The Royal Elites

by Grasshopper Keller

Rating: mature
Tags: Alternate Universe, Human, Sad, Romance, Drama, Adventure
Length: 133902

A certain soldier, who had fought in a war outside of Equestria many years ago, comes back to his homeland to try to settle down. But as the final battle for Equestria looms overhead, the many trials ahead of him will test his true character.

Sterling Caliber, a loyal magical soldier of the Royal Equestrian Marine Corps, returns to his homeland to find out if his home country is still safe.

As it stands, the war that he played his part in had not invaded his peaceful home. But he is still on the lookout for any troubles that could very well shake the foundation of his lands, even as he settles down in a town called Ponyville.

But there is also… another secret that is kept from the same country that he lives in. One that he will fight against, live or die.

(Author's Note: This will be an A.U. adventure story involving the [humanized] Main 6, the princesses & the main OC. And all of the characters will have the traits of Magician, Auran, Equian & Alicornian to replace nearly all of the pony terms.)

(Art from Google. I own nothing. Story made as a tribute to Silentpegasus, Crowley, Steel Quill, GeodesicDragon, Cloperella & Varius Mayhem! Love those people! :twilightsmile:)

(On Hiatus until I can make it a better read.)

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-06-16 23:37:13 UTC

Prologue

The Royal Elites

By: Joseph Keller

Prologue

*****

The universe was once a void that had absolutely nothing within it. No life, lights, or even a vacuum that could ever be. But then, a big bang came around that helped create the stars and nebulae that all scientists and philosophers know of today. And when the world of Equius was starting out, the many species that didn't live long in a prehistoric setting, including the many dinosaurs that once dominated the world, had made way for the other species that had evolved from the single-celled organisms that lived for a very long time.

And within the billions of years that passed by, the same organisms had evolved to become the Equian race. From there, many inventions and philosophies had been made to either help an individual or other people around said people. With the many years of knowledge being vocalized, there came a point when everything being written would become the norm for all. And in the minds of said people, the multiverse theory was discussed more than any other theory being discussed in even a high school setting. But not everything could be recorded, nor could everything be repeated.

And the true reason for why such a notion was only a gleam in certain people's eyes was because of how any theory could make the scholar or philosopher question everything that they ever knew. And so, some formations, both notorious and great, were made to stop the chaos of such ideals from spreading against the natural order of the world.

(…..)

In the first Era of its existence, the world of Equius was in an eternal state of war and chaos. It was long after figuring out that life could be sustained on the planet that the Windigoes, the Draconequus race, the Bugbear race, the Chaos Masters of old, the Changeling hives, the Titans, and even the undead everything, (influenced by a very charismatic necromancer of unknown beginnings) were swarming around the entire world with the infestations that they brought with them. But worst than that, there were also... many evil human beings. And one by one, the continents outside of Equestria, and even the lands within said country, had fallen to the power of the evil that arose from the lowest levels of Tartarus itself.

But there were some, within those lands, who chose to resist against the marching evil that tempted many to follow in its destructive wake. Among the free races of Equestria, the King Solaris, alongside his beautiful Queen Andromeda, were among the most prominent men and women of the many Alicornian clans that ruled the world of Equius. And they were the absolute symbols of both courage, discipline, loyalty, love, light, hope and harmony during the dark ages that their homelands had suffered the longest oppression in.

As the royal couple looked to the lands, they, along with three other figures of importance, had begun to form a secret group of the greatest defenders that would gladly sacrifice themselves to defend the world from the evil that had plagued the world when all hope was gone in the minds of the hardened and defeated soldiers. But the only way to do that was to persuade three important figures in the other three Equian races below the Alicornian clans.

The same three people, who were greatly desired by the royal ones, were as listed by the royalty that ruled the land of Equestria. Terrae the Great was an Equian man that was graciously blessed with the greatest strength of all for his unrelenting compassion for his people. Another person of interest was named Aerus Primus, an Auran that always boasted about being a great warrior of the sky who was given the fastest speed because of how his many deeds were greatly backed up by his own body. And finally, there was a Magician of the highest grade named Magus the Compassionate who always helped spread his worldly knowledge for all who wished to know of the great things about magic.

When the three of them had been gathered by Solaris and Andromeda, they of course had their disputes. But it was under the leadership of the royal Alicornian clans that the three were able to unite their strengths, along with helping the other to alleviate their weaknesses for one another, in order to create the single greatest race of warriors who would not be named, but would be allowed to fight for the crown.

But the same meeting was not to be heard about until a much later time.

Nevertheless, all of the world would become grateful of King Solaris & Queen Andromeda's sacrifices. And along with the Royal Equestrian High Council, which consisted of the first three great warriors, made the contributions to defend the world from every aggressive conflict that had threatened the peace and harmony of the land. And the group's name was never known until said time gap was filled up with a vast majority of the war in Equius turned against the evil that tried to stop the world from allowing peace and harmony to be the norm within its many continents.

(.....)

The Royal Elites. That was the name of the group of the most legendary fighting force that had set the standards well above what most of today's soldiers and fighters in this world could work very hard to achieve. But there's no man or woman, in all of the world, who could hold a candle or a tome to their many deeds. For that legendary contingent of soldiers was the start of what true hope had looked like for every armed man and woman that had been taken into any war or battle within their home countries. Neither in life, nor in death, would the small army be unheard of. And the many foreign countries that surrounded Equestria's borders had revered them to be almost god-like in their quest against the many massive enemies.

The First Equian War had included, but was not limited to, the grotesque undead legions of both Ragnarok and Tartarus themselves that had invaded their homelands and killed their friends, families and citizens. There were also many dark magicians that had practiced the forbidden art of necromancy, corrupted leaders that sided with said magicians, and even a whole army's worth of mindless, savage monsters that destroyed everything in their path. And they were still led by the same evil necromancer who had lived for a very long time in order to fully see his vision come true for his selfish desires.

And in Stalliongrad, Centuaria, Zebrica, the Mareterrainian islands, the Stirruppean, Dragon and Griffon Kingdoms, the Norse Countries & the Leo-Gar Highlands they had given off their own myths and legends about the same soldiers/warriors that fought against the evil that plague the world. But only so few of the many hundreds of billions of citizens and subjects of said locations had truly known about their existence. And there was also that same small number that had been recruited. But they would only want to fight for what was right by choice. And not just because of an obligation to their rulers.

(.....)

Even though the Royal Elites started their defenses in Equestria, none knew who they were. And even the people within the other kingdoms who were recruited into the group were too small to notice by any set of eyes. The same group that was founded by the royalty from eons before had already kept to themselves at first. And not even the first rulers of the land from before were able to keep a tab on the group, nor figure out who they were at all. And such secrecy was needed, given that neither the common rabble, nor the Alicornian High Council, which was made after eons of never having the ability to unite until a much later time, were able to fight against the massive undead legions, Chaos Masters, or even their worst enemy: The very first legion of soldiers to defect from the Royal Elites to follow the Second Royal Elite in order to form... the Rex Brutes.

The first Prime Royal Elite, named Elitus Regium, had started defending Equestria's borders and allies within the time span of many millenniums. He had the vision of saving the world from all things chaotic and unholy while keeping a low profile. And he was given the first and only order of making his crusade against the profane forces by the royalty and the first three great Guardians of Equestria.

But the Second Royal Elite, named Rex Muta, was corrupted with the evil visions of having glory, riches & power above all else in his grasp. And the Rex Brutes were known to be the best fighters, but had become corrupted with the same evil in their hearts. And it was then, after betraying his charges under the influences of both Tirek and Sombra, that the changed man became the first evil that had stabbed a major wound against the world's desire for peace, justice, freedom, security and harmony.

The rule of all of Equestria, and beyond, was all that the Rex Brutes could see in their blinded eyes. In an effort to stop the much unneeded bloodshed from continuing, the Prime Royal Elite had tried to persuade their former second in command to come back to fight for what was right: the defense of Equestria against all of the enemies that only wanted to destroy the lands until nothing existed at all. Not even the thought as to what dirt was. The Second Royal Elite, who was titled the first King Brute by the evil leaders, was not easily persuaded. And thus began the war with the Royal Elites fighting against the Rex Brutes.

(.....)

The Royal Elites were once a large, independent legion that had operated just well outside of the Royal Armed Forces, as a secret weapon to the defense of the Princesses, while keeping their dignity as armed members of Equestria's forces. But more often than that, they were a force that consisted of the strongest, fastest and finest men and women of all races that had fought tooth and nail for their countries.

And they where greatly feared by all of the enemies that had tried to conquer the world in both the past and present times. And they were also greatly respected by the same rulers of the land, even though they had no clue as to who was within that organization, or why they had fought for the lives of the population of their lands in the way that they did. Not even in the current day of age that all of the people were now peacefully living in. Once there was hundreds of thousands. But now... there was only nine. And no one knew of their identities.

But nevertheless, they were still a gigantic threat to have been reckoned with, should any creature or man try to stop the world from turning as it always had with the Princesses' magic. And they were also the greatest allies that the Princesses had ever known. Even though they would never know who was in that unit.

The people within the Elites had been consistent of soldiers from within that great alliance of the many soldier's countries that had fought for the fate of the whole world of Equius.

(.....)

The only real way for a person to figure out if they were an Elite, or not, was to ask them a simple question: “Do you know what truly happened on 4th day of Aurora's Smile, on the 990th year of the 2nd Era?”

The answer, if a Royal Elite was among them, was this: “Nightmare Moon had become a sniveling, whining, spoiled toddler who wanted to have a toy, in comparison to the real war that had happened, outside of Equestria.”

If there was a Rex Brute among them, the answer would be: "It was the day that our goals were in our sights, and yet were set back by an unfaithful group of heretics!"

It was fortunate that the Rex Brutes were no longer in existence... but there was still no way to be absolutely sure. The betrayal was what truly made the Royal Elites a hardened group to be feared against. And with great reason. For none would ever know who they truly were.

And the very reason for that desired secrecy was because of how that very same group was secretly fighting that same legion that wanted nothing more than to destroy the lands of Equius, with all of the inhabitants as fair game to them as they had marched across the world. And not even the Elements of Harmony, their idol heroes, would have been able to fight off the many that were trained and honed to conquer the land. But it was in High Trotter City, within Stalliongrad, that the second war of Equius had started.

The scent of burning gunpowder and metal, along with the immolated corpses decorating the streets of the once beautiful cities and villages all around the world, with a majority of them having been reduced to nearly mountains of rubble, had permeated the once sweet air while ominous black clouds of unnatural origins had blocked Celestia's sun and Luna's moon from the scopes of the many fighters. The blood, sweat and tears, along with other fleshly contributions to the art of war, had been sacrificed for their countries. And even the bodies of a few hundreds of the Royal Elites had fallen to the battlefield as they pushed forward to their goal.

This was the catalyst that started the Second Equius War.

(.....)

And Sterling Caliber, at the age of ten, from the small town of Dodge City within the land of Equestria, was recruited by the Royal Elites for his raw power and talent as a Card-Summoner. But it was through his many sacrifices, as well as his fierce determination in the battlefields that had earned him the highest praises in his unit. And even tough he was a tough fighter with his physical capabilities, it was that hidden latent talent within him that had earned him his right to command his squad. But it was not an easy achievement to accomplish.

When he was first starting out as a person from Equestria, he had run away from his village in Equestria when his parents had died in front of him at the age of eight. But before he could even start out as a fighter for his country, the one who picked him up, who was also within the Royal Elites as their Commander, had been saved by Sterling's ability to summon a weapon to kill an undead Viking corpse that was reanimated to kill the leader within a few seconds. If not for the act, then even Sterling would have died on that day.

And his abilities with his unique magic were significant enough to allow the Royal Elites to make him their Captain. But as the Second Great War of Equius had progressed, the same power level within him had been significantly tripled by a trio of spiritual passengers that had helped him become much stronger in his abilities in return for allowing them to dwell within his body for a while. The training was grueling, but it was all worth it in the end for him.

As Sterling had foolishly taken point to find a cave for his unit to go to for the rendezvous, a large mortar shell had been fired at him from a distant tank. The resulting explosion, after seeing the ammunition miss him by a few feet, toppled the rocks of the cave while a piece of that metal from the shell had penetrated his chest from the back left side as the rocks then collapsed on his entire upper body, save for his head. He had seen that his death was coming as his vision became darkened with the blood of his body pooling around his collapsed body.

It was then that a trio of royal looking spirits had offered him a choice: If they were allowed to live in his body, they would give him access to a power that had never been seen in ages. One that would help him and his small unit in the many battles ahead of them.

Given that he just had no choice, while feeling the cold kiss of death imminently creeping up on him as that piece of frag pierced his body with the rocks crumbling at his bones, he had allowed the deal to be made. And it was a wise decision on his part. For after that, the many great enemies of the war had come to fear both him and his unit. And all because of that large, solid piece of frag that almost killed him when it had pierced his body through and through from his left shoulder blade.

The same trio of passengers within him were none other than a royal family from the ages before him. Their names were the King Platinum Will, the Queen Palladium Lily, and the Prince Titanium Heart. And they were imprisoned from the view of the world for many a millennium without any outside contact. And when they told him about their desire to be among the people, along with learning that he could teach them the customs of the new modern world, they had come to the same conclusion as he did: This was to be the start of a very benevolent relationship.

When Sterling asked them who they were, as he took himself to try to relax while finishing up an assignment in a village in Trottsnia, a gigantic history lesson had been lectured to him. But not only that, a major reeducation on the world of old had been placed into his mind. The soldier did not like it at first, but eventually, he grew to want to hear their voices whenever his friends and teammates would fall to their ignorant ways of conducting a battle. They were like a new family to him. And he grew to love them all as such.

It was then that he realized that he was not only a Card Summoner, but he was now a Possessor as well.

(.....)

And after more than ten years of fighting in the greatest war that Equestria was not allowed to know about until a later time, his unit's official purpose had died out from the final battle that costed him the lives of his friends and family. But the real war was still going to go on until the end. The battle for all of the neighboring countries and continents around Equestria was over. But the truly final battle would be fought on his homeland. And Sterling knew of such things. It was taught to him in all of the times of both his little skirmishes and major battles.

And Sterling fought through all of the major battles between the ages of 10 through 22. And now as that young adult in his early twenties, Sterling had looked back into his mind as it was being cleared of all that he stood against. The many tests of the war had made his heart harden, even though the fires of his desire for love and friendship were still there.

At five feet and ten inches tall, and weighing in at 177 pounds with a quite muscular body, as well as a few scars here and there all around his midriff and on his face, he had still considered himself to still be an ugly bum. His face, counting all of the scars aside, was actually a very handsome one in the eyes of both men and women. That, and he had a real silver color in his eyes. But he had always doubted that he was a good looking guy. So much so that it drew himself an infamous name that stuck with him from the moment that he was given that title: Silver Bullet. But he also earned that name to not only disguise himself. It was also from how fast and powerful his actions were against his enemies.

But what he didn't know, much to his obliviousness at the time, was that the women that were in his unit, fighting the many battles with him, had already thought of him to be quite a handsome, nice and charming guy once they got past his stern demeanor. Most of the women, either they were in his unit or was a civilian, would even consider dating him if they had the chance. He never once believed that he was given that kind of compliment in a sincere way at all. And he was always brushing off the gestures like the figurative dust and gunpowder on his clothing.

(.....)

It was on the very last day that the war was finally over for his teammates. Before he could take the transport from a small island just outside of Zebrica's coast to make it back to his home country, he had asked his former Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Fixer, if he could take a last look around a little sector of the island, just a bit outside of the HQ, for a last patrol. The request, though a bit hesitantly, was granted.

But as he looked over the oceans for the last time when he got there, he was able to see a sight that had been denied to him for a lot longer than he had been fighting. And all while he was ten, with no means of training beforehand. The same sun that Princess Celestia had raised and lowered every day was now rising as the afternoon was approaching. Sterling had then, by some internal desire, taken a nap right after closing his eyes for a moment. The same rays of her benevolent star had given him the warmth and peace that he had so desired. And even the moon, during his many nights, would shine over him.

And then... when his nap was done, he heard a gigantic explosion coming from the mountains. The same ominous cloud of smoke had permeated his nostrils with the same scent that he knew was an omen of death. He rushed over like a bullet to see the damage that had just arrived. The panic was rising in his heart, the sweat was caking the sand on his face and his blood pressure was hastily spiking. There was no doubt that the base was now destroyed. The same home that Sterling had taken refuge in all those years ago was struck hard and fast.

As he looked over to the now burning HQ, his fears were confirmed: He was now the last.... of the Royal Elites. And he... was alone. This was what he had feared more than losing a battle for his squad. And whoever it was that ordered the hit against his unit... was also looking for him, he had concluded. But the perpetrator would die in his hands, no matter what it took from him. This he swore to the Goddesses above in the heavens, so help him both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

And with a flight spell being used from a summoned card, he began to travel back to Equestria. And not just in the hopes of being able to find the one responsible for wiping out his entire unit. But to avenge his fallen friends in arms. But under the training with his former C.O., along with his passengers' wise teachings, he would not just go charging into the battlefield like a savage, bloodthirsty beast.

He would have to plan out the big offensive for a long time on how to draw out the ones that wanted him dead. And when it was successful, he would expose them to all of the country to see them for the traitor that they truly are. Because if he was correct.... to which he hoped he wasn't.... then the very same person who had wanted him dead.... was also the one who caused the start of the war against the countries outside of his own. And he would not rest until his friends and family.... were finally avenged.

“No matter where you go, no matter who you are.... When I find you, you will not die by my hand! But! You will be given a far worse punishment than what you have done to me! So help me sweet loving Faustia of Equestria!”, Sterling had proclaimed to whoever his true enemy was as he continued to zip across the ocean upon the horizon.

And the spell that was taught by his spiritual passengers, to which he used against one of his great enemies from before, had become the last resort that he would use if it was the only way to remove the last form of his many conflicts.

(.....)

Six months later, Sterling had made his way to Canterlot after his deployments to the many lands outside of Equestria were finished. And while he was being given an honorable discharge by his superiors, the hardened man was also given the title of Captain within the Royal Equestrian Marine Corps while being awarded with the Celestial and Lunar Crosses of Bravery. But along with those two honors, Sterling was also given many other medals by the many people of high standing that he saved in the other countries. This also included a shield medal that had two winged unicorns, the sun and moon joined together with a heart in the middle, and the symbols of the Elements of Harmony engraved and bejeweled into it. This, of course, was the Equestrian Shield of Harmony. And only the most dedicated and loyal of soldiers could receive the honor.

But he had the unmistakable feeling that his accommodation was only the beginning. After looking out the window, while taking a train to Ponyville, he looked back to how his education in the University of Canterlot was mysteriously completed. He was told, by a pair of trustworthy men named Fancy Pants and Trust Worthy, that the board of the school wanted him to have the honor of knowing that his reeducation was greatly desired in order to complete his new resume as another chapter of his life was complete. Alongside that conversation, there was also the ability for Sterling to hear that Fancy Pants was also a banker while also keeping himself busy as one of the members of the board of education. Sterling's degrees in Ancient Linguistics and Magical Theory were earned from months of studying.

And with that in mind, Sterling was able to sigh in a content breath. Not only was he now completely reeducated by Equestrian standards, but he now had a connection to a great man that would help him out if was to somehow find a surplus in his hard-earned fortunes. But even he didn't know that he would be further blessed by the universe as a means of apologizing to him for making him suffer the losses that he had experienced for too long.

*****

Chapter 1: The Card-Summoner

Chapter 1

The Card-Summoner

*****

On the first day of his arrival, Captain Sterling Caliber, who was also known as 'The Silver Bullet' to both his friends and fellow Marines, had arrived in the iconic, rustic town that was aptly named Ponyville. The same town was given that name because of how the people within the area would always work hard in every conceivable and respectable job and/or career. And the season was now summer, which meant that all of the decent citizens would start working hard at their respective places in life.

He had taken the train from the city of Canterlot, after finishing his education in the university in that city, to see about finding a new place to relax his weary body for the first time since the six months prior to his trip back to Equestria. And his promotion to the rank of Captain from his superiors had allowed him to pay for his much needed education with the pay grade boost. When the train from Canterlot had stopped, after about four hours of traveling from the mountain city, he walked out of the train car to place his feet on the platform of the train station at the edge of the town. With a deep breath, he sighed out a content smile. And he took in all the sights that caught his attention after he pulled up from the station.

This move to a different location was made in order for him to find a more peaceful place to truly call his new home. And that alone would allow him to settle in. This, of course, was exactly what he had been wanting for the longest time since his return to familiar grounds. And after acquiring his new knowledge, he was all set to go live in a new home. He could have made the trip to Dodge City, where he was naturally born in, but even he knew that moving there would not be wise. He wanted a place that actually had a better background than his old residence of birth. And he was going to get exactly that. And all because of how he truly needed to relax himself. And Dodge City would not allow such a thing, as far as he knew from the past. And after making his choice just a few hours ago, he did not regret not going to his birthplace.

Sterling then walked up to the Town Hall after about fifteen minutes of seeing the sights as he left the station. Before he opened the door to close it behind him, he listed out his goals to be achieved both externally and internally. The same place that he then stepped into was just teeming with legal processes that had been made 24/7 to fund all of the places that were very important to the town. Even on Sundays, as he was able to notice from a sign that was hung on a small space beside the frame of the door. And all while the taxes from the tolerant, righteous town people who paid their dues in the specifically dated times were given a very precise calculation. This included payback checks for the citizens who truly deserved to have such a thing.

The same man had been pondering about getting a new job for a while, noting with a shrug that his time in the Royal Equestrian Marine Corps was already done. He walked up to one of the administration offices, and he began to speak to the worker about his licenses, the deeds for a new home, and his right to find work after his time in the military as well.

And the same legal worker, who Sterling had been talking to for a moment, had their gazing eyes light up when Sterling mentioned his first career to them. And with a new determination, the worker had taken his picture for his new ID card and licenses while signing the legal document to own the house that was built near the river. But it was also revealed that the same house had about three square mile acres surrounding it, thus making it a great property once it was fixed up.

During the hour of exchanging the required information, the worker had commented to him that the house that sat on the right side of the river, at about half of a mile from the town border, was in desperate need of a major rebuilding. Sterling had decided to make it so that the house was rebuilt before the citizens could even begin making dinner, thus ending another mundane routine for every worker.

Within a few moments of finalizing the paperwork, both Sterling and the office worker said their polite goodbyes to one another. Sterling had paid a few hundred gold-backs (the legal tender made of paper to use just like one could use the coins known as bits) for the rights on the same house on the river with some change for his drivers license and registration. And for as the civilian ID card and license, they both came free, much to his surprise. And it was placed in front of his military ID that showed his rank as a Captain.

The lunch hour had arrived just seconds after Sterling had left the presence of the Town Hall. As soon as he walked out, he made his way over to a nearby deli that sold really big and tasty sandwiches for a low price. The food that he ordered was a large turkey sandwich with bacon, guacamole, and the works. While adding ten bits for the tip to the waiter that delivered the food to him, he paid the 6 bits for his main course after waiting in line for a good five minutes. The time was now 12:05 PM.

(.....)

As he made his way to walk that half mile to where the property was, after picking up his food from inside the town deli, Sterling had looked from the distance that was marked by a foothill that was steep enough for him to look over the place.

"Whew! This is going to be quite a lot of work for me to do today," he said to himself as he looked down to his new property. "But I'll see through this project, no matter what happens. Hoo-rah!" he grunted out as he made the final steps towards his project.

Sterling had finally done about four things on his list during the whole day. First, he got to his homeland in order to become discharged from the military. Secondly, he took the train in order to take up a residence his new town. The third thing he did was go through all of the legal processes to get his new home and car license. The fourth thing to do on his list was to go straight to where his new construction project had been sighted. But he was also able to know that the same project on his list would be done as he waited for his sandwich to be made for him. The final thing that he wanted to do was to take a long nap after everything was done.

And he went to work with a new feeling of happiness coursing through his body like the river that was flowing just a few feet away from the home. When Sterling had finally gotten to the property for a closer look, he had noticed quite a lot of things about it: the framing was deteriorated, the walls were crumbling and the mood of the house was familiar to a haunted house story. But the main thing that he had noticed was how both right and wrong the legal worker was.

It did not need to be rebuilt at all. It had to be torn out, ripped apart, broken down, burned up & wiped out from the face of Equius.

"It is now time... for a little explosion to happen," Sterling had chuckled to himself as he pulled out a card that, face up to the ugly home, was enchanted with an explosion spell that would work wonders for him. With a flick of the card to the open door and a quick incantation, he spoke the spell that allowed him to prime the act. After taking a few steps away from the house to go back up the hill, he snapped his fingers as loudly as possible.

*SNAP!!*

Within a few seconds, the house had then been taken from standing on its rickety old support beams to being a massive pile of dirty, grimy and ugly broken wood that could only shine out from having the glass shards scattering all over the place. And it was a good thing that he was not within the radius of the blast. After the dust cloud had cleared up from the ground, he saw the results and smiled at himself, even when a few bits of dust made him cough for a bit. That was the only end result that he knew he could shrug off.

"Now that's how it's done," Sterling patted himself on the back. "And now... Hmm... What tools should I use for the excavation of that ugly looking wood?", he pondered to himself with his hands scratching his chin in his deep pondering.

Perhaps with your clones, and a few more cards to summon the tools and materials for your project?, a familiar voice of royalty asked him in response to his notions. Sterling turned around to see that the Royal Metallic Trio had been standing at a few feet away from him.

"Yeah.... yeah that would definitely work a lot," Sterling nodded with his smile getting wider. "Thanks, your Majesties," Sterling bowed to them.

Oh, not at all, Master Caliber, the Queen spoke to him with her own smile.

"Let's do it, then," Sterling nodded as he pulled out another few cards from another of his pockets. After placing the cards on his head and chest, he used the same old tongue to say 'Multiply this body to make a garrison!'. Within seconds, following a series of poofs that sounded off almost everywhere, a large group of clones of himself were standing along the entire large sized property.

Sterling Caliber had always taken a smile of pride with how his powers as a Card-Summoner had grown significantly since the age of eight years old. It was then, after looking over to the clones of himself, that he went through the checklist of what a Card-Summoner can and can't do.

"With every form of magic, it takes a great deal of concentration, determination and focus to cast the spell," he began to list off in his head, "The D level spells, such as levitation and matter manipulation, can already be learned from the elementary schools that most Magicians can accomplish. The spells from level C to level B, such as flight and shield spells, take a longer time to learn and practice to make them stronger. But level A spells, such as offense spells, heavy lifting and teleportation, are the works of Magicians who are able to focus a large amount of magic into microscopic fractions. And finally, the S class spells, such as the manipulation of the stars, cloning and everything else that deals with even a semi-god ability, can also be used. But it comes at the cost of real exhaustion all over the body and mind when the caster diminishes the spell."

"As far as my mother, bless her saint-like heart, was able to tell me: Most Card-Summoners can create a means of storing, utilizing and manipulating the same spells that take years, or maybe even eons, to even just get the D level gist of. The same powers of a Card-Summoner Magician, even though they can become as strong as the Princesses' with the right amount of training, have a very heavy and ominous price to pay. Teleportation, clairvoyance, reality alteration, raising the dead, and even the manipulation of the sun and moon are not in the abilities of any Card-Summoner. Not even one who has had a great deal of training while being deployed to the countries outside of the land that I know and love. And a true Card-Summoner Magician must never use their power for personal gain or to escalate a battle against those who are weaker than myself."

But even as he went through the list of his teachings in his head, he looked over to the clones with a smile that came with the thought that if he can use his clone spell to create a brand new house for his means of keeping a place for him to settle into, it was the only exception. And this was because of one logical reason: A happy home can make a happy man. And with that thought in mind, he would be able to help the others who would more than likely be in need of his services.

"Alright! LISTEN UP!!" Sterling commanded loudly at the clones who stood at attention to the original. "We got to remove that damned rubble while we start building a new house! CAN WE DO IT?!"

"YEAH!!!" the clones shouted out in unison. And soon, the work was commencing.

The same pile of rotting wood was being sawed off with a few chainsaws cutting through while the nails were being removed with the pliers, along with taking care of the glass that had been scattered everywhere. And that was just with half of the clones. The other half had waited to start their work on the whole house from the ground up. The real Sterling had then summoned a few tools and resources that were needed to do the work.

Large piles of rocks and stone, building wood, clean glass, insulation foam, steel beams and rods, and the other means for his house to be made were soon summoned from another set of cards that the real man pulled out from his pocket. As soon as the materials had come to view, the rubble had just become a heaping pile of firewood. Sterling would not need the wood until a much later time for when it was called on. The sounds of jackhammers, chainsaws, nails being nailed onto the wood, and all the other sounds of construction had become music to the Card-Summoner's ears.

As the woodwork for the house had been finished, after the clones had put in a high-grade concrete foundation for the land below from the rocks and stone, the man had daydreamed about what he believed would happen to the same cities and towns that had been blown up by the enemies that he encountered. He could see it all: construction workers piling up the stones and broken steel, volunteers helping out with the rebuilding. It was a really fantastic dream. And he knew that even though he would not go back to the countries outside of Equestria, his wish for his fallen friends to watch over them would be fulfilled.

And as the clones had begun to do their work, Sterling had also begun to remember what his teacher taught him about being a Possessor while looking up to the blue skies for a few peaceful moments as he heard the sounds of his project progressing along.

“A Possessor, by the teachings of my three Royal passengers, is an individual that has the ability to summon a ghost that has taken residence within their bodies while keeping their own souls within themselves. Said ghosts are known to give their landlords, in a sense of speaking, a greater amount of power than any that they've ever known about. My old friend, 3rd Warrant Officer Mary 'Faith' Angel-Dust, was also able to teach me how to summon them with a certain phrase or incantation that all Possessor's have to look into their hearts to find before speaking it. The first time that the apparitions are summoned is definitely a painful experience for the first time that a Possessor goes through. But with the second summoning, the pain is nonexistent.”

“And with no record of more than one apparition within a Possessor at any time, my own power as a Magician has tripled significantly, compared to the power that I wielded before. And as I recall correctly, the power can only be used for the most dire of emergencies. When my Warrant Officer was able to help me, she had become slightly afraid of my talents as a Magician. Her reasoning spoke of how one ghost was powerful enough to help any person, Equestrian or otherwise, become stronger, faster, or even more powerful in magic. And if I was in possession of not one but three spirits for a time, then my own power has become quite gigantic.”

“Huh.... No wonder some people had become attracted to me. But I can't allow myself to even have a date until I have finished my project. Time to get to work,” Sterling nodded his head as he lifted his gaze back to the clones.

(.....)

After an hour and thirty minutes of hard work, the clones had disappeared in a puff of clouds from Sterling's sight with low clouds covering the entire property that was being worked on for what felt like a few minutes. A small breeze then blew through the landscape, revealing his brand new home in all of its glory.

At the left side of  the new house was a pile of firewood that was now neatly rowed up for his convenience. On the right side, a few trees had been planted to give his residence the charm that it really needed. In the middle of the property, near the front door, was a small garden of exotic flowers that came from the lands around his own country as it lay below the front porch floorboards. A few windows were already installed on the walls around the house for illumination. And the furniture and appliances had already been installed where they were needed to be placed.

Along with a dining room, kitchen and living room within the house, there was also a library on the ground floor with nearly a few thousand books that had been shelved by both the number, title, age rating and author engraved on their hard spines. This had also included an empty book that the man possessed in order to write all of the adventures that he had gone through during his time of service. And said room was given a form of dimensional magic that held a small university library's worth of knowledge within.

In the living room, a pair of white couches had been neatly placed around a coffee table while the items surrounded a black leather recliner chair that Sterling claimed as his throne. Such claims were only right in his mind, given that he fought a long time in order to get what his home needed. But along with the furniture, there was also a 48-inch flat-screen TV that had been properly installed with a ethereal TV subscription being purchased beforehand in order to watch whatever he desired.

But along with the comforts of said rooms, there was also a small gym that was fitted with some great equipment along the whole room as it also had the setting of a dojo for his extreme and extensive military training.

At the first floor above the ground, his master bedroom was made to look like a true paradise for those who were deprived of sleep. And all with a private bathroom from another door that was near his vanity wardrobe. This place was just for him, and he liked it like that.

Below the ground floor was a basement where he was able to hold both an armory for his many weapons, a cooler for his wrapped piles of different meats, and a cellar to hold all of the alcoholic beverages that were gifted to him, including some wine bottles and beers that he had collected enthusiastically for any occasion that would come up in the future. It made him smile that he was able to plan that far ahead into his near future. The six months of being in his homeland again, after being formally and honorably discharged with the promotion to the rank of Captain in his resume, had not been spent without thinking of a way to finally settle in. There were also many medals that were given to him for his many contributions in the same foreign countries during his time in the Second Equius War.

"Time to have my grub, I guess," Sterling patted his stomach as he went into the dining room to feast on the sandwich that was reheated from the UV microwave that was settled near the refrigerator. When he took the first bite, he felt a sensation that was just as familiar to being in heaven for that little moment in time. The savoriness of the turkey and the bacon, along with the guacamole's sweet taste, had sent him into a realm of deliciousness that could fulfill any hungry man's appetite. And after about thirty minutes, he finished his food with a savoring that most people would just ignore. After wiping his face with a napkin, he placed it, along with the wrapper that the food came in, into the garbage can and wiped his hands from the water in the sink. His feet had then guided him to where his bedroom was. After opening the door, he closed it behind him as he locked it. But as soon as he laid his body on the covered fluffy pillows and blanket, the mattress had enchanted him to fall straight asleep.

Before he could fully allow the sleep to take over, his thoughts had traveled to when he was learning about how to build a home for himself by an Equestrian that he met during his tours. He was not a part of Sterling's unit, but the same person had understood completely that the soldier was in need of some knowledge that was vital to his well being. And making a house, after his duties were fulfilled, was now scratched off of his list.

“I'm home....”, he muttered before drifting off to sleep a peaceful sleep that was denied to him for many years.

(.....)

An hour had passed by before Sterling woke up from the hard work that he had put in while using both his magic and his muscles. And Sterling was now feeling a lot better after napping. Riding the train to his new home, going through the legal processes of becoming a citizen now done and over with, and even working his magic on his new home had taken a taxing toll on his body. He looked over to the alarm clock. It was now reading 3:00 PM on the dot. The hour passed by with a relaxation that he had only felt once during his time in the Marines. And even his old unit, the Royal Elites, could not find another time that they were able to relax as he did. He could only count his blessings whenever they could get some peace within the time of their assignments.

He chuckled at the wonder of how the time went by so fast. When he arrived in Ponyville, it was 11:00 AM. After going through the work to make himself a citizen, it was 12:00 PM. And when the house was finished, it was 1:30 PM. His lunch time had ended at 2:00 PM, and now he was ready to go somewhere. 3:00 was just as much of a good hour to do something productive. Or even recreational, if he so desired to do.

"Well," he grunted as he got off of his bed, "it's time that I explored the new town that I'm a resident in now," he decided as he changed out his dirty clothes to reveal his nude body to himself. His many scars, along with a few tattoos had decorated his body that did not hurt where his Cutie Mark's were seen at the shoulder blades, had been revealed in another light. He was glad that he was able to hide his bodily messes, but his face would not agree, despite how handsome he actually was in the eyes of the women in his life. The shower within his private bathroom was calling out to him, and he obeyed. After an invigorating shower, Sterling was clean as a new whistle. And with a new change of clothes on him, he walked out of the house to his separate garage unit.

But as he was about to open the garage with his magic, a dark shadow began to hover over him. It was without a doubt, after Sterling recognized the shape and size of the cause, that this shadow was from a creature that even he knew quite a lot about.

"Are you the one that is named Sterling Caliber?", a gruff voice asked the man below it.

"Yes," Sterling nodded. "I am him. But if you have business with me, then you might want to shrink down your massive size for a bit so that we can see eye-to-eye with each other," he then suggested with a small smirk.

"I suppose I am a bit too much for you to see," the dragon nodded. Sterling could only snicker at the drake above him, knowing that the taunt from the creature was just too weak to even acknowledge. He had already seen things that were even bigger and uglier than the others. With a blink of its eyes, the dragon had begun to glow a bright light that rivaled the sun. Sterling had put up a hand to cover his eyes before getting blinded by the illuminating force. Within a few seconds, the large drake had shrunk itself to reveal a male anthropoid-dragon of about six feet and ten inches tall.

"Well, then: I am, of course, the Royal Courier of the Dragon Kingdom known as Fiery Carbuncle," the dragon spoke to him. "And I have a few packages for you, good sir," Fiery stated to him quickly with a wide grin on his face.

"Oh, really?" Sterling asked with his curiosity piqued.

"This is the first of the packages," Fiery announced as he pulled up a scroll and handed it over to the human.

Sterling had then examined the outside wax seal to see the royal symbol to see if the dragon was not lying to him. He concluded that the seal was the real thing, indeed. When he opened the scroll to roll it down, he saw that the contents inside had been a enchantment spell to create a vault for whatever treasures he would be given. And all because of how 'he had gotten the royalty to rally their subjects against the common enemy of theirs', from a long time ago. There was also a letter that was claw-written by the Dragon King himself speaking of the same deeds from that time. But along with that short but precise story, there was also a bit of news that because of his actions, they signed the treaty to allow Equestria to have trades with them.

"And this... is not all of it, I take it?" Sterling asked as the brow above his left eye had peaked up after having quickly read the letter. His internal sigh was enough to say to himself that certain people really are just as bad with being so persistent when it came to matters concerning himself.

"I'm afraid not, Captain," Fiery spoke up as another package was then pulled from his courier bag. Within a few seconds, before Sterling could ask, a treasure chest had then been pulled out from the bag. But it was not an ordinary treasure chest, as far as he could see. The same chest was about fifity times bigger than his whole house.

"This must have come straight from the personal vault of the Dragon King himself," Sterling noted as his surprise had just heightened while his mouth was gaping as his eyes were widened. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but: Is there anything else?" he then asked the dragon in nearly a fearful tone.

"Just a few last, light trinkets," Fiery spoke to him with a proud nod. After searching through his bag for a few moments, mumbling if the packages were not what he was looking for, he found a few rather small boxes. In them were some treasures that most would just kill to have in their possessions. Sterling then opened the boxes, and saw the very same things that he was just slightly afraid of having:

The Dragon-Heart Medal of Courage, the Stalliongrad Medal of Honor, the Zebrican Teardrop Medal of Endurance, the Stirrupean Medal of Nobility, the Gryphon Kingdom Medal of Discipline, the Norse Country Medal of Loyalty and the High Alicornian Legion Medal. Only the most courageous of soldiers could ever receive these honors. And no one alive had ever been so royally blessed. For it was only the people within said countries that could receive the medals for his bravery in the fight against the conflicts that plagued the waking world.

Sterling had no words to speak, but Fiery had handed out a clipboard for him to sign his name on. And with his signature, full printed name and initials on the lines to conclude the transactions, the two of them had concluded their business and bid each other a fond farewell. Within a few seconds after the dragon ascended to the skies, Sterling had then begun to speak out the enchantment on the very large treasure chest.

It became as small rock while drilling itself into the ground after he planted it near the garden that had been planted near the steps of his front porch. Within a few seconds after it stopped at just about ten feet deep below the ground, the same earth below him began to shake with a force that was only familiar to him in many ways. But the shaking had soon abated after about fourteen seconds.

"The vault is now made, and my medals and weapons now have a better place to be adorned at, other than my basement," Sterling sighed with a smile on his face as he deduced that his new gifts were now in a better place for storage while walking to the front door of his abode. But as he did so, he was then approached by a scent he never smelled before. Almost.... flowery, yet sweet to his nostrils.

(Meanwhile, within the Everfree Forest....)

An unnaturally cold breeze shot through the forest as a pack of timberwolves wondered through the terrain while eating the flesh of an unlucky victim that used to be a family of innocent deer. But as the predators feasted on the bodies, another unnatural sound was soon heard. The same wolves looked to where a small whirlwind of dirt had begun to circle around them. They immediately sensed a danger coming to them. But it was too late for the wolves that were surrounded by the evil forces all around them. For it was just after they had whined to one another about leaving that the creatures had become burned to a crisp in an instant. But this was only the beginning of the troubles that came around. A series of demonic portals had begun to appear soon after the timberwolves were killed.

The same portals soon showed five menacing silhouettes. Two of them showed the body of an umbrumian, which was a man made of shadows, while the other showed a centaur's body. Another pair of bodies had shown an Alicornian Changeling woman who looked rather tall while another woman who looked very close to being a majestic vampire had appeared. But the final body, as it appeared last, was that of an ordinary Magician man.

"Why do I care about some stupid Brute burial ground?", the Changeling asked the men beside her.

"This is no ordinary Brute that has been buried here, Chrysalis!", the centaur spoke up.

"If I wanted to desecrate a body, then I'd settle for a graveyard," the Magician whined with a little shiver that he hid from the others.

"I told all of you that bringing him here was an atrocious idea. Especially you, Lord Tirek," the umbrumian rolled his eyes.

"Enough, Sombra! We are to make Blueblood here resurrect our soon-to-be warrior from the dead," Tirek growled at them.

"But why does it have to be me?", Blueblood asked them all.

"Because... if you do not do this, then we won't help you take over Equestria," Chrysalis hissed at the Magician.

"But do I really need to raise a monster from the dead? I could have just sent a bomb against my Aunties so that I can claim the throne from there," Blueblood spoke to them in the same sniveling tone.

"You really are just a spoiled brat who still pisses himself on his bed during the night time," Nightmare Moon smirked an evil smile at the royal one.

"Do you still believe that that plan would work? Celestia and Luna are both wise to having any kind of threat made against them, Blueblood. NOW RAISE THE BRUTE FROM THE DEAD, OR YOU WILL SUFFER THE LOWEST LEVEL OF TARTARUS!!!", Tirek angrily commanded him with no patience in him left.

"Y-y-y-y-yes, my Lord!", Blueblood shivered in compliance, fearful of the threat that he could very well try to make Tirek go through. But even he thought better of it. As the Prince took his place, Chrysalis took his right side while Nightmare Moon took his left. Both Sombra and Tirek were already in front of the other three while taking their commanded positions.

"Aahh.... After ten years of planning, our ascension to take over the world of Equius will be complete! And now! Let's raise the warrior from the earth below!", Tirek then commanded as they all formed an aura from their hands.

After seeing the circle of their magic combined with one another, the fusion had sunk to the ground below as it only left a burn mark around them. Within a few seconds after the magic was dispersed, an implosion had popped from the ground to reveal the dead body of a warrior who had the body of a gorilla with the head, arms and legs of a dragon.

"What? A hybrid? You spent ten years looking for a freak of nature?", Blueblood mocked Tirek. He would soon regret saying those words as a dragon hand had gripped the throat of the Prince. As the arm pulled the same man, the dead body peeked its eyes at the man and stared with malicious intent.

"Say it again, Equestrian scum! I dare you to," an ominous voice growled lowly before the arm had tossed Blueblood towards a large tree that soon broke the whole tree like a toothpick. Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra and Queen Nightmare had a look of surprise on their faces that turned joyous as the body of a gorilla-dragon hybrid rose up from his grave. And with a stretch that accompanied a lot of bone cracking, the same monster looked to the other four and announced: "Ladies and gentleman! The King of the Rex Brutes.... IS BACK!!!" And after his words echoed through the forest, a lot of lightning bolts had begun to strike around them.

"Yyyeeeesssssssss!!!", Sombra cheered as the evil warrior announced himself.

"I had no idea that the King Brute could be so handsome!", Chrysalis blushed just as Nightmare did with a hum from her throat coming out.

"Why, thank you, my Queen!", he bowed to the Changeling with a wicked smile.

"I am Lord Tirek, the sworn enemy of love, friendship and harmony! It is a SUPREME honor to make you our ally!" Tirek announced to the resurrected monster.

"How can I show my gratitude to my malevolent saviors?", Leviathan asked them humbly.

"Allow me, my lord,” Blueblood interjected for a moment. ”Do you recall the name... Sterling Caliber of Dodge City, in Equestria?!", Blueblood asked them after rising from the rubble as he pointed his finger to Leviathan. His answer was not in words, but in a demonic scream that spoke of blood-lust and destruction as a few streams of lightning and thunder had swirled around, destroying the trees and any animal that were unlucky enough to get caught in the strikes. And all of the evil ones surrounding the beast had smiled, save for Blueblood who had only scowled at him.

"I think he knows him very well," Nightmare commented. And after seeing the powerful attack disappear, Leviathan had looked to the spectators while breathing heavily at them.

"Our wish is that you destroy Sterling Caliber so that our evil can reign supreme over all of Equius!", Tirek ordered the hybrid with a growl that fully met his nihilistic desire.

"I will not only destroy my greatest enemy," Leviathan began to speak, "But I will obliterate all of the Royal Elites that are still alive to this day! And when it is all said and done...", he then took his hands and wrapped them around both Nightmare and Chrysalis' hands, "Then I should very much like to get the chance to bed you two when I destroy the existence of every enemy that you want destroyed after Caliber is burned to a crisp," he chuckled in a lustful tone.

"You truly are such a beast," Nightmare smiled as sultrily as he did while circling her fingers on his chest.

"And you shall be given that chance, my darling hybrid," Chrysalis promised the Brute with the same smile. And after making that rather naughty promise, both she and Nightmare Moon began to grope and lick Leviathan all around him after sloppily kissing the beast multiple times while Leviathan had also groped the women almost forcefully. And they both enjoyed the attention. But as the same beast felt their mouths going lower on his abdomen, just close enough for him to feel his newly heated loins burning up, the ladies then pulled themselves back up and smiled nonchalantly at him from the resulting teasing that they inflicted upon him. The beast could only smile, given that his being denied instant erotic pleasure was what gave him the incentive to do his deeds.

"We shall leave you to raise Tartarus all around the world, your Majesty! Let's go, everyone!", Tirek waved to him before leading the way to the portals behind them. But after the five evil beings had left, Leviathan had then begun to smile just as malevolently as they did before.

"And when I have killed my greatest enemy and his living unit, I shall destroy the Prince, the King & the Centaur so that I will rule all of the world with their powers, as those sluts become my permanent Queens! All of Equius... will be mine! So help me, Rex Muta!", he muttered his plan behind their backs as a deep and evil laugh had been shouted out with an echo in the dark forest.

(To Be Continued....)

(*****)

Chapter 2: The Former Element Bearers

Chapter 2

The Former Element Bearers

*****

The time was now 11:15 AM. Six beautiful women were sitting around a table inside of a well-known establishment called Sugar-Cube Corner as they enjoyed themselves some full salads and fruits. And those very same women had begun to converse with each other about the daily routines that they all went through in order to get something done for the day, i.e. their jobs. But today was a little more special for them.

Rainbow Dash, the athletic Auran woman who made it to the Wonderbolts a few years ago, had begun to train some new recruits, who had confessed to being a few of her personal fans before, in making sure that the weather was cleared up for all of the citizens in the town. Needless to say, she was quite impressed with the new help.

Applejack, the down-to-Equius Equian woman who worked hard at her family farm, had talked about how her big brother, Big Mac, and her little sister Apple Bloom, had begun to hang out more often, thus making her really happy for them. So much so in fact, that when the Apple-Bucking Season came around, all hands were on deck for the big harvest. Even Granny Smith volunteered to help out, despite being slower than the rest of her family.

Twilight Sparkle, being the scholarly woman that she always was, despite being the most recent Alicornian in all of Equestria, had told her friends all about how she was able to find a rare copy of a book that had certain rare magic types that are still rare to see in this modern day and age. The highlight, of course, was a pair of certain mystical oddities that had greatly piqued her interests: Card-Summoning and Possessor Magic, to be exact, as she always made a point to note for herself.

And Rarity, the fashionista Magician with a reputation of being the best seamstress in both Canterlot and Ponyville, had begun to frantically (with a calm posture of course) relive the little tale of how Fancy Pants had given her a high compliment about how her recent summer lineup had become a huge success in Canterlot. And in turn, the mentioned man's girlfriend, Fleur De Lis, modeled herself in the same made dresses. This turn of events allowed her friends to cheer for her great success.

And even Fluttershy, the timid Auran veterinarian girl in their group, was feeling happy enough to speak up to them.

"I was already finished with making sure that Angel bunny did his part as we fed the animals back at the cottage," Fluttershy began, "when I noticed that some of my animal friends were saying to me that they picked up a scent that they never smelled before," she softly spoke to the group, who had also decided to share a bit of news.

"Did you ask them specifically what it was, my dear Fluttershy?" Rarity, the Rarity, the posh fashionista in the group, asked the shy aviator. And even Applejack, a hard-working Land-Woman from the Sweet Apple Acres farm, had begun to get a little curious about the topic herself.

"Well, shoot. Ah'm also wantin' ta know if Fluttershy asked," Applejack remarked to the proper woman near her as she placed a gentle touch on Fluttershy's shoulder, who only smiled with a sigh. "Makin' sure that the crop is harvested ain't as excitin' as it used to be," she sighed.

"So! Did you ask them, Fluttershy darling?", Rarity asked her, hoping for an answer. The shy girl could only nod slowly at the lady of the group.

"Well I'm just hoping that it isn't anything bad! We all know that Fluttershy can be trusted when it comes to her talent with the animals at her clinic," Rainbow spoke up. "But, if they say that they picked up something that we don't know about, then I'd like the right to find out," she finished saying.

"Just don't rough 'em up, Rainbow! We all know that ya like movin' fast," Applejack remarked with a knowing glare at her friend.

"Alright, already! Geez! I thought you wouldn't bring that up again!", Rainbow groaned, knowing that the ladies already knew that she had woken up with two specific members of the Wonderbolts in a bed on more than one night. This still made both Rarity and Fluttershy blush deeply, even though their composure was kept.

"Let's just move on, alright, girls?", Twilight Sparkle, the newest Alicornian Princess who ascended from being a Magician a long time ago, then suggested calmly to the group. “Take your time with telling us what your little friends were saying to you, okay Fluttershy?”, she then said to the veterinarian with a warm smile.

“W-w-well.... the squirrels and birds had all told me that they picked up a brand new scent in the air before we all agreed to meet here for lunch,” Fluttershy began. “When I asked them what got them so excited, it was one of the birds who told me what was happening. Apparently, a brand new person is coming to our town. And they all heard it from the train that stopped two hour ago. You, um.... you believe me, right?”, she then asked her friends with her trademark timid smile as her pink hair hid half of her face.

“We all believe you, Fluttershy,” Twilight said to her as the rest of the group nodded in a shared agreement.

"That's right! So!", Pinkie Pie, the town's premier party planner, began to cheerfully speak after hearing her friend speak up. "My Pinkie Sense went off for a little bit before I went back to making the cookies that I made for us! And it was quite a doozy!", she stated to the women around her as she pointed to the same treats that were handed out to them beforehand.

"How so, Pinkie?" Applejack asked her just as curiously as the others pondered.

"Well.... I'm not sure myself, but I definitely felt another presence! Not the bad type that we've had before in the past few years, but this felt just as intense!" Pinkie answered. "And if my Sense is telling me correctly, then it means that our town now does have someone new here! And this a person who has seen a lot of major battles in front of them!" Pinkie observed a little loudly to them with her grin growing wider.

"Like a... a warrior, per se?", Twilight asked Pinkie, who stared out the window curiously.

"Meh. I'm thinking more along the lines of a military veteran who had been fighting against a bunch of our enemies. Take a look," Pinkie replied as she gestured for all of the girls to look out with her. Sure enough, they all spotted a man slowly making his way towards Town Hall.

The same man, as they now saw from the window, had long hair that was jet-black in color, a big and muscular body frame that was small enough to be comfortable but big enough to intimidate any aggressor, a silver color in his eyes, and a black hooded zip-up jacket that covered a simple white shirt that he wore along with a pair of running shoes below his blue denim jeans. They were able to see those details as they saw the man turn around to look up at the place where they were at. But what they had not counted on was how he just looked so young and handsome to them. It was almost as if they haven't seen a new man in their town for a while. And not since Trender Hoof or Cheese Sandwich, from many years before.

Within the few seconds that they simply gawked at him in, each of the women had made an observation about the guy.

Applejack observed how much more muscular than he seemed under the clothes that he was wearing. And with muscles like his, she had gotten the impression that he must be able to take any type of work thrown at him. This made her believe, with an educated guess, that he must have been an Equian. Even she knew that most Magicians could not look that muscular. But if he was an Auran, like her friends Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, then some wings should sprout from his back. No pair of wings were seen from the man, thus making her brush off the thought.

Pinkie Pie was already shaking with the excitement of seeing a new person coming to the town. More so than when she had perfected a new recipe called 'Black Forest' chocolate cake. As far as she knew, this was a new face, thus prompting her to immediately decide to get to know him before throwing a 'Welcome To Ponyville' party for the new neighbor. But as she looked even more, she saw that he looked like he needed to get a laugh or two from how his eyes and lips had formed a serious look. It was then that she concluded that she wanted, deep down in her heart, to make herself become friends with him. And it was always easy for her to make new friends. But given her experience with a grumpy elderly man named Cranky Doodle, she didn't want to rush it.

Twilight looked at the new man and immediately saw a trait that made her face blush for a little bit. Though the guy looked young, the scholarly Princess was able to see something that greatly resembled the maturity of her big brother, Shining Armor. And even if he wasn't a part of the Royal Guard, which she would want to ask the mysterious guest later, Twilight saw that the man looked like he was able to analyze any situation with ease. She then saw a silver-colored magical aura emanating from the man's hand and immediately recognized that he was a Magician right at that moment. This set both her and her friends to go 'huh.' as she continued to look.

Rainbow Dash, however, was not so convinced that the man that she was seeing looked like a veteran of the Equestrian Armed Forces. But she was able to see a look that only a Marine could give if they were in a bit of a hurry. Then, she saw the same thing that her friends did. The same magic being used by the guy had also told her that this macho looking guy was a Magician. And after seeing the magic leave his hands, the anonymous person had started to look at a map before placing the same map being folded into a small pack box that was clipped onto a belt.

As Fluttershy and Rarity both looked at the man, both of their face cheeks went into a deep red color as their eyes widened with hearts going bump-bump in their chests. Never in their lives did they see a man that looked quite built, and also had a simple taste in clothing. In Rarity's eyes, the colors of black and white on top of denim blue were just fabulous to look at. And given that she was also able to glance at the muscles of the stranger, she concluded that this man must be as much of a health nut as her prism-colored friend was. But then she averted her gaze back to the man's face and saw his facial features. And she swore to Celestia, silently of course, that the same man must be an Adonis, despite some of the scars that were visible enough to be shown in the daylight. Fluttershy, given her very shy nature, could only make her trademark sound of squeaking as she peeked at the man in front of her from the inside looking outside with her hair in the way. After she and Rarity saw that he was a Magician, she kept her eyes locked on him.

Four of the women in the group had believed that a potential new friend could be made, while Fluttershy and Rarity wanted to get to know him before they became his brand new girlfriends. And as Rarity looked to Fluttershy, Fluttershy looked to Rarity and saw the same look of determination that they secretly shared among themselves. Twilight then used a bit of her magic to run a simple spell to identify him. After getting the spell done, she wrote down the bio on a scroll that she had somehow brought with her. And all after seeing that the same person had just disappeared from their sights.

"So who is the guy, Twilight?" Applejack asked her royal friend after seeing her friend finish writing her report down.

"Yes, do tell, darling," Rarity added to the inquiry while the other women had nodded their agreement.

"I have it all written down here, girls. Take a look," Twilight proudly answered them as she got the ink of her quill dried up long enough with a drying spell that she conjured up simultaneously after placing the writing utensil on the table. The girls then looked at the sheet that was on the table and read the notes that Twilight wrote down in the order that she saw.

Name: Sterling Caliber.

DOB: 08/14/990-2E

Ht: 5'10"

Wt: 177 lbs.

Eyes: Silver

Gen: Male

Former Occupation: Captain, R.E.M.C.

Race: Magician.

Time Served: 13 years, 7 months, 5 days.

"Whoa! He is a Marine!", Rainbow shouted out in the shock of learning about the man's former occupation. "And he's only twenty-three? Now that's just awesome!", she smiled at her friends, who also had a bit of the same attitude as she did. But as she looked at Pinkie Pie, the attitude that she saw from her friend was not as receiving as the others. Instead, Pinkie had felt her normally curly hair flatten a bit in the sadness. "Okay. What is it now, Pinkie?" she then asked straight up to her.

"Oh, gosh...", she began to sigh sadly, "This guy has been in the military for more than thirteen years, and long before he was even allowed to enter the Armed Forces legally. And I just know that he must have lost a lot of friends during his time of service," she began to cry as a tear had dropped from her left eye. This prompted Rainbow Dash to pick up a cookie from the table and nearly shove the confection to the now depressed party girl's mouth.

"Pinkie, eat a cookie," Rainbow told her as she held the morsel close to Pinkie's mouth.

"Why?", the pink-haired girl asked as she held a sob back.

"Because you tend to cry and go 'Pinkamena' on us when you're hungry," Rainbow answered her. Pinkie then took the cookie from her hand and took a huge bite, almost engulfing it whole. "Better?", Rainbow asked her.

"Yep! Much better!" Pinkie nodded after swallowing the bite as she felt her hair poof back to life.

"So, um... do you reckon that, uh... w-we could... y-y-y-you know, f-follow him?" Fluttershy whispered softly to her friends. "I'd.... like to get to know him," she then added when her friends gave her a confused look.

"I agree, my dear," Rarity nodded to her friend. "But I think that we should head back to our homes, first. A very good first impression is sure to win him over to all of us," she suggests to them with a refined giggle in her throat.

"Yeah! We don't want to make our new neighbor feel uncomfortable with us," Pinkie concurred. "I mean, I love seeing people smile, and I'd like to see if I can make him smile, especially if I can offer him a cupcake!" she cheered a bit.

"What was that, Pinkie?", a familiar voice called out to her. Pinkie's eyes went wide for a second before she saw Mrs. Cup Cake working at the register.

"Oops! Sorry, I meant the treat, not you, Mrs. Cake!", she giggled with a sheepish grin, causing the other girls to raise an eyebrow to show their confusion at what was just said.

"Perfectly alright, deary," Mrs. Cake calmly said to her with a warm smile.

The rest of the ladies stepped outside after Pinkie volunteered to pay the bill after having eaten their lunches. Fluttershy then walked up to the confectioner and asked, "What was that about?", in her trademark soft voice.

"Well, it was just a week ago when I confessed to the Cakes that I'm bisexual," Pinkie answered her with a shrug. "They took it pretty well after I told them my feelings, but here I was thinking that they would not want-- mmph?" Pinkie was interrupted as Rarity had taken her hand to gently shut her friends mouth.

"Pinkie Pie, are you really bisexual?" Rarity gasped, curious to know about it. Pinkie only nodded to her with a 'mm-hmm' noise muffled out, not showing any kind of deceit in her eyes. "Good heavens...." the posh girl gasped.

"Why? What's going on?", Twilight asked the women in front of her.

"Well, if you must know, then I must also confess something to you girls," Rarity began to speak. She cleared her throat before giving her answer. The rest nodded while Fluttershy walked to her left side. "It was a week ago, during our trip to the spa for our weekly get-together, after we had conversed about our past loves, that Fluttershy and I had discovered that we are both bisexual," she confessed to the girls. "And Fluttershy and I soon found out, after a very much needed discussion, that we both want a man to be with the both of us as a way of deepening our true love for each other," she continued to say before the shy girl spoke up.

"W-w-we... we still love you girls very much as our best friends, but... we discovered that our love for each other is just a little deeper than just as best friends," she squeaked before shying away from their faces.

"And now that Pinkie has confessed such a wondrous thing to all of us, just as we did, it makes more sense to me how she wants to see everyone smile," Rarity added to the speech. After hearing that, Pinkie gave her most infectious of giggles.

"Oh, thank you, girls," she said to them as her laugh prompted the others to give the same kind of laugh as well.

"Well, Ah only like men that way, but Ah'm very happy that y'all know what and who ya love, and Ah do love ya girls," Applejack smiled at the three girls who had just spoken about their true feelings.

"I am a straight girl as well, but if my looks can turn all peoples heads, including yours, then I'm cool with that," Rainbow grinned to them with a big smirk, obviously happy with what was said just now.

"I may not be wanting to be in a relationship at the moment, but I think we can all agree that being happy with each other is the best thing for all of us," Twilight nodded. The other girls then nodded in the same shared afterthought.

"Group hug before we all head home?", Pinkie then suggests to them. They all agree by sharing the hug. After breaking the hug and sharing a few 'love you' messages for a minute or two, the pink-haired girl then points to where the Town Hall was and said, "Hey look! He's coming out of the Town Hall!" The ladies then looked to where the man was. Sure enough, they saw him listing things out with his fingers counting something.

"So what do you girls believe he's doing right now?", Applejack asked them.

"I'm not sure," Fluttershy admitted.

"Perhaps... he's just become a citizen, and he's going to where his new home is at?", Rarity thought out loud to the group.

"That's actually a great hypothesis, Rarity. I was just thinking the same thing," Twilight agreed with her.

"Let's meet up at the bridge near the town at 3:00, huh?", Rainbow Dash then suggests before opening up her wings to take flight.

"3:00?", Twilight asked before looking at the clock from the tower to see that it was 11:30 AM. "I guess we can all squeeze in some hours before we all meet him. Everyone agree?"

"Agreed," the rest of the ladies spoke up. And from there, they dispersed after saying their goodbyes. Twilight used a spell to transport herself to the castle at the northern part of the town where her assistant, the now grown up dragon named Spike, was waiting oh-so patiently for her. Applejack made her way back to the family farm where she was needed to work some more at. Apple-Bucking Season and all that. Pinkie Pie made her way back to the same confection store where she worked hard at. And Rainbow made her flight to the skies above to see if any more clouds needed to be taken care of.

Fluttershy, however, decided to go to the Carousel Boutique with Rarity, much to the lady's confusion when she walked up to her with a little skip in her step.

"Fluttershy? Are you actually wanting to come back to the Boutique with me, my love? I'm sure that you need to go back home to feed those adorable critters there," Rarity asked her friend behind her, remembering that the same animals might need to be fed by her loving friend.

"Oh, um.... I already told Angel to start feeding the animals their lunches while I was away for today. He needs to learn to be self-sufficient," Fluttershy calmly answered her. "Besides," she grabbed Rarity's arm and held it comfortably as her breasts had squished themselves on the free limb. "I'd like to see if we can do some modeling first. Just so that we can find some dresses to impress the new man who just moved here," she giggled with a small blush on her face.

"Oh, Fluttershy... I just love the way you think, darling," Rarity waved her hand in a dramatic fashion before giggling at her own tiny performance. And with her arms around Fluttershy's, they walk to the same shop with a giggle escaping them both.

…..

The intended hour had arrived quickly and four of the six former bearers of the Elements of Harmony had met up near the bridge at the southern part of the town. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow and Pinkie had already filled out their quota for their work during the three passing hours that they all agreed to meet up again after doing some work. And while Rarity and Fluttershy had begun to walk up to their friends, the others had been waiting patiently for them for five whole minutes.

"There you two are," Twilight spoke to the pair as they stopped just a foot or so away. "What kept you two?", she asked them curiously.

"S-sorry that we're late, girls. W-well, um.... you see.... we had to work out some.... new dresses for Sapphire Shores," Fluttershy had meekly answered her.

"That," Rarity decided to interject, "and we just couldn't decide on what hats to wear to go with some new dresses that I had made. And we all know that Princess Celestia's sun is quite hot for the both of us," she then waves her hand around to the same hot star while pointing to herself and her friend as she explains along with the timid one beside her.

"Somehow, I can agree with wearing a hat, because of how hot it is out here," Rainbow said, not entirely sure if she could shrug off that nagging feeling in the back of her mind while wiping off some of the sweat from her brow. "But I am wondering if it really was taking a lot of time to make the dresses for Sapphire Shores," she then says, hoping to alleviate that feeling in her head.

"But of course, Rainbow! I always have to make sure that the details are perfect for her," Rarity replies as she moves her hand to her chest in a pseudo-dramatic way.

"Heh-heh. Looks like we all have our hands full today," Twilight says with a smiling nod as a giggle escaped her.

"Yup. Especially since we all need ta git t' where our new neighbor's at," Applejack quips.

"And I just made a dozen cupcakes just for our new neighbor!", Pinkie excitedly speaks up with a bounce in her steps.

"Let me guess: MMM-Cups?", Rainbow smirked, knowing that Pinkie was always a bit of a mad scientist when it came to the confections that she was most famous for.

"Nope! Black Forest chocolate cupcakes! Made fresh today!" Pinkie cheers with a big smile.

"So, um.... should we--?", Fluttershy was about to speak before they all heard the distant sound of s roar coming from the outer town limits. And even the ladies could hear how quiet it was. Fluttershy gave out a small yelp before hiding behind Rarity.

"W-what was that?", she shivered with fright behind her voice.

"That did sound like a roar. Or maybe an explosion? But what was it? We know that Applejack isn't raising the barn again," Rainbow pointed to the farmer girl.

"Yup. We don't raise it until next month. And it certainly wasn't Rainbow making her Sonic Rainboom again," Applejack nodded.

"I think we should find out what it is later. You with me, girls?", Twilight asked them. They all nodded. "Well, let's not waste any more time, then," she spoke up before leading the way to the direction where the new resident was at. They all took the gravel road that led to the direction where Sweet Apple Acres was at, but they all had decided to not take the obvious road.

“Okay: If I was a new neighbor in this town, where would I be?”, Rainbow began to speak up in a '20 Questions' style. “My new home is on this road near the river, close to Sweet Apple Acres. I'm a veteran of the military, looking for only the best way to adjust to civilian life. And I happen to be a Magician with an array of spells. Where would I be?”, she then finished her remarks.

“And how did you acquire this information, Rainbow?”, Twilight asked her.

“Some of the weather team workers saw him going down this road. And given what we know about him so far, plus what I learned from the bio that you made for us, it's only logical that his new home must be at the river,” Rainbow explained to her Alicornian friend.

“But there's only one house that fit's the bill, Rainbow,” Applejack interjected for a moment. “And that house so happens to be th' old ugly two-story that no one goes to look at, let alone buy from th' Town Hall.”

“But I am sure that he is working hard on the reconstruction of that heinous looking property, even as we speak,” Rarity added. “I would be more than surprised if it was finished right now.”

Before the rest of them could speak their piece, however, a large, darkened shadow had loomed over their heads before they looked up to the sky while the shadow had quickly moved away from their sights. When their visions became corrected again, they all saw a large creature hovering over where they had intended to go to.

"D-D-D-DRAGON!!!" Fluttershy screamed before hiding in a bush near the Acres. The other women decided to follow suit while just as frightened. All of them, that is, except for Twilight. She could only stand in awe of how large and, strangely, familiar the dragon had looked to her.

"Wait a minute....", Twilight pondered a bit before looking intently at the red dragon that was hovering above the intended destination. And then it hit her like a ton of bricks. "I know that dragon! And so do all of you!" she spoke up to the girls who were hiding in the bushes behind her.

"W...we do?", Fluttershy shivered.

"Of course! That's the dragon who had slept in that cave years ago!", Pinkie spoke up.

"Aw, man! That was the same dude that I kicked under the chin," Rainbow also spoke up, regretting the memory.

"And the same creature that I tried to..... well, alleviate some of his wealth for," Rarity nervously said.

"Ah can still smell that smoke that he blasted us with," Applejack confessed, remembering it all from her point of view.

"Oh, my goodness! That's the dragon that I stared down before asking him politely to leave Ponyville," Fluttershy had then remembered as a bit of courage had returned to her. Rainbow had wanted to call out her friend on how cowardly she was, but thought it better to not bring up that detail at all.

"I think the dragon is above where our new resident is at," Twilight observed while looking at the flying creature in front of them. "So let's wait to see what happens before we go in, alright girls?" she orders them calmly.

"You got it," the girls nodded.

"Let's go," the Princess then said. With a wave of her hand, she beckoned the girls to follow behind her. Within a few seconds of walking slowly, they found a few trees within the Sweet Apple Acres land to hide behind. "Are all of you seeing what I'm seeing?", Twilight asked them while keeping her head down while looking up.

"Same dragon," four of the girls spoke.

"I see delicious apples hanging on this tree," Pinkie said with a smile.

"Pinkie, we're supposed to be looking at the dragon, not Applejack's crops," Rainbow spoke to her from a tree next to the one occupied by the party animal.

"I knew that!", Pinkie giggled at the Auran beside her.

"And Ah think we should stay focused on what's happenin'," Applejack rolled her eyes. "Can ya see what's goin' on, 'Shy?", she asked her teal-eyed friend.

"Umm.... I do see the dragon above, but I can also see the man," Fluttershy observed from her spot. It was thankful that both she and her friend, Rainbow, had the eyes of a hawk, as all Auran people were born with. “And the old house is not there anymore,” she gasped from the sight before her. “There's actually a brand new two-story home that looks much better than before,” she then said to them.

“Did he really make a new house, Fluttershy?,” Rarity asked her friend, who only nodded with the truth in her eyes to back her up. “Ooh! I certainly hope it looks good when I see it,” she then pondered before she set her sights on the top of the hill that was covered by the dragon's large shadow.

"Ah hope that it ain't somethin' bad, like how Rainbow rolled in the hay with Soarin and Spitfire," Applejack laughed quietly.

"I thought we all agreed to move on from that!", Rainbow almost cried while putting on a tough face against the farmer. "I don't feel that way about women, but that night was the only exception! It was only once!"

"We know, Rainbow. We know," Fluttershy calmly spoke to her while softly gripping her friends shoulder.

"Thanks, 'Shy," Rainbow thanked the timid girl. "You've always known how to calm us down, don't you?" she asked.

"It's a talent," the veterinarian spoke up with a small grin. She then gasped at a sight that immediately caught her attention. "Look!", she almost yelled out while pointing at the dragon hovering above the ground. But this time, the dragon was glowing an unnatural glow while it began to shrink down and transform into an anthropoid figure.

"But.... that's.... That's impossible!", Twilight hissed in the surprise that she was seeing. "There's never been a dragon that can reduce it's own size by will! Even Princess Cadence doesn't know about this!", she noted to herself loudly.

"Well then, it must be a new type of magic that you can do some research on, dear Twilight," Rarity quipped, noticing the curiosity that spread all over her royal friend's face. The answer that the fashionista received, instead of words, was a sudden hug by her good friend. "Ooh! Now-now, Twilight! I do love the attention, but we need to focus here," she reminded her gently.

"Oh! Uh, heh-heh, sorry about that," Twilight smiled sheepishly in her apology after separating herself. "I had to fight back the urge to just kiss you right then and there," she explained.

"Well now, just a simple hug will have to do, my dear," Rarity soothingly spoke to her friend.

"Thanks, Rarity," she thanked her friend with a hug.

"You're welcome, darling," the posh girl said back to her after breaking off the hug with a peck to each face cheek. The ladies then looked to where the new scene was taking place. “I wonder what is about to happen now....” she pondered out loud to herself as she scratched her chin in contemplation.

Soon, her question was answered, along with her best friends' own curious notions, as the silhouette of the lid of a gigantic treasure chest had appeared before her eyes. Her sapphire blue eyes, along with her friends eyes, almost popped out of their sockets with the sight that she beheld. And even Fluttershy, her best friend and new loving partner, was shaking a little bit. Then, both Rarity, Fluttershy and the others saw the dragon go back to its full drake body before flying off to the skies

Within a few seconds, both Fluttershy, Twilight and Rainbow had to take a few feet above the ground in a hovering move because of how the ground was giving off a violent shake. Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack had become just a little unlucky as the apples from the trees struck them above their heads, evidenced by a few painful noises being made by them all. And even with the protection of the two Aurans and one Alicornian, there was still some slight bruising on them. But as they felt it happen, the aftershock had begun to fade along with the shaking.

“Is everyone alright? Anything broken?”, Twilight asked her friends. “Check your limbs to see if there's any injury at all,” she instructed to them. And after they all checked their bodies, they sighed in relief because of how no one was hurt. Everyone, that is, unless you counted Rainbow Dash, who was still just as surprised at the events that took place. But even she was sharp enough to know that the top of the enormous chest was gone from her sights.

"Okay.... am I the ONLY ONE who saw what just happened here?!", Rainbow nearly screamed in awe of the scene that took place. "I mean, seriously! A Dragon Vault full of treasures?! This guy is seriously loaded!!" she continued to shout out before Twilight pulled her down from the tree branch with her magic.

"Rainbow, just calm down," Twilight spoke to her loud friend. "I can only speculate that this man had to have done something that was quite dramatic to be given such an intriguing gift by the King and Queen of Draconia," she noted to them. When they all said 'huh?', she answered them with: "It's another way to say 'The Dragon Kingdom'." A collective 'oh' had been heard before Twilight turned back around.

"But Rainbow Dash is quite right, darling! We just now noticed how our new neighbor has just acquired a mountain of wealth," Rarity contributed to the conversation.

"And Ah think that this here man is only brushin' off his new wealth like it's just nuthin'," Applejack complied.

