Jason stood on the sun-warmed concrete of the parade deck, watching as the newly titled Protectors met with their families and friends.

He let a small grin form on his face. He remembered his own graduation. He could still feel the chill of December on his skin from that day so many years ago.

Nine years... Has it really been that long?

"Well, it certainly seems that something has taken your focus elsewhere."

Jason turned to the Princess before coming to attention and rendering his salute. She nodded in response.

"At ease, Jason." Her mouth turned to a warm grin. "This is as much your day as it is theirs." She stood beside him and they both turned to watch as the Protectors felt the first love they had known since arriving at Camp Sandblast. Jason could have sworn he saw tears in some of their eyes as they embraced their parents, siblings, significant others and friends who had taken the journey to watch the ceremony.

"Do you think fifteen days is enough time?" The Princess asked, her thoughts turning to the small amount of leave each stallion was afforded after graduating before having to report to their assigned unit.

"It's more than I got after boot camp, but it'll be plenty. Any more than that and we risk them getting lazy." Jason began walking towards the crowd. He expected parents to want to speak with him, so he should at least make himself available. Princess Celestia walked with him.

"Is Captain Steadfast ready to receive the new Protectors? I won't lie, I'd be pretty upset if they went all the way to Saddle Arabia and not have a place to stay." Jason asked, curious.

"Yes, everything has already been arranged. I was surprised when you said you wouldn't be joining them right away."

Jason was still amazed at the amount of pull he had with this new branch of the military. He understood that he was definitely responsible for training and essentially creating the war fighters, but he was still under the command of the Princesses themselves. He couldn't believe they trusted him enough to let him essentially do whatever he wanted.

He let out a sigh before commenting. "There aren't enough of us yet. I want to train at least one more cycle before joining in with the rest of them. By that time, we will have more instructors and I won't be needed here any more. I hate not being able to take the fight to the Guardians immediately, but we need to be fully prepared to do so. Splitting up the Protectors to supplement the Guard ranks is the best we can do right now. They'll give some much needed firepower."

"I trust your judgement, Captain Sinder. I only wish it didn't take so long to train them. More Guards are dying every day." Celestia said sadly. "We need to end this war as quickly as possible."

Jason gritted his teeth. God dammit... I fucking hate this shit... "How many casualties have we taken?"

"Thirty have died, another sixty-three have been wounded by their explosives."

Jason shook his head. "I promise, Your Highness. As soon as we are ready, we will obliterate these terrorists." He turned and looked the Princess in the eyes. "You have my word on that."

She nodded slowly. "I believe you. It is why you are in charge in the first place." She looked to the crowd who had begun moving toward them. "I will take my leave and let you get back to your celebrations. Congratulations, Captain Sinder."

"Thank you, Your Highness." He came to attention and saluted. The Princess nodded before turning and walking away.

Jason turned back to the crowd to see a line had formed. He smiled as Jet Stream, family in tow, walked up to him.

"Good morning, Sir. I'd like you to meet my family." The young stallion said as he gestured to the group of ponies behind him. An older couple looked up at him, their gazes showed a mixture of gratefulness and admiration. Between them, a young colt looked up at him. Pure awe graced his young features as he looked upon the human.

Jason smiled as he squatted down, looking the colt in the eyes. "Well good morning to you! And what might your name be?"

"I... I'm Cumulus..." The colt said quietly, obviously nervous.

That's how much of the morning went. The Protectors who hadn't immediately left brought forward their families and Jason would exchange pleasantries with them, talking about how each Protector was a stellar recruit and was going to be a true asset to the Corps. Occasionally, he would share some of the stories he had of their son's time at Camp Sandblast.

It was almost an hour before all of the families had finally left, leaving the instructors and their loved ones on the Parade deck. Jason could see Twilight, Rainbow and all of their friends, including Octavia and a few other ponies he didn't recognize. He assumed they were the instructors' families.

Carbon, Copper and Razor all made their way to Jason, looking more relaxed than they had for the entirety of the past three months.

"Anything else you need from us, Sir?" Carbon asked. "Or can we head on out?" He looked eager to leave. Jason Didn't have to guess why, knowing Octavia was waiting for the black unicorn.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you before you left." Jason said. "Now, Carbon and Copper, you two will be accompanying the Protectors to Saddle Arabia to ensure they don't do anything stupid. And Razor, you'll be staying here with me to train the next instructors and one more cycle." Jason looked between the Protectors. They remained silent, waiting for him to finish.

