Chapter 4

The Truth Revealed, Part 1

*****

".... going to be alright?" a voice spoke up in the hospital room that Sterling had been laying in for two days now. Even in his grogginess, he was able to recognize the soft and timid voice that he heard. It was Fluttershy's voice.

"I'm sure that he'll be fine, Fluttershy. He's a lot tougher than he looks," Twilight answered the other woman. Sterling's eyes were then able to see more clearly as he saw the ladies grouped all around him. Though he was keeping his eyes half lidded, he was able to behold their physiques for a moment.

"Yeah, because even I know that he isn't going to let a few wounds hold him back," Rainbow Dash chimed with a brash, yet happy tone. Yep. It was the same attitude that even his former Commanding Officer would not have taken, unless he was able to somehow hold back his emotions. "Taking down two Alpha Timberwolves AND performing an exorcism? That just earned him another fifteen points on my 'Cool Guy' o'meter."

"Then you might want to take off one hundred points on my scorecard, for the time being," Sterling mumbled out loud to the women that had been circling around him. This earned him a few soft laughs and giggles from the ladies around him. He could only grin for a bit before the pain in his limbs had caught up to him with a vengeance.

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?" Rainbow asked him, confused with his words.

"Because I was actually more scared of what would've happened if I hadn't taken down both the wolves and that evil spirit," Sterling answered with a solemn and somber tone. "It would've been High Trotter City, all over again," he commented under a grunt of pain as he tried to raise his body to sit up.

"High Trotter City?" Twilight asked him as Rarity and Fluttershy had softly placed their hands on him.

"Stalliongrad, at the age of 16, before officially becoming a Marine," he began to speak as a tear had formed from his eyes with a shudder coming around his voice. "Somehow, an entire army's worth of Dire Wolves, Timberwolves, and even some undead warriors had been accompanied by anti-air and anti-tank machines to utterly destroy the place of its people and resources. I couldn't allow my new home, or anyone's home, to be destroyed," he somberly shook his head to them.

"But, no one is allowed to be in the Marines unless they've been trained after the age of eighteen," Twilight spoke up with her eyebrow raising up on her face. "And you told us about how you were in the Corps at the age of ten," Twilight continued on her observations.

"True," he nodded, hoping to somehow avoid talking about his past until a later time. "I did say that. But that is not what I'm wanting to know, right now," he spoke to them.

"Zecora is perfectly fine, darling, if you wanted to know," Rarity quipped to the man, knowing what he was concerned with. Before Sterling who she was talking about, Rarity added, "She's the same Zebrican shaman that you exorcised that evil spirit from, two days ago."

"As soon as we got to her place, Zecora had become quite concerned with your welfare," Fluttershy spoke up with her eyes not leaving Sterling's face. The man turned his face to meet hers. "She was also able to see that you were suffering from the poison that the Timberwolves injected into you. Her antidote was able to clean your blood of the poison from going any further, towards your heart," she added to the story of how Sterling was now in the hospital.

"So I've been in here for two days, huh?" the patient asked them, taking in a deep breath before asking.

"Uh-huh," Fluttershy nodded.

"Huh... well..." Sterling nodded to himself, looking away from them. "That's not the worst amount of time that I've taken to fully heal myself," he commented.

"Whaddya mean it's not the worst?! You looked like as if the Timberwolves got to you first!" Rainbow shouted out, showing how shocked she was about his calm attitude.

"The shortest time for a full-on healing was five minutes, while the longest time was about three to four weeks, give or take," Sterling answered her.

"Is that why we all saw that ghastly array of scars on your back?" Rarity asked, aghast from how calm the man sounded.

"The nurses must have shown you my battle scars," Sterling sighed. "I was not wanting that to happen..." he shook his head in his new defeat.

"But... why?" Fluttershy asked him.

"Because of how ugly it all looks. And that's putting it mildly, given that my war stories are just atrocious for me to remember," he spoke up to her with a stern look that was betraying his emotional pain. "And even my face has the scars to prove it..." he mumbled a bit loudly.

It was then that a nurse, named Red Heart, had entered the room with the door opening loud enough for the girls to hear her.

"Alright, ladies. I need to look over my patient before he's cleared to leave," she instructed them. "So may I ask that you ladies leave the room?" she asked them with her gaze locked onto her patient.

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

"Sterling?" Rarity spoke to him.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Thank you... for everything," she almost sobbed as she kissed his cheek. "Thank you...."

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

"....See you later?" Sterling softly asked as he waved to them.

