Chapter 9

The Final Battle For Equius, Part 1

*****

(Ground Zero, near the city of Canterlot, 19:55 PM)

The moon was rising high in the night sky as the Royal Guard had assembled at the walls while Shining Armor had already put up his old shielding spell, but with a reinforcement spell to keep it from crumbling like the last time. The Changeling hives had already begun to swarm around the castle after seeing the defenses put up while the Shadow-Walkers had been blocked off from entering the sewage lines by the same enchantment. And the Rex Brutes had been on the ground, marching towards the castle grounds for their conquest. But even with the shield up, the warriors on the ground had also brought many war machines that had destroyed many citadels and shield spells in the past.

Leviathan Di'Nihilous was waiting impatiently for his armies to get past the shield surrounding the city as he was seated on an iron throne that was decorated with a pyramid of skulls that had been adorned with stains of blood at the back of the seat.

"Once the shield spell has been forcefully disenchanted by the Shadow-Walkers and the Changelings, I will personally see to it that the walls of Canterlot fall under my fist," he smiled to himself as he saw more of the flying carriages swoop up to the orb that protected the castle. "And from there, after Sterling Caliber of the Royal Elites views my message, the destruction of the world will be a dream come true."

An evil laugh echoed through the landscape being pounded by the marching feet of the legion. "With 500,000 Rex Brutes under my command, against the 72,000 Royal Equestrian Armed Forces of Equestria in Canterlot? This will be the final battle that will resurrect the True King of the Brutes, Rex Muta! And with the Royal Elites falling to their knees before their deaths, this will become a day long remembered. It started with the fall of the Prime Royal Elite, and it will end with the death of my hated rival!"

As the legion marched on, the leader could feel as if something would not go well. And this was from his first experience against Sterling Caliber nagging at him, making him furious at the possible defeat at the Royal Elite's hands.

But just as he was unable to control his anger any longer, another Changeling scout had flown towards him.

"My lord!" it spoke to him.

"Report!" Leviathan ordered.

"The shield spell will crumble in the next three minutes! The Shadow-Walkers are chiseling their way in, just as we are, sire!"

The Candidate for the title of King of the Brutes could only smile, even as it wore of just as quickly.

"Triple your efforts! And command the same to those Shadow-Walkers!"

"At once!"

The Changeling then flew away, tripling its speed towards the comrades.

"I will be the one to destroy Equestria! So help me, Rex Muta!"

And deep within the nearby forest that the legion passed by, an evil voice had begun to laugh malevolently.

"And when you resurrect me.... I will see to it that you are destroyed, hybrid weakling. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha....."

(War Room, Castle, Canterlot, 20:00 PM)

"Royal Elites! We have only four hours until the start of the longest night of all time approaches!" Sterling announced to the three dozen soldiers in his unit, and all while seeing the Princesses not interfering or interjecting with a thought. "And even as we speak, the Shadow-Walkers and Changelings are doing their best to chip away at the shield that is protecting us! But we must move quickly in order to fight back against the larger army that wishes to destroy the peaceful lands of our countries!"

"And how are we supposed to do that, Captain?" a Corporal named Remington asked him. "500 against 72? We have no hope to win this battle! And we don't have enough magic on our side to destroy them all! And we're all gonna die-- OW!!" he further shouted before being slapped down by Sterling.

"Control yourself, Corporal!" he calmly said to the man on the ground before helping him back up. But not before smacking him upside the head with a fast hand. "We can defeat them! And we will! But we must hold the line when midnight strikes the clock tower!" Sterling then said to them. "But only if we combine all of our talents!" he further said to the group around him.

"The Captain is right, guys," Onyx spoke up for his soldiers. "All of the skirmishes that we faced with them, all of the fights that our Captain led us through? Those days prepared us for the real fight to come in the next four hours! And I speak for myself- I apologize for my interruption, sir," he quickly apologized to his Captain.

"Apology accepted, 2nd Lieutenant Clawshield," Sterling nodded to him.

"I believe I can speak for all of us when I say that even Elitus Regium would want us to follow through in this final battle in the end, even if it meant following our deaths! But we'll all survive this, because if we don't, the Rex Brutes will pay dearly for killing us!" he cheered out to his friends, seeing them raise their arms.

"But how so, Lieutenant Clawshield?" Fixer spoke up to him, allowing himself in put in his thoughts, given his rank up as 1st Lieutenant.

"I believe that even our highly decorated Captain can come to the same conclusion when I say.... mmm...." he began to trail off in a deep thought. "Ah! Got it! There's a quote from someone, somewhere that says, 'There be no fury like Tartarus hath no like a woman scorned when lost of love and family!'" he chuckled to the Captain.

"And you are quite correct in that, Onyx," Sterling nodded. "No need for further elaboration on that, as I can see where you were going with that argument," he concluded, knowing fully well what the meaning of that quote was.

"Thank you, Captain," he smiled at him with a nearly wicked grin.

Yep. Both of them, as well as some of the soldiers who chuckled (including Fixer), had known very well that if his girlfriends were to see him die, they would just go more berserk than a berserker within Ragnarok. Or even a dragon if someone had stolen what was rightfully theirs. As he said, no need for further elaboration.

