A soldier's Rod with a heart of Gold

Chapters

A sight for a soldier's eyes
A Golden Opportunity
The Soldier and the Goldenrod

A sight for a soldier's eyes

Author's Note

Hey everyone, this is my very first story I've written in second person.
Special shoutout for Israel Yabuki, who inspired me to write something like this. Please enjoy the story.

A sight for a soldier's eyes

What many others wanted to do, was to make a difference in life, wanting to do something better. In your case, you wanted to be a soldier, to serve your country, to prove that you were more than capable into protecting others around you, even your loved ones and your home. There were many ways in doing it, like law enforcement, firefighter, paramedics. Or being secretive like the FBI. All except for the CIA. You don’t like secrets being kept, for how can you expect others to trust you, if you tend to keep things behind their backs. No…you decided to take a directive approach.

You wanted to be a soldier.

Your parents didn’t approve though. Your father was a veteran in the Vietnam War, and he had seen far too much that would prove very traumatic to others, especially the scorn he endured from society when he and his fellow soldiers returned home from there. Your mother on the other hand, her father’s brother died in the Second World War, and her father knows the true meaning of loss. Her father also fought when the Vietnam war began, but he was sent home when he had lost his left leg in battle. But you didn’t care, you wanted to make a difference, and if it meant stopping threats that came from another country, then so be it.

Then about a month later, shortly after your nineteenth birthday and months after you graduated from school, you decided to go enlist. There were many places to go to. But then you saw something that caught your attention.

The Navy SEALS.

There were many different units that had the country’s best to defend their country, the Navy SEALS were among the best of the group. Plus the only reason you wanted to give a shot was because of your favorite show, Hawaii Five-O. Seeing Steve McGarrett, performing his duty to help others, as both a Navy SEAL and Law Enforcement, you wanted to be just like him. Not only serving his country, but because of the Compassion he showed for others and the respect he’s earned. That’s one of the reasons you wanted to enlist, because not only did you want to serve your country, but also the compassion and respect you wanted to give to those around you.

In the end, you made your choice.

They warned you that the SEALS are among the best, and you wouldn’t stand a chance. You could only smirk, for boy they were going to be wrong.

You go through certain testing, to make sure that you’re in perfect health, and that you didn’t have any medical problems or conditions. Thankfully, you were smart enough to be healthy before your teenage years. You always performed your best in both body and mind, not like other jock heads around you. To make sure that your mind is still sharp, but also to ensure that your body is well trained. Guess that’s the reason why you were able to get a scholarship to a good college, and why you had to be extra careful to ensure you didn’t lose it.

Soon after that…your true test as a SEAL began, by going through different stages.

Stage 1, Naval Special Warfare Preparatory, or NSW prep as they called it, focuses on physical fitness, academic topics and mental toughness. To swim as they want it, to do pull-ups, push-ups and curl-ups as they wanted, even a four mile run. Guess the documentaries were true, especially since you had to run that long just to get something to eat.

Stage 2, Naval Special Warfare Orientation, or NSWO, focuses on tackling the Obstacle course, improving your swimming skills and Understand the values of teamwork.

Stage 3, which is the first phase for basic conditioning, or as they called it “Hell Week”. You’ll perform the same skills as the previous, only much tougher and you’ll also have less sleep, which helps see if you can take a short nap in case, you’re in the middle of enemy territory whilst your teammates will keep watch.

And during the three stages, you didn’t care how tough you were. What you did care about, was your fellow trainees. Many times they were close into giving up, but instead you chose to help them and support them, to ensure they reach their goals, even if they are at their breaking point. The instructors noticed this, and though they were strict, they deeply admire your commitment to ensure your teammates or squad, will make it through despite their own setbacks.

Stage 4, which is the second phase, combat diving, which that kind of training is a must. You train for aquatic operations, to endure stressful environments when facing certain obstacles, even when fighting from the waters.

Stage 5, the third phase, which focuses on Land Warfare training, which by then most candidates, including your fellow trainees, focuses on not just patrols in dangerous situations, but also basic weapons, marksmanship, demolitions, navigation, repelling and other combat tactics.

Finally, Stage 6, the SEAL qualification training, where you’ll focus on tactical advance training to join the SEALs. This also focuses on Weapons training, Maritime operations, Small unit tactics, Land navigation, Demolitions, Cold weather training, Medical skills, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape.

Once you’re done, you receive your SEAL Trident and are assigned to a SEAL team.

In the end, you, along with the twenty four trainees that you helped, graduated and were now a full-fledged SEAL. And surprisingly, they gave you the rank of Lieutenant because of your commitment to ensure that your fellow soldiers make it through, and the Trainees that you helped were placed under your command.

For the past ten years, you served your country with honor and distinction. You were even promoted to Commander, a feat that no one thought would be possible. And to make it more memorable, you were even part of SEAL Team Six. And during your time of peace, you were able to have a family of your own, and even gained kids. A daughter that’s about 10 years old, and a son that’s about two years younger than your daughter.

However, all that changed when you were assigned to help the CIA. You didn’t want to help them because you know that they have a habit of hiding secrets from everyone. And if what all of Delta Special Forces and other Navy SEAL Teams have told you, the CIA can never be trusted, not with all the secrets they kept, especially the ones that went rogue. Though no matter how much you protest, you can’t disobey your Generals, so you had to go with them.

That’s when things have changed.

You and your team were assigned to a small town near the American Border between America and Mexico, where the CIA caught wind that a terrorist organization, calling themselves, the “Death Eyes”, somehow found their way to America and were planning to attack any city in the US. They said that they number by the thousands and have taken over a small town. So you and your team were stationed there to launch a missile strike, destroying the entire town. However…

Horror struck.

When you and your teams were sent to see if there were any survivors, you were horrified to see that there never was a terrorist organization, just an entire town filled with American citizens, including Tourists. But that’s not what the true horror was. The True horror…

Your wife and two children were there on tour.

And not just them, your entire unit’s families were there too as they uncovered many of their fallen family members. That’s when a group of soldiers from Shadow Company arrive. Just before they could pull the trigger on them, you easily kill them with your skills with your pistol. You kept one, the squad leader, to find out the truth. It turned out, the CIA group that recruited you were a rogue faction, who wanted America to be at war against the Taliban and to devote whatever resources they could for the kill. This…you weren’t going to let this stand. From then on, you and your entire team, along with the rest of Seal TEAM 6, whose families were also there, all came together to attack the compound the CIA group were hiding, along with the entire Shadow Company, holed up in a large compound that they took over a while back.

You and your entire Unit, launched the biggest attack ever. You stormed the entire compound, killing anyone getting in your way to get to them. During the fight, your entire unit was wiped out, but you were able to make it to the leader, the one responsible for all of this. Before he could escape, you fought him on the roof and with great force, after you tied his neck, you ended up throwing both yourselves off of the roof, where he was hanging from the side of the building. You landed on the ground, but you were suddenly in great pain. When you looked up, you saw a metal pipe had pierced your stomach. You didn’t have long to live. But then you heard vehicles and helicopters coming in.

Turned out, there were many Seal TEAM and Delta Forces who caught wind of what the rogue faction had done. They came around, sweeping for survivors. They captured many Shadow Company forces, even two CIA subordinates who were still alive. They rounded up your fallen teammates whilst they went over to you last. The last thing you could see, was them removing you from the metal pipe, trying to save you. And then…you fell into darkness.

***********************************************************************************************

You suddenly felt something on your forehead. It’s something…wet? You slowly open your eyes. You saw water dripping from your forehead. You must be in a hospital, for might be the nurse coming around to make her rounds. But when you opened your eyes, you were greeted by someone with a…Pony face?!!

“Whoa!!” you exclaimed and yelped when you jumped backwards, but then hit your head onto something. “Ow!! Dammit!!”

“Easy there!!” said the pony, “We don’t need you to have a concussion.”

You opened your eyes and you were able to take a good look at her. She was indeed a pony, but not fully. She had pony features, but she also had a human body. What was it, anthropomorphic? Good thing his daughter taught him that a year before she…

You once again looked at her. You noticed that she was also an inch shorter than you, or in this case, about 6-foot-2. Well, given how you’re about 6-foot-4, the same height as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson because of the amount of training you did in your teenage years and in the military, it would make sense. If she was that tall, then she would also have done some amount of training. She also had pony ears, brown fur, green eyes, and golden hair tied in a ponytail, same with her tail. She also had a G-Cup rack…whoa, what the heck, why are you talking about that now?!!

You also noticed that she was wearing a type of clothing, clothing that you’ve never seen before.

“What?” said the pony as she was looking at you with a flexed eyebrow.

“What…are you?” you asked. You mentally slapped your forehead for asking a stupid question like that.

“Oh, I’m a pony.” Said the pony. “As you might have noticed.”

“Yeah, some of the features,” you said, “Though I wasn’t expecting an…”

“Anthro?” said the pony, to which you nod. “Yeah, we get that a lot.”

“What kind of outfit are you wearing?” you asked, wanting to change the subject. “Are you in the military?”

“No, not really.” Said the mare, “I wear this outfit whenever I go hunting. Or when I’m busy fighting against Lord Dainn’s forces. But they haven’t been seen for a long time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, this country was once at war about sixty years ago,” said the pony, which suddenly gave you mixed feelings, “But thanks to some friends of ours from out of the country, they were able to help free and restore the kingdom. Lord Dainn is still out there, but he’s been driven away from here long ago. But I’m afraid some of his forces chose to remain here to give us trouble at every corner.”