"Exactly! This guy must be wanting to-- Wait a minute, wait a minute!", Rainbow stopped herself from adding more to the topic. She then looked to her friends, then looked around her to find that something was missing. "Hey, where's Fluttershy?", she immediately asked them.

The girls then looked around to find that their timid friend had gone missing.

"Where is she?", the girls gasped out in the shock of not seeing their friend with them.

"Wait! There she is!", Pinkie pointed to a place away from them. The girls set their eyes to where Fluttershy was being pointed to, and they saw their friend going down the hill to where their new neighbor resided at.

"What is that crazy girl doing?", Rainbow shakily asked.

"I'm guessing that she must be going to speak with the man," Rarity answered with her own speculation.

"And you wonder why we all love you," Twilight smiled again as the fashionista had just given a similar guess that she wanted to say.

"I know, darling. I know," Rarity smiled back. "Oh, Fluttershy... you brave, brave woman...", she then sighed, feeling more in love with her than before.

.....

(Meanwhile, in the Canterlot Castle....)

It was just after Princess Celestia had taken a short break from her duties that she was greeted in the throne room by a guard who had been waiting for her for a while. Along with the guard, there was also her younger sister, Princess Luna, awaiting her presence.

"Luna? What brings you around here at this time of the day?", Celestia asked her as she ascended from the bottom of the small stairs to give her a friendly hug.

"Well my dear older sister, we were waiting for thee to cometh here," Luna greeted with a returning hug.

"And how is it that you're up at this time? You're usually not up at this time," Celestia asked with her observation once again as she took her seat on the throne with her sister sitting beside her on another throne.

"If I may, your Highness'?", the guard spoke up. "I am the reason for why the both of you are here," he said after bowing to them in respect. "And for that, I must apologize profusely!" he told them while keeping his bow. "But I have a group of men who wish to meet the both of you, concerning a.... 'certain soldier that was made a Captain'," he announced to them both.

Celestia and Luna then looked at each other with widened eyes. They both knew who the guard was speaking of, though he did not.

"Bring them in," Celestia calmly ordered the man who saluted the royalty before leaving their presences. And after the guard left them, eight mysterious figures had approached below the throne of the royal sisters and gave a respecting bow to them.

"Your Highness', we are so pleased to finally meet you," a deep male voice spoke up.

"Are.... are all of you....?", Luna was about to ask when a certain chant was then shouted out from the figures below.

"Lothokriin, vhaszadarrou Equus.... sahnahvv-adarraagcht!"

.....

(To Be Continued...)

Chapter 4: The Dire Wolves Massacre

Chapter 4

The Dire Wolves Massacre

*****

Not even five minutes in, and the Dire Wolves had already laid waste to the cottage that held the animals from Fluttershy's clinic along with many of the buildings in the town that had crumbled to the strength of the increasing numbers of the savage enemies. The same animals had thankfully been evacuated before becoming lunch to the monsters, but a few citizens had fallen to the savage might of the creatures. This did not bode well for Sterling, who had assessed the situation to the Royal Guard.

"Alright, boys and girls! The only way to efficiently and effectively kill these monsters is to smash, slash, stab or thrust your weapons on the head to put them down for good! And I am giving you all the authority to kill on sight! I repeat: Kill on sight! These Dire Wolves will not hesitate to do the same to all of you, so take down the enemy with your lives! FOR PONYVILLE!!!" he shouted to the men who gave out a holler from his orders. Within moments, the Royal Guard had taken their weapons and readied them to begin putting down the beasts one by one. But even with the help of the Guard, it was still not enough.

Sterling had then summoned one of the weapons from within his card pack and began to fire a few magic bolts against the wolves that were still on the rampage. And as each of the creatures had been slain, Sterling would see the guards destroy a few more as he continued his part of the defense. And as he put down a few other wolves that went into his path, the Captain had looked around the area.

The destruction and blood, along with the scent of the fires, the broken wood and glass, and even the gore that permeated the air had given him a real reason to make him want to kneel down and stick his palms to the ground. He also heard the same screams that echoed in his mind as he had not wanted to remember what had happened in High Trotter City. All of the burned bodies, the blood running faster than water, the pain, sweat, tears and other fluids painting the metropolis-type city. But more than that, he was flashing back to when he saw the first twisted faces of both soldiers and citizens that scarred him for life.

All in all, he was traumatized by the war that he had fought in for longer than fourteen years in his memory....

But now.... he had taken another look at the same scene in front of his waking eyes to see that the same carnage was being delayed with nearly all of the townspeople doing their part. But even as a small smile crawled up on his face, he knew that the demand for the supplies needed for the repairs was going to be too much for even the people of Town Hall to add up to the expenses from how many times the town had been through a great battle.

The streets had become dusted and stained with the blood of the people who had died from the contact via Dire Wolf. The former bearers of the Elements of Harmony had also listened in on how to dispatch the enemy and began to effectively use their magic to wipe out every member of the pack that was in their way. But even their magic as a weapon was still not enough to help the town. And even as Sterling kept killing all of the wolves in his sight, it seemed as if more kept coming for more. The heroes were nearly in a die-die situation with how hopeless it felt. But Sterling was not going to allow his town to fall. But even if it did, he would go down taking as many of his enemies with him.

“Rarity, I hope you don't have a big line-up for winter,” Sterling smirked as he killed a few of the monsters that were closing in on his friends. When he heard the nearest wolf yelp before being lobbed off, he could only count one other loss for the enemy side.

“Oh? And why, dear Sterling, is that?”, Rarity asked him as she too obliterated a few of the wolves with some of her magic dispersing from the shape of an arrow.

“Because that's not the kind of pelt that you'll want for even a blanket to warm yourself up with,” Sterling replied with a shot from his magic when yet another of the creatures lunged forward to only meet their death.

“And I know that all too well, as does Fluttershy here,” she pointed out to the veterinarian who had somehow gotten the courage to lob off the heads of the creatures coming for her with a short sword that she had picked up from the ground before.

"Oh! I certainly hope that we won't have to keep on fighting! I'm feeling a bit faint just from thinking about it," Fluttershy squealed as the black slime had stained a bit of her face.

"Come on, everyone! The Wonderbolts should be here within a few moments! They'll know how to fight them off when they get the message! Until then, the people are depending on us!" Rainbow rallied to her friends as she carried a thunder cloud to step on it before it sent off a lightning bolt that fried a few of the packs into oblivion.

"These meany pants are no fun! And I don't like it when there is no fun in this town," Pinkie spoke up as she also used her trademark party cannon to blast the wolves with its crushing force against the monsters.

"C'mon girls! Let's get this done and over with!" Applejack suggested as she kicked the head of one of the wolves that leapt towards them. The resulting force from the kick sent a few of the pack members flying back.

"Sterling! We'll help out better if we divide and conquer! It'll be a lot better if we do that," Twilight shouted as she flourished a magic arrow through a few of the wolves.

"Then do it, Princess! And see if you can get some volunteers to help us out! We need to hold them off until the proper reinforcements arrive!" Sterling commanded with his authority in the battlefield.

"You got it!" the Elements shouted as they left to go off to different directions.

"ALRIGHT, YOU OVERGROWN FUR COATS!! IT'S TIME TO TURN YOU INTO CARPETS, AS I SHOW YOU HOW I AM KNOWN AS 'THE SILVER BULLET!!!'" he yelled at the packs after summoning a long sword that he once used to dispose of the undead legions in the many continents that made the world of Equius. And after the rifle transformed into the blade, he swung it around just enough to know it was still in the best shape.

The first wolf to lunge into its attack had its head lobbed off from his sword. The jet-black slime that made up its blood had stained his body and face, along with the blade. And as the other wolves surrounded him, his abilities had been put to the test as the wolves, one by one, had taken a leap towards their intended prey, only to be killed with a swift motion of his blade.

But while he was successful with his defenses, a few of the wolves' limbs and fangs had penetrated his skin from his armored clothing. This in turn made him bleed out a small river of blood as sharp bits of pain had entered his membrane while the black slime of the Dire Wolf Blood had entered the soldiers veins. But the adrenaline within him had overtaken his pain, and thus he was able to kill even more of the abominations that wanted him and the civilians dead.

But as his attackers had lost another dozen, both he and the wolves had then heard the unnatural sound of an unknown creature from the Everfree Forest. But this howl was deeper in its octave. And as it was heard, the other creatures had fled in fear. Naturally, Sterling would have relished in the victory of having taken care of more than ten dozen wolves with the help of his friends, the Royal Guard and the town folk. But his victory was short lived.

Within seconds, a pair of creatures had lunged from the forest and landed on top of the cottage, thus destroying the roof of the cottage as the damage had then collapsed the rubble into the interior of the house. It was just as Sterling had feared, but not as much as the dark Magicians that summoned the undead legions from before. This was just a few degrees more.... fun.

A large pair of Alpha male Dire Wolves had snarled their jaws with the black slime that made their drool. This had raised Sterling's adrenaline by a higher length. 'Flight' was not even in his mind. He would do what he could in order to protect both the town and its citizens. But as the creatures drew nearer, he laughed loudly with a sadist smile that made even his allies fear him for a little bit.

"AAAHH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HHAAAAAH! NOW THE FUN HAS BEEN DOUBLED!!! he proclaimed as his stance had taken the offensive. "BRING YOUR PRETTY FACES TO MY SWORD, FOUL BEASTS!!!" he shouted out his taunt to the monsters. And this had become another epic battle for him to fight in. The first of the creatures had then lunged swiftly towards him. As the creature had then drew nearer, Sterling had summoned a flaming spell that had engulfed his blade as he made a defensive stance. And with a slight chuckle, he said: "Bad move, ugly!"

With a planned move, his blade had then penetrated the chest of the first creature and set the creature aflame. And with his blade within the heart, he ran with his blade, slicing through the whole body in a swift move as if a knife was cutting through butter. And as the very large denizen had howled in its pain, the body was then immolated into ashes and dust. This move had wiped out the monster within a few seconds.

"Whaddya say, number two? Wanna get some?" he growled at the other as his flaming blade had shined out towards it. The wolf had then swiped its long paw against him. "Again: Bad move, dipshit!" he growled once again as his weapon had cut against the limb, setting the whole paw on fire. And with another move, his speed had taken a silvery ethereal blaze around the wolf. And as the flames, after slicing through the wood of the creature, had been put out from the man's weapon, the last creature had then been put through the same punishment. And as the body had then thumped to the ground in ashes and dust, he sensed another presence within the forest. But this new presence... was still in the Everfree Forest.

"No time for idling by! Best get to the source!" he grumbled as he stepped towards the crumbled house. As his steps had then circled around the house, Sterling decided to venture into the same setting that was known for its many dangers. But before he could even make his move, he heard another sound that was very familiar to him. "That.... that can't be!", he shook his head as he stepped away from the broken house towards the river.

And sure enough, his suspicions had been confirmed: a larger dragon with onyx-black scales on its body had descended to where the man was. And seven other soldiers climbed off the drake's back, allowing Sterling to see the people who came down to see the damage. The soldiers had consisted of two Equestrians, a Viking, a Hippogriff, a Leo-Gar Highlander, a Stirrupean, a Dragon & a Chameleon (a Changeling-Equestrian hybrid, to be exact).

"I see that you are just as good with animals as you are with people, young Caliber," the dragon laughed along with the Viking. It was not too far off to know that the others soon joined the laughter. Sterling did not respond to their titter, having only been frozen at the sight that he beheld before him.

"Fixer.... Odin-Cloak.... Quinn.... Faith.... Grizzly.... Baltic.... Axe.... and Clawshield," he recited their names in disbelief from the tags on them. "I... I thought you all died at the Zanzebra 27th Mountain Base! You're all supposed to be dead! I saw your corpses on that Tirek-damned base!", he shouted from his lungs, feeling the gravity take over his ability to walk as his legs were pulled down to the ground.

"What you saw was Baltic's best work in deception against the enemy. And it seems that it worked too well on you too, Captain! That's what you get when you have a Chameleon on our side," Fixer lightly chuckled to the young man who was kneeling before them.

"Seems that you've just learned that one valuable lesson once again. Right, Captain?", Onyx acknowledged Sterling with a smile. If it were not for the fact that the former Elements of Harmony were standing just twenty yards away from him, Sterling could only look to see the confusion on their faces. There was no point in hiding his identity from the former Element bearers any longer. And not just from the Princess who had just given a raised eyebrow to him.

Sterling had then been given his reality check: the same unit that he had acknowledged in front of him also knew very well how to deceive their enemies into thinking that they were all dead. Both they, and himself, had all learned that same lesson from the very same everlasting spirit known as Elitus Regium, the first Prime Royal Elite from eons before.

"That's correct, Royal Elites! Lothokriin, vhaszadarrou Equus... sahnahvv-adarraagcht!", he spoke to them in the ancient Alicornian militant vow that was known well to the Princesses, excluding Twilight.

"Sahnahvv-taraahkuu, vhasza-chatakarrou.... Equus dhuvhacht Faustia!" the unit shouted back to him in the discipline that he knew that he could take pride in having drilled into them.

The girls could only stare in awe of the scene that took place before them. But as they saw the militia group up for a short reunion, both the Elites and the Elements had heard the scream of another citizen from the town. It seems the Dire Wolves were not done yet with their ruinous campaign.

"Royal Elites, the time for our reunion will have to wait! These are my orders to you," he shouted to his soldiers, who stood at attention from his command. "Welcome to Ponyville, soldiers! This is where the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and Princess Twilight Sparkle, both live in! The Dire Wolves are still rampaging the village, killing both the citizens and the Royal Guards. Now: Grizzly! Quinn! Odin-Cloak! You three take the east and northeast sides of the village! The hospital is in need of your help with getting the wounded into the vicinity of the hospital. If you see any of those monsters in your way, smash them to pieces!" he ordered the Viking, the Stirrupean and the Hippogriff, who both saluted him in compliance. "Faith! Baltic! Axe! The three of you take the town square, the Sweet Apple Acres farm, and the Town Hall! And while you're at it, use your powers and knowledge to stop the Guards from making any mistakes! So get to it, soldiers!" The same three had then taken off to their designated marks, obeying his command. "And finally.... Fixer! Onyx! Protect the Elements and the Princess! And while you're doing that, make sure that they all know about us! From the eons to right now!" he ordered the final two soldiers.

"And what are you going to do, Captain Caliber?", Onyx spoke up, hoping to get a quick answer from his young superior.

"I have it on a hunch that the noise that I heard from the Everfree Forest, before I heard your roaring, had come from a malevolent spirit that is possessing some poor soul. So I intend.... to save that innocent person, or else it will be High Trotter City all over again," he nodded to his Lieutenant with a firm look.

"Good luck, Captain," Fixer saluted Sterling with a spark in his eye.

"Oh fuck off and save the town, you dick-less Titan!" Sterling moaned with a growl as he sped off to the source where the Dire Wolves came from, leaving the dragon and the Equestrian to laugh heartily at his remark. But their laughter was cut off as Twilight grasped Fixer's battle vest to get his attention.

"Okay, so.... what the heck is going on around here? Royal Elites? High Trotter City? Dire Wolves? Somebody better talk to me!" Twilight ordered them angrily as she had never felt more out of the loop than anyone that she ever encountered. She was beginning to feel unneeded as the thought of Princess Celestia not telling her about these things was a sign that she was no longer wanted by her friends and former mentor.

"The both of us better start at the beginning, but we need to escort all of you to the castle while you learn the history of our dedicated unit," Fixer spoke to the Princess and her friends, while Onyx transformed into his dragon state.

"Let's ride to the castle now!" Onyx suggested to them all. The only compliance that the girls could utilize was to climb aboard Onyx's back before he took off from the ground and flew off to the castle. But as the dragon circled around the town as his fireballs had been shot towards the lupine monsters, Fixer had begun to speak the history of the Royal Elites to the passengers.

And this conversation was going to be a long one, indeed. Far into the Everfree Forest, Sterling Caliber had felt the poison of the Dire Wolves seeping more into his veins. But he would not allow the source of the creature summoning to go without being severely punished by him.

"I've.... got.... to.... destroy.... the evil.... ghost!," he shouted in between pants as he followed the green-glowing aura to where his target would more than likely have taken residence in. And he had hoped, more than the preservation of his own life, that the one who had been possessed would be saved....

.....

Meanwhile, deep within the Everfree Forest, Leviathan had chuckled evilly as he smelled the scent of sweat and blood getting closer to where he intended to see the action from his spot just a block away from the man who was in a rush.

"Yes, Captain Caliber.... yyyeeeesssssss.... save the Zebrican if you can, but you will truly die from the poison within your body. The blackened poison of the Dire Wolves will soon reach to your heart and reverse the blood flow of your ticker. I was hoping that I would be the one to kill you. But, oh well... I can always kill those closest to you..." he chuckled before disappearing into the background of the dark forest.

.....

Within a few minutes, his guided steps had taken him into where a tree hut had been set by a person that lived there for a while. But the same person of interest, as he had sensed from before, was not the true cause. He broke into the hut with a kick on the door and saw that a Zebrican female shaman, from his quick observation, was being possessed by an evil spirit that had caused the evil creatures to come around the cottage to attack the village. The scent of the same denizens had marked the place, causing him to nearly vomit from the pungency of the rotten smell. He knelt before the woman who was flinching and seizing out from the spirit possessing her and had started to yell out to her.

"Madam! Don't worry! I'm here to exorcise the spirit that has now possessed you!" he shouted out with his fear starting to climb into his heart.

"No need to kill me, you ignorant and insignificant piece of scum!" the spirit called out with a sneer.

"Oh but there is, you malevolent denizen!" And with a card pulled out from his pack, he looked to the evil ghost as he sneered back. "This will be the end of you, demon of Tartarus!" he growled to it. "Now..." he whispered with a breath to clear his mind.

"No. No! NO! NNNOOOOO!!!", the demon screamed as it saw the spell that the Captain was about to cast.

"With the power vested in me, by the grace of the Lady Faust, I cast this evil spirit back to the circles of Tartarus! For we are strong in the power of the holy light!" he chanted to the demon, who had shrieked an ungodly scream. With no words or time wasted, he slapped the card to the shaman woman's chest. And as the bright light of the spell had become brighter, the demon within the woman had shrieked its last words:

"Beware, Silver Bullet!! The True King of the Brutes has risen from the confines of Tartarus itself to take back the world that is rightfully his!! SO IT SHALL BE DDOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNE!!!"

And as the last of the malevolent denizen had been destroyed with a small explosion, Sterling then snickered and said:

"And when I see him, he's next!" he whispered as his body had then found a couch to rest himself on. The powers that he had activated, as he already knew, had suddenly taken their toll as his world had then become as black as night.

"Good sir.... are you injured?" a deep, soft voice could be heard before the entire world was now just as unconscious to him as the poison from his enemy had nearly reached his heart. It would be just a moment before all of the pain would finally leave him.... and perhaps, after having done his deed.... he could finally see his parents in the Heavens.

.....

Within the same hut, the Royal Elites had seen their Captain flail around as the poison of their enemy had begun to make him pale up. The Princess Twilight and her friends were also able to see that the same new neighbor was failing to open his eyes.

"We need to get him to the hospital, along with the other wounded soldiers and civilians! Make haste," Fixer ordered his soldiers.

"Yes, sir!" they shouted.

"Oh, no! Sterling!"

.....

"Sterling...."

"Sterling...."

.....

(Beep. Beep. Beep...)

(To Be Continued.....)

*****

Chapter 5: The Truth Revealed

Chapter 5

The Truth Revealed

*****

A scene had started to play out from Sterling's past life as a soldier while his consciousness was paused. The same soldiers that he had acknowledged before had come back to him in his envisioned memory from how he met them all.

Quick Fixer, an engineer within the 4th Advanced Scout Unit of the Royal Equestrian Marine Corps, was a burly looking man that had always found a way to disable any enemy weapon that could drop any of his fellow soldiers with a click. When Sterling had met him for the first time, it was when he was just nine years old. The 2nd Lieutenant had been weary of the child that he was, but he would soon regret not seeing him as a great ally in the 2nd Equius War. When Sterling was ten, he had been given a whole three months of rigorous training in order to make a soldier out of that child. And it all eventually paid off when he had somehow summoned a random sword from his small card pack and made a thrust towards the throat of an ancient and undead warrior and sliced off the reanimated corpses head. And from that moment of chivalry, he was initiated into the Royal Elites. Some years later, the young boy would grow up to become the 1st Lieutenant of the Royal Elites. And this was the first time that he was given such a burdening yet inspiring leadership role by the spirit of the Prime Royal Elite named Elitus Regium. And Fixer, despite his atheistic attitude in general, was more than proud to not only call him his Lieutenant, but also his adopted son.

Brandon Odin-Cloak, a Prince of the Norse Countries, was a man who sought out adventure and glory for the citizens of his kingdom. But even at that, he still had a great sense of keeping his head on his shoulders. And that same attitude would always be directed towards those that he always believed to be his friends and allies. As a part of the Royal Elites, he was a great asset when it came to inspiring the unit with how their heavens would welcome them with open arms, a fight during the night and a large feast during the day. Before he joined them, a nineteen-year-old Sterling Caliber, from the kingdom of Equestria, had challenged Brandon's father, the king Silverbeard Odin-Cloak the Sword-Basher, in a one-to-one battle. And when the fight was finished, the King had admitted his defeat from how the foreign soldier's loyalty to his own kingdom, along with his compassion for his fellow warrior also coming in, was what gave him the ability to fend off the strength of a man that defeated an old foe from a long time ago. But as Brandon saw this, he had proclaimed to his father and mother how he wished to fight alongside the new man that was able to hold his own against him. And from there, Sterling was given the title 'Odin-Will' when the king declared his son to fight under Sterling's command. Sterling looked through the memory and smiled, remembering how the many gifts that the royalty wanted to give him could not go unwanted. He was always a sucker for those who were generous to him.

Tyler Quinn, a soldier of the Lyreland Royal Army, had encountered Sterling when he was finished with his duty against the Titans that rampaged his lands. And as such, his specialty was in explosives and tactical distractions. When Tyler met him, he had expressed his desire to have his expertise loaned out to the unit that reinforced his army. Sterling, at first, was a little hesitant as to having a Lyrish person in his unit. But he would soon chuckle that thought away when the man had created a distraction that gave Sterling and his unit the ability to force out the Titans from the lands. When the gigantic creatures had fled in fear to their deaths via a fall towards a craggy cliff with jagged rocks to bleed the monsters out into a pool of pulp. A few insulting exchanges were made between the Lyrish man and the Equestrian, resulting in how much more in common they had with certain aspects of life than anyone else in the whole world. And after those two weeks of fighting off the Titans, both Sterling and Tyler had taken a few drinks with one another on the exotic island of Zanzebra to forget about their troubles for a while. And as a result, the both of them had to initialize the Lyrish man into Sterling's unit. Sterling gave himself a smile from how it all turned out in the end.

Mary 'Faith' Angel-Dust, a legendary Equian infantry woman with the power of an Ethereal Possessor, had also met the very youngest commander in all of the history of the Marine Corps. And yet it was not when it was time to fight some horde or legion that wanted to go against her kingdom. On a certain day within the 14th Infantry Base near the Badlands, Mary had been given a request by her superiors to meet the young commander near the barracks. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the man that she had heard many tales about. And her wish was granted as he saw the young man near the same barracks at the 'C' building. When Sterling met her, he could not help but feel his face blush a little bit at the face-to-face contact with the woman who was two years older than her. But even though Mary was feeling the same for him, Sterling had requested her assistance with how to summon his ethereal spirits, just as she did. Within those fifteen minutes, the young soldier had listened intently on how to summon his ghosts with a simple incantation that could only be recited by what his heart told him to speak as he envisioned a door being opened for them. "Come on out, you royal fools." And when she saw three ghosts removing themselves from him, she then expressed that her desire to join his unit would help out greatly. And he allowed her to join from that point on.

Furious Axe and Grizzly, an anthropoid lion and a hippogriff from the Leo-Gar Highlands and Gryphonia, had been the best pair of bipedal creatures that always had each others back, as Sterling recalled correctly. The Equestrian met the two of them as he and his unit had toured through the same lands that the furry duo had come from. As it was expected, the Royal Elites unit had heard the rumors of some Shadow-Walkers taking the west and northern parts of the lands. And when Furious and Grizzly heard the commander speak of these rumors, they volunteered to help out with dispersing the rumors. Sterling could only allow them to do so if they were able to bring back a report if the same enemies were spotted at the designated sectors of the lands. And when the sun went down, the Shadow-Walkers had swarmed the same areas that needed immediate help. And even the Royal Elites did not have the ability to fight off the creatures by themselves. But it was the duo that was able to summon their armies to fight off the Shadow-Walkers, thus reclaiming their lands for their people. From that point on, the two of them had become just as inseparable within the Royal Elites as when they were by themselves. Their talents as a heavy and a sniper, respectively, had become just as valued as any other talent.

Sterling's memory had then went into a part when he had met the most valuable person in all of the world. If you could call a Chameleon, a hybrid of an Equestrian and a Changeling, a person at all. Sterling had interrogated the hybrid named Baltic with the desire to just kill him on the spot if he didn't give him the answers he needed to hear. But Baltic wanted desperately to help him with the information on how the Brutes had allied with the Shadow-Walkers, the Changeling swarms, the Titans, and many other evil deities that wanted to destroy the world. And much unlike his Changeling cousins, the Chameleon race never fed off another person's love without their given consent. As much as Sterling did not want to believe him at all, given what he always knew of the Changelings, the young Lieutenant had no choice but to coerce the Chameleon into servitude under his watchful eye. And this kept on until Elitus Regium had spoken to him that the man named Baltic had a heart of gold when it came to being a person, and not a freak. And the commander had no choice but to really believe in the spirits words when the Chameleon had given them all of the information on the enemy positions around the world of Equius. This was how the hybrid joined in the greatest fight for the world.

And finally, Onyx Clawshield, the oldest living member of the Royal Elites, had come into the picture as Sterling went into his own perspective on how they met. When the Equestrian had begun to question his own ability during his time as a leader, Onyx had become a bit annoyed at his attitude. But it did not last for long. For it was during the campaign in the Dragon Kingdom when a necromancer had summoned the ancient bones of the dead dragons from eons before. And Onyx was quite scared of going into his own kingdom to rebury the bones of his ancestors. But Sterling was not going to hear any of it from him. And just like that, Onyx and the rest of the Royal Elites had stopped the necromancer from continuing their conquest against the natives. And when the battle was finished, the Dragon King and Queen both had to commemorate the pair for being brave against the corpses that would have killed them. It was then discovered that the necromancer was pushing forth a judgement day against the royal couple's subjects. But even at that, Sterling had helped inspire a courage against their own ancestors. And thus, after being shown the personal vault of the royalty, with a solemn vow to never reveal it to anyone in the world, Onyx had vowed a lifedebt to Sterling, vowing to always be there for him in every time that he needed his help. Every time.

And Sterling could only smile as he was able to see the memories that were etched into his brain from those years gone by. But when they faded out, he could see himself fading with them as the background dissolved into a void-shadow of black.

.....

".... going to be alright?", a voice spoke up in the hospital room that Sterling had been laying in for three days now. Even in his grogginess, he was able to recognize the soft and timid voice that he heard. It was Fluttershy's voice, and it was announcing to him that she was in a lot of mental pain.

"I'm sure that he'll be fine, Fluttershy. He is a lot tougher than he looks," Rarity answered her friend. Sterling's eyes were then able to see more clearly as he saw the ladies grouped all around him. "It's taken him this long to recover from the drugs that the nurses pushed into him, and if he rises up from the bed, then he will have to explain what took him so long to come back to us, of course."

"If I had a bit for every single time that I've ended up in hospital, I'd be rejecting the Dragon Vault," he chuckled to himself internally as his vision came back to him. Though he was keeping his eyes half lidded, he was able to behold their physiques for a moment as the ladies talked among themselves. They were still a sight to behold, even though the drugs and the blood-work kept him from doing a lot to move or even speak.

"Yeah, because even I know that he isn't going to let a few wounds hold him back," Rainbow Dash chimed with a brash, yet happy tone. Yep. It was the same attitude that even his former Commanding Officer would not have taken, unless he was able to somehow hold back his emotions. "I mean, taking down two large Dire Wolves, along with twelve dozen of their cubs, AND performing an exorcism to save Zecora from an evil ghost? That just earned him another fifteen hundred points on my 'Cool Guy' scoreboard," she stated with a chuckle.

"Then you might want to take off five thousand points on my scorecard for the time being, Rainbow," Sterling had mumbled out loud to the women who looked back at him. This earned him a few soft gasps from the ladies around him. He could only grin for a bit before the pain in his limbs had caught up to him with a major vengeance. "Ugh.... And I know that.... you all have some questions for me.... but I can't.... answer any of them until.... I have fully recovered from this.... painful afterthought," he then said, knowing that the women had all wanted him to come back to them.

"S.... Ster.... S-S-STERLING!!", Fluttershy cried out in a shrill voice with how thrilled and terrified she was on how he was now back to the waking world. This was evidenced by how the woman had jumped to his side, causing the man to wheeze out his horrid pain as he squealed out 'GENTLY!' to her as she hugged him. But the veterinarian could not hear his plea for a softer touch as she had peppered his face and lips with kisses, moans and cries while holding him close to her, despite how Sterling now knew how a wooden slab with too many nails in it felt.

"Fluttershy!", Pinkie Pie cried out to her friend. "You can't do that to him! He's in a lot of pain right now! And I betcha that your kisses on him hurt just as much!", the confectioner protested while doing her best to pry her off of him. But this was only met by how much tighter she held him, much to Sterling's increasing discomfort. "Rarity? Applejack? A little assistance, please?", Pinkie had pleaded to her friends.

"Fluttershy, my darling?", Rarity began to softly speak to the woman that was on top of the man, while crying softly as her head was buried deeply into his chest and shoulders. "I know how much you wanted him to come back to us. And believe me, dear, I'm just as happy that he is still with us. But you must get off of him now, my love. Or else it will take him a month to recover," she said to her, petting her loving friend's head softly.

"S.... Sterling?", Fluttershy whispered to the man who only grunted his reply to her. "I am so sorry.... I waited for so long for you to come back to us.... I was s-s-s-so.... s-s-scared.... that you wouldn't come back to us! But now you're here! I didn't want you to leave us! I just love you too much to want you gone from our lives! And when Rarity and I met you for the first time, I just wanted nothing more than to keep you by our sides! I love you, Sterling.... I love you so much!", she cried loudly to him in her surprising confession while moving herself just so that he was not as uncomfortable with her gesture as a waterfall of tears fell down on Sterling's face and chest.

Sterling was also crying as she was, given that his worst fears had been blown away from how he was in a hospital bed, and not in a coffin. He was happy that he, after taking his time to recover, would finally be able to show both Fluttershy and Rarity how much he loved them. His heart, despite having had an anesthetic moved into his system, was still beating rapidly as the heart monitor had begun to beep a higher note than before. But he didn't give two damns about it.

"I... I love you too, Fluttershy," he mumbled to her, knowing that he would have to face the consequences of making his brand new girlfriends cry after his recovery. "Just as I especially love you as equally, my lady Rarity," he spoke up to the fashionista who sobbed an unladylike cry while her tears had flown out from her sapphire blue eyes, staining some of the mascara that she had on. But as he got a closer look at both her and Fluttershy, Sterling had noticed that the women looked specifically distraught from the stress of having to stay in the hospital as they waited for him to be conscious again.

"You... do?", Fluttershy and Rarity asked him at once, wanting to hear the sincerity in his voice.

"I wanted so badly to tell you both how much I loved the both of you from a distance. When I had started to fight against Equestria's enemies, years ago, I had heard how the Elements of Harmony had taken down the big leaders. And I knew that my unit had done their very best to keep our countries safe. We all had to make sure that we were not discovered. Not by our sovereigns, nor by our own heroes," he began to say to them.

"I guess that y'all wanted to keep yerselves a secret, huh?" Applejack asked him. Sterling could only nod in agreement.

"But I knew... deep within my heart... that my love for both you and Rarity could only be reached out to you by how much safer I could make you feel while you and your bad-ass friends fought against Discord and Nightmare while we held off the aggressors that would have led you to your deaths. And so.... I can only hope.... that you won't hate me for what I have done," he said to the ladies around him.

"But.... why would you say such a thing, Sterling?" Twilight nearly panicked from his words.

"I do not seek forgiveness for all my sins, but ask only to allow my new friends to live for a lot of years to come. And with that said, I only want to protect the people that I know that I can love. And not just as a Royal Elite, or as a Marine! But as the best person that I know I can be, so help me Lady Faustia the Creator!" After making his declaration, he felt a wince of pain come back as a few tears of his happiness had been jerked out from his eyes. "And if I can become a great friend, as well as a good boyfriend to my two favorite people, then I will do what is needed in order to make you both happy," he then sighed with his hand on his chest.

Fluttershy and Rarity then began to plant a big kiss on Sterling's face cheeks from how much he wanted to love them. It was just after a few minutes from hearing his confession of love to them, that a nurse named Red Heart, had entered the room with the door opening loud enough for the girls to hear her.

"Alright, ladies. I need to look over my patient before he's even cleared to walk out of the bed to leave," she instructed them with patience as her main virtue, as Sterling saw from looking at the nurse. "So I must ask you ladies leave the room at once," she asked them with her gaze locked onto her patient.

"Let's let the good doctor do her job, girls," Twilight spoke to her friends with her hand beckoning them to follow her out.

"Sterling?" Rarity spoke to him.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Thank you... for everything," she almost sobbed once as she kissed his lips before departing the room. "Thank you... so very much."

"Yes... you saved me and all of Ponyville. Thank you..." Fluttershy softly thanked him as well with her own gentle kiss to his lips.

"....See you later?" Sterling softly asked as he waved to them, happy that he was able to finally wave at them.

"Yes, darling," Rarity cooed to him as she stepped out of the door. When the door was closed, the actual doctor named Red Heart had proceeded to take a seat next to his bed and lifted a clipboard to her face.

"May I ask how you're feeling right now, Captain?", Red Heart asked him, keeping her professionalism from allowing her girlish enthusiasm from pouring out. She was also very thankful that the new hero of Ponyville was able to come back. And as Sterling saw from the little table next to him, so was all of the village. There was even a set of 'Get-Well-Soon' cards from Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire. All of the tokens from his new community had really begun to be the kind of eyesore that he needed to see in order to keep his sanity from breaking. Another tear had formed from his face, to which the lady doctor kindly wiped off with a tissue.

As much as he wanted to say that he was happy that the whole town, including his girlfriends, had given him a lot of gifts, the real truth had begun to take over his body and mind.

"I feel like hammered Dragon shit," he spoke up to the nurse bluntly. "This pain is just as familiar as before from High Trotter City, but it is much more intense than the last time that I felt it," he added to the doctor, who kept writing down her notes for the official report to give to the head doctor. "How long have I been here, Doctor?", he then asked her, hoping that it was not for too long.

"You were brought in here four days ago, as the Dire Wolves had been eradicated. And the medical team that was assigned to help you heal up in the E.R. was able to successfully remove the last remaining bits of the poison in your blood while they stitched up your wounds," she reported to him with a flat tone that hid her want to say it all to him with some sadness. "But after the team had succeeded in closing your wounds, they had discovered something in your body that we had to let happen, or else our efforts would have been in vain," she then stated to him.

"And that was?" Sterling asked, fearing the worst thing that could be told to someone in a hospital.

"Your old wounds and scar tissue, along with the newest ones that we closed up, had somehow disappeared when the surgeon in charge of your stitch-up had reported that your magic had glowed around your body. As soon as the magic from your body had all but vanished, the team had observed that all of their efforts had somehow been helped by some reaction in your body. And even the strings that were used to close you up had been ejected from your skin," she then told him, feeling that the same story was just as incredible as when she had heard it.

"Even the ones on my face?", he asked, feeling that this was not some hack story concocted by the people who had attended to him while he was in that coma.

"If there were any, then they must have disappeared as well," Red Heart told him with a little smile on her face.

As soon as Sterling heard that statement from her, he had felt the desire to confirm her little story immediately. And as he lifted himself up from the bed, he felt that there was absolutely no pain in his body. But he also had a boost of energy that would usually come from sleeping on a more comfortable bed. The lady doctor could only watch in amazement as Sterling had then set his feet on the ground before taking a walk to where the window was. He then turned and saw that there was a full-body mirror for him to see himself with a robe that covered his semi nude body near that window.

With no desire to waste any time, he undid the little knot at the back and caught a peek at his backside. It was all true: There was just no scarring, wound or scratch on him. Not even the ones that he had acquired years ago when he was just eight years old. He then took the same robe and wrapped it around his waist to see his upper body. The same results had taken effect on that part of his body as well. He could only look in awe of how much better he looked. But he had to consult with the Princess of Ponyville to try to figure out how his magic had healed up every part of his anatomy when he got out of the hospital.

Sterling was very thankful that he was only clad in his boxers when he undid his robe, lest there be some unintended comedy against him or the lady doctor in the room.

"How are you feeling now, sir?", Red Heart asked him after he saw him put the robe back on properly with his magic.

"Like a brand new, dumb-ass recruit in the Marine Corps," Sterling replied. "Just ready to take on the world," he explained to her, earning a polite giggle from the woman.

"Well then, it would be for the best that you leave this room, and the hospital itself if you're feeling this pepped up, tiger," she then suggested with a warm smile to him as she gave him a slap on his lower cheeks. Professionally warm, of course.

"Ooh! Well, uh... Thank you, Doctor Red Heart. And have yourself a wonderful day or night," Sterling waved to the medic before stepping out of the door of the room that he spent too much of his precious time in.

Within five minutes of having stepped out of the recovery room, he found the wardrobe station to see his card pack and blue denim pants, along with his socks and shoes neatly placed on the bench. But there was no shirt for him to wear, as far as he saw in the room. Before he could make a complaint, he saw that there was a parcel next to the clothes that had been there for at least a day, as he speculated. He then took a glance at a note that was on top of the package. He picked up the note and read:

Dear Sterling,

I took the liberty of making you a new shirt for you. And you'll find that it is within the same fashion that I saw you in before you defended all of Ponyville from those vile beasts. And you needn't worry about paying me at all; your defense of the town was more than enough for me to say that any payment isn't necessary.

Fluttershy and I will be waiting for you at the little bench outside of the front entrance when you step out of the hospital. My friends and I were all greatly worried about you, but it was Fluttershy and I who were especially worried about your condition.

And as such, we wish to treat you today at the local spa before we take you home for some excellent home cooking.

With love,

Rarity & Fluttershy.

P.S. We both wanted to let you know that it was very hard for us to not give in to our shared temptation of stripping you down when we saw you in only your underwear. Tee-hee! Muah!

Sterling had begun to blush wildly. Those women were tempted to see him naked? "Like Tartarus!", he shouted at himself at the idea of seeing two hot women looking down on... "No, Sterling! None of that, now!", he further ordered his brain as he took out a shirt that one of his girlfriends made for him while shaking his head in order to stop thinking such undesired thoughts. And after putting on the new shirt with his other articles of clothing, he crushed the package to throw it in the garbage bin. And after throwing away the trash, he walked out of the room and saw the front door of the hospital in his sights.

He was making his way towards the front entrance of the hospital with a slow step. But a nurse had called out to him to stop and sign the official paperwork to let himself out. And as he finished, he then took his steps towards the door.

Sterling had then remembered, as he walked towards the exit, that even though he would have to share his story on what his unit was, and how he was the last of them, until his old friends had come to help him out, he would eventually tell them about it all when he had a chance to get back to what he wanted ritualized. His true role in coming back to Equestria, his amazing abilities in magic, and his past life would soon be revealed to his new friends.

“Good sir, I see that you're alive this day,” a deep but feminine voice spoke up from behind him.

Sterling turned his head to look at the woman who had observed his recovered health. He recognized who it was immediately: Zecora. The same Zebrican shaman woman that he had saved from that malevolent spirit that had possessed her four days ago.

“And I see a great joy in you; are you going out today?” she further asked him.

“Yep. I have a clean bill of health that announces my ability to leave this place,” Sterling nodded to her. “But... I am wonder--” he was about to ask of her well-being, before Zecora's hand stopped his question.

“The spirit you destroyed, it set me up for a frame. But, as we depart: To you, I must give my thanks,” Zecora said to him. “But there is also a thing that I saw in you. A secret that could make or break your soul. Is this true?” she asked him.

“Yes,” he nodded. “And I would not allow myself to reveal it until I am able to truly find the right time,” he spoke to her.

“Ah... Now I see... now I see,” Zecora cryptically spoke up. “An undead and evil legion, your unit had fought. And you're the first to defend us from all of the evil that had been wrought. Many a nation, outside of ours, speak of your many deeds. And also how you never sought power. This is wondrous, indeed. But it's the final battle that you must win. Equestria is need of a hero to wash away the dark influence that seeps within. And when Celestia's sun rises, all of the praises to you will be sung just as high.”

This prophecy had spooked him out for a little bit. But after opening his eyes from how spooked he was, he noticed that the woman who gave him that cryptic message had just... disappeared.

“In the future, I better learn how to avoid such mystic people,” Sterling chuckled in disbelief as he shook his head. And as he stepped forward to the door, he saw that the sun was now over his head. He mumbled incoherently, feeling that the sun that Princess Celestia rose up and lowered every day was really giving him a reason to go blind.

As Sterling's eyes had adjusted to the light outside, he saw his card pack on his belt and decided to pull up a pair of sunglasses for his globes. And after putting on the accessory, he had given himself a smile. It was a smile that showed the sun how he had felt like a brand new person. And as he did so, he looked to the land in front of him. What he saw was just more than enough to make his smile disappear.

It was Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and their niece, Princess Cadence, who were all waiting for the soldier to be released. But along with the three royal rulers, Twilight Sparkle was also with them, along with Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash at the sign where the red-colored cross indicated his spot. And he knew too well what was about to happen.

"Captain Sterling Caliber," Luna spoke up from the distance that the man observed. "Here," she pointed to a spot on the ground below her. And he obeyed her calling as his feet went to the spot. As soon as he did this, he bowed to the sovereigns before him with a deep bow.

"Hmmhmmhmm! You need not bow to us, Captain," Celestia giggled warmly to him. "We were merely educating young Twilight here on the importance of the unit that you are still a member of to this day. You may rise, my young man," she then instructed him, with the man obeying her Highness.

"So you're the one named Sterling Caliber, huh?" Cadence asked him, feeling a bit happy to meet the man behind the name. Sterling could only nod his head as he was just too embarrassed to reply to her by the sheepish look on his face. "It is just a real pleasure to finally meet you, Captain," the Alicornian Princess of Love giggled as she saw his reddening face. He was just as infatuated with seeing her as he was with just hearing her voice.

"A pleasure, Cadence? No offense, but, this guy is seriously one of the most bad-ass men that I've ever seen in the years that I have been here!" Rainbow then declared out of the blue as she playfully punched Sterling's shoulder. Sterling had seen the spectrum-colored Auran speak so freely to the Princess and was just majorly surprised with what was happening.

"Ah can say th' same thang 'bout Sterling as well, sugar cube. But it's best that we don't alarm him so much with that there praise of yours," Applejack interjected quickly, noticing the surprise in Sterling's eyes.

"And we definitely need to move out to our new neighbors house in order to celebrate his 'Welcome To Ponyville/Congratulations On Building Your New Home/Congratulations On Getting Out Of The Hospital/Getting Reunited With Your Old Team After Not Seeing Them For A Long Time' party!!" Pinkie Pie rapidly spoke up before realizing that she had no more breath in her lungs. The sped-up speech from the party animal then set Sterling to get a laugh out from his throat as he could not believe that a single Equian woman could do such a thing. But such a party could not take place until he had confessed his perspective on the matter at hand.

"I-- ah-ha!-- I... just... can't do that, until I've spoken to everyone about my unit. Starting from when I was recruited," Sterling said after composing himself.

"And where, exactly, do you wish to tell us your tale?", Twilight asked him at that moment.

As Sterling took a moment to list off the possible destinations, he was able to find the perfect place.

"How about at my home? I'll pull up some tea so that all of you can listen in, because it is going to be quite a while for all of you to hear my story," he suggested.

And they all nodded their heads in agreement. Before they could go to his home, Fluttershy and Rarity had stepped up to where the rest of the group was at.

"And will we still be able to hold up that date to the spa, Sterling dear?", Rarity asked him, wanting to know if it was still possible.

"Not until I've told everyone my story. And that includes the two of you," Sterling answered as politely in his tone as he could. "And even if I have to tie down the spectrum-colored Auran to a chair, I still need everyone to listen," he then chuckled as he had glared at Rainbow Dash, who had a small look of fear in her face.

"No-no-no-no-no, Sterling! I'll... I'll stay in my seat if you want, okay? Just no tying me down, please?", Rainbow practically begged him. This exchange had even gotten the royal group to laugh just as loudly as he did.

.....

Within two hours, after having arrived at Sterling's house, the Captain of the Royal Elites had begun to relate all of the events that took place in his life. From the beginning of his self-made evacuation of his home country, to his recruitment into the Royal Elites at a young age, how he met the others that were able to stay for so long in his unit, to how he had believed that his whole team had died at the base, and even towards the events that had only passed by four days ago. But within the telling of his tales of his life, Sterling also told him about how Card Summoning and Ethereal Possession both worked together. Both in the battles that he faced and in the time that he was trying to relax.

"So, let me get this straight: Not only do you have some displacement and storage magic that utilizes cards as a storage place, but you also have three powerful spirits that can help out anyone that you wish to protect?", Rainbow chipped in with her curiosity piqued as she heard the Captain say.

"Well... let me show you," Sterling said to them all while acknowledging Rainbow. With a deep breath in and out, he then said, "Come on out, you royal fools," with a smile.

And just like that, three new ghostly figures appeared from behind Sterling as he was looking to the group that faced him at first until they all saw the trio behind him.

And I suppose that you wanted us to meet these... pleasant looking ladies, Master Caliber?, the platinum-colored King asked the man on his chair.

"That's right, Platinum Heart! These people are the Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence & Twilight Sparkle. The other ladies are the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony, now the Council of Friendship. Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie & Applejack," he introduced to the royal ghosts. Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, understandably, got scared from seeing the ghosts at first. "No need to be afraid of them, you three," he laughed a bit. "They mean you no harm."

Far from it. We only wanted to see the ladies who Master Caliber had always fought for, the Queen named Palladium Lily-Rose calmly said to them.

And even I can see how the good Captain just has the best taste in friends, the Prince named Titanium Will chuckled, making all of the girls, even the Princesses as well, blush.

"Oh! You are really just a flatterer, your Highness," Rarity giggled in a maiden fashion.

"You do us all a great credit, your Majesties," Luna said to them.

But we can't allow ourselves to intrude on Master Caliber's party. So please forgive us, but we must excuse ourselves, the Queen apologized to them. But we look forward to seeing all of you at some point, she then said before she and her husband and son both followed her to the library.

"So... What do you think is about to happen, Sterling?", Fluttershy asked the man, noting that the ghosts had left.

"My guess is that they are going to where the empty book is at. They'll take their knowledge from the past and have it written down for the next few months unless I call them up from their duty," Sterling speculated.

"You really do have some great friends, don't you?", Twilight said to him, surprised at everything that happened.

"Eh, I guess so," he shrugged at the query.

"So, uh... do we get to have those parties that I want to hold for you? Please, Sterling? Please?" Pinkie squeaked to him with her eyes going into cute puppy mode as her lips began to tremble. Sterling would not hear the end of it if he had refused or delayed her requests any longer.

"Okay. Go right ahead, Pinkie!"

Pinkie then gave out a long gasp before zipping out from the front door. Some seconds later, much to the man's confusion, the party planner had rolled in a cannon that exploded a bunch of colorful confetti and streamers as all of the company in the room had cheered out loud.

An hour later, even the teammates in Sterling's unit joined the party. Needless to say, the party was now kicking off into high gear. The soldiers and the royalty had been given a grand tour of his home as they all commented on how their host had just decorated his home so well. After the whole tour was done, Applejack had brought in a few barrels of hard apple cider to go with a pair of different whiskey bottles. Within a moment, the same barrels had been placed inside of a secret panel that Sterling built for a taproom that was made for his alcoholic beverages. And after a quick explanation about the workings of his intended room for his new beverages, five more barrels of the same product had been introduced before placing each of the kegs into a chute that lead to the room down below the home within the foundation.

.....

Another few hours had passed by, and Sterling had begun to make the food for his guests as they had all shared some conversations with one another. Some had talked to the royalty, while some had talked among themselves. But either way, everybody in the rooms had brought some tales or debates that livened up the party.

But it was only Sterling who had begun to lounge in his recliner chair with his cold drink of whiskey in hand as he watched the others have a great time. He could only smile appreciatively as the guests had mingled. But even Fluttershy, the Auran who was still as timid around new people as before, saw that her soon-to-be boyfriend wasn't joining the fun.

"Um... hey, Sterling?" she spoke up to him.

"Yes, Fluttershy?" he replied after taking a sip of his drink.

"Why is it that you aren't joining your friends? I mean.... I'm sorry, but.... I... I think that your old friends would like to talk with you," she commented to him.

"It's not that I don't enjoy their company, Fluttershy... it's just.... *sigh* it's just that I'd like to be left alone for a while, you know," Sterling replied to the sweet girl next to her. "Besides, I haven't even gotten into how much I want to be in a relationship with you and Rarity. And such things need a bit of meditating on, before I can really find out if I can be the kind of guy that the both of you want. You understand me, don't you?" he asked her after softly taking her hand in his.

"Yes, Sterling. I understand... you are wanting to figure out if you can be a good man for us. But I think... um... t-that is, um..." her voice trailed off as her face had turned a shade of red as his did with how close they were.

"Yeah...?" he sighed to her as he took to his feet to meet her eye to eye.

“Please... I... I want to let you know... even... even though I am quite nervous about this... I-I want you to know that both Rarity and I actually wanted to do this for quite a while. So, um.... J-just... let this happen,” she whispered as she softly cupped his face with her hands.

"Okay...."

And just like that, within a second of pulling in his face, Fluttershy then gave Sterling the one gift that he never had in his entire life:

His first.... kiss. And full on the lips.

All of the waking world stood still as he felt the butterflies in his stomach leaving him as he closed his eyes in the feeling of the new affection being given to him. But while that feeling came around, the weight of the deaths that he carried with him as a Marine, and as the Royal Elites leader, had also faded away within an instant. And there was also a fire in his heart that burned with a raging heat that was hotter than Celestia's sun while shining even brighter than Luna's moon itself. The single kiss then turned a bit brighter as fireworks were going off in his mind-frame after being given a few more kisses. The smooches had then dispersed to fully stopping when their lips parted, leaving both Sterling and Fluttershy nearly breathless.

But before Sterling could even give a comment, Rarity then gently turned his face to hers and beckoned him to come closer to her. And even he knew what was about to happen. The posh lady then took his face and slowly began to kiss the man as well. The same feelings that he had felt from before came back just as intensely as before. And just like before, his world was stopped as fireworks exploded while the heavy weights in his heart were lifted up once again. And after closing his eyes, a few more kisses were given to him once again. But this time, he was able to figure out the exact answer that he never expected to happen to him. And after he parted his lips from hers, he stepped back to look at them with the hope of clarifying the issue at hand.

"So.... does this.... I mean.... are you both....?", Sterling tried to ask before being denied a chance to ask the question.

"We would love to be your girlfriends, Sterling," Fluttershy spoke in a cooing tone to him with her teal-colored eyes keeping their gaze on his silver globes.

"And we both want you to know, my darling new man, that we have both wanted a man to love us for a long time. But we can still take it slowly if you wish for it," Rarity added while trying, in vain, to keep her longing from being known to him.

And even after hearing their own confessions now.... now Sterling had no choice but to silently tell them his answer as the blush on his face grew redder. He then began to pull Fluttershy towards him and kissed her again. But this was just as intense, if not more, than before. And after hearing the Auran give off her squeak, his attention then turned to the seamstress who puckered up for him. The same motions had been repeated just as heatedly as before, leaving both the man and the women just as breathless as a few moments ago.

"I'd love for you both to be my girlfriends."

But before he could see them off, Sterling noticed how the guests, save for the Princesses, had begun to cheer loudly for the new couple that became official during the party. Feeling just slightly happy that his old friends, Sterling then showed them all a big kiss to his new girlfriends, to which most of the guests gave a whistle or catcall.

"Huzzah! Now that the Captain has acquired some lovely girlfriends, I won't have to make fun of him being single any longer! I hated it when I did that, even if it was quite fun," the Viking announced.

"Shut up, Brandon! Or I'll send you packing to your kingdom!" Sterling laughed loudly towards his tall friend.

"And you call us the dramatic ones," Furious and Grizzly spoke up to him with a laugh behind their message.

.....

The time on the grandfather clock had announced that it was 9:30 PM. By this time, the closing of the party was sealed off as a big hug and a deep kiss to Fluttershy and Rarity's lips had connected before they went off to their own homes. Sterling was now happy that his life had taken a bigger turn. One that he could never ignore, no matter what he would say or do.

"Girls?" he called to them.

"Yes, Sterling?" they replied.

"I just wanted to say... after all this time, I could not have been more happy with how things turned up. And I must apologize for having kept that secret from you," he said to them solemnly. "But I must also tell you both.... that I really am looking forward to the dates that I'll be having with the both of you. Including the one to the spa next week," he nodded to the ladies with a chuckle.

"Just as we are, darling," Rarity smiled to him.

"And, um... I-I really am happy that you decided to let us be in your life, Sterling dear," Fluttershy giggled at the last word.

"I love you, girls.... truly," he whispered to them as he approached them for the last time.

"We love you, too," the girls whispered back.

And Sterling had sealed the deal with another set of passionate hugs and kisses before the new girlfriends of his went off to their own homes.

“I'll see you both later within the week, okay?”, he whispered to them as he let go of them both, feeling the tug in his heart that was telling him that the ladies had now become his source of oxygen.

“Okay...” the ladies whispered dreamily, happy that they each got a goodnight kiss and hug from him.

After the door closed in front of him, the same man who had just received his first kisses from the women had begun to go up to his room to sleep off the drinks and food that he enjoyed beforehand. And after taking his clothes off to reveal himself in his semi-nude form, he went to his bed and pulled off the sheet and blanket to cover himself up in the linen and cotton of his bed.

"Fluttershy.... Rarity....", he mumbled to himself before going into a deep sleep that he had not felt for a long time. And as he slept, his dreams had been flooded with visions of the same women holding his sides while laying down on a large cloud below his house. This.... was a good dream, indeed.

.....

Back on the road to their homes, Rarity and Fluttershy had both begun to walk hand-in-hand with a very happy tune in their silenced voices as they looked up to the night sky that Princess Luna was able to recreate time and again with some of the great constellations hanging around in the skies above. And when the two of them had stopped, they were at the entrance of the Carousel Boutique where Rarity always made the best of top-quality dresses and tuxedos. But the place was also her home.

“I.... I think I love him, Rarity...”, Fluttershy whispered to Rarity.

“Ah, yes, my love.... I love him too, my dear Fluttershy...” Rarity whispered back.

The ladies then began to start embracing each other in the same manner that the both of them had been too shy to take while starting out as friends. And with their faces just a millimeter away, they rubbed their noses together in an affectionate matter. The same light of the moon from the sky featured the both of them in a trance that gave them another reason to smile warmly as their faces turned red.

And then they both whispered:

“I'm going to love him just as much as I love you, Rarity.”

“And I shall express those same feelings about him to you as well, my darling Fluttershy.”

The two ladies then wrapped themselves in a tighter embrace that could only slightly mimic Sterling's hold on them while giving each other a deep and passionate kiss that had sent their hearts flying just as high as when their new man kissed them both. Feeling a little more bolder, Fluttershy decided to slip her hands under Rarity's breasts and began to grope them as gently as she could.

Noting what she was doing right there, Rarity decided to do the same thing as their tongues then joined in a wet, passionate dance that showed their passion for each other. The soft moans they each gave out from their kisses had become the only form of music that was allowed to be played in the night. And the both of them had just no excuse to not continue showing each other their passion for one another. And when the lack of oxygen had depleted their desire to keep going, after an estimated ten minutes of heavily making out with each other with the rising heat just as hot as when they each kissed Sterling, they departed for that sweet cool air around them.

“Goodness.... I think we both want him that much. Right, Fluttershy?”, Rarity panted with a giggle.

“Hmmhmmhmm. I don't think that we do.... because I know that we do, Rarity,” Fluttershy quipped to her softly.

It was then that a shooting star had sailed across the sky, making them both gasp at the sight. But even with the same star flying by, they already had their biggest wish come true.

"Have a good night, love," Rarity whispered for the last time.

"Good night, my sweet," Fluttershy replied just as softly.

When the ladies went off to their homes, they had all begun to whisper his name in their sleep. And if the next two weeks after officially making the former Captain their shared boyfriend was any indication, then all would be going according to plan.

But not by the two ladies that had been wanting him. But by the infinite deities that expanded their influences upon the world of Equius from their hold within the expanses of the universe.

.....

*****

Chapter 6: The Golden Pint

Chapter 6

The Golden Pint

*****

The time was 9:30 in the morning, according to the clock in Sterling's living room. And as such, the same timepiece had also shown that it was a beautiful Saturday morning with partial clouds covering the sky from the weather indicator below the clock's face. And he could not have been any happier with how today just rolled by after a month had passed, ever since he got out of the hospital. He was quite thankful for how he was able to survive the ordeal, let alone be able to live to see his new girlfriends every day of his new life. Well, as much of a new life as he could muster.

.....

During the month that went by, both he, Rarity and Fluttershy had gone out on many dates. And a lot of them had been the very simple 'outing-as-friends' dates. But as the month drew to a close, as the summer season was still in full swing, his love for the beauties, to which he thanked the Goddesses for meeting up close, had grown deeper with every second of the time spent with them. And his memories of the times had begun to flood back to him as he heard a bit of some classical music playing in the background of his mind.

On the third day after the night of hearing each other's confessions, Sterling had gone out with Fluttershy on their first romantic date that started with a simple yet pleasant picnic. After that, it was followed by a quick trip to a swimming hole that blessed them both with being able to see their half naked bodies as they took the cold water on their skin to beat off Celestia's hot sun. And finally, the night fell over from the day to make way for a candlelit dinner at a small restaurant that catered to their desires. During that dinner, they each had to speak their feelings about each other. Sterling's heart was all for making the harem possible, but he wanted nothing more than to let her know that no matter what would happen, he would always love both her and Rarity.

This in turn allowed him to be given a very deep and passionate kiss that spoke about their deepest desires in their silence. But that came around after Fluttershy was walked to her home. And as they were at the door, she confessed about giving Rarity a very deep kiss while slightly groping her breasts after becoming an official growing harem with him on that night. This tidbit of information allowed his brain to see an erotic fantasy of the two. And after leaving her for the night, Sterling could only smile as he realized that if he played his cards right, he would be able to see that from the both of them.

On the fourth day, Sterling then took Rarity out for his second date of the same romantic nature. Even if he hadn't accounted that she needed to shop for new materials for her expected products, he still gallantly paid for all of the materials for her. When lunch and dinner came around, Rarity was just so impressed with Sterling's behavior around her. And when the inevitable conversation about the harem issue arrived, both she and the gentleman had spoken why they each wanted to allow it to happen.

And after walking Rarity to her home, Sterling had been given the tiny story of how both she and Fluttershy had started to make out for a little in front of the door where they were standing at. This gave his lower regions a reason to warm up a little bit, just as he heard it from Fluttershy before. She giggled at his reaction, following a heated kiss that matched Fluttershy's to a 'T'. And after he left from the entrance of the Boutique, Sterling's heart then soared at the prospect of being able to see both her and Fluttershy getting bare naked with him.

And after those romantic dates, the rest of the week had gone by blissfully for the honorably discharged Captain. It was on all of the days that flew by when both Fluttershy and Rarity had begun to frequently visit him after they all had to do their chores. But Sterling still loved having them over at his house. And the new women in his life knew it quite well. And on the days when he would take the both of them out, he would also see the women giving each other an extensive make out session that always left little to his imagination. But his chuckles at their affections would always result in being allowed to join them.

But even he couldn't refuse when the girls wanted to be near him, as his beliefs had been consistent of the same virtues that his girlfriends always practiced, even without some bejeweled necklace that held a great power within it.

.....

Today was one of those days as Sterling had taken a fictional book from his library to read for his entertainment. And as he sat on his recliner, the story that he was reading was a masterpiece on how one of the great musicians from the 1st Era was as much of a genius with making the best symphonies and operas, but with the burdening aspect that he was always poor. Sterling could only chuckle as he had given himself a little bit of instruction as to how he would have been able to fund him with a bank account that could allow the young music maker to enjoy the finer things in life without starving themselves.

And his Dragon Vault was more than likely going to be emptied out if he did that, given the musicians greedy nature. The speculated scenario that played out in his head had only given him more of a reason to laugh silently as he read more of the book. What he had not counted on, as he was paying more attention to the events being displayed in the pages, was how soon his girlfriends would come knocking on his door.

It was just within another chapter of this book that he heard a gentle knocking on his door. He placed a bookmark where he left off and placed it on the table. After placing it there, he walked up to the door and opened it for the person who knocked.

"Hey, Fluttershy," he smiled his greeting to the one at the door.

"Hi, Sterling," Fluttershy smiled back with a small blush. "Um... M-may I... come in, please?" she asked him politely, hoping that she wasn't interrupting something important.

"Of course, Fluttershy. Come on in," Sterling answered her. The girl then closes the door behind her just as softly as she entered. She then takes off her pair of flats and begins walk with him to the three-seat couch. As she takes her place next to him on the couch, she is then greeted with his arms surrounding her body in a firm yet gentle grip. She hums softly into his chest, taking in a whiff of his scent.

"I missed being with you today," she sighed to him with a loving tone.

"I missed being with you too, my love," Sterling replied to her, believing what she said to him. A few smooches had been accepted by their lips as some giggles and chuckles came along. "I take it that you were able to feed your animals before you came here?" he then asked her after giving another smooch.

"Uh-huh," she nodded. "And I was also able to see the newest litter of baby bunnies that Angel is the father of! Oh! They are just so cute!" she squeaks with a delight in her voice while looking into his eyes.

"Wow... Now that's just wonderful, Fluttershy," Sterling spoke to her with a firmer hug as a smile lifted up from his lips. "Were they all named after they got cleaned up?", he asked the lady at his side, knowing that she was always attentive when it came to her animals at the clinic.

"Angel and his wife, Jasmine, named them all Jack and Tina," Fluttershy giggled her answer.

"All boys and girls, huh?", he asked again.

"Mm-hmm."

"I guess that's something worth celebrating, huh?"

"Why, yes."

Sterling then gently pulled Fluttershy up so that she was just eye level with him before rolling her over just as softly so that she was below him. The same girl who was always known to be timid was able to sense that her shared boyfriend wanted to make out with her. And she accepted as one of her legs spread out wrapped around his hips to allow the man to connect with her as some deep kisses were shared. A few moans had escaped from their throat as the session got even more passionate.

As Sterling got just a bit braver, his hands gently groped her lower cheeks, earning him a muffled giggle that followed a slight moan. They part for a moment to breath in the air of the room before some more kisses were given.

"Hi, beautiful," Sterling smiled at her while moving a bit of her hair out of her face.

"Hi, handsome," Fluttershy giggled as her face got a little pink. The Auran then cupped her hands to his face and began to kiss him even deeper than just a moment ago as her tongue asked for permission to enter her mouth.

Sterling could only reply with his mouth opening as his tongue snaked its way to meet the other invader from Fluttershy's mouth. As soon as the girl felt his tongue meeting hers, she had moved her tongue around his as her mouth closed on his while swirling it around just as he did for her. The moans that had been made had echoed all around the living room as they had both panted their loving breaths. A trail of saliva had become evident of their passion as their breaths had become frantic enough to say that they each needed to breath. And when the same fluid had dripped off from them, they could only look deeply into each other's eyes as their faces turned a bit red.

"Oh, goodness..." Fluttershy panted from how hot she felt from that moment with her loving boyfriend.

"Yeah... same here," Sterling grinned to her as he also felt the same rise in bodily heat after removing his lips from hers.

"I, uh... I never really felt so... wow..."

"Hot?" he finished for her.

"Y-yes," she blushed again as her face got just a little redder.

"Oh, my word."

Sterling and Fluttershy had both heard that voice speak up and looked to the front entrance to see Rarity sharing a flustered look that showed her face getting as red as the others were. Fluttershy had moved her head from seeing her shared girlfriend at the door, feeling so embarrassed from the display that she and Sterling made.

"Hello there, Rarity. Didn't hear you come in," Sterling observed, noting that the seamstress Magician was looking like she just saw something very beautiful.

"I only opened the door a minute ago, darling. But I can see how the both of you were in the middle of something," Rarity smirked with a lustful grin before noticing her Auran girlfriend hiding her face from her. "Oh, come now, Fluttershy. There's no need to feel so flustered, it's only natural that you want to be with him," she calmly said to her as she knelt just slightly near the lady before moving her hair enough to kiss her dainty cheek with a peck.

"You can show yourself to us, babe," Sterling agreed with the lady near him. The only reply that they both got was Fluttershy slowly showing her face after moving some of her hair. "Ah, there she is. Hi, sweetheart," he cooed to the girl below him. "Welcome back to the living room, 'Shy," he then chuckled to her, receiving a soft giggle from her.

"Thanks for having me here," Fluttershy spoke to him with her smile growing. "Hi, Rarity," she greeted her loving lady.

"Hello, my darling," Rarity replied back as her lips gave a long smooch to her sweetheart. "Had a good day, dear?" she then asked her after giving her another kiss.

"Angel is now a father," she responded to her.

"A father? And how many of those newborns does he now have?" Rarity then asked, feeling elated from the news.

"The count is up to a dozen, including Angel and his wife Jasmine," Fluttershy giggled.

"Oh, goodness! Now that just calls for a little celebration, wouldn't you say?" the fashionista quipped to her.

"That it does," Sterling complied before rising up from the couch. "But there's just one thing that I have completely forgotten about as we chatter about in this room," he then spoke up, turning the ladies attention to him.

"And what would that be?" Fluttershy asked.

"While we've been chatting about the birth of Angel's new children, my manners became quite low, because of how I didn't even get up to give Rarity her kiss as a greeting to her," he answered them as he chastised himself for being so rude. "I'm very sorry, Rarity," he apologized to the seamstress.

"Oh, it's quite alright, Sterling-dear," the seamstress accepted his apology. "But I do suppose that you are wanting to make it up to me somehow?" she speculated as her shared boyfriend walked up closer. The reply that she received was a kiss that soon turned into the same passionate tongue-included smooches that set her mood into a higher level. And when she twirled her tongue around his, Rarity then gripped Sterling's hips close to hers as her right leg then moved up to wrap itself around him.

Fluttershy then rose up from the couch and began to move behind her. Then, with a small breath in, she wrapped herself around Rarity while moving a bit of her purple hair to see her neck and right shoulder. And after letting her breasts cushion onto her shared girlfriends back, she began to kiss her neck and shoulder, earning her more moans from the fashionista. Sterling then saw what his other girlfriend was doing and followed suit with his own kisses on Rarity's neck and left shoulder.

Rarity had felt a little happier with her pair of loving friends giving her the attention that she did not know she would get. It was a particularly frustrating day, yesterday, as a customer was wanting winter colors for a custom made dress. And it was summer time. Much as Rarity wanted, she could not get a word in, and thus she had become a bit ticked off. So much so that she just wanted nothing more than to see her two loves give her some comforting gestures. And she was definitely able to get it as Fluttershy and Sterling had suddenly, but gently, groped her heaving breasts.

"Mmm.... I so needed this," she moaned as her clothed mounds and rear cheek had been firmly massaged. "I've had such a bad day yesterday, and I really need this so much! Aah! Goodness, you two!" she exclaimed when a firm nibble had only contacted the muscles of her neck. "You're both wanting me like that, hmm?"

Sterling and Fluttershy both looked at the lady that had received their attention and had each given her a full kiss.

"I can't help the fact that I've been wanting to do that for a while now," Sterling smirked.

"M...m-me too. I hope we didn't hurt you at all," Fluttershy softly said to her.

"Oh, no.... in fact, it shows me how much you both love me, if anything," Rarity clarified for them.

"Oh! Uh... T-that's, um... nice-- Eep!," Fluttershy muttered before she squeaked as a her own neck then got a few licks and kisses from the fashionista Magician.

Sterling could only watch as Rarity then took action by moving her lips towards Fluttershy's mouth as a deep kiss had been planted softly before feeling the firm massaging of her breasts on hers. This turn of the tables had made the Captain gasp quietly in the heat of the moment as his breath escaped while feeling his loins burn up as his pants became increasingly uncomfortable. But before he could step in, he sighed out a sigh that let them know that he was really enjoying the show. The finish came around when the women called him over to give him their own passionate kisses.

And after what felt like an eternity, when in reality it was only about fifteen minutes, his lips and tongue had departed from Fluttershy and Rarity's mouths after a steamy session of heavy kissing and petting. A set of pants and moans was the sound off when the three of them sat back on the couch.

"Wow.... that... was just... sweet," Sterling smiled to the ladies at his sides as his chest rose up and down while he attempted to catch his breath.

"Oh, yes... it truly was," Rarity agreed as she was also sighing from the contact that she shared with her loves.

"Mm-hmm," Fluttershy muttered as she held Sterling close to her.

Some moments of silence had passed by blissfully for the trio that loved each other immensely when the sound of the door being knocked had echoed through the living room. And Sterling, despite how hot he felt from that passionate moment with his girlfriends, decided to get the door.

"I'll go get the door, and you two stay at the couch," Sterling softly commanded them as he rose up from the couch. Before he took the first step, he gave a quick peck to each of his loving women. And after doing so, he stepped up to the door and opened it.

At the door was a small group of ladies that even Sterling recognized: Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Why the ladies were at the door, he could not figure out. But with how well dressed they all were (even Rainbow Dash as well, though it was quite an ordeal for her to wear something fancy), it must have been time for something to do with the other girls.

"Hello there, Elements," he greeted them with a warm smile. "What can I do for you today?"

"We were actually wondering if you could release Rarity and Fluttershy from your grasps for a few hours," Twilight playfully smirked at him, as the others rolled their eyes for a moment. "Today's the day that we all check out the bar that just opened up from a block-and-a-half away from your property," she then clarified.

And right after hearing those words, Sterling then beckoned for the others to join their friends.

"Girls, your friends are here to pay for your ransom," he playfully said to them.

"Oh, Princess! You've no idea! how this man was just cruel to us!" Rarity theatrically spoke to her as a smile had shown that she was only joking around.

"If you hadn't shown up, then we'd have to... to... eep!" Fluttershy added to the theatrics with her trademarked squeak.

All of the girls had suddenly laughed loudly from the pseudo-drama that the Magician and the Auran had played out for their best friends. After about a minute of this laughing, Sterling had stopped everyone from laughing while making sure that all of the women kept a smile on them.

"I take it that the bar that you speak of is brand new, so to speak?" he asked them, knowing that he knew about it all.

"And it just so happens that the previous owner had allowed the newest owner to destroy it when it was shown to be something just so horrifying that even Nightmare Moon would take a peek inside of it and say 'OH, TARTARUS NO!'! And that really is saying something because it is now a really great place to look at from the out---!" Pinkie was babbling on before stopping herself as some revelation had dawned on her, indicated by a long gasp from her.

"Hold up there, Pinkie," Rainbow calmly instructed her Equian friend before she walked up a bit to Sterling. "From what Pinkie was just saying now, my guess is that you had something to do with the old bar being destroyed before we all saw it as it is today, right?" she then asked the Captain.

"And if I was?" Sterling asked as his right eyebrow lifted up while keeping a poker face.

"Then ya might have to tell us how ya did it all," Applejack quipped to him, meeting his expression.

"Alright," Sterling conceded as he raised his hands up. "You got me. I confess. I made the 'Empty Barrel' go down before the brand new place called the 'Golden Pint' came around."

"Let me guess: You were the one that bought it from the previous owner, right?" Rarity asked him.

"Guilty," Sterling nodded.

"And I take it that you had a reason to do so?" Rainbow then intervened, wanting very badly to know how he did it all.

"Yep," Sterling nodded again.

"Care to explain?" Applejack asked as well.

"As we all walk to the place, if all of you would be willing to allow me to buy all of you some drinks," Sterling planned out for them.

"I think that would be a wonderful idea, Captain," Twilight replied.

"And the rest of you?" he pointed to the women, including his girlfriends. They all gave him, though a little bit reluctantly, the green light to buy the drinks for them all. "Good! Because I have a little story to tell all of you, pertaining to the acquisition of the establishment that I've recently claimed! And it's a reasonably short story that I can truly share with all of you," he then said to them as they all walked from the entrance point of the walkway that led to both the farm and the town.