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

"Do you feel ready to walk out of the room, deary?" she asked him in a warm voice.

"As soon as the numbness subsides, I guess," Sterling answered her honestly. "Can you tell me what I suffered when I was admitted in here?" he then asked the nurse, wanting to know if there was going to be any new scars.

"A few of those monsters were somehow able to sink their fangs and claws into your right thigh, your chest and the lower part of your back," she began to list to him. "And if that poison had gotten into your heart, you would've died right then and there in Zecora's hut. Thankfully, even though you were majorly bleeding from some major arteries, the poison was able to reject itself from going any further. And the antidote that she gave you was also able to heal your wounds for a time. But it seems that your body has already taken more than its fair share of scarring and stitches."

"Well, that's what happens when you're in the direct line of fire from your enemies on the front lines," Sterling nodded to her.

"And how long have you been fighting in this... war, as you call it?" Red Heart asked him, professionally curious about his claims.

"Since I was ten years old, before I was even allowed to legally enter the Armed Forces of Equestria," he answered her out of courtesy.

"Oh, goodness!" she gasped loudly, clearly shocked with his truthful claim. "Then it's a miracle that you survived all of that!" she spoke up in her surprise. "But... by all rights, you shouldn't even be in this hospital bed! And with how you are now in this bed, it's a wonder how you are even able to move your head!" she chimed.

"Even I've asked the universe how the Lady Faust watches over me in all of those times," Sterling conceded, knowing fully well that he was supposed to be dead now. "My guess is that someone in the heavens does not want me dead," he then nodded with his face still being stern.

"I should say so," Red Heart nodded. "Well, then... we need to put you in the wheelchair if you're ready to leave," she calmly told him as she summoned the same contraption from the other side of the room.

"Nurses' orders," he said as his body was now able to rise from the bed. "But I'll need the clothes and possessions that I was admitted with, if you don't mind," he said to her as his feet had then been planted onto the cold tile of the floor. The shock of the floor being cold had woken him up a little more as a small gasp escaped his mouth.

"No problem, Colonel," she smiled at him as the man had placed himself into the wheelchair.

Minutes later, his trip to the dressing room had revealed that there was another set of clothes piled up before him on a bench. They were not the ones that he had worn during his adventure against the evil creatures and spirit. He saw that there was a note on top of what he perceived to be the shirt. It read:

Dear Sterling,

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

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

And as such, we wish to take you out to the Haute Trotter Cafe & Restaurant. Our treat, of course.

With love,

Rarity.

P.S. Both Fluttershy and I wanted to let you know that we both discovered something about ourselves. We'll tell you about it when we see you.

"....." Sterling was not able to understand what she meant by 'our treat'. But as he dressed up into his new clothes in stride after lifting himself from the chair, he took a deep breath and calmly assessed the situation. He was being taken out... on a date. With two very beautiful women. He had then started to notice how it must have been some higher deity in the heavens that was treating him to this new change of events.

"Sweet... Celestia..." he whispered out loud, even with a tinge of nervousness in his tone. One side of him was yelling out that they were only treating him like a poster hero in a movie. And that this was not going to be a social calling. Like, at all. But that voice in his head would have won, had it not been for the fact that his heart was jumping for joy. And as a teenager going to meet his rock-star or celebrity would, his feet had jumped up and down from how excited he was.

"I GOT A DATE!!! I GOT A DATE!!! I GOT A DATE!!! I GOT A DATE!!! I GOT A DATE!!!" Sterling had shouted out as he jumped up and down in his newly found excitement. This made the nurse behind him giggle loudly from his enthusiasm. Soon as he heard it, his excitement had suddenly turned into embarrassment. Sterling then cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that," he chuckled to her.

"First one at all?" Red Heart giggled. Sterling could only nod to her. "Got get 'em, tiger," she winked at him with a slap on his lower cheeks. This made him yelp out with a 'ooh!' after feeling the slap on his lower cheeks. But he could only smile, given that the yelp was an indicator that he was now fully healed.

"Thanks, Nurse Red Heart," he smiled back as his goofy grin crept back to his face.

Sterling was not able to hear the reply that Red Heart had given him, given that he was now making his way towards the front entrance of the hospital. But then, another nurse had called out to him. And as he was stopped, he signed the official paperwork to let himself out. And as he finished, he then took his steps towards the door. Slowly, this time.