"You already know all of this. What you probably don't know is what you will be receiving before we move on with our careers." Jason gestured to Twilight, who walked to him with a wooden box floating beside her. The instructors looked at the box with curiosity. They all recognized it. The box had once held the emblems that now adorned their campaign covers. The emblems that made them Protectors. They looked back to their Captain, obvious confusion on their faces.

"The Princesses have given me permission to, if you choose to accept, offer you a commission into the ranks of Officers within the Guard force." Twilight moved next to him, levitating the box into his hands before turning and walking a few steps away. The other spectators had followed her over, and now stood slightly away from the Protectors.

Jason continued, turning back to the Protectors, box in hand. "We are few, but our numbers are growing. We need leaders. Stallions who show utmost dedication to our Corps. You have shown that you are capable, and I trust you to uphold our core values."

"Of course, you will receive a generous increase in your pay, and you will be entered into the Hall of the Guard in Canterlot. Be aware, however, that you will need to hold yourselves to a higher standard. Even more so than the expectations I have of you as Protectors. You will be accountable for all of the Protectors under your charge. They will be a reflection of you, and their misdeeds will be your misdeeds. I want you to understand that before making your decision." Jason paused giving the instructors time to think. They looked to each other quickly before looking back to their Captain. Razor let a grin form on his face.

"Come on, Sir. You should know us better than that by now." The pegasus said, confidence shining in his voice.

Jason let a grin of his own show on his face. "I take it you all accept, then?"

They all nodded quickly. "Of course." Copper said quickly before Carbon added. "You can count on us, Sir."

"I know I can." Jason said before opening the box in his hand. He pulled the silver bars from within, each adorned with a miniature version of the Protectors' emblem. Walking to each stallion, he pulled off their Sergeant's rank insignia and replaced it with the bars of a Lieutenant.

"With these bars, I hereby commission you as Lieutenants within the Corps of Protectors. From this day forth, you will exemplify our Core Values. You are the epitome of duty, and will lead the Protectors under you with honor, courage, loyalty and commitment. May you take these words into your very being. With the citizens of Equestria as my witness, I say congratulations my brothers."

Copper shuddered a little when Jason said that last bit. The loss of Iron was still at the forefront of his mind. Jason saw the unicorn steel himself, his chest puffing out slightly. He knew the unicorn wouldn't let any more of his brothers fall. Not while he had anything to do about it.

The civilians erupted into applause, encouraging the newly appointed Officers.

"You are now dismissed. Enjoy your time off. You stallions have certainly earned it." Jason said with a smile. He came to attention, bringing his hand up in salute. The first the new Officers had ever received. They stiffened before returning the salute. Jason let his hand fall before stepping forward. He shook each stallions hand, accompanying the gesture with a hearty slap on the shoulder. Together, they turned to the civilians who were still clopping their hooves in celebration.

The Protectors joined their families and friends, relieved to finally have time to spend with them.

A short while later, Jason was walking with his family and friends down the long gravel road that took them back to Ponyville. They chatted amongst themselves, laughing and telling stories of the past months. The training had taken up all of Jason's time. He hadn't had an opportunity to sit and talk with his friends for almost the entire cycle. Even his spouses had seen very little of him, and the few times he had returned home mostly consisted of him passing out on the bed.

"So..." Jason finally said. "What plans have you got for the rest of the day?"

Rarity looked at him with a slight confusion. "Plans? Dear, you've been gone for three months! We will do whatever you want. You've certainly earned that!"

Jason chuckled lightly. "That's right, I have been gone. But, that's only because of my job. It's my fault that you have all been robbed of my wonderful company for all this time. It's only fair that I be on your beck and call. at least for today."

Rarity looked abashed "Surely you can't be serious!" She shook her head quickly. "You've been doing Equestria a great service! It wouldn't be right to yank you around doing only what we want to do!"

"But that is what I want!" Jason said with great mirth. "Trust me, you wouldn't believe how refreshing the company would be after spending so much time with a buncha boots."

"It just so happens," Twilight interrupted "that we happen to have some special reservations tonight."

Jason looked to Twilight, a hint of eager anticipation making its way to his face.

"Does that mean...?" Jason asked, hope creeping into his voice.

"Heck yeah it does!" Rainbow Dash interjected. "We got reservations for Elda's!" She flapped her wings, taking off into a hover and moving in front of the human.