Within a few minutes, Sterling told them all how the previous owner had desperately wanted to go to Lyraland for the rest of his natural life with his loving wife of sixty years as he retired. But even that man was not able to meet the taxes, along with how the inspectors always threatened him with how they were going to destroy the place without presentation. Sterling had decided to step in and give more than triple on what the building was originally valued at, thus allowing the elderly couple to finally enjoy a much needed way to relax. And after doing all of that, the Captain had volunteered his entire team to help him out with making the new bar stand out from all the rest. The destruction and reconstruction had been done within five whole days, giving the Royal Elites yet another reason to smile.

And after Sterling retold the story to them, even Rainbow Dash, the one that never seemed to appreciate a good thing from a certain perspective, had cried a bit while hugging him after hearing the sad tale before the Captain could even use his cloning spell to perform the reconstruction. As soon as the rest of the group had reached the entrance of the place, Sterling had opened the door by a spell that opened it for them.

On the outside, it had the look of some well-to-do Las Pegasus establishment (without the gambling, of course), but the inside had a mixture of Stirrupean and Equestrian backgrounds for the comfort of all types of paying customers. The group of women that was escorted by Sterling were able to see how it was not just veterans from the two Equius Wars, given that it all had the memorabilia from all those times. But it also had enough modern settings to let all future customers know that the people were able to get service faster than normally seen. And on one of the walls, there was a post that showed the future events, as well as drink specials, that would more than likely gain a lot of regulars.

Sterling could only smile knowingly while the ladies had nearly dropped their jaws.

"Oh, wow," Twilight and Rainbow both gasped as they saw how the place looked great.

"My, oh my. This here place looks better 'n any rodeo at Appaloosa," Applejack quipped to him. "Ya tryin' to tell us somethin', Cap?" she then teased him, getting her sweet revenge on him.

"Maybe," he playfully quipped to her, earning a playful punch on his shoulder from the farmer babe.

"I can't wait to try the new stuff that you got here," Rainbow shook her head, not wanting to show any kind of patience.

"There's a booth near the bar that we can all take our seats at, just next to the picture of the Canterlot castle tower," Sterling instructed them, to which they obeyed as they sat at the same seating that was pointed to them. "I'll get the drinks for us, while the six of you stay there," he further ordered them with a smile, as they smiled back in compliance.

When he got to the bar counter, Sterling took a seat and prepared to make his order towards the bartender named Bernie Clink. As the bartender went up to him, the memory of getting his first drink at the age of sixteen, in the small tropical island of Zanzebra, had played up.

"Hello again, Cap!"

"Hey, Bernie. How's things?"

"Great, and the mood of this place says 'happy'. So what can I get you for this afternoon, boss?"

"A continuing round of the Lyrish stout beer for me, four large hard apple cider glasses, two glasses of Prench pink wine, a Rainboom shot and two trays of cheese sticks to tide us all until lunch time."

"Comin' right up, my friend!"

And with that, the glasses of the ordered drinks were being poured out with careful precision. He looked over to the ladies at the booth where the ladies were sitting at, noticing that Rarity was whispering something into Applejack's ear. It surely must have been something quite naughty, given how the farmer Equian was just blushing madly. Sterling paid it no mind, even with his curious nature when it all came down to what his girlfriends would say behind his back about him. A moment later, prior to the pouring of the ordered drinks, Sterling looked back to the action that Bernie was taking. The drinks were now placed on a black tray, Bernie doing his best to keep the drinks from even having one drop spilling.

"Hold that thought a moment?" Sterling then requested, moving over to the gap of the counter.

"What's up, Cap?" Bernie asked him, curious as to what his boss wanted.

"Let's move those drinks to the V.I.P. room upstairs. Better for me to have some time with my two girlfriends and their best friends together as we drink," Sterling requested again after pointing at the tray and the flight of stairs just thirty feet away from the farthest end of the bar counter.

"Sure thing, Sterling. Just don't forget to call up Dining Virtue when you're all emptied out," Bernie nodded to him.

Some minutes later, much to the ladies surprise, both Sterling and the women had taken their seats after taking the flight of stairs to the exclusive room. Both Rarity and Fluttershy had both expressed how well the room was put together while the other four were taking their own poll on the matter at hand.

"Wow! This really looks snazzy, Cap! Never figured you to be a snooty noble," Rainbow expressed, granting an annoyed huff from Rarity.

"I'm not; Just someone that knows a great universal truth," Sterling replied to her brash comment.

"And that would be?" Twilight popped up after looking around for a moment.

"That even the most hardened of politicians and nobles, Celestia and Luna knowing all too well, will need a drink or two to lift up their spirits before going into their normal business," Sterling answered with a confident look on his face.

"Ooohh! I bet that you'll get quite a lot of customers, depending on who might be here," Pinkie decided to add in, somehow keeping up with what the Captain was saying at the moment.

"Yep," he nodded to her.

"Ah, shoot. Ah'll bet that ya got mo' friends outside of Equestria than in here," Applejack commented to him.

"Well... that's only technically true," he admitted with a shrug.

"How so, darling?" Rarity quickly asked him.

"Well, uh... if the last count is correct, I have about a dozen or more people and anthropoid people of great importance that I am connected with, on a social level pertaining to only mere friendship," Sterling started to explain. "The Kings and Queens of Draconia, Gryphonia and the Norse Countries, the Chancellors and Prime Ministers of the Stirrupean and Mareterrainian Kingdoms, the Chieftain of the Leo-Gar Highlands, the Dukes' and Duchess' of Saddle Arabia and Maretonia, the Mayor of the city of Maretropolis & even the High Council of the Neighponiese Territories. So, all in all, I'd say about more than two dozen people. And all from my time in the Marines, while keeping a low profile as the leader of the Royal Elites," he concluded with a nod. He then looked at both his girlfriends and their best friends and said "What?" with his left eyebrow going up.

"You... know... all of those people?!" Twilight freaked out with a gasp, knowing that such connections had made him a dangerous man to even think of conspiring against.

"Not personally, but I made a decent impression on them with how I gave my life to save their countries, along with their subjects," Sterling shrugged again, thinking of it all to be no big deal. "And I'd gladly do it again and again if it meant saving the whole world once again," he then said to the audience that was close to him.

"Yeah, but still! Those people have at least a very high standing with our Princesses!" Rainbow gasped, shocked by how casual he sounded about the connections.

"I know that, Rainbow. But even I believe that such connections can only go so far. And this is my experience talking, mind you," Sterling remarked to her with a last gulp from his drink. "Dining, another round if you please, good sir?" he then called to the bartender working at the bar near them.

"Of course, boss," Dining Virtue, a Magician bartender from Canterlot, replied with a smile. And after making sure that the drinks were made properly, as was his lot in life, the same Magician went over to the table and pulled up the groups' new set of drinks. "There we are. Oh, and the cheese sticks will be ready in a few minutes," he then said to his boss, knowing that good news was always a must when making someone smile, despite where he grew up from. Even Sterling knew this; Magician Sense, and all.

"Thank you very much, Dining," Sterling smiled at him.

"Oh-ho, no, sir. Thank you for allowing me to serve you," the bartender replied.

"Keep the drinks coming until one of us calls a cab for all of us," Sterling quipped to him with a smirk.

"As you wish," the man nodded before going back to his post.

Some hours later, as it always felt like minutes when a person starts taking their drinks, the whole group had started to recall their tales with each other. But not only that, but they also decided to put their gracious friend/boyfriend in the spotlight with how kind and generous he was, even with the military training that always made him firm with everything in his life. Not only with certain matters that affected their moods, but also a few romantic reveries that made Rainbow want to gag, despite Rarity not wanting her brash friend to spoil the moment as they all, except for Twilight, ate up the cheese sticks that came around some time ago.

"And after we went to the movies, our loving boyfriend had decided to take us all to our homes while carrying the both of us in his arms," Fluttershy giggled as the wine had opened her up a bit more during the buzzing tribunes of the group.

"In! His! Arms!" Rarity dramatically announced in a theatrical tone while looking at him with the same dawning eyes that only Sterling knew could make him blush wildly. "And we all just had a great time of it! Oh, I do ho-hhoooope-- Ah HA HAA!! Good... Goodness... I need to slow down on this, lest I get a terrible hangover," she giggled while feeling the wine hitting her brain with a tremendous force. She then moved her head to Fluttershy's shoulders, hoping to muffle her loud noise that consisted of her laughter. "I am so sorry, darlings... but I haven't felt this wonderful in a long time... w-wh... we need to go to our homes. I've had too much... tee-hee!"

"Good gravy, girl! Ya need to take it slow! Ah told ya that yer a lightweight! At least drink some water," Applejack chided at the seamstress, concerned that Rarity was having too much. But in truth, the pink wine was potent with a high alcohol rating that only allowed her to have one glass. Fluttershy, at least, was the one to slow down with her drinks.

"Yes, Rarity... you need to get some water to clear your head," Fluttershy agreed while taking a glass of water to give it to her loving harem partner. The fashion woman then chugged the ice cold water and began to clear her head with steady breaths.

"Better?" Sterling and Fluttershy asked at the same time, turning their heads to one another to give a small smile to each other before turning back to their girlfriend.

"Oh, dear.... I am feeling much more calm now," Rarity nodded, feeling the rush of her emotions going down.

"That's good," Sterling sighed. "And with that out of the way, there's something that I've been meaning to say to the both of you," he pointed to his girlfriends.

"And what would that be, darling?" Rarity chimed as she held Fluttershy's waist with her hand.

"You see... as I was doing my reading, before the two of you came in, I came to a certain conclusion about the way things have been going for me, from my perspective," he began to speak.

"Oh, uh... do you... um... w-w-want to share?" Fluttershy stuttered her query.

"I shall, my dearest 'Shy," he nodded. "As I was finishing that book, the one that you saw me reading from the table when you came in, I could only say that the character in the book would've emptied out my vault by the end of summer, whereas you and Rarity in contrast-- that's right, I'm looking at you, sexy!-- will be given the best gifts from me. The first being my heart, along with my first kisses," he said to them, adding that moment of a sexy growl towards the posh woman, thus making her blush madly. "And it's only right that I do so, but only because of how the universe has given me the answer to my lonely prayers. I love you, 'Shy and Rares. And there is no force that will ever take that away from me," he pledged to the women, making the two blush furiously while three of the ladies went 'awww', ignoring Rainbow's gagging noise.

.....

(Meanwhile, in the Everfree Forest....)

"Ye-heeeeesssss! My army has risen from their graves all over the world, unbeknownst to the Royal Elites!" Leviathan began to laugh evilly. "And the weapons that they destroyed, along with the original plans to redesign them, are all being produced with a speed that rivals their own ability to take down a soldier in stealth! And once all four of the super-weapons are combined, as was supposed to happen all those years ago, my plan... to destroy Equestria... will come... to fruition! And all of the world will rightfully belong to me! Rex Muta be praised! Rex Muta be passionate! Rex Muta.... come back to the breathing world!" he solemnly pledged to his leader as his evil laugh had echoed through the empty forest.

Little did he know, there was a spy within the vicinity that overheard everything. And the same insurgent that gathered the information would sacrifice everything in order to give their superiors this gross amount of detail.

"No..."

.....

Chapter 7: The Calm Before The Storm

Chapter 7

The Calm Before The Storm

*****

The six former bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the Cutie Mark Crusaders (who had taken their trip down to the bar to spend some quality time with their sisters), Spike, and even the Royal Elites had all taken their seats around the tables within the V.I.P. room as they had all feasted and drank in a merry mood. And even Sterling was enjoying how this second party, somehow hosted by him once again, had gotten into full swing. But even he was able to figure out that there was someone missing from the party. Someone... who was just as important for the ladies to meet as the other members of the Elites by a large factor.

"Brandon! Onyx! Here!" he called down the Dragon and Viking as they were playing a few games with the CMC at their own table. The two had rose up from their seats and complied to his command.

"Yes, Captain?" Brandon saluted him, Onyx following his gesture.

"My Magician Sense is telling me that something is missing from this whole party," he looked at the both of them. "And it's not the food, nor the drinks," he deduced while trying to figure out what was egging him in his mind.

"What else can it be, Captain?" Onyx asked him. "I fail to see what it is that has been bugging you, sir," he added, much to his superiors dismay.

"That's just it, Onyx," Sterling snapped quietly. "Even I don't know who or what is missing."

"Hmm.... I have an idea, sir," Brandon spoke up after thinking about it for a moment. "May I proceed?" he then asked, hoping that his Captain would pick up on the idea.

"I may not know what you wish to do, but go ahead, Brandon," Sterling nodded, hoping that some clue would be revealed.

"Thank you, sir," the Viking thanked him before standing up. "Royal Elites, sound up your names if you're here right now!" he then beckoned the others to speak up.

"Fixer!"

"Grizzly!"

"Axe!"

"Quinn!"

"Angel-Dust!"

Then, the other two near Sterling gave their names to him.

"Odin-Cloak."

"Clawshield."

Sterling then looked around, seeing all of the people accounted for. The two girlfriends of his, the Princess of Magic and Friendship, the other Royal Elites, the children--

"Baltic! He's not here!" Sterling gasped, resulting in the other Royal Elites gasping with him.

"Oh, no, not again!" Axe spoke up in a groan of disbelief.

"Scouting long distances away, once again! That Chameleon idiot doesn't know when to slow down!" Quinn piped up.

"I doubt that the word even exists in our scout's vocabulary, you know," Faith quipped to the Lyrish man in agreement.

"No doubt, fellow Elites. But what if something were to have happened to him today?" Brandon then hypothesized out loud.

"Like ending up in the hospital right now because he was attacked by a bunch of meanies that want to destroy Equestria?" Pinkie asked, out of the blue. This made everyone glare at her for her supposed notion.

"Even I doubt that Baltic would be so--" Brandon was about to reply before a Royal Guard came up the stairs, huffing and puffing from being out of shape enough to think of not running up the stairs.

"Captain Caliber, sir! Private Golden Duster of the Royal Guard on duty, sir!" the guard announced himself with a salute.

"At ease, Private," Sterling saluted back. "What's the report, son?" he then asked the clearly exhausted man who stood at attention from his question.

"It's your scout, Baltic the Chameleon, sir! He's been hospitalized with major wounds and injuries, sir!" the guard reported to the man, shaking up all of the members of the Royal Elites.

"What do the doctors say, Private?" Sterling commanded the guard to speak.

"They had to place him in the Emergency operating room, hoping to seal his wounds up, Captain!" he responded.

This announcement, somehow predicted by Pinkie Pie, had shaken everyone in the room up a lot.

"Royal Elites! Let's make way to the hospital now! Baltic has sustained life-threatening wounds, and we need to know who did this, right now!!" Sterling commanded his soldiers, who stood up and prepared to move out. "Private Duster!"

"Yes, sir?" the guard stood up.

"Thank you for the report, soldier! Make sure that you are put through an accommodation by your superiors. You deserve it," Sterling patted the guard on his shoulder, seeing the glint in the man's eye.

"Sir, thank you, sir," Duster nodded quickly before being dismissed by Sterling giving him a wave from his hand. As soon as the Royal Guard had disappeared, Sterling looked to the soldiers under his command and nodded once.

"Girls," he then looked to the ladies sitting at one of the desks. "You need to know about our scout, beside what has already transpired here today."

"Is this something that you failed to tell us, dear?" Rarity asked fairly.

"No, Rarity. This is something that was never mentioned, nor asked about. And it's time that I tell all of you just who and what Baltic is," he answered her as he took the center of the circle that formed around him.

"Ah'm sorry, Sterling, but did ya just say 'what' he is?" Applejack asked with her fingers making quote marks in the air.

"It's all true, young Applejack. And all of us can vouch for both our Captain, and our scout," Brandon spoke up from his own standing.

"Um... S-Sterling, d-dear? I just, um... I just wanted to ask you something... i-if you don't mind, that is," Fluttershy softly asked him with a concern in her voice.

"Go ahead, Fluttershy, but make it quick if you please," Sterling nodded at her.

"Um... I- w-well, that is... aren't... chameleons a type of lizard that blends in with the colors of its environment in order to protect themselves from danger?" Fluttershy then asked him after gathering what she remembered from her experience as an animal caretaker and veterinarian.

"You just hit the daily double on that inquiry, lass," Quinn nodded to her. "Indeed, those reptiles are known to have those characteristics. And our Chameleon friend, Baltic, has those qualities about him. Makes him perfect for the spot as the ultimate scout in our ranks," he then added to the praise to her.

"Indeed, young Quinn. And even though Baltic has been around for a shorter time than our Captain, or even Onyx here has, the scout of our unit is the absolute best," Fixer spoke up.

"And as the hybrid between a Changeling and an Equestrian Magician, he has always found his talent in reconnaissance has always been top notch for our missions from the past," Sterling admitted to the group.

"He's a... w-what was that?" Fluttershy shivered after hearing the Changeling part.

"A hybrid, young one," Onyx stated to her. "His past is a dark one."

"Do tell," Twilight then spoke up as a hint of anger drew closer to the edge of her voice.

"Very well, Princess. Allow me to alleviate how Baltic is not the enemy, but an ally to the cause of justice, harmony and friendship," Sterling prepared to speak as they all stood at keen attention to his words. "Baltic... is a hybrid between one of our worst enemies, and an Equestrian woman who taught him about being an additive to the world. Not a plaguing issue."

.....

Half an hour later, after arriving at the door of the Ponyville Hospital, Sterling spoke about how Baltic was born from an Equestrian Magician woman that was raped by a Changeling during the first invasion from Chrysalis. But unlike most of the Changelings in the past, the Changeling-Equestrian hybrid was born with the ability to feel what love truly felt like, even if his biological beginnings allowed him to feed on the love of others. And unlike the Changeling hives, the same term 'Chameleon' had been adapted as a means of separating those who fed off of love with no intention to leave their victims alive, while the hunted hybrids can only feed on the love of others if they asked their mates politely. The cultures of the Changelings and the Chameleons were so clashed against one another, that the hybrid swarms were nearly wiped off from the map, save for a small colony that still existed alongside the thestrals that resided with Princess Luna.

Princess Celestia herself was at the pinnacle of seeing to it that the half-breed race was given sanctuary by her little sister at some point behind the scenes of the politics that kept Equestria going. And although Baltic was very happy to stay with his race under the Night Princess' good graces, he still felt that giving up his evil distant cousins' whereabouts would really help the world become a safer place, according to Sterling's testimony.

When all of the people had arrived near the door of the operating room (to which Sterling was thankful for both having the little kids taken back to their homes by Dining Virtue), Twilight had learned all that there was to know about the scout. Even she had wept for how isolated and unwanted Baltic was. Just a few of her friends from the past.

"Um... Sterling?" Twilight then spoke up, after giving all the information that she was given a necessary conclusion.

"Yes, Twilight?" Sterling replied.

"I still don't like Changelings because of how they feed off of the emotion of love, but Baltic needs it in order to heal up so that he can help you, right?"

"Yes. And I have already volunteered myself to allow him to feed off my love for my girlfriends, just so that his regenerative abilities can get a kick-start. And when it is done, I'll ask him how he had retained his wounds."

The group of women, standing next to the Elites, had given a content sigh, knowing that their soldier friend would do anything to keep his unit alive.

"Uh... Sterling? Ah'm hopin' that Baltic was only foolin' around with the dangerous critters from the forest," Applejack spoke to him, hoping that the worst was not what happened.

"*sigh*.... Me too."

The door of the operating room was then opened nearly forcefully as he caught a look from the Equian farmer girl that he could only see from his girlfriends.

"Be careful, will ya?" Applejack said to him with a small blush on her face

"I'm always careful," Sterling replied to her again, noting how Applejack was blushing.

"Good luck, hon," Fluttershy then said before being given a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you," he grinned before it quickly faded away as he went into the room and yelled, "EVERYONE, OUT! NOW!!", causing everyone at the hallway to shake in fear as the medical team had run out of the room before the door slammed in front of them all.

"Oh, good heavens! You would think that our dearest Sterling was about to lose a member of the family," Rarity observed after composing herself from the slamming of the door. "But I guess that all of you hold the same view, right?" she asked Furious Axe, who was standing right next to her.

"That we do, Miss. That we do," the Lion Highlander nodded to her.

"Oh! I just hope that Baltic isn't badly hurt," Fluttershy whimpered. "I can only imagine what Sterling will do if... i-if....", she then stopped trying to say as a few sobs had escaped from her face. Rarity then went over to her to try to comfort her.

"There there, darling. I'm sure that the scout isn't going to allow his wounds to kill him. His power as a regenerator is something to be commended," Rarity softly said to her friend as she hugged her deeply.

"I may not like the Changelings at all, but Baltic is alright by me," Rainbow nodded. "I may have to keep an eye on him, but that's because of what we all experienced at Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding," she then said out loud to her nearby friends.

"We know, Rainbow. And I just don't like it when Sterling has a bad feeling, because it really kills the mood for a party," Pinkie Pie said while placing a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "And I'm always about making everyone smile, not frown."

"And you are able to do that very well, young villr fylgð gripr*," Brandon smiled, remembering how she was able to make a bunch of smiles for even him.

"Aww. Thanks, Prince Brandon," Pinkie smiled at him, somehow knowing that he was using a term of affection for her.

"You are welcome," he smiled back as he received a hug, to which he gave the same gesture.

.....

"Baltic, tell me what happened to you," Sterling commanded his scout calmly, hoping to know how the same Chameleon that he was acknowledging came to be on a hospital bed.

"I was feeling what I had always felt when danger looms over our heads, so I went ahead and scouted the western area that had a few of your countries cities within the area, hoping that I was wrong," Baltic began to admit while struggling to move while being restrained to the bed, much to his dismay.

"What did you see?"

"I...... I saw...... Rex Brutes... marching in a large formation."

This news set Sterling to go into a fit of anger as he felt it rise.

"And how do you know this?"

"I also saw.... the Changeling swarms in the skies above the warriors, along with the Shadow Walkers and the Nightmare Monster Handlers marching alongside them. And the leader......"

"Yes? Baltic, tell me! Who was leading them?" Sterling further commanded him, feeling as if the last breath would come around from the scout below him.

"L... Lev.... *Leviathan Di'Nihilous,"*** Baltic whispered lowly to his commander's ear.

That name.... was the name that he feared the most, more than if his sovereigns announced themselves if he was in trouble for anything.

"Leviathan...." he growled lowly. Knowing that his love was fed on (with his expressed permission), Sterling saw that Baltic was now resting up, confident that his great scout was going to live longer. "Elites! Listen up!" he shouted to his soldiers as he opened the door for them to enter the room.

"What is it, Captain? What's going on?" Fixer asked while standing at attention.

"Royal Elites, as you all know, Baltic here is going to be just fine. The love for my girlfriends was able to give him the ability to fully heal up, but he won't be commissioned back for duty until his rehabilitation is finished," Sterling began. "Until then, we will have to rely on his intel to me before he began to sleep."

"What's the news, Captain?" Faith asked almost immediately.

"We are about to face the final battle for all of Equius sooner than expected, everyone!" Sterling announced. "I know that all of you are not ready to face this, but I had to face the facts as I heard it from Baltic. Our worst fear had been confirmed as Baltic had described it all to me in great detail. Elites...."

The soldiers gave him their undivided attention as Sterling was about to tell them what the results had been seen.

"The Rex Brutes & Leviathan Di'Nihilous, the leader of the armies... have been fully resurrected from the dead. And now he is leading the same army towards Canterlot, along with the Changelings, Shadow-Walkers and Nightmare Monster-Tamers. And if the capital city of Equestria falls, so will the rest of the world. We must gather all of the armed forces in the land, including the Wonderbolts and the Honor Guards, to fight alongside us. And if any person, man and woman, wishes to volunteer to fight with us, then we will allow them to fight," Sterling announced to them with his serious expression not changing one bit.

"The Rex Brutes are all dead! We killed them all with our weapons and bare hands!" Quinn snapped, not believing what was spoken.

"And you killed Leviathan in that final battle, one-on-one! We know you did, Captain!" Faith spoke up as well.

"ENOUGH!!" he shouted at his soldiers, freezing them all at their positions. "While I was looking into his mind, I was able to figure out how he was resurrected, along with the other vast numbers. And it all points to a person-- no, a heretical traitor!-- that is among the Royal Sisters in the castle! And that person is none other than the piece of scum-bagging, shit-faced, no good, traitorous walking corpse that doesn't even have the guts to call himself a man with a soul! Because Prince Blueblood is the one who started it all! And all for the price of the reversed genesis of this world!"

As soon as Sterling named out the one from the memories of Baltic's last solo mission, even the Elements of Harmony had not been able to stay where they were, much to Sterling's increasing anger.

"Now, wait up! The nephew of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna? He started it all?" Twilight asked.

"Whoa! And I thought I had enemies!" Rainbow gasped in the shock of the announcement.

"As did I!" Rarity added to the plate.

"It's all true. And even Leviathan revealed it all to me, before I killed him in the final battle that officially stopped the Second Equius War," Sterling decided to admit while in the presence of one of his rulers.

"Wait, how did you--?!" Twilight had gasped as well.

"He told me that it was not originally his plan to kill my parents! It was a hit, made by the Prince himself," he began to say. "And all of the weapons from before, along with the sabotages and thefts? Blueblood was hoping to make his profit during the war. And Leviathan had decided to reveal it all to me, hoping to delay the inevitable death that he wished to impose on me. And now that he is back from the dead, he will do everything he can to destroy me. And all because of his grudge against all life on Equius," he sighed, allowing his anger to vent out calmly.

"But we will not allow your kingdom to fall, Odin-Will!" Brandon proclaimed to him. "For as long as we've known you, given our times together, there was always one thing that always kept you going!" The rest of the soldiers agreed, along with Twilight's friends, with a salute.

"When you stepped in, long before receiving your heightened power from those three ghosts, you took that power of yours and helped our kingdoms and villages from falling, even if you aren't from anywhere but here," Quinn piped up as a smile crept up his face. "And I would gladly give my life to defend yours, just as you did for mine."

"After what you've done to give our kingdoms and cities a chance to live, we will do the same for yours," Grizzly said to him as well, pushing a fist toward the air. "As will all of us, right?" he asked the others.

"RIGHT!!" the other soldiers, save for Onyx and Baltic, shouted out with cheer.

"If you don't allow us to fight with you, Sterling, and if we die, we will never forgive you," Twilight spoke up to the man who was listening intently to her. "Your bravery in the countries outside of Equestria--"

"As well as when you put down the Dire Wolves, here in Ponyville," Rainbow interjected with a grin.

"Yes. Thank you, Rainbow-- All of the deeds that you have made are inspiring in all of the hearts of the soldiers and civilians that you saved, along with your friends," Twilight said to him with a smile.

"And who says old friends can't come along?" an unfamiliar voice then sounded out, making the Captain look to the door. What he then saw had made... his jaw... drop.

"No way..." he gasped as he saw more than a dozen people that looked familiar to him. And all wearing the same garbs that every Royal Elite wears in battle.

"Ha! See? I knew that none of you died!" Onyx laughed as he began to see the other people joining in. "Ultra-Sound! Tree Cruncher! Haa'sarrat! Fiery! O'Malley and O'Reily! High Stepping! Frozen Eye! All of you are here! And... Ernie?!" Onyx then furrowed his eye in confusion.

"Hey, did ya really believe dat I'd allow you's guys ta get all the credit?" Ernie, the twin brother of Bernie the bartender from Fillydelphia, had stated to the Dragon. "No way am I allowin' yous ta go into a war without me! And you won't be able to stop me, Captain Caliber!" he saluted to the superior in front of him.

"Well... it seems my lessons have been learned once again," he chuckled while saluting the other Royal Elites who decided to join in on the action. When his chuckles were joined in, Sterling then began to laugh out loud, causing the other soldiers to laugh along with him, sharing his sentiment. And even the Council of Friendship, with Twilight as the leader, had all begun to laugh as well. Within a few moments, the laughter died down, leaving a few streams of tears from most of the soldiers. "We need to take this outside of the hospital, lest the doctors believe we're all in the wrong type of hospital," Sterling then told his soldiers. They then moved out from the room and marched out to the front entrance.

"Sir!" one of the soldiers spoke up, addressing the Captain.

"Yes?" Sterling acknowledged the person, turning out to be a woman.

"Dianne Green, Corporal FC of the Royal Elites, sir!" she then introduced herself as she saluted him.

"What can I do for you, Corporal Green?" he saluted back.

"Permission to speak freely, between two Magicians, sir?" she asked.

"Granted."

"I could help but notice that two of the Element bearers have a very deep love for you, while one of the others has an interesting infatuation with you, sir," she bluntly stated.

"Oh? And what gave you that idea, Green?" he challenged her, knowing that he needed to figure out who, hoping that she could not beat around the bushes.

"I'm one of the Honor Guard for Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, sir," she stated to him.

"And I guess that would make sense, given that your Magician's Sense heightens up when you pick up that kind of emotion from someone?" he then asked while they both walked to the door.

"It was greatly being shown, in a not-so-subtle way, from Applejack," she then clarified for him.

"Huh," he puffed while scratching his chin. "That's what Baltic was telling me as I was looking into his memory. By his expressed permission, of course," he cleared up for her when she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't tell me: Pheromone levels were high?"

"Yup."

"You plan to tell her your feelings on the matter?"

"Oh, yeah."

"... Good luck, Captain."

And with that final exchange, Sterling motioned his hand for all the others to move.

"Princess, if I may?" he then stopped the Princess, wanting to get her attention.

"What's up, Sterling?" she asked him.

"I was wondering if I may borrow Applejack for a few moments, please? It won't take too long, I promise," he inquired to her.

"What for, if I may ask?" she asked again politely.

"To clear up a few things that have been bothering me about her for a while," he answered her simply.

"Actually, this is perfect," she nodded in a conceding manner. "I've been wanting to ask you to spend a bit of time with her," she pointed to herself while pointing to her farmer friend. "Just don't take too long, like you promised."

"Will ten minutes be enough?"

"I can only hope so."

"'Shy? Rares? May I--?"

"Oh! N-no worries, Sterling-honey. We'll be outside if you need us," Fluttershy said to him with a kiss on his right cheek.

"Yes, darling, we'll just be waiting for you at the clearing near the entrance," Rarity spoke up as well with the same kiss on the left cheek.

"Thank you, girls. A.J., may I see you for a moment?" he called to the Equian farmer in his indoor voice as he beckoned her to follow him.

"Uh... alright," Applejack nodded as she followed where she was needed.

Within two minutes, after seeing all but the medical staff having left the building, both Sterling and Applejack sat themselves on the waiting bench, looking at each other.

"Listen, um... both one of my soldiers, another Magician, and my scout Baltic have all confirmed something that they each confided me with as we walked up to here. But, I need to know if what I have to say has any value, okay?" he then asked her as he took his right hand to place it on her left shoulder.

"Alright..." Applejack nodded, her face telling him what he was finally able to see from her,

"A.J.... are you.... uh, that is... are you... falling in love with me?" he asked her right there, staring deeply into her jade green eyes.

"Ah can't hide anythin' from ya, can't I?" Applejack chuckled, knowing that any defenses would be useless.

"How long?"

.....

.....

"Since ya saved us from the Dire Wolves... but Ah found that Ah wasn't lovin' ya fer that there reason. It was also because of how ya make Rarity and Fluttershy happier than Granny Smith at a reunion. And's it also 'cause.... Ah've seen how ya treat other people with respect and honesty, along with bein' generous and kind with yer time with all of us. Especially when ya told me how much ya love mah products, alcoholic and otherwise. But during the whole time, Ah couldn't tell ya how much Ah wanted ta be wit' ya, 'cause I know that ya love those friends of mine. And Ah didn't want y'all ta feel bad for me, nor take me inta yer harem out of pity for me. Y'all got this great relationship, and Ah wanted ta badly be a part of it. Just so badly that I could taste it. But...."

"But what?" Sterling asked her, paying attention to her confession. He then saw... tears? Applejack... was crying?

"Ah... Ah just... Ah just wanted to be a part of yer harem because of how much of an impact that ya made in mah life!" She then gave him a big hug while burying her face into his chest. "And Ah know that you, Rarity and Fluttershy have this wonderful loving thing goin' on, and Ah don't... Ah don't.... *sob* Ah just don't see if there's any room in all y'all's hearts for me!" she cried in his arms, staining his shirt with his tears.

"Now that is just not true!"

This was Rarity's voice calling out to them. It was just close enough to make Applejack shiver from how shrilled it sounded.

"That's right, Applejack! How could you even think of saying such a thing?" Fluttershy miffed out, sounding a little sad at what her Equian friend had said about herself. "If you had just told us the truth from the beginning, then Rarity and I would have taken you into our happier lives, Applejack," she further described to her.

"Why yes, Applejack darling! And now that you have told Sterling about your true feelings for him, both Fluttershy and myself are feeling more than happy to say that you deserve to be with the three of us," Rarity added to the conversation.

"Now wait a minute, you two," Sterling silenced them for a moment as he stepped up to meet them eye to eye. "Are the both of you saying that you knew about this all along?" he then asked them both.

"Sterling, if I may be so blunt at the moment?" Rarity chimed in.

"Go ahead," he relented.

"Applejack was showing the same signs that both Fluttershy and I show each other when we speak about you while we are away from you, darling! It was just so obvious to see that she was infatuated with you," she grinned almost wickedly.

"Yes... um, that is, if you don't mind.... I also think that bringing Applejack into any conversation of ours about you was only making her desire for you all the stronger. And, uh... I just... please don't hate me for saying this, but.... Both Rarity and I have always had a soft spot for Applejack," she confessed for herself and Rarity, who nodded with a serious look.

If there was one time that he ever doubted his girlfriends, it was only when they would speak about what to buy from any store. But even then, his doubts had been cast aside as he knew that such trivial things passed by as one of those measly quirks that always made him curious. And after hearing his girlfriends confessing to him about how they simply wanted Applejack to be a part of the growing harem, he concluded that nothing could have made the girls any happier. Plus, he also had daydreams of seeing the Equian woman getting dirty, as per her usual job requirements. And so, after giving it some much needed debate in his head, Sterling looked to the girls in front of him and asked:

"Requesting permission to grant A.J. the rights of becoming a part of the harem."

The ladies, including Applejack, gasped with a happy breath. But to further prove their accepted desire, Fluttershy and Rarity both made a kissing motion with their lips after moving their eyes towards their shared love interest. And Sterling, needing no further invitation, moved over to where the farmer girl was.

"S... Sterling?" Applejack gasped as she felt two warm hands cupping her face.

"With this motion... I accept you into my harem. But are you willing to accept this?" he asked her solemnly while staring into her eyes once again as his face burned up while feeling his heart beat at about 40 an hour.

"Y... Yes! Yes! A billion times, yes!!" she nearly screamed in joy in her acceptance. And with that said, Sterling then took both his face and closed in on Applejack's lips by a millimeter before looking into her eyes once again after hugging her deeply. A nod was produced, enticing both him and her to seal the deal with a long, full on kiss that felt even greater than the magic within his reserves. And this kiss was just as great to experience from the other ladies, as Sterling had felt in his burning heart.

Despite the incoming final battle that would seal the fate of his home country, and despite the times of trial beforehand, along with the staff watching the result of the acceptance as they all clapped in congratulatory cheers, nothing would make him think of anything else but a brighter future with his new harem partner.

"Oh, Sterling-sugar! Ah promise that Ah will be the best pardner fer this here group, and with no lie to ever make me break mahself away from ya," she pledged to him with a tear dripping from her eye.

"And when I have stopped the Rex Brutes from destroying Canterlot, I will not stop until I have made both you, Rarity and Fluttershy happy for the rest of your lives," Sterling also pledged to his new trio of girlfriends. "When we come back to our town, I'm going to make sure to keep that promise for all my natural life."

And just like that, both Sterling and his girlfriends had given each other a pledging kiss to each other's cheeks, sealing the deal as the harem had added a brand new member. And as the four of them walked out of the hospital, Sterling had released them so that they could join their friends, who were all happy that Applejack was given his permission to join his loving partnership.

"Lothokriin, vhaszadarrou Equus... sahnahvv-adarraagcht!" he shouted to the soldiers who had been standing in a formation that was familiar to him.

And with a big smile on their faces that showed their renewed courage and valor, both the Royal Elites and the Council of Friendship had then repeated what was always said among those who had fought for their countries.

"Sahnahvv-taraahkuu, vhasza-chatakarrou.... Equus dhuvhacht Faustia!"

A long cheer had sounded out for even the Rex Brute armies that were many a hundreds of leagues from the intended campaign site to hear. And even the militia of Ponyville, to which Sterling never knew existed at all (but was still impressed to see, nevertheless), had given their howls of cheer as the whole town had gathered around to fight for their town.

He then pressed on the ruby from his right pants pocket four times before hearing the click that had been followed by a rapidly blinking light. And when he raised it up to the sky, the same light could then be seen from a distant part of the night sky.

"Here's hoping that all of you will be willing to help if we should fall...." he thought out to the people from the other countries, wishing for the assistance that his allies had desired to show him, should it ever come to that.

.....

(At the Canterlot Castle....)

A hooded figure had taken a nearby door from the Lunar section of the castle and opened it for entrance into a random room. When the room was lit up with a fools gold aura emanating from the hands, the same figure in the dark cloth had been revealed to be none other than Prince Blueblood. The same Magician who wanted to see all of Equestria bow before him. After having to convince certain parties to his will, he took a magical mirror from his pocket and activated its communication link.

"Your Majesty, can you hear me?" he spoke to the mirror, revealing the hybrid on the mirror.

"Loud and clear, Blueblood. What is the situation? And pray that I don't kill you if I find you, should it prove deadly to the both of us," Leviathan growled evilly at him.

"Then I'm afraid that you'll have to get in line," Blueblood snapped at him, receiving only an evil laugh from the other end.

"The Royal Elites are on the move, and with all of the retired ones coming back for the final conflict as they desire to stop us from taking what rightfully belongs to the true King of the Brutes!" Leviathan stated to him, causing a shake of fear to be noticed by the creature on the other line. "Why should I even spare you, filthy Equestrian?" he snarled with his face showing a much deeper anger within it.

"Because the final steps to creating the ultimate fail-safe plan have been completed, my liege," Blueblood confidently stated to him, earning himself a gaudy grin. "And all that is needed is to have all four of the Princesses walk right into my trap, to which I set up for all of them. And if I know anything about my aunts and cousins at all, then all that they will have to remember is to be careful about what they choose to eat for their snacks at tea time," he chuckled with that same smile.

"And you better deliver, Equestrian scum! Or else you will become a part of the same trap of yours! Understood?"

"Crystal Mountain clear, my liege!"

"Good! We arrive at Ponyville in the next hour! No one will think to oppose us! And you will have the rewards once the big pinata breaks!" he laughed just as maliciously as before as the light had faded to see Blueblood's own reflection staring back at him.

"And once I have the Princesses into my trap, the weapon will be powerful enough to even drain his power," he said to himself as he went to his desk to write down every last detail of the weapons instructions and designs. "And I will become the true ruler of this land, along with all of the Equius, as the Rex Brutes serve under me!"

.....

Chapter 8: Defensive & Offensive Preparations

Chapter 8

Defensive & Offensive Preparations

*****

(Valhalla Fort, Bjornstad, Norse Countries, 5:50 PM)

"My liege!", A Viking warrior called out to his King who had been sitting on his throne, eagerly awaiting a sign that Odin-Will, as he called the young man who had bested him in a fight, was wanting his help. The Viking who had some news to tell, given his major excitement, had then made his way to the throne and bowed to the King. "Your Majesty, King Silverbeard Odin-Cloak!" he greeted his King.

"Ah... Where's the Dragon-Fire, Asmund Shield-Basher?", King Odin-Cloak chuckled.

"My liege! It's Odin-Will! He has sent the signal!", the Viking cheered.

"He what?!" Silverbeard shouted.

"Look to the skies, milord! It's his sign!" Asmund confirmed as he motioned his liege to the clearing.

Sure enough, Silverbeard saw the bright red light blinking rapidly in the sky, just a long ways away from his own country. This was indeed the signal that was told by him from the old Seer near the apothecary, as he remembered one day.

"Ahhh-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! Round up all of our air-ships! Odin-Will has made the call to summon us! We are going to fight a battle of epic proportions!" Odin-Cloak then announced after making his way to announce his plan to the people below. This, in turn, led out a roar of approval by the Valkyrie's and Vikings that had yet to prove themselves in a battle.

"But not without me, dearest," a female voice spoke from behind the King. He looked to his left and saw none other than his wife, Ingrid Song-Raider Odin-Cloak, dressed up in a Valkyrie armor suit that fitted her figure quite well.

"You wish to do battle with us, my love?" he nodded at her, seeing her gorgeous figure underneath the armor.

"I would not have it any other way, my dearest King," Ingrid said to him with a kiss to his scraggly bearded lips.

"Then come along, my dear! We've not much time! Once the Dragons and Griffons get the signal, they'll hog up all of the glory to come in this final battle!" he laughed heartily, knowing that his best allies were also his rivals in combat.

"I have been waiting to long to find out if I die in glorious battle against the enemy today," she smiled as she walked close to her husband while they gathered their weapons.

"If you were to die first, then I'd just be a lonely man with no means of relieving myself," he laughed once again.

"Oh... if only..." she rolled her eyes sarcastically, knowing that he was always so lewd about his life.

"Ha-ha-ha! Ha! Ha!"

(Draconian Throne Room, Rhaccthasaavva, Draconia, 5:50 PM)

In the Dragon Kingdom, Fiery Carbuncle had seen the same signal, along with the royalty near him.

"Fiery!" the Dragon King growled next to his Courier.

"Yes, my gracious Majesty?" Fiery saluted to him.

"Call up all of the warriors who are willing to help the lands of Equestria, and Dragon-Soul!" the King commanded him.

"And make haste with the flights, Carbuncle! We do not wish for the Vikings and Griffons to steal the victories of this battle!" the Dragon Queen sneered happily, knowing that the natives of the land would heed the call of the Dragon royalty.

"At once, your Majesties!" Fiery bowed to them in compliance before flying off to the royal summoning platform. "Hagaracckt, Vrrashh-Dhavaraough!!(To all Dragon warriors available, make your way to Equestria! We fight with the Dragon-Soul!)", he growled to his fellow subjects. They also roared with pride as he did as the drakes had taken flight from the ground to ascend towards the skies.

(Griffinstone, Gryphon Kingdom, 5:50 PM)

"Hey, listen up, dweebs!" Gilda yelled out to the citizens while standing in front of the Griffon Emperor. "We're all being called up to fight with Sterling Caliber of the Royal Elites! And as of now, the Dragons and Vikings are making their way to the country of Equestria! And they're gonna rub it in our faces if we don't fight the Rex Brutes! So let's tear us up some baddies before we reap the rewards!" she announced to her whole country people.

"And if you all do this, whatever wealth you gain from the enemy is yours!" the Emperor spoke up, adding a form of motivation to the speech.

"Yeah, that too!" Gilda nodded.

The griffon and hippogriff people shouted out with a screech that echoed out to the heavens as the volunteers took flight from the ground.

"I hope Rainbow will be there, 'cause she is gonna owe me one for this," Gilda snickered.

"But don't let the memories of the past get in the way of your path to victory, young Gilda," the Emperor spoke to her.

"Ughh... Yes, my lord," Gilda saluted to him with a sarcastic tone before taking her flight up to the skies.

(United Stirrupean Islands Conference Building, 5:50 PM)

The representatives from the Leo-Gar Highlands, the Stirrupean Islands, the Neighponiese Mass and the many other countries that shaped the world of Equius then saw the same signal in the skies. And they all wanted to help the Royal Elite fight off against the Rex Brutes.

"Are we all in agreement, fellow representatives and delegates?" the head judge asked, once he heard the silence of the gathered crowd within the room.

"We must call upon the emergency aides to the Royal Elites!" one of the representatives called out, increasing the volume of the sounds of agreements in the room. "Captain Sterling Caliber, of Equestria, has saved our nations more than enough times for all of us to even count!" the person further shouted.

"But the other three ancient kingdoms must already be on the move if that signal has just been sent now," another person pointed out. "It would be useless for us to help them unless they call for our help," they then said, hearing murmurs of compliance from their speech.

"Nevertheless, we must give our aid to the people who are in need! And especially the Royal Elite named Sterling Caliber!" a third party shouted out, causing an uproar that spoke in agreement, deafening the sound of the gavel being frantically pounded.

And from the many beaches and ports, the massive amount of citizens, who were already free to leave the fight to the others, had begun to start their advance towards where the battle would take place. And even the Chameleon colonies, unknown to many though they were, had begun to see the courage and become inspired to fight with the Equestrians.

(Solar Wing, Royal Castle, Canterlot, Equestria, 17:50 PM)

Looking down below to the lands beyond, Sterling was able to see the town of Ponyville from a distant cloud of dust and smoke. This had made his mood go sour, failing to believe that he could have saved his home from the inevitable destruction of the invading armies as he watched the land being pillaged from the porch near the window of his room within the Solar Wing of the castle. But even then, he knew that there were no lives lost, unlike when the Dire Wolves attacked more than a month ago.

Unlike the last time, he was able to take every last one of the citizens from the small town to the emergency shelters within the capital city of Canterlot. Including the small children. And with the Royal Elites reinforced with old friends who reunited with their former unit for a last fight with the Brutes, Sterling could sense a ray of hope within him, even as Princess Celestia had begun to lower the sun in order for her younger sister, Princess Luna, to raise the moon. Even though he wasn't as attracted to Fluttershy, Rarity & Applejack, he still felt (as any normal Equestrian male always felt) that the Princesses of the sun and the moon were very beautiful to bestow. And seeing the same moon go up after the sun went down was just as great to see from any distance in the world.

"Darling? Are you alright?" Rarity called up from within the room.

"Hmm? Oh! Yes, Rarity," Sterling called back, knowing that the lady wanted him back into the room. "Coming in," he said to her while seeing the other two ladies in the room as they all did their thing. "Just wanted to see Princess Luna do a bit of her great work," he explained to them with a confident smile on him.

"Ah see," Applejack grinned. "Tell me, sugar, do ya like seein' the Princess' do their work? Or somethin' else that's gotcha eye?" she asked him teasingly. This query got the other two girls to blush as she saw Sterling look like he was about to babble.

"Uh... w-w-well, I uh... heh-heh...."

"Oh, Sterling-dear, you needn't feel ashamed," Rarity smirked at him. "It's only natural that Celestia and Luna are both a part of the people's minds. Even in some erotic fantasy, hmm?" she whispered at the last part, causing him to madly blush.

"Now that's just not nice of you to say to him, girls," Fluttershy scolded them softly. "Besides, um... I-I think that, um... our man isn't going to go after them, even in his most wild of fantasies," she deduced while averting her head away from the group.

"Ugh, finally! Someone understands me," Sterling commented under his breath while keeping his eye on Fluttershy. "Look: I may have those types of dreams from time to time, but I don't act on them because even I know that I wouldn't be the kind of suitor for any of them. Besides, Cadence is taken & Twilight isn't even looking for a relationship at the moment," he told them after having himself a moment to think about his words carefully.

"But um... do those dreams, uh... have anything explicit in them?" Fluttershy asked him as the other girls looked at him.

Seeing as there was no way out of the question with a lie, he looked at them with the same serious look that he always gave to anyone if he was not going to be a liar about some question.

"I still do have those passing fantasies about the same Princesses, including Twilight, getting some hot foreplay action with the three of you before it got even further," he admitted to them as his face had burned up with the prospect of seeing his new girlfriends do that with the royalty. "But as it would get even farther, I would just wake up with something that I still find a reason to chastise myself for having," he explained while feeling the back of his legs being pushed to the covered mattress.

"And were we all... giving tongue to them?" Rarity asked seductively while rubbing her left hand on his pectorals.

"Almost everywhe- whoa!" he yelled out as he felt the bed hit his back. "Oh, Goddesses! Fixer warned me about this! This is..." Sterling panicked in his mind as he saw the three women gather around him in various places near him on the bed. "Hold it!!" he shouted, stopping the girls immediately.

"What is it, Sterling?" Applejack asked him as she saw the surprised apprehension in his face.

"Are you...? Oh, Goddesses... Are you all... at your peak?" he then asked the ladies surrounding him. The girls then gasped in shock as they realized what they were about to do if he hadn't stopped them right there.

From what Sterling was able to figure out from the situation at hand, the signs of the 'peak' had been as stated by Fixer from his earlier memories. When an individual woman starts to reach the highest level of desire for their mate, male or female, the first sign is to watch their body language. The second is to listen in on their choice vernacular. The third part to take caution of was the nearly forceful way of subduing their mate. And the final part, as Sterling had been able to prevent from happening (though it wouldn't be for long, as he found out), would be the shedding of their clothes before the final act could commence.

And as Sterling's train of thought had stopped to come back to reality, he saw the embarrassed and saddened faces of his girlfriends as a few tears were streaming down from their eyes. He then realized that this emotional peaking had been halted by his poor choice of words.

"Oh, no! Sterling, we're so sorry! We're so sorry! We're so sorry!" Fluttershy sobbed as she hid her face with her hands while feeling the tears run down her face. "We... w-we just... want- no, need this! And all of us agreed that our first time would be with you," she cried out to him as she buried her face into his chest. The only thing that Sterling could do was to wrap his arms around her back as he stroked her pink hair.

"Plus, the thought of not doin' it with ya ain't that great ta think about, ya know," Applejack concurred as she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders lovingly while wiping her own tears on his left shoulder.

"And we all agreed that we would be gentle with you if you are willing to let us make a man out of you," Rarity added to the conversation while kissing his right cheek. "And the reason for why we asked you those questions is because of how we know that you love us, darling. But we will not pressure you into this, dear. If you don't wish to have your way with all of us right now, then we shall respect that wish," she added to her assuring message to him.

"Have... my way with... all of them?" he thought to himself while peering his head up to look at the ladies who blushed from being looked at. "That....... is...... IIIITTTT!!!" he resolved right then and there. His girls wanted to make a man out of him, and he wanted to do the same. But he was not going to just jump right in, unlike the many battles that marked his life's resume.

"Girls?" he announced silently to them.

"Yes, Sterling?" all three of the girls asked.

"I have to confess something to all of you..."

.....

(Meanwhile, in the Throne Room....)

"Sister?" Luna spoke up as she sat herself on the throne next to Celestia.

"Yes, Luna?" the Sun Princess replied.

"These friends that the Captain mentioned..."

"Yes?"

"We wonder if they all have some... debt to our brave soldier," Luna speculated as she remembered the events that rolled in from the beginning of his arrival.

"It's no question, Lulu. Because even I believe that Sterling has had himself an adventurous life. But, he would not have become the man that he is by slacking off in the field," Celestia nodded. "And by the time that the clock strikes 7:00 tonight, Sterling will have completed the final step in his growing relationship with his girlfriends," she smiled with her eyes half-lidded.

"Tia? Are thou-- you suggesting that our Captain will...?" Luna asked before feeling her face grow red with shock.

"Indeed, sister. He will become a new man during this night."

.....

(Back at Sterling's room....)

"So... yer a virgin, right?" Applejack quipped.

"Yep," Sterling nodded shamefully.

"And you've never had a girlfriend in your whole life?" Rarity chipped in.

"Correct."

"And you never felt this way about us until two months ago?" Fluttershy asked as well.

"Never."

An awkward silence filled the room for about two minutes until the Captain decided to speak up again.

"Please don't kill me for saying that, but it's all because of how I've been desiring to have the first time be more romantic, and not as the final battle for Equestria looms over us," Sterling pleaded softly to the girls next to him. "Even I knew that the first time with a woman should be slow and romantic, not quick and empty," he shook his head, remembering how some of his unit members would boast about being quick with the bedroom games. "And... I... wanted my first time to be at my home, and not at some random room within the palace," he further confessed to them. What he saw from the ladies around him was not apprehension. But a rather sultry look.

"Sterling-sugar, we can still have a great night with ya, even if it ain't what ya expected," Applejack cooed to him while gently rubbing his chest with her hand. "And Ah promise ya, hon, that we'll all make this a night to remember," she then said while adding a kiss to his left cheek.

"And as the one with more experience on this subject," Rarity interjected, "we shan't skimp out on making this night memorable for you. And all of us." And after kissing his right cheek, she then looked to Fluttershy. "And I believe that the perfect candidate for your first time is right in front of us, my love."

"Oh, um... y-y-yes... I do want to be the one to give you my virginity, Sterling," Fluttershy said to him softly with a small nod.

"And so do Ah," Applejack said to him.

"So! What does the man say?" Rarity smirked as she stroked his stomach, causing a slight giggle to come out of his throat.

"You know what? ....Let's just make this an epic time for all of us!" Sterling nodded after taking a while to think about it.

"Yay," Fluttershy cheered cutely as she moved closer to him. And after giving him a long hug, thanking him in a low whisper to his ear, she then proceeded to fully kiss him on the lips. And as Sterling lowered himself so that he was on his back, he allowed himself to surrender to the incoming romantic passion that was about to being with all four participants in the room.

"I love you ladies...." he muttered to them as the daze of his passion took over his rational thoughts.

"We love you, too, Sterling," they all whispered back to them.

All three women had become warmly affected by his solemn confession to them. And as they tried to find any deceit in his words, to no avail, there was only one thing that the ladies decided to allow him to do the one thing. Fluttershy had blushed a vermilion red, as did Rarity and Applejack, because of how they all wished for their true love to take the final step with them. Not for the sake of fulfilling some wanton desire. Not for sake of humiliation. And not for the sake of enacting a simple act that everyone desires to do.

But their biggest wish, out of everything they could ever want, was to give him the right to proclaim to the world of Equius that his true feelings for the both of them to be revealed. And as Fluttershy pulled him up from the bed, Sterling had seen the same look that he saw on her. This was proven to be right as the trio had taken their turns with kissing him full on the lips with a higher passion.

But as he had guessed, Fluttershy had silently begged for permission to allow her tongue to enter his mouth. And with a small chuckle, Sterling allowed her wet muscle to invade his mouth. His own tongue had danced softly along with hers, causing them to moan loudly with each other in a cacophony that was sweet for the both of them to hear as the wet smacks had grown louder while Sterling had begun to gently squeeze her breasts in his hands, making her moan a little louder. The same feelings that he felt from his first kiss with her had soon been heightened by many levels as his tongue massaged hers in the most intimate way possible.

And after what felt like an eternity, his lips and tongue had departed from Fluttershy's own mouth. He then looked to Rarity, who was waiting patiently for him to deliver the same action to her. Sterling needed no further invitation as his raging hormones had taken control of him when his mouth went back to doing what was being done before. But as the same ministrations were being made, his hands had glided down to squeeze Rarity's lower cheeks and thighs in a gentle way. This action had given the posh lady a reason to moan just as loudly as her other lover did. Rarity then lifted a leg and wrapped it around his waist, shrinking her skirt to a smaller size to allow Fluttershy an invitation to go behind her and start smooching on her shoulder blades and neck. This made her giggle as she soon made out with her two lovers while standing up after parting herself from the man to give the same tongue action to the pink-haired beauty behind her.

The minutes that the trio had taken felt more like the Heavens on Equius than anything they had ever felt in their lives. And as their tongues had been dancing in a three-way tango of passion, Sterling then parted himself away from them for a moment to catch his breath. Rarity and Fluttershy took his cue after seeing him panting heavily and breathed the oxygen that they needed. When Sterling gathered his composure, he embraced the two women in their shared silence and motioned for them to follow him to where they could take the final level in their rather unique relationship.

But before he could do that, the Captain then turned his attention to the Equian farmer girl next to them and beckoned her over in silence. Applejack then moved towards him and began to nearly shove her mouth into his, enacting a hard kiss that set the hearts of the pair to burn up while Rarity and Fluttershy had begun to kiss each other just as passionately. The sounds of the women near him had made his hands venture to the waistline of his kisser's denim shorts before digging in deep enough to feel the soft flesh beneath the panties. And Applejack was in no mood to protest against his squeezing, choosing only to encourage him to continue as she parted herself from him to slowly take off her plaid shirt and orange bra in front of him.

As the diamond and butterfly marked ladies noticed what their shared love interest was doing, they voted to do the same. While they undid their clothing, they each remembered what they all wanted from this experience.

For Fluttershy, her very deepest desire of sharing this moment with both Sterling, Rarity and Applejack had finally arrived for her. And the chance to show her love to both the man and the women of her dreams, while fulfilling her depraved fantasies with them, was now in her grasp. As for Rarity, she had craved for even more of her loving man and women in the relationship while giving all of her heart and soul to them all. And as every fantasy had passed through her mind, she looked at her true loves with a romantic passion that she had not felt for anyone in her whole life. For Applejack. her chance to be with her dream man was going to last in her dreams for an eternity. Even if it meant sharing him, she would allow herself to have this moment, given that she always had a girl crush on the caretaker and seamstress. And for Sterling, this was not just a means of losing his virginity to two very hot women for him. This moment, as he had only dreamed of having for a long time, was the pinnacle to making himself a real man. And not just for himself, but for all of the world to know from looking at him.

Sterling then waved a hand to start using his magic. His shirt had been neatly stacked on top of the wardrobe as he sighed contently at the fact that he was going to have some real fun with the ladies in his room. His gaze then turned to the women near his bed kissing deeply into each others mouths. This still turned him on, knowing that he had hit the jackpot with three gorgeous girls in his room. As he looked down to take off his shoes and socks, he heard the footsteps of his lovely girls going up to him. After taking off the last shoe and sock from his feet, he looked up to see Fluttershy looking at him with the same pair of eyes that spoke to him about her desire to be with him. He saw Rarity coming in close to him, along with Applejack, and saw the same look on them. They all wanted this, more than anything in the world.

Both the fashionista, the farmer girl and the veterinarian had looked at the war veteran with the big need to have their itches scratched by him. Just as much as he wanted to turn over his virginity to them. As he looked deep into their beautiful eyes, the same question that he was asking them in his silence had been answered. It was if the women could trust him with what he had wished of them. They smiled at him, saying to him in equal silence that they trusted him completely with his wishes.

The man then began to kiss the pink-haired, teal-eyed woman fully on her lips with a deep movement that the lady in front of him could slightly match, given that this was going to be her first time ever. And the male in the quartet noticed this along with the seamstress. After pulling himself from her, he turned to the purple-haired, sapphire blue-eyed lady and began to give the same passionate gestures to her, to which she happily obliged with her arms fully wrapping around him as their kisses had gotten deeper. When that was done, he grabbed the gold-blond haired, green eyed Applejack and pulled her towards him to kiss her. She received it well as her man's hands had groped her lower cheeks. And after ten steamy minutes of making out with his beautiful girls, he motioned them to join him on the bed. And they soon followed him with their model bodies on top of his, straddling his hips with a hunger that he also shared with them.

Before he could be given the pleasure of fully consummating his new relationship with them, Sterling then got the lustful idea of taking both Fluttershy and Rarity's breasts and start sucking the nipples after moving the clothing up to their necks, causing the ladies to gasp loudly before moaning from how firm yet gentle he was with his flicking and sucking. He had become quite happy with how he was able to get them wet down below, but he waited until he was satisfied that all of the ladies' breasts had been attended to, including the farm girl's mounds. After taking a few moments to simultaneously switch between the chest mounds of his girls, he then stopped his actions to allow the girls to kiss him as sloppily as he did back. The hormones of the quartet had already peaked, but they all wanted the moment to last for a long time.

With the sound of his boxers coming down while also hearing the sounds of their bra's and panties' being taken off, Sterling, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack had been taken down to only wearing their birthday suits. The ladies looked at what their shared boyfriend was gifted with and had both smiled widely at what they saw. His manhood stood up at a perfect ten inches with a thick girth that was 1 inch in mass, much to his surprise, and he was just ready to be given access to the pleasure that he never had at all. When he laid down on his back once again, Fluttershy started to go down on him first, hoping to be the first to make her move on him. Rarity and A.J. saw her rather aggressive move and moved aside so that they could see her friend begin the final step of the foreplay for their man.

Sterling then allowed his muscles to relax as he felt the jolt of electricity flowing through him as Fluttershy's mouth had opened up to allow her tongue to lick on the tip of his shaft before slowly moving down on the length until it finally reached his sack. With a few swirls of her tongue, the veterinarian sucked gently on the sack, causing her shared man to involuntarily jerk his hips to her. But she was not offended, choosing only to continue sucking on him as she savored the musk that emanated from him. But at that very moment, she wanted to do more for him. And after finishing with her first part, Fluttershy then licked the length up and down for a few moments before feeling that she was ready to fully take him. When she reached the tip, Sterling felt the same wet muscle licking around his tip, sending a small jet of his pre-cum to her face by accident. But as he was about to say sorry, the lady then began to wrap her mouth around the tip before slowly bobbing her head up and down on his whole shaft.

The pleasure that Sterling was feeling from Fluttershy's actions had sent him traveling to a new level of excitement as he had reveled in the delightful pleasure that coursed right through him. Any sentences or words had escaped him along with any rational thought from how great the feeling was. He looked down to where she was and saw that she was really enjoying the blow-job that she was giving him. The same lady looked up with hungry eyes on him and went even faster and harder with both her hand and her mouth.

But as they both relished in the pleasure that was felt between them, Rarity had looked to them with a feeling of neglect as she was wanting oh-so-badly to join her lovers. With a small whine escaping her, she saw both Fluttershy and Sterling look back at her and they both became concerned with leaving her out. Rarity then showed how embarrassed she was before looking to where her man's shaft was still standing proudly. Then, she looked to her loving partner and begged with sultry eyes to join the action. She was then allowed to participate in the activity when her loving harem partner called her over with a finger from her free hand while she kept her mouth on him. Rarity then moved down to where she wanted to be at and saw her lover pull out Sterling's cock from her mouth with a pop that echoed through the room. And after seeing the manhood getting rubbed a few more times, Rarity then took the initiative and slowly began her own oral worship on the man below her.

Now, the pleasure was doubled as both of the babes had bobbed up and down, taking their turns with him. And as they did so, Applejack had begun to administer her job as well, just as her breasts had pressed against his thigh. But as the final point of release had come up to him, Sterling felt his resistance crumbling as jet after jet of his hot and sticky seed began to splash on the women's faces. By the seventh stream, the ladies began to lick the seed off of each other, enticing Sterling's manhood to spring back to life just as tall and hard as before. After getting back some thought, along with some of his energy after smelling the musky sweat that was made by all three of the maidens near him, Sterling then pulled himself up as he laid the shy caretaker down in order to better position himself on top of her.

Rarity and A.J. had seen how Sterling wanted to be on top of Fluttershy and allowed it to happen for him. But as he had gotten ready, the proper woman had taken his rod and helped him get to where he needed to go. With the saliva and the unattended ladycum acting as a natural lubricant for them. the ten-inch shaft had slowly yet easily entered into the wet, velvety walls of Fluttershy's eagerly waiting honeypot. When he felt the hymen within the veterinarian break, he had stopped moving himself so that he could allow Fluttershy to adjust to his size. She had cried a small tear from how much of a gentleman he actually was with her, feeling quite happy with her male lover's altruism. And after she beckoned him to continue, he gently pushed in and out of her to allow the pleasure to take over the pain. Within seconds, the pleasure took over them both.

Fifteen minutes was the exact amount of time that it took for Sterling to finally release his hot and messy load into his girl, Fluttershy, thus completing his quest to lose his virginity to one of the ladies. And after feeling his energy come back, he turned to Rarity, who was just as eager to be filled up by him. And after seeing to it that she was boosted back up, Rarity took his manhood into her and began to take over as she sat on top of his lap. And with a few movements, she had moaned his name, just as Fluttershy did, when Sterling placed his hands on her lower cheeks to help her out. During the motions, Rarity commented between breaths about how he was such a gentleman. But after feeling the pressure of the orgasm coming around, both she and Sterling began to grunt and moan like wild animals, much against her ladylike behavior.

Another fifteen minutes passed by, and Rarity was left as nothing but a shaking, shivering mess that groaned how she loved the activity between them while going up to Fluttershy, kissing her deeply as the man and farmer girl got ready. And as Applejack positioned herself, she felt her own hymen braking as she slowly fitted Sterling's cock into her walls. And after adjusting to the size of his shaft, she then proceeded to ride his member for the impending orgasm while the other girls were busy attending to each other with a 69, thus allowing Sterling to perk up even more energy as he suddenly rose up while holding her close to him.

The same time-frame for the other girls had passed by with Applejack shuddering his name while feeling the seed of his member dampening her walls. But even then, she was not going to allow herself to just lose herself to the afterglow that all the others were feeling. And even Sterling, as she saw, agreed with her completely.

After an hour and fifteen minutes of pleasing his ladies in the orgy that followed through, Sterling then took a moment to get a breather as he used some of his magic to open the window to circulate some fresh air into his room. After feeling the breeze get the stench out, he then closed the window and turned his half-lidded eyes to the women. They gasped loudly when they each felt his gentle touch while they all basked in the afterglow. And Sterling, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy had engaged in many sexual activities that marked the cornerstone of their newly elevated relationship. It may have felt rushed to them all, but they all made it a point in arguing that going fast was more on the line of Rainbow Dash's ways. The ladies wanted to set their new loving relationship in stone when they each did their part with one another while Sterling had reveled in the fact that he was now going to love them even more. But as he smiled at the ladies who had taken their naps at his sides, he then had a thought running through his head.

What he truly desired, even more than his need to have sex with one or all three of them at a time, was to let the ladies in his new life know that his love for them is as great, but even more so from the bottom his heart, as the power of Princess Celestia's sun and Princess Luna's moon. It was quite true that the many sexual adventures ahead would be presented to him, and he did look forward to what they would plan for him in the future. But that was only second place to the desire that burned greatly in him. What truly kept him going was how he was now going to able.... to spoil them with romantic trips and cruises along with a whole bunch of truly expensive gifts that they had truly deserved to receive.

.....

(7:30 PM)

When the time had been announced by the clock tower near the castle, almost all of the citizens in the city had either been evacuated or taken to the emergency shelters. Celestia was now in the war room, joined by Twilight, Cadence and Luna to oversee the possible ways of trapping the enemy into the city. Along with the royal women, there was also Shining Armor, Cadence's husband, who was also putting in his opinion on how certain strategies might go against some others.

The three Princesses and the Prince had already been discussing the tactics that could work for them when Twilight and Sterling had entered the room.

"Your Highness', I have arrived, just as you ordered on time," Sterling bowed to the women.

"We welcome thee to the war room, young Caliber," Luna greeted him.

"And we are thrilled that you could make it here, Captain," Celestia followed along in the greeting. Sterling could only salute her, knowing that she was indeed thrilled by his arrival.

"I just pay attention to what my superiors want me to do and hear when we aren't speaking of tactics that are just too out there. Even the most improperly trained soldier or warrior can see what you are hoping to accomplish, and none of them will not go by the tactical supremacy of the Rex Brutes," Sterling noted to them, pointing to the little toys being used to indicate what goes where on the overall map of the land of Canterlot.

"Now see here, young man!", an elderly-looking man grunted out. "What would you know about the strategy of evacuating all of the people in the city?" he then asked Sterling.

"Only this: You can't expect every citizen to go along with the sewer lines," Sterling replied to the man as he pointed at the cylindrical lines on the maps. "If all of the citizens went there, then the enemy Shadow-Walkers will use the people as bait for their Highness' to surrender their titles and rules, if they don't kill them first. Which is what four of the enemy leaders want, unlike the King Brute who just so happens to have more.... nihilistic views of the world," he then spoke to the people in front of him while moving the citizen icon back to the ground drawing.

"So what would you advise, Captain Caliber?", Shining Armor asked him, feeling the same motivation that he felt when he was only a Captain himself.

"Even I am curious as to what you would wish of us, Sterling," Celestia confessed, hoping to not listen to the elderly man once again. The same man from before had conceded that he was not needed at this time.

"Well, this is what I believe should work, with added emphasis on should," Sterling began as he laid out the little icons in a certain order. "Not only are we in need of the Royal Guards at full strength to hold the lines within the city, but we also need the Armed Forces, including a few garrisons of the Marines and the Army to reinforce them entirely. Before we do that, however, the same forces will benefit even more if we can rally any man and woman who is willing to fight for their rulers. One of the Brutes' biggest irks comes from when the people start fighting for their Princesses."

He then pointed with a little bit of magic to move some of the pieces on the map. "And as the heavy artillery is placed on the north, south and east walls, we will have Magicians using their spells to enchant the ammunition to make a bigger explosion against the enemies' numbers. And all while having crossbow bolts and spears enchanted as well. But there are also some militia that are in desperate need of some proper training in the ways of discipline and strategy. They may have been lucky with resisting the campaign against my charges so far, but I cannot condone when people are more reckless than I have been," Sterling sighed at the last part.

"Thou? Reckless?", Luna asked, confused by his own iteration.

"I can actually see that coming from you, 'cause it does sound quite familiar," Cadence confessed with a slightly smug grin while also turning her attention to her husband, who felt his cheeks turn a slight pink.

"I have also asked Princess Twilight, pending with your blessings, that the former Element bearers be allowed to fight alongside her. I do not wish for them to be left behind, because doing so is more cowardly than seeing any man or woman die in the battlefield. But I can only place them in certain areas that I know will be beneficial to the cause," Sterling interjected for his ability to get back to business. "But along with the strategies that I've proposed to you, I have just one last idea that I know will help out your forces immensely, Your Highness'."

"And that would be.... what?" Twilight asked him.

With his heart getting heavier, Sterling lowered his head in silent contemplation. The bold strategy move that he wanted to plan out against his enemies had only been used when it was a last resort. An ace in the hole that only so few people were willing to use. But it was at the cost that he was more than likely to die, along with all of his unit.

"Sterling?", the royal group called to him from the other side of the room.

The Captain of the Royal Elites was going to use the most suicidal, the most risky, and yet the most effective and efficient way to greatly damage both the morale and the great numbers of the enemy campaign.

"I, along with my small unit leading the militia, wish to use the Illudium-5 formation," Sterling announced to the group.

The suggestion had made both Celestia and Luna look at him with their eyes widening with a greatly presented fear. It seemed that the young Captain wanted to use a methodical strategy that kills almost all of the people who made the formation. This was the ultimate form of guerrilla tactics that was once used in the beginning times of Equius War One. This was a last-resort formation that utilized the strongest and fastest shooters to take down a larger number of enemy soldiers that once opposed the land of Equestria when all the regular forces had only stuck to their own disciplines while the artillery was only to be used against the last waves. To do this required god-like amounts of luck because of how greatly impossible it is for the common man or woman to take down a whole garrison without being spotted.

It was within the dead silence of the room that Sterling took note to say to them the only reason for employing his plan.

"If I don't do this, along with my unit, then there will just be no chance for your armies to win this final battle of the war, my great sovereigns. But even I know, with a heavy heart, that I could die from making this tactic work. But I have always planned ahead." Sterling then grinned before turning up a small pendant on his chest that had a microscopically smaller ruby in the center of it. "I've already called upon the many allies that I have made during my time outside of Equestria."

He then saw that the royalty before him, as the light within was still blinking for all to see, had begun to form a curious look.

"And even as we speak, while the Rex Brutes advance towards us, those same allies will be taking their contingents to aid us in our war..."

(At the outskirts of Ponyville....)

"My lord!" a scout Rex Brute called up from the ranks to Leviathan, who was sitting on the moving throne chair that worked with slave labor.

"Speak!" Leviathan growled.

"Everything you wished of me to find out was correct, my lord! Blueblood has completed his weapon! And Sterling Caliber is in the city, conspiring with those hypocritical rulers!" the scout reported.

When Leviathan refused to acknowledge the warrior, he charged up a spell from his hand and killed the man on the spot as the corpse was blasted from his face.

"It is time.... that I sent my personal message to the Captain..." he laughed malevolently as a black crystal had been produced from seemingly out of nowhere. And as he lifted the stone from his hand via magic, a small pouch had wrapped around it as the package was sealed up in a second. And with a final wave of his hand, the package went shooting towards where the intended person of interest would likely be at. "And now that I have done this, Sterling will play into my hands...."

.....

(To Be Continued....)

Chapter 9: The Final Battle For Equius, Part 1

Chapter 9

The Final Battle For Equius, Part 1

*****

(Ground Zero, near the city of Canterlot, 19:55 PM)

The moon was rising high in the night sky as the Royal Guard had assembled at the walls while Shining Armor had already put up his old shielding spell, but with a reinforcement spell to keep it from crumbling like the last time. The Changeling hives had already begun to swarm around the castle after seeing the defenses put up while the Shadow-Walkers had been blocked off from entering the sewage lines by the same enchantment. And the Rex Brutes had been on the ground, marching towards the castle grounds for their conquest. But even with the shield up, the warriors on the ground had also brought many war machines that had destroyed many citadels and shield spells in the past.

Leviathan Di'Nihilous was waiting impatiently for his armies to get past the shield surrounding the city as he was seated on an iron throne that was decorated with a pyramid of skulls that had been adorned with stains of blood at the back of the seat.

"Once the shield spell has been forcefully disenchanted by the Shadow-Walkers and the Changelings, I will personally see to it that the walls of Canterlot fall under my fist," he smiled to himself as he saw more of the flying carriages swoop up to the orb that protected the castle. "And from there, after Sterling Caliber of the Royal Elites views my message, the destruction of the world will be a dream come true."