You sighed in somewhat relief, knowing that the war on this country was over. However, you grew concerned that there were still threats in this country. But then as you thought about threats, you think about that tragic day…the day you lost…

“Hey,” said the pony as she was getting concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, sorry.” You said, “Bad memories.”

She then took a good look at you, and said “I assume you’re in the military?”

You looked at her with a flexed eyebrow, but then she motioned onto your body, which you looked. You saw that you had many scars. Comes with the territory when you fight against Terrorist groups over the years.

“Oh yeah.” You said. “Been in the army for almost eleven years. But in the elite division.”

“Which is?”

“Navy SEALs.” You responded. She once again looks at you with a flexed eyebrow, which you replied with “Long story.”

“Well, we have time.” Said the pony in question as she offered to help you up, which you accepted. But you felt yourself exposed because you were in your underwear. She pointed at the clothing and said “I took the liberty of washing them for you. Though I had to change the shirt. The rest of your wears were a bit damaged.”

“Understandable.” You replied as you got up and put your clothes on. “By the way, what’s your name?”

“Oh, my name is Goldenrod, you?” Said the pony in question. After you introduce yourself, she said “Nice to meet you. And Commander, huh?”

“Yeah, I worked hard when I was in training.” You replied.

“I can see that.” She said whilst she guided you out of her house.

When they got outside, you were shocked to see a big scary looking beast, making you yelp and stand in front of Goldenrod in order to shield her. She was a bit surprised by this, but then remembered that you weren’t from this world.

“Relax,” said Goldenrod as she moved aside and walked towards the beast, “It’s a Grogu Beast. They’re quite tame, and they only attacked when they’re provoked.”

She walked to the carriage that the beast was going to pull, with you following suit, but more carefully. Once you two were on the carriage, she signaled the beast to move, which it did at a fast but not too fast pace. As you rode with her, you decided to try to pass the time and talk to her.

“So…” you said in a nervous tone, “How did you get involved in the war.”

“I didn’t,” said Goldenrod, “My master rescued me when I was only a filly. She took me in and trained me how to fight. Overtime, she gave me a difficult task. And that’s to be to look after the sacred flame of Caribouria, the source of the kingdom’s power. Whilst at the same time, I was also assigned to look after the Knights of Harmony’s armor and weapons so that when the time would come, the chosen bearers of the Knights’ armor would wield them and save our kingdom.”

“And now that it is?” you asked.

“Well, there was no need for me to guard the armor and weapons anymore, since the Knights went home to protect their new home,” said Goldenrod, “And the King entrusted his entire company, his friends, to look after the flame to ensure no one would use it for their own personal gain.”

“So there’s no special forces or anything to look after this kingdom?” you asked, “Like a small squad?”

“Well, I’m not sure.” Said Goldenrod, “The King had been focused on restoring the Kingdom to its former glory. Plus our forces our spread thin with the reconstruction effort, so I’m not sure if we have anyone else to help look after the kingdom.”

You look down in thought, thinking that if the kingdom doesn’t indeed have any forces to help keep the balance, then no doubt more innocents in small villages would continue to suffer like this. You couldn’t stand the thought a family would be lost, just like yours. You gripped both your fists, for now you have made up your mind.

“The capitol’s up ahead.” Said Goldenrod, breaking you from your thoughts.

You blinked in surprise and looked ahead. For you were on the top of the hill and you were amazed by what you see. A large city like that, the kingdom of Caribouria, in all its glorious splendor.

As you rode through town, you see so many citizens, walking by on the streets. Each of them different, yet still try to get along. It was then, you realized your goal. This…is what you would do.

*************************************************************************************************

The two of you were in the throne room. And upon the two thrones, were two individuals. One who looked like a Caribou and wore the royal garments, which you realizes is the king. Whilst on the right, to your surprise, was a human female. She was married to him? How did that happen?

“Your majesties.” Said Goldenrod with a bow.

“Ah, Goldenrod. It’s been far too long.” Said the king. “How is the home that we’ve built.”

“So far it’s quite good.” Said Goldenrod, but then looked bored and said “Although a peaceful life in the countryside can be a bit boring.”

The Queen giggled and said “Well you said you wanted to live somewhere away from the noise. And we didn’t want to turn away an ambassador who sometimes visits other kingdoms to help find a peaceful solution.”

“I suppose.” Said Goldenrod.

“So who’s this human next to you?” asked the king. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Oh, pardon.” Said Goldenrod. She turned to you and said “Allow me to introduce to Thorin Oakenshield, the ruler of Caribouria. And alongside him is his wife, Lizzie Silver. Or in this case, Lizzie Oakenshield since the day she got married.”

“Please to meet your acquaintance.” Said Thorin. You introduced yourself and said your name and rank, leaving Lizzie surprised.

“Oh, I didn’t realize we had a soldier, and a Navy SEAL if you will.” Said Lizzie. She turned to her husband and said “Back in my world, the Navy SEALs are considered to be one of the best units in the country.”

“I see.” Said Thorin. He looked to you and said “And you happen to be a Commander?”

“That’s right.” You replied, “Served more than ten years in the SEALs, though my father and mother didn’t approve of me joining, considering both of them knew of the scars that would’ve been left behind.”

“And why did you?” asked Thorin as he leaned forward.

“I wanted to serve.” You replied. “I didn’t care how dangerous or traumatic it was. I wanted to make sure that the problems from another country didn’t happen back home. And if it meant that the country I served would sleep better at night, knowing that we’d be able to succeed in life, then so be it.”

Thorin could see in your eyes, that kind of drive and determination, he couldn’t help but smile and said “I think we found a solution.”

He stood up and walked over to you. The moment he was close enough, he said “Walk with me.”

The two of you walked together, wondering what he had in mind. As the two of you walked, he said “As you know, ever since we saved our kingdom, there are still some of Lord Dainn’s forces. You know the tyrant he had become and oppressed the country for a long time.”

“And from what Goldenrod told me,” you replied, “There were humans who helped liberate your kingdom, but there are still a pocket of Lord Dainn’s forces still out there.”

“Precisely.” Said Thorin. The two of you approached the balcony, where he leaned forward, and said “I had just freed my kingdom from a tyrant that was hellbent in destroying it. I do not wish to let this happen again. Which is why I am asking for your help.”

He turned to him and said “I know this is too much to ask, and I know you’re still trying to gather your bearings. But I need your help. From what I have witnessed, you are a soldier who knows how to get the job done. I need that kind of soldier who can help us. So I’m asking you. Will you help me?”

“Say no more.” You replied, immediately accepting his answer. “But on three conditions.”

“Name it.” Said Thorin.

“One, I will need a list of your best soldiers. We’ll form a Legion, so that whenever we go out there, we will be able to respond and help those in need. Two, I will need whatever resources you can spare in order for us to perform the best of our duties.”

“And the third?”

“No secrets.” You replied, which made the king flex an eyebrow. “I cannot display my trust on one who isn’t honest with me. If I am to make this work, then I work for you and only you.”

Thorin thought about it, then nodded in approval and said “Very well. I’ll make it happen within the week. In the meantime, you are more than welcome to spend the night here or at any other place until we can get you up to speed.”

“I’d appreciate that.” You replied. But then you said, “But I’d also like to have someone as my second in command.”

“Oh?” said Thorin, “Do you have someone in mind?”

You couldn’t help but smile, for you have just the one in common.

*************************************************************************************************

One week later, you were in a room, near a table, making what appeared to be weapons, whilst wearing armor that they said resembled to your uniform, but bearing the colors of the Oakenshield company. And soon enough, you were accompanied by none other than Goldenrod, who was wearing the same armor you had, and looked over the weapons you made.

“I can see you are creative when making weapons.” Said Goldenrod.

“It’s a hobby,” you replied, “When I was at the base I had learned to clean and fix weapons, and I also knew how to fix them, with the right parts. And I couldn’t believe that one of the humans thought of the same thing before I did.”

“It helped our archers numerous times.” Said Goldenrod, “And it also became very handy. Although…”

“What?”

“Why did you pick me?”

“Cause from the moment I met you, I could tell that you are also capable of fighting, someone who is also loyal and also passionate of helping others. Hence why you were the best selection. And second…”

You looked at her and you couldn’t help but smirk and said “I like your eyes.”

But as you looked, you failed to see the mare next to you blushing madly. She shook her head and asked “So what do you plan to call this group?”

“The Oakenshield Task Force.” You replied, “To show where our loyalties lie.”

“Smart thinking.” Said Goldenrod. “So, are you ready to meet your Task Force?”

“Are you goldilocks?” you retorted.

She suddenly grabbed you by your shirt collar and pulled you closer as she had an angry look. “Don’t. Call me that.” She responded in a harsh tone and let you go.

As she let you go and walked away to the door, you couldn’t help but blush. Wow, you haven’t felt that way since…you shook your head, wanting to focus on the job at hand. The two of you soon approached a door and opened it. The moment you entered, you saw a

Caribou, an Earth Pony, a Unicorn, a Pegasus, a Yak, a Griffon, a Dragon, a Changeling, a Hippogriff, a Kirin, a Wolf, a Deer, an Abyssinian, a Diamond Dog, a Harpy, a Ahuizotl, a Minotaur and a Siren, each bearing the same uniform you were, with weapons you gave them. But from right below them, were 82 others below, each representing their military, to help with the kingdom as well as prepare their weapons and transportation. All of them had coaches, being pulled by winged beasts, which would allow all of you to have an easier time getting from one place to another.