No war stories would be shared with the women that wanted to take him out on this date. It was then that Sterling had to remember that even though he would have to share what his unit was, and how he was the last of them, he would eventually tell them about it all when it was the right time. His role in coming back to Equestria, his abilities in magic, all of his past life would be revealed in time.

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

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

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

“Yep. Both Rarity and Fluttershy decided to take me out on a lunch date,” Sterling nodded to her. “But... I am wonder--” he was about to ask of her well-being, before Zecora's hand stopped his question.

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

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

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

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

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

But the slight pain went away as fast as he felt it. “And I better summon some sunglasses soon, lest I go blind from Celestia's powerful might,” he chuckled to himself as a pair of sunglasses had suddenly appeared in front of him. “Huh?” he arched an eyebrow towards the glasses before him.

“Something for your eyes, Colonel,” a familiar voice called out. Sterling turned around to see that Twilight Sparkle was already waiting for him. “We don't want you to go blind on us,” she giggled to him.

Sterling had then grabbed the glasses and placed them on his face. He then walked over to lady and gave a small bow to her. “Thank you, my lady,” he spoke to her with a small grin, trying his best to keep himself composed.

“You're welcome, Colonel,” Twilight replied to him. Not two seconds after the exchange of words had come that the same Princess had reached her arms swiftly around his body to hold him in a deep hug. Sterling was quite surprised. But he could only reply to her silence with the same gesture that she was giving him.

The two of them had then decided to keep the deep hug going for a while. For Twilight, it was all because of how grateful she was truly feeling for his valor. And she wanted nothing more than to show him that her feelings were genuine. The same valor that the man had shown in many battlefronts was what got her to feel the same feelings that always came around when a person risks their life to save countless others. Her silent sobs had been heard by the man that she was really hugging very tightly around her arms.

For Sterling, it was circulating in his head that no one ever had ever thanked him that deeply for his many deeds to save Equestria. No one. And for him, considering that he was a part of the armed forces of his country, getting that kind of a hug was rumored to have two meanings:

The first was consisted of the belief that only the best of the best of soldiers deserved this deeply heartwarming gesture from a Princess. And that the hug was a means of telling him, in silence, that his many sacrifices, both personal and in the rules of war, were not in vain. But the second belief, from what his former commander had told him, was that this kind of hug was also meant for him to figure out that the Princess was also falling in love with him.

He quickly waved away that second part, given that he was certainly not going to entertain the thought of a royal Princess falling for an ordinary guy like him. Even though he was considered to be a true hero in his unit's eyes, he never wanted to be seen as anything more than just an ordinary guy. And rightfully so; thinking a that Princess would go with a guy like him? Not likely to happen in his new life.

“Thank you, Princess...” Sterling whispered to the woman, prompting her to look into his silver-colored eyes. Sterling then looked into the same deep amethyst purple eyes of hers and saw that her fears were mixed with her gratification for him.

“No...” Twilight whispered back, “Thank you... for saving all of us,” she almost sobbed again before giving a small cough to clear her throat. “And all of Ponyville, for that matter,” she nodded to him. Sterling could only chuckle a bit from her response.

“Well, uh.... that's what happens when a Dragon-Heart Medal recipient is crossed against in any fight,” Sterling sighed with a grin. “'If any type of evil crosses your path, they will be faced with a fury that rivals that of the Dragon King and Queen'”, he quoted to the Princess in front of him.

“Well, that sounds kind of.... weird,” Twilight speculated, not really knowing what he said to her. “What does that quote even mean?” she then asked him, curious about his answer.

“It means that if any kind of enemy tries to kill my friends, or destroy my home for that matter, then they'll simply be fought against. And with no means of showing mercy, unless the opponent truly wishes for my mercy,” Sterling answered her.

Even though Twilight was perplexed by his answer, she eventually processed the words 'my friends' into her head. Those two little words made her suddenly smile. But as her smile was appearing, it froze for a few moments. 'No means of showing mercy, unless the opponent truly wishes--' But Twilight knew exactly what he was meaning to say.

“Do you really think of me-- I-I mean! -Us, as your friends?” Twilight corrected herself after gathering the information. That sudden word made her blush quite a lot.

“You okay there, Twilight?” Sterling asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-yes, Sterling," she nodded to him as her blush was ceasing. "I'm perfectly fine. But what about you? You look like you just healed yourself with a massive spell," Twilight then observed.

"Nah," he waved to her before replying with, "It's a small regeneration spell that I learned a few years ago. Plenty of sleep does the trick well," Sterling nodded.

