BB" to a point where it could be released. Slowly but surely, progress was made throughout the rest of 2019, but then, 2020 hit, and everything went to Hell. Sure, we were still working on the project, but we were also dealing with real life issues. Our plan from the beginning was to write the story's Introduction, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2 before releasing the story, and as of right now, the Prologue, and Chapter 1 are complete, and we're about to begin Chapter 2. However, the story won't be ready before the end of this year. Tentatively, as of right now, the release date is somewhere between the First and Second Quarter of 2021, but that could change. We're working as fast as we can, but we have a lot of issues irl going on at the same time, which bogs down, but never fully stops the progress. The story WILL be released, and hopefully by Spring, 2021.
In the meantime though, I have released some details of the story in my blog posts, and in some comments, but since you're here now asking, I'll show you something very special; the story's Long Description. (And no, this isn't too many spoilers, it's just the Long Description).
Once upon a time, there existed the harmonious nation of Equestria, reigned over by two regal sisters. This flourishing nation had not seen a major armed conflict in nearly a millennia compared to her southerly neighbors; the mighty Zebra Empire, and the Caribou Empire, who unified under a military alliance, the Imperial Alliance; and were together vying to become the ultimate powerhouse on the Equestrian continent. These two nations sought to wage a devastating war of genocide and enslavement on their Equestrian and Crystal Empire neighbors, and almost succeeded in winning had it not been for the unexpected arrival of an unlikely ally. The appearance of the Battleship Express was a shock to everypony; a mighty war train of unrivaled power and brute force that became the salvation of the Equestrians, and the ultimate tool of destruction against the warring nations to the South.
With war no longer a threat, and the survivors of the former war-states living under Equestrian watch in their former homes, the returning crew of the Battleship Express, as well as the Human soldiers of Battalion 4009, faced a whole new set of challenges while settling into a normal civilian life following years of non-stop warfare back home. They successfully did so, and lived in peace for 5 years, but in 2034, the crew of the Battleship Express decided to try and return home to Earth, and finish WW6 as they should have done. This mission went awry, and they wound up trapped in the past in a new timeline, one that's pretty much the one that they left behind, (despite it being 2029, instead of 2034; they were 5 years short in reaching home!) and they try to settle into it, and once again settle down into peacetime, but alas, it was not to last.
Just as the crew were settling into their new lives following the failed Time-Travel, a new, larger threat emerges. One of enemies old and new, who once again threaten to bring war and chaos upon Equestria. Completely outnumbered, and overwhelmingly outgunned, the crew of the Battleship Express and soldiers of Battalion 4009 may have met their match with their new foes, but just like how Fate has intervened before, a new hope befalls Equestria as another war train from a grim future arrives unexpectedly. With this new arrival, the crew of the Battleship Express must forge an unlikely alliance with the crew of the U.S.R.W.C war train "4-8-8-4" as the two war trains wage a new war; a war unlike ANYTHING ever seen before in Equestria!
New challenges will arise between our allies, and Twilight Sparkle must help the "4-8-8-4" return home by repairing the time-traveling device that she herself, (but from another reality) originally built for the futuristic train that has been to an Equestria before her own. At this same time, the crew of the Battleship Express must also figure out how to get Oddball, (their Space-Time Machine) up and running again, so that they can complete their original mission; get back home to Earth in early June of 2029, FINALLY do their part to help end WW6, return to Equestria, and FINALLY set the timeline right again after things went wonky!
This is a Tale of two Big Boys. A Tale of 2 Big Boys, and of the Second Imperial War.
should sound fam to you Leo, it's the Handmounted Computer from the FALLOUT Universe,
10585355
Hello Mikistenbeck,
And yeah, it should have, ESPECIALLY when Leopard himself said earlier in “Battleship Express” that one of the BE’s nuclear shells had the phrase “Was Fallout REALLY just a game?” painted on it. He knows all about Fallout, and now he and the others are living in their own Wasteland, or at least they were prior to coming to Equestria. I’ve sprinkled a few Fallout references throughout the Battleship Express Saga, and more will come, especially in the next story, “Tale of 2 Big Boys”, coming soon (hopefully), Spring 2021
10586046
i can hardly wait, :D
10586411
This is of course assuming that there aren't anymore delays. As of right now, the Prologue, and Chapter 1 are complete, and Chapter 2 has been started, but is a ways from being complete. It's going to take a while longer, but it will be worth the wait, trust me
And I forgot to say this earlier, but the Fallout Series is a game series that some in Battalion 4009, and crewing the Battleship Express have played, at least Fallout 1, 2, 3, New Vegas, and Fallout 4. There was some upcoming game called "Fallout:76", but then the World Wars started, and the project was delayed indefinitely, and then cancelled, as Bethesda lost their main studios, and the few who were left either joined the military, helped protect their homes, or became hackers for the US Military. As the World Wars went nuclear though, time and time again many people compared their current situation to the Fallout Series, and there were more than a few real-life crossovers that further solidified the idea that they were all living in rl Fallout. From General Electric, Ryerson Engineering, and General Atomics (yes, there is a rl company called this, Google it if you don't believe me) all merged to form General Atomics International, to a man named Robert House, a talented engineer, starting a company called RobCo industries, to a new group known as the Brotherhood of Steel rising from the ashes of their predecessor group, the Architects of the Past, to protect the history and technology of the Old World from the World Wars, to even power armor and PipBoys becoming a real thing
10586426
wow, a lot of world building, carefull not to do a "Equestria Human Sprit" ala old version, k?
10591034
Yeah. Some of it is a homage to Fallout, while others are hints at the next story, "Tale of 2 Big Boys", which also has some elements of Fallout
And I've heard all about that story, and how not well-liked it was. Some disliked it for the lack of clop, others hated the female/male ratio, and still others didn't like the herds
10591096
the Story was all over the place too,
10591109
That was done for a very specific reason. I had to set up the events of this new Timeline, both to give the readers something new, and to prepare the characters for what’s coming in the sequel, “Tale of 2 Big Boys”, and it’s sequel, “Stitches in Time”. “Tracks Backwards” is the first story in this 3-story arc, and it’s a major transition story. That’s why it’s seemingly all over the board with its content
10591583
i meant for EHS, yours are easy peasy to follow in comperison,
10592317
Oh, whoops. Thanks for the compliment anyway though