He reached out quickly, grabbing the pegasus in an embrace. He moved her around, holding her under one arm while bending over and scooping Twilight up with the other. She let out a soft eep as she was lifted off the ground and carried under one of his powerful arms.

"I love you girls. Have I ever told you that?" He squeezed them lightly in his arms. "You wouldn't believe how much I've missed you."

"Alright, alright, you love us. We know. We love you too. Now put me down! This is NOT comfortable!" Twilight protested, wriggling in his grip. Jason chuckled before lowering his spouse to the ground.

"Aw man..." He heard Spike say quietly behind him. "I wanted to make his first meal!"

Jason turned around and scooped the little dragon into his arms, hoisting him into the air and sitting him on his shoulders.

"Hey, cheer up there little guy! I'll be around for a while. You can cook for me all you want!" Jason said, trying to encourage his step-son. The dragon let out a huff. He still wasn't all that happy about it.

"Maybe if you're a good little dragon, I'll let you try your first bite of meat!"

Spike stiffened. "R-Really?" There was a touch of excitement in his voice.

"We'll see..." Twilight said, a little concern creeping into her voice. "I'll have to talk to your father first."

"Oh come on! A little bit couldn't hurt!" Jason pleaded with his spouse. She shook her head, a smile growing on her face.

Jason let out a sigh. "Well, either way, I could go for a good steak!"

Jason awoke slowly. For once, the sun shone from the other side of the window. It had been a long time since Celestia's magic had risen before he had. He took notice of the slight soreness in his muscles. After their meal last night, they had returned home. Spike had been exhausted, the single bite of meat seemed to sap his energy for some reason, and he had quickly fallen asleep after being put to bed. After that, the house had been theirs. Rainbow Dash and Twilight had been rather eager in their reunion with their husband. Not that he complained of course.

Jason looked about the large bed, the covers in a wrecked state. Twilight hadn't moved, but he was disappointed to find Rainbow missing. She had a special task that needed attending to in Cloudsdayle, but would be back in a couple of days. He was kind of surprised that she had actually woken up on time.

He rolled over, throwing an arm over his lavender mare. He pulled her into a loving embrace. He had missed this. The warmth of her body next to his. The softness of her coat brushing against his skin.

She moved slightly, waking up slowly. Her eyes opened sleepily, widening more quickly as she saw her husband. She smiled at him.

His heart soared. Even in her disheveled state, her beauty shook his heart. She lifted her head and kissed him.

It was not, however, the little peck he had been expecting. She kissed him deeply, with more eagerness than she had shown the night before.

Much to his surprise, she rolled him onto his back and laid atop of him. Her kisses came fast. This was...Unusual for the normally reserved unicorn. Jason had no complaints. At least not until her kisses became voracious.

Finally, he pushed lightly on her chest, attempting to separate her from his mouth. She didn't budge, her lips locked to his. Something wasn't quite right. She was never like this. Not unless she... Unless she was.

Aw man...

He pushed her harder, physically forcing their separation. She looked down on him with a hunger. If he hadn't been holding her away, she would have immediately continued her affections.

"Twi... You okay?" Jason asked, a slight concern in his voice.

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" She said quickly, struggling against his arm.

"You seem a little more... Voracious... Than usual."

"Not at all! I just want to show you how much I love you!" Her cheeks were burning with a hot blush as she continued her futile struggle.

Jason kept his arm locked. He raised an eyebrow towards her, giving her a little time to think. Time to realize exactly what was going on with her body.

She blinked a few times before her eyes finally widened in realization.

"Oh... OH!" She said quickly. She rolled off of him, sitting on the bed in thought.

"It's... It's that time..." Her eyes widened. "Oh no! Rainbow's not here!" She looked a little flustered. "I hope she'll be able to concentrate while she's in Cloudsdayle!" She shook her head quickly. "What timing!"

Jason sat up. Twilight and Rainbow Dash's heat cycles had finally synced up about a year ago. He was wary of this time of year. While fun for the first day or so, the week long cycle quickly turned into a test of endurance. Jason did all he could to satisfy their frustration, but he was only human. Luckily, the mares were able to... entertain themselves while their husband recovered. Without the pegasus here, this was going to turn into a very long day.

"How bad is it?" The human asked, a little worried. If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn't have been so enthusiastic the previous night.

"Bad..." Twilight said helplessly. She turned to look at her husband. He could see her struggling in her flustered heat. "Worse than before..."