An evil laugh echoed through the landscape being pounded by the marching feet of the legion. "With 500,000 Rex Brutes under my command, against the 72,000 Royal Equestrian Armed Forces of Equestria in Canterlot? This will be the final battle that will resurrect the True King of the Brutes, Rex Muta! And with the Royal Elites falling to their knees before their deaths, this will become a day long remembered. It started with the fall of the Prime Royal Elite, and it will end with the death of my hated rival!"

As the legion marched on, the leader could feel as if something would not go well. And this was from his first experience against Sterling Caliber nagging at him, making him furious at the possible defeat at the Royal Elite's hands.

But just as he was unable to control his anger any longer, another Changeling scout had flown towards him.

"My lord!" it spoke to him.

"Report!" Leviathan ordered.

"The shield spell will crumble in the next three minutes! The Shadow-Walkers are chiseling their way in, just as we are, sire!"

The Candidate for the title of King of the Brutes could only smile, even as it wore of just as quickly.

"Triple your efforts! And command the same to those Shadow-Walkers!"

"At once!"

The Changeling then flew away, tripling its speed towards the comrades.

"I will be the one to destroy Equestria! So help me, Rex Muta!"

And deep within the nearby forest that the legion passed by, an evil voice had begun to laugh malevolently.

"And when you resurrect me.... I will see to it that you are destroyed, hybrid weakling. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha....."

(War Room, Castle, Canterlot, 20:00 PM)

"Royal Elites! We have only four hours until the start of the longest night of all time approaches!" Sterling announced to the three dozen soldiers in his unit, and all while seeing the Princesses not interfering or interjecting with a thought. "And even as we speak, the Shadow-Walkers and Changelings are doing their best to chip away at the shield that is protecting us! But we must move quickly in order to fight back against the larger army that wishes to destroy the peaceful lands of our countries!"

"And how are we supposed to do that, Captain?" a Corporal named Remington asked him. "500 against 72? We have no hope to win this battle! And we don't have enough magic on our side to destroy them all! And we're all gonna die-- OW!!" he further shouted before being slapped down by Sterling.

"Control yourself, Corporal!" he calmly said to the man on the ground before helping him back up. But not before smacking him upside the head with a fast hand. "We can defeat them! And we will! But we must hold the line when midnight strikes the clock tower!" Sterling then said to them. "But only if we combine all of our talents!" he further said to the group around him.

"The Captain is right, guys," Onyx spoke up for his soldiers. "All of the skirmishes that we faced with them, all of the fights that our Captain led us through? Those days prepared us for the real fight to come in the next four hours! And I speak for myself- I apologize for my interruption, sir," he quickly apologized to his Captain.

"Apology accepted, 2nd Lieutenant Clawshield," Sterling nodded to him.

"I believe I can speak for all of us when I say that even Elitus Regium would want us to follow through in this final battle in the end, even if it meant following our deaths! But we'll all survive this, because if we don't, the Rex Brutes will pay dearly for killing us!" he cheered out to his friends, seeing them raise their arms.

"But how so, Lieutenant Clawshield?" Fixer spoke up to him, allowing himself in put in his thoughts, given his rank up as 1st Lieutenant.

"I believe that even our highly decorated Captain can come to the same conclusion when I say.... mmm...." he began to trail off in a deep thought. "Ah! Got it! There's a quote from someone, somewhere that says, 'There be no fury like Tartarus hath no like a woman scorned when lost of love and family!'" he chuckled to the Captain.

"And you are quite correct in that, Onyx," Sterling nodded. "No need for further elaboration on that, as I can see where you were going with that argument," he concluded, knowing fully well what the meaning of that quote was.

"Thank you, Captain," he smiled at him with a nearly wicked grin.

Yep. Both of them, as well as some of the soldiers who chuckled (including Fixer), had known very well that if his girlfriends were to see him die, they would just go more berserk than a berserker within Ragnarok. Or even a dragon if someone had stolen what was rightfully theirs. As he said, no need for further elaboration.

"Now! What I have proposed to the Princesses' is the most highly suicidal, the most highly of death courting, and absolutely the craziest proposal that I ever had to ask of them!" Sterling then announced to the fighter team. "And it all starts with the most historical, if not the most extreme of the bloodiest fights that ever occurred in the history of warfare! Or even within the waning months of our unit's time," he elaborated further.

This was about to start an old lesson that was taught to them all, even if they were not a part of the battle itself. And they all knew, even the Princesses' in the presence of the room knew as well, what Sterling was bout to say to them.

"Illudium-5 was a port city that resided within the land of Prance, in the United Stirrupean Islands, 20 nautical miles away from the Kingdom of Gryphonia...."

(950th Year-Second Era, Illudium-5)

The scene changes into a port city that had its charm for being a port of call for many traveling sailors. And even the newborn citizens of the city had a happy face on them. But some of the people there... were not so happy with everything that had transpired daily. And the scenes had changed to become a war zone.

"While the city itself was a great place, there were those who wanted to destroy it out of a desire for blood and destruction. And all of the citizens were live targets in the eyes of the Griffon aggressors, during the Griffon-Equestrian border war. But there was a ray of light that penetrated through the walls of smoke that were made by the somewhat advanced machines of war. And that hope came from the smallest contingent of Chameleon soldiers who fought the larger armies. And with their ability to hide well within the carnage that was produced, as well as being able to prevent themselves from dying, the Chameleon garrison at the time had been known as the 'Grand Saviors' of the land. But before any of the innocent civilians could even identify them, they were all evacuated from the town in secret."

"The final step to the conclusion, much to every parties ire, was how the city was entirely destroyed, along with the larger armies that invaded the port. When they all felt that they would be taken to their cities, mainly for the sake of their torturous sciences, they were left with only one option. And that same option.... came at the cost of the lives of the 500 Chameleons."

The scene then showed an expanding explosion of powerful magic surrounding the land around it, leaving nothing but a massive pile of war-torn rubble, leaving nothing but an empty town. Literally. It had become as if... it did not exist at all.

[Back to Canterlot....]

"And after seeing the formations that were used against the enemies at the time- no offense intended, Warrant Officer Grizzly," he apologized quickly to the Griffon in the room.

"None taken, sir," the female Griffon nodded to him, knowing that he meant well.

"I have seen how the small formations had become the same ones that took down the aggressors, and thus: My belief is that we can use the oldest trick in the book to fool the Rex Brutes into believing that they are winning against us. But in the end, all Rex Brutes, no matter who leads them or how long they lead, all share one.... little.... similarity," he allowed a brief smile to crawl up his face.

"And that is?" Celestia asked him, prompting Sterling to look at her with a serious look.

"That they are all imbeciles when it comes to strategies and resourcefulness," he smirked at the royalty near him.

"They may outnumber us in force, as they've always done in the past, but we've always had the advantage of our intelligence on our side," Fixer stated proudly. "And if anyone but Leviathan is shown to be doing things outside of his agenda, he kills them. Only he believes that the world belongs to his fists," he then growled, spitting out the name of the enemy leader like poison. "And anyone who keeps underestimating our abilities will soon find that out. Right, Cap?" he stated to the man in charge.

"But none of you are to use our positions for any personal gain! Or so help me, sweet Lady Faustia the Creator: I will personally demote you before I sever your ties with me before destroying you," Sterling told them all with a hint of anger, knowing that there have been a few Royal Elites in the past that strayed off from the path of righteousness and harmony.

"And risk you getting an international bounty on your head? Not on your life! Because even the most highly of trained of bounty hunters would die from how tough, yet creative, you are," Brandon then spoke up, emitting a chuckle from the other soldiers before towing their emotions to a stone-hard look.

"I think you mean 'reckless', your Highness," he looked to the Prince that stood side-to-side with the other soldiers; one of them being a Valkyrie that blushed at the face of the royalty.

"HA! Reckless! That may be true, Captain," Brandon laughed a bit. "But that didn't stop you from saving the world with every formation that had been used against our common enemies!"

"I can only imagine," Cadence whispered to her husband, Shining Armor, lowly.

"Me too," he whispered back to his wife.

"I heard that, you two," he responded to the pair who blushed slightly from the words. "I may have saved the world, with your Empire being a part of the land of Equestria, but even I cannot condone the recklessness of my actions thus far. And even the Illudium-5 formation is making me look like a bullied teenager on the verge of suicide," he sighed out loud.

"But you have no choice but to use it against the Rex Brutes, don't you?" Luna spoke up, dropping her Royal Canterlot dialect at that moment.

"I cannot allow it to be unused, given that our previous tactics will more than likely be remembered by the hybrid who leads an undead legion of fallen soldiers," he nodded. "But even then.... I would rather destroy my enemy with the I-5, than to allow him to take the helm of this land," he vowed to the royal women and man in front of him. "But most importantly: I will not allow the world of Equius to fall so easily! Because to do so is to betray everything that I stand for! The protection of the four most beautiful monarchs in the world, along with the Prince of the Crystal Empire, is our order! It is our duty! And our life!"

"For death and glory?" Brandon smiled at him.

"For Equius.... and your people."

"The time is nearing 8:30, Captain," Fixer announced to the ones speaking. Sterling then observed the clock and saw that it was five minutes before the timeline was set. And with five minutes to go, the Captain then took a deep breath and looked to his soldiers who stood in the line.

"Ten-hut!" he shouted to his soldiers, who snapped to attention in a line. Sterling then walked down the line slowly. "Ladies and gentlemen: I have seen in your eyes... the same fear of seeing the city reduced to rubble take your hearts! And I would be the worst liar of all time.... if I did not have that same fear. There will be a day when the Rex Brutes will destroy everything in this world.... but not today! Weapons will be destroyed as the walls fall with its destruction, and the shields that we wield will fall from the many bolts of magic and arrows that penetrate the metal.... but not today! And with all that we hold sacred in our hearts, the kingdoms and cities within the lands of Equius will know of the Royal Elites versus the Rex Brutes, today! And our extensive history will show that even the most common of men can make the biggest difference as they stand side-to-side with each other to protect all that they know and love! And we will stop any and all aggressors who would oppose the goddesses of the waking world! Why? Because we will never stop fighting for all that is right! Just as we will never allow the darkness of our hearts to take over us! And so I ask.... no, I plead you all.... to stand with me against the monsters! But not just with me! But with all of the Armed Forces that will dedicate their lives and bodies to shield the lands from all monsters and barbarism!"

From a large distance outside of the castle, some of the citizens swore that they could hear a large growl, along with the loudest of cheers, coming from the Lunar Tower. It shook them up enough to know that there was courage in it. And thus, the whole city had become hyped up with the valorous cheer.

The Captain of the Royal Elites had successfully cheered his soldiers into the hype that was needed, while keeping his unit in their needed discipline. And even Baltic Slate, the Chameleon scout of the entire unit, had begun to feel ready to fight, despite his limited ability to do so. The speech of encouragement and valor had reached deeply into his heart and allowed him to make the noises that his race was known to make when they were ready to fight an enemy.

Sterling then stopped to where Baltic was standing and turned his face to him.

"Baltic Slate!" he shouted to him.

"Yes, sir!" the scout shouted back.

"I'm leaving you to lead your fellow Chameleon soldiers in the sewage lines as they destroy the Shadow-Walkers, along with any Changelings that come to interfere with the defenses! Once you have cleared them out, you are to join us as 'infantryman', by our sides! What say you?" the Captain spoke to him in a commanding voice.

"I accept the promotion, and the chance to fight with you, Captain!" Baltic complied with a small smile on his face that even Sterling knew was a face that showed happiness.

"Good! Now move to the main public works entrance on Star Street, soldier! Triple-time, understood?" he commanded him further.

"Yes, sir!" the Chameleon saluted to his superior.

"Carry on!" Sterling dismissed him. And with that, Baltic flew up from the ground and made his way to where he was needed right now.

"And what of us, Captain?" Fixer then stood to attention, wanting to know his objective. The other soldiers nodded at once.

"The Viking and Valkyrie are to team up with the Highlanders to test the strength of the Equestrian soldiers and Honor Guard at the training grounds! We've only got less than four hours to keep their strength up! Brandon! Ingrid! Furious! Bold! Ire!" he shouted to the small group. "Dismissed!"

The Nordic and Highlander team left the room immediately.

"The Dragon is to go with the needed Equestrian-Stirrupean joint unit into the air-ship docks to reinforce the flying man-of-war ships with more weapons, along with some protection on the hubs! Dismissed!" he instructed to the next group. "Next up: The Griffons and the Minotaur's are to reinforce the outer wall defenses with their machines! Dismissed!" The group had then been taken down to the final count of only three of his soldiers.

"3rd Warrant Officer Mary Angel-Dust! You and the other two are to report to the medical wings of the towers! They will be in need of your expertise in the matter at hand! Dismissed!" he commanded the last three who left immediately after being issued the order. All that were left were the Princesses and the Prince.

"And what will you do, Captain Caliber?" Shining Armor asked him, hoping that the answer would not be a bad one.

"I will be the one to make sure that all of my soldiers, excluding myself, will be the ones to gain the glory of the battle. And to do that-- WHOA!!" he shouted as a black crystal had shot through the door, prompting all of the royalty to duck. When it landed on the table where the maps were displayed, it landed next to the Lunar Tower of the castle map. The royal ones tried to pick it up with either magic, or with their hands. When a bolt of electricity had been shot against them, they tossed it around with a desire to see who would be able to handle it until it was tossed towards Sterling in an accidental lapse of judgement by Twilight Sparkle. When they all saw that it was not electrocuting him, they all came to a logical conclusion. It must have been intended to be picked up by the Captain.

"So, uh... what do you think it is, Sterling?" Shining Armor asked, still reeling from the aftershock from touching the black crystal so many times.

"I hope it's not a weapon," Twilight shivered.

"I'm afraid not, dear Twilight," Celestia observed from looking at the interaction with the crystal and the Captain.

"Then what could it be, Celestia?" Luna raised her voice, but not out of anger.

"A message," Sterling bluntly stated.

"A what?" they all said at once.

"A message for me," Sterling told them again, rolling his eyes at them for not getting the message.

"And do you know who it was that sent it, then?" Cadence asked him.

"I know exactly who it was," he hissed, knowing what might be said. The note that was left on the table was joined by the crystal before it flew off from the impact. Sterling used his magic to pick up the note. It read:

"Tap the crystal three times for the full message. Or, tap twice for the shortened version."

Sterling then tapped the crystal three times after reading the clear instructions out loud. As soon as he did, the crystal had glowed a large screen on the wall, showing the hybrid leader of the Rex Brutes.

"Aaahhhh! Captain Sterling Caliber!" the creature named Leviathan spoke up from the recorded message on the screen. "I am glad that you have received this message right now! For what I am about to tell you... is of the greatest importance! And not just for me! Though truth be told, I preferred it when you were just the 1st Lieutenant of your squad. Going up to Colonel or even General would be too upstanding, even for my taste!" he growled lowly from his frown.

"I just can't believe that he would insult--!" Shining Armor was about to protest before being silenced by Sterling's hand rising up.

"This is a recorded message from hours before," Sterling clarified for him. "He wants to give his insults in order to rile me up. So I'll entertain his musings," he nodded as the message continued.

"You must be wondering what it is that I have recorded on this crystal, hmm? Well... Let me begin with the most obvious beginning," he announced to the man who had a small audience behind him. "Both Celestia and Luna do not know of this, but only because of some obligation to me. But I will indulge the Princesses that are likely in the same room as you are," the creature chuckled with a sneer.

The Princesses in the room had only widened their eyes from how some form of clairvoyance was used from the time of the message.

"As you all know: Sterling Caliber was born in the city of Dodge Junction City, within the land of Equestria," he began to speak to them all. "And as such, those who are born in that city know nothing of being cautious within the Royal military. His mother, Silver Dasher, was a Magician who had a power that excelled many of her classmates from Magic School. And his father, Hard Hit, was an Equian man who was both strong, and fast, in his ability to fight off any opponent. And when the both of them got married-- to which I still find rather disgusting-- they had a child. And that child stands before you with how he got the message right at this moment."

"And when Sterling Caliber was born, he had discovered his talent at an early age. His father's natural strength and speed, along with the mother being a Magician, had let him become a Magician that still has the amazing ability to fight and outrace anyone in his way. And even I know this, because of one thing that he never told any person in the world about. Not even his Royal Elites," he then laughed ominously, his tone shifting into an even more evil bass.

Sterling could only nod when he knew what was about to be said.

"Sterling Caliber.... was my older brother, through adoption."

.....

[At the Training Grounds...]

"I certainly hope that we will be able to pull off the formation that our Captain wants," the Valkyrie named Ingrid spoke to Brandon as she set up more of the pads for crossbow practice for the Guards and soldiers near her. "Because if it doesn't work, then I am going to have a few choice words with him," she commented as she looked at the Prince before her.

"Fear not, Valkyrie! Odin-Will is not a man that goes against a battle to run away from it!" Brandon laughed as more of the soldiers had begun to practice harder.

[Back in the war room...]

"When I killed your parents, Captain.... I had no choice but to do it in order to accept my nature as a real monster. And none of the citizens would allow me to return. And now... I have access to a greater amount of power that sets me up higher than even your Princesses," Leviathan laughed at him. "And we could have been the best of partners, with you as my leader. But instead, you chose to fight for a pair of ugly whores that dare to call themselves royalty!" he growled loudly with his anger boiling his fur-covered skin.

The Princesses almost jumped out of their seats, but Sterling stopped them with his hand up once again.

"I am sure that I hit a rather sensitive spot with the women near you," he laughed nonchalantly. "And as such, when I killed your parents on that day, there was also a bit of news that your parents would have gladly shared with you. And that bit of news.... was how you were going to be the older sibling of a baby brother."

That moment.... right there. That was when Sterling felt all of his emotions at once. Most of them were anger, covering the desire to cry for his unborn sibling, while also covering a desire for blood. His enemy's blood.

"And now that I have brought your attention to the stage, there's a last minute warning that I must share with you, my old foster brother."

"And what could that monster have to share?!" Twilight nearly yelled out, if not for Celestia holding her shoulder down with her hand.

"It involves what I shared with you, long before you killed me near the mainland of Zanzebra," he further said, not showing any more delay in his news. "The same Prince, named Blueblood, was the one who ordered it all! The attacks on the world? The Elites being destroyed, one-by-one in High Trotter City? The assassination of your relatives? And my resurrection? It all points to him. And I know that you would desire that I show the evidence, and so I shall deliver," he promised before the screen lighted up to show the schematics of an ancient, but omnipotent, super-weapon that sent a shiver to all of the people in the room. "If you don't recognize what it is, then I will enlighten you: *ahem!* This... is the Alicornian Magic Extractor! And it has, by now, been fully constructed by Prince Blueblood himself! I made sure that he did. If not, he would suffer a much worse punishment than what any of the Princesses could do to him. And all that I ask, Sterling.... dear elder brother.... is that you stop him from going through his part of the plan, lest you find yourself without magic permanently. And when you find him, and take him down, then we both will be rewarded with the last confrontation."

Sterling was not able to find the heart to either say yes or no. In fact, he was unable to find any words. The news of finding out that he could have been an older brother, if not for the death of his parents, had halted his ability to even see the prospect of killing his enemy for the second time.

"I look forward... to killing you, myself." The message screen then faded to black before disappearing from the wall. The crystal had then snapped in half, leaving nothing but a mess of fractured gem shards that, thankfully, did not spread towards any of the people present. But Sterling couldn't even begin to put into words.... how he desired to not only avenge his country, or even the friends that fell to Leviathan's wrath, but to take revenge.... for his unborn baby sibling.

The next thing he knew, in the drunk-like stupor of his wrath, he had evacuated the war room, leaving both the Princesses and the Prince puzzled by his choice of actions.

"Sterling...." Twilight whispered as she saw him leave the room, nearly crying her eyes out from what she felt was the suffering that the Captain was already beginning to feel.

"Sister? Is he...?" Luna trailed off from her question as she saw the same sadness within her elder sister's eyes.

"His suffering.... is even more destructive than when I banished you to the moon a thousand years ago, Luna," Celestia said to her, lowering her head inch by inch in the sorrow that she had felt for the man.

"You mean..."

"Yes, Luna.... *sigh* Unlike me, when I banished you to the same star that you now control, I at least had the hope of being able to see you once again. But Sterling.... did not know that he was about to have a sibling to look over and play with. And he was the first born son of two fine citizens in this country. Thus, when he left Equestria, he was all alone. And with Leviathan Di'Nihilous destroying any chance of happiness from that part of his interrupted life, he had no choice but to keep walking, fighting, and hoping that none of the world would ever have to suffer from what he had gone through as a child. If he were to stay in the country, he would've more than likely be put through an orphanage before a pair of foster parents could even raise him. 1st Lieutenant Quick Fixer was his adopted father, along with the other men and women of the Royal Elites who took the time to not only train him, but to also raise him as a person."

"And now that he is with Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy?" Twilight spoke up.

"He found them in accordance to a power from the universe that even I could not understand. But as much as I don't, it is better to argue that the universe was able to show him the path to what he really wants to fight for. But when this battle is over between him and his enemies, he will find that the good things from his sacrifices will be even greater than the trials that he has gone through. And we, as the protectors of our lands, must help the leader of the greatest force that has protected us for thousands of years."

(Somewhere on a street in Canterlot....)

Sterling had walked through the nearly abandoned street named Sparkle Lane, seeing the all of the families either being fully evacuated from the houses or seeing a few men, along with some larger groups of women, signing up at the impromptu desk that held the volunteer sheet for those who wanted to fight for their countries. But what affected him the most was seeing the faces of the mothers crying while most of the children had volunteered to fight for their families.

He knew... perfectly well... that this would more than likely happen to him, had his small family lived. Various Auran and Magician siblings, old enough to fight in his observant eyes, had already begun to sign up, knowing that none of them would live to see another day. But more than that, Sterling was able to see the determination in the mass' eyes. Even the ones who were much older, the same parental figures as he saw before, had begun to sign their lives over to the service of their country, let alone their city.

Words of encouragement, as well as precise instructions for living long enough in the battle ahead, had been spoken about as the Captain made his way to a bench near the park that was close to the castle. And as he sat there, the future had played out a scenario that had more than likely happened if things had been the same for him as a child in his mind.

A little child, playing along on a playground with another sibling had been seen in Sterling's eye. And in the scene, he was able to see his parents looking over to the rowdy children that were playing various games that allowed their imaginations to run wildly. They looked.... happy. And as the little boys ran up to his parents, Sterling saw his younger self and his unborn sibling hugging their parents.

"Sterling...." his mother cooed to his younger self.

"We are so happy that you are taking care of your brother...." his father smiled.

Then, without a second to think, Sterling then saw all four of the imagined family staring directly at him with a warm smile.

"We are both happy.... that you have defended us, son," the father spoke to him.

"I could not have raised a better son, even if I was unprepared for it all," the mother smiled warmly.

"I miss you mom and dad," he muttered softly when his thoughts went back to reality.

"Do you?" an unfamiliar voice spoke up next to him. He turned fast to see that no one was near him.

"Who said that?" he called to the voice, looking left and right frantically as he was thinking that someone was playing a joke on him.

"It was me! I'm right down here," the same voice said back. Sterling looked down to see a dog below his normal view. The breed was a mix between a Lyrish wolfhound and a Mastiff. The 'mane' on its head looked like a lion's mane while keeping a short amount of fur to say that it looked fluffy. "Hi there, good sir. Nice to meet you," the dog greeted with a paw up to him.

"Aaah! Holy Mother of Faustia! A talking dog! Whoa!" Sterling jumped back from the bench, shocked by what he just saw now.

"You act as if you've never seen a talking dog in your whole life," the dog chuckled. "But I can forgive you for that, given that I am a one-of-a-kind breed," he nodded his head to him.

"W-w-well, uh.... if the animal caretaker in my new harem were to see you, she'd more than likely have the same reaction as I did if you were to talk to her," Sterling speculated, not knowing if she would be the opposite or not.

"Ah! You're the male in one of the harems of this country, aren't you?" the same dog asked.

"I am," the man nodded. "But to answer the question from before, my.... parents died a long time ago. They... were taken down by a sniper rifle bullet through their temples," he sighed, knowing that the memory would bring him down. To his surprise, the mix dog had licked his hand slowly.

"I share the same fate as you do, sir. I never knew my parents, but from what my brothers and sisters told me, they were well loved by our masters before. And none of them can produce a speech that most humans utilize every day, like I do," the dog said to him with a happier tone after explaining himself.

"You don't have a name, do you?" Sterling asked.

"I do not. And for the two years that I've been alive, I've never had an owner," the dog answered.

"We're you neutered?" the man asked, beginning his Q&A.

"Accidental rock slide cut off my chance to even have a pup."

"Obedient?"

"To the 'T'."

"Friendly to kids?"

"Love them to death."

"Willing to be both a guard dog and a family dog at once?"

"No reservations for otherwise."

After a few minutes, the questionnaire was finished as Sterling pulled up a dog collar from his card pack and wrapped it around the dog's neck, completing the cycle of ownership.

"From here on, you are named 'Chancellor'. And I find that it is a good name, because like the Royal Elites that I lead, all of us are quite unique. As are you," Sterling smiled as he looked to the dog that now became his pet.

"Thank you, master," Chancellor spoke to him with a 'ruff' that followed a howl of joy after. "So! What do we do, now?" he then asked, knowing that he would do anything to make his owner happy.

"We find the girls in my harem," Sterling announced.

"Ooh! We get to meet them, then?" Chancellor nearly yipped in the excitement of meeting new people.

"Don't show too much excitement, because it might set off the wrong idea from you," Sterling instructed him carefully.

"So what should be done?"

"Wait until I say 'speak'. Until then, keep making dog noise, okay?"

(woof-woof)

"Good boy," the man smiled at his dog.

(Sterling's hotel room, Lunar Wing, Castle, 10:25 PM)

Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack had already begun to speak to each other about how they would each celebrate the victory of the day, long after the Rex Brutes were defeated, when Sterling was just near the door with his new pet and companion.

"When this here fight is all over, Ah'm gonna go celebrate with mah whole family, even if it ain't the family reunion yet," Applejack proudly stated. As Sterling took note, he remembered from what he learned about her during the months: She was just one of the members of the largest clan of Equians within the lands of Equestria.

"Well, when Sterling comes back from the fight, I will more than likely going to be flooded with the orders for new clothes back at Ponyville. And when I am through with that, I will take a two-month sabbatical in my own home," Rarity said to the ladies near her, stressing over the future events with a sigh.

"Uh.... I... I really don't know what I will do when this is all over," Fluttershy admitted to them. "I know that my animals will be in need of me daily, but other than that.... I don't know what to do," she stated to her loving friends in the room.

Sterling then opened the door and began to walk in with Chancellor at his side.

"Oh! Sterling-dear! Welcome back! And more than an hour late! What happened to you?" she greeted him with a hint of sadness in her voice as she hugged him deeply. Before she let go of him, she felt a thicket of fur hitting the back of her leg in a repeated motion. "Ooh! And who is this, darling?" she asked him after noticing the dog below him.

"Chancellor," Sterling said at once. "And he found me when I was just... mmm.... feeling my morale go low," he then confessed to his girls. The ladies then gathered around Chancellor and started to pet him.

"Oh, my goodness! This is such a handsome dog that you decided to adopt," Fluttershy squeaked in the joy while petting the dog as her hands also scratched behind his ears.

"Why yes, my dear! And I agree that this is a rather healthy looking coat for a young new friend," Rarity commented as she rubbed her hands along the spine.

"If Winona was here, she'd be happier than Rainbow gets when I mention cider to her," Applejack mentioned while patting on the dogs chest and rumps lightly.

"I guess that I must have adopted quite a looker," Sterling chuckled as he saw Chancellor get the attention from his girlfriends. "And I am sure that you can speak for yourself on this matter, right Chancellor?" he then asked the dog, waiting for the pet to speak.

"Yep, and I think that these compliments can make anyone happy," Chancellor then spoke up, causing the ladies to step back from him as they all gasped from what had happened. Sterling, of course, chuckled at this before Chancellor spoke again. "Hello, ladies. It's a real pleasure to meet you."

"You... can talk?" Rarity gasped again.

"That is correct, miss. And I happen to have become the companion for your loving man here," the dog acknowledged her politely with a warm smile curling up his lips as his tail swished back and forth in sync.

"Oh! This! Is! So! Amazing! Tell me: What are thinking right now?" Fluttershy cheerfully asked the dog as she got to his face.

"Umm... Perhaps a rub on my belly, if you please?" he pleaded to the lady after taking a moment to gather his thoughts before laying down on his back.

"*gasp!* Yes! I can do that for you," Fluttershy said excitedly, proceeding to scratch the dog's fur covered belly. This in turn received a few moments when the dog twitched his legs from the soft scratches. And after taking about two minutes of being rubbed and scratched, Chancellor felt the ministrations ending with a few light pats on his right back leg.

"Thanks, miss. I really enjoyed that," Chancellor praised her.

"No... thank you for allowing me to help you," Fluttershy smiled warmly at him before giving him the order to stand up with a pat on her legs. When he did as she commanded, he licked her face with a short but sweet lick that did not leave a slimy trail on her face. "Aww! That was so sweet of you, Chancellor," she cooed to him with a kiss to his dry nose.

"Anytime, miss," he ruffed out softly to her.

"Ya said that he found ya when ya felt down?" Applejack wanted to confirm with the man near her.

"That he did," Sterling nodded. "After the Q&A, I took him over to the closest pet store. Even though the owner was in a rush to get to the underground shelter within the mountains, he gave me the same collar and tag that you see on him now," he told them all.

"And how, exactly, do you plan on paying him back, Sterling-dear?" Rarity then asked with her eyebrow at him.

"When this is all over-- this final battle, that is--, I'll make sure to pay for the collar and tag," he answered.

"Just like that?" Applejack asked him.

"Just like that," Sterling repeated in his answer.

"And now I wonder why it is that I should even find one reason to not stay with you as your new harem-mate," Rarity giggled, along with Fluttershy following suit.

"Because all three of you love me enough to pledge your hearts to me?" he raised his brow to them.

"Darn it.... ya got us there, Cap," she winked at him playfully.

"I love you girls," he then said to them, feeling the beat of his heart rise up with joy.

"Aww.... come here, Sterling," Fluttershy called him over with another smile, feeling the same feeling that he did. When he stepped over to her, she planted a long, passionate kiss to his lips. No tongue had been included, thus making him believe that she wasn't ready for another intimate moment (which was by her right as a female, of course), but it was still a great moment for the both of them, knowing that their new step in the relationship was not all about fulfilling some erotic fantasy. But moments like this... still made him feel important as a person. Not as a title.

Rarity and Applejack then decided to surround their target and began to smile just as lovingly as their shared harem-mate did. When the posh lady touched his shoulder, he turned around and saw the same look that he saw from the woman that was now behind him. Sterling had decided to pucker up before holding her close to him. And as their face cheeks touched, he felt her soft skin rubbing softly on his face. It was nearly as smooth as silk, compared to how dry he always felt. But did not faze her; instead choosing to give it a small peck before moving her lips to his, kissing him as deeply as she could, with another denial of her tongue going in.

When Applejack touched his shoulder, Sterling then looked to his country girl and decided to give her the same romantic gesture. And as he locked only his lips to hers, Applejack had wrapped her arms around his shoulders, embracing the same built body that she had no regret sharing with her two best friends. And just like with the other girls near him, he was able to take in the scent of the farmer that he still wanted to be with. From Fluttershy, it was honeydew and lilacs. From Rarity, it was vanilla and strawberries. And with Applejack, as he kissed her fully, she smelled of apples and cinnamon.

And after having spent a few moments of kissing his girls, Sterling then hugged all three of his girls.

"We love you, too."

.....

The silence around the room, including from the dog below them, was all that was needed. It was just about to become one hour until the moment of truth.

And now that Sterling had stated his love for them in the best way possible, both from a few hours ago and now, he would finally do the one thing that he desperately needed to do before going into the final battle.

"Chancellor!" he then called to the pet below him.

"Yes, master?" Chancellor yipped.

"Let's go take a walk under Princess Luna's moonlight, huh?"

"Really? *woof!* Let's go, then!"

And with that said, Sterling pulled out the leash for his new dog from his card pack. And after fastening the clipping hook on the ring on top of the collar, the Captain had opened the door to allow himself out. Before he did, however, he looked over to his women in the room and said:

"I need the three of you to report to your assignments before the clock strikes at midnight. The Royal Elites will protect you."

"Understood," they all said at once, following him out of the door with the dog behind them.

(Fillydelphia Port #31, Fillydelphia, Equestria, 23:00 PM)

The night sky was, thankfully, still bright enough for a few dockworkers to know that the Princess of the Night was able to overlook their families dreams, as well as their own.

ROOOOAAARRRRRR!!!!

The echo of the roar had shaken a few of the cargo ships that were on the dock while some of the same workers had begun to shake up from the force that caused the boats to be rocked for a moment before they all realized that something was up.

"DRAGONS!!!" one of the sailors shouted out, causing a panic for all. And sure enough, as if it wasn't any other indication, the same creatures had been sighted in the sky. Most of them had bodies large enough to block the moon with enormous shadows that caused many to fear what might happen.

"LOOK!! GRIFFONS AND VIKINGS, TOO!!" another worker shouted out. "AND THEY'RE ALL HEADING TOWARDS THE SAME DIRECTION!!" And just like that, the massive air-ships and griffon silhouettes had taken form. But along with that, there were many ships docking themselves on the piers and boardwalks, carrying the Stirrupean, Zebrican and Leo-Gar armies that decided to be as intrusive as their competitive allies.

Within the cities of Horseshoe Bay, Manehattan and Los Pegasus, the same situation had been sighted just as fast as before.

One of the dragons, had flown towards one of the air ships that carried their allies. Little did the large drake know, the ship was carrying the Viking Royalty. But he was just as happy with seeing the legendary couple in the ship.

"How fair is this night, your Majesties?" the drake spoke to them.

"Much more than the abysmal cold that I've been used to for the last sixty years of our lives!" Silverbeard chuckled wildly.

"Really? I thought it was just you having no heart at all," the Valkyrie Queen quipped at him, causing him to laugh.

"Only when you want to join in on the fun, my dear!" he snapped back, keeping his cheerful manner.

"If only I could just see that day when I find a young man to satisfy my needs," she rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Just make sure that you at least have some pity on us battle ready Dragons!" the same drake replied, hoping to not hear any more of the banter being exchanged between the regal warrior couple. This caused both of the Nordic lovebirds to laugh out loud to their heart's content.

"Only if you get there fast enough, drake!" Silverbeard taunted him playfully, knowing that the battle was in the sights of his friends and allies.

"HA! We'll leave some good scraps for you to pick up when we are done," the creature growled before zooming away from the ship.

(Throne Room, Castle, Canterlot, 23:35 PM....)

"Your Highness'!" an Honor Guard shouted out loud, causing the four Princesses to nearly jump out of their skins.

"What is it, Solar Glance?" Celestia beckoned the soldier to speak.

"The Dragons and Griffons have been sighted at the eastern cities from here, along with Nordic air-ships coming in from the beyond the land of Yakyakistan and the Crystal Empire!" the guard announced in his report before turning on the television that he brought with him. When the TV was turned on, the E.N.N. broadcast had shown multiple sightings of the same creatures being described from the night skies of the cities. And with the reporters on the street, they we're hoping to get a closer look at what was happening.

"Excuse me, sir! What's... happening... right now?"

"The Dragons and Vikings are heading towards Canterlot! Something about a final battle near the mountain city!"

"There's also cat-people running as fast as lightning from the docks to the same direction! And some Stirrupean and Zebrican armies advancing on the same ground!"

"The King of the Nordic Countries have announced that we should fight as well!"

And for the last ten minutes, many of the citizens being televised had shared the same war cries as the Princesses had then and there observed how loyal they all were to their rulers. Even the most recent of the Princesses, Twilight Sparkle, who had given a slight teardrop from her eyes. It was during the same time that the same broadcast was being made that the information about the upcoming battle, along with who was going to be in it, detailing the Rex Brutes and the Royal Elites going head to head against each other at midnight, that a news cast had barged into the throne room.

The many reporters and crew members had then begun to barrage the royalty with the many questions that the royalty were unprepared for. Many of them concerning why the Rex Brutes were attacking the city with a massive army while a small group of soldiers called the Royal Elites was kept a secret for such a long time.

"CITIZENS!!! CEASE THY QUESTIONS, NOW!!!" Luna screamed in her Royal Canterlot Voice, obviously angered by the chaos that had occurred just now. "AND SHUT THOSE INFERNAL CAMERAS AT ONCE!!!" she further ordered them all, causing the concerned citizens to become terrified of the Night Princess.

"Luna," Celestia calmly spoke to her sister. "Hold that voice of yours. You're giving the people a reason to change their wardrobes." And just like that, Luna had put up a sad and apologetic look towards the audience who demanded answers. The mass of people within the room, surprisingly, had begun to forgive her for her loud words with a bow to her, along with the other royals within the vicinity. "And please turn on the cameras. We must announce to the world what is truly happening right now," Celestia commanded with her tone not changing a bit. And after a few seconds, the same devices had been turned on and tuned in to give a live feed of the event that was about to be announced.

"Celestia?" Twilight spoke up from behind her former mentor, hoping to hear what she needed to hear.

"Yes, Twilight?" Celestia responded to her.

"Will this truth cause Discord to change back to the way that he was?" she then asked her with concern in her voice.

"No, Twilight. Discord would only want to help the world from this nightmare if he was asked to," the Sun Princess answered her, soothing her former student's anxiety.

"Thank you, Celestia," Twilight conceded, hoping that she was right.

And with that said, Celestia had then beckoned her sister to join by her side. And after a bit of hesitation, Luna relented by slowly stepping up to the center alongside her older sister.

"Citizens of Equestria.... we.... are facing the final battle of the second Equius War...."

[????, ?????, ????]

"And now.... I shall take my rightful place as the true ruler of this country.... and the world!"

(To Be Continued....)

Chapter 10: The Final Battle For Equius, Part 2

Chapter 10

The Final Battle For Equius, Part 2

*****

(South Wall, Castle Wall, Canterlot, 23:55 PM)

Within the course of twenty minutes, long after leaving the hotel room, Sterling had taken his harem girls to their needed destinations within the armory, the medical wing and the archives. And Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity had all begun to take their places in their newly appointed jobs. While that was done, a family of barbers had swarmed around the Captain, pleading to him for giving him a haircut on the spot. Much as the man didn't want it to be rushed, he felt that his beard (to which he revealed to his girlfriends after confessing that his appearance was not all that it seemed) needed to be cut off from his face, along with his long black hair.

And after having done so, Sterling was now able to look down at the impending battlefield with a new look. A closely shaved face, a military cut for his head, and his battle gear suited up, and he was able to say that the world would be able to see him off with a better look, in life or death.

The Rex Brutes had advanced their movements towards the city so fast that the ground had repeated a shaking rhythm that gave both the Royal Guard, Honor Guard & the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces a reason to allow fear to control their choice of words. The defending armies had begun to doubt their ability to stop the impending evil force that would storm into the castle, thus slaying all of them. And even Sterling had begun to feel the same doubts that he too felt. Even with his power as the leader of the toughest stealth force, never in his life did he ever have to fight against the full power of his enemy.

"Get over here, you royal fools," he whispered to the sky above him. Within a second of having pleaded to whoever he was calling, a trio of magical streams had risen up from where Ponyville was supposedly razed and pillaged. As soon as the streaks had stopped in front of him, some of the soldiers behind him had stepped back. "Protect the people of this country, you three. I am in need of your powers to help us," he pleaded in a commanding tone that held a drawl of his fears well in his heart.

As you command, Master Caliber, the Platinum King complied with his ghostly wife and son following behind.

We shall do what you command of us, milord, the Titanium Prince spoke up while following his father.

And with all of our power, we will defend the citizens and the fighters of this world, the Palladium Queen nodded.

Within another second, the three ghosts had disenchanted the shield wall that was originally put up by Shining Armor, thus allowing the rain from the unnatural cloud above the armies to fall on their heads. But along with that, a new wall of magical defense had been put up. Along with that, the weapons and armor of the forces behind the Captain had been enchanted to show a different metallic composition that was even better than what was given from the armory. And along with that, the magic that the Magicians had gotten ready to use was tripled in force while the Auran soldiers had begun to feel a wind of change in their wings. The Equians who had begun to fall back had felt their born strength return with a massive boost.

Within the throne room, the Princesses and the Council of Friendship had felt their own talents being given a lift, evident by how much more confident they all felt. Celestia and Luna felt their own bodies being given an extra boost of power to go with their already great resources of power.

"Sister... I'm feeling something that I have not felt for the last thousands of years," Luna said while feeling a tingling sensation that made her almost giddy inside as a confident smile had been plastered on her.

"As am I, Luna," Celestia nodded while looking to one of the windows, as if through it to see what was happening. "I believe that it is the work of the three metallic royalty that Sterling is still in possession of, despite the months of being away from him." The other Princesses, Cadence & Twilight, had also felt the power surge, prompting them to give a braver face against danger. And the Council of Friendship, all in the different wings of the castle or within the defensive barriers of the grounds, also felt the power coursing through them.

"Is this all because of Sterling?" Cadence asked as she walked up besides Celestia.

"Indeed. He feels that the world needs to have someone to stop the forces that would break the harmony that has filled these lands for the last millenniums that have passed by, even before our time as rulers of the land. And as such, the ancient powers that contribute to the defense of our way of life are well-tuned to the desire of peace and harmony that Sterling Caliber has been wishing for his lands to keep, if not for himself," Celestia spoke, knowing the Captain's own soul from having seen him first hand along with her sister besides her.

"Sister, I feel the fear of our subjects on this night. If they are allowed to keep this fear, the Rex Brutes will use it to feed the Nightmare Monsters and Changelings," Luna gasped after feeling the emotion from her spot in the room. "I must speak to our soldiers and subjects. And we hope that we will be able to inspire the courage that is needed this night," she then proclaimed, hoping to get the okay from her older sibling.

"Then we must not waste any time, Luna! We must inspire the courage that Sterling has given to his unit for all the time that he has been fighting our shared enemies!" Celestia commanded, the other royal women falling behind as the sisters left the room in haste. Within a few seconds of record time for a flight from the Alicornians, they had stopped just a few feet away from Sterling, who had greeted the women with a bow.

"Your Highness'?" Sterling greeted with confusion, thinking that they must have had a exponential reason to disrupt his train of thought on how his strategy would be able to work.

“Captain....” Celestia spoke to him. “We must not allow our fear to be harvested by the Brutes. They will use our weaknesses to destroy us until there is nothing left of our existence. So it is imperative that our resolve does not falter. Because even the smallest hope is more than enough to stop the Brutes and their allies from taking Equius,” she said to him in a soothingly commanding voice that spoke of her many years of wisdom.

“Indeed, Sterling,” Luna interjected, “We must not overlook our greatest ally, if not the rest of the world. The power of the light will always smite our darkest enemies in our time of need.” Luna had then taken flight from the stone on the ground as she had prepared to give her speech to the masses that prepared for war. Indeed, she was also able to see the volunteers that wanted to fight for their futures, alongside the regular and irregular soldiers within familiar.

“Good evening! Dear citizens of Canterlot! Tonight is the beginning of the longest night before the Summer Sun Celebration can begin, on this month of the Solaris Triumph. And on this night, just as the Elements of Harmony had fought against Nightmare Moon many years ago to save me, we, the people of this land now fight against her. But there are more than just the evil deity that took over me those thousands of years ago. For it is also Tirek, Sombra, Chrysalis and Leviathan, the King of the Brutes who wish to destroy our right to live. To exist. But we must, for all of the lands that we were born in, to be ready to give our lives for all of Equestria! And indeed for all of Equus! But not as commoners and nobles, or Royal Elites and militia! But as the people of a free nation! AND when my sister's sun rises from the horizon... The 7th Day of the Solaris Triumph will not be known as an Equestrian holiday! But it will be the day that we announce to the evil of this world that we will not go quietly to an eternal night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! TODAY, WE CELEBRATE THE SUMMER SUN CELEBRATION!!!”

The smaller legion within the city walls had then cheered and cried multiple war cries that even shook the ground where the Brute armies were hastily advancing. So much so that even Princess Celestia herself had shed a tear from how proud she was of her sister for making such a perfect motivational speech.

“Sister,” Celestia whispered to Luna before hugging her deeply, to which the Night Princess returned. “I am ready to fight with you.”

"As am I with you, my sister."

And as the Royal Sisters had begun to take flight, they summoned their armor and weapons, a gold, ornate staff for Celestia and a glowing greatsword for Luna. Along with those weapons, Cadence and Shining Armor (who had joined his wife within the time of the speech) had summoned a sword and shield as a warhammer was summoned while Twilight had prepared and readied a saber that was also glowing while being quite ornate.

.....

The hour of midnight had struck the clock tower, and the same militia from the various lands of Equestria had united with the proper legions to make their stand. The Royal Elites had turned to their Captain, who could only sound off the orders. On the same ground near the mountain, Sterling then gave the order.

“FORWARD! MARCH!!!”

Onyx and Brandon echoed the same marching order to the other attachments who followed in synchronized steps. The drums then began to beat off their sounds as some blowing horns had played the required inspirational fanfare. And when the Captain ordered the militia to halt, Leviathan, on the other side of the battle, had taken his binoculars to look at the formation that was displayed before him.

“Unless I'm going blind, the Royal Elites are performing some irregular formation with the militia and the Royal Guards,” he muttered loudly. His second in command also looked at the formation against his leader's overpowering legion. “They must be clinging to some false hope! One that will not destroy us at all! Send the Changelings in! We are to attack from the skies first before we take the ground!”

“Order: Flight!”

The same Changeling swarms then took to the skies and flew their way to the grounds.

“Attack!”

The insect-humanoids then took their flight down to where they had targeted the foot soldiers. But even they made the mistake of underestimating the power of the Royals.

“Steady.... steady,” Sterling commanded. “Wait for it....”

Just a few more feet....

3.....

"Just a little more...."

2.....

"Come on, you boot scrapes...."

1.....

“FIRE!!!”

The ethereal bolts that became enchanted from the Magicians, accompanied with crossbow bolts, spears and swords from the Aviators and Land-People, had then been projected from the ground up. While the same Magicians focused their power on the Brutes and Shadow-Men on the ground, the Land-People and Aviators had swung and shot away at the Changelings with a force that had never been experienced by the swarms or the warriors.

By the time that all of the ground and air soldiers had fired first, the cannons and howitzers from the walls of the fortified city had then fired their shots against the same enemy. By then, one third of the Brute legions and Changeling air-strikers had been wiped out from the explosive power that they all felt in that moment. But the same enemies had still outnumbered the ground garrisons by a larger number.

“Retreat to the Bravo point!” Sterling commanded as he waved them to the marked area. “I repeat: Retreat to the Bravo point at mark six-point-seven!” They all did so after firing a second shot of their weapons and magic against the enemies' numbers.

“Attack the weak ones, my fellow Brutes! And you too, Shadow-Walkers!” Leviathan's second shouted out for his troops. The Rex Brutes then charged forward against the lines, hoping to kill them off in a quick move. But as they did so, they had once again underestimated their enemies' intelligence. For it was just after they had made their way to the base of the ruins of some unknown temple, that they had seen a larger number of Royal Guards, the Equestrian Armed Forces placed together.

"FIRE AGAIN!!!"

The same attacks had multiplied immensely, sending the numbers of the opposing campaign to a near grinding halt as the body parts flew off from many distances. But it seemed that the Brutes wanted to destroy the Equestrian forces at all costs. The Brutes had surrounded the militia on all sides before they could begin to attack. This was still a bad move on Sterling's part, but he would not allow the line to fall. Even when he would look over to his friends tiring from the fighting they had all done so far. And even the magic was being badly depleted from the Magicians' resources.

But just as it all seemed that there was nothing to save them, or even Sterling for that matter after fighting for a long two hours, a familiar horn sound had been heard.

"The... the Norse Warriors, Griffons and Dragons are coming! To save the kingdom of Equestria!", Sterling announced cheerfully as the flying ships of the Norse Kingdoms, along with their Dragon and Griffon allies overpowering the armies. But they weren't going to be having all the fun, in accordance to the Leo-Gar, Zebrican and Stirrupean citizens that made their march against the massive army. For their numbers matched the Brutes by the same numbers.

“You see, Captain? Even you have allies in this time of need!”, Onyx laughed as both he, Thoruun and Sterling began to lay on the ground for the third shot against the evil armies.

“Attack them all, my friends!” Sterling ordered to them all. And when the order was given, a gusto of valor had passed through to his allies' spirits. Though the Changeling swarms had circled around their target, while the Brutes led the assault with a renewed anger, the increasingly stronger side that fought for the Royal Sisters was then given hope as the numbers of the oppressors had taken a severe decrease in their numbers. But while that was true, Leviathan had a last surprise in his sleeve.

“Summon all of the monsters.”

Dire Wolves, Timberwolves, Chaos Masters, criminals for hire from all continents, and even the traitors against Celestia and Luna's ruling had begun to ascend to the castle walls with a great force.

But even though the monsters came around, a few Zebrican shamans and witch-doctors had used their herbal potions to help their common allies fight against the hoards. And even the cat people of Leo-Gar gave their all with their weapons and claws. But to Sterling, it was still not enough to take down the hundreds of thousands of Brutes that wanted to rule with a tight iron fist. There was only one thing to do. And that was to kill Leviathan. For in the King Brutes death, there would be no more of the Brutes. And peace and harmony could finally return to the lands.

But it would not come without a very heavy price, as he already knew from his past experiences.

He had then taken his steps to the town center, where the Leo-Gar Highlanders were coaxing the enemy into the streets to fight them. The citizens who volunteered to fight had been reinforced with the big cat people that could teach them how to hold their own. And Sterling was able to see how the even the snooty nobles of the city were also using their magic to push back the Brutes, Shadow-Walkers and Changelings. He was also hearing a few witty snaps about how such vulgar creatures should not even be allowed to be in the sewers of their city. This convinced Sterling to believe that even with the nobles being such stuck-up assholes, to which he never mixed in with to begin with, he still knew that they all wanted to play a part in the final fight. Even if it meant having to hear the boasts of those ignorant people.

Before he could even go up to a few of them and smack their faces with his hands, Shining Armor had approached from two yards away, calling him down as he stepped towards him.

"Captain! Glad I got to you," Shining Armor chuckled after tossing one of the opposing warriors towards the smallest window, causing the aggressor to suddenly give out a spurt of blood from the glass that pierced its body.

"What says the lady, your Highness?" Sterling smirked as he fired a shot of his magic behind him, causing a Nightmare Monster to fall behind him with a loud thump.

"The other Princesses are fortifying the air docks and the towers, so we have all night to stop this madness with our hands," Shining reported to him as he looked around him with his back on his friends back.

"75 is my personal record, so try to keep up, amateur!" Sterling laughed while he summoned his longsword in his right hand. "I won't forgive you if you beat it, of course!" he then coaxed his Highness, hoping to hit more of his enemy than his new competitor.

"For our Princesses?" Shining said as he shook his free hand.

"For our country!" Sterling shouted out as he sprinted towards a larger group of the Rex Brutes being reinforced by a few Shadow-Walkers and Dire Wolves. Shining Armor had also sprinted to another group of the enemy, Changelings and escaped convicts in his sights, and began to fight off the monsters on the streets with the cat people near him.

Needless to say, the heads and limbs of the opposing side had flown off from where they belonged, streaming the streets with the black colored blood and slime that had begun to clog up the scent of the already horrid emanations that the sewers were draining out. Shining and Sterling had begun a competitive campaign on the ground of the streets of the capital city while his allies were either flying in the air or in a Nordic air-ship that shot off many steel spears to take down the creatures that wanted to eliminate the Equestrian forces.

The many air-ships of the Nordic forces had docked themselves onto the air-docks, allowing the Viking and Valkyrie warriors to do their part with aiding against the carnage of the Ragnarok-forsaken abominations. And along with that, the Dragons had also done the same for their grounded rivals while being followed by the Griffons who also wanted a piece of the action. Gilda, Fiery Carbuncle and Confident Sword had each taken point in the sky and ground within the city, taking a few monsters down to see who could fight faster or better.

And on the ground near the tunnel where Canterlot could be easily accessed, the Rex Brutes had begun to suffer a greater loss of their numbers. And Leviathan Di'Nihilous had become very angry. With one swipe of his hand, the fire from his magic had killed off and melted the Guards that held themselves at the opening. And with that done, Leviathan had begun to use his wings to fly into the tunnel along with the warriors who were able to go into the same tunnel before a few more of the defending soldiers had fortified the entrance once again. And even the leader was able to note that he was still learning to never underestimate how the leaders of his opposition would not go down without a fight. This made him laugh lowly with his nefarious intentions known to the world.... and Sterling Caliber.

(Mysterious room, Canterlot Castle, 1:30 AM)

The whirring of the machine known as the Alicornian Magic Extractor, an ancient design from eons passed, had hummed ominously with the sound of the gears grinding while the crystals from the extracting points had begun to glow. The humming had then escalated to a louder screech that allowed the citizens above the streets to know that something was going horribly wrong.

Prince Blueblood had just smiled, feeling the elation of having created such a notorious weapon for his own twisted purposes. Within the same room, the four Princesses had been somehow kidnapped. It was only when they all woke up to the sound of the machine fully waking up that they all realized that they were all being held by the corrupted Magician.

"BLUEBLOOD!!!" Celestia screamed in the rage that was built up within her.

"Ah! Yes! Now that you are awake, auntie dearest, we can proceed with the plans that I have for all of Equestria!" Blueblood laughed evilly as he saw the anger rising in his hostages.

"You won't get away with this, traitor!" Twilight screamed at her kidnapper. "And when Sterling gets here, you'll be lucky if he doesn't kill you on the spot!" she screamed again, deeply pissed off that she was also in the same situation that her real friends were in.

"Oh, but he won't. And I already have gotten away with it, filthy heretic," Blueblood spat out in her face.

"And just what do you intend to do with us, you monster?" Cadence hissed at him.

"Simple: I take the magic from your bodies, transfer it all into my own body, kill both Leviathan and Sterling, and then rule all of the Equius!" Blueblood laughed at them, feeling more in power with his desire to proceed with his plan.

"You will never be able to get away with this, nephew! Even if you do kill us, thus taking the helm of the world, you will find that the world will never bow to your will! As long as there are evil tyrants like you, the Royal Elites will come to save the world," Luna proudly stated to her now raging captor. "And if Leviathan were to hear what you just said, he would just kill you, right here in this uncomfortable room."

(SLAP!!!)

The echo of the tyrant Prince's hand on Luna's cheek had given the Night Princess a reason to wince in pain.

"Sterling Caliber and Leviathan Di'Nihilous are nothing more than mere pawns that I have used to my advantage! And when I have killed them, I will hang your body, along with the others, on a display to show my resolve to rule the world!" the tyrant prince had growled with his rage vented out with his spit on his aunt's face. "And all for the good of the real rule that belongs to the King, Rex Muta!"

The machine had then begun to make a ticking noise that warned him of the incoming activation. Blueblood then laughed against the misfortune of the chained hostages on the wall.

"And when I am through with taking your magic, I will make good use of it by destroying the world!"

The magic within the Princesses was on the line, and they all knew that either Sterling, or Leviathan if they were just as begrudgingly hoping, would have to move as fast as angels if any of them were to be rescued from the machine that was too close to them all.

"Sterling! HELP US!!!"

(Solar Wing, Castle, 1:50 AM....)

Two-thirds of the Equestrian Forces had suffered major losses, along with the wounded who had been placed in the medical wing. And Sterling was running frantically to find a way to find the Princesses. When word got around that the Princesses had mysteriously disappeared, according to Baltic, the Captain made it a priority to find his rulers and make sure that they were safe from any harm. Knowing that Blueblood was as much of a part for the near falling of the defenses of the walls outside of the castle, both he and Shining Armor had doubled their efforts to find their beloved rulers.

"Any luck on your end, Captain?" Shining shouted out from his end of the hallway.

"Nothing!!! RRRAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!" Sterling shouted out in the halls that had somehow been invaded by the warriors and monsters before he and Shining had taken them down. "We've both searched the Lunar Wing! And still nothing!" His hands had punched a suit of armor, making it clink and clank down to the ground.

"We will find them, Sterling! We just need to keep up our efforts, and we'll find something to help us find them!" Shining patted his shoulder despite feeling a slight injury in his hand.

"I hope that you're right, for Faustia's sake," Sterling nodded while keeping his mind focused on the task at hand.

"And yet you have no hope to find your allies!" an ominous voice spoke from behind them. Sterling had turned around to see.... Leviathan Di'Nihilous. The dragon-gorilla hybrid was walking very slowly towards the two defenders.

"Leviathan," Sterling scowled in anger, knowing that his new opponent was coming to not only taunt him, but to kill him if he was not as careful as the last time he confronted him. Before he could make the first move, Shining had started to sprint towards his opponent and held him back.

"What are you doing, Sterling?! He knows where the Princesses, and my wife, are!" Shining protested, despite being held by the collar of his shirt. After being pulled back, Sterling looked at his sovereign and slapped him a new slap to put him into focus.

"Shining! Try the room where Blueblood sleeps! It might have where the location is written on," Sterling commanded him with his stone-cold face not changing its appearance. "And from there, I'll join you for the discoveries, alright?"

"RIGHT!!" Shining shouted before running from the two who were about to make the fight happen. "And kick him a new one for insulting my hot wife for me, will ya?"

"With pleasure!" Sterling smirked as he cracked his knuckles. With Shining Armor running to another part of the Solar Wing, the Captain of the Royal Elites had slowly walked towards the General of the Rex Brutes.

"It seems that I really did make him angry. More than enough for him to try to best me in a fight," Leviathan chuckled to his opponent. "And all because of that sickening, disgusting, and downright hypocritical notion called 'love'! HA! And does he even notice that Blueblood has already taken the steps needed to destroy the both of us? Because even you are not caught unaware of the situation!"

"I have already heard your message, Leviathan!" Sterling responded with his attitude growing more in a deep desire to stop his opponent from advancing any further. "Either help us with Blueblood's Extractor, thus earning you only a sentence of solitary confinement, or start getting in the way! Either way, one of us will be the ones to stop the tyrant who wants to rule all of Equestria with an overpowered device of destruction!" he then pleaded under the pressure of hoping to never have to fight him ever again. Just maybe that hope could help with the fall of the enemies all around them.

"And let you get all of the fun? I think not, Sterling! See: I care not for the rule of the world, nor for the wealth and power of the tyrants who are about to be extracted of their powers! All that I see... is the world, united under a common banner! One common purpose! ONE! TRUE! GOAL!"

"And that goal is to allow the King of the Brutes to destroy the world? I!!! THINK!!! NOT!!! AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"

"RRRRRRRAAAAAA---AAAHH!"

The fight had started out with the weapons clashing as they each dealt a blow to one another. And it went on for more than the time that was needed for any of them. Before the hybrid could even get his weapons out, he felt his left leg being deeply bitten by some creature on his ankles, gnashing a deep bite wound that trailed a small stream of blood. And when he felt it going deeper, he lifted up the creature that tried to bite him and threw down what was a rather large dog that had blood on its mouth.

"Chancellor!!" Sterling recognized the dog at once as he saw his pet being thrown back with a major force of magic. Before the hybrid could even get a laugh out, a feeling of metal had pounded on his abdomens and sent him flying against the columns that had broken down from the impact, toppling the creature with many stones pounding on him. "Chancellor! Chancellor!! Are you alright?!" Sterling nearly screamed out, looking over his pet's now laying body.

"I'm alright, master," Chancellor panted. "I've been through worst things than some ugly denizen throwing me away. Such is the life that I had from before I met you," the dog smiled at him. "Don't worry about me, master. I'll just have myself a bit of sleep. My body will be able to heal up from the contact that I've taken," he told him before seeing Sterling get up.

"Are you sure, buddy?" the man nearly cried, fearful of what the words doubly meant.

"I ate some of the healing herbs that Fluttershy gave me as you got your haircut, just go!!" Chancellor barked at him.

"Get some sleep, Chance! You'll need it."

And as Sterling rose up from his dog, he took his steps and saw that the stones were moved.

"No! It can't be! Where is he?!" he yelled out, knowing that Leviathan had gotten out of the makeshift prison.

"What is it, Sterling?" Shining then called out from behind him. He had just come from the room with what looked like a journal or diary that had an alabaster white painted hard cover, depicting the owner's name with gold stitches.

"Leviathan escaped!" the Captain stated.

"We'll both find him later, Sterling! Look what I got from that dumb ass' room!" Shining proudly stated to him, holding up the same small book that would more than likely tell the both of them where he more than likely hid them.

"Great work, your Highness!" Sterling commended his friend as they skimmed through the pages quickly, hoping to find the place. "Now we just need to find the page that can show us how to take us to the Princesses!"

But right as Shining Armor had nodded--

CCCRRRRRAAAAACCCKK! PPPFFFFFFTTTTTT! GAASSSPP!!

The metal armor that the Prince was wearing had been pierced by a blade, leaving out a large spurt of blood that dropped down from the bottom of the blade while it twisted around where the heart was at.

"And I told you both: You have no hope of finding the Princesses! Not even your wife!"

Leviathan had taken the blade from his hand and stabbed the back of the Prince near him, hitting his heart along with the many arteries that were majorly severed, making Shining bleed out from the chest and back.

At that moment.... right there.... all of the world had gone black. Sterling Caliber.... had just noticed.... with his waking eyes.... the fall of the Prince of the Crystal Empire. And all because of Leviathan taking advantage of the time that was lost while looking for the room where their Princesses needed to be rescued from.

"No....."

The time around him had slowed down as he saw Shining fall to the ground on his knees as the blood of the noble Magician had flown freely from the through-and-through wound.

"No....! ....... NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

And when Sterling had caught Shining Armor in his arms, the stains of the blood had taken the sleeves of his armor. The breaths of his fallen friend were erratic, nearing no life within his last few seconds.

"Do you know what it is that I want.... more than anything in the whole world?" Shining whispered to him out loud.

"Shining? Shining! No! Don't! Don't speak! Just breath, man!" Sterling pleaded to the dying man.

"I wish.... for Flurry Heart, my child.... to know that I.... will always love her, even in the heavens."

*uurrrrrrgggghhh......*

.....

(Extractor Room, 2:15 AM....)

"No!" Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight cried out as they all felt the death that had occurred from their senses.

"Shining Armor...." Twilight sobbed as she felt the loss of life from her magic.

"My husband!" Cadence screamed out, trying to release herself from the chains that kept her on the walls.

"--Is finally dead! Oh, how I wish I was able to see it happen!" Blueblood laughed out loud, cheering in the small victory that had come for his goals. "And now it is only five crystals to go until I have taken your power for my liking!"

The sorrow that Blueblood was drinking from his hostages had filled him with a joy that only a psychopathic killer would get from when they had taken their time with their victims. All four of the Princesses had taken a moment of silence as their tears stained their hanging bodies while feeling them also hit their feet before it stained a small pooling underneath them.

At 2:15 AM, on the 17th Day of Aurora's Entrance, during the final battle of the Second Equius War.....

Prince Shining Armor, co-ruler of the Crystal Empire, died at the age of 29 by the sword of Leviathan Di'Nihilous, the leader of the Rex Brutes. And this death was witnessed by both Leviathan....

And Captain Sterling Caliber of the Royal Elites.

(To Be Continued....)

Chapter 11: The Final Battle For Equius, Part 3

Chapter 11

The Final Battle For Equius, Part 3

*****

(Hallway, Solar Wing, Castle, Canterlot, 2:15 AM)

All of the happy memories that Sterling had with both his harem, his family, and with his Royal Elites.... had become red with a fury that became unmatched by even the anger of the Princesses within the room that was more than a few floors down. And all that he could see, even with his actual vision focusing on the hybrid creature above him, was his desire to never allow his enemy to live another day.

And then.... just when Leviathan had already begun to get a swollen head for having killed a member of royalty....

The ground below started to shake. And Leviathan had looked into the eyes of the Captain of the Royal Elites.... but only to see his eye color surrounding the entire pair of globes while his enemy gave a look of the deepest hatred, rage and vengeance.

.....

"What type of sorcery do you plan to use on me now, Sterling?" the dragon-gorilla hybrid taunted at him, not allowing any fear to show in his tone.

.....

.....

"THIS!!!!" Sterling growled from within the level of power that he never felt within him, for all that he knew. After placing the body of his fallen Prince below him gently, Sterling then stood up to his feet and began to fully pressurize the surge of power within him.

The smallest waves of water evaporation had been replaced with the surges of power that flew up to the skies as a life-threatening quake had begun to fully emanate from the grounds below him. Even Leviathan had begun to feel the true rage that had poured out from the new reserve of magic from his hated opponent.

"No.... this cannot be!" Leviathan nearly squeaked, fearing what he had deduced the influx of magic to be. "It's.... the Alicornian Instinct! But! But.... only Alicornian's experience this wrath! Or can they?" he said mysteriously as his body trembled at the marvel of the spoken power being displayed.

"KILL HIM, YOU ROYAL FOOLS!!!!"

A trio of pseudo-silver trails of magic then entered the hallway from the window just twenty feet away from himself. The resulting action had sent Leviathan flying towards the stone walls, along with his body going against many stone columns through his whole body, before Sterling was able to hear the hybrid scream from the pain that he was feeling before the Captain, from his view in the hallway, had seen the leader of the Rex Brutes fall to his death by a major fall towards the courtyard below.

"And thus ends the tyranny of Leviathan Di'Nihilous!" Sterling shouted out in his newly discovered Instinct.

(Within various key areas of the city of Canterlot, 2:45 AM)

"Fixer, do you feel that?" Onyx called out while sending his counted Rex Brute and Dire Wolf bodies to a nearby pit of fire.

"I feel it, Onyx! Our leader is majorly pissed off!" Fixer confirmed as he sent a few more magical bullets into a monsters head.

"But this power from Odin-Will is not one that I have ever felt in the whole time that I have been with him!" Brandon commented while keeping up his part in the fight.

"Seems the poor sweetheart saw something that finally got him to snap," Quinn half-joked, knowing the severity of the situation. "But if he doesn't find a way to calm down, then even this city won't be able to stand alone!" he then shrieked, feeling the same power flux coursing through him as he fired another set of magic rounds against a few dozen Changelings.

"Captain...." Baltic sighed after feeling the power from the sewer lines.

(Extractor Room, 2:50 AM)

"Oh no...." Blueblood shivered as he too felt the Alicornian Instinct from a ways away.

"Princess? What is this new power that I am feeling?" Twilight asked with a shake.

"'Tis the power of the Alicornian Instinct, Twilight," Luna said. "But only we Alicornians can access this reserve of power! Right, Celestia?" she asked her sister near her.

"Indeed, Luna," Celestia nodded. "But it seems that this power has been accessed by our hopeful savior. He is the youngest male Magician in all of the world of Equius that has ever found the powers of an Alicornian within them. The youngest female to receive this power, as we all know, was you, Twilight," she then said to Twilight, who betrayed a slight blush.

"Really?" the youngest Princess asked.

"Yes, Twilight," Celestia smiled to her. "But Sterling Caliber is indeed the youngest man, in all of the recorded history, who has ever become an Alicornian from a sort of ascension. But this pre-ascension wrath is the first step to becoming exactly like us," she explained to her.

"And when he feels the power within him grow to the final stage, he will become just like us," Luna confirmed as well.

"BUT!!!" Blueblood shouted. "He will still be too late to save you, dear aunties and cousin," he then taunted, not even acknowledging the youngest Princess. "And now, we shall see if the same powers of this Extractor will take your magic!"

And within a second, Blueblood had pushed down the lever and activated the machine.

The crystals at the center of the room had begun to glow a light that indicated the machines full charge.

"Take from the Royal ones, with force, what they need to live!!" he commanded the machine.

The smallest wedges from the Princesses necks had begun to move closer to the neck bone, cracking the nerves that made the Princesses scream in the agony of the pain that they all felt. And as soon as all of their mouths were open, the powers of the Alicornian Princesses had turned into a quartet of streams that tortured the spirits of the hostages into coaxing them to give up their life forces as it gathered to the center of the glowing crystal orb.

"Yes! Yes!! YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!" Blueblood cheered as he saw the power being forcibly taken by the Extractor.

"NOO!!!" was shouted by five familiar voices that soon tackled the man who wanted to see the Princesses dead.

Blueblood then looked to see that it was Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie & Fluttershy coming to the rescue of their beloved rulers and friends.

"You are too late, peasant scum! My Alicornian Magic Extractor has already been activated, and there is no way for any of you commoners to destroy it!" Blueblood laughed tauntingly. "Even if you have some great power within, the same taker will force your power into its hungry void!" he stated to them, as if the machine was a living deity of the apocalypse.

"You! Do! Not! GET IT, DO YOU?!?!" Rarity screamed angrily, using her inner strength to push the evil man into a wall, making a crater from his body. "If you take the power of the Princesses, then there will be no defense against the King of the Brutes!! And all of the deaths of the people will be ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT!!!" she then shouted as she then forced more of the crater in front of her to grow larger with every slam of the Princes body. And after a final body slam to the floor, Rarity then huffed out a heavy breath that didn't know that she had. "And you have no idea how long I have been waiting to do that to you."

Blueblood had then wheezed out from his now bloody mouth a squeak that echoed through the room, save for the whirring of the machine that kept going with its magical extraction.

"Rarity?" Applejack spoke up.

"Yes, darling?"

"Remind me to never make ya angry, 'mmkay?"

"Noted, love."

"Come on, girls! We need to deactivate the machine somehow!" Pinkie jumped up, obviously more focused on helping the Princesses from their binds. "And even my party cannon won't be able to do that!"

The same women within the room then nodded as they went up to the machine to find some hope of shutting off the Extractor. Switches, levers, buttons, anything to stop the work.

(Hallway, Solar Wing, Castle, 3:55 AM)

Sterling had felt his rage go down, and not a moment too soon or late. And as his power lowered down enough, the sights of the battle, from his viewpoint at the hole that overlooked the skies and ground, was something that he truly wanted to see.

The Nordic legions were taking their air-ships as they fired their steel spears to where the Nightmare Monsters were attacking their allies on the ground below the mountain. The Stirrupean and Chameleon armies were taking point against the ground units of Shadow-Walkers that would very nearly infiltrate the city from the sewer lines. The Griffons were also taking their strength in both the air and the ground with the bloodthirsty convicts who had taken many of the material items that would flaunt a small portion of wealth for any nobleman and noblewoman. And even the small militia formations had taken it upon themselves to get a piece of the action.

But what he had not counted on was how the citizens from the different cities and towns of Equestria, including the citizens of the Crystal Empire, had also joined in the fight against the enemies that wanted to destroy their lands and kill their fellow citizens. From down below, he had heard one of the commanding soldiers shout 'For Equestria!', prompting more of the enemy lines to falter from the courage of both the citizens and the soldiers who were fighting against them.

"Not even four hours in, and even the citizens are wanting to fight for what is right?" Sterling smiled, somehow feeling his old self coming back to him. "This.... is.... major!" he sighed as his feet went back to the scene behind him. "But I must find the room that Shining was trying to point to me!" he resolved to do as he moved his already tired body and feet towards his targeted destination. Skimming through the pages of the book that he then picked up from near Shining Armor's body, he found the room from what felt like an incredulous puzzle from the way that his enemy was writing about the construction. "It's below the service staff rooms, but not before the Honor Guard quarters? How convenient!"

Sterling had then followed the mental map in his head, knowing exactly where to go in this situation. But what he found was nothing more than an empty space between the service staff's rooms and the Honor Guards quarters. It was just a wall. Not wanting to believe it, he then saw a grouping of shoe prints near the same wall. And all of them were small enough for him to deduce that the prints came from a group of women.

"Rarity.... Applejack.... Fluttershy," he breathed out, scared of how they too just disappeared from his point. "But... how? How does this wall even begin to show where the Extractor is?" And with that question asked, he looked around to observe any clue as to how the room could be opened. This took him nearly about five minutes before he went to another wall behind him, thudding his head a few times. "Think, Goddess-damn it! Think!" he pressured himself. With another breath out, he peered his head left and right to find a clue.

His eyes had spotted a single blue bow on a candelabra on the other wall, along with a note. Sterling found it almost too easily. He then saw the note that read:

Pull on the candelabra, Sterling! -Love, Pinkie Pie!

"Again: Convenient," he sighed, shaking his head as to how even Pinkie Pie, the most random of women that he loved being with as a great friend, was able to find it for him. "But I thank my Goddesses for making such a wild woman come into my life!" he chuckled loudly before he used his magic to pull on the wall decoration.

*Click-click-click-click-click! Fwooom!*

A secret panel had then been revealed within a few seconds before it opened up to reveal a long and dark hallway that looked to have no light at the end.

"I am so going to give Pinkie a kiss on her lips when I save them all."

After having said that to himself, he took to the tunnel and began to trot his way through the darkness.