"Rarity and Fluttershy are waiting there for you there," Twilight regarded as her hand pointed to the other two women that were graciously perched on the bench, waiting for him. "See you later?" she asked him.

"That you will," Sterling replied to her. And with a final yet quick hug, they parted. Twilight was now taking flight to her castle as Sterling walked over to the ladies at the bench.

Sterling had then observed that the ladies' clothing was slightly changed; For Rarity, the had donned a simple white blouse that had a stitched trio of diamond-cut sapphires on her left sleeve. This was obviously her symbol, Sterling noted. But for the lower part of her attire, she had a purple skirt that reached to her knees. And yet it was still quite sexy to look at, even though it was a bit tight. Her shoes were also in a deep blackish purple shade. With Fluttershy, all that she had on was a summery sundress that had three pink butterflies stitched onto the left strap. And with a pair of pink flats for her footwear, too.

"Have you two been waiting long?" Sterling asked them, perking their heads to look at him.

"Oh, no. Not at all, darling," Rarity cooed to him after scoffing the first two words. Wait... cooing? "It's only been about half of an hour, but that's just trivial, dear," Rarity spoke again with her hand waving out a bit.

"We both saw you and Twilight sharing a hug," Fluttershy said to him. "It must have been quite nice," she then nodded.

"It was just a hug between new friends, nothing more," Sterling shrugged off.

"Oh that modesty of yours," Rarity giggled. "You really made an impression on her, you know," she stated to him.

"Oh! Speaking of impressions, there was something that you wanted to share with me on that note," Sterling noted to the ladies besides him.

"Y-yes... that's right," Fluttershy answered softly with a nod.

"Walk with us to the cafe?" Rarity suggested to the man.

"With my hands on your shoulders, if you please?" Sterling added.

"And ours on yours," Rarity giggled. Soon after, the three of them had each other wrapped in the others' arms. And as they did this, Sterling, Rarity and Fluttershy went walking in a southwest direction. This walk, as Sterling supposed, was taking them to the cafe. Rarity had indicated so with a few added directions.

Within a few minutes, the Haute Trotter Cafe, a relatively new but classic place to get some coffee and real food, (unlike the tasteless crap that Sterling would have been fed if he stayed any longer in the hospital) was within their view.

"Goodness, I never would have thought about it, but it looks quite pleasant, doesn't it?" Rarity commented while looking at the decor of the establishment.

"It does look nice," Fluttershy spoke up. "And I wonder if they'll have a few food choices that have no meat," she then added to the conversation.

"Eh... I've seen better places in my tours, but it does look like a neat place to eat in," Sterling spoke up, noticing the pang that hit his stomach. "I'm just worried about the prices that they'll charge," he scratched his head in contemplation.

"Oh, Sterling. Speak not of price, but of quality, my dear," Rarity said to him with that high-class tone that she was well known for. "After all, we do wish for you to hear about how the both of us came to a certain... well, understanding that Fluttershy and I have come to realize about ourselves," she hesitated, hoping to find the right words.

"I can only hope that it isn't anything about me that could damper our new friendship..." Sterling sighed, almost regretting not going home immediately after leaving the hospital.

"W-what?" Fluttershy almost shuddered, a little scared about how he came to that conclusion. "Why would you say that?" she asked him with her concern for him rising.

"I certainly must agree with my friend-- why would you say such a thing, darling?" Rarity then said to him, also sharing her concern. "If anything, this is actually quite a bit of some... uh how would you say it in your terminology?" she began to ask him, "For when you are wanting to know some information on your new friends?" she then asked him.

"Background check with reconnaissance for better internal affairs?" Sterling then said to her.

"Mmm... quite a way of putting it, Sterling. But, yes! That is quite right!" Rarity applauded him with a lady-like smile.

"Thanks for that," Sterling chuckled with a small blush. "It just... mmm... seemed like the best way to speak about the approach of this... uh... little lunch date of ours," he said to them with his fingers whirling around to them all, still a bit nervous about it all.

"You're still nervous, aren't you?" Fluttershy softly asked him again.

"Despite my rigid stance, I'm still shaking like a rattlesnake's weapon of choice," Sterling admitted. But she was just that good. Timid herself, she knew just what to say to him.

"But without the venom, right?" Rarity joked to him.

"No venom, just an anesthetic," Sterling quipped to her. From there, they each got a little laugh.