"Now! What I have proposed to the Princesses' is the most highly suicidal, the most highly of death courting, and absolutely the craziest proposal that I ever had to ask of them!" Sterling then announced to the fighter team. "And it all starts with the most historical, if not the most extreme of the bloodiest fights that ever occurred in the history of warfare! Or even within the waning months of our unit's time," he elaborated further.

This was about to start an old lesson that was taught to them all, even if they were not a part of the battle itself. And they all knew, even the Princesses' in the presence of the room knew as well, what Sterling was bout to say to them.

"Illudium-5 was a port city that resided within the land of Prance, in the United Stirrupean Islands, 20 nautical miles away from the Kingdom of Gryphonia...."

(950th Year-Second Era, Illudium-5)

The scene changes into a port city that had its charm for being a port of call for many traveling sailors. And even the newborn citizens of the city had a happy face on them. But some of the people there... were not so happy with everything that had transpired daily. And the scenes had changed to become a war zone.

"While the city itself was a great place, there were those who wanted to destroy it out of a desire for blood and destruction. And all of the citizens were live targets in the eyes of the Griffon aggressors, during the Griffon-Equestrian border war. But there was a ray of light that penetrated through the walls of smoke that were made by the somewhat advanced machines of war. And that hope came from the smallest contingent of Chameleon soldiers who fought the larger armies. And with their ability to hide well within the carnage that was produced, as well as being able to prevent themselves from dying, the Chameleon garrison at the time had been known as the 'Grand Saviors' of the land. But before any of the innocent civilians could even identify them, they were all evacuated from the town in secret."

"The final step to the conclusion, much to every parties ire, was how the city was entirely destroyed, along with the larger armies that invaded the port. When they all felt that they would be taken to their cities, mainly for the sake of their torturous sciences, they were left with only one option. And that same option.... came at the cost of the lives of the 500 Chameleons."

The scene then showed an expanding explosion of powerful magic surrounding the land around it, leaving nothing but a massive pile of war-torn rubble, leaving nothing but an empty town. Literally. It had become as if... it did not exist at all.

[Back to Canterlot....]

"And after seeing the formations that were used against the enemies at the time- no offense intended, Warrant Officer Grizzly," he apologized quickly to the Griffon in the room.

"None taken, sir," the female Griffon nodded to him, knowing that he meant well.

"I have seen how the small formations had become the same ones that took down the aggressors, and thus: My belief is that we can use the oldest trick in the book to fool the Rex Brutes into believing that they are winning against us. But in the end, all Rex Brutes, no matter who leads them or how long they lead, all share one.... little.... similarity," he allowed a brief smile to crawl up his face.

"And that is?" Celestia asked him, prompting Sterling to look at her with a serious look.

"That they are all imbeciles when it comes to strategies and resourcefulness," he smirked at the royalty near him.

"They may outnumber us in force, as they've always done in the past, but we've always had the advantage of our intelligence on our side," Fixer stated proudly. "And if anyone but Leviathan is shown to be doing things outside of his agenda, he kills them. Only he believes that the world belongs to his fists," he then growled, spitting out the name of the enemy leader like poison. "And anyone who keeps underestimating our abilities will soon find that out. Right, Cap?" he stated to the man in charge.

"But none of you are to use our positions for any personal gain! Or so help me, sweet Lady Faustia the Creator: I will personally demote you before I sever your ties with me before destroying you," Sterling told them all with a hint of anger, knowing that there have been a few Royal Elites in the past that strayed off from the path of righteousness and harmony.

"And risk you getting an international bounty on your head? Not on your life! Because even the most highly of trained of bounty hunters would die from how tough, yet creative, you are," Brandon then spoke up, emitting a chuckle from the other soldiers before towing their emotions to a stone-hard look.

"I think you mean 'reckless', your Highness," he looked to the Prince that stood side-to-side with the other soldiers; one of them being a Valkyrie that blushed at the face of the royalty.

"HA! Reckless! That may be true, Captain," Brandon laughed a bit. "But that didn't stop you from saving the world with every formation that had been used against our common enemies!"

"I can only imagine," Cadence whispered to her husband, Shining Armor, lowly.

"Me too," he whispered back to his wife.

"I heard that, you two," he responded to the pair who blushed slightly from the words. "I may have saved the world, with your Empire being a part of the land of Equestria, but even I cannot condone the recklessness of my actions thus far. And even the Illudium-5 formation is making me look like a bullied teenager on the verge of suicide," he sighed out loud.

"But you have no choice but to use it against the Rex Brutes, don't you?" Luna spoke up, dropping her Royal Canterlot dialect at that moment.

"I cannot allow it to be unused, given that our previous tactics will more than likely be remembered by the hybrid who leads an undead legion of fallen soldiers," he nodded. "But even then.... I would rather destroy my enemy with the I-5, than to allow him to take the helm of this land," he vowed to the royal women and man in front of him. "But most importantly: I will not allow the world of Equius to fall so easily! Because to do so is to betray everything that I stand for! The protection of the four most beautiful monarchs in the world, along with the Prince of the Crystal Empire, is our order! It is our duty! And our life!"