(Extractor Room, 4:45 AM)

Somehow, someway, Blueblood was able to blindside the other five girls who were hard at work to find any switch or knot that could stop the machine. And after being tied up like the Princesses, the Council of Friendship had their magic taken away from them. And just like the Princesses, their eyes had begun to show a gray color. The kind of gray that showed a near limbo experience for all concerned.

"And here I thought that the wrath of a woman would kill me," he laughed evilly. "But it's made me all the stronger for it."

"Blueblood.... how could you do this to us?" Twilight asked him in pleading, her tears staining the floor below her.

"Because I plan to rule the kingdom, along with the world. Simple as that," Blueblood smirked at her. "And now that I have even taken the powers of your friends, I am even more powerful than even your precious Royal Elites," he had said just as he lifted and pushed another set of levers to point the machine at himself.

"Who cares about ruling the world, Bluey? Even the rulers of the world will oppose you, you know?" Pinkie spoke up, hoping to only delay the power being taken by her shared captor.

"Oh... they will bow to me, Equian filth! And so shall all of you!" he pointed to his captives as the machine had then taken a few whirs to the precise location where the Prince was. "And when I have taken the power of the magic of Equestria for myself--"

"You will die in the hands of the King of the Brutes!!!" a voice then shouted out from the other end of the room. Before Blueblood could even react, Sterling had taken a warhammer and slugged the Prince's stomach, causing the machine to stop turning, thus keeping the Prince from completing the extraction and absorption.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!!" Blueblood screamed as his blood was coughed up before falling on the ground with a violent fall.

"And if you complete the cycle, Rex Muta will not only kill you, but Leviathan as well!" Sterling said to the fallen opponent on the ground. "Basic villains class 101 says: 'Never! Trust! A Traitor!' And you so happen to be guilty of high treason, heresy, and the conspiracy of plotting a murder against the rulers of this great country! You will never set foot in the courts again!" he screamed as his rage had come back.

His sword had come back to his right hand, along with a shield in his left arm, signalling to the Princesses and the Council that he was ready to take the action needed.

"You just can't be this powerful! No man in the world should ever have the Alicornian Instinct!" Blueblood screamed in fear. "And you are just nothing more than the hybrid of a pair of Equestrians who did not allow themselves to follow the Purity laws!" he further shouted.

"The Purity Laws are revoked and nullified, asshole!" Sterling snapped at him. "The reason for that is because of greedy, arrogant, ugly-faced, racist, homophobic, narrow-minded, war-mongering, corpse-fucking, evil traditionalists who want the world to never change! And you are nothing more than the worst example of a person who believes that everything should be handed to them on a silver platter! But that is where you are wrong, dick-less Titan child!" he shouted more at the royal man below him. "A war does not make a man, nor a woman, into a better person! It turns them into a creature that cannot have even the smallest hope for redemption! And there is no veteran of any recorded history of the wars from before who cannot say the same truth that even I can speak of! Nor will there ever be a person or creature from this world who wants to fight for the sake of fighting! Or even the control of a power that will kill you in the end!"

"And I am more than entitled to say what comes from within my heart and soul, Blueblood, because I know.... I really know... that it is not war, nor a brawl, that makes a person into a great one. It is both how they wish to stop the fight, and how they are able to conquer themselves. For it is within the powers of friendship, love, charity and empathy that any person, common or noble, will always draw upon. And even if you were to take every last bit of the existing magic from this world, you, my filthy heretic, have forgotten one.... minute, but always important.... detail!"

"*cough-cough!* And what would that be, Sterling?" Blueblood growled at him.

"That the power of friendship... and love... will always conquer even the most evil of hearts."

*CLINK!! SSCCHCHPPPPPPPFFFFFTTT!!*

"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!"

A rather large sword had pierced through Blueblood's heart, creating a massive spurt of blood that ejected from the chest.

"u]Never send an Equestrian to do a hybrid's job!" another familiar voice shouted from another part of the room. Sterling was able to see that it was Leviathan once again killing another Prince in front of him.

"But.... how?!" the man wanted to know.

"Easy: Your Ethereal Possessions had beaten the evil out of me!" Leviathan said plainly. "And even though I was reluctant to say it at first.... you were always right about me, older brother of mine," he then said, smiling a smile that even the Princesses never saw from the enemy. "The power of Rex Muta had not taken its full hold on me!"

"Leviathan....?" Sterling almost cried if not for his impending desire to save his Princesses.

"Yes, Sterling.... I intend to help your rulers out of the machine," Leviathan nodded to him. "But if we are to do this, then you must listen to all of the instructions that I give to you now!" he then instructed, prompting Sterling to listen in.

"How do we stop this machine from taking anymore powers?"

"The Alicornian Magic Extractor is known for forcefully taking nearly all of the life force that all people have. And by all rights, the machine itself is an abomination that must be destroyed! Or else all of the world will fall beneath Rex's toy! But it cannot be destroyed unless a person is willing to sacrifice their magical abilities, thus returning the magic to the rightful owners!" Leviathan stated to him as he pulled his foster brother towards him while speaking the same steps to his face.

"So you're saying---" Sterling gasped.

"Yes, Sterling! If I give the last of the dark powers that Blueblood gave to me to this machine, then all of the world will be safe from the power of the Extractor," Leviathan nodded grimly. But before he could protest against Sterling wanting to do the same, he felt his brother knock him upside his head.

"And you think that by doing this, your sacrifice will stop the resurrection of the King?!"

"There is no choice in the matter! The both of us are needed to stop the real leader of the Brutes! And if I don't do this, then everything that you have worked for will be in vain! So help me, or get the fuck out of my way!" Leviathan shouted at Sterling before swiping his hand to force the Captain back to the levers. "Take from me, extractor, what keeps my soul from flying!"

And just like that, a streaming aura of black and green had been plucked out from the hybrids chest, filling up the orb within the center of the room. And when the last of the magic had been taken, Leviathan fell back to the switchboard with his head slamming to the ground below.

"NO!!!" Sterling and the women shouted out as the Captain of the Royal Elites stepped towards the new dying corpse. A few erratic breaths had been huffed from the creature below him as he wrapped his hands at the back of his head. "Leviathan! What have you done?" he cried out to him.

"The one thing.... haaaa.... that.... *gasp* will help.... you.... to rescue your precious rulers.... and girlfriends.... heh-heh-heh-heh-heh....... aaaaaaahhh."

.....

.....

A moment of silence had passed by. Never before, in the history of war.... has any leader of the Rex Brutes.... been willing to give their lives for the ones that they loved. And even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna knew this much.

(Somewhere near Ground Zero....)

AND NOW!!! I COME TO THE LANDS TO DESTROY ALL LIFE!!!!, an ominous voice shouted out, causing all of the ground and air forces to halt their progresses. MY RESURRECTION WILL NOT BE HALTED!!! AND THE WORLD WILL FALL BEFORE MY HAND!!!

A dark, unnatural cloud with an unnatural pair of red glowing eyes and an equally red malevolent smile with sharp looking teeth had begun to float towards the battleground where the Rex Brutes and Royal Elites were all fighting in, along with all of the monsters and criminals. While the same nihilistic cloud had taken flight, the soldiers and Elites would have been killed instantly, just as the enemy did, had it it not been for the protection spells that had been given to them by their superiors.

"I certainly hope that the Captain has a last trick up his sleeve if he can hope to stop that cloud from destroying us," Quinn gasped.

"Me too, Quinn, me too!" Faith nodded in agreement.

As the cloud moved closer, all of the Rex Brutes, criminals, Nightmare Monsters, Dire Wolves, Timberwolves, Changelings and Shadow-Walkers had begun to dissolve into nothing but ashes that clouded the vision of the people who were now afraid of what was to come.

(Extractor Room, 5:15 AM)

The scenes from Sterling's life before and during his time with his three girlfriends had flashed back. All of the dates from before, his parents giving him a warm smile, and even seeing the look on Fixer's face when he saved him. It all came flooding back to him as he approached the machine.

The pleas of the Princesses and the Council of Friendship for him to not sacrifice his power had fallen on deaf ears as Sterling took his last steps to the machine.

He then took a last breath in his chest and said:

"Take from me, unholy war machine, the power to destroy your creator. And in doing so, I ask that you release the magic against the Rex Brute's King."

The machine had then taken his magic in a stream that had slowly, and quite painfully, been moved to the crystal orb at the center. But as Sterling saw this, he was able to observe that the powers from before had ejected themselves from the center, moving back to the Princesses that had warmly received their force back, along with the other women. The room had then begun to glow the same aura that Sterling possessed as the chains that held the royalty on the wall had broken off from their arms.

"Everyone! Evacuate the room, now!!" Celestia ordered everyone around her as she displayed her wings before taking flight from her spot to the hallway. The others had followed suit while Fluttershy had tried to stop her friends from trying to save her from some gruesome fate.

Sterling then looked to where the group was leaving, knowing that he would not be able to follow them. He then felt every last drop of his power entering the weapon, as he so commanded his power to do.

(Above the Castle Tower, 5:55 AM)

NOW!! TO SEE HOW MUCH POWER WILL BE GIVEN TO ME!!! the dark cloud, revealed to be none other than Rex Muta's spirit, had shouted before he saw an explosion destroy much of the tower, revealing a drained Magician underneath the now turned machine. NO. NO! NO!!

Too late, the Extractor had turned its power against the cloud with a silvery beam of magic that penetrated against the evil spirit.

NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

*KABOOOMM!!!*

The resulting explosion had then expanded its force, causing a sonic boom to sound out throughout the whole world. This sound had indicated the true death of the King Brute. And thus, after seeing the cloud turning into a volley of streams going towards the sky, fireworks of different colors had exploded all across the night sky.

"ROYAL ELITES!! AND ALL OF EQUESTRIA!! THE REX BRUTES, AND ALL OF THE LEADERS, HAVE FALLEN!! AND NOW IS THE TIME TO REJOICE IN THE VICTORY OF THIS FINAL BATTLE!!!" Celestia shouted out to the world in the Royal Canterlot Voice, causing all of the people near and far to cheer for themselves as the Sun and Moon Princesses had lowered the sun to make way for the sun to rise from the horizon.

(Ruins of the Extractor Room, 8:30 AM)

A few hours had already passed by, and still there was no remorse being shared for the enemies that had taken the people who had fallen in battle, defending the crown Princesses with their lives. And even the memory of Blueblood was spat on, pissed on, and even cursed at. But none mourned for the loss of the hybrid known as Leviathan.

A cleaning crew, along with a few reconstruction people, had begun to rebuild the room from the ground up until they all saw a burn mark that had not been there before. This new addition to the scene had given the royalty cause to intrude upon the battle zone. But the royal ones were not alone. And as the other ladies from Ponyville had also seen the same thing, they began to panic. But there was still hope to find some evidence that Sterling was alive.

"Princess Celestia, we found a single burn mark on the ground," one of the guards began to say to the Sun Princess. "What makes it unique is that it's in the shape of Captain Sterling Caliber's Cutie Mark," he reported further.

"And no one has touched anything else?" Twilight simply asked the guard.

"We had to move some things around, your Highness, but we made sure to only move them as needed, ma'am!" the guard saluted to her.

"Thank you, Solar Armor," Celestia saluted back to the guard who had then left. "Hmm....."

"What is it, sister? Something intriguing you?" Luna asked.

"The same type of marking on this ground is familiar to me. Almost exactly as what happened when Twilight had ascended into an Alicornian," Celestia remarked as her head peered to her former student, who had a small blush on her.

"So then.... is it possible that....?" Twilight trailed off, thinking that the same thing was more than likely to happen than to just disappear from out of nowhere.

"Yes, Twilight...." Cadence patted her on the shoulder while hearing the other girls coming up to them.

"Twilight!" the group of her friends shouted out from behind.

"Did y'all find something here?" Applejack asked, afraid of hearing the wrong thing.

"We only found a burn mark that has Sterling's Cutie Mark in its design," Celestia said to her.

"Wait! A Cutie mark burn? *Gasp!* Just like the one that came from our Elements of Harmony in the Golden Oaks Library before Twilight became an Alicornian after fixing the spell that Starswirl the Bearded couldn't complete, thus turning into a Princess!" Pinkie jumped up and down in the possible hypothesis with some excitement returning to her.

"It is... quite... q.... quite-quite-quite," she repeated over and over again as a bright light had shined just above the tower of Twilight's Castle. In Ponyville. Luna had pointed at the light, causing the others to look at the same phenomenon that was now occurring.

"Come on, everyone! We need to get over there!" Twilight instructed to her friends and Princesses, flapping her wings up and down to pick up the speed for flight. Within a few seconds, the Council and the Princesses had descended towards the town of Ponyville from their own wings. Far below them, the Royal Elites had taken their own flight or run to the same destination.

"Last one to Sterling's home is a rotten dragon egg!" Brandon shouted out from the air-ship as Onyx snorted with his eyes rolled.

"But the first one to get there has to eat it," Rainbow shouted back, causing a minor race between the team.

"You're on!" they all shouted with a cheer as they all zoomed closer to the town.

(Sterling's House, 9:00 AM)

The river was now calm with the smallest current going at its own pace, peacefully granting the residence a sense of peace. The Dragon Vault had not been infiltrated. The food and drinks in the house had not been taken. And not a single bit of the furniture or appliances had been used at all. And even the bedrooms, where Sterling would more than likely keep his guests, should they even be desired to stay for a night, had not been entered.

The front yard had glowed up with a familiar silver aura that had blanketed the whole area with a great fog like magic that made the place look a bit mysterious.

Within a few minutes of this silvery fog dispersing, it had disappeared just as quickly as it came.

The Princesses and the Council of Friendship, along with five members of the Royal Elites, had taken their descent to the ground to see what was about to happen. An unfamiliar globe had illuminated the area, showing the silhouette of a person with a glow that even made Twilight shiver with anticipation.

"Sterling? Is... is that you?" Fluttershy gasped as she approached the man who was now showing his whole body without a glow.

Within a fraction of a second, all of the women, and the three men near them, had seen a sigh that they never saw coming from even a normal man. Sterling Caliber.... now had a pair of large, eagle-like wings that were silver in color. And his hands had begun to glow the same aura that every Magician had.

Sterling Caliber.... had now become.... an Alicornian.

.....

.....

*GASP!!!*

The gasp made Sterling come back to reality, seeing his loving ladies and the Princesses look at him with wide eyes.

"What? What is it? Is there something wrong?" Sterling asked them immediately, hoping that nothing was wrong.

"Why no, darling!" Rarity gasped happily. "It's just that... well... you've now got a pair of wings, Sterling-dear!" she then cheered, unable to contain her excitement as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Wait a minute, Rarity. A pair of wings? Now how could I--?" Sterling was about to ask before he felt something on his back. Quickly, he saw that the metal-colored feathers were indeed real. The wings were real. "Oh, sweet mother of the Goddesses!!! I have wings?!" he shouted out from the top of his lungs, surprised from what he was seeing now.

"Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, MY GOSH!!!" Rainbow excitedly chanted as she moved around the perplexed man. "Another new flying buddy? AWESOME!!!"

"Is this how all people look like when they've ascended into an Alicornian?" Applejack asked Princess Celestia who was near her.

"Indeed, for even a new Prince gets that look when they find out eventually," Celestia giggled at his face.

"A what?" Sterling gasped.

"Hold on a second!" Pinkie shouted before producing a glass of water. After taking a few gulps, she spits the rest out in a hilarious spit take. "A new prince?"

"That's right, girls. Not only has Sterling Caliber become an Alicornian, but he is now the Prime Royal Elite," Luna stated to the rest of the group. "The true leader of the Royal Elites, and the apex of true military wisom and power," she stated more to the group.

"Wait...." Sterling sighed out, causing the others to silence themselves. "Now I understand what Elitus Regium was saying when he said... 'You will become a greater Royal Elite than I've ever been'. But I didn't think that I'd become.... the Prime Royal Elite! Elitus was the first of us! How could this have happened?" Sterling then began to ask Celestia, hoping for the answer to be an easy one.

"It is because of how even the first, great Card-Summoner named Elitus Regium was not ready to take the responsibility of taking down the life of his former enemy when he was alive. And he never had the ability to stop him, even in the afterlife. But you, Sterling Caliber, had truly sacrificed your power as a Magician to stop the one evil that would have destroyed everything that is sacred in this world. Even at the cost of your own life. And it is with that knowledge, along with the wisdom of ages passed that Elitus was able to help you to become the Alicornian Prince of the Royal Elites. And as you learn both the responsibilities and the privileges of this entitlement, the world will bow to you, wherever you go," Celestia answered him with a monologue, hoping to clear the air of confusion that made Sterling a bit muddled. "The title of Prince, however, is one that must always be used for the purposes of the greater good. And even I believe that you truly understand what it all implicates, young Sterling," she smiled warmly to him as her hand rested on his shoulder.

Even with how his life was now changed for the better, Sterling was still anxious about becoming a Prince. And if anything, his behavior in the past had always said to the world that he was just a simple man. And then it hit him worse than what the machine did to him.

"If you start building a castle over my home or my new bar, Celestia, then I will not forgive you for that!" Sterling then declared to her. "My home and my bar are the only places that I am going to keep, despite whatever protest to the contrary will be used against me! I'm from Dodge City, and I will not allow even my garden to be upgraded to a terrarium!" he shouted out to her with a serious face, causing a few light gasps to be heard from the others.

"But--" Rarity was about to speak before seeing him raise his hand up.

"And to show how serious I am about my pride, I will use a portion of my money to create a large memorial for Shining Armor! He was able to fight with his life in order to protect his wife and child from the dangers of the world!" he further said against what would have been ordered by his equals. When he heard a giggle coming from Celestia, he looked at her with a confused look on his face. "And just what is so funny, hmm?" he asked her.

"Nothing that you need to be worried about, young Caliber," she calmly said to him, keeping her smile on her face. "The memorial will be built immediately. And I am more than happy to know that even with your new status as an Equestrian Prince, you would still keep your heart where it all belongs. As well as who," she pointed to the three ladies who had given a slight blush.

"Give me a week before I go to the Crystal Empire?" Sterling asked her before looking to his girlfriends.

"We'll see you there, Sterling," Cadence said as her wings took her to the sky above, followed by Celestia and Luna.

And as the ladies had waved goodbye to the ones flying in the sky, Sterling then remembered something that he was supposed to do.

"Say... Pinkie Pie?" he said to the curly pink-haired lady.

"Yes, Sterling?" she asked, curious as to why he was addressing her.

"I had almost completely forgotten.... to do this!" he said with a smirk before using a bit of his new wing power to glide towards the Equian baker woman. And before she was even able to react, Sterling had planted a full-on kiss on Pinkie Pie's lips. This action caused Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy to blush wildly as the animal caretaker had hidden her face while peeking through her fingers. Pinkie's eyes had grown as big as dinner plates from what was happening to her, but she quickly relented as her arms had wrapped around him to give him a kiss back to him. And when he parted from her, he stated: "That.... was for showing me the way to find all of you."

"Whoa, dude! And I thought you only had eyes for Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack here," Rainbow grinned, knowing the pouts on her friends faces were from jealousy.

"That's the absolute, Rainbow," Sterling nodded to her. "But that shouldn't stop me from doing what I wanted to do for our great friend here," he pointed back to his giddy friend.

"Is that true, Sterling? If... if you don't me asking, t-that is...." Fluttershy stammered at him, still feeling shy about what happened.

"Correct. I saw the note on the candelabra, along with this," he produced a small blue bow from his card pack. But before he could even try to speak even more about what was happening just hours before, he then felt his energy waning from him. And so, a large yawn had been produced. "But.... I think that we should just sleep through this whole day today. I'm tucked out, need sleep, need to... *yawn!* get my energy back. Just as all of you should."

As if on cue, the girls surrounding him were also just as depleted of energy as he was.

"Now that is a capital idea, my dear Prince," Rarity giggled tiredly.

"Again: don't use my title, girls. Just call me by my name," Sterling sternly said to them before he took the knob of his front door with his hand and opened it up. A few minutes later, Pinkie and Rainbow had taken a spare room that was closer to one of the other bathrooms while Twilight had taken another room. And when Sterling opened up the door to his room, he guided both Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy to his sides on his grand-sized bed. "Hey, girls?" he called to them in a whisper.

"Yes, Sterling?"

"Remind me to never do anything like that, ever again, will you?" he asked them as his eyes fluttered from how tired he felt from the battle that taxed his whole body. This made the girls at his side giggle before they each pinched on his nipples with a twist that made him grunt in the pain of the action.

"That was just so that you never do anything like that again, Sterling," Fluttershy giggled as her head rest on his chest.

"Eeyup," Applejack smiled with a girly chuckle.

"And you must promise us that you won't, dearest," Rarity cooed to him as she followed Fluttershy's lead.

"Not even on my new title, girls," Sterling softly said before the spell of natural sleep had hit him. And in the scene around him, the man and his three girlfriends were sleeping deeply.

And this was one of the many moments.... that he was always going to treasure for as long as he was alive.

*****

Chapter 12: An Elite Party, Part 1

Author's Note: This new chapter will begin a pair (or more) of chapters that will have more cheese in the romance than what most of us find in our sandwiches! Heh-heh-heh! Also, certain rules will be recited to describe how the relationship between the main character and the Main 6 will grow. And finally: There *will be a new adventure, but I've yet to become inspired enough to write it down. Please bear with me, my great readers and followers!*

Love y'all! :heart:

Chapter 12:

An Elite Party, Part 1

*****

The many months have passed by since the final conflict between the Rex Brutes and the Royal Elites. And it was now time for winter to come. The Running of the Leaves event had passed by with the citizens running even faster in the anticipation of the season to come.

When Sterling Caliber, now the Prince of the Royal Elites, had gone to the Crystal Empire, he held a memorial service in dedication to the fallen Prince named Shining Armor. The time during the day of mourning was indeed a sad one. And not just for the Princess named Cadence, or for the child named Flurry Heart who was still a baby. The fallen man's parents, and his sister, Twilight Sparkle, had also come to grieve. But even when the grieving was done, followed by a long party, the time to heal from the many wounds that the war inflicted would indeed take about more than a millennium to heal, if there was luck on their side.

But only Sterling could mourn for the one person that he still felt was needed to be mourned over:

Leviathan.

Even with his loving girlfriends trying to debate against mourning his loss, he still grieved for the creature that he really did consider to be like a younger brother. And he placed an unmarked pile of stones next to his parents' own tombstones at the graveyard near Dodge City. Eventually, his girls had agreed that even if Leviathan was not the most conventional of saviors, he was able to do his part in stopping what could have been the beginning of the apocalypse. And thus, save Equestria.

.....

It was now the 13th day of the month of August. Only one day to go until Sterling was able to celebrate a certain day that would come tomorrow: His 24th birthday.

And as he sat on a cloud, just a few tens of feet high above his home, during the afternoon hours, he was enjoying the sun that his now equal superior, Princess Celestia, was able to bring every day. But this was only because of how he wanted to relax himself.

During the months that passed by, he looked back to how he was able to do so much good for his hometown. And all before he could revel in the fact that he was now an equal to the same rulers that he always held in the highest regard. And given that he never was a person who followed politics at all, his new position was always putting him on the spot.

Recently, he was given quite a mouthful of words from some of the noblemen who wanted to pass a bill that would, in his perspective, give the same nobles the power to raise the taxes of the general income that all of the people in Equestria would have to go through. But instead, he was able to get the Sun and Moon Princesses to agree that the taxes should go against the nobles who proposed such an atrocious bill. And so it was passed that the nobles would have to make due with what they were going to get. This made the new Prince smile. And none of the nobles would dare to bring up a bill of taxes if he was around at any of the Courts.

"Hey there, stud," a voice called to him from a few inches away from his face. Sterling looked up from his place on the cloud and saw that it was Rainbow Dash calling him, hovering just a bit above him.

"'Stud?' What do you mean by that, Rainbow?" he asked her curiously as he pulled himself up to get a better look at her.

"Duh! Did you see the newest cover of Equestrian Vogue?" the Auran snapped at him while pulling up a bundled magazine to him. Sterling took the article from her hands and was able to confirm that the picture in front of him did have a shot of him in a semi-formal wardrobe. And he was in the center with the four Princesses of the land surrounding him. "They got the pictures and a few interview tidbits from the Princesses, but they weren't able to get a piece from you, hot stuff," Rainbow grinned at him.

"Again: 'Stud'? 'Hot Stuff'? Just where is this coming from, Rainbow?" he questioned her with his brow raised at her. "Is this your idea of a joke? And how does a magazine like Equestria Vogue get this picture of me?" he felt the need to ask, even though he felt his voice rise in anger, as happens whenever he wishes to interrogate a person.

"Dude, if I was joking around with you, you'd already know about it," Rainbow defended herself as her hands were raised up.

"Anything else?" he then asked her.

"I also think that you're quite a good looking guy, Sterling," the Auran sighed out embarrassingly. "Heck, if it weren't for the fact that you have three of my best friends in your love circle, I'd go out with you without regret or remorse," she also admitted to him with a blush on her face.

"But you don't wish for that, do you?" Sterling asked in concern for his great friend. During the months that went by after the last battle, Sterling was able to see that both Rainbow (who was in front of him now) and Pinkie Pie (who was at work at the moment) had been asking about him while talking to his great girlfriends. But just as he knew how much the Auran athlete and the Equian confectioner wanted to be with him, they did not want to officially become partners in his harem. And this was now being confirmed while he sat on his cloud.

"No, Sterling...." Rainbow sniffled. "Pinkie and I already talked to Fluttershy... *sniff* ...and Rarity about it, with Applejack coming in before we told them the truth," she added the last part before continuing her speech, "And they all agreed that you still hold a place in your heart for us, even if you don't feel the same way that you feel for them, right?"

"Oh, Rainbow...." Sterling sighed with his head shaking away from her. "You get over here, right now, and let me kiss you, okay?" he then suggested to her in a commanding voice that demanded a straight up answer.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa-- wait, what?" she stammered at him, bewildered by his order.

"Now!" he smirked in his small command. And when Rainbow complied by standing next to him, Sterling puckered his lips to  begin kissing her. And Rainbow could not believe that one of her best friends was actually kissing her. 'Now this... is just AWESOME!!!' she screamed to herself as her arms then wrapped around him without any regret. A few minutes passed by until Sterling stopped his kissing, allowing Rainbow to take a breath. "Feel better?" he asked her with a smirk.

“Yeah. I do, actually,” she replied as she started to feel the fire in her heart return. “Thanks, man,” she thanked him.

“You're welcome, Rainbow,” he said to her with his smile not leaving his face. “And I believe that there's a solution to this little dilemma,” he confidently stated to her.

“And what would that be, huh?” she asked him in the same confusion that came around a moment ago.

“I'd like to know as well, Sterling!” a voice then called out to him. The pair that shared an embrace soon saw the pink haired Equian floating in a machine that was made for hovering with balloons all over it. And even Sterling was able to recognize who it was at the wheel.

“Hi, Pinkie Pie!” Sterling waved at the Equian woman who was doing her best to stay in the air while waving back to him. “I take it that you liked seeing Rainbow get a kiss from me, huh?” he playfully teased her.

“Well, yeah,” she said to him plainly. “It was just so sweet to see Rainbow look so flushed after getting her kiss from you,” she giggled at Rainbow's expense.

“Oh, what do you know, Pinkie?” Rainbow nearly screamed out from her embarrassed state, to which Sterling nearly glared at her with cautious eyes. “Uh, I mean.... m-m-maybe you'd like to get a kiss from Sterling as well?” she asked her friend almost eagerly.

“Well, duh! Of course I want to get a kiss from Sterling!” Pinkie proclaimed to her friend.

“I'll cast a cloud walking spell for you if you wish,” Sterling said with a finger pointed at her.

“Gimme the spell, buddy!” Pinkie smiled. And thus, Sterling performed the spell with a small amount of his aura surrounding the Equian woman's feet. And as it was done, Sterling gave her the thumbs up to indicate that it was safe. And with a random form of momentum, Pinkie vaulted from the machine and hopped from the rim of the device that still stayed in place. And with a small tumble, Pinkie fell towards Sterling who had grabbed her arms instantly. As soon as she got to her feet on the cloud, she smiled at him once again. “Care to give a kiss to your friend? I know that we don't have a booth set up, but hey! It's all in good charity, especially if it's from a great friend of ours!” she had said while looking into his silver-colored eyes with a giggle in her voice.

“Whenever you're ready, Pinkie,” Sterling smiled back at her with a small lick of his lips as he puckered up for her. And just like that, Pinkie had taken her hands and cupped his face before moving just millimeters close enough to his face to nuzzle his nose. This allowed him to chuckle for a bit before he took the initiative by moving his right hand to her cheek as his lips had closed the small space between themselves. And just like with Rainbow, the kiss was short in time, but it was still as amazing for the both of them. When he parted his lips from hers, she gave out another giggle that made the others chuckle a little bit.

“Thanks, Sterling, I really wanted to do that with you,” she thanked him with a widening smile.

“You're welcome, Pinkie,” he replied to her.

“Now that was just beautiful, darling!” The new voice, as Sterling was able to notice, belonged to none other than Rarity, who along with Applejack, Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle, had seen the action being made by the man and the woman in front of them while on the ground. “And I do suppose that you heard both Rainbow and Pinkie say to you that they were in a dilemma regarding their relationship to you?” the posh lady had asked him with her eyes on him.

“I already came up with the best solution to the problem,” Sterling nodded to her as he then held both of the ladies besides him before taking his flight to the ground. His feet landed gracefully on the ground in front of the women who were joined at the walkway.

“Do tell, Sterling,” Twilight spoke to him.

“Article 11, Paragraph 2, Lines 4 through 6 of the Grand Quill Harem System: 'If the harem in question so happens to be in a situation where a potential applicant, or applicants, does want to be a part of the polygamous relationship, but without any desire to stay within the official circle, then the male of the harem'-- that's me-- 'must be willing, by the right of the vote of the main lady--' which is Fluttershy, if you don't know by now-- 'to allow said party to become a secondary harem. And thus, with said party in mind, the applicants in question must be willing to allow themselves, by choice, to become the mistresses, or consorts, of the lead male of the harem',” he recited from his mind while interjecting with a few notes to add to the recitation.

Twilight gasped. “So... Fluttershy has the right to allow both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie to become your mistresses?”

“Uh... y-y-yes... I do,” the timid woman nodded. “But I also had to think very hard on this, Sterling,” she said to her man. With Sterling's attention turned to her, she continued, "And I really do believe that Rainbow and Pinkie can be the best secondary harem ladies for you." Sterling could not believe his ears.

"By the Goddesses," the man sighed at her. "Fluttershy.... You're really stepping up to becoming a bolder woman," he commented to her with his smile growing bigger while his disbelief of his main girl's actions thus far was shortening. The reaction in turn was a giggle from the fashionista woman who made a slight, yet blissful sigh with Applejack following suit.

"That she is, sugar cube," Applejack said to him as she approached to give him a hug. The hug was immediately followed by a quick kiss after he said, "Hi, baby," to him.

"Hey, country Goddess," Sterling smiled with his own kisses to her lips, making the country Equian blush a little bit before they both parted after the kiss. "So! Pinkie? Rainbow?" he then called to the ladies at his right side.

"Yes, Sterling?" they responded at once, causing the both of them to giggle for a bit when they realized that they made the same reply at once.

"Would the both of you be willing to become my mistresses?" he asked them solemnly with his hands on the part of his chest that covered his heart while looking at them with a serious grin.

"I would love to be your mistress, Sterling!" Pinkie proclaimed to him with a bounce on the word that she emphasized. "And! You have my certified Pinkie Pie Promise that I, Pinkamena Diane 'Pinkie' Pie, will do my best to make you happy with me as your mistress!" she vowed to him as her left hand had done the motion while cupping her eye to complete the vow.

"I accept your vow, Pinkie," Sterling bowed with his head to her before calling her over with his finger. Picking up what he wanted, Pinkie hopped her way over to him and decided to give him a deep hug. The hug was then followed by a deep kiss that made Pinkie believe that the world was just like a dream. Even if it was showing a world filled with everything made of candies, pies and cakes in her mind for a little bit.

"Thank you, Sterling," she thanked him with a blushing smile.

"You're welcome, Pinkie," he said to her with his mood going up a little higher. "So now... Rainbow? Would you be willing to become another mistress for me?" he asked the Auran who had given a small grin from what she saw.

"You know what? YOLO!" Rainbow cracked a chuckle before nodding at him. And Sterling, in his ability to analyze what certain words or anagrams meant, urged her to continue. "But if I am going to be your mistress, then I must tell you: I'm going to do my best to make sure that our time together is awesome! Just like the kiss that we shared on your cloud!" she declared to him as she thumped her chest with her left fist. "Count on it!"

"Oh, I already know that, Rainbow!" he smirked at her playfully.

"Just shut up and kiss me, will ya?" she told him to do. And Sterling immediately obeyed her with his kiss on her lips becoming quite epic. At least, it was a lot epic in her mind. And Sterling was of the same mind, even though he knew that his best kisses would be given to his real harem girlfriends. "Thanks, dude," she then sighed, nearly out of her character.

"You're welcome, Rainbow Dash," he chuckled with her. The time had passed by for the duo to be parting from their embrace. And as he did, he was able to see Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy looking at him with warm smiles on their faces. Looking at Twilight, he was able to see a woman who was acting like a shy schoolgirl who never even had a kiss, or heard of what it always implied. He then found the right words to say to his equal, but he had to find a way to convince his girls that he wanted to give her the same kind of kiss to her. It was then that he had decided to call two of his present girls over. "Rarity, Fluttershy, huddle with me?" he called them over with his fingers motioning over to him. The girls then came over to him and lowered themselves in a small circle. But then, before he could say his idea to him, Applejack decided to join them. He could only nod with her wanting to know what was going through his head.

"Is there something wrong, Sterling-dear?" Rarity asked her man in her practiced whisper.

"Unless you count the big fact that Twilight looked a little nervous when I was kissing both Rainbow and Pinkie, there isn't," Sterling whispered to the ladies around him.

"Nervous?" Applejack asked.

"Like a schoolgirl who had never been kissed at all," Sterling replied.

"Oh, my! Um... is it something that you want to help her with?" Fluttershy hypothesized to him in her trademarked soft voice.

"Only if I have your permission, girls. Because I won't if you say no, but I feel that she needs to learn about kissing from us," he spoke to them with a determination being found from his heart. "Or maybe me," he added to the inquiry at hand.

"Ah say go fer it, but just be gentle with her," Applejack said approvingly with a hint of caution.

"And remember, darling: This might as well be her first kiss, so approach with caution," Rarity instructed him with a serious demeanor.

"And make sure that you... um, that is... make sure that Twilight feels good about it, okay?" Fluttershy requested of him.

"I will, my loves," he vowed to them as solemnly as he gave the motion for a group hug. The ladies around him then moved up to close in on him with their arms around him and each other in a deep embrace that allowed Sterling to give a small chuckle, knowing that he was going to give Twilight a small preview of what true romance was all about. "Twilight?" he called to the Princess who had yelped a bit from hearing her name.

"W-what? Did you, uh.... say something, Sterling?" Twilight asked him nervously. Sterling could only shake his head for a little bit. There were times that he wished that he was not right about certain aspects or quirks that other people displayed on a daily basis.

"Girls? May I have a few moments alone with Twilight?" he then asked his girls and new mistresses.

"Take yer time, Sterling-sugar," Applejack patted him on the shoulder.

"And don't worry, Twilight darling. Sterling only wants to see you about something, alright?" Rarity calmly said to her Alicornian friend who could only nod as her reply.

"And besides, we all need to get to our workplaces... right?" Fluttershy announced to the rest of the group.

"Right," Rainbow concluded, along with the rest.

Some seconds later, after being given a kiss on his left face cheek by Fluttershy and Rarity, Sterling had been left with no one but Twilight Sparkle, who was looking nervously at him while keeping her stance on the walkway.

"So.... Twilight," he greeted her with a small grin.

"Uh... yes, Sterling?" she responded to him.

"I don't suppose... you have been wanting to get a kiss from me?" he then said to her straight up as his finger pointed at her for a moment. The best approach, as he only utilized on rare occasions, was to get straight to what was going on in a person's mind. The look on Twilight's face was just... priceless.

Her face was now going through the biological defense that every person felt when they were confronted about the things that made them feel dreamy while also feeling burdened. A large blush had spread across her cheeks, turning into the shade of vermilion red. And that bright color was able to indicate to Sterling that she was wanting a lot more than being given just a kiss. A lot more. But as the Princess felt that she could not calm herself, and with the pressure of her real answer agonizing her heart, she then blurted out:

"IWANTTOBEAPARTOFYOUROFFICIALHAREM!!! AAAAAHHHH!!!"

With that scream made, she ran from her spot and tried to hide at the barrel that was at a large enough distance from the garage unit. But Sterling was not going to allow his equal to hide from him. And with a slow walk towards the barrel, the same one that he enchanted to be the entrance to his Dragon Vault months ago, he was able to deduce what was already going through her mind. At least, it was what he believed that Twilight was going through.

"Twilight, I know what it was that you just said now, before you decided to hide yourself at the door of my vault," he began his statement to her. "And if you really want to become a part of the harem, you need to speak to Flutters, Rares and A.J. about it. But as for why you feel embarrassed and scared at the same time.... I can definitely relate to what is going on with you," he kept on speaking. When he only heard a slightly muffled sound from her, he continued his speech.

"My girls already know about this part from my past: *sigh* When I was 18, my first crush was on Faith. The same Equian woman from my unit. And she was able to teach me how to summon my Ethereal Possessions when I first met her at the 17th Infantry Equestrian Marine base. But it was after I told her my true feelings about her that she had let me down easily by telling me that when I got my first kiss, it would have to be with someone that I knew, deep in my heart, I would be able to keep in my heart for a very long time. And what you are going through, right now, is nothing to be ashamed of." His hand had then touched the wooden lid of the fake barrel that betrayed Twilight's need to hide. "You fell in love with me when you realized that I was able to make three of your best friends very happy with me. And you desire that same happiness, don't you?" he then asked her as he placed his hand on Twilight's shoulder. But in a surprising move, Twilight jumped up from her place and wrapped her arms around him in a tight yet meaningful hug while crying loudly into his chest.

"Yes, Sterling! I never had anyone give me that kind of attention at all!" she cried to him with her voice smothered by what she was doing to her own face. "Will you please let me a part of your harem, Sterling?" she asked while still sobbing. "I just love you so much that it hurts! When you spend your time with your girlfriends, I start feeling like butterflies are in my stomach! And when I am talking to you, I just get so nervous about saying the wrong things to you! I just want to be with you!" she declared after lifting her face to look at him.

"Not for popularity, a rise in fame, or for the wealth that I have?" Sterling had to ask in order to find out if she was going to be true to him. And one of the rules that Rarity had established to him, to which he took to heart, was to ask that question in order to find out if any potential woman could be allowed into his life.

"I want you as a person, Sterling," Twilight sniffled as she looked into his eyes. "And if you allow me to be your girlfriend, I promise that I will make you as happy with me as you are with Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy," she vowed as solemnly as her two best friends, who had become his mistresses, had done.

"Then you better tell me why it is that you believe that Star Swirl the Bearded was the better Wizard than High Sparks the Magnificent?" he retorted to her with a new serious look on him.Twilight was able to hear, despite the facial expression that she saw from him, how he was just teasing her in his tone. It was subtle, but more than enough to rile her up a bit. And with a determined look, she began her statements to defend Starswirl's triumphs.

“Starswirl the Bearded was able to discover more than eight-thousand spells that almost all of the Magicians and Alicornians are known to utilize daily! But not only that, he was able to discover a portal that would lead him to many worlds! And many of those worlds were simply parallel to our own! And most of the spells that the truly great wizard found and documented became the standard curriculum that everyone in Magic School learns about during their youth! And along with his great discoveries, he was also able to teach many creatures, including the Leo-Gar Highlanders, how peace and harmony are much more desired than having an argument! So there!” she finished her statement with her tongue out at him.

“Oh yeah?” Sterling retorted to her.

“Yeah!” Twilight replied back.

“Well then... I can safely tell you that the only reason that Starswirl the Bearded was able to make those discoveries was because of how he was just so scramble-minded in his life, whereas High Sparks the Magnificent was able to keep a rational head with his discoveries!” Sterling began to speak. “During his time alive, High Sparks had discovered that most of the spells that Starswirl discovered were too complex for the normal Magician (just as we both once were, mind you!)! And as he was the one who was able to make things a lot simpler for any Magician, the Aurans were also able to learn how they are able to control the clouds that are a part of the weather that they are all scheduled to make for us Equestrians! Plus, he was able to even teach the worst of farmer Equians why it was that the ground of any farmland was not fertile for the normal crops! And it is through his teachings that we, the many races of the country of Equestria, (including us Alicornians) are able to pass our schooling with great honors in our souls! Burn you!” Sterling then shouted with his fingers pointed at her after ending his statement.

A few minutes passed by before both Twilight and Sterling had discovered that they were each getting on each others nerves with each others debating. So much so to the point that when Sterling had gotten close enough to Twilight, he whispered to her:

“Are you getting as turned on with this debate as I am?”

“I so want to make out with you with no stopping,” Twilight blushed while trying to keep a straight face.

“You wanna bet that I can last longer than you?”

“I bet that I can do better than you, Sterling!”

“You're on!”

From that moment, Sterling and Twilight began to kiss each other in a heated throe that had them both groping each other in their weak spots while keeping up the small competition with each other. Twilight then had the bold idea to wrap both her arms and her legs around him while smacking her lips to his wildly. And Sterling could only make her moan as she did for him while he held her in place. But as they did this, they had both felt a spark igniting in their hearts. And it was the same spark that had ignited Sterling's compassionate love for his other girlfriends. Just as it was the same spark that allowed Twilight to realize that loving a person for their flaws and strengths was all that she needed to know. The same emotion that the pair was feeling at that moment was more than enough to conclude that the competition was not needed at all, thus allowing their passion to be the drivers of their decisions.

Sterling had allowed both his hands, and hers, to touch the base of their wings in a massaging motion, causing them both to moan from how gentle yet firm they both were with each other. And this motion was soon followed by Twilight grinding her crotch on his in a slow and sensual motion that spoke to him about how she was wanting him like that. Despite how wet she was feeling, based on a certain minuscule sound that was heard from below, both of the Alicornians had kept going with their ministrations for each other. The man was already sitting on the lid of the barrel when he had Twilight on his lap. And she was pivoting her maidenhead on his rapidly growing social life, causing her desire to be fully known at that moment. And with his lips going to the collarbone near Twilight's neck, she nearly screamed out his name before she bit her lip to reduce herself to a mere shudder.

“Oh, Sterling.... I've been wanting to do this with you for a long time,” Twilight panted while she felt the man's hot breath creeping down her back, her skin creating goosebumps from how great the moment felt for her. She had a slight bit of knowledge that most men would rather get straight to the main event than to be sensual. But Sterling was quite the opposite of most of the men that Twilight had read about in some Goddess-forsaken tidbit. This man, with whom she was heavily making out with, wanted to help her feel safe while knowing that she was becoming very pleased with his part of the performance that they were each participating in.

“I know, Twilight,” he sighed to her while keeping his kisses on her neck before venturing further down to his new girlfriend's chest to give some gentle smooches to the small valley of cleavage that Twilight was presenting to her. But after a few smooches, his spine had shivered a little bit. But it was not from how hot he was feeling. It was something else. And Sterling then stopped to take a little breather as did Twilight. “But I take it that it's not just you who wants to become a part of the harem, correct?” he asked her, knowing that the same shiver was caused by a feeling that there was someone else who wished to be given the same attention.

"Quite correct, Sterling."

The familiar voice had not made him jump with fear. Instead, he only slowly let Twilight off of his lap, allowing the young Princess to compose herself after what had transpired between her and her new shared boyfriend. He had then felt the same shiver going through his whole body two more times before he turned his lips upward in a smile.

And right in front of his eyes stood three regal figures that had the same look of elated happiness that only a few women in his life were able to show him. The Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadence had appeared before him. Before Sterling could even ask what it was that his equals were wishing to say to him, Twilight had stepped over to Celestia and gave her a small peck on her cheek, to which the Sun Princess gave the same kiss back.

“And I take it that all four of you,” he pointed to them with two fingers from each hand at them all, “have talked to Fluttershy before you turned in some royal application into the harem?” he asked them with his militant tone starting to come back.

“'Twas a week ago when we conversed with the fair lady Fluttershy about our desire to be with th-- you-- in your beautiful relationship, young Sterling,” Luna nodded to him with a cute smile.

“We all spoke to her about why we all want to be your loving ladies, along with what we can all pledge to you if you accept us into your harem,” Cadence spoke to him with her own smile to him.

“And if you do, we all promise to not take up too much of your time, Sterling. Nor will we deprive you of what you desire more than your title,” Celestia nodded lastly in her own vow.

Sterling could only lower his head to them, pointing a finger up to the four Princesses in front of him in a motion for the ladies to wait for his final decision. On the one side, if he were to say no, then it would have been more than likely that the women would find a way to take away his title and power just because he said 'no' to them all. Or worse, banish him to the sun or moon while taking him down to a weak Equian state beforehand. But if he were to say 'yes' to them all, then it would only be that much better for his kind and loving heart. And his heart had so desired, long before he was a grunt member of the Royal Elites, to at least have the chance to court them into his heart.

The Prince had then made his decision by giving the 'ahem!' noise to indicate to the women that he was ready to speak to them.

“Ladies?”

“Yes?” they all spoke at once.

"Meet me at the Golden Pint, in the VIP Lounge, after 7:00 PM. And you need only bring yourselves, though a disguise shouldn't be hard for you three to make," Sterling began to instruct Celestia, Luna and Cadence with. "The reason I say this is because.... All that I desire... is to see my new girlfriends uniting with my original girls. And also because we both do not want to cause a stir with the masses that will want to drink to their heart's content." A chuckle then gave way to a soft laugh that caused the royalty to laugh as softly as he did.

"Make ourselves incognito, Sterling?" Luna asked him with a brow raised up. "How so?" she asked on further after he nodded to her.

"Not your personalities, but your appearances," Sterling answered her briefly. "And take these slips; they'll allow you to enter the VIP room when you present them to Ernie and Bernie." Sterling then produced three slips of paper with a purple wax seal to make them look like official invitations. "The two bartenders are twin Equian brothers who switch their jobs around for each other, but if any of them see the slips, they'll gladly accommodate you to the room. You three will be fine," he explained to the women in front of him.

"But, uh... what about me?" Twilight asked him quickly.

"You won't need the paper, seeing that they allowed you in the first time around. Plus, there's also the fact that you're the resident Princess who had approved of the place before I became an Alicornian, so uh... yeah, you're allowed in at any time at all," he explained to her with a smile.

Twilight's heart nearly melted when she heard those last words as her face had turned a slight pink from blushing.

"Would it be so bad if I just kiss you right now? Eep!" Twilight squeaked as her hands covered her face cutely.

"No, it wouldn't. But did anyone tell you that you look cute when you make that face?" Sterling retorted to her with a smirk as he moved up to her.

"Uh... w-w-well.... Rarity and Fluttershy would say something like that, but not you," she answered him meekly.

"Then allow me to say... that you, and the other Princesses that are standing on this walkway with me, will undoubtedly make a fine addition to the Caliber harem," he smiled before moving his face close to hers as he pulled her close to himself.

"Thank you," she whispered before allowing Sterling to kiss her once again. Granted, it was not as hot as before, but the romance was still there in the smooches that were exchanged between them.

After Twilight had received her kiss, she was nearly immediately parted from him as Cadence had been pulled up slowly to him. There were no words to say, but even the Princess of Love was able to see in his eyes that even though he was not the father of her child, Sterling would do his absolute best in his part with helping her raise her child to become a great Princess. The kiss that took place, after staring into each other's souls for a moment, had become all the more passionate. And as he felt the powers of the Love Princess flow through him while kissing her, the fire in his heart grew wilder. And Cadence was able to feel the same power coursing through her, nearly causing her to faint from his affection.

When Luna stepped up to the plate, so to speak, Sterling had begun to administer the same caring emotion by kissing her deeply. With all that Sterling was going through, despite having only kissed two Princesses before, he had felt that the same Goddess of the Night had given him (subconsciously on her part) a reason to go wild with his kisses. Moments later, the man had parted from her, leaving a dreamy state in her mood. And Sterling had no regret with leaving her that happy.

And finally, it was Celestia's turn. It may have been true that she had lovers from centuries ago, but none of them had ever shown so much devotion. Not only to her co-ruled country, or to her subjects, but to themselves with the same care that she had felt would go through her from him. And Celestia decided to lower herself so that she would be at eye level with him before allowing her own regal face to be kissed by her new lover. Before she felt the kiss, the man had embraced her into his arms to lift her up back to her taller stature. Sterling was hovering above his normal height to meet her gaze. And just like that, she felt his lips on hers. And in Sterling's mind, he had once again felt (as he did with the other royal women that he kissed) that his world had ground to a halt on his command. And the same loving passion that he felt from her, as she with him, was even more intense than the last time that he felt this way. But he was able to realize that it was Celestia's true emotions that he had felt.

When Sterling parted from her, he placed his feet back on the ground and started to finally breath, not realizing that the whole experience of kissing the lips of four royal Alicornian women was more than intense. With the same quartet looking at him with dreamy eyes, he was able to find the word that was able to describe the entirety of the whole situation:

"That.... Was.... Epic...."

(To Be Continued....)

*****

Chapter 13: An Elite Party, Part 2

Chapter 13:

An Elite Party, Part 2

*****

A few hours later, Sterling had completed the following the daily activities as listed: Taking his dog (Chancellor) on his walk, paid his bills for his house, gave a small portion of his money to charities & accepted the applications for four new harem mates and two mistresses. The last part was not in his activities, but he accepted the fact that his equals were now wanting to be in his now larger circle of love. He now waited for his harem to meet him at the bar, stopping his leisurely walk towards the entrance of the Golden Pint. He looked to the watch on his wrist, and it read 6:55 PM. It was a good five minutes until he was able to meet all of his girlfriends, both original and new, in the VIP room. So he decided to wait for a little bit.

He sat himself on one of the lounge benches outside of the establishment, just a few feet away from the main door, waiting patiently for his rather elite party to arrive. And the man had decided to take a breath of the night air that one of his new harem partners, Princess Luna, was able to raise the moon for the light of the changed time. And he was able to smile to himself freely. And with three of the Council of Friendship as his original harem girls, the four Princesses applying for his harem (to which he accepted with a controlled gusto), and the other pair of women in the Council becoming his new mistresses, he was really allowing himself to smile that gratefully.

He never would have thought that his new position would allow him to be arrogant. Or worse, turn him down the path that Blueblood had become an ugly slut to. And it was through his training as a soldier, a gentleman, and a kinder person that Sterling was able to receive the harem that he never dreamed of having at all. But he had started to think deeply, back into the beginning of his life. From the time that he was a child, to becoming a horny teenager, to becoming the man that he is now. He never lost himself to the blissful pleasure that most people lost in the stereotypical high school setting of an awful romance novel. Nor did he ever receive a gentle kiss from any royal person, or a vagabond lady, after rescuing them.  Mostly it was because of how he was only busy with making the Rex Brutes pay for what they had done to the world. And most of the world was thankful for it.

Sterling then remembered when Princess Celestia had decided, on the spot, to have him announce to the kingdom that even though the Royal Elites had been ready to fight every enemy that plagues the world, they would not do so unless the world had wanted to seek his help. And with the new position as an Alicornian, Sterling then announced to the people that unless the world of Equius was in turmoil once again, to which the people would desire their help, his soldiers (and any new recruits who would be found), along with himself, would only be among the people as the ordinary workers or nobles that still made the world turn. And so it was that the Royal Elites, until the world would call upon them to help, were honorably disbanded from the life of the militant life. And the same unit had moved on to much better things. And as far as Sterling knew, it was for the best. Quinn and Angel-Dust had gotten married a few months ago, much to Sterling's delight. Furious Axe and Grizzly had found love with one another. And Baltic Slate, his greatest ally (though second only to Brandon and Onyx) was able to find a girlfriend that he was able to travel with. Sterling could only chuckle as he then remembered how the Viking Prince was already engaged to a beautiful Valkyrie that was able to snag his heart with the swipe of her mace on one of the enemies cadavers while Onyx had gone back to making sure that his Dragoness wives had been pleased with him. And not just in the ways that are never to be spoken in a normal conversation.

“Sterling?” a soft voice said to him, snapping him out of Memory Lane.

“Hey there, Fluttershy,” he greeted the lady who he had recognized was in front of him. “I hope you didn't ta-aaaaakkkkee.....” The look on his face was priceless, to say the least.

Along with Fluttershy, there was also Rarity and Applejack with her. And along with them were the four Princesses who had accepted his invitation to join him in the bar. And the three Princesses who were asked to be disguised, if only for the sake of keeping their shared society in order, were also there. But what he saw from the visions of beauty had allowed his jaw to dangle from the base of his skull.

Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Celestia, Luna, Cadence & Twilight had all been dressed up in a semi-formal dress for each that was able to emphasize their own beautiful bodies. Gold and dark blue as the colors for the Royal Sisters' dresses, a hot pink shade for Cadence, a lighter shade of purple for Twilight, a cream-yellow dress shirt and skirt with a pink butterfly hair pin for Fluttershy, a purple and white uniform that had three diamond cut sapphires on a hair clip for Rarity, and a red-yellow-green dress with a red apple adorned ponytail for Applejack. And each of the dresses had hugged the bodies of his girls (both old and new) with enough cloth to keep them from making themselves look foolish in their eyes.

“By the Goddesses!” he exclaimed softly to them. “You're all....” Sterling was at a loss for words from how great they all looked.

“Are these clothes too much for you, Sterling?” Celestia, who was to be called 'Serena' for the event, smirked at him with a wicked grin.

“They all look great!!” Sterling shouted out to the women with his eyes clasped shut.

“It's not too much?” Rarity asked him.

“Not even! I love what you ladies put on!” Sterling shook his head before nodding his confirmation to them. This proclamation had caused the women to giggle loudly from how enthusiastic he sounded.

"Why thank ya kindly, sugar," Applejack said to him with her grin growing into a smile. "Rarity made these fer us, you know," she quickly added while pointing to her friend who had a slight blush on her.

"Like I said... I love what you girls put on yourselves," Sterling replied back just as quickly.

"Oh, go on, darling," Rarity giggled lightly.

"You're really making us blush," Twilight sheepishly spoke.

"I know, I know," Sterling nodded. "Now, uh.... what should we call you three in your disguises?" Sterling asked the other three women who were incognito.

"I was thinking.... Cady, Moonlight and Diana," Celestia had suggested for herself, her sister & her niece.

“Excellent. Now, how about I get all of you your drinks while you wait for me in the VIP lounge room. huh?” he suggested to them as he began to open the door with his hand on the doorknob. And as the door opened up, the background noise that every bar in Equius is known to play out had been heard from the inside. When the women nodded in reply, Sterling had motioned them all to come in. A few praises of being a gentleman, along with the 'thank you' replies, had been heard by him. Some seconds later, Sterling had moved up to the bar counter to order the drinks. When that was done, the women had already taken their seats in the VIP lounge room by how he couldn't see them on the ground floor.

Some time later, it was just ten til 8:00 on the bar clock. And Sterling was already making sure that he was only a bit buzzed from the alcohol. Thankfully, he had not taken so much of it that it would allow him to make a snap decision in regards to what would happen next after having some time with the women next to him.

“And I must tell all of you, my lovely friends, that our man will do a lot more than what you ask of him,” Rarity spoke to the Princesses near her. “Sterling is just an amazing person, and I happen to know for a fact that I'm more than honored to be one of his harem girls.”

“How so, Rarity?” Celestia smiled in her query to her.

“Yes, do tell,” Cadence wanted to know as well.

“Well, it just so happens that our shared man has been so devoted to the life that he's lived for, along with all of us in this circle, that our darling gentleman will make sure that all of us are not only protected, but also served and loved with the same heart and soul that has made all of us fall more in love with him,” Rarity clarified from her point of view. “And... perhaps, even more so... than when we all fell in love with one another,” she added to the topic while holding Fluttershy's hand in her own as she looked at her.

“Yes.... and we really do love him,” Fluttershy whispered loudly enough for all of the women to hear her.

“Ain't that the truth,” Applejack grinned while looking at the man who smiled back.

“I love you ladies,” Sterling said to them all with a firm nod. “And I really will do my best to make sure that all of you are taken care of.... in every way.” His hesitation was used for a moment to clarify to himself that his words were coming from his heart, not his loins.

“We love you too, Sterling,” Fluttershy spoke up for the rest. “And we will still keep the promise to never allow ourselves to compete for your time and heart,” she added with her own little speech to him.

“So uh.... Rarity? Fluttershy?” Twilight began to ask her friends.

“Yes, Twilight darling?” Rarity responded.

“Would it... um... w-w-would it be alright if I kiss him here?” she asked sheepishly.

“I say go right ahead, Twilight,” Sterling smiled at her.

“Please do,” Fluttershy nodded.

And after hearing those words, along with seeing the nods from her new partners, Twilight moved close to Sterling. And he puckered up his lips before he said, “Hope you're ready for a great kiss, Twilight.” to her.

“I'm ready,” she sighed to him before closing the space with a big kiss on his lips. Sterling was able to reciprocate the same gesture by having his hands wrap around her waist while Twilight wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She cared not for the women around her who had just looked at her with an approving look on them, nor did she care for who else might notice them. All that she wanted, at that moment, was to feel his lips on hers. With the kiss getting hotter, Twilight had decided to ask him, without speaking to him, to take the kiss even deeper by prodding her tongue on his lips. Sterling was immediately able to pick up on what Twilight desired and opened up his mouth a bit to allow Twilight to stick her tongue into his mouth. With his expertise, the tongue that was inexpertly invading his mouth was soon wrapped up by his own, helping Twilight out with the passionate dance of the wet muscles. The both of them were soon panting while keeping up the assault on each others tongues in the kiss while the other Princesses were trying to figure out whose face was which. But then, their attention had been turned by Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy. And the women in front of them had begun to wrap their bodies around the torsos of the Princesses.

While keeping her seat, Fluttershy had wrapped Luna in a passionate hug that followed a deep smooch, to which Luna was more than surprised, that had allowed the pair to become lost in the throes of hot and sensual passion. And with all of the experience that she was able to remember from her times with Sterling, Fluttershy had started to gently grope her favorite Princess' breasts, as did Luna with her new partner's beautiful mounds. Rarity had begun to sit herself on Celestia's lap before allowing her own kisses to be given to the same Sun Goddess that she always admired from afar. And as the fashionable woman began to do her part of the initiation activity with Celestia, the same royal Alicornian had begun to lightly grope the hips that were slowly grinding on her own legs with a set of moans that stirred them to keep going. And as they did so, Applejack and Cadence had started their own grinds and gropes while they passionately made out with each other.

“I pray you to tell me... mmm.... Fluttershy.... why you wanted to give me this affection-- Ooh-ah~! -so suddenly?” Luna asked the affectionate Auran caretaker as the hot breath and tongue from said woman had crawled around her neck and jawline.

“When we first met,” Fluttershy began with a slight moan, “I always wanted to let you know how much I love your nights. They may be a little scary, but.... I wanted to tell you how great your stars and moon are,” she finished before softly nuzzling her face with the Night Princess' beautiful breasts. “Plus... um, i-if you don't... mmm...mind me saying, th-that is.... I....” Fluttershy trailed off as her face then rested on top of Luna's chest mounds.

“Yes, Fluttershy?” Luna inquired as she saw another blush on the usually timid woman's face.

“I... um... I always wanted to know what it was like to kiss a Princess,” Fluttershy admitted to the royal woman as her face went up to hers to meet her with a kiss.

“And…. perhaps more?” Luna further inquired.

“Yes,” Fluttershy squeaked before finding the ability to calm herself enough to clarify what she really wanted to say. “But, uh.... o-only if you want to, because I just can't force someone to love me--- mmm?” Fluttershy was cut off as Luna had bravely taken her tongue and glided around the jaw of her mouth to explore the erotic nature of the Auran with whom she was kissing before.

“Just as I pledge my undying love for Sterling.... I too will love you, young Fluttershy,” Luna promised as she looked into her eyes with a burning desire of wanting even more from her.

“And I pledge the same vow with you, Rarity,” Celestia replied while giving a few smooches to Rarity's breasts, to which the fashionista had shuddered from the expert touches.

“Aah~! Th-Thank you, Celestia....” Rarity sighed after feeling the Sun Princess' tongue slowly licking her cleavage.

“And Ah'm gonna make sure that y'all are happy with us, Cadence,” Applejack promised as well while lightly grasping her hands on the Love Princess' lower cheeks as her lips kissed her lips.

“And I accept your vow, Applejack,” Cadence smiled with her own affection being returned to the farmer Equian.

“This really makes me happy,” Sterling grinned at the women around him.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked him.

“Seeing my original girlfriends having some affection time with my newest girlfriends? It doesn't get much better than this,” Sterling answered with his gaze on the women not moving an inch.

“Well, now,” Celestia looked at him with a mischievous smile. “If you treat us all well, you might see more of this. And with much more than just kisses, licks and gropes,” she informed him with her lips kissing Rarity's left face cheek.

“You still remember that I love all of you, right?” Sterling plainly asked them all as he finished the rest of his third drink.

“We do, Sterling,” Luna replied. “And we all love you too.”

And all that could be done, after a few more minutes of the light make-out session, was to keep their drinks coming until they wanted to leave.

(…..)

An hour later, the eight people, who were originally in the VIP lounge at the Golden Pint, had all decided to leave the place after having taken a few drinks for themselves. And Sterling, being the gentleman that he was, had decided to let them know that they're drinks were all free for them as they walked down from the entrance to his home. Rarity, given that her share of the wine was taking a bit of a toll on her body, wanted to let Sterling know that he was just a great person to be around.

“Oh, Sterling, my love,” she began with a little slur in her speech. “I cannot even begin to tell you how much I enjoy your company-- *hic!*-- Oops! Pfffttttt-Aahahahaaa!! Oh, goodness! I've had a bit to drink tonight, didn't I?” she giggled childishly.

“Indeed, though it was only two glasses of red wine that you had,” Celestia giggled as well.

“And I am happy that I have all of you to drink with,” Sterling simply replied to the women, including the likely drunk Rarity who was right about ready to laugh up a storm from how great she was feeling before. If it wasn't for the fact that all of the red wines in the world all had a powerful aphrodisiac in them, Rarity would not have been able to take up the courage to kiss her favorite Princess. And Fluttershy was feeling the same effects from her share of the red wine, leading her to truly believe, from her heart, that Luna needed to be given the same affection that she gave her more than an hour ago.

“Um... Sterling?” Fluttershy softly spoke up to him, prompting the man to stop to look at her.

“Yes, 'Shy?” he responded.

“Do you think that.... um, that is, if you don't mind me saying this....” she blushed at him with her voice trailing off for a moment. When she composed herself, she then took a deep breath and asked: “Do you think.... that we could end the night with a very happy ending for all eight of us?” After hearing what she asked, Sterling's face had turned into the familiar shade of vermilion red. He knew exactly what his girlfriend was asking of him.

“Fluttershy!!” he gasped loudly to her, awestruck by his girlfriend's intentions.

“Oh, my goodness!” Rarity also gasped just as loudly by how daring her loving partner was.

“Who-wee, girl! Ya want us to go there that badly, don't ya?” Applejack added to the surprised tones of the others.

“What? Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!” Fluttershy whimpered as soon as she realized what she said to them. “I'm so sorry! I am sorry, Sterling!! I didn't mean to ask it like that! Really!! You got to believe me!” she apologized rapidly. Sterling could only do one thing in order for the woman to stop her sad ramblings. “Please, Sterling! Please don't think back badly of me!” she kept pleading before she felt his hands grip her shoulders lightly before looking up to see Sterling look at her with a stoic face. The next thing she knew, Sterling was passionately kissing her. And this kiss, as she was able to feel from him, was one that allowed her to find out that she was not supposed to be apologizing to him. But instead, she had found that her man was wanting her to follow through what she had in mind. And after a few minutes of the kissing had passed, Sterling and Fluttershy had gotten themselves from making fools of themselves.

“What say you, my lovely babes?” Sterling imposed on his girlfriends with a smirk.

“I'm in!” Twilight said with her hand raised to the sky.

“As am I,” Rarity said as well.

“And I,” Luna counted her vote.

“Ah ain't gonna be left out, y'know,” Applejack grinned.

“And I am ready, too,” Celestia confirmed with all of them.

“Fluttershy?” Sterling started to ask while holding out his hands to her. “Do you want to follow through with the idea?”

The Auran animal caretaker had looked at his hands and blushed just as red as he did. But she took it upon herself to make sure that the night would end on a high note.

“Let's do this,” she softly said with a braver tone. A moment later, Sterling then raised his right hand fingers to air to allow them to glow up the silvery aura that he had used only so few times. “Um... what do you, uh.... what are you going to do, Sterling?” she asked him with her curiosity growing.

“Here we go, everyone,” Sterling only said before the light from his magic moved around the women and enveloped each of them with a circle. A second later, all eight of the people had been teleported, via magic, to Sterling's living room. The women were quite shocked that Sterling was able to save them a few moments of time with his new spell.

“When did you learn how to teleport? And also, how did you get all of us into your living room?” Twilight asked while keeping her surprised eyes focused on his face. “It takes a lot of years for any Magician to learn how to move to a place with a lot of people,” she commented along.

“You should remember, dear Twilight, that Sterling here is now an Alicornian, just as you are,” Celestia reminded her. “And the both of you were Magicians before ascending into an Alicornian Prince or Princess.” Twilight could only slightly blush from hearing her former mentor saying that bit.

“And even a Card-Summoner, such as myself, has a lot to learn about teleportation spells, beautiful,” Sterling agreed while he motioned all of them to join him at the couches near them. They comply to his gesture by taking their seats and get a little comfortable with one another. Rarity was seated between Applejack and Princess Cadence on one couch while Celestia and Luna had taken their seats at Twilight's sides at another couch. And Fluttershy had taken a chair that was just a few feet from Sterling's recliner.

“Would you stop calling me that?” Twilight squealed in embarrassment as she hid her face in Celestia's shoulder while getting comfortable.

“Not gonna happen, because you are just a beautiful lady,” Sterling remarked. “As are all of you,” he quickly added, much to the delight of the other women in the room as he sat himself down on his recliner chair.

“Why thank ya kindly, yer Highness,” Applejack half-joked in her reply.

“You are quite welcome, my country Goddess,” Sterling chuckled back with a half bowing gesture. Applejack could only respond to that by lowering her head to meet his for a quick kiss before returning to her seat on the couch. “Now, then. *ahem.* My proposal to all of you... is that we find a way for all of you gorgeous ladies to... explore how deep your love is for each other,” Sterling began to say to them. “But before that can happen, I believe that Twilight will be in more need of getting comfortable with the situation than the other three sovereigns in here.”

“And how are we going to do that, Sterling-dear?” Rarity asked with her hand out to him.

“Well... I think that Twilight here is in need of a critical for an educational experience that will definitely help her out with what I am wanting to propose to all of you,” Sterling pondered for a moment before replying to the seamstress near him as he pointed to Twilight from his seat. “And the best way that I know to get you,” he looked to Twilight with a half serious look, “to be comfortable with all of this... is if you allow your feelings for Celestia, Luna and Cadence to become known to them. And us, too,” Sterling nodded sternly to her.

“My feelings for.... Celestia, Luna and Cadence?” she asked as her blush felt even hotter.

“Sterling?” Celestia raised her hand. “If I may?” she asked him politely.

“You may, my love,” Sterling complied.

“Thank you, Sterling,” she thanked him with a smile. “Twilight,” Celestia began to speak to the blushing Princess who had looked at her in compliance. “It had already come to my attention... that you have a bit of a girl crush on me. And this little amount of information was shared by Rarity,” she pointed to the seamstress who nodded back. “And it is in my best intentions.... to let you love me. But the same love must not be limited to just Sterling or myself. But instead, you must be able to love the other women who are with us at this moment,” Celestia started to instruct her. “But also... you must not only just love us, but you must also be allowed to love yourself. For no relationship, even if none of them are perfect at all, can ever survive if a person cannot love themselves. But that same love must also not be so big that you would toss someone aside because of how you want to feel good. Does this make sense, Twilight?” she then asked him after taking a moment to collect herself.

“Yes, Celestia,” Twilight smiled at her. “My actual love for my friends had reached an all time high when I felt Sterling's kiss on my lips. And I just love him for being the best person that I can keep in my heart. And with that said.... I'm ready to take my love for my friends to the next level,” she soon said as her hands joined with Celestia and Luna's hands. The other Princesses had taken their hands into hers and began to grin at each other before they each had the idea to give her a kiss on her cheeks. They simultaneously pressed their lips on both Twilight's face cheeks, causing Twilight to squeak a little bit before allowing the emotion behind the small pecks to flow through her.

“You were supposed to say 'last' level, Twilight darling,” Rarity chimed in with a cute, refined giggle.

“L... 'last'? What are---?” Twilight stopped herself before she remembered that Sterling was wanting to take the final step of their loving relationship with her. “Oh! Oh, right! I, uh.... heh-heh... I must have forgotten that part. Sorry, Rarity,” she quickly apologized to her friend.

“Oh it's perfectly alright, darling. It's only your first time after all. And all of us, including our hunky man here,” Rarity pointed to the man at his seat, “want to make sure that you are given the very best experience with all of us,” she erotically whispered from that one word.

“So, um... Sterling?” Fluttershy moved her hand to the seated man's shoulders.

“Yes, Fluttershy?” he replied back.

“I think... that we should take it to the bedroom. Th-that is... if you don't mind at all,” Fluttershy cutely suggested to him.

“Now that is a wonderful idea, baby,” Sterling said with his thumbs up to her. He then looked to the women around him and suggested the same thing to the guests in his living room. “I definitely believe that we should go to my room for the start of the upcoming event. But what say all of you, hmm?” he asked them in his notion to them.

“Ah want in,” Applejack spoke with her hand up.

“Me too,” Cadence raised her hand.

“As do I,” Rarity agreed.

“Don't count us-- I mean, me-- out,” Luna smiled after quickly correcting herself.

“And I wish to participate as well,” Celestia stated proudly. The ladies then turned their attention to Twilight, who had been given a chance to give herself over to them all.

“I'm ready,” Twilight finally said, closing the unanimous vote.

“Then how about we all take our time to ready ourselves for the activity that will fully consummate our new relationship,” Sterling suggested once again. When he saw them all nod while rising from their seats, Sterling then rose up from his chair and said: “If any of you need to use the restrooms to relieve yourselves, as well as get dressed into something a lot more comfortable, the time is now.”

“Will we see you in the master bedroom, then?” Cadence called to him in her practiced indoor voice.

“You certainly will,” Sterling confirmed to her. The group then parted from the living room to go to the restrooms on the same floor, leaving only Sterling to leisurely look at the rears of his new girlfriends. When he was satisfied that none of them could hear him after seeing them disappear for that needed moment, he whispered to himself, “Those rears.... are just as beautiful to look at as their breasts are. You really are a poor guy who just got lucky.”

Luck has nothing to do with the situation that you are in right now, a familiar voice spoke up. Sterling was able to recognize the voice, which belonged to none other than Prince Titanium Heart standing just ten feet away from him. The women in this home of yours are all in love with you. And you feel the exact same way with them. And I chalk it up to nothing more than believing that you have a heart that even exceeds mine, the young looking royal ghost said to him happily.

“That's one way to look at it,” Sterling sighed heavily. The ghost of the Titanium Prince was able to figure out what his Ethereal Possessor was implying with those words.

You are worried for them. And you are worried that the love in your heart may not be enough for all seven of the visions of beauty who are now giving themselves a needed breather in your restrooms. And the feelings that you have right now are not a weakness to be scolded at for having, nor should it be laughed at. And you feel this worry a lot more than any man in this whole world, because of how your heart had always led you to do the most reckless things that no one had ever done. But now that you have grown up, and with how you are in a higher position than you've ever dreamed about having, the same reckless actions cling to you as a reminder that you are still young, Master Caliber. And need I remind you how you came to become our Possessor, Titanium smirked at his reminder to him.

“I'm still happy that I was able to meet all three of you,” Sterling simply said back to him.

And us with you, Master Caliber. But the point that I am hoping to convey to you is that you have nothing to be ashamed of any longer. And you also have nothing to fear from the women who are waiting for you to take this... 'final step', as you so call it. And so, I must tell you, my young Master: Do not allow them to be given any reason to break away from you. Take only the good in this renewed relationship... and make it all yours to share with them all.

“You know.... you're right, Heart,” Sterling smiled widely at his otherworldly friend's words. “I am ready to show them my love! Thank you,” he thanked the ghost.

You're welcome, Master Caliber. Now go get them, you scoundrel! Titanium saluted with a cheer to him before he disappeared on the spot. And with that said and done, Sterling's heart, combined with his growing desire for the women in his home, had begun to feel more heated than anything else that could ever take his soul to higher level of passionate desiring.

(To Be Continued.....)