Minutes later, Sterling and his dates had taken one of the cafe's outdoor tables to enjoy their new meals. When the waiter had come to take their orders. When the drinks (a small cola for Sterling, an orange juice for Fluttershy & a soda water with lemon for Rarity) had been served, Sterling had ordered a supreme style pizza without the meats, explaining that he only eats meat or fish for his breakfast meals. This, of course, was to absorb the proteins in order to get and stay stronger for every day that he started. Fluttershy had ordered a veggie omelet with a bit of feta cheese inside of it. And for Rarity, she ordered a salad with croutons and finely shredded cheddar cheese.

Within a few moments, the ladies had daintily begun to eat their food while Sterling had taken two slices of his pizza and began to eat them like a man that had been hungry for a while. Two days of not eating anything was certainly a good reason to start pigging out on some good food. Sterling then noticed, after eating about half of his first two slices, that the ladies were looking at him in a weird way. He then swallowed the good food that he had chewed on, and he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"I am really sorry about my behavior, ladies," he bowed his head to them. "But after two days of not being able to eat some really good food, I needed to really get some food in, given my heightened hunger. And no hospital food could do that for me," he explained to them, hoping to clear the air of his ravenous behavior. "Besides, that green jello is enough to kill a manticore," he whispered to them, earning him a few giggles.

"Oh, it is quite alright, my dear Sterling," Rarity waved her hand to him. "You're a grown man who has his needs, right?" she chimed to him. Sterling gave out a 'mmhmm' noise as he began to finish his sandwiched slices. "And I am certain that you need to have your square meals every day," she then nodded to him.

"That I do, indeed," Sterling replied to the lady. "And I should like to say that I ordered a large pizza because of how my appetite for pizza is without end," he then said to her.

"Like Pinkie Pie's appetite for sweets?" Rarity asked him curiously.

"Well... maybe less of the hyperactive type, that is," the man replied. "Given that I am an omnivore, I can eat anything. But given that the both of you are more than likely to be vegetarians, I decided to not go for the other ingredients that might make you uncomfortable to look at," he added to the conversation.

"You really skipped the meat for our sake?" Fluttershy asked him as her eyes widened. Sterling could only nod at her.

"Well! I must commend you for choosing to eat your vegetables, Colonel Caliber," Rarity chimed again at the man's altruistic gesture to them. Sterling could only chuckle at her words as he went for another two pieces to sandwich together. "Now, um... would you be willing to listen to the discovery that Fluttershy and I made about each other as well as what we both found out concerning you?" the lady then asked him.

"Uh..." Sterling hesitated, hoping that what the women were about to say would not affect his relationship with them in a bad way. "O-Okay," he conceded with a shrug. If there was a good time to back out, it would have been now. But he was never known to back away from anything that might have concerned him. Whether it was something personal, or even within his fights from a long time ago, he would face all of his fears. Including his dreaded hypothesis. "Go ahead."

"You must understand, darling, that this discovery is not as bad as you might have thought, so..." Rarity began. "We must begin at the beginning. On the first day of your recovery, Fluttershy and I had become more than concerned with how you would survive. Rainbow Dash would always go on with that brash attitude of hers how 'Sterling won't just die because of some wounds!'. But my friend and I," she pointed to Fluttershy, who squealed with a tiny sob that they could barely hear from her, "were not feeling so well about the situation. She and I had our doubts. And yet..." she trailed off for a moment before continuing.

"Even though you were alive, as Red Heart told us at the time, we still felt that you would have died if not for us," Fluttershy intervened. "And w-we just... um... w-w-we-- Oh, Sterling!" she then cried to him as her body was guided to tackle his to the ground. After a hard thump was heard on the ground, Sterling had seen that his new friend was tightly wrapping her arms around him in a trembling hug that spoke of her fears.

But as Sterling was about to rise from the ground, Fluttershy had then taken her lips to meet his in a kiss. This move was made almost immediately as they both froze up from the action that she made as their faces burned up with an embarrassed blush. And as she pressed her lips to his, Fluttershy had then begun to kiss him more and more. This barrage of kisses was almost copied out from any romance novel that any person could buy for a good or bad reading.

Sterling, however, was just as surprised, if not more, with how this turn of events had suddenly come around. Instead of backing away, he cupped his hand on Fluttershy's head and cheek to return her kisses with a few of his own. He was not a great kisser, by all means, but he still wanted to return the mutual feelings. His heart was now in an inferno that engulfed his entire being with a flame of passion. "Is this... what love feels like? Because it just feels amazing!" the man had proclaimed in his head. And after about five minutes, both he and Fluttershy rose up from the ground and dusted each other off with some awkwardness that came around.