"For death and glory?" Brandon smiled at him.

"For Equius.... and your people."

"The time is nearing 8:30, Captain," Fixer announced to the ones speaking. Sterling then observed the clock and saw that it was five minutes before the timeline was set. And with five minutes to go, the Captain then took a deep breath and looked to his soldiers who stood in the line.

"Ten-hut!" he shouted to his soldiers, who snapped to attention in a line. Sterling then walked down the line slowly. "Ladies and gentlemen: I have seen in your eyes... the same fear of seeing the city reduced to rubble take your hearts! And I would be the worst liar of all time.... if I did not have that same fear. There will be a day when the Rex Brutes will destroy everything in this world.... but not today! Weapons will be destroyed as the walls fall with its destruction, and the shields that we wield will fall from the many bolts of magic and arrows that penetrate the metal.... but not today! And with all that we hold sacred in our hearts, the kingdoms and cities within the lands of Equius will know of the Royal Elites versus the Rex Brutes, today! And our extensive history will show that even the most common of men can make the biggest difference as they stand side-to-side with each other to protect all that they know and love! And we will stop any and all aggressors who would oppose the goddesses of the waking world! Why? Because we will never stop fighting for all that is right! Just as we will never allow the darkness of our hearts to take over us! And so I ask.... no, I plead you all.... to stand with me against the monsters! But not just with me! But with all of the Armed Forces that will dedicate their lives and bodies to shield the lands from all monsters and barbarism!"

From a large distance outside of the castle, some of the citizens swore that they could hear a large growl, along with the loudest of cheers, coming from the Lunar Tower. It shook them up enough to know that there was courage in it. And thus, the whole city had become hyped up with the valorous cheer.

The Captain of the Royal Elites had successfully cheered his soldiers into the hype that was needed, while keeping his unit in their needed discipline. And even Baltic Slate, the Chameleon scout of the entire unit, had begun to feel ready to fight, despite his limited ability to do so. The speech of encouragement and valor had reached deeply into his heart and allowed him to make the noises that his race was known to make when they were ready to fight an enemy.

Sterling then stopped to where Baltic was standing and turned his face to him.

"Baltic Slate!" he shouted to him.

"Yes, sir!" the scout shouted back.

"I'm leaving you to lead your fellow Chameleon soldiers in the sewage lines as they destroy the Shadow-Walkers, along with any Changelings that come to interfere with the defenses! Once you have cleared them out, you are to join us as 'infantryman', by our sides! What say you?" the Captain spoke to him in a commanding voice.

"I accept the promotion, and the chance to fight with you, Captain!" Baltic complied with a small smile on his face that even Sterling knew was a face that showed happiness.

"Good! Now move to the main public works entrance on Star Street, soldier! Triple-time, understood?" he commanded him further.

"Yes, sir!" the Chameleon saluted to his superior.

"Carry on!" Sterling dismissed him. And with that, Baltic flew up from the ground and made his way to where he was needed right now.

"And what of us, Captain?" Fixer then stood to attention, wanting to know his objective. The other soldiers nodded at once.

"The Viking and Valkyrie are to team up with the Highlanders to test the strength of the Equestrian soldiers and Honor Guard at the training grounds! We've only got less than four hours to keep their strength up! Brandon! Ingrid! Furious! Bold! Ire!" he shouted to the small group. "Dismissed!"

The Nordic and Highlander team left the room immediately.

"The Dragon is to go with the needed Equestrian-Stirrupean joint unit into the air-ship docks to reinforce the flying man-of-war ships with more weapons, along with some protection on the hubs! Dismissed!" he instructed to the next group. "Next up: The Griffons and the Minotaur's are to reinforce the outer wall defenses with their machines! Dismissed!" The group had then been taken down to the final count of only three of his soldiers.

"3rd Warrant Officer Mary Angel-Dust! You and the other two are to report to the medical wings of the towers! They will be in need of your expertise in the matter at hand! Dismissed!" he commanded the last three who left immediately after being issued the order. All that were left were the Princesses and the Prince.

"And what will you do, Captain Caliber?" Shining Armor asked him, hoping that the answer would not be a bad one.

"I will be the one to make sure that all of my soldiers, excluding myself, will be the ones to gain the glory of the battle. And to do that-- WHOA!!" he shouted as a black crystal had shot through the door, prompting all of the royalty to duck. When it landed on the table where the maps were displayed, it landed next to the Lunar Tower of the castle map. The royal ones tried to pick it up with either magic, or with their hands. When a bolt of electricity had been shot against them, they tossed it around with a desire to see who would be able to handle it until it was tossed towards Sterling in an accidental lapse of judgement by Twilight Sparkle. When they all saw that it was not electrocuting him, they all came to a logical conclusion. It must have been intended to be picked up by the Captain.

"So, uh... what do you think it is, Sterling?" Shining Armor asked, still reeling from the aftershock from touching the black crystal so many times.