Chapter 14: An Elite Party, Part 3

Chapter 14

An Elite Party, Part 3

*****

With the snap of his fingers, he had teleported himself to his room with a small flash of light. But as he looked to the mirror on his wardrobe, he had stopped himself from immediately stripping down to his birthday suit. He then remembered, as his fingers stopped at the top hem of his t-shirt, that if it was to be a spectacular time for all of the participants who were to take the final step into their relationship, he needed to set the mood. Luckily, as he always made it a point to remember, his tools for setting the mood just right were in his card pack. And the same pack was on his nightstand.

With a small clicking noise, Sterling pulled up a card from the pack and summoned his aura to surround the card. He was able to note that the same card that he pulled out had both candles and a cherry red see-through cloth within the contents. With a small amount of magic used, he was able to pull up eight large candles that had a glass container in them. Along with those soon to be lit up decorations, he pulled up the same cloth to place it over the alarm clock lamp that told the time for him. It read 9:25 PM. Five minutes of preparations was all that he needed.

Sterling used his levitation spell to lift up and hover the candles to go all around the room, with a majority of them on the top of his wardrobe. He then placed the transparent, red colored cloth on top of the lamp to give the lighting of the room a more romantic setting. As soon as the cloth was on the edges of the top of the lamp, the light had given off a bright red glow. This set his loins, along with his heart, to become aflame with the desire to take the ladies into a new level of the romantic games that he only shared with Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack at that one time before he fought with his soldiers. And after looking around, he saw that the candles were unlit. With a quick snap of his fingers, the wicks of the candles lit up from a small fire spell that helped set the mood. Some seconds later, the same items gave off a cacophony of scents that were able to both calm and excite him at the same time. Sterling then smiled to himself as only his pants, his shoes and his socks were slowly taken off to reveal only his boxers and t-shirt.

“Ooh! Take it all off, sexy man!” a voice whispered from his door. He turned around again to see that it was Fluttershy who made the teasing comment to him. She was already in a bath robe with her pink hair done in a ponytail while seeing the butterfly designed hairpin on her.

“Not just yet, my sexy lady,” Sterling shook his head with a small chuckle that he allowed to get out. “Besides, I'm sure that all of you will be teasing me with something that I've not seen from all of you,” he laughed a bit while facing her.

“Oh, uh... hmmhmmhmm! Y-yes, Sterling... We do have a little show for you to see,” Fluttershy giggled to him.

“Should I close my eyes then?” he asked in anticipation of the inevitable show that he might see.

“Yes, if you please,” she nodded to him. “Just keep them closed for us, okay?”

“Okay,” he replied as his hands closed his eyes.

“No peeking now.”

“Just say when.”

A moment of silence passed by for the two of them before Fluttershy could speak up to the ladies behind her.

“Alright, everyone. Let's do it.”

A spell, as Sterling was able to hear from some tings in the air, had begun to be used by one of the women who were now entering his room. After those small noises, some classical music had played in the background. This got him quite curious until he felt his body being enveloped by an aura that was not as familiar to him as he would believe it to be. And the same enchantment had lifted his body slowly before his body became horizontal in the room. A second later, he was able to feel the blanket covered mattress on his back while feeling his whole body being freed of the confines of the magic that had held him down. Before he could do anything, some of the magic that was leaving him had begun to reveal that a blindfold was wrapping around where his eyes were covered before.

“It seems that none of you want to show any restraint, huh?” he chuckled to whoever was listening.

“I'm afraid not, Sterling,” Celestia, as he was able to hear, confirmed to him with a rather sultry tone. “But you don't need to worry about being blindfolded for much longer now,” she then confided to him.

“How so?” he asked.

“We first want to do a little experiment on you, young Sterling,” Luna, as he also confirmed hearing from his place, thankful that he was not made deaf. “If you can guess who is who without seeing us, while we ravage you with some heavy petting and deep kisses, then we will know how much you want us, lover,” she explained to him with her tone dripping with lust for him.

“Ooh! An erotic guessing game, huh?” he grinned with a husky voice. “I'm in!” he said to the women who were just as eager as he was. “But I have to ask: If I don't get any of the answers right, will I be punished?” he asked them with his hands up to the head board of his bed.

“Oh yes, darling!” Rarity growled lowly with her voice also desiring to allow herself to do what she wanted with him.

“And here I am, an innocent man being blindfolded by seven Goddesses of Equestria. I've been a bad man today, so I must face the consequences!” he theatrically played out in a faux desperate voice before chuckling a little bit. This set off a few giggles from all of the women.

“Indeed you must, Sterling,” Celestia agreed in the show that Sterling was making.

“Get 'im!” Applejack shouted out to them. As soon as that was done, Sterling had been playfully attacked by seven bodies that surrounded him in a heartbeat. “And don't ya let him escape now!” she commanded the other women. But instead of words, the four Princesses and three members of the Council of Friendship had begun to kiss and pet him, heightening his pleasure from how he did not know who was going where. But his shirt had been removed by a pair of hands that made him believe that one of them did not use magic. He paid that detail no mind as he then felt his boxers being taken off of his pelvic area. Within that second, his already hardened member began to rise up after being freed from its imprisoning confines. The ladies who had him surrounded gasped loudly at his surprisingly readiness.

“Now that is just a wonderful sight, isn't it, Cadence?” Rarity asked the Princess near her, already anticipating what was about to happen.

“It's even bigger than my... well, you know,” Cadence sighed at the last part.

“Remember that we are all Sterling's ladies, my niece. You need not dwell in the past, for we now belong to Sterling, just as he belongs to all of us,” Celestia calmly said to her relative who took a deep breath in and out.

“You're right, Auntie. I'm ready for this,” Cadence nodded, although Sterling could not see. But from the tone that she had, he was able to deduce that she really was eager to get the game started.

“Shall we continue, my lovely ladies?” Sterling suggested immediately.

“We shall,” all of the ladies said just as quickly. And just like that, the assault of pleasure progressed on.

Two pairs of mysterious lips had begun to kiss his neck while licking and nibbling on his ear lobes and jawline, earning a small groan of delight from him. The same pleasuring administrations were also felt as his chest was wrapped around by a pair of legs that somehow had breasts pressing to his chest. Another pair of lips had kissed his lips with very deep, tongue infused smacks that allowed him to pant heavily. But the pleasure did not stop there. His legs were also being lightly groped and massaged on while his whole midriff was also being given the erotic massaging. But what really got his pleasure to go up into a greater height was how his shaft. was being sucked on by a mouth that spoke of inexperienced but eager desire. The same mouth had then begun to become a lot smoother with the bobbing on his whole member. And at a perfect ten, Sterling was quite happy with what was being done to him.

But as he felt the jolt of pleasure in his loins from the blowjob being given to him, he had also felt some grinding on his body. And for the last few minutes of the game, he was able to hear a concert hall symphony of lustful sounds from all seven of the women that he truly knew to be just Goddess-like. The same sounds, along with the grinds of his partners hips on his body, had heightened his desire by tenfold. And he was eager for release. Instead of slowing down, Sterling decided to let them all know, without a word spoken to him, that he wanted to be released of the pressure that he was now feeling the build up with.

“Go ahead, Sterling.... you can cum in her mouth,” Rarity calmly, yet huskily, told him. Whoever it was that was bobbing up and down on his shaft, he was going to please them with his seed. And before he could try to reply, his threshold had broken down as the release that he desired had finally arrived. Jet upon jet of his sticky white seed had shot out of the shaft and into the waiting mouth of whoever was about to receive his gift. And after a few gentle squeezes were made on his sack in order to milk him of his cum, Sterling sighed out in the bliss of the foreplay as he felt like he was glowing from all that had happened. Some minutes later, after composing himself from the pleasure, Sterling had felt the blindfold being removed with magic. His eyes had to adjust to the lighting of the room that he was cut off from seeing, thus being blinded for a moment before his peripheral vision was corrected.

“I think.... I know.... who was doing what,” Sterling panted as he looked to the women who had small grins on their faces.

“Do tell, Sterling,” Rarity teasingly prompted him to speak.

“Okay....” he nodded before taking in a breath in and out of his lungs. “The ones who were holding my legs down with a lot of sucking near the pelvic area were you and Applejack. The ones who were massaging on my chest were Cadence and Luna. Fluttershy and Celestia were on my face, lips and neck. And finally....” He took a moment to confirm it to himself. But even if the answers were wrong, he would still have a great time with the women. “The one who sucked my manhood.... was Twilight.” He took another moment to look at the women in front of him who all had the same look on their faces. “Right?” he asked them.

“Absolutely correct, Sterling! That was just.... amazing!” Twilight cheerfully confirmed to him as she jumped up for a bit before she felt her wings pop up from her back, causing her to hover above the ground for all to see.

“Now-now, Twilight darling! No need to show your excitement!” Rarity giggled at her friend.

“Yes there is, Rarity! He was able to figure who did what for him,” Twilight defended herself while acknowledging the man in the room.

“But how did you figure it all out, Sterling?” Cadence asked him with her face still looking down at his semi-hard manhood.

“Twilight so happens to be just a bit inexperienced with how to please a man here,” he pointed to his shaft which was growing back up while looking at Twilight who had pouted out to him. Before he even realized it, he still had his eyes closed. Upon opening them, he saw a sight that allowed his jaw to metaphorically drop to the floor as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Each of the ladies.... were stark naked. No lingerie on them, no undergarments, nothing was on them. “But I can forgive her for that, because it was her first time applying what she learned from her books,” he nodded to her. “Now... Fluttershy loves giving me some of the kisses that have a great tongue dance with them. Applejack and Rarity kept my legs and hips down so that I didn't buck my hips up to Twilight. And Cadence, Luna and Celestia had found out that being licked on my goose-bump inducing spots was able to keep me on my toes, so to speak,” he finished deducing to them all.

“You got it all figured out, Sterling.... so now, the reward to you is as promised,” Luna smiled at him as she walked up to him before allowing her mouth to fully enclose around his in a hot Prench kiss. When she parted her lips from his, Luna then beckoned Twilight to step forward. “Because Twilight is a virgin, she felt that her first time should be with you, young Sterling,” Luna spoke to him with a naughty smile on her face. “Thus, she volunteered herself to be the first girl for you to please before you get to the rest of us,” she explained while lightly groping Twilight's cheeks, inducing a moan that escaped her throat.

“Will you be gentle with me, please?” Twilight nearly pleaded to him before she felt his muscular arms wrap around her waist as he pulled himself up to kiss her as deeply as he did with the other women in his room.

“Twilight, if I wasn't gentle, then I would more than likely to have been kicked out of my hotel suite by Fluttershy and Rarity, along with Applejack here,” he began to say to her after parting his lips from hers. “And I will move at a pace that is easy for you, okay?” he said with a calming tone to her. “I promise that I will be gentle with you.”

*smooch!*

“Thank you, Sterling.”

Seconds later after that kiss came, their mouths went at it again. Even though there was a small salty taste in her mouth, he was more turned on by how Twilight had swallowed his first byproduct. And from the sounds that Twilight was making, she was just eager to allow her first time to be with him. He then had an idea that sparked up from his head. His actions from after kissing her for a while then led to her being slowly pulled towards him. Picking up the notion that he had in mind for her, Twilight moved over to make it so that she was on the mattress while Sterling's hands cupped a feel for her triple C-cup breasts. His gentle motions had made her shiver from the excitement that coursed through her whole being while her new harem leader had begun to lick her right nipple with a sensual circle that made the same nub stick out a little more while his hands massaged the left tit.

“Oh, Goddesses!” she hissed out with a moan while his mouth engulfed her nipple in a sucking motion that somehow released something akin to milk from her breasts. Scratch that, it was milk. And straight from the source as well, he noticed to himself in silence. When he was done with the right nipple, Sterling traced his tongue to the cleavage to give a long stroke that made the girl shiver in the pleasure. After Sterling did this he went straight for the left nipple and began to suck out the same substance after giving a slow lick to the nub that also grew a little more pointed outward. The resulting milk from the same breast had been just as delicious for him to drink up, causing him to believe that the jolt of sensual passion that she was feeling was really intense for her. As soon as Sterling let go of her milk maker, he moved his face to meet hers in another smooch that allowed her to taste what she had made.

“Here I go, Twilight,” he had whispered to her as he lowered himself to where her crotch was, leaving a trail of small kisses that still made the Princess of Magic shudder and shiver as he went further south on her. Her legs were then gently spread out with Sterling's hands caressing her thighs before he plied them apart as softly. The prize that he saw was just beautiful to see; her aching clitoris had swelled up enough for him to know that she was excited from what was done by him while seeing that the nether lips were winking at him as a few trails of her own cum had slid off from the walls of her sex. After huffing a small breeze from his mouth, the results were as he expected from her. The shiver that Twilight felt had let Sterling know that teasing was not going to keep her excited for long.

“Please, Sterling.... whatever you're going to do, just.... Aah~! Please~! Just do it! I beg you!” she begged of him with a panicked breath in the anticipation of what would come to pass. But Sterling was not going to let her until she was calmed down enough.

“Are you absolutely sure that I can do this for you, Twilight? Because I need you to let me know right now if this is uncomfortable,” he said to her with a concerned tone.

“Yes, Sterling.... yes.... please.... I don't want to be teased like this.... just take me, sweetie,” the Alicornian begged him again.

“Your wish is my command, Twilight.”

Sterling then moved his tongue on her sex in a slow lick that allowed him to taste the juices that poured out of her lower lips, earning him a nearly loud scream that almost made him stop until he realized that she had never even been touched by a man in that way. He then decided that the best thing to do was to assure her that his touch was not cold and heartless. The next thing that he decided to do was to fully allow his tongue to penetrate the walls of her womanhood as his whole mouth engulfed her, leaving no space untouched as he continued his act.

“Wow.... and I thought that I made that much noise before,” Cadence softly commented as she observed Sterling perform the cunnilingus on Twilight while rubbing her breasts from how excited she was getting.

“Just pay attention to me, sugar,” Applejack teasingly told her as she then took the nipple of her left breast into her mouth.

“Aah~! Oh, Applejack!” Cadence shivered from her Equian lover's touch.

“Keep going with-- Aah~! ...w-what you're doing, Fluttershy,” Luna instructed the pink-haired Auran who was also performing cunnilingus on her, just as Sterling inspired her to do. And as the brave little woman kept up her ministrations, she turned to her elder sister, who at the moment was being given the same sexual activity by Rarity. The action that the Night and Love Princesses saw turned them all on even further. So much so that Cadence placed her hand on Applejack's head and pushed her down so that the experience of being given the same tongue action could be given to her. And Applejack happily complied as her mouth began to eat the pussy of the Princess who wanted her that badly.

During the whole time that the other Princesses were being serviced by the original girlfriends, Sterling had been able to make Twilight cum on his face with a torrent of her juices that filled up his mouth nearly to the brink. As he swallowed the hot woman-cum that simply flowed in his mouth, he took what was left over and began to lubricate his rod before he gently rubbed on her swelling maidenhead, letting her know that he was fully ready for the final step.

“Are you ready, Twilight? Because if you want to, I'll do my part in making the both of us really happy,” he instructed his loving Princess with his gaze on her eyes not leaving hers while positioning the tip of his shaft to her lower lips.

“Yes.... please, Sterling! I want your cock inside of me,” Twilight pleaded to him as she felt another jolt of electricity shock her from feeling the tip of his re-hardened shaft getting ready to go in.

“As you wish, my love,” Sterling smiled before allowing the tip of his cock to penetrate the lips. The lubrication of the woman-cum from Twilight's pussy on his shaft made it easy for him to slide his length into the walls of her sacred treasure. And with every inch that he put in, he had felt the tightness of her walls squeezing on him in a near vice grip. As soon as he was fully at the hilt, he felt something in Twilight's pussy break. Sure enough, the walls allowed him to know that he had now popped the cherry of the Princess of Magic. His vision then turned to where he was fully in her and moved back an inch to see that there was only a tiny amount of blood pouring out from her. “Twilight? How do you feel now?” Sterling asked her while keeping himself steady on top of her.

“It really hurts.... like a bunch of stings.... but I love it,” she answered him as a tear fell out of her eye. The man on top of her was kind enough to wipe said tear from her face before he moved in for a kiss that she returned with a tiny sniffle.

“Are you well enough to let me move, now that you've just given your virginity to me?” he then asked her with a small grin on his face.

“Not too fast, but not slow, okay?”

“Okay, Twilight. Here I go.”

The pumping of his cock into her frontal caverns had been going at a speed that felt spectacular to the both of them. During the process, both Sterling and Twilight made a few banters to one another that helped the both of them enjoy how wonderful the intercourse felt. And as Sterling pumped more of his speed into her walls, the pressure of the orgasm was building up just as fast as they both wanted. But it was a good thing that he was able to last longer than five minutes, given that most people would have given out by the last moment.

“Ah! T-Twilight! You.... you're so tight on me,” he grunted as he kept going on his part of the act.

“No! I'm not tight, you're just so-- Aah! So big!” she yipped at him with a challenging tone in her voice. “Keep fucking me, you tasty stud! And fuck me harder!” she commanded him as her nails dug just a little deeper into his back while feeling so full of his cock as it pumped faster and harder into her.

“Are you gonna say-- Gah!-- that you're my bitch if I comply?” Sterling retorted back to her as he kept going at the same pace.

“Oh! O-Only if you-- Aah~! Only if you say that you'll stay with us for all time,” Twilight replied to him as she locked her arms around him.

“I will, Twilight! And I'm going to keep loving both you and the rest of my harem, even after I pass into the next world,” Sterling vowed to her as his got himself to pump even harder on her, causing his royal girlfriend to suddenly gasp from his hard jab with his manhood. And this was what she had desired at the moment. “But when I get to fuck you and the other Princesses, to which I hope goes as greatly as we're doing tonight, I'm not going to call you by your titles. And I won't even be royal about it; all of you will be treated gently before it happens, but when it's on, all of you are nothing more than a group of common women who need to get laid by me,” he said to her as he looked into her eyes.

“And I'm going to enjoy every time that we do,” Twilight pledged to him as she allowed his cock to breach her with a frontal force that caused her to buck her hips to his. And as she felt him moving up and down inside of her, she looked at Sterling who had the look of achieving his orgasm. But it was as likely that she was about to hit the same release as he was. The dam of her pleasure was breaking as her man was giving her more of the sex to her. And even her loving partner was also able to feel the twitches in her. The pumping then moved on to go faster while keeping the endurance on her, causing her to nearly jerk out from the action. Instead of words, Twilight had become so enveloped by the pleasure that even thinking straight was lost to her. So she resorted to mumbling how the climax was about to finally happen for her. And when the last few pumps had stopped with his shaft fully in her, she felt a powerful rush of pleasure exploding from within her whole body as his seed went inside of her while her own cum had leaked out, resulting in his seed spurting out as well from the breaking point.

No words could ever truly describe how the whole event felt to the both of them. The afterglow that had been seen from the Princesses, who had also been given their orgasms by the ladies below them, made them smile widely.

“It's done now.... I've popped the cherry of your best student, Celestia....” Sterling breathed out with a chuckle that was allowed to be heard by himself along with the Princess who was now feeling quite sore below the belt line along with her upper body feeling just as paralyzed. “So.... what now?” he then asked the sovereign who could only smile at first.

“I made the.... *whew!* preparations for our turn,” Celestia answered with her eyes turning half-lidded while looking at him after feeling that Rarity was able to please her so well. Somehow, his erection was only halfway to full mast, but she was still impressed with his size. “And a few spells should keep you up to please all of us for quite a while,” she said in a sultry voice that had gotten his member to stand up once again without any enchantment. “You're up to a good start, I see,” she giggled with lust in her voice.

“Give me what you got, Celestia,” he beckoned her to comply.

“Just a quick spell casting and you'll be ready for all of us,” Celestia soothingly spoke to him with her hand up. Her hand then glowed a bright yellow aura that immediately blanketed his body. And as it did, Sterling had felt even warmer than before; the sun that his sovereign lifted up for the start of every day was starting to feel like a light bulb compared to how he was feeling at the moment. And just like that, his energy came back, along with his ability to endure the hours that he felt would be needed in order to please them all. And that even included the original girlfriends who were almost splattered with the woman-cum from the Princesses' now glowing sexes.

“I am ready for you now, ladies,” he announced to the rest of the group as they all lined up to meet him on the bed.

(…..)

Two hours passed by since Celestia placed that natural enhancement spell on him. And Sterling was now recalling how it all went from one on one engagements... to a full scale orgy that blew away any other party of that same nature. And all of the participants had shown each other, along with him, how much they desired to touch and play with each other in the activity that showed them all how far they all wanted to go with their actual romantic feelings for one and all.

Sterling had now taken a look at the clock on his nightstand while moving up his head to look at it. It read 11:50 PM. 'Huh. It took more than two hours. That's a bit surprising...' Sterling thought to himself before he was able to utilize one of his spells to magically transform into a cloud of fog that was able to pass by the seven women that were sleeping soundly in his bed in the room. A few seconds later, he found himself in the kitchen and transformed back into his own body. His bare feet had touched the cold wooden floor, sending a pleasing chill to remind him that he was still bare bodied. But that didn't matter to him as he pulled out a large glass from his cupboard with his magic.

He then walked over to the wall where secret panel was revealed after pulling on a small lever just close enough to the door of his basement. And that same panel showed a quintet of drink taps that always had a drink with his name on it. He went for the tap that was decorated with a black color finish on the handle. It was the same tap handle that would allow him to drink the same Lyrish stout beer that he always enjoyed having. And such a drink was more than enough to help him to really get some sleep when he would come back up.

“Trouble sleeping?”

It was Luna who had called him from behind him. And Sterling could only give a yawn to confirm his answer.

“I imagine that everything you've been through in the long run has given you a reason to drink before going back to bed,” Luna quipped to him as her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders. Sterling returned the gesture by kissing one of the arms as he held the arms that were holding him in a warm hug.

“When a commanding officer has lost so many lives in a war that was all pointless to begin with, along with the fact that many of them were your friends.... you tend to pick up a trick that can help deal with the pain. But it only lasts for a little while....” Sterling whispered to her as he took another gulp of his beer. “But now that I've had the chance to please you,” he turned to the Alicornian behind him who kissed him with a kiss that helped him to feel a lot better. “Along with the other women in my harem....” His arms then wrapped around her shoulders after placing the glass on the table quietly. “I can safely say that the drinking.....”

*smooch!*

“Is not for the sake of drinking... but for the sake of sleeping.”

“Come back to bed, my love,” Luna whispered to him as she kissed him some more.

“Give me a chance to finish my drink, please?”

“Finish it with a cup of milk. It might taste better.”

Sterling obeyed by mixing the remaining 1/3 of the brew with the milk as the sovereign suggested to him. When that was fully drunk up, he gave a small burp that he covered with his hands over his mouth.

“You were right, Luna,” he nodded to her. “It was actually great to drink down.”

“I am pleased that you find it good to drink, my dearest man,” she giggled to him. “Now, are you coming back to bed?” she asked again with a pouted face to him. Sterling could never resist when even Applejack would make that face to him.

“I'm with you, honey,” he answered with a slow nod.

“Yay! I have a pet name!” she cheered with a giggle, just quietly enough to not cause a stir for the dog downstairs.

“That you do, Lulu,” he chuckled as his right arm wrapped around her left arm. She took the initiative and rested her head on his shoulder as they ascended the stairs to his room. During the slow walk up, his belief that it was all just a good dream that the Princess of the Night was giving him for being a good soul. But that doubt was pushed aside when he opened the door to see that six other women were resting peacefully on his triple-king sized bed with a smile that warmed his heart greatly.

“Sleep well, my love. I must make my way back to Canterlot so that I can get to fulfilling my duties as the Princess of the night, you understand,” Luna said to him with a last hug and deep kiss before she went back to the top of the stairs.

“You're not wanting to join us, Lulu? Why?” he asked her with a confused look.

“If I am not at the castle before midnight, the nobles at Night Court will be angry with me,” she rolled her eyes at the last part of her answer.

“Make sure to tell them that they can all forget about any business tonight. Or else I will have words with them,” he said to her smiling.

“Thank you, my love,” she giggled again, remembering what he did to some of them. “I love you,” she said to him with a peck on his cheek.

“I love you too, Lulu.”

And with that said and done, Luna had disappeared from his sight with a spell that teleported her back to the castle at Canterlot. When he was satisfied that she could come back at any time at all, like he promised her a few months ago, he went back to his bed and moved up smoothly enough to  allow his group of women to know that he had indeed come back to bed. With the sheets and blanket pulled up, he got comfortable with Fluttershy's body moving close to him in a deep embrace.

“Did Luna leave?” the Auran asked him in a groggy but still cute voice.

“Night Court,” he whispered as well.

“Hmm.... Good night, Sterling.”

“Good night, Fluttershy.”

(…..)

Chapter 15: The Beginning Of A Party

Chapter 15:

The Beginning Of A Party

(*****)

The alarm clock went off with a few beeps, announcing to Sterling that it was time to wake up in the morning. The same announcement also showed that it was just five minutes until 8:00 AM. Sterling could only groan from how annoying the sounds were to him. His hands pressed the button to silence the alarm before switching the alarm to 'off'. As he shuffled back to the warm spot on his bed, his hands moved around for a bit to see if he could sneak in a few more hours of sleep if he was successful with pulling more of the covers to him.

“Rrrrgggh! These.... mornings.... suck!” he griped into his pillow as he covered his eyes away from the light of the sun that was raised up by Celestia herself. “And Celestia is not making it any better for me,” he complained as well trying to move away from the light, praying to himself that someone would tell him it was gone right now. But that's what happens when a person drinks a little bit during the night. And Sterling was paying the price of that great night with a slight headache that paled in comparison to the pain that he was feeling in his lower regions. “Ugh.... And I so curse myself for being able to make love to the Princesses,” he started to grumble before he said, “but at least I'm alone in my bed, finally.”

“Hardly, deary.”

Only Rarity could make such a remark. And Sterling sighed deeply from how he knew that she was going to intrude on him anyway, despite wanting to be alone for that moment.

“Yeah, well, I'm not a morning person like you, Rarity,” he greeted her with a groan. “And more to the point if I have a hangover, just like I have right now.” He moved his hands to his forehead and felt the pain in his temples throbbing with a punching-like force.

“Here, darling, take these,” Rarity instructed him with her magic on his hands. He was able to see a glass of water and a pill being levitated to him by a blue aura that was already summoned by the seamstress in his room. Sterling takes the pill into his mouth and swallows it whole with all of the water taken in. “And I do hope that you will be in a better mood than you are at the moment,” she said to him with a loving voice as a small grin nearly escaped her lips.

“I'm sorry, Rarity,” he began to apologize to her. “It's also the fact that I am quite sore down here-” - he waved at his lower area - “- and I so blame myself for that. All of you ladies gave me such a great night last night, and I still feel pooped out.” Rarity then walked over to his left bedside and crawled up to him. And when her body got close enough to his, she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace that was soon followed by a long kiss that got him to close his eyes from how wonderful it felt to him. She was able to know that he had felt his energy coming back to him within that instant. And after the kiss was done, Rarity moved over a little bit to get a bit snuggling done with him.

“I'm only happy if I get to be at least this close to you,” she explained to him as her face had moved between his chest and neck. “And you really needn't feel bad about giving us such an amazing night; the passion, the sweat, the symphonies, the energy! I could have sworn that you must have had some spell to allow to go on for more than four hours with all of us, my love,” Rarity giggled from the memory of the events from last night.

“Sorry, babe, but any doctor will tell you that if my - *ahem.* -manhood.... stays up for more than four hours, then something is definitely wrong with my entire body,” he replied to her with a small, playful snark at her.

“Then any of those doctors will more than likely be quacks,” Rarity retorted to him with a small slap on his chest. “Because if it did last for more than four hours, then the best thing that you can actually do is to keep the activities going, Sterling-dear!” she growled seductively within her words to him.

“I agree with Rarity.”

The two looked to the door and saw that it was Fluttershy who spoke up at the door.

“Oh, no.... not you too, Fluttershy!” Sterling moaned out loud as he covered his face.

“Oh, goodness! Is there.... um, that is, if you don't me asking.... is something bothering you, Sterling?” Fluttershy asked him sincerely.

“Our loving man here is quite sore all over himself, Fluttershy darling,” Rarity began to explain to her friend. “And the thought of keeping up the sexual intercourse with all of us is becoming a painful prospect for him to think about.” At that moment, both she and Fluttershy had giggled uncontrollably at his plight.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Sterling,” Fluttershy apologized to him while moving toward him as Rarity did. And she had also planted a long kiss on his lips before moving the same affectionate gesture to Rarity. The both of them had returned her loving kiss before they each saw her rise up from the bed. “But, um.... eep!” she squeaked before she was about to say something that would have made it a bit awkward.

“You want it as badly as I do, don't you, my love?” Rarity asked her.

“W-w-well, uh.... maybe-- EEEP!!” she squeaked again, a little louder this time. The noise made by the Auran caretaker had made both Sterling and Rarity chuckle and giggle at the same time, furthering her unnecessary embarrassment. “Oh, Fluttershy! You are so dirty-minded! Bad Fluttershy! Bad!” she scolded to herself while looking away from the pair that had made their stifled laughs at her squeaks.

“No, Fluttershy.... your not bad for thinking about that,” Sterling assured her as he was rising up from the bed. His arms then wrapped around the Auran who was too shy to look back at him. “It's only natural that you and Rares here want to take that step with me.” He proceeded to kiss the area between her neck and shoulders, thus calming the lady that he was holding. “I know that my mood is not up to your standards in the morning, but it's because of how I am not used to having people sleeping next to me. Or even coming into my room to greet me....” His words had stopped as his past memories had come back to hauntingly taunt him. He never even had a high school sweetheart in his teenage years. All those years growing up were all about fighting the Rex Brutes. And the other monsters, as well as escaped convicts....

Fighting them...

Fighting...

“Aw, shit,” he whispered to himself after releasing Fluttershy from his hold on her. He had taken a few steps away from her as a sudden revelation had hit him harder than when a Dragon whips its tail against a steel beam.

“What is it, Sterling? Is there something wrong?” she asked him, noticing that there was a pale look on his face. And that look was more than enough to make her shiver with a bit of fear in her heart.

“Sterling, love? What just happened to you now?” Rarity asked him, feeling the same fear that her friend had felt.

“Just, uh.... Will you wait for me in the dining room, please? I need to get my shower in, because I stink from the sweat from last night,” he cleared up his query to them. He did not want to tell them both what was happening to him right at the moment, but he knew that he would tell them both after making his body clean from the shower.

“But of course you can, darling. We will be right in the dining room when you're ready,” Rarity complied to him as she also rose up from the bed. “Shall we make you some breakfast while we wait for you?” she asked him, knowing that he might be hungry.

“Just don't touch the wrapped meat that I have in the refrigerator. I know that you're both vegetarian, so.... yeah,” he suggested to them with a caring tone in his words. “Eggs and buttered toast will do.” He then opened the door of his bathroom and left the ladies' sights. Within the entrance of the room, Fluttershy and Rarity had looked at each other with a confused face.

“I don't suppose you know what just came over him, Fluttershy darling?” Rarity inquired to her friend.

“No... And it's really scary to think about it, so--” Fluttershy's words were interrupted by a finger that softly pressed her lips. A smooch to her lips had soon followed afterward by her loving friend. “Sorry,” she apologized to her with a small grin growing from the small affection that was given to her.

“No need to apologize, Fluttershy. Now let's just make ourselves some breakfast, my dear. And I am sure that Sterling will love what we make for him instead of that boring eggs and toast,” Rarity said to her as she took her arm into hers.

“Yes, Rarity. Let's do that,” Fluttershy nodded with a sudden kiss that she planted on Rarity's cheek. “I really enjoy kissing your face,” she giggled to her as she and her partner walked down the stairs to get to the kitchen.

“And my lips as well?”

“Oh! Uh... y-yes. I enjoy kissing your lips, too.”

“And I simply enjoy kissing yours as well, my love.”

A few kisses were exchanged with each other as they had stopped at the top of the stairs.

“We were supposed to... make his breakfast, Rarity.”

*smooch-smooch*

“I know, darling. But I just can't resist....”

“Maybe when we've all had some food in our bellies, we can get back to this.”

A final kiss to end the point had been given.

“Marvelous idea. Shall we?”

“Yes.”

(…..)

Within the shower of his bathroom, Sterling had allowed the very hot water to try to wash away the trauma that he had experienced from the past battles. From the first time that he saw a few of his Royal Elites being killed in High Trotter City, to the Zebrican-Amoxian campaign, the Titan Massacres, the Zanzebran & Mareterranean Islands Shadow missions, and even the time when he had first defeated Leviathan Di'Nihilous at a remote island near the Chineighese Lands. But the memories had made the hot water feel like a cold breeze compared to what was happening to his mind.

But after all of those memories came over him, his mind's eye saw the way that he looked in his teenage years. But the same events that happened in between his fights were revealing themselves at a much slower pace. The now older Sterling looked at his younger self and analyzed what was happening in his past. Within those scenes, he had seen how certain women, both military and civilian, had just tried their best to either bed him or go out with him as a boyfriend and a girlfriend would do. Even Faith, his 3rd level Warrant Officer, was in the scene that was playing.

“Damn.... I was so oblivious to how those women who wanted to be with me! And I DENIED IT TO THEM!! What! The! FUCK WAS WRONG WITH ME?!?!” Sterling shouted against himself in anger. “Abandonment.... loss.... trust........ love.”

The shower head was turned off, thus trapping the water once again. And Sterling was already washed up with soap and shampoo, but it still felt like nothing would ever wash off the blood, sweat and tears that were shed in his international campaigns against his natural enemy. He then stepped out of the shower and began to dry himself off before combing his short hair back to make his hair spike up. But what he had not allowed himself to do was to put on some cologne after putting on his deodorant. And with a quick brushing and flossing of his teeth, he looked himself over and saw that his body was still in the same physical as Doctor Red Heart had observed from him a few months ago.

And now.... now that he was an Alicornian, he could only shake his head from how he knew that his issues with all that he said had been what kept him from opening up to his girlfriends. He had to do something. Something... that would allow them all to know that he wanted to keep the relationship going. And not with sex in the mix. Much as he enjoyed it, like any healthy man should, he had to deny it to himself.

After putting on a rather fancy looking white button up shirt under a black a-shirt, he put on a pair of boxers, some fresh socks, his favorite  denim blue jeans & his running shoes. Not too fancy, and not too ordinary. Perfect.

“Rares! Shy!” he called out to the women after walking out of his room to get to the stairs.

“Down in the kitchen, darling!” Rarity responded from the other room. That was all he wanted, and needed, to hear.

In the dining room, Fluttershy and Rarity had already completed making a breakfast that had exceeded their boyfriend's expectations by a few more dishes on the table. The sounds of the plates being shuffled on the same furniture had been replaced by a rapid sound that sounded like an army of people coming down the stairs. But it was just their man coming down. But what they all saw was not a look of happiness. Instead, they saw.... sadness?

“Sterling?” Fluttershy spoke up. Before she could even ask what was about to happen, Sterling had begun to shed a lot of tears from his eyes. This action had caused them both to nearly jump out of their skins. And then, all of a sudden, his knees dropped to the ground with a hard thump. But what shocked the both of them was not what he did then. But it was how their loving man... was sobbing loudly.

“Please.... don't leave me,” he sobbed to them with his watery eyes looking to the floor. Fluttershy immediately took action by diving down in front of him. And without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Sterling's shoulders while her head was pressing at his right side. “Don't leave me!!” he cried out some more in a loud voice that spoke of his sorrows as his arms wrapped around the Auran who was trying to comfort him. “Please don't go away!!” he pleaded to her kept sobbing into Fluttershy's shoulder.

“Sterling!!” Rarity also cried out as she saw how miserable her shared man was feeling, nearly bolting her way to comfort him in the same way that her friend was doing. With her head at the left side of his head, along with her arms stretching around both Fluttershy and Sterling, she had begun to nearly sob out: “What is it, darling? Tell us! Please! Let us help you!”

“We're not leaving your side, Sterling!” Fluttershy said in compliance to Rarity's pleas as she kissed his face rapidly. “What is going on with you, Sterling?!” she cried out as well, feeling the same sorrow from him.

“I CAN'T LOSE YOU!! NONE OF YOU!! I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOU TO DIE!!” Sterling screamed in the pain that emanated from his heart while keeping his hold on the both of them. “BAAWWW-HAAA!!!”

His blubbering had then been processed into the brains of the ladies that had been holding him in their arms. He was afraid... of losing them forever? The very thought itself was just too painful to even think of acknowledging. So instead of words, both of the ladies had decided to calm him down in the best way that they knew would set him back to a happier mood.

“Um.... S-S-Sterling?” Fluttershy softly spoke to him as she raised his head to look at her. When he whispered his reply to them, she immediately started to kiss him deeply with a slight push to the floor. Rarity followed suit to join her in the process. And as this whole kiss was being done, both of the ladies had given him a long and deep kiss that had allowed his sorrows to be washed away from his heart. When Fluttershy was done with her part, she looked down to him and said, “Why would we ever want to leave you?”, with a small sob.

“Don't EVER THINK that we would leave you, my darling man! It would just break our hearts!” Rarity also cried to him. “WHY would you even believe that we would just be so cruel to you?!” And Rarity had buried her head into her boyfriend's chest with Fluttershy following suit.

“Because I don't want to lose the love that I have for you! And I just.... I just....” Sterling sniffled as his sobs died down for a moment. “I never had a loving relationship like this one,” he began to explain to them in a calmer mood. He was still feeling some small hiccups, but he was able to at least be a lot clearer to them.

“When I was growing up, all that I was focused on was finding a way to defeat the enemy that plagued the world. And in all of those moments, not only did I never see an opportunity to have a relationship with some great woman; be it fling or not.... but I was also trying to keep my unit with more numbers on our side. And with all that said, I still can't believe that I have this wonderful relationship with seven of the best women in the entire world of Equius! And.... the both of you.... Oh, Goddesses!” Sterling then wrapped his arms around Fluttershy's midriff as he placed his head on her breasts with a few tears falling from his eyes once again. “I never felt more in love with all of my women, including you two, in all of my life. And I am never going to stop giving you the love that rises from my heart,” he proclaimed to them in his indoor voice while keeping his head on Fluttershy's chest as he heard the sound of her heart beating.

“We love you too, Sterling,” Fluttershy stated to him with a wide smile that quickly followed another passionate kiss to his puckers. And Rarity had decided to do the same motion for him.

“And now... that I've said those words to you two.... my recommendation is that we get our breakfast before we starve ourselves,” he suggested to them. As if on cue, his stomach growled for the food that he was nearly about to miss out on.

“Now that is a rather marvelous idea, my hunky man,” Rarity giggled in her refined tone coming back to her.

“'Hunky'? How are you so complimenting when we all just--” - he stopped himself from bringing up the already cleared issue again - “Wait-wait! No! Nnnoooope! I am not bringing it up again! I already said that I love you two, and I will leave it at that,” he calmly said to them.

“That's a great idea,” Fluttershy giggled at his words as the three of them moved to the chairs of the table. “But, um.... I think 'hunky' is too small a compliment for our man here, Rarity,” she countered at Rarity with her tongue poking out at her, to which the fashionista replied in the same way as they all sat at the table. When this was done, they all dug into the food after serving themselves a healthy portion on their own plates.

“Well then, Fluttershy,” Rarity started to say to her after taking a dainty bite of her food, as she always did, “What sort of word in the vernacular would you use to best describe our loving man?” This was a question that started a small topic about the man who was still close to her.

“I was thinking.... uh, 'herculean'?” she blurted out after taking a moment to think about her answer. “It really fits you to a 'T', honey,” she complimented him as they all dug in.

“That kind of strong, huh?” Sterling asked her.

“Why yes indeed, darling!” Rarity chipped up after taking a bite of her food. “And let us not forget that you are quite handsome,” she added.

“And you're very kind to us,” Fluttershy quipped into the compliments.

“You're firm, yet gentle.”

“You're very intelligent.”

“And you are quite a gentleman.”

“Uh-huh....” Sterling nodded. “And yet.... my head is telling me something else in your words,” he chuckled sheepishly to the ladies.

“W-well, uh....” Fluttershy hesitated for a moment. “You, um.... You're just a great lover to us. Eep!” she squeaked again as her hands covered her face again in that cute way that both of her loving friends thought was just downright adorable.

“Really?” Sterling raised a confused eyebrow to Rarity, who rolled her eyes from his look.

“Sterling. Darling,” she half-sternly stared at him. “You. Are. A. Beast! Tamed, yes! But! You are such a beast with us under the covers!” she growled seductively at him. “And let's not forget, for future references, that your size and width are just perfect!“ she growled at him again with that same smile on her face as she looked at his lap.

“Oh! Rarity!” Fluttershy nearly yelled at her with a big blush on her face. “How dare you share that?” she then scolded her with her finger pointing at her with a few shakes. “Such language!”

“Now, Fluttershy, my love,” Rarity began to counteract against her. “Surely you would love to wax a poetic line about how simply wonderful our man is in the bed, hmm? It's all in good fun. Besides, even I am sure that you want to tell Sterling how much you love his prowess, right?” Those questions had made the Auran want to hide in a corner and never come out.

“Rarity? I think you broke her,” Sterling plainly said to Rarity as he saw the priceless look on Fluttershy's face, despite how it was covered by her hands. “And I think that it is in your best interest to apologize to her right now if you want to save--”

“I love having sex with you!” Fluttershy cutely yelled out to him. Now it was Sterling's turn to have his face turn vermilion from her words as his jaws nearly dropped to the floor.

“Flu.... Fluttershy?” Sterling gasped at her.

“I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!” the lady cried before moving away from her seat at the table. “I didn't mean to say it like that! Really I-” Her words were immediately cut off from how Sterling quickly rose up from his seat with a nearly fierce look in his face. But she did not see anger in his eyes. Instead, she saw a calm and understanding look in his eyes. His hands had already motioned her to join him at the table with Rarity. And she complied with a sheepish expression.

“Fluttershy, my baby.... I'm really happy that you think so highly of my... *ahem.* performance,” he calmly said to her with a warm smile on his face. “But I also truly believe that our relationship is not going to be based on how well I can perform during the night. And with that in mind, given that it's my birthday today, I'm planning out my own way to celebrate,” he further said to her with his smile still on his face.

“Oh, goodness! It is your birthday today!” Rarity exclaimed at his words. “We all need to finish our breakfasts, because the whole town will more than likely want to celebrate your special day!” she elaborated to him as she got ready to dig back in the food.

“Oh, Celestia! She's right! And Pinkie Pie will more than likely have a party planned out for you as you head into the town,” Fluttershy added to the topic.

“The breakfasts have more than likely gotten colder, but I'm still going to eat it if you two don't mind,” Sterling politely said to them before he pulled up his knife and fork into his hands.

“We do need to eat our breakfast,” Rarity nodded.

“Mm-hmm,” Fluttershy nodded too.

“So... shall we?” he said to them with his hand motioned to the table.

“We shall,” the ladies replied back. And with that said, they dug back into the food. The silence that filled the room had been replaced by the use of the utensils, along with some small chewing noises, that always came around for every person that would eat.

(…..)

It was now 9:35 AM. This was the same time that Sterling was born, according to what he remembered from his own birth certificate. And he was already in his bed, snuggling up with Fluttershy who already had her head laid down on his chest. The movements of their chests from their breaths allowed them to know that they truly enjoying their time of silence. Rarity, according to what he remembered her saying to him earlier, had to leave him for her work at the Boutique in the town. Knowing that he always needed to place her needs above his own, Sterling used a teleportation spell to send her to her shop. But he had to make sure to get a goodbye kiss from her before he sent her away for her work. But Sterling was just happy with only having one woman in his bed with him.

“Hey, baby,” he whispered to her in a smile.

“Hi, honey,” Fluttershy whispered back to him.

*smooch*

“I love it when I do that,” he chuckled.

“Me too,” she agreed with a giggle.

It was truly moments like this that he just craved from his girlfriends more than the intercourse. Oh, it was quite fun, and being adventurous with the certain positions and games had its perks. But just having some quiet time alone with his harem partners was everything to him. Somehow, it was always when he knew that it would bring him together with his lovely women. Both physically and spiritually, that is. As soon as he felt his lower regions heating up, he felt a little braver with his snuggling girl. He decided to bring himself a lot closer to her and began to kiss her deeply. Even with that small squeak that Fluttershy gave out after feeling his kiss, she relented with a purr that said that she was going to allow him to do what he wanted with her.

“Would you.... um.... would you like to make love with me right now?” he asked her with a big blush on his face. “Because if not, then we can just cuddle if you want,” he added to the inquiry. “But if you want to, then.... um.... I'll let you be on top.” When those words were spoken, he saw Fluttershy blush largely on her face.

“Do you really want that?” Fluttershy asked him.

“Well, yeah. I mean, I've been on top of you for a while. And... I think that... you being the one on top of me would make you very happy,” he answered with his head nodding to her.

“Um.... Sterling?” she began to ask him.

“Yes, 'Shy?” he replied to her.

“Do you think that we could save that for tonight?” she asked him with a braver tone from what her heart was wanting. “I'd like it if I could just have you all to myself tonight,” she clarified to him. Knowing that it did sound kind of selfish, Fluttershy cleared her throat before going on with her explanation. “I really want to have a great night with you tonight, Sterling. And given that it is your birthday, I'd like to ask... if you don't mind, that is.... if I could be with only you tonight?”

If Sterling's heart could melt from the question that his loving harem partner asked him, it would more than likely transform into a kind of magic that even he had never studied about. And his face, showing a blush that was on par from when he asked her to make love with him, was a real indicator that his biggest wish, more than even getting a whole bunch of presents from the town and his girlfriends, was about to become a reality under the light of the moon that Princess Luna would always raise up every night. Perhaps, if he was nice enough, he could convince the same Night Princess to allow her star to shine brighter.

“Yes! Yes! YES!!” he joyfully shouted to her, wildly embracing her with his arms around her. And Fluttershy was so surprised from his sudden happiness, but she had relented with a small laugh by allowing herself to almost wrap her whole body around him too. “Oh, Fluttershy! You have no idea how much I've been wanting to hear you say those words to me!” he nearly shouted again, but this time he was covering his face and mouth with her shoulders, thus lowering his voice. When he released himself from her, he kissed her a few more times on the lips. But the nature of the smooches were that of a lover who had started to find more reasons to love their partners more. “This is what my biggest wish for my birthday was! And more than just some presents!” he declared to her with a small laugh after relenting his kisses on her.

“Oh! I just love you so much, Sterling!” Fluttershy shouted out cutely to him. “I really do!”

“And I love you too, Fluttershy! Ah! Tonight is going to be just great!” Sterling smiled at her. And with that said, the two of them embraced each other in a deep hug that truly transcended above all of the other embraces that he gave to his other harem girls. But as they did this, Sterling had decided to allow her a small preview of the events by slowly kissing the right side of her neck and shoulders. His tongue was not in the small kisses, but from the way that Fluttershy was reacting (with a few shudders and moans being heard from her), he knew that he was hitting the right spot on her. But even then, Sterling had to stop himself from going any further with his pecks. He moved his lips back and smiled lovingly at her.

“So, um.... I really wanted to ask you about something, Sterling,” Fluttershy spoke up after moving her face to look at him.

“What is it, babe?” he responded with a curious look to her.

“It's about Pinkie and Rainbow,” she stated to him.

“Oh?” His curiosity had now been piqued. If Fluttershy was about to say something about two of her best friends, then he was more than likely going to be curious about what his girl had to say about the two. “Do tell,” he said to her with a small grin that also spoke of his wanting to know the news.

“I was talking to them before I got here early this morning, and they both told me something that I just couldn't resist telling you about,” she began. When Sterling begged her to continue the story, as silently as he could with his hands moving up for a moment, she continued her little tidbit. “They both told me how they don't want to be your mistresses. Instead, Pinkie and Rainbow told me....”

The next few minutes were spent with Fluttershy telling Sterling the recent news with herself and the two mentioned women in a small whisper to his right ear. And when the conclusion of the small turn of events was said to him, Sterling could only react with his entire face going vermilion as his eyes widened, accompanied by his jaw almost shattering from his skull to the floor as his mind exploded in that moment.

“And you want me to.... do that?!” he hissed in a silent yet flustered, combined with embarrassment, tone.

“Yes, Sterling. I really do,” Fluttershy simply nodded to him.

(…..)

The clock on the wall of the Golden Pint was 10:25 AM. It was just thirty-five minutes until the doors of the establishment were opened up for all of the customers and patrons to enjoy themselves in. And Bernie and Ernie were still hard at work, even though the majority of the chores had been done beforehand.

“So whatcha thinkin', Bern?” Ernie asked his twin brother who was as thick in a heavy Bucklyn accent as he was.

“I'm thinkin' that our boss is gonna use his magic to arrive in here, all panicked up from some complicated dilemma,” Bernie answered with his thin bearded grin moving up from his wide lips.

“And how d'ya know that?” Ernie quipped to his twin.

“I was with Fixer for a long time, bro! I just know these things, 'kay?” he quipped back.

“I don't thi--”

(*POOF!!*)

And just like that, their boss, Sterling Caliber, was in the middle of the bickering twins with a look of sheer horror and adrenaline in his face.

“Ernie! Bernie! A double shot of Zap Apple Whiskey on the rocks! Stat!” Sterling shouted at them both in a panic-filled tone that had some speed in it, indicating that one of the twins was just right about the newest situation.

“Got it, boss!” the men nodded before zip lining their way to the counter. The still full bottle was pulled up, much to the delight of the workers, as they also pulled out a small glass. The hard liquor was poured into the glass with three cubes of ice in the middle and placed just in front of the panicking man who had already seated himself at a random table.

“Alright, boss! You need to calm down and take a small sip of the drink here,” Ernie suggested to him in a calmer voice as he pointed at the glass.

“Just a sip? JUST A SIP?!” Sterling shouted out angrily at him. “I'm about to do something that I have never done in my whole life! This might require me to drink the whole bottle!!!” After letting his anger vent out for a moment or two, the Alicornian had allowed himself to do exactly as Ernie said to him with a very slow sip of his now chilled glass of the whiskey. The taste was still quite a delight, but the burn of the alcohol cleared up his nerves after feeling the sting get to him for a moment. He let out a small growl that announced that his anger was subsided, but he still needed to tell his twin friends about what was going to be done. And on his birthday, no less. “Sorry about that, guys,” he apologized to the men who had also calmed down from just his apology.

“'Ey! It's all good, man! You was lookin' like something huge just happened to ya,” Bernie commented after accepting his boss' apology.

“Oh, believe me! Huge doesn't even describe what was asked of me this morning!” Sterling said with a scoff as his eyes rolled up before taking in another slow sip of his cold drink. “Rrrrgh. And by my main squeeze, no less!” he declared to them as the burn of the whiskey left his throat.

“You mean Fluttershy?” Ernie asked him.

“That's who he's talkin' about, bro!” Bernie nodded.

“What did she ask you for that's gotcha so red in the face? And even I know that the whiskey ain't helpin'! Not one bit!” Ernie continued to ask.

“Something that I never even considered thinking about! Or doing for that matter,” Sterling plainly said to them both. Sterling then took a deep breath in his lungs as his drink was pushed away by his own hands. He then exhaled, thus calming himself to clarify what he was meaning to say to them. “She specifically asked me to add two more women into my harem this morning!” he then said with his head shaking from the thought.

“And how is that a bad thing, boss?” Bernie pointed at him.

“Hold up, Bernie! I remember hearing the word 'specifically' being used in the topic at hand here,” Ernie interjected with his hand up to his brother. He then turned to Sterling and asked the final question that he had to think very hard about asking. “Is it the two girls who are supposedly your mistresses, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie?” The reaction that he received was a priceless one; the same blush that had a little bit of alcohol influencing it had returned with a vengeance as his boss' mouth nearly dropped to the table.

“How did you know about that?” Sterling almost growled at him as he felt his pride falling into a deep hole.

“Those girls would come down here a few times, and they would talk with each other about becoming your new harem partners,” Ernie explained to him again. “And from the tone of their voices, it seems that they really want to be your new additions! So I say go for it!” he decided to vote for his boss.

“Me too, your Highness!” Bernie said with a small bow.

“But....” Sterling trailed off before taking another small sip of his drink. “How am I supposed to convince them that I want to move them up from mistress to girlfriend, huh?” he told them with his concern flowing from his voice.

“Just tell them how you really feel about them from your heart, boss. And from there, you'll have the two wanting to take up two more places in your circle,” Ernie said to him with a modest smile.

“Be the man that we know you are, Cap!” Bernie whooped up. “Show those girls that you want them, and don't take 'no' for an answer!”

Sterling had finally decided to slam down the whole liquid courage in a big gulp.

“It's ironic, isn't it?” he chuckled.

“What?”  the twin men quipped.

“I so happen to be your boss, the Prime Royal Elite and an Alicornian.... and yet I listen to the words of two men who have more experience in these matters, and yet they have not met Princess Cadence,” Sterling laughed to himself while addressing his subordinates.

“Yeah, well, ya gotta do whatcha gotta do, you know,” Bernie acknowledged as he moved back to where his original post was.

“And with confidence, man,” Ernie nodded too.

“Thanks for the drink, guys. You're both the best,” Sterling said to them. After moving his glass to the top of the dishwasher via magic, he opened the door with his magic and walked out of the door.

(Meanwhile, at the Carousel Boutique.... )

Rarity and Fluttershy had just finished up with making sure that the custom made dresses were made perfectly for the customers who would come down to the shop to pick them up in the near future. The presentations of the prestigious articles had allowed them both to sigh out a breath of relief from how the work was done so quickly. And with that, they were on Rarity's bed, snuggling up with each other.

“Oh, I am so glad that I don't have anymore business for the day,” Rarity sighed happily to her loving friend.

“Mmm.... me too,” Fluttershy purred in agreement while nuzzling her face with Rarity. She allowed herself to kiss her partners cheek before going on to her lips. The kiss was still as lovingly sweet as the others, but it still had meaning.

“Goodness, Fluttershy,” Rarity giggled lightly from the display. “It seems that you're happier right now. What brought this about, darling?” she asked her as her face moved in closer.

“Well, I told Sterling to ask Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie to join our harem with him as girlfriends instead of mistresses,” the Auran confessed to her. “And I believe that he is going to do it,” she smiled at her.

“Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked with a confused look. “Now why would you ask him to do this, my love?” she wanted to know.

“Because the circle can only be complete if those two best friends of ours are in as his new girlfriends, Rarity,” Fluttershy explained to her. “I couldn't allow them to be left out. It would really go against all that I stand for.” That statement allowed Rarity to lift up her head and kiss her deeply.

“Darling, you have always loved all of us as your best friends. And now that you told Sterling to add them into the harem, it will be complete. And I so love you for being this brave, my dear. I really do,” Rarity solemnly said to her.

“Oh, Rarity....”

“Oh, Fluttershy....”

The pair moved even closer, pressing their lips in another kiss that lingered longer than what had been shared just a few seconds ago. The breasts on their chests had pressed up just as softly, allowing them both to moan into the kiss before their tongues could begin the dance as they embraced each other with the same passion that they always had for each other. No words were required to be said as they looked into each others eyes while a small trail of saliva had broken off their lips.

Panting loudly, the women had decided to get right to it by slowly undressing each other from the neck down. When they both saw that none of them was wearing a bra, they both went right into the first part of the foreplay by allowing their breasts to be simultaneously massaged and licked on. When that was not enough for them, their mouths sucked on the nipples being displayed in front of them. Rarity and Fluttershy had grabbed each others mounds to begin the process of drinking the milk that was produced with perfect ease, and the resulting taste that flowed into each others mouths was just as delicious as before.

When that was over with, they allowed their substances to be tasted by their tongues before they each took off their panties. After lifting off their dress skirts, their prized possessions as women were in full view. They each gave a moan of delight as Fluttershy, who was on top of Rarity, had slowly dived down to Rarity's dripping honeypot. A slow, long lick was introduced to the outer lips that made the labia quiver at the touch, making the woman below shiver all over with her lust overpowering her rational thought. Fluttershy's tongue then went deeper, massaging the inner walls while she also felt Rarity's muscle going in as deeply into her as well. Soon after, they went faster, harder and deeper while touching each others' love buttons as they felt their climax happening soon. And when it did, they each wanted to go to the final part. And so they did.

Their outer lips had touched in a scissoring motion that allowed the pair to feel their pleasure rising up for the climax. They both told each other to keep going, along with how close they both were to cumming. And the same messages were mixed with the 'I love you' quips that had been yelled from their throats as they moved their bodies closer to kiss each other deeply while keeping their bodies that close. And when they finally felt the orgasm hit the breaking point, they had screamed out their love for one another before they allowed the post-coital bliss to pass them by with exhaustion being left behind them both. Their panting sounded off around the room as they cuddled up to each other with more kisses being made.

“Oh.... I love you, Rarity,” Fluttershy sighed to the woman next to her as she nuzzled her chest.

“And I love you too, Fluttershy,” Rarity purred to her with a peck to her forehead.

“I hope we can get that present for Sterling delivered to him on time,” Fluttershy sighed again, this time with a giggle in her voice.

“Oh, we most certainly will, my sweet,” Rarity assured her. “And he is just going to love what we both made for him,” she smiled at her.

“Mmm.... I hope that Pinkie and Rainbow won't make too much of a fuss with how Sterling is going to ask Pinkie and Rainbow to join us in our harem,” Fluttershy purred hopefully.

“Oh, they won't,” Rarity simply said. “I just know that they'll jump in at the first chance.” The pair then drifted off to allow a nap to happen.

(????, ????, ????)

A cart full of some boxed items had been stopped in its tracks. And the driver had seen a body laying on the trail that was just a block or so from the main road towards Dodge City.

“Ah best see if that there feller is dead,” the driver, male from the voice, complained. But as the man approached the mysterious body, a shot was heard within the vast desert.

(*BOOM!*)

The temples of the investigating person had exploded, allowing some brain matter to splatter on the sandy road, staining the place that quickly became the man's graveyard.

“Grab the cart, and eat the body!” a voice cried out from out of nowhere. Sure enough, a few gigantic pigs pulled up from the desert sand and pulled the new corpse into their maws while a gang of highway robbers had pillaged the goods for whatever items of value could be taken.

(To Be Continued....)

Chapter 16: The Start Of The Party

Chapter 16:

The Start Of The Party

*****

“Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa!! Wait a minute, Sterling!” Rainbow Dash said to Sterling with a bewildered look on her face. “Did you just say that Fluttershy, the main squeeze of your harem, wants us to be your final partners in your circle?” she asked him while keeping her gaze on him as both she and Pinkie Pie were asked that question in the kitchen of the Cake's establishment.

“That is what she wishes from the both of you,” Sterling nodded to her. “And she feels that you are both not getting the same amount of love from either her, myself, or the rest of the group,” he also said to her. “And altogether, I believe that she is right.” When he made that nod, he noticed that the Auran and the Equian in the kitchen were looking at him with a mixture of confusion and enlightenment at the same time.

“How so, Sterling?” Pinkie asked him.

“Because I also feel the same way with you two,” he answered her as his finger pointed to the both of them.

“You want us in your circle, too?” Rainbow gasped.

“Yes, Rainbow,” he answered her. “And I truly feel that you, and Pinkie--” he pointed to the baker who smiled widely-- “both deserve to be with me. You have been there for me when I needed to be reminded why I had to keep getting stronger, Rainbow.” He then moved his gaze to Pinkie, who was just as giddy as before.

“And Pinkie? You still know how to make me smile; certain random things that you do every day still make me confused about you, but I had learned a while ago to just go with it. It's a part of you... and I wouldn't have it any other way.” And after saying that to her, Pinkie's smile almost broke off of her face. He chuckled at that thought and continued to speak, this time to Rainbow.

“I know that you think this is moving fast, believe me.” Rainbow could only scoff at that point he made. “But for as long as I have known you, you've always been there. And not just for me, but also for your friends. And that is why I want you to become a part of my harem.” His eyes turned back to Pinkie, who was really wanting to ask him that question. He knew, thanks to his Alicornian Instinct, that he had to ask her because of how her vibrations were speaking to him.

And they all said what he soon asked her.

“Pinkamena Diane 'Pinkie' Pie, would you like to be my harem mate?”

“Wwweeellllll... YESYESYESYESYAAYYY!!! I would love!-Love!!-LOOVEEE!!!-- to be your new girlfriend!!” Pinkie cheered out while she simultaneously hugged him deeply. The same strength that she had in her body allowed Sterling to know that she would never let him go for any reason at all.

“I'm very happy that you willingly accepted my proposal,” Sterling chuckled from her enthusiasm. And after releasing himself from her rather tight grip, his eyes then met Rainbow's in the hope that she would be just as accepting as her friend was. “What say you, R.D.?” he asked her with his hand lifted to her.

“Well, uh.... what place would I have in your circle?” she asked him back, wanting to know what was in store for her. And Sterling, as she saw from her perspective, had a confident smirk on his face.

“For one thing, you and Pinkie will have the same devotion that I give to the other ladies of the circle,” he began to state to the girls in the room. “Secondly, you'll have the ability to stay with a man that will do his very best to keep you both happy. Thrice, you will have some bragging rights if anyone asks if you're still single. And finally....” He had to look into his heart to find the right words. “.... both of you will be allowed to stay at my home with me if the both of you so wish for it. ….. And that is only the beginning of the negotiations,” he smirked at Rainbow, who had given a grin to his snip.

“And will this harem become twenty percent cooler if I join?” Rainbow felt the need to ask.

“And a lot more fun?” Pinkie added to the inquiry.

“Yes,” Sterling nodded.

“Alright, that's it! Kiss me, Sterling! Kiss me now!” Rainbow demanded of him. And oh boy did she get what she wanted. As soon as the last word was pronounced to him, Sterling kissed her lips very deeply while holding her close to him. And Rainbow was not going to allow him to do all of the work, for she allowed her tongue to be included in the exchange of smooches as she held him just as closely, to which her new man reciprocated with his own muscle fighting hers in that moment of passion that she would always look forward to. When they both broke off the kiss, Rainbow panted from the action that made feel like she had performed about seven Sonic Rainbooms. “Wow! Now that... was just... AWESOME!!!” she exclaimed to him.

“Alright, Pinkie... time for--” Sterling was about to announce to Pinkie before seeing that she was ready for his kiss by having her eyes closed as her lips puckered out to him, obviously ready for his kiss. “Ha ha ha.... And that is just why I am going to love having you in my circle,” he laughed sincerely as he moved closer to her. He moved his lips in for the second set of kisses that he was more than likely going to receive from her. As his arms wrapped around Pinkie's shoulders, Pinkie did the same thing.

But she also had a better idea to go with the embrace. She then quickly jumped up and locked her long legs around his hips, thus causing Sterling to move his crotch to hers, believe that she was really wanting to kiss him as much as Rainbow did. His response had been to wrap his arms tighter on her lower back as his lips and tongue had clashed with the Equian who was really getting into it as she started to grind herself on him. And Sterling was so enjoying what Pinkie was silently saying to him as the moans had escaped her mouth. Within a few moments of the session that was progressing along, the sound of the timer had begun to ring out.

(*BEEP!!*)

“The treats are done!” Pinkie shouted out cheerfully as she then parted herself off of him to begin removing the confections from the hot oven. “And they are nowhere near as hot as that big Pinkie Pie kiss that I gave you, sweet buns!” she giggled at him as she put on the oven mitts to remove the baked goods that were still on the hot tray. Sterling could only laugh from how she said that comparison to him. “What? It's true!” she giggled again.

“I agree,” Rainbow smiled wickedly. “That was kind of hot to watch,” she admitted with her face turning a few degrees hotter as a blush crept up to her face. “And I just really loved how Pinkie was really getting into it! It was just... whew!” she also said as her face turned to Pinkie.

“Aw, Dashie! I love you too,” Pinkie sweetly said to her before giving her a peck on her lips.

“Thanks, Pinks.”

“Now, how about we frost these treats together?” Pinkie then suggested to her new boyfriend and loving partner.

“Good idea,” Sterling and Rainbow agreed together, causing them to once again laugh a little bit before they got to work.

“So I felt a little twitch from my Pinkie Sense today, Sterling,” Pinkie said to him as she pulled up a frosting tool that squirted out a pink frosting that looked so good to eat without the cupcake below it.

“And what did your twitch tell you, exactly?” Sterling inquired as he topped one of the small cakes with a blue frosting.

“Simple: Today is your birthday,” Pinkie chipped up as she purposefully dabbed a bit of the pink frosting on the tip of his nose. Before he could ask, the baker then licked off the frosting in a quick lick. “Tee-hee-hee! I always wanted to do that!” she giggled once again.

“Hey!” Rainbow exclaimed, feeling jealous that her friend did that with him. “What about me?”

“Oh, don't worry, Dashie! I didn't forget you,” Pinkie replied to her. What she did at that moment shocked Rainbow as she saw Pinkie squirt the same flavored condiment on Rainbow's lips. When that was done, she proceeded to lick and kiss the frosted lips of her best friend. And Rainbow felt that it was only right to allow her to kiss her that deeply. She decided to open her mouth to allow some of the same topping to go into her mouth, allowing her Equian friend to go in. And after a few moments, both she and Pinkie had parted from the deep kiss.

“That.... was.... sweet!!” Rainbow whooped out as the feeling had taken her over.

“I know, right?” Pinkie cheered just as loudly from the same feeling that was quite mutual.

“Should I leave you two alone, or should I stay?” Sterling grinned from the scene that played out in front of him.

“Well, I would say 'stay', but I need to get back to work,” Pinkie replied to him with a knowing smile.

“So do I,” Rainbow agreed with her. “I'll make it a clear night for you to enjoy your alone time with Fluttershy. And that's just part of the gift that I'm getting for you,” she told the man who was near her.

“And I have to make sure that you have the best birthday party EVER!!” Pinkie shouted at the last word to him.

“I love you, girls,” Sterling simply said to them before he opened the door that led to the main area of the Cake's shop.

“Aww! I love you too, Sterling!”  Pinkie cooed as she let her lips give him his last peck before she went back to her work.

“Same here, big man!” Rainbow proudly stated in compliance with Pinkie's sentiment as she gave him a last kiss.

“I'll see you two at home later?”

“We'll be there!”

“Ditto!”

“Bye!” he waved to them.

“Bye!” they waved back.

And with a flash of light, Sterling had disappeared in front of them. Both Rainbow and Pinkie looked at each other with a look that said the same thing that had been introduced from the same deal as before.

“Care to kiss me before I clear the skies, Pinkie?”

“I'd love to, Dashie.”

They immediately got to allowing their puckers to go into the same kiss that they had beforehand. But unlike the last time, it was just ten seconds shorter in time.

“See you at Sterling's.”

“See ya!”

Rainbow had sprouted her wings out before opening the door to make her way to the skies above the shop. With her disappearance, Pinkie was left alone to do the work that she always enjoyed doing. And this time, a skip had been seen in her steps after allowing the cupcakes to cool down long enough to sell to the customers who would be hungry enough to buy them. But given that it was a birthday today, she knew that she would have to work very hard on making all of the products. And this even included a cake that she would make for her new boyfriend. But she would just love seeing the faces of both the original and the new girlfriends, including herself, as they would enjoy the proverbial cake that she would soon make into a reality.

(Twilight's Castle, Library, 12:10 PM.....)

The books and parchments that laid chaotically on one of the tables had been magically lifted off with a purple aura for the purposes of getting reorganized into a proper filing. And Twilight was able to say to herself, even though Spike was able to hear it from his side of the room, that she was feeling great about the organization that her scribbled notes would soon have.

“Well, Spike, I believe that we can call it a day,” Twilight proudly said to her assistant with that cute smile of hers.

“Ugh! Finally!” Spike groaned from how exhausted he was feeling from having to organize the whole area.

“Thank you for assisting me with this, Spike,” she thanked him with a deep hug.

“Meh, it was nothing, Twilight,” Spike shrugged as he returned the sweet gesture.

“Nothing?” Twilight raised her eyebrow at him. “Spike, this whole reorganization of my notes and books was what I really needed! And all that you can say is that 'it was nothing'?” she nearly shouted at him.

“Uh... yes?” he chuckled at her.

“Now that's just little rude, wouldn't you say?”

Both Twilight and Spike turned around to see Sterling at the entrance of the library, standing between the opened doors.

“But I wasn't trying to be rude, man,” Spike calmly protested from his words. “I was trying to say that helping Twilight with organizing her things is just second nature to me, so it's practically nothing,” he defended himself.

“Well, then you should have said that, instead of saying 'meh', like its a passing phase,” Twilight scowled at him.

“And I agree with Twilight, my young drake,” Sterling complied. “Part of the Dragon guidelines allows any and all dragons to take pride in everything that they know they can do. And that means you too, Spike,” he smiled, knowing that he was right about letting his experience speak for him.

“Aw, alright... *sigh* I'll just be making our meals in the kitchen, Twilight,” Spike told the Princess near him in defeat as he bowed his head to her. “Don't keep her for too long, okay?” he asked the man who was waiting patiently to be allowed entrance.

“Don't worry, Spike. She'll still be in one piece when I'm through with her,” Sterling smirked at him before giving the same grin to Twilight. When he was shown in, Sterling closed the door behind him with Spike leaving to get to the kitchen to make whatever he wanted to make for lunch. Satisfied that he was alone with her, he walked to Twilight, who had a big smile on her face from seeing him.

“Hi, Sterling!” she cutely greeted him as he got closer to her.

“Hi, Twilight!” he greeted back as he then embraced her softly. The return hug had been given with a little more effort from the woman that he was giving his hug to. So he responded with a smack to her lips with his. “I wanted to tell you...” he whispered to her.

“Yes?” she wondered.

“You were just amazing last night,” he replied with a warm smile.

“Was I?” she blushed.

“Oh, yes. When you took the reins after I was done with you alone, you really helped the other girls rock my world,” he answered her. “I never had such a pleasure in all of my life. Two Alicornians going at it? I swear.... I must have been in the zone, as it was.” His sentence ended with a small chuckle that followed his sincere and loving tone.

“Oh, Sterling....” Twilight sniffled, feeling the romantic time warming her heart up. “I just love you so much that I can't even think of anything but you on my mind. And with last night's activities, I.... I really wanted to do it some more.” That sentence earned her a deep and meaningful smooch that she returned to her shared man.

“I'm afraid that Fluttershy has asked that I be with her alone tonight,” Sterling replied to her in a nearly saddened tone.

“Wow! She's really gotten bolder ever since she met you, stud!” Twilight commented from his small announcement.

“'Stud', huh? I guess you feel the same way that all of the girls do,” Sterling noted.

“That's right! And you really are a sexy guy, you know,” Twilight giggled.

“And you--” he started to say as he picked her up from the ground to twirl her around for a moment, earning a squeak of laughter from her, “ --are just a smoking hot model of an egghead! And I love eggheads a lot!” he chuckled to her after putting her down.

“Oh, you do, do you?” she half-teasingly asked him while getting closer to him.

“I do,” Sterling nodded again as he noticed her proximity closing in on his.

“And do I fulfill every fantasy that you've had about us academics?” she kept asking as she twirled her fingers on his chest.

“Well, last night already fulfilled some of those fantasies, so uh... yeah,” he shrugged to her. “You still do.”

*smooch-smooch!*

“Will you spend some alone time with me when you're done with Fluttershy tonight?” she asked him while she kept her face looking at his.

“I will,” he answered proudly.

*smooch*

“Happy birthday, Sterling.”

“Thank you, Twilight.” And yet again, another set of kisses had been made to the scholarly Princess, thus completing the cycle of kissing the girls in the inner circle of his harem. “I also wanted to you,” Sterling spoke up.

“Yeah?”

“Both Rainbow and Pinkie are now in the circle,” he announced to her just as happily.

“They are?”

“Oh yes.”

The softly spoken words rang in Twilight's ears, allowing her joy to bounce up and down as she repeated 'yes' as fast as a machine gun from the happy news that were already spoken to her.

“I'm so happy! YES-YES-YES-YES-YES!! I so wanted those two to be in our circle!” she shouts out with glee.

“And I'm happy that you're happy, Twilight,” Sterling quipped as he saw her happier face brightening up. “But for now, I must leave you,” he sadly said to her after releasing himself from her. “I have to get myself some lunch at the Trotting Cart restaurant. My reservation for 1:00 PM must not be delayed,” he explained to her with a serious look.

“I so wish that you could stay with me and Spike for lunch,” Twilight quivered from the thought of losing his touch.

“Don't worry, Twilight. It's only goodbye for now,” he assured her before continuing with his dialogue to her as his hand touched her left face cheek. “I've extended an invitation to my girls to join me at my house after lunch today at 3:30 PM. And you and Spike can see me then,” he said to her with his smile coming back to him.

“Should I bring a present?” she asked him sheepishly

“Well.... only if you believe that you want to,” he chuckled. “May the powers of Faustia protect you, Twilight.” he said to her in a goodbye motion to her as he gave her a final kiss.

“And the same with you, Sterling,” she replied just as warmly.

