Chapter 1

The Card-Summoner

*****

Six Months Later....

On the first day, Colonel Sterling Caliber, who was otherwise known as 'The Silver Bullet' to his many fallen friends and fellow soldiers in the Royal Equestrian Marine Corps, had arrived in the iconic, rustic town that was aptly called Ponyville for how the people had always worked very hard in every conceivable career. And the season was now spring. The time when every decent citizen would start working hard.

He had taken the train from the city of Canterlot after finalizing his education in the university within that city in just three months of coming to Equestria. And his promotion to Colonel, as it was given to him beforehand, had allowed him to pay for his much needed education.

This move to a different location was made in order for him to find a more peaceful place to call his new home. And that alone would allow him to settle in. This, of course, was exactly what he had been wanting for the longest time since his return to familiar grounds. And since he was finished with acquiring his new knowledge, he was all set to go live in a new home.

When the train had stopped, after about two hours of traveling from Canterlot, he had walked out of the train car to place his feet on the platform of the train station at the edge of the town's business limits. With a deep breath, he sighed out a content smile. He took in all of the sights that had caught his attention after he pulled up from the train.

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

The same man had been pondering about getting a new job, noting that his time in the Royal Equestrian Marines was already over. He had walked up to one of the administration offices and had spoken to the worker about his licenses for a new home, the ability to drive a vehicle, and his right to find work after his time in the military.

The same worker who he was talking to had perked up their head when he had mentioned his former career to them. And with a new determination, they had taken his picture for his new ID card and license while signing the legal document to own the house that was built near the river. The pleasant goodbyes were then made after about a good hour of getting the job done. But during that hour, however, the worker had commented to him that the house that sat on the right side of the river at about half of a mile from the town was in desperate need of a major rebuilding. Sterling had decided to make it so that the house was rebuilt by the time that the lunch hour had begun.

Within a few moments of finalizing the paperwork, they said their polite goodbyes. Sterling had paid a few hundred gold-backs for the same house on the river with a few more bits for his drivers license and the registration. And for as the civilian ID card, it came free, much to his surprise. And it was placed in front of his military ID that ranked him as a Colonel.

The lunch hour had arrived just seconds after he had left the City Hall. The food that he ordered to go was a large turkey sandwich with bacon, guacamole, and the works. While adding ten bits for the tip to the waiter that delivered the food to him, he paid the 6 bits for his main course.

As he made his way to walk that half mile to where the property was, outside of the town, he looked from a distance that was marked by a foothill that was steep enough for him to look over the place.

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

Sterling had finally done about five things on his list during the day: First, he got off the train that took him to his new home. Second, he went through all of the legal processes to get his new home and car license. And on the third and final thing to do: Go straight to where his new construction project had been sighted.

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

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

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

*SNAP!!*

*KA-BOOOOMMMM!!!*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

.....

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

At the near left side of the house was that pile of firewood that was now neatly rowed up for his convenience. On the far right side, a few trees had been planted to give his residence the charm that it needed. In the middle of the property, near the front door, was a small garden of exotic fruits and flowers. A few windows were already placed around the house for the means of illumination. And the furniture and appliances were already installed where they were needed to go.

And there was also a library on the ground floor. The many dozens of books that he bought from the countries outside of Equestria had been shelved by both number, title and author on their spines. This also included an empty book that was enchanted to place his spiritual guides into. And they were happy to have a place where all of their knowledge of the old world, from ages before, could be written down by their magic.

At the top floor above the ground, about four bedrooms were made while fitting a bathroom between two of the spare rooms. And his master bedroom was made to look like a true paradise for those who were deprived of sleep. And all with a private bathroom from another door that was near his vanity wardrobe.

Both the library, the basement and the bedroom were given dimensional magic. The type that can hold even a university sized setting.

Below the ground floor was the basement where he was able to hold an armory for his many weapons, a cooler for his wrapped and cut piles of delicious and exotic meats, and a cellar to hold all of the alcoholic beverages, including some wine that he collected for any occasions. It made him smile that he was able to plan ahead. The six months, after being formally and honorably discharged with the promotion to the rank of Colonel in his resume, had not been spent without thinking of a way to finally settle in. There were also many medals that were given to him for his many contributions in the same foreign countries during his time in the Second Equian War.

"Time to have my grub, I guess," Sterling patted his stomach as he went into his dining room to feast on the sandwich that was reheated from the UV microwave that was placed near the refrigerator. When he took the first bite, he felt a sensation that was just as familiar to being in heaven for that little moment in time. The savoriness of both the turkey and the bacon, along with the guacamole's sweet taste, had sent him into a realm of deliciousness that could fulfill any hungry man's appetite. After about half of an hour, he finished his food with a savoring that most people would just ignore.