"I hope it's not a weapon," Twilight shivered.

"I'm afraid not, dear Twilight," Celestia observed from looking at the interaction with the crystal and the Captain.

"Then what could it be, Celestia?" Luna raised her voice, but not out of anger.

"A message," Sterling bluntly stated.

"A what?" they all said at once.

"A message for me," Sterling told them again, rolling his eyes at them for not getting the message.

"And do you know who it was that sent it, then?" Cadence asked him.

"I know exactly who it was," he hissed, knowing what might be said. The note that was left on the table was joined by the crystal before it flew off from the impact. Sterling used his magic to pick up the note. It read:

"Tap the crystal three times for the full message. Or, tap twice for the shortened version."

Sterling then tapped the crystal three times after reading the clear instructions out loud. As soon as he did, the crystal had glowed a large screen on the wall, showing the hybrid leader of the Rex Brutes.

"Aaahhhh! Captain Sterling Caliber!" the creature named Leviathan spoke up from the recorded message on the screen. "I am glad that you have received this message right now! For what I am about to tell you... is of the greatest importance! And not just for me! Though truth be told, I preferred it when you were just the 1st Lieutenant of your squad. Going up to Colonel or even General would be too upstanding, even for my taste!" he growled lowly from his frown.

"I just can't believe that he would insult--!" Shining Armor was about to protest before being silenced by Sterling's hand rising up.

"This is a recorded message from hours before," Sterling clarified for him. "He wants to give his insults in order to rile me up. So I'll entertain his musings," he nodded as the message continued.

"You must be wondering what it is that I have recorded on this crystal, hmm? Well... Let me begin with the most obvious beginning," he announced to the man who had a small audience behind him. "Both Celestia and Luna do not know of this, but only because of some obligation to me. But I will indulge the Princesses that are likely in the same room as you are," the creature chuckled with a sneer.

The Princesses in the room had only widened their eyes from how some form of clairvoyance was used from the time of the message.

"As you all know: Sterling Caliber was born in the city of Dodge Junction City, within the land of Equestria," he began to speak to them all. "And as such, those who are born in that city know nothing of being cautious within the Royal military. His mother, Silver Dasher, was a Magician who had a power that excelled many of her classmates from Magic School. And his father, Hard Hit, was an Equian man who was both strong, and fast, in his ability to fight off any opponent. And when the both of them got married-- to which I still find rather disgusting-- they had a child. And that child stands before you with how he got the message right at this moment."

"And when Sterling Caliber was born, he had discovered his talent at an early age. His father's natural strength and speed, along with the mother being a Magician, had let him become a Magician that still has the amazing ability to fight and outrace anyone in his way. And even I know this, because of one thing that he never told any person in the world about. Not even his Royal Elites," he then laughed ominously, his tone shifting into an even more evil bass.

Sterling could only nod when he knew what was about to be said.

"Sterling Caliber.... was my older brother, through adoption."

.....

[At the Training Grounds...]

"I certainly hope that we will be able to pull off the formation that our Captain wants," the Valkyrie named Ingrid spoke to Brandon as she set up more of the pads for crossbow practice for the Guards and soldiers near her. "Because if it doesn't work, then I am going to have a few choice words with him," she commented as she looked at the Prince before her.

"Fear not, Valkyrie! Odin-Will is not a man that goes against a battle to run away from it!" Brandon laughed as more of the soldiers had begun to practice harder.

[Back in the war room...]

"When I killed your parents, Captain.... I had no choice but to do it in order to accept my nature as a real monster. And none of the citizens would allow me to return. And now... I have access to a greater amount of power that sets me up higher than even your Princesses," Leviathan laughed at him. "And we could have been the best of partners, with you as my leader. But instead, you chose to fight for a pair of ugly whores that dare to call themselves royalty!" he growled loudly with his anger boiling his fur-covered skin.

The Princesses almost jumped out of their seats, but Sterling stopped them with his hand up once again.

"I am sure that I hit a rather sensitive spot with the women near you," he laughed nonchalantly. "And as such, when I killed your parents on that day, there was also a bit of news that your parents would have gladly shared with you. And that bit of news.... was how you were going to be the older sibling of a baby brother."

That moment.... right there. That was when Sterling felt all of his emotions at once. Most of them were anger, covering the desire to cry for his unborn sibling, while also covering a desire for blood. His enemy's blood.

"And now that I have brought your attention to the stage, there's a last minute warning that I must share with you, my old foster brother."

"And what could that monster have to share?!" Twilight nearly yelled out, if not for Celestia holding her shoulder down with her hand.

"It involves what I shared with you, long before you killed me near the mainland of Zanzebra," he further said, not showing any more delay in his news. "The same Prince, named Blueblood, was the one who ordered it all! The attacks on the world? The Elites being destroyed, one-by-one in High Trotter City? The assassination of your relatives? And my resurrection? It all points to him. And I know that you would desire that I show the evidence, and so I shall deliver," he promised before the screen lighted up to show the schematics of an ancient, but omnipotent, super-weapon that sent a shiver to all of the people in the room. "If you don't recognize what it is, then I will enlighten you: *ahem!* This... is the Alicornian Magic Extractor! And it has, by now, been fully constructed by Prince Blueblood himself! I made sure that he did. If not, he would suffer a much worse punishment than what any of the Princesses could do to him. And all that I ask, Sterling.... dear elder brother.... is that you stop him from going through his part of the plan, lest you find yourself without magic permanently. And when you find him, and take him down, then we both will be rewarded with the last confrontation."