The final goodbye had been made as Sterling allowed his body to glow before teleporting from his location to the place that he needed to be at. And now, all that was in the library were the many books and rolled up parchments that were still neatly organized by her and Spike.

“You hungry, Twilight? I made some jeweled eggs for myself! And I can make a veggie egg for you if you want!” Spike shouted out from a distance. She looked at the door that was not fully closed and concluded that Spike was calling her up. Instead of wanting to shout back, she teleported to the entrance of the kitchen.

“I'd love a veggie omelet if you can make it,” Twilight politely ordered from her assistant.

“Oh, an omelet, huh? You must have had Sterling do something to make you happy,” he chirped up with his hands still on the utensils that he made his own eggs in.

“Yeah, you could say that,” she giggled again.

(????, ????, ????.....)

A pair of mysterious voices had begun to speak to each other in a distant desert wasteland.

“Is everything ready for the plan?” the first voice spoke up.

“All is in motion,” the second voice spoke back.

“Good! The boss will be very happy with the both of us!”

“And we will have all of the wealth in the world at our feet!”

(Back At Ponyville....)

The clock tower was now showing the time to be 12:55 PM. And Sterling was now at the entrance of the Trotting Cart, opening the door to see that the same restaurant was quite a posh place to look at. It was not his own establishment, but even he knew that this place had great taste in everything. The decorations, the plates, the food, the mood- any person could name it and it was there with style. The head waiter at the podium had looked to Sterling with a polite smile at him and beckoned him to step forward.

“Hello, and welcome to the Trotting Cart. I am the head waiter, Luncheon Manners, and I will accommodate all of your impending requests,” he greeted him with that same smile. “Now, how may I help you today, good sir?”

Sterling was only taken aback from the manners of the man behind the podium for a little bit before he composed himself to be just as proper.

“Why yes, Mr. Manners. I have a reservation for one, under the surname 'Caliber'. Is it still available right now?” he politely said to him. After a moment to look through the waiting list, the head waiter named Luncheon Manners snapped his fingers as he found the name.

“Your table has been moved to the outdoor setting because of how we had to accommodate a hungry family that have been saving their bits to eat her, good sir,” Luncheon explained to him with the same etiquette that he was a professional at showing. “I do hope that you won't take this arrangement too seriously.”

“Not at all, my good man,” Sterling chuckled. “A family wants to eat here, they can eat here,” he further replied to him as he pulled up a thick menu from a drawer under the podium.

“If you will follow me, I shall escort you to where your Highness will be seated for this afternoon,” Luncheon instructed him.

“Lead the way.”

A moment later, the Alicornian had been taken to the outdoor eating area where there was no one in the area but he and the waiter. As he took his seat at the smaller table, Sterling was then handed the same menu for him to look over.

“Shall I start your meal up with a drink first?” the waiter asked him.

“I'll have a tall glass of mimosa before I get the onion ring appetizer, if you please,” Sterling smiled at him while making his order. “It so happens to be my birthday, but I have no desire to have a dessert here. Just a few drinks will do,” he further requested the waiter.

“Ah! A most excellent choice, my friend,” the waiter nodded. “The next waiter will be out with your onion rings, and they will be able to take your order for the main course. And if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask for me, and I will do my best to make sure that every inquiry is answered,” he then said before bidding him a fond farewell with a bow.

“Farewell for now, Head-Waiter Manners,” he waved to him.

“And I bid you adieu.”

When the head waiter left the outdoor area with the door to the indoor area opening and closing in sync, Sterling took a deep breath and allowed the atmosphere to fully sink in. The place was just beautiful. And he was more than glad that he was actually alone. And he needed this time of meditation to himself before he could allow the party at his home to start.

The scenery itself was mesmerizing; the trees were standing proudly as some of the leaves were already falling off of the branches. The clear blue skies, to which he silently thanked Rainbow Dash for making it possible, had allowed him to relax from how calming it truly was for him. The whole scenario was much better than sitting inside of the establishment, judging from the noises that he heard when the door was opened up to allow his host inside. And Sterling was already feeling the mood of the outdoor room settling in. He knew that it would not be long until he was greeted by another waiter who would try to impress him with their skills. And he already knew that they would try to do their jobs right. But now that he was becoming happier with himself, his mood would be reflected in whomever would have the luck of serving him.

The door of the restaurant had opened up with small ring from a bell, signaling that he was about to be served his appetizer and drink. And after a moment of preparing to meet whoever was going to serve his lunch, given that such life-mysteries in life always kept him a bit giddy, he looked over to the door. As the door closed towards the inside of the place, Sterling had looked at the person who was holding up the glass of mimosa and the deep-fried onion ring platter in a tray. Though he could not see the face behind the platter, he was able to observe, just from a quick glance down at the body, that it was a woman who was quite fit while keeping an hourglass figure with perfect measurements.

“And who do I have the pleasure of knowing at the moment?” Sterling called to the woman who had her hands full, literally, with the tray that looked heavy. He felt a certain pity for her, thus creating a silvery aura to place the platter and drink in front of him.

“Oh! Thank you so much, good sir!” the mysterious woman thanked him with an exhausted sigh that told him how exhausted she was. “My name is Lily Spring, and I-- Aaaahh!!” the woman nearly screamed out at his appearance, to which she immediately recognized from anywhere. Her hair was colored with green and white highlights, the eyes were a lime green color, and her skin had a small tan on it from what he saw from her young face and arms. “Prince Sterling Caliber!!” she shrieked out as her knees fell to the ground as her hands moved up and down. Sterling was able to recognize that the waitress was bowing down to him, and could only roll his eyes from how amused he was feeling from her display. “My lord, I am not worthy of being in your presence,” Lilly solemnly said to him. A few chuckles were heard after she made her proclamation to him.

“You may rise, Lily Spring,” Sterling warmly beckoned her. He had then saw the woman slowly rise from the floor and stand up in front of him. “Now, uh... *ahem* I'd like to request that you give a slow turn around so that I can examine you, if you wouldn't mind,” he requested her.

“Oh! Uh.... o-okay,” she nodded at him as she lifted her arms up instinctively. And she slowly made her turn, allowing herself to be looked at by the same man that she revered like a real hero.

Upon the examination, he was able to see all that he needed to see; certain points on her whole body told him that she was in desperate need of a break. Maybe a whole week? And given that he was given certain rights as an Alicornian, he found a certain thing that he could do for his server.

“Does your station really make you unworthy of my time?” Sterling asked him with a cheerful tone to her as he took a sip of his drink.

“I.... I truly don't know, sir,” she politely answered him.

“Well then.... it seems that I will have to remedy that, won't I?” he chuckled. “And please, just call me Sterling; it's a lot easier for any conversation to start up with,” he told her just as happily. He then looked to his menu to see the main courses and began to widen his eyes at the one that he wanted to try for himself.

“Did you, um.... f-f-find what you wanted to order, sir?” the waitress asked her out of her professional courtesy, despite how nervous she was.

“Here,” Sterling beckoned her to come forward while he had his eyes still focusing on the chosen item. She moved to him as requested and stopped herself just a few feet from him so that she could reach the menu that he was wanting to fill his appetite with. “I'll take the fried chicken sandwich with guacamole on it, with no fries on the plate,” he ordered from the article in his hand. He then gave the menu to her, after jotting down the desired item with practiced precision, and continued his requests from there. “And when you get to the bosses office, after I receive the sandwich from you, tell them that Sterling Caliber is wishing for your company at this table to have a bite with him,” he smiled at her.

“Wha.... w-with you?!” she almost screamed again, her tone aching of wanting to know if this was all a dream that was concocted from how she worked herself to the bone at her job.

“And if your boss doesn't accommodate this request, then you'll be hearing about a much better boss being more merciful taking their place,” he vowed to her with that same smile on his face.

“Oh! Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!!” Lily thanked him rapidly as she kissed his hand a few times before standing back up to do as she was requested of her. “I get to have my lunch break with the Prince of Ponyville! Yay!” she cheered out as her heart, as Sterling could figuratively hear, was beating rapidly in her chest.

“And for all that is holy, just call me Sterling!” he laughed out loud. The waitress could not hear his words from how excited she was from how she was about to have some lunch with him. “*sigh* I guess that's how the cookie crumbles,” he mumbled to himself as he took one of the onion rings and bit into it.

The flavor of the first ring had awakened his taste buds with a smoky taste that nearly sent his head rolling off his shoulders. But even he knew that he had to savor the delightful flavor, given that the sandwich that he would receive in the next few minutes was going to taste even better with the onion rings that he resisted the temptation of downing. Minutes later, the same waitress returned with the ordered sandwich, along with her own salad meal in her hand, and a bottled water at the farther side of the cart.

“Oh good! You're here!” he smiled at her warmly as she approached him with her salad placed at a spot right before she seated herself in front of him.

“Yes,” Lily happily replied to him as she took a big bite of her chicken salad, as Sterling was able to observe. The same bite had then been swallowed before she took a drink of her water. “I've come back as you requested, Sterling,” she said to him, taking what she heard him say to him.

“And I see that you are quite hungry,” he chuckled at her ravenous way of eating. Lily had stopped herself from making a pig of herself.

“I must apologize, Sterling,” she said to him with a sheepish look on her face, embarrassed by what she just did. “It's just that I have been working non-stop until I get my scheduled lunch break for the last five years that I've been here,” she explains herself to him.

“Do tell, Ms. Spring,” he once again beckoned her.

Within the passing of half of an hour, Sterling had listened intently, while eating up all of his food, to the inspiring story of how she (an Auran waitress) and her husband, an Equian construction worker named Iron Cogs from what he remembered, had started off with only a few goldbacks on them and the dream of making it in the big city of Fillydelphia. Sadly, their families were far from happy when it was announced that they both had the intention to get married. But when they made it to Ponyville, they were happily greeted with open arms from the citizens who were able to help them both out. But most recently, even though she had no intention of returning to her home city, she picked up extra shifts to pay for the treatments at the hospital that her mother was being treated for her sickness. And from Sterling had heard, the same medical attention that she needed was just too expensive for her to buy. But she was more than willing to sacrifice her time to see to it that her mother was given what was needed for her. And his heart was actually aching for the patient that had that much of a close bond to her.

“Lily?” he spoke to her.

“Yes, Sterling?” she replied to him.

Sterling then pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket and surrounded it with his aura. With much of his focus being placed on the paper, the sheet began to grow smaller until it reached the normal size of a check that any person could write. And with the disappearance of the aura, he looked to the numbers on the note and gave himself a satisfied nod.

“I want you to take this to the bank account that you and your husband share together,” he began to instruct her with a serious tone as he handed the paper to her, “And use the appropriate amount to help your mother out. The rest will cover your bills for a few years.” The moment that Lily saw the numbers on the check, she almost fainted in front of him.

“But, sir--” she nearly protested before Sterling raised his hand up to her.

“I insist,” he insisted to her as he placed his hands around hers. “You truly deserve this.”

(…..)

Chapter 17: The Cornerstone Of The Party

Chapter 17:

The Cornerstone Of The Party

*****

The time was now 2:00 PM on Sterling's watch. He had just finished his meal, to which he gave an 'A++' for the review, and explained to the waitress' boss that she was in dire need of a vacation. And the same boss always that he conversed with told him how they really valued her work. But now, he was in his bedroom, ready for his nap. So much so in fact that his vision was starting to falter from his sudden exhaustion. With a snap of his fingers, his clothes transformed into pajamas. His hands then caressed the sheets and blanket that he pulled up before he moved into the comfort of his bed. But as he got comfortable, he felt a bit of weight next to him. And it was slowly crawling up to him.

“Who's there?” he groggily spoke. After hearing his words, the mysterious person in the bed turned out to be Fluttershy, who popped her head up before she moved her face to nuzzle his chest. Her bubblegum pink hair was the indicator that had him smile a little bit. “Oh... hey, 'Shy.” he tiredly greeted her.

“Mmmm... Did you have a good lunch, dear?” she purred as she kept rubbing her face on his chest.

“Mm-hmm. It was delicious,” he nodded as his desire to sleep came over him. “Have a good time at Rarity's?”

“Mm-hmm.”

*smooch*

“Sleep well, babe.”

“You too, stud.”

All that Sterling could do was chuckle before he could allow himself to snooze away the food that he enjoyed. And all with the company of his main squeeze, Fluttershy, at his side.

(*Beep-beep!* Click!)

“Huh-huh-what?” Sterling gave a slight snort that even made him want to wake up. After wiping the crust that was formed around his eyes, he was able to open them up to see the glorious sun going through the curtains. He was also able to notice, after looking to his right side, that Fluttershy was keeping herself close to him, despite how she clicked the snooze button to off. Sterling could not help but believe that his main squeeze had done it for him.

“Happy birthday, Sterling,” Fluttershy greeted him again with a small smile. Even if it was small, the man that she greeted knew that it was as genuine as if she was making her smile wide. “It's 3:20 right now, and we need to get ready,” she told him in a soft voice after giving him a soft wake-up kiss.

“For my party with the rest of the harem?” he rhetorically asked her.

“No. With me,” she shook her head in a nearly sarcastic tone.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot that it's just us celebrating,” Sterling, deciding to play along, replied to her.

It did not take a long time for the pair to start giving a giggle or a chuckle before it lead to a big laugh. And the laughter had become nearly as contagious as when Pinkie Pie, who was always in that chipper mood,  would give a giggle over something trivial. After a moment or two had passed by, their laughter died down to mere giggles and chuckles while they held each other.

“I just love you so much, Fluttershy,” Sterling smiled widely at her.

“I love you too, dear,” Fluttershy responded with her smile growing as big as his. The immediate thing to do was to give each other a big kiss on their lips, letting their taste linger in their mouths for a moment. Soon the lips parted so that she could say, “We need to get out of the bed to greet the girls.”

“You're right,” he groaned, obviously not wanting to get out of bed.

“Oh, Sterling, dear,” Fluttershy cooed to him with her right hand rubbing on his chest. “The girls will be disappointed if you don't show yourself to them.” He could only grunt. “Or....” she began to grin wickedly, without letting him see. “I could tell them to not have sex with you.”

That... was the straw that almost broke his back. And all women were able to use this tactic since the beginning of time.

“Rrr.... Alright, alright, alright!” he mumbled, knowing that he had been whipped. After rising from his side of the bed, Fluttershy followed suit as they both began to get into some casual clothing. “Just don't tell them that, please? I need to be able to have that time with all of them,” Sterling almost pleaded to her while he searched for something casual to wear. In the back of his mind, he knew perfectly well what one of his girlfriends would bring him as a gift for his birthday.

“I know, dear, but you really have to accept these gifts that all of us have given to you,” Fluttershy giggled while putting on the simple article of clothing that fit her form perfectly. “Besides, all of my friends, and yours, will have contributed to giving you a gift. And uh... I did too,” she said to him while looking herself over with her hands raking through her hair to fix it up.

“Here,” Sterling grinned as he pulled up a brush after using his magic to open the door. “Make yourself beautiful, babe,” he chuckled while holding the brush to her face.

“Thanks, dear,” she thanked as her hand accepted the hairbrush and started to brush her slightly disheveled hair. During her administrations, Sterling could not help but sigh silently at the sight of the beautiful Auran that had captured his heart, coaxed him into making a harem with him, and even had him believing that Goddesses do exist in the world. Although he knew that he is now an Alicornian, all that Sterling could do was look straight at her with a loving look that he could only share with his women while in his home.

“During my lunch at the Trotting Cart, I met and ate with one of the waitresses working there,” Sterling began to say to her as he put on a plain white shirt along with a new change of denim blue pants from his wardrobe drawers.

“Oh? What was her name?” Fluttershy asked him while continuing her brushing as she looked at him for a second.

“Lily Spring,” he remembered. “And she was quite overjoyed with wanting to eat with me,” he chuckled from what happened a while ago.

“She do the whole 'I'm not worthy of being near you' speech?” Fluttershy giggled.

“And she had told me a little story that kept my attention on her while I ate my food,” he then said to her. After looking himself over for a last time, he began to tell her the same story that the waitress told him about a few hours ago. When he was asked what happened after hearing his recollection on the tale, he told her how he gave her a sizable goldback check for her sickly parent's treatments, her bills to treat her husband and just about everything else that she would need.

“Oh, my,” Fluttershy gasped from the generous act that he made for the worker who served the food to him. “Sterling?” she softly called to him as she slowly moved up to him.

“Yes?”

Her arms then wrapped around his broad shoulders, and she planted a passionate kiss to his lips. His reciprocation came around with just as much passion as he could muster with her.

“I am just so happy that you did that for the both of them,” she cooed to him with a small cry that she was able to hold back after allowing a sob to accompany a giggle. “You really made the spirits of our Elements happy,” she said to him as she rubbed her cheek to his neck.

“Kindness and Generosity?” he spoke in a rhetorical smirk.

“Hmmhmmhmm! Yes,” Fluttershy giggled in his ear, causing him to chuckle.

“Ah, dammit 'Shy,” he chuckled. “Your giggles are just as infectious as Pinkie's laughs are.” They shared a mutual laugh before parting themselves from each other to allow themselves to breath. “And I blame her for allowing her Element to get to me, too.”

(*Knock-knock-knock!*)

The sound of the front door from below them stopped their laughs for a moment.

“I'll get the door. It's the girls,” Fluttershy volunteered herself. “Just get yourself ready for when I call you down, okay?” she instructed him warmly.

“As you wish, my love,” he complied with a nod. “But, uh... may I get a last kiss before you do, please?” he then asked her before she had the chance to open the bedroom door to open the front door.

“It'll have to be a few pecks,” she smiled at him.

“I can live with that,” he grinned back.

The pecks on their lips were quick, but each of them were just as warm as the next one. And when Fluttershy left the room, Sterling could only shake his head, believing that he was not going to have just a simple party.

“Guess I should put on an over-shirt for the occasion,” he said to himself after looking at himself in the mirror for a little bit.

(…..)

(Somewhere in the San Palomino Desert....)

“Everything is ready, boss!” a shrill voiced person had announced to a person that was at the desk of an unknown room.

“And we await your command!” a second voice, just as shrilled, sounded out in compliance beside the first person.

A small but deep voice had ominously begun to laugh just loud enough to allow the speaking voices to tremble for a bit.

The Body-Cleaner Hogs of this vast desert are able to destroy any evidence that would have otherwise pointed to us, thus halting our plans completely. Ready the dragon-fire artillery on my command.

“As you wish!”

“Yes, sir!”

The same pair then vacated the room, allowing the apparition to appear by itself.

In the next few days, all of Equestria will fall! And all of the riches and slave labor will be mine!

A deeper, more menacing laugh had sounded out all over the room, echoing through the same vast desert that was notorious for having the most dangerous of creatures residing in it, including the same hogs that were mentioned. And said creatures had fought themselves as commanded by the minions who were just as sweating with the excitement of wanting to ransack a whole nation.

(…..)

(Back at Sterling's house....)

“Sterling? You can come down now!” Fluttershy called up to him from her place, most likely in the area of the living room or the dining room from what he could figure out.

“Coming!” he called back to her. After taking a few moments to see to his appearance, he opened the door to find himself in the hallway where the doors of his spare rooms were shown to him. “Should I pull up a blindfold, my dear?” he called to her, hoping for the answer to be simple.

“Just put your hands over your eyes after you reach the top of the stairs, darling!” Rarity called up, replacing Fluttershy's voice for a moment.

“All right then,” he complied as his hands obeyed their order to cover his eyes. “I got them covered.”

“Just follow our voices, and you'll reach us,” Cadence also said from her place.

Once his feet glided to the rim of the step that gave him the sign to begin, while keeping his hands on his eyes, his left foot had begun to step on the staircase, going downward to the ground floor.

“Good job, love,” Luna said to him with a girly grin, even though Sterling could not see her doing so.

“And I suppose that I'm not going to find that I'm dreaming all of this?” Sterling smirked with a mischievous grin as his feet went on the fifth step, keeping a slow pace so as not to fall down on the staircase.

“It's not a dream, I can assure you,” Celestia confirmed to him while also seeing him do his little job well.

“Yeah! But, seriously? Even if it was a dream, you would not want to wake up from it, would you?” Rainbow rhetorically asked him with a slight chuckle from her.

“Oh, Tartarus, no!” Sterling laughed. “Because then I would give Moon-Butt a reason to argue against me,” he kept laughing a little bit while keeping up his hands on his eyes as he made the final step before finding the wooden floor on his shoe-covered feet..

“Seriously? 'Moon-Butt'?” Luna parroted his nickname to her while moving to the living room. “I suppose you have the same kind of pseudonym for my sister, my niece, and Twilight too?” she then asked, allowing him to follow her.

“I do,” Sterling nodded, causing the other Princesses to roll their eyes at him. “Sun-Butt, Heart-Butt & Star-Butt! And you know who amongst you has what symbol on your beautiful buxom bottoms,” he smirked while following his instincts that told him to move into the living room while blinded.

“You think our seats are beautiful, then?” Celestia giggled from the alliteration made about her own hind.

“You and the rest of the girls in the room each have a great body that I just want to worship every day and night,” Sterling mentioned to her in a general direction. “And even I know that each of you has enough fat in the right places that even an average Equestrian or Stirrupean person looks for from their potential mates. And I love every inch of your bodies,” he nodded again with a nearly devilish look on him.

“And this even includes our bottoms?”  Pinkie asked him.

Sterling could only reply with a 'mm-hmm' noise that had been deep enough to allow her and the other women to know that even though he always had certain erotic fantasies about them, he was able to control himself for his own sake.

“Oh! And the breasts as well, my loves. I do enjoy seeing them... maybe a bit more than groping or massaging them,” he commented to them.

“You can open your eyes now, sugar,” Applejack instructed him. Upon doing so, he was greeted with a great, big--

“SURPRISE!!!”

After hearing all nine of his girlfriends shouting their greeting to him, he then saw them lift up their shirts and saw the eighteen perfect breasts that had made him blush wildly. His reaction, of course, had been to nearly laugh from the display that even his equal rulers were not to do unless they were near him.

“Aah!” he shouted as the force of the reaction in his body made him nearly vault over to his recliner chair. “Titties!” he giggled to himself as he got comfortable on his seat. The resulting laugh that he got from all nine of them had echoed throughout the living room after they all pulled their shirts and dress tops back down.

“And beer?” Pinkie added as she had shown him a pint glass filled with his favorite beer in it.

“Thank you, babe,” Sterling thanked her before rising from his seat. When he did so, he was given one of many hugs and kisses that Pinkie Pie was more than happy to give him. “Oh! This is turning into quite an event, if I can say so,” he chuckled while holding the Equian confection baker close to him. After parting from her, he took the beer from her hand and gave a small gulp of his drink. He then set the glass on a coaster that Rarity placed on the table for him via her magic. “You girls must have been nearly perplexed from having thought of flashing me the way that you all did,” he chuckled again.

“And I believe that, though uncouth it may be, you deserve to see such a display from all of us,” Rarity shook her head from having done so while rolling her eyes.

“It was all my idea,” Fluttershy meekly said to him with a big blush on her face.

“And once again, I am quite surprised, 'Shy,” he laughed from hearing her words.

“Yeah, 'cause I have the reputation of surprising everyone,” Pinkie added to the topic while throwing some confetti in the air.

“And we know that quite well,” Luna giggled in her hand.

“But if that display was one of my surprises, then I suppose that the presents behind me are another?” he asked as his thumb pointed behind his chair. “And I believe that some of them are gag gifts, compared to the ones that all of you have given me,” he said with a small huff after looking over the items that were piled up almost halfway to the ceiling.

“It looks like your friends from outside of our country have decided to give you something as well,” Celestia observed, noticing that the bigger number were not from her, nor the rest of the harem.

“Wow-wee! I'll bet that there's about forty presents here,” Pinkie gasped from the sight.

“Oh, my! Your friends must really love you if they went to the trouble of getting a present for you as well, dear,” Fluttershy also gasped.

“If it turns out to have a large group of thieves in there, then I'm holding all of you responsible,” Sterling then said to them. This exchange of words then got all ten of the people, including him, to look at each other with a deadpan look. But this stone-cold look did not last for a long time when they all saw their lips wriggling with the struggle to keep from moving. As soon as the sound of snickers had been heard, coming from the nose of Celestia herself, everyone began to laugh loudly. The same laughs, along with some snorts that followed within, had echoed throughout the halls of his house, leaving him to then say, “And I- ha!- I really don't want to call on some 'Baba' to help!” That statement did not help with ceasing the laughter, as it instead made him laugh even more.

Half of an hour had ticked through the grandfather clock's mechanisms when the ten people (consisting of the nine women and one man, of course) had finally allowed their laughs to ease down.

“I guess it's time to open them, then?” Rainbow nodded as she relaxed herself next to Applejack, who was taking in a few deep breaths as they, along with three others, sat on the larger couch.

“Eeyup. That it is, sugar cube,” Applejack nodded as her smile reached out to the ceiling.

“Well then, let's get the unwrapping session started, shall we?” Sterling said as he levitated one of his gifts towards his legs while he perched his bottom on his favorite chair.

“We certainly shall,” Luna smiled once again.

An hour had then passed by as the presents had one-by-one been unwrapped. Within the time it took to unwrap them all, Sterling had received only two gag gifts from Rarity and Fluttershy, to which some more laughs had been made. And given that they consisted of lubrication bottles and a couple's vibrator, who wouldn't laugh at them?

Along with the said gags, there were also more than forty real gifts. The first one that Sterling had unwrapped was from Cadence herself: A state-of-the-art, professionally designed, one-of-a-kind jewelry designer workshop that had much better equipment to work with than most jewelry stores in the whole world. And after looking over the quite large workshop equipment, he lifted the whole thing with his magic and placed it within one of the rooms within his basement. From Princess Luna, he was given an astronomer's guide to her constellations which had also been written with a detailing of how they each got their names. And from Princess Celestia, he was given a decorative sword that was halfway to being as big as himself. And that was placed on a few hooks that had been drilled into the wall above the couch near him.

The rest of the gifts had consisted of the following from the rest of the women in his harem:

A plastic, interactive display of clockwork, from Twilight, that worked well with just the slight movement of a lever that moved the fake gears. And that was moved to the library. A multi-plug outlet, from Pinkie Pie, that stayed in the living room behind his TV settings. A small row of hand-stitched formal clothes made by Rarity, to which he used his magic to place inside of his master bedroom closet. From Rainbow Dash, it was an autographed poster of the Wonderbolts, with Captain Spitfire writing a long speech to him before making her signature. And that was moved to the basement via magic. From Applejack, he was given a plastic bag of her best apples (no surprise there, given that she always gave him the best), which was moved to the kitchen area. And from Fluttershy, he was given a pair of mugs that had her cutie mark, along with the other's marks, on the side that were beautifully handmade for him. And those mugs were immediately placed on the table in the dining room.

And finally, his last gifts from his Royal Elites had consisted of the following: A pair of gigantic treasure chests from Onyx and Brandon, a map of the world of Equius, a large shield engraved with his cutie mark, a guide for creating any new beer from a brew master, a few small machines for an at-home microbrewery, and about a few other small trinkets. The chests were moved to his vault from a portal that he had opened while some of the other gifts were floated to Sterling's intended places. The moment he closed it, he had given a heavy sigh. But the same gifts from his friends had also been accompanied by the gifts that were given to him by the influential leaders of the continents of Equius.

"Wow... even I never knew how much of an impact I had on the world," he shook his head. "And more than even fifty gifts? I can't even fathom how I was able to make such a difference in every person that I have met." After having said that, Sterling then looked at his harem partners with a surprised look and a heavy sigh that had them all believe that he was about to contemplate what all he had done.

"Sterling? Are you okay?" Twilight asked him, believing that he was just as aghast as her friends were with the gestures.

"I think.... I need a heavy drink to calm my nerves," Sterling almost shuddered in his reply. Luckily, he looked to Pinkie Pie who had already made another pint appear in her hands. Upon seeing that, he gulped down the remainder of his glass of beer with a vigor in him and gently placed it near the mugs before taking the second glass from Pinkie's hand. "Or at least two pints of the sweet nectar of the Lyrish brewmasters," he chuckled at last before taking a big gulp of his second drink.

"'Sweet nectar', huh? Never heard it like that before," Twilight scratched her head from his words while holding a small grin on her lips.

"If you've been in Lyreland for as long as I have, then you start to know why the people there are known for three things that make them a proud nation within the Stiruppean United Kingdom," Sterling replied with a small huff of his breath. "The third great contribution being their wonderful music," he started with three of his fingers pointed up. "The second contribution being their devotion to both Celestia and Luna with their two united cults and artwork for them," he added as a finger went down. As soon as the royal sisters heard that statement from him, they looked at each other with a big blush on their faces. "And finally, their own take on certain alcoholic beverages that all people can enjoy. Responsibly, of course," he nodded with a proud look on his face.

"Whoa! A pair of devoted cults for both Celestia and Luna?" Applejack gasped as she repeated what he had said.

"And their music and artwork, too?" Pinkie asked along with Applejack.

"How devoted are they, Sterling?" Celestia then desired to know, along with Luna who had nodded her agreement.

"Yes! How?" the rest of the women then voiced up to him. Sterling could only make a big grin on his face before he answered them.

"They are both so devoted to the Sun and the Moon... that even a Dragon's greed for treasure can't touch their hearts."

And after the women had heard that sentence, they all gasped a breath that made them want to sit down and think about it. But thankfully, it was only Sterling that was able to break the silence as his next gulp had echoed through the room.

"And you heard this from Quinn, right?" Twilight asked him while looking at him with incredulity in her tone.

"He and I always had our insults to throw at each other, so when he told me of his people's devotion to both Celestia and Luna within his callbacks, I would always try to get him back with a smarter reply. It only worked half of the time, though," he admitted to them all.

*woof-woof!*

A few seconds later, a large dog had appeared in the walkway, running up to the voices in the room.

“Where's the fire, master? Huh-huh-huh?” Chancellor, the pet dog that Sterling had happily adopted some months ago, yipped out as his tail wagged back and forth, giving a slight whip on some of the ladies legs.

“Ah, Chancellor! Good to see that you want to interact with us, huh boy?” Sterling chuckled.

“Hey, boy!” Pinkie spoke up before giving the dog a big hug, to which she received a few sloppy licks on her face. “Tee-hee-hee-hee-hee! Such a good boy, Chancey!” she giggled at his affection to her.

“Why thank you, Pinkie!” he yipped before moving back to face the princesses within the room. “If I can remember correctly, you are Twilight Sparkle, Mi Amore Cadenza, Luna and Celestia, right?” he almost yipped again in the last word made.

“That we are, young pup,” Luna nodded as Chancellor slightly moved up to greet her. What happened next surprised her: The dog stuck his paw out to her, as if waiting for a shake. But as Luna knelt down to the dog, the other princesses did the same. After taking the initiative, the palm of her hand was met with a large paw that belonged to the dog that was just so polite to her. “And a gentle-dog, too,” she giggled while softly holding the paw for a little bit. When she got up, Cadence, Twilight and Celestia took their turns with shaking Chancellor's paw.

“So! Shall we commence with the party?” Sterling had suggested to them after seeing that his pet was satisfied with the shakes of his paw while looking at him as he petted him lovingly.

“We shall!” the ladies in the living room proclaimed cheerfully.

"Gotta hand it to ya! A pet really livens things up, huh?" a new voice then laughed from behind the women, who immediately looked behind them to see the stranger that spoke up. Judging from the voice, Sterling figured out that it was a male that had entered the house. With a stern look on his face

"It does, but I- I-ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!!" Sterling then gasped out as his eyes widened out to where they might have popped out of their sockets as his mouth almost dropped to the floor.

The man in front of him was wearing the standard sheriff's outfit, along with a gold star on the left side of the vest. His face was about as young as his, but the eyes were as gold as his badge. He knew who it was at that moment.

"And who are you, stranger?" Pinkie happily greeted the new man who was apparently making her shared man gasp loudly.

"Oh, well, where are mah manners? I'm--" the man was about to reply his introduction before Sterling raised his hand.

"Gold Star. The newest sheriff of Dodge City," Sterling introduced for him with a trailing off from his voice.

"And?" Fluttershy pressed him to continue.

"....."

"....."

"....and my old, best friend from childhood."

*****

Chapter 18: Before The Boss Goes In

Chapter 18:

Before The Boss Goes In

*****

“Yep. That Ah am, ya big lug!” Gold Star, an Equian man with a sheriff's uniform on his person, smiled with a growing chuckle that made a few joyful vibrations shake up the people within the home.

“Holy shit!!” Sterling exclaimed at the sight of his old childhood friend.

As soon as he said that, he hurried over to the sheriff and quickly wrapped his arms around him in a big, brotherly hug. Gold Star could only laugh heartily as he hugged his friend back. And during said hug, a few laughs of joy, along with some tears being shed from their eyes, had allowed the women in his harem to realize that the two men were more than just happy to see each other. This turn of events had allowed a few of their own tears to be shed, given how heartwarming the whole scenario was. And with Rarity sharing a handkerchief with Fluttershy, this was more than likely going to warm up their hearts as evidenced by holding each others hands.

“Ah-ha-ha-haaa!! Oh! It's been more than ten years since I last saw you, my old friend!” Sterling cried out after pulling himself away from his old friend. As soon as he wiped his eyes, along with a firm rub to remove more of the emotional evidence, he was able to see that his pal was also an adult like he was. “And look at you! A sheriff of Dodge City, no less!” he observed from the badge and uniform that his friend had on himself as his hands were extended out to him.

“And just look at you, bud! A full-fledged Alicornian, no less! Ha! Ah never woulda guessed it!” Gold laughed.

Some more laughs were exchanged when the men gave each other another hug.

“Ah, Sterling! It's so great to see you!” he then said as they had embraced each other.

“And it's great to see you, too!” Sterling chuckled.

“This is your best friend?” Twilight then spoke up from behind Sterling, who had looked back to her as he released his friend.

“Since the two of us were just old enough ta git to the school doors to go home at three,” Gold confirmed to her with a tip of his hat to her.

“This was the only person, other than Cherry Jubilee, that I made a great friend with,” Sterling also said in compliance. A thought had then come up to his mind. “And speaking of whom, how have you and Cherry been doing without me?” he asked Gold as soon as it hit him.

“Aw, Sterling! Cherry was just devastated when ya left the town,” Gold began to answer him. “After two days of ya bein' gone, Cherry was just crying her eyes out because of how she missed ya so much, buddy! And Ah bet that if she was here with us, she'd be more than happy ta see ya here,” he chuckled to him.

"I don't doubt it," Sterling shook his head. As the two men nodded after, he then cleared his throat after remembering what he was supposed to do. "Gold-Boy, I'd like to introduce you to my loving women," he spoke to the man in front of him before motioning him to step forward.

"These are all of your women?" Gold asked incredulously.

"Yep, and I love each and every one of them with all of my heart," he responded while noticing that the women all had a blush on their faces. "This fine group of women are the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony," Sterling began with the larger group at one side of the living room. "Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy," he introduced the girls to him.

"Big pleasure to meet ya, ladies," Gold bowed to them with a tip of his hat. When the girls had given their greetings to him, Gold turned his head to the three royal ladies who each had a warm smile to give.

"And I believe that you know who these ladies are," Sterling said to him with a pat on his back.

"That Ah do indeed," Gold nodded before lowering himself to bow before the women. "And Ah'm only humbled ta be in yer presence, yer Highness'," he stated to them with his head lowered to them. What he received was a slight giggle from all three of the Princesses.

"You may rise, Sheriff Gold Star," Celestia spoke to him warmly.

Immediately, the man rose up and beheld the sight of the women. Though Gold Star was an officer and a gentleman, even he knew that the tales of the beauty of the rulers of Equestria were not exaggerated.

"And we see that thou-- you--" -Luna quickly corrected herself- "are a man that upholds the law, even in a town that is not yours," she said to him with a nod.

“Goodness me! Is that really you?” a mysterious, female voice then said. And just as quickly, the guests had looked behind them.

Within the room was none other than Cherry Jubilee. The red hair in a bun, her brown eyes, her unmistakably cute mole near her mouth, and the symbol of two cherries on her shirt. Applejack had just been given a reason to smile widely, given her own memories of working under her. She was a very nice lady, from what she had remembered. But she also had a shudder when the rest of that memory came back. But in the end, her smile came back to her.

But what she, and the other women in the room, had not counted on was how the same woman was now starting to get teary-eyed.

“Ch... Cherry?” Sterling gasped from her sad display.

“Darlin'? You okay there?” Gold asked her in concern.

“Y...you... Y-you're not--?”

“Dead?” Sterling finished for her. “Nope. Alive and well,” he nodded to her.

“Well then, uh...” Cherry had trailed off before looking down to the floor. When Sterling had lowered his head just low enough to try to look at her, she looked back up and had put on an angry look. Before he, or Gold, could even ask what she was thinking about--

(SLAP!!)

The harem circle, and the sheriff too, had seen their best friend/lover be slapped at his face with a great force that almost forced him to the floor. And they had all gasped so loud, that it sounded like the end of the world was upon them.

“YOU BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK OF LEAVING US BEHIND?!?!” Cherry screamed at him in anger while the tears in her eyes were falling down to the floor while Gold Star had to restrain her from trying to hurt their old friend. “AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN LEAVE A NOTE, OR SAY GOOD BYE TO US! HOW COULD YOU BE SO CRUEL?!?!” she further demanded as her emotions had begun to get to her. “WHY?! WWHHHYYY?!?! Good Goddesses, why?” she choked while her hands had covered her face up in the sorrow.

“Cherry, do ya not realize what ya just did now?” Gold Star sternly said to her while keeping her in a hold that he had practiced on his prisoners for many years to this day. “Ya just gone and slapped an Alicornian! And Sterling so happens to be an Alicornian now!” he reminded her with a slight raise of his voice. “And ya also did it in front of the Princesses in this house!”

As soon as the word Princess had hit her brain, she began to tremble in fear. And her panic had begun to overtake her rational thought process. She also knew what Gold Star was talking about. For to slap an Alicornian meant one thing. And it all basically said 'death sentence' to her.

“Oh, no. Oh, no! No-no-NO-NO-NO-NO-NOO!! No, please! Don't kill me! Please! I beg of you!” Cherry pleaded to Sterling as she bent her knees to the ground in a fall that might have stung her if not for her fear overriding her thoughts.

“You do know what happens to a person that intentionally slaps an Alicornian, don't you?” Sterling then asked her with a stone cold look. The women around him were stopped by Celestia's hands and arms blocking them intentionally. But even with that, they had seen how that look was only given to those that he believed deserved death. And even Fluttershy was about to cry loudly.

“No! Please! I beg of you, Sterling! Don't kill me!” Cherry kept blubbering to him. As soon as Gold had seen that look on her face, along with how his friend was not pleased at all, he let her go of his hold. And when all of the people saw her backed up to the wall, Sterling then raised up his right hand and allowed it to glow. “No! Please!” she cried out as she saw the glow of his magic from the hand that was being given off. And this... was going--

(SPLASH!!)

As soon as she felt the cold water hit her face, she opened and blinked her crying eyes to the hand that had splashed her with some water spell.

“Wha...w-what? Huh?!” she stammered before she then saw... a look of mischief in Sterling's silver eyes. And a grin that had plastered his face just from her reaction.

“Did you really think that I was going to kill you just for doing that?” Sterling laughed from the whole scene that he played out. “That slap may have really stung me, but I could never kill my old friends just from that! Not even you, Cherry!” And with that said, he gave her a huge hug.

Though shocked by what was being given to her, Cherry had then allowed her mind to be cleared.

“So... does this mean--?” she sobbed at his gesture.

“It means that I am quite happy to see you, Cherry,” Sterling told her with a surprisingly new sadness in his tone. “And I am absolutely sorry that I scared you and Goldie like that,” he nodded to her after pulling himself away long enough to look at her while pointing to Gold near him. “I really am,” he then assured her with a soft but meaningful nod.

“Oh! Oh, STERLING!!” Cherry then cried as she gave him the same big hug. As soon as she did that, the harem in the room (excluding the Princesses), and Gold Star, had allowed themselves to breath out from their lungs, unaware that they were holding their breaths at the time.

“Oh, Cherry,” he replied to her in a small whisper. The embrace that he shared with her was just as much of a relief as it was with Gold Star, who at the time had given a big grin to himself. “I missed you and Gold for a long time. And now that I have seen the both of you--” -he then stood up as his arms released his hold on her, to which she did the same just as quickly.- “I better introduce you to my harem girls.”

“Wait, did Ah hear that right? Did ya just say... 'harem'?” Cherry asked him with a raised brow. “All of these ladies are...?” Cherry pointed to the women.

“Uh-huh. This is all of them,” Sterling proudly stated with a nod. “The Princesses named Twilight Sparkle, Mi Amore Cadenza, Luna and Celestia,” he began to introduce to his friends. The four that were pointed out had bowed their heads to them. “And these visions of beauty, along with the Princesses, are Pinkie Pie,” he pointed to the bubbly girl who was bouncing up and down. Gold Star took a quick glance down to the jumping woman's shirt and quickly thanked the Goddesses with a look up to the ceiling before nodding his head. “Rainbow Dash,” he pointed to the athlete with rainbow colors in her hair, who did a quick pose of triumph to the two in front of her. “I'm sure you two know Applejack,” he pointed to the cowgirl who gave a small grin.

“Howdy again, Applejack!” Gold tipped his hat to her.

“And the same to y'all!” Applejack greeted them with the same motion.

“This is Rarity,” Sterling then pointed to the lady with the purple curls.

“I am charmed to meet you both, even though I know you from all those years ago,” Rarity pointed to Cherry, who had a slight look of contemplation on her.

“Same here, Miss Rarity,” Cherry nodded.

“And finally, as Sterling will no doubt want to speak, this is Fluttershy,” Rarity then finished for Sterling, who had allowed himself to remain as silent as possible.

“Oh! Uh... h-hello,” she quietly greeted the other lady while curling her hair around with a finger while looking away. “It's... nice to meet you two.”

“Same here,” Gold Star saluted to her. He then turned to Sterling and said, “Ah hope that we ain't intrudin' on nothin', bud.”

“Actually, I was just in the process of celebrating my birthday,” Sterling replied to him.

“Then I'd like to make a suggestion, if ya please,” Gold spoke up.

“Well then, by all means, what do you suggest?” Sterling raised his brow at him.

“That we all keep the party going from before Cherry and Ah came in,” Gold chuckled.

“GREAT IDEA!!” Pinkie cheered as she pulled up two mini versions of her party cannon from her pockets and made them both pop. The resulting confetti and streamers, though significantly smaller than her normal party favors, had begun to indicate that the party was ready to start up from where it had ended abruptly.

(*****)

And after about a few hours, the whole party had ended with Sterling having to let his old friends Gold Star and Cherry Jubilee leave so that they could get back to the hotel room that they so happened to have rented for themselves for the whole day. And along with those two gone, three of the Princesses (Celestia, Luna & Cadence) had to go back to their castles in their own cities. And from there, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash all had to leave his house. The time had flown to show the grandfather clock indicating that it was now 9:00 PM on the dot.

But it was Fluttershy who had volunteered to stay behind. And oh boy did she give him an earful. Not only did his display scare everyone in the room, including herself, but she had also told him that making such a scary face at his friends had nearly denied him the ability to sleep next to a warm body for the night. The only thing that saved him from facing that consequence, as she had put it to him,was how he was able to convince her that he was truly sorry for his words and actions. And now, they were sitting next to each other, looking at each other with the utmost desire to allow themselves to get close to each other.

“So.... did you really leave them without a notice or a goodbye?” Fluttershy asked him, breaking the awkward silence between them.

“All that I cared about was figuring out how to save the world from the same type of people that destroyed my parents, so... yes,” he shamefully admitted to her, knowing that his answer was not what he wanted to say to her. “I did not even think about telling my friends because of how their was an orphanage that had been given a bad reputation in the welfare of kids like myself. When I was left alone, all that I wanted was to escape the clutches of any person who would have taken me from my home. So instead of letting myself be adopted, I traveled the world,” he started to explain himself.

“And you never thought to let them go with you?” she pressed on for him to say.

“No...” he said with a heavy sigh. “I didn't.”

“But... why?”

“I was... well, I... I couldn't let them go through what I went through! Both from what happened then, to what I had already gone through up to this point in my life! And more than likely, I would have lost them in the war!”

Sterling then ran the same scenarios that he remembered from all of those years that he was fighting against the Rex Brutes in his mind. And as he did this, he had seen the possible outcome with his old friends growing up to be like him, under Fixer and Onyx's command. But it was the deaths that he saw. And the same noises.... of death, destruction, chaos and war machinery.... had become the undesired melody that repeated in his mind.

“Sterling!!” Fluttershy snapped at him.

“Gaah!” Sterling shrieked, making his memory change back to the peripheral view that he now focused on. He then saw that her face had grown more concerned when she was trying to tell him something but had no response coming back.

“Are you okay?” she then asked him.

“No!” Sterling cried out as he looked away from her in tears. “I am not okay! I would have lost my best childhood friends to the war if I had not done what I did during my time! And I hate thinking about what might have happened if I lost them both! And now... here I am..... cold and fearful from how I could have easily lost you... all of you,” he sobbed with his head looking to the floor.

As the timid Auran had looked to her shared man, she saw the sadness that he was displaying from his pose. And the same sadness had crept into her being, making her believe that there was nothing that she could do to help him. But just as that fear had taken her, it was instantly taken away by a resolve to make him feel better. But even she knew that what she intended to do would not just help him, but her as well. And from there, her part in her idea was about to come.

Within Sterling's unneeded guilt trip, followed by the horror of his scenarios, he had felt the mounds of Fluttershy's breasts press onto his back. He had shivered at the touch, thinking that he was about to be physically hurt by her. But to his surprise, he found that she was being just as gentle as she always was. The firmness of her arms surrounding his upper midriff in a hug had told him, in their renewed silence, that she was not going to allow him to suffer any longer. That he had his harem, and her, to hold in his arms. As soon as they locked around him, he placed his hands on her arms and held them tightly enough to not bruise her otherwise frail limbs.

Fluttershy then removed herself from the couch, leaving him to wonder what she was doing. The look on her eyes still told him the same thing, even as she extended her hand. Slowly, Sterling took her hand and rose from his spot.

The two of them slowly ascended from the bottom of the stairs to the first floor from the ground up. Luckily for the both of them, Chancellor had moved to his doghouse in the backyard, thus allowing them both to know that it was only their footsteps (his being heavy and hers being light) that echoed throughout the otherwise empty house. As soon as they both reached the top step, the woman guided him with her to his bedroom. When they reached the door, she opened the door and gently pushed him in. Though initially confused by her actions, Sterling obeyed her without saying a word. Fluttershy then closed the door behind them and softly moved him near the edge of her bed.

Sterling's mind then began to process what Fluttershy had in mind for him. Though he was reluctant about it all, he eventually got the message and stood perfectly still in front of her.

And then Fluttershy began to undo the two shirts by reaching down to the hemline of the second shirt and pulling it up to reveal his washboard abs to her. With a slow lift of his arms, after sliding off the button up shirt to the floor, she had succeeded in revealing his upper midriff to her eyes. The removal of his shirts had soon followed with her hands guiding his to the straps of her dress. Immediately, Sterling had slowly and softly moved the straps away from the shoulders and pulled the dress down to the floor, revealing to him the same body that always made him blush with a deep red color on his face. Upon seeing his face giving off that color, she gave a small giggle before moving his hands to where the clasp of her bra was located. When Sterling looked at her with a raised brow, Fluttershy nodded to him, waiting for him to do what she wanted. A small click was all that was heard until the yellow bra that held her E-cup breasts had landed on the floor.

A deep, passionate kiss was allowed between the two of them. Their breaths had become just as ragged as before, only with a lot more heart being beautifully mixed in with the apparent lust that they both knew was growing within their lower regions. As their lips parted for a moment, Sterling then began to gently nibble on her neck, drawing a lustful moan from Fluttershy that told him that he was doing a wonderful job on his part. When that wasn't enough for him, he gave a small nibble to her right ear lobe before trailing a slight lick that made her nearly shriek, though it was more like a shudder than anything else that fueled his lust. And as the tongue moved behind her ear, Fluttershy had slightly clawed her fingernails into his back, making him want more. His hands had cupped both of her bountiful breasts, giving her moans a longer time to be heard for his enjoyment.

They both could not take it any longer. Fluttershy then moved away just a few millimeters away before getting down on her knees to begin unzipping Sterling's pants. When she saw that he was not wearing his socks and shoes, she gave a slight smile before beginning her work. With a quick zip down from his zipper after undoing the button, Sterling's mast had nearly appeared before her with the tent in his boxers to indicate that he was more than excited to get the after party going. And after pulling the boxers down, Sterling's erected manhood had stood up proudly before her. Only this time, it was looking a lot bigger than normal.  knew that it was must have been her vision being clouded with her lust. But she didn't care at the moment.

A slurping sound had become the announcement that Sterling soon heard as the jolt of pleasure traveled throughout his whole body from his sex. And Fluttershy was not wasting any time in administrating oral sex to him. And as he was feeling her mouth bobbing up and down on his shaft, while feeling his sack being cupped as another stroked him, the sadness that he was feeling before had melted away. A groan had escaped him as he felt the pleasure rising in his rod, letting Fluttershy know that she was doing just as greatly on him as she had told him before.

Soon the pressure became too much for Sterling to take. His grunts then became a long drawn growl that told her of how he was close to exploding in her mouth. But instead of slowing down, the lady below him had moved deeper and faster with her whole mouth on his cock, adding to the desire to allow his pent up frustration to vent out. And when it became too much for him to hold on, his hot and sticky seed had gushed into her entire maw with his hips jerking towards her face in a set of spasms that spoke of his final release. And Fluttershy had moaned deeply into his massive girth, knowing that she was quite hungry for his seed. Her mouth became almost stuffed to the brim. But she did not gag at all. Instead, she swallowed all of the seed that was in her mouth while using her finger to wipe the small streams that escaped her lips and licked them clean.

Seeing her swallow his seed allowed Sterling's manhood to stand back at attention at full mast with a twitch that made him hard again. Upon seeing this, he also saw the woman use her hands to rub on him again, earning her another sexy growl from him. But instead of allowing it to happen, his desire to be a gentleman had taken over. He then placed his hands under her chin with a motion for her to stand up. When she did this, he placed his hands on her hips, gliding his fingers on the edge of her panties. He looked at her with the same look that she was giving him to ask, in his silence, if he could give her the same treatment. He felt that she deserved it, all things considering.

When Fluttershy nodded, he slowly moved her to the edge of the bed and sat her down. With a quick kiss to her lips, which she returned, he began to lay her down on the bed. His fingers snaked to the hemline of the yellow panties and grabbed onto them with a hooking motion. The movement of the cloth that hid her prized possession was both tantalizing and agonizing to the both of them. And this was because of how the both of them just loved giving oral to each other. So much so that going slow was just as much of teasing motion as it was when he cupped her breasts a few moments ago. When he finally saw the glistening nether lips of Fluttershy's honeypot in his sight, he almost allowed his saliva to drip out. But as much as he wanted to just dive right in, he still had to tend to her needs.

A few small kisses had been exchanged between them before the both of them moved their naked bodies to the bed and got themselves comfortable. Sterling then removed a pillow from the head of the bed for what he had in mind for his part of the foreplay. As soon as Fluttershy saw him moving the pillow, she lifted her legs and hips up to assist him. As soon as her gorgeous bottom was on the pillow, Sterling had moved to meet her face. Her blushing face had jogged the memory of when he first met her all those months ago. But in comparison to that picture, and with how she looked right now, he knew that it was all the same. The only difference was the bedroom eyes that they both possessed. His lips began to kiss hers in another passionate display of affection. Despite how salty it tasted, he paid the detail no mind as it raised his lust for her even higher.

Sterling's hands cupped Fluttershy's breasts in a firm yet gentle massage that had allowed the lady below him to know that she wanted him to whatever he wished to do to her. His mouth and tongue then sucked, licked and flicked on the cute pink nipples of her large chest mounds with a vigor that had returned to him with a vengeance while holding the pair that he always enjoyed playing with, let alone look at. The sole desire to feed himself with whatever milk he could get from her breasts had coursed through his body, turning him into a hungry animal that wanted to be given some nourishment.

And somehow, someway, his wish was granted as he kept sucking on them with the sounds of his lips kissing them echoing with her sultry cries. The first spurts of milk from the nubs had filled his whole mouth, surprising him with a taste that only fueled his lustful desire for her. And with a more firm squeezing on the chest melons in his mouth, even more milk began to disperse into his hungry maw. This had been going on for at least two minutes before he let go of the nipples and licked up whatever residue was about to be left behind from the few spurts that ejaculated from the nubs.

When his hands let go of her breasts, Sterling moved further down, trailing a few long licks on her stomach to let Fluttershy know that he was closing in on his target. His campaign to the target was met with a fervor that he did not expect from her, evidenced by the winking of her nether lips. The small streams that dampened her honeypot, practically glowing like the milk that he had ingested from her before, almost demanded to be licked by him. With a small grin to himself, he licked his lips and blew a small breeze to her forbidden fruit, causing her to shiver from the excitement. And that alone was enough to let him know that she was ready for him. Sterling's tongue had licked the outer lips of their juices, teasing the woman with another shudder that had him believe that she was not wanting him to agonize her. Staying true to his word, he made sure that the same ladycum was licked up before diving his wet muscle right into the velvety hole.

The feeling of Fluttershy's tunnel being explored by his tongue, along with the memory of having done so for his other harem girls (minus Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, for they had yet to get a turn from him), had begun to play in his mind as his swirled it all around the inner walls of her muff. The spasms that his mug was feeling had been the thing that let him know that he was masterful with his cunnilingus for her. And he wanted- no, desired- to allow Fluttershy to feel as good as he did when she gave him that long blow job. And he was going to do it for her. But his performance was not enough for him. Another lustful idea then came to his mind. His finger then penetrated the walls with a slow move that elicited a scream of joyous lust to be heard. But even that wasn't enough for her. As he pumped his finger faster and harder into her, his tongue slithered into her clit, making her scream for more without saying a thing to him. If Sterling could even smile, he certainly was from how proud he was feeling from making her scream the way that she was.

The feeling that Fluttershy was experiencing from his magical hand and mouth had rapidly climbed up to allow her orgasm to draw closer and closer to the point of elated release. And the same experience that she enjoyed from him, along with how she was able to enjoy the same foreplay with Rarity during so few times within the months that passed by, was more than just magical. Indeed, the feeling... was absolutely divine, as her loving partner had so described. The time for her orgasm had arrived almost too quickly, but she knew that he was just that good. And with a final scream within her ragged breaths, the resulting orgasm had also released her woman-cum on his face and hand, squirting many streams that splashed him almost wildly.

As soon as the spurts had ceased, along with the spasms that followed suit, the two of them had slowed their breathing before Sterling moved his wiped face in to kiss Fluttershy. The kiss was just as great to make as it was before. Noting that he was still hard, he then moved some of his fingers to caress the inner thighs that were glowing with the juices. When he was satisfied that he had enough of the cum on his hand, he stroked his shaft just firmly enough to know that he was lubricated enough to allow himself an easier time with the penetration. But as he looked at his shaft, Sterling had noticed that it became two inches bigger in size while it kept the girth. He smiled with a wicked grin, believing that he was allowed to be that proud of himself.

When Sterling looked at her, Fluttershy had gently stroked him while lifting her leg up to him. She was ready for the final act of the play that starred both him and her. But then, they both remembered that Sterling wanted her to be on top. When the memory came back to him, Sterling had laid himself down on his back to assume the position. When this was done, Fluttershy then moved her head to where his shaft was standing up for her and gave the whole length a good suck to make it easier for the penetration. With a slight popping sound, the Auran had released him from her mouth and began to lift her legs up with her hips sticking upward to the ceiling. As soon as she stood on her knees, she had guided the tip of the length to her outer lips, causing her to shudder again. And that same sound was still so sexy to him. But he did not have the luxury of time to listen to her sounds on replay. And the reason for that was because of how he had observed her taking his cock into her pussy with a slow entrance, thus completing the act. And his grunts, turning into low moans very quickly, had synchronized with Fluttershy's nearly loud screams.

But instead of asking if she was alright, Sterling had felt her walls gripping him with a tight feeling that excited him while keeping his eyes on her. And to his amazement, along with his growing desire to see her lustful face as she rode him, she took his whole shaft into her, stopping just at the base as her clit had touched his trimmed pubic, adding to the already heightening sensitive sensations that her first orgasm had given her. The lady had then given her signal to him, giving him some ample time to prepare for a great ride. And oh boy did she ride him.

Fluttershy's speed was slow at first, but only at first. Given that this was the very first time that she was on top, she had felt exhilarated from the elevation that he had promised her a few hours prior to the birthday party. The only way that she could thank him was to go even faster than how she was going. And with that in mind, she allowed her vaginal walls to surround his large, meaty rod while pivoting her hips. The sudden feeling of giving Sterling's cock a real ride had allowed her joy to be heard as her perky melons bounced up and down, nearly hypnotizing him if not for the energy that she was already giving him. Even with her eyes rolled to the back of her head, she knew within her heart that her greatest wish was now fulfilled. Eventually, the twitches that Fluttershy had felt from Sterling's massive shaft had indicated to her that he wanted more just as she did. She then picked up her speed and stamina to take them up a notch as she bobbed her womanhood up and down on him, complete with her lower cheeks slapping into his thighs in a rhythm that followed the symphony that she and her man were creating in their own private concert of squeaks, grunts, screams, moans and ragged breathing.

The whole act had lasted more than half of an hour before both Sterling and Fluttershy had then screamed out their love for each other as their orgasms had simultaneously reached to the final breaking point. And when their seed and juice mixed together while moving down to the sheets below them. But the pair that had experienced their mutual release together did not care for the stains on the blanket, given that the post-coital glow was all that they wanted to bask in.

“Oh, Sterling,” Fluttershy cooed to him while planting her kisses on his lips. “I'm just so happy that you wanted me on top,” she had cried from his generosity as her tears fell from her eyes while kissing him.

“I only want to make you happy, my little butterfly,” Sterling smiled back at her while kissing her back. When the kisses were done, he had used his magic to once again pull the blanket and sheet of his bed to cover the both of them. And this allowed him to be snuggled closely by the beautiful woman next to him. “And I really am sorry for--” he tried to say before seeing her fingers shut his mouth.

“I know that you're sorry for what you said and did. It's in the past now, so let's not dwell on it,” she happily shushed him. Sterling could only nod, knowing that his main squeeze was right. There was no reason to dwell on his mistakes, past or present. “So, uh... I am wondering about something,” she then said to him.

“Hmm?” he looked at her with his curiosity piqued.

“Well, uh... that is, if you don't mind me asking.... do you, um...” she trailed off to collect what she wanted to say to him. “My best friends and I have all experienced something that really feels a bit, um... weird.”

“Really?” Sterling asked.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Define 'weird'.”

“After Rarity and I had gotten together to satisfy each others... um... stress needs, we both felt how having each other was not enough.”

“Huh,” Sterling nodded. “Go on.”

“And both Applejack and Twilight also said the same thing that we both concluded. See... it started just like any normal conversation as we talked about... well... how 'well-endowed' you are,” she blushed heavily from the emphasized words after pointing her eyes to Sterling's lower midriff, causing him to nod again with a slight chuckle.

“And I am happy that you all think so highly about my.... *ahem.* prowess,” he said to her with a peck to her forehead.

“Well, that's just it, honey,” Fluttershy piped up softly. “When we got to the topic of how much we love your skills... well... it was Twilight who told us something about, um... 'Alicornian biology', and how the males are known to mark their mates with their seed before the female hits their heat during the fall or spring,” she told him as if it was some new discovery. “And when the male Alicornian goes through their mating rituals, the females are marked with a chemical that allows the female mates to be protected from any other male, Alicornian or otherwise, that try to make any moves on them with a scent that any person will find the most offensive. But along with that, our desire to have.... sex with you...” she squeaked out as her voice trailed off before moving her face to his chest to smother herself in his pecs.

“Becomes almost unbearable until the desire is satisfied?” he finished for her, feeling something almost ominous hoarding over his mind.

“How did you know?” Fluttershy gasped from his sudden ability to recite what she was about to say.

“I had also read in the same book about our biology,” he explained to her before clearing up what he remembered. “And this was long before I had ascended into the same specimen that you see before you.” Fluttershy had nodded for him to continue. “And if I can recall certain footnotes, there was something about an 'Alicornian Instinct'. And in a nutshell, if the Alicornian, male or female, feels that their loving partner is being threatened, our desire to protect them nearly turns into a berserk behavior that the offender must be killed immediately. But.... if the same Equestrian specimen, such as the Princesses and I so happen to be, are threatened directly, they will only reply with the same or lesser threat. Case in point: I did not feel the need to kill Cherry when she slapped me. So I didn't,” he pointed out.

“And I am happy that you didn't kill her, dear,” Fluttershy nodded while feeling what little fear fleeting from her mind. “But is the Alicornian Instinct something to be afraid of?” she then asked him, hoping to clear her mind of any fears.

“Only if the offender doesn't cross paths with the Alicornian in question.”

Both Fluttershy and Sterling turned their heads to see Princess Cadence at the door which was still closed. Fluttershy immediately retreated her head to the blanket to hide from her because of how embarrassed she felt from her display.

“I must apologize for intruding on the two of you,” the Princess bowed her head to them.

“Hi, Heart-Butt,” Sterling grinned, receiving an eye roll from the Princess in front of him.

“Hi, handsome,” Cadence giggled before seeing the lump that belonged to Fluttershy's head. “You don't need to hide from me, dear Fluttershy,” she cooed to her with a warm tone in her soft call. After saying those words of assurance, the Auran poked her head out to face her. “Hi, beautiful,” she then greeted her.

“So what brings you here?” Sterling then asked Cadence, hoping to get to sleep as his tired voice indicated with a yawn.

“And does this instinct have anything bad to it?” Fluttershy asked after the first question had been made.

“As I said, only if the offender doesn't cross paths with the Alicornian in question,” she confirmed. “And as for why I'm here, I wanted to tell you that Gold Star and Cherry Jubilee want to meet you at Sugarcube Corner for breakfast tomorrow, Sterling,” she told him with a nod. “They also wished for me to tell you, before they got to their room at the motel, that they would love to catch up with you on... well... everything, if I can remember correctly,” she added to the message.

Sterling then looked at Fluttershy with a quick realization that he wanted to spend the day with the woman next to him. When he pointed his head to her, the Auran nodded at him, saying in her silence that she would be able to get him all to herself after breakfast.

“Then I am so there for breakfast with my old friends tomorrow,” Sterling announced to her, hoping that she would tell them.

“Excellent,” the Princess of Love had smiled once again. “I'll pass that message to them with a written note to them,” she promised him.

“Thanks, Cadence,” he replied to her. “Oh, and uh.... I have a quick question for you,” Sterling then piped up in his indoor voice.

“Yes, sweetie?”

“I was wanting to how you, uh... rate my prowess, if you wouldn't mind saying, that is?” he then asked her curiously.

Cadence then raised an eyebrow at his question before giggling. She was the authority of the carnal arts, thus asking that was silly to her.

“Well.... on a scale of one to ten, I would say....” she scratched her chin for a moment before gasping out, “A perfect ten!” with a wink.

“Can we get a kiss from you, please?” Fluttershy blurted out at that moment. She then let out an embarrassed squeak from how she asked her.

“Why, yes, Fluttershy,” Cadence giggled in her answer to her.

With a practiced graceful motion, she moved to the two of them and sat on the same edge of the bed before she began to cup Fluttershy's face, slowly moving in to kiss her. Although hesitant, and a bit shocked, Fluttershy relented by allowing her lips to kiss back. When she introduced her tongue to the Princess' lips, Cadence had allowed the Prench kiss to be given. And after a few seconds had passed, though it felt like an eternity, the women had given a slight pant from the kiss that definitely left all three of them with little to leave for the imagination.

Then Cadence looked to Sterling, who had that perverse look on his face. And she shook her finger at him, shaming him for making that face. But she relented her motion by kissing him in the same way that she did for Fluttershy. And when that was done, he had been left with a warm smile.

“Have a good night, Mi Amore,” Sterling waved to her.

“And a good night to you too, Sterling and Fluttershy,” Cadence said to the couple on the bed before using her teleportation spell to leave the room.

“I love you, Fluttershy,” he then said to her with a goodnight kiss to her lips.

“I love you too, Sterling,” she responded softly with her heart warming up as they both snuggled back with each other.

“Good night.”

“Mmm... good night.”

And as the last words were spoken, they both fell asleep.

(…..)

The nights in Ponyville were as silent as they were needed while the sounds of crickets had echoed throughout the ambiance that Luna was always silently praised for. All of the shops were closed, everyone was fed for the night, and the beds (single or otherwise) were filled with the bodies that occupied them. And their jobs of helping their owners regain their energy was now starting.

But even in the silence of the night, a shadow had overlapped what could be seen in the Everfree Forest. And two pairs of glowing evil eyes wafted through the foul air that had not permeated through the town.

“It seems that this place is ripe for us to destroy for our boss,” a monstrous voice whispered to their companion.

“So it would seem. But don't forget: the dog must be killed because of how that mutt can lead to our boss' death,” a second voice, just as evil, had reminded the first speaker.

“As the boss wishes,” the first one spoke before the pairs of eyes had disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

*****

Chapter 19: The Circle Of Harmony

Chapter 19:

The Circle Of Harmony

*****

The sound of the alarm clock woke Sterling up from his slumber, making him groan as he shut off the noise. And the same Alicornian man had woken up with the utmost desire to sleep in throughout the whole day. And given that it was Sunday today, he felt more than inclined to do so. But then the reality of last night hit him like a kick to the jaw as his head had started to feel fifty pounds heavier than usual. But it was not because of the drinks that he had last night on his birthday, to which he turned twenty-four in age.

The heavy burden within his cranium had been made because of how the guilt from last night's confessions had made him feel what most people felt when they admit their darkest secrets. And it was like someone had put him out in the spotlight for some announcement that made him turn out as a nobody, or worse, that was insulted by everyone around him.

But just as that feeling was there, it was immediately lifted up by a soft sigh and purr that he heard next to him. Fluttershy, the main woman that started his circle of women that loved him immensely, just as he for them all those months ago, was still next to him within the blanket and sheets. And as his senses had told him within that second of coming back to him, the both of them were still in their birthday suits. And just like that, his other senses had risen up. The slight stirring within his body had given him the boost of internal energy that he needed in order to wake up the woman next to him.

“Hey,” he whispered to her ear while gently rousing her from her sleep with a shake on her shoulders. The stir that the Auran animal caretaker had made her yawn so cutely. “Time to wake up, my beautiful butterfly.” As soon as he greeted her with those loving words, Fluttershy opened her teal blue eyes and moved her body to snuggle closer to him. “Good morning, Fluttershy,” he greeted her while feeling a yawn leave his chest.

“Good morning, Sterling,” Fluttershy greeted back to him before moving her lips to meet his with a morning kiss. And Sterling was more than willing to allow her to kiss him as his lips puckered up. Soon after doing so, their lips met with a soft kiss that escalated into a small Prench kiss that excited the both of them enough to wrap their arms around their shoulders. And as they did so, a few microscopic moans (which sounded more like purrs than moans) escaped them both, giving them both a reason to enjoy themselves for a moment or two. As soon as the kisses stopped, shown up by how they both needed to breath, the two of them sat themselves up while keeping the covers on. But it was Fluttershy who did not want to cover her upper half, showing her large breasts to him.

“And a very good morning to you, babe,” Sterling greeted with a half-suave, half-tired voice as he looked at the attributes that made him smile for a little bit before making eye contact with her. Knowing that they were just waking up, he then said, “We both need to get our showers in before we go about our day.”

“Oh, yes, I agree,” Fluttershy nodded with a giggle. “But we really need to wash the bedding here as well. The stains are becoming too much, while staying just as sticky,” she added to the list of activities before she moved her hands to her part of the bedding.

“And here I thought I was the one that made a note of such things to do,” Sterling chuckled in agreement while moving his part of the sheets to reveal his entire body as he rose up from his side of the bed. “But I agree with you entirely,” he spoke with a nod.

“So after we clean up, we clean up the bed, right?” Fluttershy spoke up as she too rose from the bed.

“Meh. More like burn it and replace it with something better,” Sterling replied with sarcasm flowing in his voice.

“Oh yes, because it totally needs to be in the fireplace,” Fluttershy said in the same tone before allowing her voice to giggle again.

A slight chuckle had been allowed to be heard out through the room as the two had walked to the door that led to the bathroom that conjoined with his bedroom. Upon entering the bathroom, they turned on the light and took two towels to hang them on the steel rim that held the glass doors up before sliding said door to enter the bath.

When Sterling turned on the water manually, it was just as hot as it was needed to be before slightly turning on the cold water to make it temperate for the two. And when that was done, the two of them allowed the water from the shower head to cascade on their hair to start the process of washing off the sticky messes that they made during that hot night that they spent together.

“Oh, I do hope that the soap will be good enough to wash it all off,” Fluttershy sighed as she took the loofah from the rack below the pouring water to lather the soap for her body washing.

“If that were the case, then I'd rather have the stink of every woman in the harem branding me,” Sterling grinned while keeping a somewhat serious tone as his own sponge was lathered in his own soap.

“And that includes Pinkie and Rainbow?” she asked as she worked on her arms. He nodded.

“Here,” he said to her while pointing to her loofah. As Fluttershy looked to him, she got the hint that he wanted to lather her body with the soap that she squirted on her sponge. With a small smile, she handed it over to him. Within a second, Sterling began to gently scrub off the slight stains from her amazing looking body. “And to answer your question,” he spoke to her while gently moving up and down on her arms with the cleaning agent before moving to her shoulders, “I think that if I get it on with those two today, then the circle of harmony will be complete.”

Fluttershy could only giggle from the 'circle' phrase, knowing exactly what he was talking about. With the two best friends of hers being able to have their own experiences with him, she smiled a warm smile at him. As she felt her back being scrubbed down, she gave out a slight moan that urged him to keep going with his cleaning. She then moved to make eye contact with him and told him silently to turn around. He did so while handing her his sponge to allow her to do the same thing for him.

“So I had this.... really odd dream last night,” Sterling said while feeling Fluttershy's hands work their magic on his back.

“Oh? What was it about?” Fluttershy asked, unfazed by his words while scrubbing his back.

“It involved all of us,” he began as his soap was running down his back.

“And how odd was it?” she asked again while keeping up the ministrations.

“We were all ponies, but everyone in my harem was quite different to look at,” he clarified before turning back around to do her front. “You and Rainbow were two pegasus ponies, Pinkie and AJ were regular ponies, Rarity was a unicorn, and the princesses were some combination of the three. And I think that 'Alicorn' was the best term for them. And I was the same as them,” he told her with a bit more clarification.

“Pegasus ponies? As in, ponies with wings?” Fluttershy noted while holding back a moan as she felt his touch going down on her stomach.

“And a unicorn, with a horn,” Sterling replied as his hand moved downward to her stomach.

“And... what were we all doing in your dream?” she pressed on as she felt his hands scrub towards her lower cheeks.

“We were all drinking tea and eating salads while we spoke to each other about how much our lives had really changed. And uh... you all really looked amazing as ponies,” Sterling explained with a chuckle.

And with those words said, Fluttershy blushed as his hands moved away from near her lower area as she did the same. And with the soap all washed off from their bodies, they each reached for a pair of shampoo bottles that were closest to them. As they each squirted a bit size amount of the liquid on their hands, the Auran animal caretaker giggled from the description of how she and her friends looked in his dreams.

“What's so funny?” he asked with a wide smile as he washed up his hair.

“Oh, it's nothing, really. But, um... I just think that you must have looked handsome as a pony,” Fluttershy said to him as both she and Sterling allowed their hair to be rinsed of their sweat.

The squeak of the knobs from the twisting to turn off the water had allowed them to look at one another with a wide smile.

“I appreciate that,” he nodded while looking at her amazingly beautiful body. “Just like how I really appreciate how I can stare at this divine looking body of yours, clothed or otherwise,” he commented to her, causing the same blush to go just a shade darker on her face while pulling the towels from the rim above them.

“Sa...S-S-Same to you, hon,” she stammered as she began to dry off. As she saw her man dry off, she couldn't help but feel aroused just by looking at him in the nude.

“You plan to feed the animals before you go see Rarity for breakfast?” he then asked after feeling satisfied that he was dried up all around his body as he stepped out of the bath with her.

“Uh-huh. And I think that your old friends will be at Pinkie's shop for breakfast, if I'm thinking about this right,” Fluttershy hypothesized.

“Huh. I was just thinking the same thing, too,” he concurred.

“Oh, I love you so much, Sterling,” Fluttershy laughed before giving him another kiss on his lips, to which he reciprocated the same gesture.

“And I love you too, Fluttershy,” he said to her before beginning to comb his hair as the woman next to him brushed hers.

*****

(Meanwhile, inside Pinkie's Room, above the Cake's Shop....)