“You lot ready?” you asked, allowing the others to nod. “Then let’s do this.”

You and Goldenrod soon lead your new Task Force to help clean up the mess left behind by Dainn’s forces in Caribouria. And you would help protect your new home…or die trying.

A Golden Opportunity

Two months had passed since you had arrived in Caribouria, and already things are going well. You and your newly appointed Task Force were doing an amazing job trying to keep the peace by hunting down many of Dainn’s forces. You would sometimes find their smuggling routes, you would find their buried weapons and supplies in case of an emergency, even found the food and medicine that they stole from supply lines that were meant for the people. You can also be thankful for the Task Force Members you have.

The Pegasus, Griffon, Dragon, Harpy and Hippogriff would scout out the skies, trying to look for suspicious activity.

The Caribou, Yak, Earth Pony, Wolf, Deer, Diamond Dog and Abyssinian would track for any bad guys on the ground.

The Unicorn and Kirin were excellent for helping others out with their injuries.

The Changeling was the perfect candidate for a master of disguise to track down enemy smugglers, with the Ahuizotl searching for clues that might lead them to their next target.

The Minotaur is perfect for clearing heavyweight problems, whilst the Siren uses her song to put their forces in a trance to get them to reveal their location.

But what really surprised you, was the fact that you had rather grown fond of Goldenrod. Sure she may sometimes have a temper, and she may sometimes be strict, but she knows how to get the job done and knows when to keep the insubordinates in line. Plus she’s the most levelheaded Pony you’ve ever worked with. She knows how to be reasonable, she knows how to lead, and you’ve had the privilege of getting to know her a bit more.

You were honored that she became your second in command.

During that time, you and your team decided to take a break for a bit. You decided to go to the sea and do some spear fishing.

One thing that you and your hero Steve McGarrett have in common, you both were born in Hawaii, so you developed a love for spear fishing. Cause one, swimming is good exercise, two, you love to fish the hard way and three, you like a challenge. After your swimming lesson, you decided to go out of the water for a break. You sat down near the rocky shore.

You failed to notice footsteps coming from behind you.

“Mind if I join you?”

You turned around and from what you had seen, you were stunned into silence. For she was wearing, to your surprise, a bikini. Something that fitted her body extremely well. You couldn’t help but blush madly and stammer a bit whilst trying to avoid looking at her, ahem, assets, whilst you were standing up.

“Something wrong?” asked Goldenrod with confusion.

“Uh, no it’s just I’ve uh…” you replied nervously, “Never seen you in that before.”

However, Goldenrod noticed the blush on his face, causing her to blush too whilst muttering, “Will you stop that?”

“Uh, sorry.” You replied.

Wanting to change the subject, she looked at the few fish in what appeared to be a basket and that he was holding a spear.

“What are you doing?” said Goldenrod as she was confused by what he was doing.

“Oh, just doing some spear fishing.” You replied.

“Spear fishing?” said Goldenrod whilst a little surprised, “But shouldn’t that involve standing next to the ocean and throw your spear.”

“This is a little different,” you replied, “Back at my world, I was born at the Island of Hawaii. For many it’s a vacation spot, but to me, It’s home. I grew up there learning all the customs, I even took a fancy in spear fishing, where you have to swim underwater and you use your spear to try and swim alongside them, whilst at the same time, try to spear them, to give you that underwater experience.”

“I see.” Said Goldenrod, “Mind if I give it a try.”

“Well, I just so happen to have a pair of these.” You replied as you held up what appeared to be diving goggles. “These will help protect your eyes whilst you’re under water. It will even help you see better.”

“I see.” Said Goldenrod as she accepted one.

“But I have another question for you.”

“What’s that?” asked Goldenrod.

You picked up a spear and presented it to her whilst giving a challenging smirk, “You’re skilled with a bow and also skilled with the weapons and sword. But are you skilled with a spear?”

You thought deep in your mind you might’ve been out of your mind doing that, for it almost felt like you were flirting with her. She had a light blush, but she ended up smirking back, accepting the challenge whilst grabbing a spear.

“First one to catch all ten wins?” she asked.

“You’re on.” You replied.

The both of you dived into the water, both of you began to spear every fish you could find, you felt a sense of rush in you that you’ve never felt before, and whilst you were trying to fish, you see Goldenrod was having just as much fun. However, to your shock, you saw a big looking beast coming right for her. You swam as quick as you could to her. She looked at you and thought you were going to kill her, but when you struck, she saw you struck the monster from behind, making it roar in the process. You pulled out your spear and attempted to flee, but instead she jabbed the spear into the beast. She looked at you, and it was a sign that she needed your help. Not wanting to turn down someone asking for help, you decided to comply and helped her fight the monster.

After much struggling., you both killed the beast. But at the same time, you both quickly swam to the surface. Once you got there, you both panted and crawled onto the shore, whilst you quickly picked her up and held her close. Surprisingly, she did the same. Both of you panted for a bit, trying to compose yourself.

“That. Was a close one.” You said.

“Agreed.” She replied.

However, when the two of you stood up, you still held onto one another, and you both looked right into one another’s eyes. You couldn’t turn your eyes away from her, and she couldn’t turn away from yours. You both blushed when you kept staring and began to slowly move to one another. But before you could…you saw a couple of flashes that showed your family’s death. You suddenly turned away and let go, leaving her surprised, but noticed that you had a look of hurt in your eyes.

“I…I’m sorry.” You said whilst moving away.

She looked at you with concern. But then she thought of an idea…she would ask a few friends of hers for help. But…there was only one place.

************************************************************************************************

“I’m going to Equestria?” you replied.

A day after the incident with the fishing, Thorin had summoned you to the throne, and he had a request for you.

“That’s right.” Said Thorin, “I need an ambassador I can trust on this, and considering that Goldenrod is also a skilled one, she will need some company. That, and I want the two of you to go to Ponyville. My wife’s been asking if she could go too to visit her brother. And seeing that she has some free time, I couldn’t deny her request.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, “Who will help lead the Task Force?”

“My friends, Balin and the others will oversee that.” Said Thorin, “They were curious to see how well they would operate, so I’m granting them that request. So…would you go with them?”

You thought about it for a bit, for it would be interesting to meet the heroes of Caribouria, as well as see what Equestria looked like.

“Alright then, I’m sold.” You replied.

“Excellent,” said Thorin, “You leave first thing in the morning. And whilst you’re here, you’re more than welcome to spend the night here so that you won’t be late.”

“I understand, your highness.”

“Good man.” Said Thorin, “I let me know how things turn out.

****************************************************************************************

The next day, both you and Goldenrod were fully packed and were preparing to board your Zeppelin.

“I see you’re traveling small.” You said.

“Just a precaution.” Said Goldenrod, “Thorin was worried that if we were to travel using the royal barge, it would make Queen Lizzie an instant target. That’s why we’re traveling incognito and also in disguise, so that no one would be suspicious or anything.”

“Although,” you said as you looked at your packed clothes, “Sometimes I wish I had more clothes. Don’t get me wrong, the clothes in this kingdom are amazing. They just look so…basic.”

“Well, the king had been wondering if any civilian could wear different clothing,” said Goldstar, “Given what Beau and the others wear in Equestria, I’m sure that they could come up with something soon.”

“Alright, you two.” Said Lizzie, gaining both your attentions. “Our Zeppelin is here, so let’s get going from there.”

Both of you took your things and boarded the Zeppelin. And seeing that you were well taught in driving, you volunteered to drive it. Thankfully it wasn’t that hard, considering you’ve read the manual more times than anyone else in the room.

****************************************************************************************

Soon the three of them arrived at Canterlot, allowing them to depart from their Zeppelin and headed towards the Castle. They were soon met by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, along with their husbands. You were surprised to see them, and they were wearing something around their waists.

“Greetings Queen Lizzie, it’s been far too long.” Said Princess Luna.

“Luna, there’s no need for formalities, you know that.” Said Lizzie.

“Exactly what I said.” said Nebula before Luna playfully jabbed her elbow against his side.

“Anyway,” said Lizzie, “I hope the courts agree with Caribouria’s trade. Ever since the world committee opened up after the Storm King’s defeat…”

“They are more than willing to listen,” said Princess Celestia, “Although there were some who didn’t agree, considering that they’re stuck in their old ways.”

“Or just obsessed with power.” You blankly stated.

This caught their attention as they looked at you.

“Oh?” said Platinum, “I didn’t know there was another human.”

“He arrived in Canterlot,” said Goldenrod, “I sheltered him until he woke up. He works for the King as a member of his special Task Force.”

“A Task Force?” asked Princess Celestia.

You introduced yourself and what you used to be.

“No way, a Navy SEAL?!” said Nebula in excitement.

“A what?” asked a confused Princess Celestia.

“I know it,” said Platinum, “Basically they’re sort of like the elite division of our country’s military. They’re the best at what they do, and the toughest. You’ll never meet a better group of soldiers who serve in that unit.”

“Ah, a former military soldier.” Said Princess Luna. “If that’s the case, we hereby welcome you to Equestria, and thank you for your services from the other side.”