Sterling was not able to find the heart to either say yes or no. In fact, he was unable to find any words. The news of finding out that he could have been an older brother, if not for the death of his parents, had halted his ability to even see the prospect of killing his enemy for the second time.

"I look forward... to killing you, myself." The message screen then faded to black before disappearing from the wall. The crystal had then snapped in half, leaving nothing but a mess of fractured gem shards that, thankfully, did not spread towards any of the people present. But Sterling couldn't even begin to put into words.... how he desired to not only avenge his country, or even the friends that fell to Leviathan's wrath, but to take revenge.... for his unborn baby sibling.

The next thing he knew, in the drunk-like stupor of his wrath, he had evacuated the war room, leaving both the Princesses and the Prince puzzled by his choice of actions.

"Sterling...." Twilight whispered as she saw him leave the room, nearly crying her eyes out from what she felt was the suffering that the Captain was already beginning to feel.

"Sister? Is he...?" Luna trailed off from her question as she saw the same sadness within her elder sister's eyes.

"His suffering.... is even more destructive than when I banished you to the moon a thousand years ago, Luna," Celestia said to her, lowering her head inch by inch in the sorrow that she had felt for the man.

"You mean..."

"Yes, Luna.... *sigh* Unlike me, when I banished you to the same star that you now control, I at least had the hope of being able to see you once again. But Sterling.... did not know that he was about to have a sibling to look over and play with. And he was the first born son of two fine citizens in this country. Thus, when he left Equestria, he was all alone. And with Leviathan Di'Nihilous destroying any chance of happiness from that part of his interrupted life, he had no choice but to keep walking, fighting, and hoping that none of the world would ever have to suffer from what he had gone through as a child. If he were to stay in the country, he would've more than likely be put through an orphanage before a pair of foster parents could even raise him. 1st Lieutenant Quick Fixer was his adopted father, along with the other men and women of the Royal Elites who took the time to not only train him, but to also raise him as a person."

"And now that he is with Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy?" Twilight spoke up.

"He found them in accordance to a power from the universe that even I could not understand. But as much as I don't, it is better to argue that the universe was able to show him the path to what he really wants to fight for. But when this battle is over between him and his enemies, he will find that the good things from his sacrifices will be even greater than the trials that he has gone through. And we, as the protectors of our lands, must help the leader of the greatest force that has protected us for thousands of years."

(Somewhere on a street in Canterlot....)

Sterling had walked through the nearly abandoned street named Sparkle Lane, seeing the all of the families either being fully evacuated from the houses or seeing a few men, along with some larger groups of women, signing up at the impromptu desk that held the volunteer sheet for those who wanted to fight for their countries. But what affected him the most was seeing the faces of the mothers crying while most of the children had volunteered to fight for their families.

He knew... perfectly well... that this would more than likely happen to him, had his small family lived. Various Auran and Magician siblings, old enough to fight in his observant eyes, had already begun to sign up, knowing that none of them would live to see another day. But more than that, Sterling was able to see the determination in the mass' eyes. Even the ones who were much older, the same parental figures as he saw before, had begun to sign their lives over to the service of their country, let alone their city.

Words of encouragement, as well as precise instructions for living long enough in the battle ahead, had been spoken about as the Captain made his way to a bench near the park that was close to the castle. And as he sat there, the future had played out a scenario that had more than likely happened if things had been the same for him as a child in his mind.

A little child, playing along on a playground with another sibling had been seen in Sterling's eye. And in the scene, he was able to see his parents looking over to the rowdy children that were playing various games that allowed their imaginations to run wildly. They looked.... happy. And as the little boys ran up to his parents, Sterling saw his younger self and his unborn sibling hugging their parents.

"Sterling...." his mother cooed to his younger self.

"We are so happy that you are taking care of your brother...." his father smiled.

Then, without a second to think, Sterling then saw all four of the imagined family staring directly at him with a warm smile.

"We are both happy.... that you have defended us, son," the father spoke to him.

"I could not have raised a better son, even if I was unprepared for it all," the mother smiled warmly.

"I miss you mom and dad," he muttered softly when his thoughts went back to reality.

"Do you?" an unfamiliar voice spoke up next to him. He turned fast to see that no one was near him.

"Who said that?" he called to the voice, looking left and right frantically as he was thinking that someone was playing a joke on him.

"It was me! I'm right down here," the same voice said back. Sterling looked down to see a dog below his normal view. The breed was a mix between a Lyrish wolfhound and a Mastiff. The 'mane' on its head looked like a lion's mane while keeping a short amount of fur to say that it looked fluffy. "Hi there, good sir. Nice to meet you," the dog greeted with a paw up to him.

