Chapter 5

The Truth Revealed

*****

A scene had started to play out from Sterling's past life as a soldier while his consciousness was paused. The same soldiers that he had acknowledged before had come back to him in his envisioned memory from how he met them all.

Quick Fixer, an engineer within the 4th Advanced Scout Unit of the Royal Equestrian Marine Corps, was a burly looking man that had always found a way to disable any enemy weapon that could drop any of his fellow soldiers with a click. When Sterling had met him for the first time, it was when he was just nine years old. The 2nd Lieutenant had been weary of the child that he was, but he would soon regret not seeing him as a great ally in the 2nd Equius War. When Sterling was ten, he had been given a whole three months of rigorous training in order to make a soldier out of that child. And it all eventually paid off when he had somehow summoned a random sword from his small card pack and made a thrust towards the throat of an ancient and undead warrior and sliced off the reanimated corpses head. And from that moment of chivalry, he was initiated into the Royal Elites. Some years later, the young boy would grow up to become the 1st Lieutenant of the Royal Elites. And this was the first time that he was given such a burdening yet inspiring leadership role by the spirit of the Prime Royal Elite named Elitus Regium. And Fixer, despite his atheistic attitude in general, was more than proud to not only call him his Lieutenant, but also his adopted son.

Brandon Odin-Cloak, a Prince of the Norse Countries, was a man who sought out adventure and glory for the citizens of his kingdom. But even at that, he still had a great sense of keeping his head on his shoulders. And that same attitude would always be directed towards those that he always believed to be his friends and allies. As a part of the Royal Elites, he was a great asset when it came to inspiring the unit with how their heavens would welcome them with open arms, a fight during the night and a large feast during the day. Before he joined them, a nineteen-year-old Sterling Caliber, from the kingdom of Equestria, had challenged Brandon's father, the king Silverbeard Odin-Cloak the Sword-Basher, in a one-to-one battle. And when the fight was finished, the King had admitted his defeat from how the foreign soldier's loyalty to his own kingdom, along with his compassion for his fellow warrior also coming in, was what gave him the ability to fend off the strength of a man that defeated an old foe from a long time ago. But as Brandon saw this, he had proclaimed to his father and mother how he wished to fight alongside the new man that was able to hold his own against him. And from there, Sterling was given the title 'Odin-Will' when the king declared his son to fight under Sterling's command. Sterling looked through the memory and smiled, remembering how the many gifts that the royalty wanted to give him could not go unwanted. He was always a sucker for those who were generous to him.

Tyler Quinn, a soldier of the Lyreland Royal Army, had encountered Sterling when he was finished with his duty against the Titans that rampaged his lands. And as such, his specialty was in explosives and tactical distractions. When Tyler met him, he had expressed his desire to have his expertise loaned out to the unit that reinforced his army. Sterling, at first, was a little hesitant as to having a Lyrish person in his unit. But he would soon chuckle that thought away when the man had created a distraction that gave Sterling and his unit the ability to force out the Titans from the lands. When the gigantic creatures had fled in fear to their deaths via a fall towards a craggy cliff with jagged rocks to bleed the monsters out into a pool of pulp. A few insulting exchanges were made between the Lyrish man and the Equestrian, resulting in how much more in common they had with certain aspects of life than anyone else in the whole world. And after those two weeks of fighting off the Titans, both Sterling and Tyler had taken a few drinks with one another on the exotic island of Zanzebra to forget about their troubles for a while. And as a result, the both of them had to initialize the Lyrish man into Sterling's unit. Sterling gave himself a smile from how it all turned out in the end.

Mary 'Faith' Angel-Dust, a legendary Equian infantry woman with the power of an Ethereal Possessor, had also met the very youngest commander in all of the history of the Marine Corps. And yet it was not when it was time to fight some horde or legion that wanted to go against her kingdom. On a certain day within the 14th Infantry Base near the Badlands, Mary had been given a request by her superiors to meet the young commander near the barracks. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the man that she had heard many tales about. And her wish was granted as he saw the young man near the same barracks at the 'C' building. When Sterling met her, he could not help but feel his face blush a little bit at the face-to-face contact with the woman who was two years older than her. But even though Mary was feeling the same for him, Sterling had requested her assistance with how to summon his ethereal spirits, just as she did. Within those fifteen minutes, the young soldier had listened intently on how to summon his ghosts with a simple incantation that could only be recited by what his heart told him to speak as he envisioned a door being opened for them. "Come on out, you royal fools." And when she saw three ghosts removing themselves from him, she then expressed that her desire to join his unit would help out greatly. And he allowed her to join from that point on.