Before Sterling could say something back, Rarity had then taken his face with her hand and planted a few passionate kisses on his lips. Once again, the man was stunned from the action being made to him. But he could only try to repeat the same action to the newest kisser. And after yet another five minutes, both Sterling and Rarity parted from each other with a gasp for air.

"That.... was....", Sterling panted while looking at the both of them. He then noted that he got Rarity's dress a bit dirty. "Oh, uh... sorry about the dirt," he awkwardly said to her with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, no worries, Sterling," Rarity spoke to him with her hand waving at him. "I take it that you were able to hear us out?" she then asked him with her smile not leaving her face as her eyes kept looking at his.

"Mm-hmm," he nodded to her.

"And there is something else for us to say," Fluttershy added on. Before Sterling could ask what she was about to say, both Fluttershy and Rarity looked into each other's eyes and began to kiss each other full on the lips. This kiss caused both of the women to blush just slightly before they each closed their eyes after their lips parted.

"My friend and I had discovered, during your time in that hospital bed, that we're both willing to love each other just as much as we found out we could love you, my dear," Rarity explained to the man who had felt his face getting hot after seeing them kiss.

"So you both want to be my girlfriends, then?" Sterling concluded, still bewildered from seeing how affectionate they were with him and each other. "N-not that I don't think it's.... bad, but--" Sterling tried to speak before he felt two pairs of lips smooching on his face cheeks. By the time that the lips left his face, both of the women then smiled at him with a warm smile that he never saw from two women that both desired his affection. "Okay. Let's see what we can do as a three-people couple," he then spoke up, reading off a gasp from them.

"...yay..." Fluttershy cheered in a whisper as she wrapped her arms around her chest.

"Marvelous," Rarity spoke up with her hands on her chest, touching where her heart was.

.....

The food was, after about another half hour, either fully eaten or was wrapped up to go. Sterling had decided to pay for the food, despite the fact that it was Rarity and Fluttershy who wanted to treat him with some good food. Sterling was not going to hear any of their protests, calmly saying that it was only right for him to pay for the food. Especially with how he now had not one but two girlfriends.

When he had asked Fluttershy why she wanted to be his girlfriend, she stated that he was just a very kind and understanding soul. One that had shown his desire to protect both her, her friends, the town, and her animal friends as well. When he asked Rarity if his going out with her was because of his gift of wine to her from the days before, she only laughed heartily, saying that his token to her was only that. But his gift was able to tell her that his generosity was almost better than hers.

And as they walked off from the cafe to the boutique, Sterling had asked Rarity if it was alright if he could take Fluttershy out on his first date first. He quickly explained that he believed that, given her caring nature, the veterinarian just deserved nothing but the absolute best from him. Even more than what he had as he was growing up. Rarity was a little disappointed about not being asked first, but she understood that her best friend, Fluttershy, was his first kiss. Thus, giving her the right to date him first.

And when Fluttershy had asked him to pick her up at 7:00 at her house on the next day, he kissed her full on the lips. His smooches were now even better than before as his lips pressed passionately on hers. This received a sigh from her, silently speaking of how much she enjoyed it as her arms wrapped around him.

After a few moments, Sterling then turned to Rarity and kissed her just as sweetly. Rarity had given a shudder from his touch, eager to let him know that he was just spectacular with his action to her. After kissing his other girlfriend, Sterling then parted from them with a fond farewell. And after saying their goodbyes, Sterling had walked off from the entrance of the boutique towards his home.

.....

As he opened the door of his home, he was greeted by the familiar trio of spirits that he soon greeted.

"I suppose you were worried about me?" he asked them with an eyebrow raised up.

Not entirely, Master Caliber, the King answered. We already knew that you were in that hospital during those days. But we knew that you'd heal up in no time.

I, however, must speak my congratulations to you, the Queen spoke up with a smile.

"Yeah.... I guess being able to stop a few Timberwolves and an evil spirit will allow some commendation," Sterling nodded.

Oh, I was merely speaking about you finding love, my dear friend, the Queen giggled.

And with two beautiful women, no less, the Prince commented with a chuckle.

"Oh.... that, too," Sterling blushed sheepishly. "I need to take a nap. And hopefully... I can dream a good dream about those babes," he then smiled as his feet were guided to the bedroom. After taking off his clothes to place them on the floor, he placed his entire body on the bed and had allowed the desire to sleep to overcome him.