"Aaah! Holy Mother of Faustia! A talking dog! Whoa!" Sterling jumped back from the bench, shocked by what he just saw now.

"You act as if you've never seen a talking dog in your whole life," the dog chuckled. "But I can forgive you for that, given that I am a one-of-a-kind breed," he nodded his head to him.

"W-w-well, uh.... if the animal caretaker in my new harem were to see you, she'd more than likely have the same reaction as I did if you were to talk to her," Sterling speculated, not knowing if she would be the opposite or not.

"Ah! You're the male in one of the harems of this country, aren't you?" the same dog asked.

"I am," the man nodded. "But to answer the question from before, my.... parents died a long time ago. They... were taken down by a sniper rifle bullet through their temples," he sighed, knowing that the memory would bring him down. To his surprise, the mix dog had licked his hand slowly.

"I share the same fate as you do, sir. I never knew my parents, but from what my brothers and sisters told me, they were well loved by our masters before. And none of them can produce a speech that most humans utilize every day, like I do," the dog said to him with a happier tone after explaining himself.

"You don't have a name, do you?" Sterling asked.

"I do not. And for the two years that I've been alive, I've never had an owner," the dog answered.

"We're you neutered?" the man asked, beginning his Q&A.

"Accidental rock slide cut off my chance to even have a pup."

"Obedient?"

"To the 'T'."

"Friendly to kids?"

"Love them to death."

"Willing to be both a guard dog and a family dog at once?"

"No reservations for otherwise."

After a few minutes, the questionnaire was finished as Sterling pulled up a dog collar from his card pack and wrapped it around the dog's neck, completing the cycle of ownership.

"From here on, you are named 'Chancellor'. And I find that it is a good name, because like the Royal Elites that I lead, all of us are quite unique. As are you," Sterling smiled as he looked to the dog that now became his pet.

"Thank you, master," Chancellor spoke to him with a 'ruff' that followed a howl of joy after. "So! What do we do, now?" he then asked, knowing that he would do anything to make his owner happy.

"We find the girls in my harem," Sterling announced.

"Ooh! We get to meet them, then?" Chancellor nearly yipped in the excitement of meeting new people.

"Don't show too much excitement, because it might set off the wrong idea from you," Sterling instructed him carefully.

"So what should be done?"

"Wait until I say 'speak'. Until then, keep making dog noise, okay?"

(woof-woof)

"Good boy," the man smiled at his dog.

(Sterling's hotel room, Lunar Wing, Castle, 10:25 PM)

Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack had already begun to speak to each other about how they would each celebrate the victory of the day, long after the Rex Brutes were defeated, when Sterling was just near the door with his new pet and companion.

"When this here fight is all over, Ah'm gonna go celebrate with mah whole family, even if it ain't the family reunion yet," Applejack proudly stated. As Sterling took note, he remembered from what he learned about her during the months: She was just one of the members of the largest clan of Equians within the lands of Equestria.

"Well, when Sterling comes back from the fight, I will more than likely going to be flooded with the orders for new clothes back at Ponyville. And when I am through with that, I will take a two-month sabbatical in my own home," Rarity said to the ladies near her, stressing over the future events with a sigh.

"Uh.... I... I really don't know what I will do when this is all over," Fluttershy admitted to them. "I know that my animals will be in need of me daily, but other than that.... I don't know what to do," she stated to her loving friends in the room.

Sterling then opened the door and began to walk in with Chancellor at his side.

"Oh! Sterling-dear! Welcome back! And more than an hour late! What happened to you?" she greeted him with a hint of sadness in her voice as she hugged him deeply. Before she let go of him, she felt a thicket of fur hitting the back of her leg in a repeated motion. "Ooh! And who is this, darling?" she asked him after noticing the dog below him.

"Chancellor," Sterling said at once. "And he found me when I was just... mmm.... feeling my morale go low," he then confessed to his girls. The ladies then gathered around Chancellor and started to pet him.

"Oh, my goodness! This is such a handsome dog that you decided to adopt," Fluttershy squeaked in the joy while petting the dog as her hands also scratched behind his ears.

"Why yes, my dear! And I agree that this is a rather healthy looking coat for a young new friend," Rarity commented as she rubbed her hands along the spine.

"If Winona was here, she'd be happier than Rainbow gets when I mention cider to her," Applejack mentioned while patting on the dogs chest and rumps lightly.

"I guess that I must have adopted quite a looker," Sterling chuckled as he saw Chancellor get the attention from his girlfriends. "And I am sure that you can speak for yourself on this matter, right Chancellor?" he then asked the dog, waiting for the pet to speak.

"Yep, and I think that these compliments can make anyone happy," Chancellor then spoke up, causing the ladies to step back from him as they all gasped from what had happened. Sterling, of course, chuckled at this before Chancellor spoke again. "Hello, ladies. It's a real pleasure to meet you."

"You... can talk?" Rarity gasped again.

"That is correct, miss. And I happen to have become the companion for your loving man here," the dog acknowledged her politely with a warm smile curling up his lips as his tail swished back and forth in sync.