Jason let out a sigh. "Probably because I've been gone so long." He looked into her eyes, a gentle smile gracing his features before he let out a small laugh. "At least you waited until now. This would have been an issue if I were still in the training cycle." His eyes turned sensual. "Now, let's see if I cant help you out a little bit."

He leaned forward, letting his lips meet hers. She returned the kiss eagerly, turning her body to face his. He wrapped his arms around her as she lifted her hooves to place them on his shoulders.

Their kiss lasted only a few short moments before Twilight's hunger became too much for her. She pulled her head back, looking into his eyes with desperation. "Hurry up..." She said, her voice heavy. "I don't think I can take this anymore!"

Jason grinned. "Aye aye, Ma'am!" He gingerly rolled her onto her back, his hand finding it's way to every erogenous zone he knew. Twilight gasped at his ministrations. He teased her ruthlessly. In her current state, she was like putty in his hands.

"C-Come on! Stop teasing me!" She managed to say through deep gasps.

Jason slid down her body, gently kissing her body as he moved. Her body shivered as he hesitated at her nipples before continuing down. He had gotten much, much better at this.

He continued shifting, wrapping his arms around her haunches in the way she had grown to love. The wetness of her arousal had already begun to flow, the fluid dripping into the bed sheets.

He had teased her enough. He knew how much this state pained her, but he still enjoyed playing with her a little bit. He blew gently onto her marehood. Twilight shuddered in ecstasy.

"I... I s-said enough te...Teasing." She said with a demanding urgency in her voice. "I can't take it anymore!"

With a hoof, she reached down and pushed his face into her, burying him in the wetness between her legs.

He couldn't help but laugh. He began his work dutifully, his tongue dancing out from between his lips and driving into her marehood. She let out a cry of pure pleasure as he explored her depths, carefully ensuring he left no surface untouched within her.

Her hoof continued to hold his head in place, her body rocking against his face. She convulsed in pure pleasure as his tongue brushed gingerly against her clitoris.

Her heightened sensitivity was making Jason's task an easy one. He loved this, the pure pleasure and joy he brought his wife. He was happy he could oblige her in this time of need.

Her shudders intensified as he carefully slipped a couple of fingers into her, allowing him to stimulate further the depths of her.

Without warning, a cry of pure ecstasy burst from her lips as her vaginal muscles contracted around his fingers. He continued to move them, ensuring that she got as much pleasure as possible from her orgasm.

As her convulsions subsided, Twilight released his head from her grasp. Jason sat up, wiping the traces of his lover from his chin as he looked down upon her.

"Feel better?" He asked.

"A little." She managed to gasp out. "But... You've still got a lot of work to do there, mister." She looked at him haughtily.

Jason raised an eyebrow towards her. She rolled onto her chest, her forehooves extending above her head. She laid her head sideways on the mattress before extending her hind legs, lifting her haunches into the air. She presented herself to him fully, the juices of her orgasm still dripping from her skin.

"I want the real thing. I want you, Jason!" She looked back towards him. "Please! Don't make me beg!"

He smiled at her before carefully getting to his feet, balancing on the soft mattress. He absolutely hated this position. The length of her legs made it extremely awkward. She was too tall for him to stay on his knees, but too short for him to be able to stand fully. He had to squat slightly in order to get the right height. He was willing, of course. Considering the circumstances. But he hoped that her heightened sensitivity meant he wouldn't have to stay in it for too long.

He bent at the knees, lowering himself to the proper height.

Gently, he rubbed the head of his member against her marehood. He could feel her shudder at his touch. She attempted to lean her hips backwards, forcing him into her. He followed her movement, preventing her from succeeding. She whimpered at him desperately. If he was going to have to perform this position, he was going to at least have a little fun with it. She whimpered as her attempts proved futile.

"Come on, Jason!" She whimpered as she tried again, only to be met with another failure. "Please!"

That's what he was waiting for. "Well, since you asked so nicely..."

He pushed himself into her. It felt absolutely amazing as her insides wrapped him completely. He started off slowly, gingerly sliding his member all the way in before slowly removing it. Twilight cried out in joy as her muscles tightened around him. She was in heaven, her euphoria drowning any conscious thought she might have had.

Jason gradually increased his speed, his legs beginning to burn as his thrusts strengthened. Before long, Twilight was matching his movements with her own, rocking against him as he moved.