The sun had poked Pinkie's eyes, giving her cause to open them. With a big yawn escaping her lips, to which stretched out until it could stretch no more, she greeted the morning with a lick of her lips. Beside her, there was an Auran that had flown into the room with a sneaky movement. Instead of playing a prank on her Equian friend however, she patted her on the shoulder. This allowed Pinkie to look over and see Rainbow giving her trademark grin.

“'Morning, Pinkie,” Rainbow greeted the Equian baker that was stretching out her arms as part of her morning rituals.

“Oh! Good morning, Dashie! You're up early,” Pinkie observed with a wide smile as another yawn escaped her.

“I just wanted to see one of my best friends before I got some breakfast,” Rainbow stated clearly as she posed for a bit before sitting herself next to the woman rising from her bed.

“And get a kiss from them, too?” Pinkie smirked with a brow raised up as she rose from her twin sized bed.

“Well, yeah! I know I'd love to kiss you again, but what about you?” Rainbow smirked back.

“I'd love to get another kiss from you, Rainbow,” Pinkie smiled widely at her. “And it seems Sterling wants to see that, too,” she spoke up as she looked behind the Auran in front of her.

“Huh?” Rainbow quipped before looking behind her. Sure enough, Sterling was standing between the room and the hall, leaning on the frame with a knowing grin. “Oh! Hey, Sterling! What's up?” she greeted him before moving towards him. With no time to waste, she wrapped her arms around him in a deep hug.

“Just as Pinkie said, I was hoping to see that from the two of you,” he lecherously smirked.

“And see that you will,” Rainbow replied before almost tackling Pinkie to her bed. A slight squeak was heard before Pinkie laughed out loud, causing the rest to laugh just as loudly before the girls began to kiss each other with a Prench kiss that enticed them to press their large breasts to squish against one another. When the kisses were done, the girls panted out with how awesome the kisses felt.

“Wow, Dashie! That was really awesome,” Pinkie said with a sultry look on her face. “And it seems that Sterling here agrees completely,” she then said as she and Rainbow looked over to see Sterling's hard-on tenting his pants.

“Hey, I can't help it if I find two women kissing each other to be arousing,” he stated with his hands up in a shrugging motion.

“Let me guess: You'd like some morning action with the two of us, right?” Rainbow figured out with a wicked grin.

“Only if you two are willing to have some fun with me,” he stated to them again with a proud smile, knowing that he was always a gentleman.

“Okay!” Pinkie cheered.

“Bring on the fun, big boy!” Rainbow called to him with a 'come hither' motion from her fingers. And as the two women saw, Sterling was more than ready to give them his best as his shirt and pants were the first articles of clothing to come down to the floor.

*****

Within an hour and thirty minutes, Fluttershy had successfully fed her animal friends before arriving at the door of the Carousel Boutique. With a deep breath in and out, as practiced by her friend Twilight, she opened the door and heard the bell above her head and was greeted with a singsong voice that rang a beautiful melody that always made her feel happy.

“Coming~!”

“Good morning, Rarity,” she greeted the woman that was making her way to the entrance.

“Oh, goodness! Good morning, Fluttershy!” Rarity gasped from how surprised she was with seeing her loving best friend at the entrance of her home shop. A quick yet deep embrace was shared between her and the Auran that returned the gesture back. “I simply had no idea that you would come here to my home this morning,” she said to her with a puzzled look.

“I just, um.... really missed you, Rarity,” Fluttershy said with her tone going softer.

“And I you, my dearest,” Rarity giggled from her loving friend's display. She then moved her lips to Fluttershy's lips and kissed them gently. “Now, with that said, I suppose you wanted to have some breakfast with me?” she asked her with a matter-of-fact pattern in her voice.

“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy nodded. “May I have a veggie omelet, if you please?” she asked her politely.

“Why, certainly, darling!” Rarity chimed in a refined tone, happy that her harem-partner and loving friend was just that polite to her.

“Thank you, Rarity,” Fluttershy smiled with her eyes closed with a cute lift.

Some minutes later, the omelet's were made for the girls that begun to dig in with small, dainty bites to savor the flavor of the meal. Along with the egg creations, they also had a slight salad that was combined with hash browns and a glass of orange juice. And after finishing their breakfasts, both Rarity and Fluttershy had taken their dishes and washed them up before placing them on the racks of the dishwasher below them. But it was after the two dried off their hands that Rarity had noticed something about the picture in front of her.

“Say, Fluttershy?” she said to her with her curiosity peaked.

“Yes, Rarity?” Fluttershy responded with her head turned to her.

“What happened between you and Sterling last night?” she asked her before bringing up the issue again. “I mean, a lady must always be observant. And as such, I have observed that you aren't with Sterling at the moment, much to my curiosity. And you were practically glowing once again when I saw you near my door.” With that said, she moved her legs back to fully face her upfront.

“Actually, it's nothing bad, but,” Fluttershy shook her head before giving herself a smile that didn't go unnoticed by her friend. Seeing that the seamstress would want to hear about it, she cleared her throat before explaining herself. “Last night, after I had gotten Sterling to apologize for his actions, we both... um... did it in his bed.”

“Ooh~! And was it all amazing?” Rarity asked with a nearly sultry voice.

“Well... it was a lot better, to say the least,” Fluttershy nodded before saying, “He let me be on top of him during the whole time and-- EEP!” she squeaked as her memories of last night had flooded back.

“(GASP!) He let you do that?!” Rarity almost screamed out in her disbelief. She could not believe that her shared man allowed her to do that with her friend. “Ah! Was it everything that you ever imagined? Tell me!” she frantically demanded to know.

“Oh! It was.... it was.... amazing!” Fluttershy squealed at the last word before feeling her face run that familiar shade of red that always warmed up her cheeks.

“Aah!” Rarity screamed in joy before wrapping the Auran in her arms as her lips went in for a kiss. Though bewildered by her friends compassion, Fluttershy allowed her best friend's feelings to be returned in full as her mouth had opened up to allow their tongues to dance around in the same Prench kiss that always sent them in a form of bliss while the energy from how congratulatory they both felt was mixing in smoothly.

And such emotions had been the guide to allow their arms to close the space between their hips while copping a feel for each others cheeks with a slight grope as their breasts had squished against them in a comfortable push. But they both wanted to do just a little bit more. And they did so as they both swiftly allowed their hands to massage and squeeze each others breasts, earning a moan of delight that drove them into a more compassionate move.

Sadly, they had to stop giving their massages and allowed their hands to glide back up to their upper backs to only give a last few kisses before parting themselves away to get that oxygen back into their lungs.

“Oh, goodness! That was...” Rarity was at a loss for words while panting slightly.

“Yes... m-me too,” Fluttershy panted as well.

“Well, ain't this a purty sight?”

The two turned around to see Applejack, their loving Equian friend and partner of the circle of love, smiling at them with a warm smile. And they were, of course, more than happy to see their friend, evident by a smile back to her despite the bit of embarrassment from being seen.

“The both 'a y'all havin' that there smooch was mighty fine to see this mornin',” Applejack chuckled as she moved a little closer to them.

“And I am rather happy that you say so, fair Applejack,” Rarity nodded as she and Fluttershy moved closer as well. As soon as they got to a comfortable distance, the seamstress allowed her lips to kiss the farmer in a lovely greeting. “But I dare say that looking in on us was a little rude, wouldn't you agree?” she then said with a half-stern glare that was only somewhat betrayed by her grin.

“Mighty sorry, Rares,” Applejack apologized in compliance as she tipped her hat to her. “But Ah really did like seein' the both of y'all havin' that moment,” she persisted in saying to her.

“Oh, well, um... t-that is... uh.... thanks, Applejack,” Fluttershy thanked her softly as she too kissed the farmer girl.

“Yer welcome, 'Shy,” the Equian grinned at her with a kiss back.

“Is there something that we can help you with before Fluttershy goes back to Sterling's house, Applejack?” Rarity inquired of her friend.

“Nah, Ah got mah share of th' workload done at mah farm,” Applejack answered. “And Big Mac is bein' helped by Apple Bloom with the barrels and bushels. So I have a lot of free time to be with y'all,” she smiled happily.

“So then, I assume that this means that we can go to the spa for our get together?” Rarity pointed her finger to Applejack and herself. The anticipation of wanting to spend that time with her Equian harem-partner was stepping up her already cheerful mood.

“Well, shoot,” Applejack chuckled. “Ah guess Ah can do that with ya, Rarity,” she replied.

“Aah! Marvelous~!” Rarity sang out in cheer with a big smile on her face. But as she was about to jump up from the floor, she remembered that she was not supposed to show anything but the proper etiquette that all ladies should have. “Now, I am sure that we should prepare ourselves for our trip to the spa, seeing that I have no customers to take care of this morning, dearest Applejack,” she then said to the farmer in front of her, relieved that no work was to be done for today.

“Heh. 'Dearest', huh? Ya must be really happy to see me today, Rares,” Applejack noted with a smug grin.

“Well, naturally, darling,” Rarity replied with the same look to her. “Given that I have always enjoyed looking at my harem mates, face and all mind you, what's not to be happy about?” she said while giving herself a giggle as her eyes gazed down to Applejack's shorts before moving back to lock her sapphires on the farmers jades. “And you really do pull off that work design, if I may say so,” she said in the same pseudo-sultry tone that always worked for her.

“Um, I'm sorry, Rarity... I don't mean to take you off your gazing, but, um....” Fluttershy spoke up with a pinker blush on her face, allowing Rarity to look at her with a curious face. “Sh-Shouldn't you, th-that is.... get to the spa today? If that's alright, that is,” she politely pointed out with her finger pointing to the clock on the wall.

“Oh, goodness, you're right, my dear Fluttershy,” Rarity shook her head from the quite early train of wanton thought. She then looked at Applejack with an embarrassed look and said, “We really should prepare ourselves for the trip to the spa, my dear.”

When that was said, Applejack had the idea to move up to the seamstress in front of her and wrap her arms around her. Though just as perplexed from when she felt Fluttershy's reaction, Rarity had no less decided to give her a short embrace back before feeling Applejack's lips pressing to hers in a light smooch. The two had shared a little giggle before parting with another light kiss.

“And Ah'll even let those spa twins rub me down while Ah'm buck naked,” Applejack teased her with a wink.

“You are so incorrigible, aren't you?” Rarity rolled her eyes from that dirty suggestion, even with how erotic it looked in her mind.

“Ah think that we have Sterling to blame fer that,” Applejack laughed.

“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy nodded meekly from behind the two women. The trio within the kitchen had finally allowed their giggles and chuckles to turn into a big laugh that had been building up from their hearts. After a moment or two, they each ceased their laughter. And Fluttershy then said, “Look at us: We're not even with him, and already we're talking about how Sterling is just that great for us.”

“But of course, darling,” Rarity quipped with an amused grin. “And with how he let you be on top of him last night, I certainly can't wait until I can participate in such a glorious event.”

“Say what now?” Applejack quickly asked with a slight blush on her face.

“Oh! You didn't hear about what happened, did you?” Rarity noted.

“What? What happened last night?” Applejack asked once again.

Within a few minutes, while the trio had made their way to the entrance of the boutique, Fluttershy had allowed herself to recall the events of last night. And as she told Applejack the same story from last night, the farmer girl had gasped out a breath that spoke of how thrilling it all sounded.

“Why.... he... he actually let ya be on top?” she spoke to Fluttershy with an excited tone. When the Auran nodded with an embarrassed look, she was almost tempted to get the details, while feeling her desire to shout out her cheer was building up just as quickly. “Ah... Ah want ta do that with him, too!” she stated to the girls, who immediately had that look of delight on them.

“And I am more than absolutely positive that Sterling will let us do that with him. But we must ask him politely, of course,” Rarity added to the rather optimistic appraisal that she allowed herself to speak. As the door of the boutique opened up, the bell rang up, allowing the three to move on to their intended destinations. As soon as their feet had stepped on the panel below them, the door had closed behind them.

“Well, uh... have fun, you two,” Fluttershy then said before waving her hand to Applejack and Rarity.

“You betcha, Flutters,” the farmer winked at her.

“And I will make sure that our appointment won't be missed, darling,” Rarity said along with her partner's words as she pointed to her.

“Bye, girls,” the Auran waved to them.

“Bye!/Ta-ta, darling!” they replied as they finally left.

…..

(Meanwhile...)

“Whoa.... that... was...” Rainbow tried to find the best word while panting after having done the deed with Sterling while Pinkie was feeling the same way. A few streams of Sterling's white seed had already been squirted out on her body while it also mixed in with her and the Equian's ladycum, reeking of the scent of the intercourse that had truly rocked their worlds.

“Epic?” Pinkie finished with a wheeze, feeling the salty frosting coat up her naked body.

“Yeah,” Rainbow smiled within her exhausted form. Within that breath, she moved over to snuggle up with Sterling, who was already smiling from how he was able to have his fun with the last two girls in his harem. “You were just that awesome, Sterling. I can't wait until I can do this with you again,” she cooed to him while rubbing her hand on his chest.

“And don't forget me too, sweetie,” Pinkie said as she did the same massaging on her shared man's chest.

“I could never forget to share that time with you two,” Sterling replied as he found his breath again. He then sighed, knowing what he had to do now. “But as much as I'd like to, I have some old friends to catch up with.” With that said, he rose from his place on the bed and sat up before getting to his feet. As soon as they reached the floor, Sterling snapped his fingers and allowed his magic to clean them all up. With the spell made, he got to his clothing discarded clothing and began to put them on.

“Well, I have the next three days off, given that I've been working a lot in the kitchen downstairs,” Pinkie told the two with her as she too got out of the bed and got dressed up for the day.

“But I still need to get to the weather office to see if any impending changes are about to happen,” Rainbow grunted as she followed suit.

“But with that said, you two don't need to worry about how I will make the time for you both,” Sterling smiled at them as he put on his shirt.

“I'm looking forward to it,” Rainbow smirked as she put on her last shoe before allowing her wings to pop up. Within a second of doing so, she wrapped her arms around Sterling and gave him a deep, thank you kiss that he returned in the same motion. With a final smack of their lips, she then waved goodbye to him. “See ya later, big boy.” And just like that, she flew up from the floor and opened the window to ascend to the skies to do her work.

“So... how about we get that breakfast for you and your old friends?” Pinkie then suggested to Sterling after waving to Rainbow.

“Good idea,” he agreed.

Within a moment, both he and Pinkie had taken the stairs to the ground floor, allowing the scent of sweets, eggs, bacon, and other breakfast foods that were being made by the Cakes, who were already working without their lovable assistant to help them.

“Good mornin', Sterling!”

The two voices that spoke that greeting to him had belonged to Gold Star and Cherry Jubilee, who were already seated at a still open table.

“And the same to you as well,” Sterling smiled again, excited that he was already about to be with his old friends. “Would you mind terribly if I ask Pinkie Pie to join us?” he soon asked them, knowing that he never liked neglecting his loving girlfriends whenever he was about to do something fun.

“Why, not at all, Silvy,” Cherry giggled.

Sterling could only roll his eyes from the nickname that was given to him as Pinkie had also giggled from his new name. With a slight movement, he allowed a chair to be given to Pinkie. Happy that he did this for her, she gave him a peck on his cheek. With the two seated at the table, they pulled up a pair of menus and saw their options.

“Cherry, ya know that ain't a good name fer him,” Gold shook his head, remembering how such a name was a bit demeaning.

“Hey, don't sweat it, Goldie,” Sterling quickly said with a playful punch to his shoulder. “Besides, I've been called worse things other than 'Silvy',” he laughed from the memories.

“How so?” Gold challenged him. But within that second, little to his knowing, he would regret asking.

After being given their juices and coffee, along with just being given their breakfasts, Gold Star had been given the whole list of insults and nicknames that his friend had been given during the years that he left, if only to improve the life story with some colorful remarks. Both Cherry and Pinkie were also listening in on the story, and all with a few laughs and cringes at certain points. From the time that he left Dodge City at the age of eight, to how he discovered his Cutie Mark (without a Cute-ceanera, to which Pinkie had felt her hair deflate), his tours all around the world, the friends that he both made and lost during his fights, his adventures, his ascension to becoming an Alicornian, and even how he was able to win the hearts of the women in his current harem. When Pinkie had heard that part, her hair made itself curly again, indicating her better mood while blushing just the same.

“Damn,” Gold sighed after hearing the somewhat edited story that Sterling told him. “And Ah thought that mah havin' to take in bank robbers was hard,” he commented with a shake of his head. “And ya killed some evil spirit cloud with some ugly weapon in order to save Equestria? That takes a whole lot of luck, Goddesses willing,” he also pointed out.

“Now, Goldie, no need for that kinda commentary,” Cherry reminded him with a pat to his shoulder.

“Yeah! That kind of statement makes anyone frown. And you know that I'm all about smiles,” Pinkie added while giving a wave to some of the customers who were just a few tables away as she saw them smile back at her.

“But he's right, you know,” Sterling said to her with his lip going up in a tiny upper motion. “And after all that, I'm still surprised that I'm not dead right now. Guess the Goddesses still want me to live, I suppose,” he hypothesized with a shrug.

“Ah can get wit' that!” Gold said in compliance with his friend's notion. “And mah guess is that most of the fights that ya had were just some sorta test that they made for ya. When Ah got outta the firing range after my bein' accepted into the sheriff department, Ah made sure that Ah don't use my title ta make the folks hate me,” he spoke to his friend.

“And you only put in the people who are need of convincing that Dodge City is better than Appleoosa, right?” Sterling laughed.

“A'ight, that's it! Time ta put you on the ground, boy!” Gold proclaimed theatrically before rising up from his seat.

“Bring it on, tough guy!” the Alicornian spoke up just as playfully before using a move to plant the sheriff to the floor. The other customers around the men had gasped in a shocked anticipation that there was a fight to be had. But it wasn't until they both heard a few laughs from them that they were able to calm down. At that point, they knew that they were just messing around.

“A'ight! A'ight! Ah give!” Gold surrendered as he tapped the floor three times to signal that he wanted no more of being put on the floor. Sterling then got up and took out his hand to the sheriff, letting him know that he was going to let him up. With their hands gripped, Gold was risen from the wooden floor before dusting off any dirt that he felt was on him after making contact with the ground. “Seems ya never lost yer moves!” Gold laughed with a shake of his head.

“Never will,” Sterling whispered in an exaggerated low tone.

“Well, that was kind of funny to see,” Pinkie giggled, making the men turn their heads to her and Cherry.

“They always had a little wrestling contest in order to find out who would go and flirt with the girls that were in the fifth grade, just as Ah was,” Cherry giggled from the memory.

“Ah did not do that!” Gold tried to defend himself with a blush that failed to stay down.

“I may have flirted with them, but I was just a kid back then! What do you expect?” Sterling admitted rhetorically.

“Like when ya had that dance, and ya wanted to invite me there?” Cherry replied with a wink that sent a shiver to Sterling's spine.

“Hey! It was required that we get a partner for that event, and I was not going to let you be alone in that house!” Sterling quickly retorted. “Besides, you were one of the best friends that I still have, and I didn't feel good when I heard that you were left there alone by your parents,” he further added to his defense.

“Aw~! Now that's just so sweet of you, Sterling!” Pinkie cooed to him with a teasing tone.

“But even I knew that Gold here would want to know what went down at that time,” he then said as he pointed to Gold at his left.

“Ah can't remember what happened after, so--?” Gold was about to ask before Sterling raised his hand.

“After I took Cherry to that dance, she gave me a little peck on the cheek when I took her to her home. It was just embarrassing, but I had no regrets in taking her,” he told her.

“Then why did ya say that she had feelings for me after that was done?” Gold inquired to him.

“Before we danced, both Cherry and I had heard that you were sick, thus not allowing you to go there. I had to make sure that she at least had a partner for a few numbers,” Sterling spoke to him. “And during, what, the third number? Fourth?” he pointed to Cherry, who held up eight fingers. “Oh! Now I remember! It was after the eighth number that Cherry and I had talked about you.”

This got the Sheriff's attention easily.

“She was just so sad that you were not able to have a dance with her,”  Sterling further explained with his hand to the second lady at the table, who put on a small sad face. “And as the best friend to the both of you, I made sure that you were able to get through your sickness with ease while I gave our mutual crush a good time. So we danced, had some punch, sang some of those awful songs, and just had a great time. And all because I knew that you would be happy to hear all of that,” he finished his story with a sigh while looking at Cherry.

“But Ah do feel the need to ask one thing, though, Sterling,” Gold said to him with a finger pointed to the ceiling.

“Go ahead,” the Alicornian nodded.

“If Ah was not able ta protect--”

“And this is where I stop you, buddy,” Sterling sighed, knowing where the inquiry was going. “In the Fourth grade, three bullies tried to trip you over before you got to the lunch line. And in that same grade, a teacher would surprise us with a pop quiz that we would always study for. During those times that we had, I made a promise to myself that I was not going to allow any person to get in your way of what you wanted. And had I stayed in the town, I would have been there to tell you how things would have been different for us. So if you are going to ask if I would have taken care of Cherry, if you were to die, I'd guard her with my life. Just like I always will for my harem,” he finished in his proclamation to him.

“YEAH!!!” an unfamiliar voice yelled out with a hint of enthusiasm. When the shout was heard, the sheriff and the prince turned their heads to see Bulk Biceps, one of the male masseurs who currently works at the Ponyville Day Spa, giving a clapping motion. Soon after, the rest of the customers had also clapped in support of his nearly theatrical vow.

“Thanks, Bulk,” Sterling shook his head with a smile to him.

“No problem!” the buffed up man smiled  with wide eyes as he flexed his arms.

“Well... It's time for us to be leavin' here,” Gold tipped his hat to his friend next to him. Cherry got up from her seat and took one of his arms in hers. “Ah'm more than sure that ya got a whole day to spend with that girl named Fluttershy, right?”

“I do,” Sterling nodded. “See you around?” he spoke to Pinkie.

“Yep!” Pinkie chirped.

After a few more goodbyes were made, the couple left before Sterling did. When that was done, he gave a big kiss to Pinkie before stepping out of the establishment. And the Alicornian had given out a big sigh once he stepped out of the door.

“It's good to be back...”

(…..)

In front of the Alicornian was the pair of pages from the same book that he was still tracking the chapters of. The same book that described the life of the same musician that still made him read on. But the only thing that truly made him laugh was how his greedy nature was too much for the rulers within the Stiruppean countries of the time. And such reading material was able to keep him going with finding out more about how said character was just not going to be given any break.

To his right was the same sweet, yet timid Auran lady that he had promised to spend a whole day of doing nothing in particular with. And Fluttershy was just as contempt as he was with just snuggling up to him as he kept reading. A sigh had been exchanged between themselves, letting them both know that everything was good.

“So, um... how's the story?” she asked him while keeping her eyes closed.

“The character is now in a bind because of how they just can't turn in an unfinished composition,” he answered her.

“Must be tough.”

“Yep.”

The two shared a small laugh from that agreement. But then, an idea had come to his mind. He put the book down, with a marker in the pages, and allowed his arms to wrap around the woman next to him. A purr was echoed into his brain, indicating that she was happy that she was being given his attention. He then scooted to the further side of the couch and beckoned her to come closer to him. She obeyed with a timid smile with her whole body going on top of his. Her legs had wrapped around the lowermost part of his stomach in order for her to get more comfortable. With her stomach touching his, Fluttershy gave him another of her beautiful smiles to him.

Such a smile had always melted his heart, giving him more reason to believe that his main squeeze was just so affectionate to him. And a part of him tried to argue that there was a love potion mixed in with the drink that he had, but his rational side overpowered that thought by telling him that his love for the woman was just as strong as it always was with the other women in his harem. And this included the four Alicornians that were in that circle of his. He allowed a sigh to escape him, feeling the beat of his heart go in sync with hers.

“Is something wrong, dear?” the lady asked him, thinking that something was up with him from that sigh.

“No....” Sterling sighed with a shake of his head. “It's just.... I still find myself falling more in love with you, 'Shy,” he said with a smile to her. “And for every moment that I am not with you, my heart just keeps beating. And it knows that I am always ready to give both you and the other women even more of a reason to stay with you.” The woman on top of him had given a tiny gasp of delight from his words of love to her before slowly inching her lips to his to kiss them. Deepened with every second, the passion that they each felt had given them the ability to escape their daily troubles.

“Oh, Sterling....” she cooed to him.

“Fluttershy...”

After a few more kisses had been made, the two of them immediately felt a longing desire burning up within their entire bodies. Within a quick moment, the two had locked their lips in a Prench kiss that allowed their tongues to twirl around as their heated breath coaxed them to go deeper. A few sucks of the licking tongues had been made to accommodate the noises of the first step of the foreplay. As the temperature got even hotter for them, they immediately got the idea to take off their clothes.

With a smooth movement from her part, Fluttershy took off his shirt to once again reveal his upper midriff that was almost glowing in the sunlight, the small brown nipples standing up as stiffly as his tent was. To go with that removal, she lifted up the lower part of her sundress to allow her pantie covered slit to grind on the clothed erection, causing more of Sterling's breath to become ragged.

“Ah.... good Goddesses, I want to see more,” he whispered out loud within the rush that he was feeling as he saw the same article of cloth underneath the dress. When he saw that it was still in front of him, he had then noticed that Fluttershy was lifting up her whole dress for him to see her fully nude body. Sensing that she was about to go down, he lifted himself up and unbuttoned his pants before unzipping them. The sound of the metal undoing from their points excited the two of them. And with a small plop, the pants had been dropped to the floor to show Sterling's tented boxers.

“And I really can't wait to put my mouth in that,” Fluttershy giggled as she began to grip the line of his underwear to pull them down. As the same prison was removed from his body, she gazed at the hard, throbbing member that saluted her with a heated desire to be given something great. With the same undergarment taken off as it was thrown to the floor, she then closed in on his large member and begun to lick around the head, earning a groan from the action being made on him. But the action did not stop there as the woman then allowed her free hand to grip it with a stroke that made him twitch enough to allow a small drop of his precum to shoot up into her mouth. With the taste of the seed coating her tongue, she swallowed it before opening her mouth again to fully go in. The jolt of pleasure that she had felt from allowing his hot member to go near her throat had spurred her on, rubbing even harder and faster while bobbing up and down, fully enjoying the hardened flesh with a vigor that she could only possess within her lust for him.

"Oh, fuck... Ugh! F-Fluttershy... I-I... Aah! You're so good to me," Sterling whined out to his lover in his ecstasy from her awesome oral massage. Her moans into his manhood had only pleased him more to want to let her have his seed flow into her mouth. "Just... Just don't stop what you're doing here, babe!" he pleaded to her. This request was fulfilled with her speed going up as she continued to rub and suck on his dick with a hunger that she gave into. The passion that she wanted to give him had fueled her speed and firm grip on him.

And as she did this, Sterling had mumbled something incoherent to her, trying to say that he was about to explode into her mouth. But Fluttershy did not stop or slow down her blowjob. Instead, she went faster and firmer in her gift to him, wanting him to release his love seed into her mouth. Her passions had turned her from the shy and timid girl into a freak that wanted to please her new friend and lover. And she was alright with it all. She then heard the final words from Sterling that she was wanting to hear him say:

"I'm gonna-- Aah! Aah! Aah! I'm gonna cum! I-- AAAAHHHH!!!" Sterling had shouted out to her as the torrent of his seed had made a geyser that jetted his streams of cum into her mouth. What had surprised him the most was how she had just swallowed every last drop of his hot love, emptying him out while keeping him hard. And when she felt satisfied with her blowjob on him, she rose up to meet his eyes and give him a deep kiss. Though it was a bit salty, both he and Fluttershy had not given a care about the taste. And instead, it heightened his lust for her. He then gave her a last kiss before he moved her legs around his face after moving himself just below her glistening nether lips.

Before he could reciprocate her love, he looked at the winking lips and hole that was dripping wet with her sweet scent. He had inhaled the smell of her arousal and became a little harder again.

"It's time that I did the same for you, Fluttershy..." he sighed to her before noting where her love button was while he groped on her large breasts in a deeply sensual massage as he pinched and plucked softly on her nipples. And with that nub spotted, he prepared himself to dig into where he was wanting to go to.

"P-please, Sterling... please, eat my pussy," Fluttershy begged him in a shivering plea with a wanting for him to let him love her as she did for him. His silent response had then turned into his now lustful hunger to place his whole mouth on her honeypot. But his efforts would not be fast. Instead, he would go just as slow as she did to him. His tongue had begun its work by licking at the little streams outside of the labia and vulva of her lower lips, earning him a hiss and moan that escaped from Fluttershy's horny mouth.

The same tongue that he used to tease his lover for that little moment had then started the cunnilingus that he wanted to do for her. As his whole mouth followed suit, his teeth gently bit into the labia while his tongue drilled into her wet caverns. Her squeaks and moans from his work had driven him to go even deeper, with his tongue and teeth occasionally going for her clit. This action had earned him a shout of lustful joy that she wanted him to hear. His lust for her went even faster and deeper into her, causing her to fuck his mouth with her honeypot in a grinding motion that began to massage his mouth with her flavor on his tongue. His response had then been to grip her lower cheeks as she had made her pussy go even deeper into his mouth. A lustful idea had sparked into his brain and he began to drill two of his fingers into her slick tunnel to pump them into her.

"Aah! Aah! S-St... Sterling... Aah! I'm cumming! I'm cumming!" Fluttershy shouted to him as her orgasm was reaching to its peak. His accelerated drilling and pumping had turned faster and deeper, wanting to taste the explosion of her ladycum on his face. And he was not going to miss out on that opportunity. His fingers and mouth were both proving to be a great inducer of her ecstasy going even higher than ever before. And then, he felt her twitches getting more intense, announcing to him that she was about to explode. As Sterling had felt that jerk from her hips on his face, he had prepared to receive the ultimate nectar by opening his mouth wide. Soon after, her ladycum had started to spray his face with her twitches releasing her love juices into his jaw and now wetter. But the part that made him lap up the same liquids in a faster licking was how her sultry behavior had turned into a mood that spoke of finally being released from her pent-up frustrations.

After licking up the last streams on his lips and face, he inserted his two fingers into Fluttershy's mouth, allowing her to taste the same hot mess that she produced. And she was enjoying the taste of sweet carrots and honey from her streams of hot ladycum. They looked into each others eyes and began to kiss each others mouths to mix the flavors into a drink that fueled more of their lust for each other.

"Fluttershy?" Sterling whispered to his lover with a goofy grin as he kissed her lips with a panting.

"Yes, Sterling?" Fluttershy spoke to him with her eyes going deeper with her desire for him rising.

"I really... Mmmph... I really want you to ride me as we connect with each other," Sterling pleaded to her.

Fluttershy kissed him passionately on his lips in response to his plead, before saying to him:

"Thank you, my love."

He nodded eagerly as he placed the tip of his stiffened dick to her entrance. Both she and her lover were feeling a great rush of heated pleasure coursing through their bodies, sweeter than when they tried to please themselves when they were away from each other. The tip had then been slowly inched into her entrance. And as the length of his shaft had inched up behind, her tight walls had gripped his thickness with a wonderful sensation that he seriously desired of her. He was then fully up to the hilt, getting itself adjusted to her tight feeling.

"Oh, fuck!" Sterling moaned out to her as she yelped out in the delight of having him inside of her as well.

"Yes! Oh, yes! That feels so good... Oh, Sterling..." Fluttershy squealed to him. "Let me ride you, my hunky soldier," she then said to him in a pseudo-commanding tone.

"Give it to me, babe... Fuck me like there's no tomorrow," Sterling had begged her in his rush.

Fluttershy giggled as she heard his plea.

"Alright then... let's test your endurance, shall we?"

"Yes, honey..."

And with those words spoken, she began to grind her hips while his dick was at its hilt, gripping it in her walls. And as she began to bounce her hips up and down, the pleasure of his hardened member had made the both of them scream in the delightful lust that drove them near to the point of insanity. Their frustrations had been long pent up, and now they were fucking each others brains out in return for being so patient with how it would all play out.

The currents of their joined pumping had then gone into a new level when Sterling placed his hands on Fluttershy's lower cheeks for his lover to fuck him harder and faster with a few slaps to encourage her to go faster with her riding him out as he had also grabbed her breasts and sucked on her nipples for more of an effect as he rose up to get a better feeling of her motions for a while during their intercourse. The shouts and yells from the both of them to go faster and harder had increased their current speed of pumping. And as the course of their joined orgasms rose up higher and higher, they both got even louder with his dick just slamming into her aching walls.

"S-Sterling! Aah~! I'm gonna cum again! I'm cumming! I'm cumming!" she warned him in her desire to feel his seed inside of her.

"M-me too, Fluttershy! Let's both cum together this time!" he had told her knowingly, wanting to feel their second rush. "And I want to see your face as we both hit the point of no return, okay?"

"Yes! Yes! YES! YES!! PLEASE, FUCK ME! FUCK ME HARDER, STERLING!!" Fluttershy demanded passionately in her yelps.

"Aah, Goddesses! Aah! I intend to do just that, Fluttershy!" Sterling spoke up with his hand on her hips as he forced her onto her back so that he could finish her off in a new position. Her legs then wrapped around him in a locking position, letting him do what he wanted with her. And as they got to the final threshold of their orgasms, the pressure had soon been broken after pumping their genitals for the last time. The screams from both parties had echoed throughout the entire house, if not the room. And the room was now filled with their musk as the couch had now been stained with the pooling of their mixed cum.

As soon as their wonderful activity of sexual intercourse was done, Sterling had allowed their final embrace to cover their fully naked bodies. As the man had felt his semi-hard dick wedging itself in the woman's lower cheeks, even though it was a fabulous feeling, his erection had to wait until later.

"Hey, 'Shy..." he whispered to her.

"Yes, Sterling?" she whispered back.

"I love you, babe. And not just for what we did right now..."

"Hmmhmmhmm. I love you too, sweetie..."

A final set of smooches were then given before snuggling up on his chest.

"Give it a few minutes?"

"Oh, yes. I have been wanting to do this on your couch for a while."

They could only laugh for a little bit before they clashed their lips again.

“You up for a little change in the position, along with where I put it?” he asked her while the rush of the orgasm raised up his desires again. As soon as he felt it arise, he was able to see the woman position herself once again. They were both just as eager as the other was.

“Okay, now I'm ready,” she announced to him as she presented her rear end to him.

“Here I go!” he replied after rubbing himself to twitch himself back up.

In that second, Sterling allowed his still erected manhood to slowly penetrate her back door before inching in with more of his shaft before it stopped at the hilt, ending with a grunt that followed with a shriek of delighted lust from the woman that urged him to continue. The pumping of his shaft into the tighter walls of her anus in a repeated motion that sent a jolt through him, while following with a semi rough massaging of her breasts, had allowed him to grunt and pant with labored breaths. Given that it was the first time giving anal to Fluttershy after last night, he knew that he didn't have to be too rough on her. Just enough to allow her to know that she would be able to enjoy it.

“Oh! Aah! AAH! Oh, Goddesses! Don't stop! Please! Sterling, don't ever pull it out!” Fluttershy begged, reveling in the feeling of her man's rod within her as it pumped into her with a merciful strength. The clamping of her anal walls on his manhood had allowed her lust to peak up once more. The tears that she felt from her eyes had been the result of feeling the grip on him becoming almost divine to her.

The pleasure that was shared between Sterling and Fluttershy had alarmed him of the growing desire to explode into her. And the buildup had been killing him with the anticipation of wanting to give out a great stream of pleasure into her. And he more than agreed with his horny side that pulling out would not be good for him, nor her.

“Augh! Damn! You're so tight down there!” Sterling grunted as he pumped more into her back door, earning a few more tiny shrieks from her.

“Ooh! Don't! Stop! Fucking! Me!” Fluttershy commanded him with a nearly angered tone of voice as her walls kept milking him of what he was worth. But as she felt the power of the jolts delaying the inevitable orgasm. “I want that hot seed in my ass to flood me! And I want it now!” she screamed at him, even though she was not facing him.

“And you're going to get it, my little bitch!” Sterling playfully grunted, going along with the small roleplay that she was making at that moment. “When you go with Rarity, or any of the other women in the harem, I want you to tell them that you are willing to fuck me in front of them all! Mouth, pussy and ass!” His speed and strength were nowhere near being drained as his lust fueled him up to keep going. He then decided to play it a little rougher by lifting her up from the legs and displayed her whole body while still drilling his rod into her, earning a small scream from her.

“Aah! Yes! I want all of my harem partners to fuck me like this! And I want-- no, need this! From! My! Friends!!” the Auran shouted out as she then felt both her fingers and his rubbing the inside of her pussy, sending more waves of lust into her while also feeling his other hand grip her left breast, giving a slight pinch to the nipple. “Sterling! I'm gonna cum! It's almost there!” she warned him, feeling the pressure about to break within her fingered womanhood and pinched areola.

“Me- Aah! Me too!” he responded as he too felt the urge to explode rising. And sure enough, the dam of his impending orgasm had broken. And his hot white seed had flooded the back door with a stream that filled the back door with his mess. And as it did so, the mess of the vaginal orgasm had spurted out to the floor, leaving a trail of Fluttershy's cum on a spot that continued to spread out. A long sigh had been heard from how exhausting the sexual intercourse was, even though the activities that they had played were quite fun for them.

“I'm sorry, 'Shy,” Sterling sighed to her as he allowed himself to fall to the couch, bringing the lady with him.

“Why? Why are you sorry?” Fluttershy wondered as she looked at him after adjusting her position to look into his eyes.

“I must have been quite rough on you, given that my.... prowess.... had peaked,” he explained to her as he gently caressed her face.

“Oh, no. You were wonderful, Sterling,” she purred to him in a genuinely warm tone, kissing his lips in the process. “I really enjoyed that! I felt like a real woman again with you,” she also giggled at her words to him, feeling the giddiness taking over as she kept pecking his face almost wildly. “And I really felt, well.... th-that is, if you don't me saying this... um...” she trailed off for a moment before looking back at him. “It was exciting! Oh! I felt like our friends were actually watching how perverted I am! Even though I was afraid, I had you with me to be strong! And... well... I was also imagining that all of them were doing me like you did just a moment ago.” When she said those words, her face had betrayed a blush that only she could pull off.

“Your first love was Rarity, right?” Sterling asked, hoping to make a decent conversation between them.

“Uh-huh,” Fluttershy nodded, confused by what he was asking her. “But, um... why do you ask?” she wanted to know.

“Well, given that you two first confessed your love to each other before I arrived, I'm more than positive that you also had this kind of fantasy about her,” he first pointed out, remembering how her story was first said when they were dating a few months ago. “And given how you both wanted a man to be with you two, and how you both saw how much I was in need of that kind of loving relationship, I think that it's safe to assume that you've both had more of a reason to love each other. And not just because of those fantasies,” he nodded in conclusion to his argument with a smirk. “You agree with that notion, Rarity?” he then asked as his eyes averted to the nearby door. Fluttershy then saw the same woman looking flustered from how nude they both were, while also being able to keep a warm smile on her face, even with a major blush on her pseudo porcelain face.

“As a woman who has no wish to make the conversation short for the convenience of time, of which I don't have much of to go on, your notions are not far fetched, my love,” Rarity nodded with a sigh while keeping her casual tone in her voice. The generous seamstress with a posh lifestyle had stepped up to the naked pair and gave them a warm smile. “And as such, such a display of your affections are not something to be looked at as disgusting. But rather, it is quite beautiful to see you both having a good time,” she enunciated to them as she began to wrap her arms around the Auran to hold her from behind. She then kissed the area between Fluttershy's shoulder and neck, earning a purr from the lady.

“Thanks, Rarity,” Fluttershy said as she tilted her head to the lady behind her. Her lips then puckered up and gave her a short smooch that resulted in the third party giving her the same kiss. “It really means a lot to me, hearing you say that.”

“But of course, my beautiful and loving friend,” Rarity chirped, happy to hear those words. “And I must say, such noises that you both made have given me a reason to enjoy seeing your birthday suits,” she smirked with a sultry grin. “Even though such a cacophony is uncouth during this time of the day, just before lunch time,” she further teased them, directing her eyes to Fluttershy's still glistening honeypot. “Oh... such a beautiful flower,” she sighed at the sight.

“I take it that you are wanting to join us for lunch, Rarity?” Sterling then asked her, feeling that the whole conversation was about to go into that same direction if not for what was supposed to happen at the moment.

“Well.... if I can contribute to the impending luncheon, then maybe I could be so inclined to join you two,” Rarity replied after giving herself a moment to think about it. “And maybe have my share of the activities that you two oh so enjoyed after having a bite to eat?” she suggested to them before going up to Sterling to hug and kiss him.

“Well, now... It seems the fun has been--”

(*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*)

“Uh oh!” Sterling gasped as he felt the vibrations of the sounds reverberating throughout the house. And as he felt the quakes beneath him, so too did the women. The same sounds had given them both a reason to gasp in fear. But as they had felt their fear go up in a gradual step, Sterling could only close his eyes for a moment. The same booming sounds that he was listening in on.... were slow in tempo and speed.

“Hmm....” he pondered while allowing his magic to analyze the noise.

“What is it, Sterling? Is it something big?” Rarity shivered as Fluttershy too made a nod with a squeak.

“It's a giant,” Sterling gasped, concluding what kind of thing could make such a series of quakes. The vibrations were enough to shake down a few houses, but not to cause destruction with how low it sounded. “And it's hurt! It's coming to Ponyville, seeking aid!” When that sudden announcement was made, he used a few choice spells to clean his and Fluttershy's bodies of the stains and sweat before doing the same for the couch and floor. When that was done, the same magic had simultaneously performed a spell to put on his clothes. The same enchantment allowed Fluttershy to be given back her entire wardrobe, allowing her to look just as beautiful as before. The trio had then stopped themselves just a few feet near the front door to assess themselves of any fears to be put aside.

“But how do--?” Rarity was about to ask before stopping herself to say, “Ah! No-no-no! I will not ask how you know of this! You've been around the world, while having a lot of training in your time with that unit of yours, to know when some person or docile creature is hurt,” Rarity quickly said in a clear turn of her long-term memory.

“I am that glad you remembered that, my hot diamond,” Sterling grinned at her, receiving an eye roll from the lady that he acknowledged.

“Yes, well, calling a lady like myself a diamond would indicate that I am quite a sight to behold, am I not?” Rarity quipped with a giggle.

“Well I believe that it's only fair to say that you, along with Fluttershy here and the other women in the harem, are still Goddesses in the flesh,” Sterling smiled before opening the door to the outside world. “And when my new task is done, I have a set of gifts for all of you that will attest to how much I want to keep you by my side.” As soon as the door opened up, the noises from before were just loud enough to catch their attention.

“And, uh.... that is, if you please.... will these gifts be expensive?” Fluttershy politely asked him while moving behind him.

“No,” he shook his head, earning a confused look before smirking. “They'll be priceless,” he corrected her with an emphasis on the last word.

“So you made them yourself, then?” Rarity asked as she took his side.

“The last hint that I will give you both is that I had devoted a lot of time, when I wasn't with you girls, to making my own version of an ensemble,” he pointed to them as he signaled them to move out the front porch with him.

“Well, it seems that you wanted to make it so that we never leave you, huh?” the seamstress noted from his words.

(*Boom! Boom!*)

“Not even if it meant the world,” the Alicornian simply replied.

“Thanks, Sterling,” Fluttershy softly said to him. “So... we should see if we can find this giant with our friend's help,” she suggested to him.

“Good idea. You and Rarity should--” he was about to command before seeing a flash of purple light just a few feet away from the trio on the patio. “Never mind, then,” he shrugged as he immediately saw Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle standing on the walkway. A few shakes from the Princess' head had indicated that she had not teleported a group of people before. But it was still a success in his mind. “Well done, Twilight. I really must commend you for making yourself and the other women present,” he said to the slightly dizzy woman who performed the spell.

“We had to get to your place as fast as possible, and, well, I thought of that spell to get here,” Twilight said to him with a meek smile.

“Then it is correct to say that you all felt the quakes beneath us,” he stated to the rest of the group.

“My Pinkie Sense told me that it was some newcomer that has come calling,” Pinkie spoke up for herself.

“And your talent for knowing the immediate future was quite accurate,” Sterling chuckled from her words.

“Someone! Anyone! Please... HELP!!!” a new, deep voice cried out from a distance. The whole group turned around to the source of the voice. Sure enough, there was a giant looking over the town. Aside from seeing that the creature was dirty, there was also small streams of blood dripping down from a few deep cuts on the body and face. But along with that observation, there was also a long line of chains binding it's body. The items that the group then saw hanging from the chains were more than about ten cages. A long, exhausted breath had sounded out before the giant had keeled over, shaking the earth below them as it's knees hit the ground before the rest of the body began to descend to the same ground below.

“NOO!!!” Sterling shouted, believing that the giant was about to die in front of him. With no second to lose, he activated his innate ability to shoot off from the ground and flew up to the chest of the creature, stopping the movement from going any faster as he placed his palms on the same pectorals to ease the accelerated movement. And as the strength of the giant was fading from the body, Sterling allowed his magic to levitate the cages from the chains and place them gently on the ground as he laid the large person on the ground. His magic then turned the big man around to allow the face to look up to the sky. “Sir!! Can you hear me?! This is Sterling Caliber of Ponyville! And the Council of Friendship is with me! We'll get you the medical attention you need, along with the Royal Honor Guard to assist with the cages! Are you with us?” he pleaded to the giant, nearly fearful that his attempts to keep the fallen one from going unconscious on him.

“Please....” the giant spoke to him in a lower tone of voice. From what Sterling was able to figure out, the voice had the archaic dialect of the Eastern Eagle Land people, though it also sounded a bit slurred. “Help those people in the cages... they were experimented on... Urrgh.... by evil nercomancers. And those Magicians were evil! Please.... help.... them.... Ugh!” the giant pleaded before slipping out of consciousness with a breath escaping the throat.

Without any hesitation, Sterling looked to the neck and placed his palms on the area near the thorax. The beat of the heart was still there, but it was dangerously low. And the pooling of the blood was staining the ground, leaving a small stream to be collected by the dirt below the grass.

“Twi! Rares!” Sterling shouted out. “Get the Royal Honor Guard and tell them to help get the cages opened!” he commanded to the girls behind him, keeping his face on the giant below him. He soon heard the running footsteps of the pair going out to the village. “'Shy! Pinks! Follow those two, and find the emergency medical unit in the hospital! Alert them all that their rooms will be filled up with the people in the cages!” A reply had been given to him with a comply before hearing the same steps going to another location. “Rainbow, you and Applejack are to stay with me and assess the situation to the Guard and medics,” he then said to the last two women, turning his head to them with a shockingly fearful look.

“Whatcha thinkin', Sterling?” Applejack raised her voice in concern.

“I think....” Sterling trailed off as he looked over the body of the giant to observe anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Before he could move away, he spotted a cloth within the collar of the shirt and ripped it off. The cloth had revealed a symbol, depicting a crimson crossbow and three scratch marks behind the weapon within a white circle. The same picture had given cause for the Alicornian to gasp deeply.

“Oh, no....” Rainbow shivered, knowing that the deep gasp was how she knew that there was a bigger picture that she did not know about, thus fearing what was happening at the moment. “It's something evil, isn't it?” she demanded to know, feeling her fear get to her.

Sterling could only turn his head and stare deeply at her ruby red eyes with his silver eyes, showing a familiar look....

Of fear.

“This.... is something... far worse.”

*****

Chapter 3: The Elements & The Silver Bullet

Chapter 3

The Elements & The Silver Bullet

(*****)

Sterling was just about to open the door of his home when he picked up the quite flowery scent of lilacs from a short distance away. He had smiled knowingly just after sniffing the lovely scent. Someone was right behind him. This was not a person who wanted to kill him with a lethal stealth technique, nor was the person behind him one that had any aggressive thoughts within them. This was a passive, empathetic person from what he knew during his years of training as a soldier. Female, young, shy & with a bit of fear within her. This was what he was able to figure out from the sounds that came from behind him.

"Um.... E-excuse me, please?", a soft, feminine voice spoke up from behind her. Sterling then turned around to see the face that he knew the voice belonged to. “Uh.... h-hello, s-s-sir,” the same voice spoke up from the woman that he was able to see after turning around.

"Good afternoon," he greeted the lady with a respectful bow to her as he smiled a warm smile. After lifting his head up, he saw that the woman was just.... beautiful. No other words than that could describe what he was seeing before him. Unless he could count 'heavenly' as a better one.

He was able to deduce that the woman had fair skin from the small amount that he saw from the dress that she wore, no blemishes or wrinkles on her face, and was also well-endowed by her hourglass figure that came with a bust, waist and hip measurements that made her very sexy to look at. Sterling may not have looked it, given his rigorous training in the military, but he just wanted to allow his jaw to drop to the ground below him as he took in the radiance that he felt emanating from the buxom beauty. But his training made him a gentleman, even though he had such wanton thoughts blasting through his head, to which he chastised himself for thinking of. But he was also able to see that the same woman was just shy and timid near him. He had to think of a way to help her warm up to him.

"I must give my most sincerest apologies for that tremor that you no doubt felt today. I only noticed how the people in Ponyville have not felt something like that at all, so... I'm sorry if I caused any kind of trouble for you and your town. I didn't mean to startle you. I'm sorry,” he apologized to her with a small bow from his head.

“Oh! Um... It-it's alright. No one got hurt at all,” Fluttershy assured the man in front of her.

“Thank the heavens for that. Now: How may I help you today?", he then asked her politely, hoping that his inquiry would help her out a bit.

"Uh.... Oh! Uh, m-m-my name.... i-i-i-is F-F-Fluttershy," she nervously answered him while hiding her face from him, hoping that he wouldn't hear her. She was still that timid around new people. It was fortunate for her that he kept his distance as he nodded to her. It was by his luck that his hearing was quite sharp, or otherwise he'd have asked her to speak up. And he was not the kind of person that demanded anything, unless it was a solution for some continuing fight to stop at once.

"Fluttershy, huh? It's a real pleasure to meet you," Sterling spoke up to the lady who just stepped back a bit. "My name is Sterling Caliber. How do you do?", he greeted the girl with his hand out to her. Fluttershy looked at the hand that was being offered but quickly looked away. When he took his hand back, Fluttershy had looked back to the man who simply said to her: "I understand if you don't wish to shake my hand right now. I only just moved into this town today before I started building this new house that you see here. And I do hope that we can be good friends, Miss Fluttershy. I certainly look forward to meeting you at some point so that we can shake our hands. Both you and your friends.”

Fluttershy could only make a small sound that he could only perceive as being just so adorable.

“D'awww! That sound just makes her so cute!”, he said to himself after listening to her squeak. “Oh, look. Some more people are coming here," he then pointed to a group of girls that had followed the path to his residence. Fluttershy looked to where the other people were and waved them over.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash & Twilight Sparkle had all decided, just minutes ago by Sterling's deduction, to see if the man was a danger to anyone. But what they saw between their friend and the mysterious man was just a simple meet and greet scenario. Fluttershy then walked up slowly to her friends and almost immediately hid behind the posh girl that Sterling saw in front of him.

"I see that your friends have all decided to come and see me now," he spoke to the timid girl as his gaze then went to observe the women that composed of the shy girls friends.

“Uh... y-y-yes. T-these are my best friends. Twilight,” she began to introduce them with the Alicornian being first. “Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity,” she listed off with her finger pointing at them. “Girls, this is Sterling Caliber, our new neighbor,” she introduced to them.

“Good afternoon!/Howdy, pardner!/Hi there!/How's it going?/Hello, new neighbor!”, the girls greeted him.

A sudden revelation hit his head immediately after gazing at the ladies for a moment. "Huh....", he breathed in the surprise that unraveled in front of him while taking a few steps back.

"Is there something wrong, good sir?", Rarity asked the man, concerned that something was wrong.

And with that asked, Sterling shook his head before pulling out a card from his pack and ran a spell through it. As soon as the spell was performed, the card had shown the Cutie Marks of the women in front of him, along with their bio's. He then looked to them once again to confirm his suspicions. And after double checking their identities, he softly hit the post that was nearest him with a thud.

"Elements....", he sighed to them lowly.

"Huh?", the ladies responded.

"Elements.... of Harmony," he spoke up to them with a nod.

Sterling looked at the women who were well known as the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony in awe. His own heroines stood there proudly before him with their own smiles. As far as he knew, not only were they a big part of his drive to keep on fighting with his unit, but they were also just the most beautiful women that he ever gazed his eyes upon. Both on the TV screen and in real life. But even he knew that the beauty that radiated from the group was only in second place, compared to both Princess Celestia and her sister, Princess Luna. But even then, the newest Princess was also shining out a beauty that seemed as great as the other Princesses of Equestria.

The same man then made a point to quickly observe the ladies for all of their physical attributes. Their different eye colors, their own hourglass figures, their personalities and even their neat choices of clothing. Well, in his eyes they were all neat. And he was only a man with the most basic of desires. Nothing wrong with that. But more than that, Sterling noted how each of the ladies had been given their Element due to their true nature in their hearts.

Twilight's Element, Magic, was still as much of a mystery to him as his own ability to summon spells, supplies or even monsters (if he really wanted to) from his intricate cards that he always kept in a pack that was clipped to his belt. Applejack's Element, Honesty, was earned to the woman who could never tell a lie, save for when Discord changed her many years ago, to save her life. Rainbow's Element, Loyalty, was earned from how she could never leave her friends behind for her goals in life. Pinkie's Element of Laughter was earned by the confectioner for laughing at everything that was already deemed to be fearful in her friends' eyes. And as for the Elements of Kindness and Generosity, Fluttershy and Rarity had both earned their necklaces by taming both a wild beast and a vain sea serpent. One of them had a thorn on them while the other was a thorn, according to some reporters that had done a small piece on the women. Sterling could only have one guess as to what was what, but decided to leave that bit of ridicule to the haters.

"I can't.... No, I don't believe it....", Sterling gasped from what he was seeing in front of him. "The former bearers of the Elements of Harmony on my property.... Th-this is.... oh, Goddesses! I need to sit down," he spoke to himself after shaking his head, hoping that he was just seeing a mirage or illusion. He had never believed that his heroines would even take the time to just visit him. Or even think of noticing him. When he was just eighteen, long after being officially signed up for the Royal Equestrian Marine Corps under an old alias name for his unit, he had just seen how the Elements of Harmony had already taken down Discord by encasing him into stone once again after defeating Nightmare Moon beforehand on the Equestrian News Network.

"Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness!", Fluttershy nervously spoke up after seeing Sterling was about to keel over from the excitement. And with a boost of speed, she caught the man before he could even hit the ground. She had just caught him, even though she was already nervous about even touching him. Somehow, she was able to see to it that the same man who was very polite to her was gently walked up to his door.

"Are you alright, Mister Sterling?", she soon asked after releasing him from her arms.

Sterling could only nod at her in his kneeling position. As he looked to her, he resisted the urge to go up and give her a big hug. Such a thing would've frightened her, for all he knew. And he was more of a gentleman than a big fan of his idols, given that his former commander had drilled being a polite man into his mind. The shy Auran named Fluttershy, being one of his personal heroines, had sighed in relief when she saw him give a bright smile.

"Oh, thank goodness!", Rarity spoke up as she stepped up to the same man. "I had thought for sure that you were about to faint before us," she spoke to him in a concerned tone of voice. "I am quite delighted that you're alright now," the same woman said to him with a relieved smile as her eyes fluttered to him. And after hearing those words, Sterling looked up to the lady who had taken her friend's side and made the same observations as before.

The same fashionista seamstress was already well endowed with the same physical features that always allowed Fluttershy to blush for just a moment or two. For it was the same measurements, from bust to hips of course, that allowed her to compete for 'Sexiest Body' against her timid friend; seeing her chest, abdomen and hips allowed him to believe that she was able to turn the heads of the many people that she either knew personally or not at all. Either way, she was a hot babe in his eyes. And those deep blue eyes nearly hypnotized him if not for his desire to compose himself back to his original state.

Sterling then looked at the women and nodded his head with a slowly rising goofy grin on his face as he got up from the wood floorboards below him.

"I'm feeling.... a flood of joy flowing through me," he answered after hesitating for a moment to find the right words to try to describe the moment that he was now a part of. When Fluttershy and Rarity had given him a confused look, he rubbed his eyes and said to them, “It means that I am very happy to see all of you ladies,” with a smile on his face.

The same women in front of him then gave a 'oh!' sound when they were given that small translation from him. They were soon joined by the other ladies that had taken their steps towards the door for a closer look at the man.

"And I really am happy, because there was just a very large amount of odds that were already stacked against me that I would finally be able to see my true heroines today," Sterling added after seeing the women gathered around him. "And all of the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony coming to meet me in one day? I thank my Goddesses in the heavens for such a momentous occasion!", he nodded to them, causing a giggle to escape from their mouths.

"Oh, do come along, Captain," Rarity playfully chided him. "We're only ordinary ladies, after all. Unless you count Rainbow Dash and Applejack here," she teased the Auran and Equian women near her.

"Yeah-- Hey!", the two shouted at her in some agitation. Rarity could only stick her tongue out at the two in her continued teasing as the others laughed at the snap that was made. This action caused Sterling to laugh almost very loudly. Rarity turned her head to the man with a puzzled look as she saw him laughing out loud.

"I-- Ha-ha!-- I am so sorry, but... that bit of comedy really got to me," Sterling chuckled as he cleared his action to the group. He then sighed after a few chuckles had been allowed to be released. "Aah-ha.... I really needed a laugh before I could even walk through my door," he said to them as he held his hand on the knob. A thought had then been planted into his mind: Inviting the same heroines, that he still idolized to this day, into his house would allow him to make new friends with them. But he had to approach the idea with caution. Even he knew that the women might have some job to do today.

"Is everything alright, Captain?", Twilight spoke to him, snapping him out of the thought that he was considering.

"Perfectly alright, your Highness," he said to the Princess in front of him with a small bow. This title-calling had made Twilight blush for a bit before composing herself again. "In fact, there's something I am wanting to ask you. That is, um... if you don't mind," he then said, remembering what it was that he wanted to ask them all.

"And that would be?", Rainbow wanted to know.

"Well, if you would all like to see the inside of my newly built home, then I'd be more than happy to give you all a tour," Sterling said to the spectrum-colored Auran while looking at the others.

"Really now? You're inviting us into your abode?", Rarity asked him curiously.

"I call it a bit of common courtesy to show my heroines the house that I built from the ground up," Sterling nodded before adding, "But I can't show the basement until I am sure that I've built a good friendship with all of you. Also, showing you all to my personal bedroom is out of the question, so don't get any funny ideas now," he pointed to them all. They all nodded to him, while Rainbow mumbled something that was incoherent to him. Sterling had thought better, after hearing that bit of mumbling, than to chastise the Auran for trying to protest against his instruction.

"Now where would we get such a thing, darling?", Rarity asked Sterling, while keeping a pseudo-sultry smile on her.

"Don't press your luck now, Lady Rarity," Sterling pointed to her, to which she pouted just a little bit. "So! Would you all like a tour of the 'casa de Caliber'? If you wish to see the inside, then I shall open the door for you. If not, then perhaps at a later time, when it's more convenient for all of you," he told them, knowing fully well that he was not going to pressure the ladies to come inside his house.

"Well, I'd love to see what you got, new buddy, but I still need to make sure that the weather team is doing their job. Being a Captain of the Ponyville Weather Team is a huge responsibility, and I'm not going to look like I'm slacking off in front of both my friends and my team," Rainbow said to him. "Sorry bro, but I gotta leave now," she spoke as her wings sprouted out from her back.

"See you later then, Miss Rainbow," Sterling waved to the girl before she bolted off to wherever she needed to go. "Anyone else needing to go somewhere? Because I actually understand if you all need to be somewhere," he told the other women.

"Well, I need to get back to my castle to see if I can get Spike to run some errands for me while I do some reading, but I'll be back in a few hours afterwards," Twilight said to him with a little smile.

"I completely understand-- Whoa!", Sterling was about to assure the royal one before being hugged by her. Even though he was completely taken aback by her gesture, he happily returned it with his arms wrapping around her shoulders.

"Thank you for defending us, Sterling.... Thank you very much," she softly said to him with a sniffle as a tear escaped her eye as it dripped to his shoulder.

"You're welcome, Princess Twilight....", he softly said back to her, paying no mind to the tear. And after looking into her purple eyes for a moment, he released her from his embrace and saw a purple aura glowing around her. And with a wave goodbye, which she gave back smiling, the Princess disappeared in a flash of her magic. He then nodded, thankful that the Princess had just thanked him for his service. "Miss Pie?", he was about to ask the party girl before he realized that she just disappeared. "Where did she just go now?", he asked the others.

"Here I am!" a voice spoke behind him, causing him to take a defensive position in the surprise that he just received.

"AAH! Gah! Good Goddesses, Pinkie! How did you--?" he was about to ask before being shown a cardboard box of cupcakes in front of him.

"Just wanted to give you a dozen cupcakes for you to enjoy before I went back to work!", she giggled at the guy with a big smile on her face. The man looked to the other women behind him and raised a confused eyebrow at them.

"It's Pinkie Pie, sugar cube. Don't question it," Applejack said to him.

"Right.... uh.... thanks, Pinkie," he said to the bouncy girl after taking the box from her hand. He then saw the treats after opening the box and almost drooled on them. "Wow.... these look quite delicious! You must be able to get a lot of customers with how you make such delicious treats like these ones," he smiled at the woman.

"Yes indeedy, Sterling! And I really need to get back to Sugar-Cube Corner so that I can fill out the order for an anniversary party for a client of mine! Gotta go! See ya!", she replied before doing the same thing that Rainbow Dash had done before. Remembering what Applejack said, he shook his head with a chuckle.

"Et tu, Applejack?", Sterling asked the farmer.

"Ah need ta git all of the apples that fell from the trees harvested before Ah come back here," Applejack told him. "But when Ah'm done, Ah'll get ya some barrels of mah best hard apple cider, along with some of mah best whiskey bottles to go with a bushel or two of my best crops," she promised him with a wink.

"You trying to tell me something, Applejack?", he smirked at her playfully. This query received a light slap on his face from the farmer woman who blushed quite a lot from what he just said, as indicated by her uneasy look. "I was only kidding you. There's no need for violence now," he calmly said to her while keeping a smug grin on his face.

"Just don't press yer luck, big fella. Or else Ah might just have ta call ya more than just that, sugar cube," she spoke firmly to him with a small smile of her own directed to him.

"I'll hold you to it. See you later, then," he waved to the farmer before his hand was given a shake by her.

"Later," she winked at him. And with Applejack leaving, Sterling turned his attention to the other two who were left behind.

"I suppose you all have something to do at the moment?", he asked the fashionista and the veterinarian.

"Oh, heavens no! I have just closed up my shop after filling out a big order for some fabulous dresses for Sapphire Shores today, so I am free to take a look inside your lovely abode," Rarity said to him with that same smile on her.

"Alright, then. And you, Miss Fluttershy?", he asked the light-pink haired lady.

"Oh! Uh... I actually have Angel bunny looking out for my little friends at my cottage, so... um...," she twirled her fingers in her hair while looking away for a moment. "M-may I see your home, if you please?", she then asked after looking at him dead in the eye.

"So you both want to see the inside of my new home, then?", he rhetorically asked them.

"Lead the way, good Captain," Rarity replied with a bat of her eyes.

"Y-yes, please," Fluttershy nodded.

"Let's go in, then. After you."

And within a few seconds, Sterling had opened the door and gestured for the ladies to enter first. This kind act had received a comment about being a gentleman from the posh lady before she entered the house along with her friend that slowly stepped towards the entrance. And after feeling satisfied that the women were able to go in without a hitch, he entered his own home with the two beauties in front of him.

(In the Everfree Forest....)

The unnatural darkness of the background was a perfect sanctuary for the dragon-gorilla hybrid named Leviathan. For he was a creature that only delighted in bringing in the shadows of evil against the natural order and harmony of the world. As he looked to where his latest kills, from stray cats and bunnies to giant manticore beasts and chimeras aplenty, had been piled up, he could only frown at how he felt insulted that only wild creatures tried to challenge him. And all with no successes for the wild animals. The stench of burnt flesh and fried wood, along with the growing pools of blood on the ground, was his incense.

"Now that I have enough food for my intended predators, I must find a person who will become the perfect conduit for the evil spirit that is a slave to my will," Leviathan growled lowly as he pondered who would become the victim of his evil scheme.

(snap!)

Leviathan heard the sound of a twig being broken from a good twenty feet away, while picking up a familiar scent that sent his malicious grin into a wider smile.

"A Zebrican shaman.... PERFECT!!"

.....

.....

.....

(*Gasp* *AAAAAHHHHHH!!!*)

(Back at Sterling's House...)

The time on the grandfather clock within the living room had shown that it was five minutes until 5:00 PM. Within the hours that Sterling had spent with the two ladies, he was able to show them all of the rooms on the ground floor while avoiding to speak about his unit as he spoke a few hilarious stories to them. And he was just about to make the conclusion to one of them, being a story that he went through himself within the university that he had recently graduated from earlier.

"And after I had taken my first few steps from my dorm room, I had been greeted by a person of interest for the same school," he began to tell the women. "And that same person was Mr. Fancy Pants." The girls stared with wide eyes at the mention of that name.

"Goodness, I had no idea that he took an interest in educating the people of Canterlot," Rarity spoke up, interrupting him for a moment from the surprise that she had felt in the moment. "Did you know about this, dear?", she then asked her friend beside her.

"Uh.... N-n-no, I.... I didn't know about that, either," Fluttershy shook her head in embarrassment.

"Apparently, he's not only an important person in the society of Canterlot, but he's also one of the board members of the university. I had just walked to the front gate to find out if I could get myself some food from Doughnut Joe's, when he stopped to tell me that I had been selected to be.... 'an early graduate of the finest education', as he told me," he spoke in his best impression of the same man, earning a few giggles from the women. "And after he spoke to me about it all, the decision between him and the rest of the board that is, I was handed a pair of Masters diplomas for Magical Theory, and Ancient Linguistics. And after that, I had taken the train to get to here," he finished speaking.

"Well now... It all sounds like you've had an interesting morning, darling," Rarity nodded to him with a smile.

"And you were only in the university for six months?", Fluttershy asked him with her eyes staying in the same position on him.

"I could have stayed there for a while longer, but.... apparently, I was meant to leave because of how the board wanted me to have the diploma's immediately. And all because of how.... 'I worked hard on a lot of things, including the defense of our country', as he described it to me," he answered the shy Auran. "I would've protested, but it seems that he had reported my progress to both of the Princesses, given that I was quite the fighter, as they once told me after I revealed myself to them six months ago," he then added to the finished conversation.

"And you haven't looked back on it at all?", Rarity asked him.

"Nope. I would've protested that I needed to stay, but orders are still orders. Even though I'm honorably discharged from the military," he answered the lady with a grin.

"Old habits?"

"Old habits."

The clock then rung out the hour of 5:00 PM. The tone of the ringing from the clock had been rather soothing to him, even if it was just a bit of a nuisance to have to listen to every day.

"Guess I should start making some dinner," he sighed out loud as he got up from the chair. "Hey, uh...."

"Yes, Sterling?", Rarity replied to the incoming query.

"Would you both like to have some food? I'd be more than happy to make something that you'd both like," he asked them both.

"Really?", Fluttershy then asked him, curious as to his intended kindness.

"Uh-huh. It's no problem," he nodded to the girl.

"Oh my....", the shy girl gasped, feeling a bit happier than before. This man wanted to make dinner. For both her and for Rarity. She then looked to Rarity, who had the same look as she did. "W-w-well, um.... do you know how to... um... make a--"

"DIIIIRRRRRE WOOOOLLLLLVVVES!!!", was the sound that came from the voice of Twilight Sparkle, who suddenly busted through the door in a panic. "Sterling!!", she yelled to him with a lot of fear emanating from her as she quickly hugged him tightly after getting up from the couch in a jumpy move.

It was just a second after Sterling released her when a six foot purple and green anthropoid dragon had begun to rapidly burst out some words!

"Spike! Pleasure! Ponyville! Dire Wolves! Just now! HELP!!"

Sterling, having heard the atrocious news, widened his eyes in shock as the other women from before had also entered the living room in a panic.

"Sterling, some Dire Wolves have been sighted near Fluttershy's cottage! And they're making their way to the town right now!", Twilight quivered to him, looking paler than normal from the events that had occurred just now.

"How many?", he asked her quickly.

"About fifteen dozens!", Twilight told him as she still tried her best to remain calm. But even Sterling could not buy how the sovereign in front of him was trying to look composed to everyone that she knew. For he knew, just from looking into Twilight's eyes, that if any creature in this world threatened his rulers and their lands, then he had no choice.... but to kill them all.

"Understood, your Highness!", Sterling grunted, pulling his card pack from his bedroom to clip it to his belt. "Princess, I want you to find the proper reinforcements so that I can get some help with fending off those wolves!", he said to her with an angered look. "Also, send an emergency letter to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about the situation! I can only help this town if I have both the finest men and women to help me with putting them down! The Dire Wolves are a monstrous bunch, killing everything and everyone in their path. And the only way to stop them is to kill them, for they do not know of mercy, pity or compassion. They're a bunch of wild animals that have a rabid lust for blood", he explained to her as he pulled out a card that he needed to take from the pack as he stepped to the door.

"You know how to take them down, then?" Rainbow asked him, surprised by his knowledge.

"And I can tell you all how to stop them with no mercy on them!" Sterling answered her while looking at the other ladies. "I need all of you to come fight with me! If you were able to take down both Tirek and Sombra, after Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis, then who can say that all six of you can't fight," he commanded them firmly with a soft tone in his voice.

His body then glowed for a short while before revealing himself once again. Only this time, he was wearing the tactical gear that the Marines were known to wear in any battle. Somehow, all of the military-issued items on his battle garb had fitted him as perfectly as when he was first issued the uniform. Much as he wanted to speak to them about it all, he was in a rush.

"I'm a Card-Summoner and an Ethereal Possessor, if you must know. But, we need to help the town NOW!" he then loudly commanded them as he opened the door and moved them all out. "The details can be explained later! Let's move it! Move it out! Move it now! Go! Go! Go!"

The former Element bearers and the discharged Marine had begun to run towards the town as they heard the screams of many citizens being attacked.

(Meanwhile, at the castle in Canterlot....)

A scroll had appeared in front of Princess Celestia, who had the unmistakable feeling that something was wrong with the world. As the royal goddess of the sun unraveled the scroll, her fears were justified. In the letter, Twilight Sparkle had described, in detail, how the town of Ponyville was under attack from a pack of foreign beasts that kills anything and everything in their path: The Dire Wolves. Princess Luna had seen the contents of the scroll and gasped loudly. It was in Ponyville where she got her start in making herself known throughout all of Equestria as the benevolent princess that all societies now accepted into their lives.

Upon further reading, the moon goddess had remembered that the Royal Guard, Lunar and Solar, were stretched thin as it was. And she, along with her older sister, remembered their encounter with the same man from six months ago as the letter had described how he was going to help them in battle, much to Twilight's confusion. But as the scroll was wrapped up again for Celestia to write a reply, a few steps had been heard just about twenty yards away from her. The royal sisters looked to where the steps had stopped.

"Your Highness', we apologize for the interruption," a deep voice, Dragon in its tone, spoke up as eight distinct figures approached the Alicornian women with a bow.

"We felt the power of our Captain being activated," another voice, an Equestrian male, quickly said to the royalty. "And we wish to make a formal request that we be allowed to help him out," he asked them with a determination that the royal sisters only saw a few times in the past. With no other choices being present, Celestia and Luna had nodded to each other.

"Make thou way to Ponyville! Post-haste now!" Luna commanded.

"Help your Captain defend Ponyville! It is imperative that the village does not fall to the destruction of these Dire Wolves," Celestia added to the command.

"Dire Wolves?!", the taller figure growled with a sneer. The other seven looked to their fellow soldier and saw an ire that was on the same level with wanting to destroy the Changeling hives. "I've been waiting too long to get my claws on my natural enemies!", he growled again.

"Be careful to not allow them to kill you, Lieutenant," another tall man, a Viking from the Norse Countries as the royal ones were able to deduce, quipped to the soldier.

"I do not intend for those vile beasts to penetrate their claws through my dragon scales," the Dragon told the Viking.

"Let's all get to Ponyville, Royal Elites! Captain Caliber is in need of some proper reinforcements!", the Equestrian shouted out as the soldiers had moved away from the presence of the two Princesses.

"For the defense of Equius, and our people!" the Viking shouted as the individuals in the unit had cheered from the entrance before the door closed behind them. After seeing the large door closed, Celestia and Luna had only so few words to say as another scroll had appeared in their hands.

"If those people are truly the Royal Elites, then their Captain will be able to help out the town as he waits for volunteers to help him out. But we cannot allow him to fight a battle that will more than likely kill him, Luna," Celestia said to her sister.

"Even if thou are right, dear sister, Sterling Caliber will not stop until his entire village is secured. A very stubborn man, but loyal to the end. Just like Twilight's best friends, along with her brother," Luna replied shortly.

"I can only hope that nothing happens to the Captain of the Royal Elites," Celestia shook her head, hoping that the worst situation would not happen.

"As does thine, sister.... as does thine."

(To Be Continued....)

*****