"Oh! This! Is! So! Amazing! Tell me: What are thinking right now?" Fluttershy cheerfully asked the dog as she got to his face.

"Umm... Perhaps a rub on my belly, if you please?" he pleaded to the lady after taking a moment to gather his thoughts before laying down on his back.

"*gasp!* Yes! I can do that for you," Fluttershy said excitedly, proceeding to scratch the dog's fur covered belly. This in turn received a few moments when the dog twitched his legs from the soft scratches. And after taking about two minutes of being rubbed and scratched, Chancellor felt the ministrations ending with a few light pats on his right back leg.

"Thanks, miss. I really enjoyed that," Chancellor praised her.

"No... thank you for allowing me to help you," Fluttershy smiled warmly at him before giving him the order to stand up with a pat on her legs. When he did as she commanded, he licked her face with a short but sweet lick that did not leave a slimy trail on her face. "Aww! That was so sweet of you, Chancellor," she cooed to him with a kiss to his dry nose.

"Anytime, miss," he ruffed out softly to her.

"Ya said that he found ya when ya felt down?" Applejack wanted to confirm with the man near her.

"That he did," Sterling nodded. "After the Q&A, I took him over to the closest pet store. Even though the owner was in a rush to get to the underground shelter within the mountains, he gave me the same collar and tag that you see on him now," he told them all.

"And how, exactly, do you plan on paying him back, Sterling-dear?" Rarity then asked with her eyebrow at him.

"When this is all over-- this final battle, that is--, I'll make sure to pay for the collar and tag," he answered.

"Just like that?" Applejack asked him.

"Just like that," Sterling repeated in his answer.

"And now I wonder why it is that I should even find one reason to not stay with you as your new harem-mate," Rarity giggled, along with Fluttershy following suit.

"Because all three of you love me enough to pledge your hearts to me?" he raised his brow to them.

"Darn it.... ya got us there, Cap," she winked at him playfully.

"I love you girls," he then said to them, feeling the beat of his heart rise up with joy.

"Aww.... come here, Sterling," Fluttershy called him over with another smile, feeling the same feeling that he did. When he stepped over to her, she planted a long, passionate kiss to his lips. No tongue had been included, thus making him believe that she wasn't ready for another intimate moment (which was by her right as a female, of course), but it was still a great moment for the both of them, knowing that their new step in the relationship was not all about fulfilling some erotic fantasy. But moments like this... still made him feel important as a person. Not as a title.

Rarity and Applejack then decided to surround their target and began to smile just as lovingly as their shared harem-mate did. When the posh lady touched his shoulder, he turned around and saw the same look that he saw from the woman that was now behind him. Sterling had decided to pucker up before holding her close to him. And as their face cheeks touched, he felt her soft skin rubbing softly on his face. It was nearly as smooth as silk, compared to how dry he always felt. But did not faze her; instead choosing to give it a small peck before moving her lips to his, kissing him as deeply as she could, with another denial of her tongue going in.

When Applejack touched his shoulder, Sterling then looked to his country girl and decided to give her the same romantic gesture. And as he locked only his lips to hers, Applejack had wrapped her arms around his shoulders, embracing the same built body that she had no regret sharing with her two best friends. And just like with the other girls near him, he was able to take in the scent of the farmer that he still wanted to be with. From Fluttershy, it was honeydew and lilacs. From Rarity, it was vanilla and strawberries. And with Applejack, as he kissed her fully, she smelled of apples and cinnamon.

And after having spent a few moments of kissing his girls, Sterling then hugged all three of his girls.

"We love you, too."

.....

The silence around the room, including from the dog below them, was all that was needed. It was just about to become one hour until the moment of truth.

And now that Sterling had stated his love for them in the best way possible, both from a few hours ago and now, he would finally do the one thing that he desperately needed to do before going into the final battle.

"Chancellor!" he then called to the pet below him.

"Yes, master?" Chancellor yipped.

"Let's go take a walk under Princess Luna's moonlight, huh?"

"Really? *woof!* Let's go, then!"

And with that said, Sterling pulled out the leash for his new dog from his card pack. And after fastening the clipping hook on the ring on top of the collar, the Captain had opened the door to allow himself out. Before he did, however, he looked over to his women in the room and said:

"I need the three of you to report to your assignments before the clock strikes at midnight. The Royal Elites will protect you."

"Understood," they all said at once, following him out of the door with the dog behind them.

(Fillydelphia Port #31, Fillydelphia, Equestria, 23:00 PM)

The night sky was, thankfully, still bright enough for a few dockworkers to know that the Princess of the Night was able to overlook their families dreams, as well as their own.

ROOOOAAARRRRRR!!!!

The echo of the roar had shaken a few of the cargo ships that were on the dock while some of the same workers had begun to shake up from the force that caused the boats to be rocked for a moment before they all realized that something was up.

"DRAGONS!!!" one of the sailors shouted out, causing a panic for all. And sure enough, as if it wasn't any other indication, the same creatures had been sighted in the sky. Most of them had bodies large enough to block the moon with enormous shadows that caused many to fear what might happen.