“Uh, thanks.” You replied, not expecting this from two former earthlings and from the two royals.

“Anyway,” said Princess Celestia, “There were those who felt that way, but we in time reassured them to no longer have those fears.”

“Though we worry that someday there will be those who will stop at nothing to get what they wanted.” Said Princess Luna, “That is why we need to stay vigilant.”

“That business with Sombra after he destroyed the Tree of Harmony brought some fears, huh?” asked Lizzie.

“You have no idea.” Said Platinum.

“If that’s the case,” said Lizzie, “Caribouria is willing to help.”

“We appreciate it.” Said Princess Celestia. “Now then, shall we go inside?”

Everyone agreed and moved. However, when you moved, you noticed something off with the ponies. When you looked at their feet, you saw that they had actual hooves for feet, but not like Goldenrod.

“Quick question, and I don’t want to sound offensive,” you whispered to Goldenrod, “Why does every pony here have hooves whilst you still have…?”

“Normal feet?” asked Goldenrod, to which you nod. “Well, the ponies do have their features, except there are two kinds of ponies. One that still have hooves, and ones that still have feet.”

“So if you were born here, how did…?”

“I don’t know actually,” said Goldenrod as she looked down for a bit, “My mother told me that she met her husband who came from some place far away. I guess he came from Caribouria, now that I think about it. He and my mother shared a special night. She gave birth to me after many months carrying me. But by the time Fleur was born, my father passed away. She said that he carried a book that told much of where he came from. I was so fascinated about the stories, I wanted to know where he came from, so I tried to find a way to travel.”

“So that’s why you became an agent, to find out more about your father’s country.” You replied.

“That’s right.” Said Goldenrod. She had a saddened look and said “Though…I really wish I had the chance to know him. My mother told me he was a good pony. But I didn’t have the heart to go back home and told her that the country where our father came from was the exact same one our ancestors came from. And when I saw my father’s home being tarnished, I had to find a way to help them. When Beau and the others came along, it was a miracle. But…I still couldn’t go home.”

You looked at her and you felt bad for her, especially the fact that she didn’t know how to face her sister after all these years. Out of instinct, you slowly held onto her and pulled her close. Though surprisingly, she didn’t resist, she just rested her head on your shoulder. You wanted to push her away, but you had to help her.

Don’t give in. Don’t give in.

You couldn’t shake that thought out of your head. It still haunted you.

*******************************************************************************************

Once the negotiations were done, Queen Lizzie decided to visit Ponyville, considering that she still had about three days left before you had to go back, which is a perfect opportunity for her to go visit. You weren’t sure about a small town, but when you got there, you immediately began to change your mind. For the town around you was very peaceful, the kind of peace that you really liked, and that you wish to never depart from a place like this. You couldn’t explain it, but the very vibes of this place really shows it.

“Wow, this town is amazing.” You said whilst looking around.

“Indeed it does,” said Goldenrod, “Queen Lizzie wouldn’t stop talking about this place since she last visited to see her brother, especially to meet her niece.”

“Did she have a chance to visit them before?” you asked.

“Shortly after Dainn was defeated,” said Goldenrod as she began to recall the event, “When they went back to Equestria, Lizzie was happy to meet her niece for the first time, same goes for Daisy. You wouldn’t believe how happy she was that she get to spend it with her family.”

“And what about Daisy?” you asked, “Did she go back to Caribouria?”

“Not really.” Said Goldenrod, “When she got here, she asked Thorin if she could stay. He allowed it, and said that Caribouria will always be her home. She moved next to the Apple Farm.”

Goldenrod ended up chuckling, which you found very adorable, “And believe it or not, a colt named Pipsqueak fell head over heels for her.”

“Pipsqueak?”

“Yes, he was very small, but he developed quite the growth spurt when he got older. The two of them got married in a few years.”

Just before you could answer, you soon arrived in front of Rarity’s house. But before Lizzie could knock, a Yak soon left her abode, which surprised the latter.

“Be safe Yona!!” said the human that you saw, which you could guess was Silver. He then noticed his sister and said “Liz!!”

The two of them embraced and hugged one another. “Great to see you.”

“Good to see you too.” Said Lizzie before they broke the hug. “Was that Yak you mentioned named Yona?”

“That’s right.” Said Silver, “She wanted to ask my wife for advice for the Fetlock Fet, or the amity ball.”

“The what?” said Lizzie.

“It’s sort of like a dance that the School of Friendship is having.” Said Silver, “They also have the lucky pot dinners, as well as the pony pal contest, to see who are the best dancers in the group, as well as working together.”

“Oooh, sounds interesting.” Said Lizzie. “I’d be more than happy to join in.”

“And I’m sure your guests could join too?” asked Silverstream when he pointed at the two behind her. He recognized one of them and said “And Goldenrod, great to see you. I haven’t seen you since you were there when my sister went to labor.”

“Good to see you too.” Said Goldenrod with a smile, “I hope you’re keeping up with your training?”

“We all are.” Said Silver, “Ever since that whole debacle with Sombra, we’re now training even further to prepare ourselves for a battle in the future.”

“That’s good to hear.” Said Goldenrod.

“And who’s this?” said Silver. When you introduced yourself, Silver replied “Well nice to meet you. Never thought I’d meet a Navy SEAL at my doorstep. And from what I’ve seen from both of you. You’re in need of a new wardrobe.”

“What, uh, no thanks.” Said Goldenrod nervously.

“Oh, Rarity!!” said Silver, causing Rarity to arrive and immediately grabbed Goldenrod and pulled her in. Both you and Lizzie gave Silver a strange look, with him saying “She tends to go stir crazy when she sees someone who doesn’t like to change their wardrobe.”

Within a few hours, you were dressed in normal civilian clothing, which you have to admit, you looked really good in it. However, when Goldenrod came out, you couldn’t help but feel surprised. She wore green high heels, blue jeans and a red shirt, both that hugged her body very well, along with a green jacket, whilst her hair was now more beautifully styled. You couldn’t help but blush when you saw her outfit.

“What?” asked Goldenrod when she noticed that you were looking at her.

“Nothing, it’s just uh…” you said as you struggled to find the words, but your managed to gather your courage and said “You look really good in that outfit, it fits you well.”

“Oh…uh…thanks.” Said Goldenrod whilst she felt a little embarrassed about it.

“I uh, also have the outfits that Rarity and Silver gave us.” You replied. “Should we get ready for when the dance comes?”

“Of course.” Said Goldenrod as she accepted her outfit.

*********************************************************************************************

Later that night, both of you were getting ready for the night. You wore a fancy black tuxedo, that almost reminded you of your uniform that you wore in the Navy whenever you went to certain events. As you wait, you tried to make sure that your tie was ready. However, the moment she got out, you were surprised what she was wearing. She was wearing a glistening black dress that had a one-strap and that reached to her knees.

“Whoa.” You muttered.

She noticed the look you were giving her, which she ended up feeling flustered.

“Will you stop staring.” Said Goldenrod, “It’s making me feel uncomfortable.”

“What, I can’t admire your body when you pull of the look from your dress very well?” you blurted out, which caused you to quickly shut your mouth with your hands.

Goldenrod on the other hand, stared at you surprised as her blush deepened, and also looked away. “Uh, we should get going.”

“Uh, yeah…sure.” You responded, whilst also blushed.

The two of you walked towards the School to join the party. However, during the walk, Goldenrod walked next to you and ended up holding your left arm close. You were surprised at first and also blushed again, but you chose to let it slide and focused on taking her to the place.

And one thing you failed to notice about Goldenrod…she was looking down and smiling, whilst keeping her blush at the same time.

*********************************************************************************************

The two of you arrived at the dance, and during that time, when the Mane 6, Spike and a few others, along with their husbands and wife, you decided to trade stories with the husbands about your time in the Navy SEALs, and when you told them of how many of Dainn’s forces were still in Caribouria, they regretted for leaving and didn’t make sure to finish the job, you assured them that you and your Task Force have everything under control.

You felt your shoulder being poked, and you saw Goldenrod looking at you sheepish, as if she wanted to ask you something.

“Would you…like to dance?” asked Goldenrod.

You nodded and accepted her hand, allowing the two of you to dance on the dance floor. The two of you slowly waltz and made sure that both of you were following the right steps. You were somehow amazed to see how well she danced. But then you suddenly felt some regret. You may have told them of how you died during the line of duty, but you didn’t tell them what events it led them. This however, didn’t go unnoticed.

“Is something wrong?” asked Goldenrod when she looked at you with concern.

You were about to say something, until the disaster happened. You saw that a Yak student was blinded by her wig and she went all stir crazy and began to smash everything around you. She was about to crash into the both of you, but you quickly pushed Goldenrod out of the way, making the yak crash into you. After the crash, even though the Yak may be glad to see again, but she was shocked to see that not only did she wreck the place, she also saw that you got hurt in the process whilst he winced in pain and held his ribcage. Yona got upset and ran away, with Sandbar going after her.

Goldenrod ran over to you and tried to help you up, with Beau joining in. She looked at you with great concern when you winced in pain. She then said “Thank you.”, before she kissed you by the cheek, making you slightly blush, but still felt she needed to know the truth.

*********************************************************************************************

After the mess was cleaned up, and the Yak, known as Yona, and Sandbar, came back where both sides apologized after Sandbar helped make Yona feel better. The two of them won the ball, and they danced a bit. However, you weren’t in the mood to dance, for you felt like you needed to tell the truth.