After wiping his face with a napkin, he placed it, along with the wrapper that the food came in, into the garbage can and wiped his hands from the water in the sink. His feet had then guided him to where his bedroom was. After opening the door, he closed it behind him as he locked it. But as soon as he laid his body on the covered fluffy pillows and blanket, the mattress had enchanted him to fall straight asleep.

.....

Another hour had passed by before Sterling woke up from the hard work that he had put in. And Sterling was now feeling a lot better. Riding the train to his new home, going through the legal processes of becoming a citizen, and even working his magic on his new home had taken their seriously taxing toll on his body. He looked over to the alarm clock. It was now reading 3:30 PM on the dot.

He chuckled at the wonder of how the time went by so fast. When he arrived in Ponyville, it was 12:00 PM. After going through the work to make himself a citizen, it was 1:00 PM. And when the house was finished, it was 2:30 PM.

"Well," he grunted as he got off of his bed, "it's time that I explored the new town that I'm a resident in now," he decided as he changed out his dirty clothes to reveal his somewhat nude body.

The shower within his own bathroom was calling him, and he obeyed. After a quick yet invigorating shower, Sterling was clean as a new whistle. And with a new change of clothes on him, he walked out of the house to his separate garage unit.

Before he could open the garage, however, there was a roar coming from the sky. Sterling knew what the noise was... without a doubt. A dragon.

His hypothesis was well met as a large red dragon was flying towards his property. The same creature then flew overhead as it circled around him. With a slight snarl in its voice, as it made the final approach, the creature spoke:

"Are you the one that is named Sterling Caliber?"

Sterling then looked at the creature in its eyes and said:

"I am him."

The same dragon had then begun to glow a light that surrounded its body. Within a few seconds, the large drake had shrunk itself to reveal a male anthro-dragon of about six feet and ten inches tall.

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

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

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

Sterling had then examined the outside wax seal to see the royal symbol to see if the dragon was not lying to him. It was the real thing, he concluded. When he opened the scroll, he saw that the contents inside had been a enchantment spell to create a vault for whatever treasures he would be given. There was also a letter that was claw-written by the Dragon King himself.

"And this... is not all of it, I take it?" Sterling asked as the brow above his left eye had peaked up after having quickly read the letter.

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

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

"Just a last, light trinket," Fiery spoke to him with a proud nod. After searching through his bag for a moment, mumbling if the package was not what he was looking for, he found a rather small box. In it was a treasure that most would just kill to have in their possessions. Sterling then opened the box, and saw that very same thing that he was just slightly afraid of having:

The Royal Dragon-Heart Medal of Honor. Only the most courageous of soldiers could receive this honor. And no one alive had ever been so royally blessed.

Sterling had no words to speak, but Fiery had handed out a clipboard. It was for Sterling to sign his name on. With his signature, printed name and initials, the two of them had concluded their business. Within a few seconds after the dragon ascended to the skies, Sterling had then begun to speak out the enchantment on the treasure chest.

It became as small rock while drilling itself into the ground. Within a second after it stopped at just about ten feet deep below the ground, the same earth below him began to shake. But the shaking had soon abated after about forty seconds.

"The vault is now made, and my medals and weapons now have a better place, other than my basement, to be placed in," Sterling sighed with a smile on his face as he finally opened the door of his garage.

Inside the same garage was a machine that was a thing of beauty from first sight: his six-seat luxury car that also had a record speed limit of 290 MPH with a speed of 90 RPM in ten seconds. Black in color, glorious to look at, and very great to take care of. His TLC on the machine had earned him his right to say that it was not only his dream car, but one that would take him to many a place that he could go to. And many happy memories were made in that car of his.

After Sterling got in the driver seat, he twisted the key in the ignition and had turned on the engine. It roared loudly, speaking to him with a tone that desired to go somewhere.

"I know, my love. I know," he cooed to the car, patting the dashboard as if it were a child that was wanting attention from their parents. After pulling up from the open garage, he turned the wheel to the left and had begun to drive off to the town where he was going to drive around in. Even though the roads in the town were plated with asphalt years ago, they still looked relatively new in his eyes.

The speed limit of 40 MPH, as he saw on the signs, had been easily taken with his masterful driving. As Sterling cruised around the town, he noticed a building that looked like a ornate gingerbread house. It piqued his curiosity. After pulling up to an empty parking spot near the building, the man stepped out of the car to take in the sight.

"Hmm... I wonder what's inside?" he pondered before he took his steps towards the building to step inside. As he opened the door, however, he noticed that he was inside a rather dark room. The door closed behind him softly with a magical force. "Where's the lights to this place?" he asked out loud to where--

"SURPRISE!!!" a whole crowd shouted around him as soon as the lights went on. This caused Sterling to fall on his lower cheeks with the force of the event suddenly casted upon him. A few giggles and chuckles had then sounded out as he had gotten off of the floor. He looked around to see that there was.... a party? For him?!

*****