"LOOK!! GRIFFONS AND VIKINGS, TOO!!" another worker shouted out. "AND THEY'RE ALL HEADING TOWARDS THE SAME DIRECTION!!" And just like that, the massive air-ships and griffon silhouettes had taken form. But along with that, there were many ships docking themselves on the piers and boardwalks, carrying the Stirrupean, Zebrican and Leo-Gar armies that decided to be as intrusive as their competitive allies.

Within the cities of Horseshoe Bay, Manehattan and Los Pegasus, the same situation had been sighted just as fast as before.

One of the dragons, had flown towards one of the air ships that carried their allies. Little did the large drake know, the ship was carrying the Viking Royalty. But he was just as happy with seeing the legendary couple in the ship.

"How fair is this night, your Majesties?" the drake spoke to them.

"Much more than the abysmal cold that I've been used to for the last sixty years of our lives!" Silverbeard chuckled wildly.

"Really? I thought it was just you having no heart at all," the Valkyrie Queen quipped at him, causing him to laugh.

"Only when you want to join in on the fun, my dear!" he snapped back, keeping his cheerful manner.

"If only I could just see that day when I find a young man to satisfy my needs," she rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Just make sure that you at least have some pity on us battle ready Dragons!" the same drake replied, hoping to not hear any more of the banter being exchanged between the regal warrior couple. This caused both of the Nordic lovebirds to laugh out loud to their heart's content.

"Only if you get there fast enough, drake!" Silverbeard taunted him playfully, knowing that the battle was in the sights of his friends and allies.

"HA! We'll leave some good scraps for you to pick up when we are done," the creature growled before zooming away from the ship.

(Throne Room, Castle, Canterlot, 23:35 PM....)

"Your Highness'!" an Honor Guard shouted out loud, causing the four Princesses to nearly jump out of their skins.

"What is it, Solar Glance?" Celestia beckoned the soldier to speak.

"The Dragons and Griffons have been sighted at the eastern cities from here, along with Nordic air-ships coming in from the beyond the land of Yakyakistan and the Crystal Empire!" the guard announced in his report before turning on the television that he brought with him. When the TV was turned on, the E.N.N. broadcast had shown multiple sightings of the same creatures being described from the night skies of the cities. And with the reporters on the street, they we're hoping to get a closer look at what was happening.

"Excuse me, sir! What's... happening... right now?"

"The Dragons and Vikings are heading towards Canterlot! Something about a final battle near the mountain city!"

"There's also cat-people running as fast as lightning from the docks to the same direction! And some Stirrupean and Zebrican armies advancing on the same ground!"

"The King of the Nordic Countries have announced that we should fight as well!"

And for the last ten minutes, many of the citizens being televised had shared the same war cries as the Princesses had then and there observed how loyal they all were to their rulers. Even the most recent of the Princesses, Twilight Sparkle, who had given a slight teardrop from her eyes. It was during the same time that the same broadcast was being made that the information about the upcoming battle, along with who was going to be in it, detailing the Rex Brutes and the Royal Elites going head to head against each other at midnight, that a news cast had barged into the throne room.

The many reporters and crew members had then begun to barrage the royalty with the many questions that the royalty were unprepared for. Many of them concerning why the Rex Brutes were attacking the city with a massive army while a small group of soldiers called the Royal Elites was kept a secret for such a long time.

"CITIZENS!!! CEASE THY QUESTIONS, NOW!!!" Luna screamed in her Royal Canterlot Voice, obviously angered by the chaos that had occurred just now. "AND SHUT THOSE INFERNAL CAMERAS AT ONCE!!!" she further ordered them all, causing the concerned citizens to become terrified of the Night Princess.

"Luna," Celestia calmly spoke to her sister. "Hold that voice of yours. You're giving the people a reason to change their wardrobes." And just like that, Luna had put up a sad and apologetic look towards the audience who demanded answers. The mass of people within the room, surprisingly, had begun to forgive her for her loud words with a bow to her, along with the other royals within the vicinity. "And please turn on the cameras. We must announce to the world what is truly happening right now," Celestia commanded with her tone not changing a bit. And after a few seconds, the same devices had been turned on and tuned in to give a live feed of the event that was about to be announced.

"Celestia?" Twilight spoke up from behind her former mentor, hoping to hear what she needed to hear.

"Yes, Twilight?" Celestia responded to her.

"Will this truth cause Discord to change back to the way that he was?" she then asked her with concern in her voice.

"No, Twilight. Discord would only want to help the world from this nightmare if he was asked to," the Sun Princess answered her, soothing her former student's anxiety.

"Thank you, Celestia," Twilight conceded, hoping that she was right.

And with that said, Celestia had then beckoned her sister to join by her side. And after a bit of hesitation, Luna relented by slowly stepping up to the center alongside her older sister.

"Citizens of Equestria.... we.... are facing the final battle of the second Equius War...."

[????, ?????, ????]

"And now.... I shall take my rightful place as the true ruler of this country.... and the world!"

(To Be Continued....)