After the dance was over, Goldenrod sat on her knees near you where you were sitting and asked “Now then, mind telling me what’s wrong?”

“Who’s wrong now?”

You and Goldenrod looked and saw the Mane 6 and their husbands, along with Starlight and her husband, Spike and Emily, along with Sunset, Ignis and the Young Six. They overheard her talking and also instantly saw the look on your face.

“What’s wrong?” asked Pinkie, “Didn’t you like the party?”

“I did. It’s just…” you replied. But then you looked down and sighed, before standing up and took at least four steps.

You barely could face them to tell them the truth. But during your conversations with them, they explained of how they died during certain events and of what they went through. And seeing that they were honest with you. You needed to be honest with them in return.

You turned around and faced away from them, but then you said “All of you know bits and pieces of me, but…not the tragedy that came after.”

The Mane 6, their husbands, Spike and Emily, the Young Six, even Goldenrod looked at him whilst his back was turned.

“As some of you have guessed, yes, I was a Navy SEAL, one of the best.” You said, “But one day, during my service, my team and I were recruited by the CIA.”

“The what now?” said Rainbow Dash.

“Central Intelligence Agency.” Beau replied, with the others looking at him, “I know it well. Basically it’s a spy agency, that helps deal with threats in secret and sending undercover operatives to sabotage other organizations to make sure that they don’t reach their home state. And when they find something of interest, they send it to the army so that they can deal with it. And sometimes when they needed a covert strike team, they sometimes recruit certain squad members from certain army divisions to help deal with it.”

“That’s right.” You replied. “I was the Commander of my team, but I didn’t trust the CIA one bit. Because from what the other divisions have said, they kept a lot of secrets from neighboring nations, even from their own people, because if it leaked, our country would’ve lost all of its authority, and the political order would have collapsed. They didn’t care about the civilian casualties that came along with it.”

They were surprised to hear what they were capable of, with him continuing “I wanted to decline, but I couldn’t disobey my orders from my superiors, my generals. That when things went bad.”

“Oh my, what happened?” asked Ocellus.

“We were assigned to a small town near the border, where the CIA caught wind that a terrorist organization, somehow found their way to our country and were planning to strike. The CIA told us that they number by the thousand. So we sent a missile, like a flying bomb if you will, to wipe out the town. But then…”

They saw you grip your fists, as if the pain was still fresh in his mind. “We realized too late that we were lied to. There was never a terror cell to begin with.”

They were dreading the answer, with you saying “For in that town, were innocent people, citizens of our country that also had tourists, not knowing that my entire team’s wives and kids, including my own, were there until their blood stained our hands.”

Everyone was horrified to hear this, even Goldenrod as she didn’t have the words.

“When our backs were turned,” you continued, “Shadow Company, another hired military group, who were hired by the CIA agent that hired us, tried to kill us. We interrogated their leader, and it turned out that the CIA group that recruited us were a rogue faction, who wanted our country to be at war against other cells and devote what resources they could for the kill. We swore revenge.”

You looked ahead as your brows furrowed. “We gathered together, along with other SEAL team members came along and wanted to help. We launched a full scale attack on the compound that they and the rest of their Operatives, along with the entire Shadow Company, were using as a base of operations.”

You wanted to continue, but you froze, you didn’t know how to react to this. Beau recognized this, and he whispered to Princess Twilight, to which she agreed.

“If you don’t mind…” said Princess Twilight, “I might have a way to help.”

You looked at her with curiosity. But when you looked at Beau, he signaled that everything is okay. You agreed, allowing Twilight to cast a spell.

The entire room was filled with an illusion, causing everyone to see what you had seen. Even you were surprised to see this. They saw you launching an attack on the village, and to their shock, they saw you holding your dead family in your arms, which implied that you were telling the truth.

Then they saw how you led an attack at the compound, attacking from all fronts. As you were halfway there, half of your team were killed off, trying to get to their objective. Afterwards, you and your team continued from within the compound. You killed many of Shadow, but you lost more and more troops. They were shocked to see how the SEAL teams were fighting, with Beau remembering what the documentaries were like.

They saw how you and your partner were the last ones left, but you made your way to the roof, where the rogue CIA agent was attempting to flee. But just before their helicopter took off, they saw how you sabotaged the controls and crashed. You were wounded and saw the agent was barely standing. Just before you could grab your pistol, he beat you to it. And he said that it was a pleasure doing business with you. But then your partner came along and took some shots, only for the agent to kill him, much to their shock.

They saw how you were filled with rage, for losing your partner and friend, was the last straw. You charged towards him and tackled him onto the ground, where you ended up beating him mercilessly over and over again, you even took what appeared to be a cable that the chopper was using and wrapped it around the CIA agent’s neck, and strangled him with it. But when you tied him around it, you grabbed him and both of you jumped off of the side of the building.

They saw you crash onto the ground and were shocked to see the CIA agent, hanging from the side of the building. But then they saw how you died, they saw that you had a piece of pipe had pierced through your stomach. But then that’s when more vehicles and choppers arrived, who were many others who caught wind what the rogue faction had done. Many came in to sweep for survivors, then they cut you free and attempted to revive you, but it was too late.

The spell ended, and everyone were horrified to see what you have been through. You then concluded, “We avenged our fallen loved ones. And yet…the guilt remained. We made sure that our loved ones would finally rest. But it didn’t grant us peace. It didn’t… grant me, any peace. And that’s why I have trust issues when it comes to secrets.”

Everyone was taken aback by what he had went through, none of them knew how to respond to that. That was, until Silverstream came along and held his shoulder, gaining his attention.

“My aunt Novo also got married to a human.” She said, “He was in the Navy, like you. He lost a lot of friends in the battles, even his wife and daughter. He felt so lost and didn’t have any hope to live on. He was even traumatized by the whole ordeal too. Although…my aunt didn’t understand that. My new Uncle, Bellator, also went through the same pain and ordeal. But when he and my aunt argued, only then did he understand that she also knows what it was like to lose everything. And from what my mom told me, she saw two different people, with two broken hearts.”

She held his hand whilst she said “The point is, love can help save you. Sometimes it’s not just about helping others, it’s also about helping those with love, no matter how bad the situation.”

It was from that moment on that you clicked and widened your eyes. You wanted to serve your country, but the other reason was because you wanted to be like your hero, Steve McGarret, who became a hero and helped those in need because of his kind heart. But he also had to make so many sacrifices for the people he loved.

You slowly turned your head to Goldenrod, and she looked at you. In a way…you admired her, your heart had beaten for her, and the way she was close to you…you’d like nothing more than to let it happen again. It was clear that she liked you, but you kept closing your heart, because you were afraid to lose the people you cared about…again. So maybe…just maybe…He’d give it a try.

*************************************************************************************************

After your conversations, you chose to stand outside of Princess Twilight’s castle. They were thankful enough that she and Beau would offer you a spare room before your departure to Canterlot, and Queen Lizzie decided to stay for the night over at her brother’s, for she felt like she needed to catch up from where she left off.

As you looked at the sky, you didn’t notice that someone was approaching you from behind. She placed her hand on your shoulder, gaining your attention and saw Goldenrod standing next to you. The two of you continued to look out at the stars, with you feeling guilty over what happened.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you of what happened in the past.” You said.

“It’s alright,” said Goldenrod as she stood next to him and looked at him, “I can understand what it was like, closing your heart so that you didn’t have to feel that pain again. I was in the same situation as you were, wanting to close my heart to you. But ever since we were partnered up, you stood by me and helped me and the others in so many ways.”

“Still,” you replied as you looked ahead, “I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you this. I just couldn’t lose anyone else like I did before. But when you came along, and you were my partner, we worked well together in two months. I think…during that time…I think that’s when I fell for you.”

Goldenrod couldn’t help but blink in surprise to that. “Not only were you smart and beautiful, you’re also a very strong and independent mare, who don’t let others talk her down like she was a nobody. You’re also the bravest I’ve ever seen. I…couldn’t be happier for a mare…who could get through my hard shell like the rockhead I was.”

You kept looking ahead, whilst at the same time, Goldenrod stood right next to you.

“Truth be told…I felt the same way about you.”

You partially looked at her, but you were also surprised to hear that.

“When I first met you, I thought you were very strange,” said Goldenrod, “But ever since you began to lead the Task Force, I was amazed by your skills and leadership. I was even more surprised that you asked me of all creatures to help you run it. And during the time we worked together, I’ve seen how brave you were, and how you were able to be kind to those who had nothing. And that day…when you saved me from the creature…I think that’s what sealed the deal.”

You couldn’t bear to look at her, for even though what she said was the truth, you felt like you couldn’t face her.

“Are you sure…” you said in concern, “What if…?”

You felt a hand on your face, gently turning it to the other direction. And you were met with a face who looked at you with sympathy and worry.

“You don’t have to do this alone.” Said Goldenrod. “You will never be alone. Everyone has grown fond of you, and they wish to stand by your side. Your friends and family from your world had helped you open your heart. So please…don’t close it. Let yourself be free.”

You couldn’t help but smile and said “Since when were you so poetic?”

“I learned a lot from my teachers.” Said Goldenrod. “Everyone can be a teacher, even with those close to you.”

“No argument.” You replied. He then said “Are you going to do the same? To speak with a certain pony you hadn’t seen?”