Jason watched as her tongue lolled slightly out of her mouth and her eyes started rolling up, the pure pleasure making his wife lose herself. Sparks flew from her horn as the uncontrolled magic coursed over her magical appendage.

She began crying out with each thrust, her volume increasing as she approached her climax. It hadn't taken long, thankfully. Jason's legs were burning from pure fatigue. Luckily, Twilight's state meant that she was on a hair trigger.

"JASON!" She let out a full throated scream as the orgasm rocked her body. Her legs quivered as her muscles spasmed.

With a slight relief, Jason slipped from her, extending his legs and stretching them slightly to fight off the cramps which were on the verge of crippling him.

"Oh no... You're still not done." Twilight said as she shakily got to her hooves. She reached up and shoved the human onto his back on the mattress. His eyes widened as he looked at her. She laid on top of him, her legs straddling his form.

"You don't get a break until after you pop." She looked down at him with a mischievously sensual grin. "Lucky for you, I have a spell that just might make that a little better."

Her horn glowed purple. He couldn't see what she was doing because of how she was laying, but he could fell a tingle in his testicles as his wife worked her magic. The glow ebbed and died and she looked at him with a grin. "There! That should do it!"

Jason's brow furrowed. He didn't feel any different, but he trusted his wife enough to trust in her judgement.

"Now, without further ado..." She said as she slid down his body, leaving a trail of arousal down his belly.

He slid into her easily, her arousal removing any resistance to the action. She ground her hips against his, riding him vigorously.

Jason reached up and pulled her head to his, planting a deep kiss upon her lips as he wrapped his arms around her. He began moving his hips, following her lead and matching her rhythm. He could feel every inch of her. Her smooth coat brushed against his belly. Her long, straight hair falling against his face and chest. Her marehood pulsed around his member, stimulating every inch of his length as she gradually increased her tempo.

Before long, her breathing became too hard to continue their kiss. She propped herself up, her hooves on his chest. He moved his hands to her hips, using the grip to help strengthen his thrusts into her.

He was getting close. He clenched his abdominal muscles to fight off the first waves of his orgasm, attempting to reach climax at the same time as Twilight.

She looked to the ceiling, her pleasure eliciting euphoric moans as they made love.

Eventually, it became too much for him. Twilight's quick movements and voracious enthusiasm drawing him to the pinnacle of his endurance.

"Twilight!... I'm... I'm gonna-"

"Just a little more! I'm almost there!"

"I... I can-"

His muscles convulsed. He could feel his seed making it's way through his member. "TWILIGHT!"

As soon as his first spurt entered into her womb, she joined him in his orgasm.

"JASON!"

They shook together, each enjoying the pure euphoria of their love. Convulsion after convulsion rocked their bodies as the efforts of their love making came to its peak.

Twilight collapsed onto his chest, breathing heavily. Jason wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. She looked up and kissed him deeply before relaxing again, resting her head under his chin.

"Wow Twi, that was... Wow..." Was all he could say.

She giggled lightly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did." She looked up at him again. "How'd the spell work out?"

Jason frowned. Honestly, he had forgotten she had cast it. The whole experience was absolutely incredible, but he hadn't really felt all that much different.

He said as much.

Twilight frowned. "Huh... I was sure it would have done something else..."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Something else? What do you mean?"

She snuggled into his neck. "Oh, nothing... Don't worry about it."

They lay together like that for a minute or so before Twilight picked her head up again. "So... Ready to go again?" She asked haughtily. She had begun blushing again, her arousal returning at an unreasonable rate.

"After that? Come on! I need at least a little rest!"

She huffed in frustration and glanced to the clock on the end table. "Alright... I'll give you five minutes. But I want at least four next time!"

"FOUR!?" He looked at her in shock for a moment before chuckling helplessly. He shook his head.

"I swear, you ponies are going to be the death of me!"

Author's Notes:

Hey there guys!

I know, I know, it's been forever since I last updated. Sorry about that. With my audiobook project and other military training, I haven't had nearly as much time to write. I'll do what I can to update faster, but I can't make any promises. Sorry.

In other news, I will be attending Trotcon next month in Columbus, OH! If anyone who is attending wants to meet me, I'll be the 6'1" Marine looking mother fucker wandering around. I have plans to attend the military panels and the improv sessions if the description isn't enough. Come by and say hi! I'd love to meet any of my readers!

Here's a link to the con website if there's anyone interested.

http://trotcon.net/

Thanks again everybody! And as always, any constructive criticism you guys have would be greatly appreciated!