You noticed that she hesitated for a bit. She said “I don’t know…it’s been a long time. And…I don’t think she’d want to see me.”

“I know you didn’t want to be near her in order to protect her,” you said, trying to be her voice of reason, “But would it be so bad to let her know that her sister still loves her?”

Goldenrod looked down and thought about it, feeling conflicted, but gave in and said “I suppose not.”

You thought that you didn’t like to see her that way, so you ended up doing something crazy. You gently held onto her face, making her look at you, whilst you looked at her whilst smiling. You ended up gently placing your lips onto hers, which greatly surprised her with widened eyes. Yet, she didn’t push you away, she didn’t break the kiss. Instead, she closed her eyes and embraced you, as the two of you continued to hold onto one another. Your heart was no longer hurting. Instead…your heart found someone new.

*************************************************************************************************

The next day, the two of you were in front of a large mansion, you knocked on the door, hoping someone was at home. And the first to answer, was another human answering the door.

“Oh, hello there.” Said the human, “My name is Fortis, what can I do for you?”

“Yes, you can.” You replied. “Is Fleur De Lis home?”

“She is, I’ll call her down.” Said Fortis, then he looked back and said “Fleur?! Someone is at the door for you!!”

“Coming!!”

Fortis lead you in, with you and Goldenrod following. When you were inside, you saw Fleur, walking down the stairs and said “So who is here to…”

The moment she looked, she stopped dead in her tracks, and dropped what appeared to be a magazine on the floor. She was shocked to see who was standing next to you, someone she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“G-Goldy?” replied Fleur as the tears began to build up.

Goldenrod took a few steps forward and rubbed her arm, saying “Listen, Fleur. I’m so sorry I didn’t come back to see you. Or mom. I should’ve stayed in contact with you. And for that…I’m…”

And within a split second, Goldenrod was taken aback by a pair of arms being thrown around her, and crying. Fleur began to sob over Goldenrod’s shoulder, with tears of joy falling down her cheeks. Goldenrod ended up hugging her sister back, and couldn’t help but shed tears too. Two sisters finally reunited after so long. You couldn’t help but smile for her. Fortis looked a little confused, but you whispered to him why she’s crying, to which he widened his eyes in shock. Now he understood.

A few hours later, the four of you began to talk, and Fleur’s daughter, Graceful Charity, is smiling and happy that she got to meet her aunt for the first time in many years.

This was what you both needed. For Goldenrod, to see her sister. And you, to love again. This was truly a great feeling.

The Soldier and the Goldenrod

It has been three months since you visited Equestria and already things have turned out well for you. You were able to convince Goldenrod to visit her sister more often and you were able to convince her to go visit her every month, which she gratefully accepted. And during that time, you sometimes visit the Canterlot Royal Guard and asked if you could train them. Considering what you’ve heard during a handful of invasions, they really needed better training, despite the efforts that Flash Magnus was putting in.

You gave Flash Magnus a program that would help with their training. He was surprised to see the kind of training you went through in the Navy. He said that he’ll test out about five hundred guards in Canterlot, and others around Equestria. And if they were up to snuff, they would be trained as Equestria’s Elite guard. Princess Celestia was so impressed by the program, she offered it to the other kingdoms to give them a try, and hoped that once they train enough soldiers, they can better prepare for any threats. However, you didn’t stop from there.

You were also very educated and you showed Celestia on how to be prepared for a few other things in case things go south, like early warning systems, communication lines, emergency supplies, secret food storages in case there would be a food crisis. Everyone adopted the system and would soon improve on it.

After you two went back to Caribouria, you offered the same thing to Thorin. Whilst he was also impressed and that they needed to be prepared for any attacks for just in case, he allowed it. So he decided to promote you and Goldenrod as co-ministers of Military. Though it was a shame you couldn’t be in charge of the Task Force, you were glad to leave it in charge of a few creatures that both you and Goldenrod had trusted with their lives. And though as ministers meant paperwork and such, you were able to set up a daily routine for both you and Goldenrod to ensure that both of you are training and take your exercises. And to make a deal with the staff that on weekends you two would take time off, no questions asked. And there’s also a reason why you would do that…

You and Goldenrod were dating.

After the two of you confessed to one another, you both tried to make time for each other as best you can. You felt relieved when you confessed of what you went through, and she understood why you were so secretive, and that you didn’t want to burden her with your problems. But she said that there’s a reason a person is there to help burden another…so that you wouldn’t be alone anymore. You couldn’t have picked a better soulmate. Truth be told, she felt the same way about you. As you recalled, she told you that when she first met you, she liked you, even developed a crush on you when you two worked together over the past few months. And when you saved her from the beast, that’s what sweetened the deal.

The two of you would spend most of the weekends either strolling through the Woods of Freya, a forest dedicating it to the female Caribou who helped bring a new order to the Caribou kingdom. Sometimes you two would go swimming at the ocean and continued to explore everything around you. And whenever you felt like it, you would secretly arrange to have a beach house built for you somewhere in Las Pegasus. Sure, one already exists, but there’s a spot that’s so secretive that anyone can buy the property of the place. And thanks to both King Thorin and Princess Celestia, the two of you now own that land and when you feel like taking a break, both of you would go there to ensure no one would watch you.

One day, after you were done with your latest paperwork, you decided to take a trip to Las Pegasus. You already packed your bags, and was kind enough to help pack in for Goldenrod. You spent such a long time together, you knew the type of clothing she always wanted to wear.

She walked in and saw that you were kind enough to pack in her things too.

“Oh?” said Goldenrod, “Packing in for me already Rex?”

“Heh, you know it. I’d like to help too.” You replied. During your first month of dating, she decided to name you Rex. Cause it turns out, that used to be your partner’s Callsign when you explained to her whilst also wearing his DOG Tags for just in case, and she wanted to name you after your partner as a way to honor him, which you would gladly carry that name for him to remember him by.

Goldenrod walked over to you and slowly wrapped her arms around you, allowing the both of you to give one another a gentle kiss.

“And I really appreciate that.” Said Goldenrod. “Now let’s get packed up, Lizzie has already prepared a Zeppelin for us to fly us to Las Pegasus.”

“It’s outside already?” you replied whilst looking at the time. “Wow, time really does fly, doesn’t it?”

“It does.” Said Goldenrod as she gave you another kiss on the cheek. “Let’s go.”

“Right behind you.” You replied as you carried both your luggage to the Zeppelin.

*********************************************************************************************

Soon enough, the two of you arrive at Las Pegasus, where the two of you were met by what appeared to be guards.

“Are you the Commander and Goldenrod?” asked the Captain.

“That’s right.” You said out of caution whilst you placed your arm in front of Goldenrod, which she took notice, the way she saw you look at them and were willing to protect her.

“My name is Captain Ironclad.” Said the Captain, “We will be escorting you to the beach house.”

“Is that right?” you replied, not wanting to let your guard down.

“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble.” Said the Captain when he noticed you haven’t let your guard down, “Princess Celestia told us about you, so we are to escort you there.”

You lowered your guard when they mentioned Celestia, whilst at the same time, two of the guards took your luggage and walked with them. You nodded and allowed them to guide you. As they walked, you wonder why they were there.

“If I may ask, what’s going on?” you asked, “I don’t remember any guards at Las Pegasus.”

“Under new management.” Said the Captain. “The new manager happens to be a former Colonel, and considering that this is a tourist attraction, it would also be a target for those who would steal, swindle or attack this place because of the income. So they decided to post a detachment here for just in case.”

“That’s a smart move.” You replied, allowing him to look at you with a flexed eyebrow, “We have a similar place called Las Vegas. It’s also the biggest tourist attraction in my world’s country, and also has more money than any city. It also became a target for a few terrorist attacks. I wasn’t there when it happened, but I heard it from my friends who worked at the RS Task Force. It was horrible.”

“Good to know.” Said the Captain, “Glad to see another soldier who thinks like that.”

“So why is it under new management?” you asked.

“The previous manager, Gladmane, that the two Element Bearers of Honesty and Kindness stopped,” said the Captain whilst he explained a few things. “Tried to spread lies and rumors among his workers in order to keep them in line. And two con artists named Flim and Flam took over. However, some time ago, Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Husband pointed out how the two of them, along with a handful of ponies and creatures, worked alongside a known threat by the name of Sombra, to take over the Crystal Empire and betrayed both Princess Celestia and Luna, and imprisoning Princess Cadance and Twilight, and Princess Twilight’s husband reminded them that such acts cannot be overlooked, that’s why we made an arrest. We arrested Iron Will before he could go to another town, and we arrested Lightning Dust after her failed performance with her Washouts. And we arrested the Flim and Flam brothers before Hearth’s Warming Eve. After that, Prince Platinum and Prince Nebula found somepony who was more than willing to look after Las Pegasus.”

“And who is that?” you asked?

“I believe you’re well acquainted with him.” Said the Captain, “Colonel Cody, I believe.”

“Cody?” said Goldenrod surprised, “I didn’t know he was here.”

“He did mention that he was retiring before we were in charge of the War Ministry,” you said, “But he never did say what he was going to do afterwards.”

“And now you know,” said the Captain, who then looked ahead and said “Ah, we’re here.”

The two of you were surprised to see how big it was, for it was a one story house with plenty of room inside.

“Wow, they really spared no expense here.” You said.

“Well, they wanted to make sure that we were comfortable.” Said Goldenrod.

“True enough.” You replied. You then turned to the Captain and said “Thank you again for your assistance Captain.”

“It’s the least we can do for a fellow soldier.” Said the Captain before he and his group walked away.

“Well, now that we’re here.” You said to Goldenrod, “How about we settle in?”

“Sounds good.” Replied Goldenrod as she helped you pack your things inside.

However, the moment she was inside, you suddenly had a nervous look on your face. You dug into your pocket and pulled out a small box and opened it, revealing a beautiful ring that Rarity helped made some time ago. You gulped silently, not knowing how this will turn out. Which is surprising, you’re brave when you fight against enemies, but when it comes to taking your relationship to the next level, you feel like you’d throw up after drifting on the sea with no sea legs.

‘Hope this turns out well.’ You thought to yourself before putting the ring away and walked into the beach house to join Goldenrod.

*******************************************************************************************

Once you two were done, both of you went to the beach, to see how things looked from there. You could see so many fish underwater, as you felt tempted to enjoy some spear fishing, however, when you first got there, you learned that the ponies around here respect the wildlife here, so you decided to leave that be. But during that time, you looked at Goldenrod, seeing how well she was swimming underwater and having a fun time. You couldn’t help but smile when you saw how well she was swimming. Soon enough, the both of you emerged from the water. You both decided to walk from the beach to your towels. Whilst you were drying yourself, you couldn’t help but stare at her body, wearing her red bikini that hugged her body comfortably, which you couldn’t help but want to hug her, especially kiss her.

“I can feel you staring at me.” Said Goldenrod, which surprised you whilst being caught off guard. She removed the towel from her head and gave a playful grin to you. “If you wanted to be close, all you had to do was ask.”

She walked over to you and gave you a peck on the cheek. “And to be fair, I was staring at you for a bit too.”

You couldn’t help but smile whilst saying, “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“I do.” Said Goldenrod before she giggled. “And it’s better hearing it from you.”

Goldenrod walked over to you and wrapped both her arms around your neck and gently placed her lips onto yours, with you returning the gesture. You caress her amazing body as you can hear her hum in approval. However, during your caress, you ended up groping one of her breasts through her bikini. She suddenly broke away and ended up blushing.

“What are you…?” said Goldenrod as she suddenly felt flustered.

“Sorry, I…” you responded sheepishly, “I got carried away. Whilst we were kissing, I wanted to give your body some…special attention, if you know what I mean. I…didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s not that.” Said Goldenrod, feeling bashful, “It’s just…no one has ever touched me like that before.”

“They didn’t?” you asked confused.

“No.” she responded, “When I was once a prisoner, I was touched many times as a form of harassment. But you…somehow when I felt your hands…I felt like I needed more. The way you touched me felt gentle…safe even.”

“Oh,” you responded, not knowing how you felt. “But…if you’re not comfortable we can…”

“Wait…” said Goldenrod as she had that look in her eyes whilst standing close. “Could you…do that again please? But…be gentle about it?”

You slowly nodded, willing to accept her request. She slowly turned around and moved backwards to you until her back was pressed against your chest. But you felt her Lucious booty near your crotch, which left you a bit flustered. However, you didn’t want to deny her request, so you slowly reached for her G-cup breasts and groped them as gently as you could. You then moved her breasts in a slow, circular motion, which she seemed to enjoy when she moaned. And given how her body feels, it does feel quite amazing.

“You have…and amazing touch.” Replied Goldenrod slowly whilst her hands slowly reached for your hips and held you close, as if she never wanted to let you go.

You felt her flank against your crotch, and you felt like getting your hard on. Damn, she really knows how to attract anyone. He slowly moved to the right side of her head and whispered “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

He kissed her gently on the neck, which made her lift her head a bit as she gave a slight gasp whilst he used his right hand to massage her body, from her hips, to her thighs, to her leg. He gave a gentle blow to her ear, which made it twitch as she let out a cute giggle.

“And now for the next course.” You replied to her whilst whispering.

He slowly moved his right hand to her bottom bikini, dug into the front and gently played with her pussy. Goldenrod ended up moaning and slightly gasping, beautifully if he might add. From part of her, she tried her best to resist the pleasure whilst she was squirming, but her body welcomed it, as did her mind.

“It feels amazing…and…I…I want more.” Replied Goldenrod.

She then ended up moving her hips, slightly bumping her luscious flank against your crotch whilst you were playing with her pussy, and the more she did it, the more you felt she was turning you on, big time. You kissed the side of her neck, with your left hand groping her breast whilst your right hand rubbed her delicate flower. However, she suddenly held his hand, signaling him to stop and gaining your attention.

“Could you…please lie down?” asked Goldenrod.

You complied and rested on your back on top of the towel. She slowly lowers herself in a seducing manner, one that you found very attracted to. She slowly pulls your swim trunks down and saw your erect manhood. She couldn’t help but smirk.

“My, I didn’t know you were this excited for me?” said Goldenrod in a seducing manner once more.

She soon wraps her lips around your shaft and licked it a few times, making you groan from the pleasure. She soon took your shaft in her mouth and began to bob her head up and down, sucking on the base and the tip. You groaned and moaned from the enjoyment, whilst at the same time, you grasped onto the towel you were resting on, attempting to try to last a little longer.

After a few minutes, you couldn’t take it anymore, and you ended up climaxing in her mouth. She was able to swallow everything and licked it dry. She stood up and wiped her mouth whilst having a smirk on her face.

“Wow, I didn’t know you could get this hot and bothered.” Said Goldenrod in a teasing tone.

“That’s because you’re quite talented.” You replied with a smirk. “And as much as I enjoyed it, I think it’s time you would enjoy this too.”

“Oh?” said Goldenrod with a challenging smirk, “And how would you proceed?”

“First things first,” you replied as you pulled your swim trunks back on and stood on your knees. “Could you be so kind enough to stand up, please?”

Goldenrod did as you asked and slowly stood up. You moved your hands towards her hips and massaged them, whilst slowly pulling the front of her bikini bottom down, revealing her delicate flower in all her glory. You slowly moved your head towards it and began to slowly lick on it, making her gasp as she felt your tongue, making her moan in the process.

“I…” stuttered Goldenrod as her eyes were rolled backwards whilst she used her head to hold him close to her sensitive spot. “I had no idea you were also talented in this.”

She tried to keep herself under control. It amused you that she praised you and that she secretly wanted no one else to hear it. You wanted to drive her nuts, so you dove your tongue deep inside her love tunnel. You continued to focus more on eating her out. You noticed as you continued licking that Goldenrod was starting to tremble, but kept her stance. This and that her entrance was leaking more than before, told you that she was getting close to climax.

“R-Rex... I... I feel something. I can’t… I can’t hold it in!” she warned. You’ve practically grown addicted to the taste of her juices, so instead of pulling away, you plunged your tongue even further into her marehood. Your strong and independent lover gripped your head, thankfully not to tight, whilst throwing her head back and climaxed in your mouth.

Goldenrod couldn’t handle the pleasure anymore and gushed out all of her fresh, sweet honey down your throat. You took in every drop of her juices in big gulps to avoid choking. When describing the taste, it starts off sour, then it gives off a very sweet taste. It tasted so delicious, you slurped up any leftovers from her inner walls before retracting your tongue out of her and giving her pussy lips one last lick.

Goldenrod nearly collapsed, but thankfully she used your body, even if it was on its knees, to help her stand and wrapped her arms around you. She panted for a bit, then slowly regained her breath and was able to stand.

“Wow, you certainly know how to please a mare, don’t you?” said Goldenrod with a teasing smirk.

“I do,” you replied, “And seeing that I’m on my knees anyway.”

He moved towards his bag and dug into it, which Goldenrod gave a confused stare. However, the moment you turned around, she saw you holding a small box. And when you opened it, it revealed a ring inside, taking her by surprise whilst she widened her eyes.

You kept a gentle smile and held up the ring whilst saying “I can’t live without you babe, literally.”

The two of you had been silent for a bit, with Goldenrod still staring in surprise. At first, she was speechless…

“Whilst I’m flattered,” said Goldenrod, “But…are you sure about this?”

“Believe me, I thought about this long and hard.” You replied. “But the more time I spent with you, the more I realized…how much I love you. When I first got here, I closed myself off, not wanting to be close to anyone. But ever since I met you, I’ve grown really fond of you. You understood me, you spent time with me, you’re even a great swimmer. And…being here with you…makes life worth living. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That is…if you’ll have me?”

Goldenrod kept her stare for a moment. But then she couldn’t help but smile with a gentle expression of her own. She stood on her knees and was at eye level with you.

“Then yes.” Said Goldenrod, “Of course I will.”

The two of you then engaged your lips with one another and held each other close. For today, was indeed a great day.

****************************************************************************************

After your day on the beach for two hours, and your proposal to Goldenrod, the two of you were back at the beach house and settled there for a bit once the both of you got dressed with your own set of robes. You decided to cook dinner, but she helped you out. As it turns out, not only are the two of you well matched when it comes to military service, but both of you are also a great team in the kitchen.

After a wonderful meal, as well as some sparkling apple cider, the two of you decided to stand at the balcony whilst watching the oceans crashing gently on the shore. The two of you stood close to one another, holding each other close whilst she rested her head against yours, whilst admiring the sunset.

“I can’t remember the last time I looked at a Sunset like this.” Said Goldenrod.

“Same here.” You replied.

“You know,” said Goldenrod as she had a nervous look on her face, “When I first came to Caribouria, I felt the same way you did. Not knowing if I’d ever find love. And yet…you showed up one day. And all of that changed.”

She turned around and looked at him face to face whilst looking at him fondly. “You looked and cared about me the way nobody else did. And for that…I am very thankful.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you.” You replied as your left hand held her right cheek, which she couldn’t help but blush whilst keeping that smile.

The two of you once more locked lips and kissed one another, only slightly with a bit more passion. Not that you’d complain, her lips really did feel amazing. The moment when the sun had set, the moon began to rise, which was now the perfect time for the both of you. The two you continued to make out with passion whilst you both moved inside and closed the door behind you.

The both of you took off your robes, which was revealed that both of you hadn’t worn any clothes ever since the both of you got inside from the beach. You continued to kiss as you were close to one of the cupboards. Goldenrod temporarily pulls away and has a smirk on her face.

“How about we try a position I’ve always been curious about.” Said Goldenrod.

Before you could ask, she moved in a seducing manner over to a table whilst she leaned forward and placed her hands on the table. She looked at you whilst trying her best to pull a Rarity by batting her eyes at you. You couldn’t help but smirk and knew what she was asking. You slowly moved towards her and placed your throbbing manhood between her cheeks. You began to hold them and slowly moved them in a seducing manner, which suddenly made her bit her lip with a smile, trying her best to avoid getting looked at in the eye whilst she was enjoying it.

“Do you want it inside?” you asked her in a soft tone.

“Y-yes.” Said Goldenrod, who wanted to feel your manhood behind her.

“Then get ready my dear.” You replied slowly.

You slowly placed your manhood in her tight folds of her flower, which made her slightly gasp as she felt it. You slowly began to push it further and further inside, until you broke her hymen, which left her another gasp.

“T-that feels so good.” Muttered Goldenrod.

“We’ll take it nice and slow.” You whispered to her.

You slowly begin to move your hips whilst you slowly thrusted inside of her

Goldenrod’s moans of pain slowly escalated into moans of pleasure. You clenched your teeth as you felt her tighten her inner walls around your shaft. Her breasts jiggled up and down from the furious pounding. There was still pain of course, but both you and Goldenrod were enjoying sweet love you were making with her, you even reached out and were able to grasp her bosom, making her gasp and moan as you tried to fondle with her whilst trying to thrust her at the same time.

When all of a sudden, she made you stop and pull out. Then suddenly, she placed you against the table and began to take your manhood, whilst slowly placed them back into her womanhood whilst she moaned again. But this time, she lifted her left leg, which signaled you to hold onto it, which you complied and held onto her leg whilst she wrapped her arms around you. She began to thrust you back whilst she moved her hips, whilst at the same time, your left hand held onto her flank, which she couldn’t help but bit her lip again whilst looking at you with a smile once again.

“Wow, you r-really know h-how to t-take charge, don’t you?!” you replied whilst trying to raise your voice a bit so that she could hear you just in case she didn’t listen very well.

“O-only when y-you’re around.” Said Goldenrod before she planted her lips onto him, which caused the two of you to make out with complete passion.

The two of you continued for a bit in that position, until you stopped her and said “As fun as it is, why don’t we finish this on the bedside?”

She then smirked and jumped onto you whilst your manhood was still inside of her, but also wrapped her legs around you whilst you held her up and she held you in her arms.

“Lead the way.” She playfully said.

The two of you soon moved to the bed, and before she could say anything, you ended up placing her on the center of the bed and you began to thrust within her again.

“P-please…go a little faster.” Asked Goldenrod.

“Are you sure.” You asked.

She then playfully smirked and said “Are you telling me that I am not a strong woman?”

You couldn’t help but chuckle at that statement, which caused you to thrust within her even faster, which in turn made her moan as she enjoyed the feeling of your manhood inside of her.

With her approval, you went ahead and put in more speed and power into your thrusts. Her insides became more wet and slippery. Easy enough for you to slide in and out of her pussy. Goldenrod kept her eyes closed, moaning like crazy.

“T-That’s it Rex...! You d-don’t have to b-be afraid... AH! Oh yes!!” moaned Goldenrod loudly.

Goldenrod squirmed and shrieked in utter pleasure, but managed to flash a small smile. Evidently, she didn’t mind the way you handled her. You thrusted deeper and harder inside of her wet passage and eventually grazed the tip of her womb with the tip of your manhood. Her juices leaked out of her pussy and wet slaps emitted throughout the room. Each of you were having the time of your life right now.

But when it came time for your climax to hit, you stopped and switched positions with Goldenrod and placed her on top of you. Once again, you became entranced as you looked into her beautiful green eyes, whilst she also had a surprised look when she saw that she was in a different position, with you at the bottom and her on top.

“Such beauty...” you whispered, causing Goldenrod to giggle seductively and stare down at you with her bedroom eyes.

“So it is.” Said Goldenrod, “Now it’s my turn.”

She soon began to bounce on your manhood, whilst at the same time, you watched her bounce as her chest did the same.

She began to moan. “That's it...” You decided to move your hips as well. It was just a little movement, but it was enough to make her bounce a bit on your manhood, thus bouncing both her bountiful flank and bosom. Leaning forward, she used a hand to tilt my head down so that my line of sight went directly to her bouncing bosom.

“D-do you like it when they do that?” said Goldenrod whilst she seduced you and bounced on you at the same time.

What else could yo do but nod whilst groaning out as your grip on her amazing flank became tighter, much to her delight as she picked up speed, rocking her hips as she came down on you. Goldenrod picked up her pace, riding you more fervently, which made her breasts jumble around like they were alive. Your manhood hit the right spot suddenly and she moaned rather loudly. Skillfully, she rode you in a way that had your manhood repeatedly hitting that same spot over and over again.

Goldenrod steadily picked up the pace until she was riding your manhood with wild abandon. Her flank jiggled each time they slapped against your lap and her breasts leaped wildly around. Each time she came down on you, she moaned loudly, falling into that blissful state where everything else but the pleasure and her partner faded away. The way she moved her hips made your rod work wonders inside of her, caressing her stretched walls in such a magnificent way.

You heard her breathing grew heavy, same with yours, and you’re worried you might get her pregnant.

“Wait,” you said, making her stop as she looked at you. “Are you sure about this? You know what would happen when we…”

She placed her finger against your lips, silencing you as the two of you looked at one another.

“I’m aware. And I’d think…we’d both make great parents.” Said Goldenrod with a smile, which surprised you. “If we made our relationship work and took it to the next level? Why not take the next step?”

You couldn’t help but smile and kissed her back, agreeing to that idea.

Within mere moments, she began to rapidly bounce on you again, feeling unable to move a muscle. She could tell that you was getting closer and closer to emptying your load inside her, but she wasn’t concerned about that. She actually wanted to feel the hot seed inside of her. She too was getting close to her own orgasm. More importantly…she’d want to start a family with you.

Keeping up the rapid pace, she rode you without hesitation, driving the both of you to the edge. You ended up climaxing first, but the feeling of you shooting your seed inside of her made her climax nearly right after. She cried out in ecstasy and continued to bounce on your cock until you both had finished. Panting, she smiled at you, not getting off of you yet, whilst looking at you in a seductive manner.

“Nice job, sailor.” Said Goldenrod in a teasing tone and kissed you, to which you returned the gesture.

She broke the kiss and allowed her to pull out and land next to you. Both of you looked up the ceiling and continued to slowly pant a bit, with the both of you trying to catch your breath. The two of you slowly looked one another and used what strength you had left to pull one another closer. Adoring the embrace, you pressed your lips against hers gently and danced your tongue with hers. You held the kiss for a whole minute before pulling away.

“You know what will happen now that we did what we did?” you asked.

“I do.” Said Goldenrod, “We’re also going to have to make arrangements to make sure that we’ll be able to look after our child. I don’t wish for our child to grow up without any parents.”

“We’ll make it work.” You replied, whilst you did something very surprising, you nuzzled against her cheek, which surprised her. “If Thorin could find a way to make his relationship work with Lizzie because of their duty and responsibility, then we can too.”

Goldenrod couldn’t help but smile and do the same gesture you did.

“We definitely will. Besides…” said Goldenrod before she kissed your cheek, “I do enjoy our swimming at the ocean together.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle as you hugged her. You grabbed the blanket and covered the both of you, which she accepted as she covered the blanket with her too. The two of you looked at one another fondly one more time before sleep took both of you over.

“I love you Goldenrod.” You said and pulled her closer to your body.

“I love you too, Rex.” Replied Goldenrod as she did the same.

Pretty soon, both of you fell asleep in each other’s embrace with smiles on both your faces. No more words were exchanged. The only sounds you can hear were the cute sighs coming from your sleeping beauty and the waves crashing onto the sandy beaches. The sounds brought sounded so soothing, you snuggled Goldenrod closer to you and gave her belly a good rubbing before passing out. All the while, you couldn’t stop thinking about the day when a new life would be brought into your lives. For one thing’s for certain, the life for both of you has only just begun.

Author's Note

There you have it. Thanks for giving this a chance to read it.

This is dedicated to Yabuki, who had recently gained over 1400 followers. May you continue to write the best of stories.