Furious Axe and Grizzly, an anthropoid lion and a hippogriff from the Leo-Gar Highlands and Gryphonia, had been the best pair of bipedal creatures that always had each others back, as Sterling recalled correctly. The Equestrian met the two of them as he and his unit had toured through the same lands that the furry duo had come from. As it was expected, the Royal Elites unit had heard the rumors of some Shadow-Walkers taking the west and northern parts of the lands. And when Furious and Grizzly heard the commander speak of these rumors, they volunteered to help out with dispersing the rumors. Sterling could only allow them to do so if they were able to bring back a report if the same enemies were spotted at the designated sectors of the lands. And when the sun went down, the Shadow-Walkers had swarmed the same areas that needed immediate help. And even the Royal Elites did not have the ability to fight off the creatures by themselves. But it was the duo that was able to summon their armies to fight off the Shadow-Walkers, thus reclaiming their lands for their people. From that point on, the two of them had become just as inseparable within the Royal Elites as when they were by themselves. Their talents as a heavy and a sniper, respectively, had become just as valued as any other talent.

Sterling's memory had then went into a part when he had met the most valuable person in all of the world. If you could call a Chameleon, a hybrid of an Equestrian and a Changeling, a person at all. Sterling had interrogated the hybrid named Baltic with the desire to just kill him on the spot if he didn't give him the answers he needed to hear. But Baltic wanted desperately to help him with the information on how the Brutes had allied with the Shadow-Walkers, the Changeling swarms, the Titans, and many other evil deities that wanted to destroy the world. And much unlike his Changeling cousins, the Chameleon race never fed off another person's love without their given consent. As much as Sterling did not want to believe him at all, given what he always knew of the Changelings, the young Lieutenant had no choice but to coerce the Chameleon into servitude under his watchful eye. And this kept on until Elitus Regium had spoken to him that the man named Baltic had a heart of gold when it came to being a person, and not a freak. And the commander had no choice but to really believe in the spirits words when the Chameleon had given them all of the information on the enemy positions around the world of Equius. This was how the hybrid joined in the greatest fight for the world.

And finally, Onyx Clawshield, the oldest living member of the Royal Elites, had come into the picture as Sterling went into his own perspective on how they met. When the Equestrian had begun to question his own ability during his time as a leader, Onyx had become a bit annoyed at his attitude. But it did not last for long. For it was during the campaign in the Dragon Kingdom when a necromancer had summoned the ancient bones of the dead dragons from eons before. And Onyx was quite scared of going into his own kingdom to rebury the bones of his ancestors. But Sterling was not going to hear any of it from him. And just like that, Onyx and the rest of the Royal Elites had stopped the necromancer from continuing their conquest against the natives. And when the battle was finished, the Dragon King and Queen both had to commemorate the pair for being brave against the corpses that would have killed them. It was then discovered that the necromancer was pushing forth a judgement day against the royal couple's subjects. But even at that, Sterling had helped inspire a courage against their own ancestors. And thus, after being shown the personal vault of the royalty, with a solemn vow to never reveal it to anyone in the world, Onyx had vowed a lifedebt to Sterling, vowing to always be there for him in every time that he needed his help. Every time.

And Sterling could only smile as he was able to see the memories that were etched into his brain from those years gone by. But when they faded out, he could see himself fading with them as the background dissolved into a void-shadow of black.

.....

".... going to be alright?", a voice spoke up in the hospital room that Sterling had been laying in for three days now. Even in his grogginess, he was able to recognize the soft and timid voice that he heard. It was Fluttershy's voice, and it was announcing to him that she was in a lot of mental pain.

"I'm sure that he'll be fine, Fluttershy. He is a lot tougher than he looks," Rarity answered her friend. Sterling's eyes were then able to see more clearly as he saw the ladies grouped all around him. "It's taken him this long to recover from the drugs that the nurses pushed into him, and if he rises up from the bed, then he will have to explain what took him so long to come back to us, of course."

"If I had a bit for every single time that I've ended up in hospital, I'd be rejecting the Dragon Vault," he chuckled to himself internally as his vision came back to him. Though he was keeping his eyes half lidded, he was able to behold their physiques for a moment as the ladies talked among themselves. They were still a sight to behold, even though the drugs and the blood-work kept him from doing a lot to move or even speak.

"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. "I mean, taking down two large Dire Wolves, along with twelve dozen of their cubs, AND performing an exorcism to save Zecora from an evil ghost? That just earned him another fifteen hundred points on my 'Cool Guy' scoreboard," she stated with a chuckle.

"Then you might want to take off five thousand points on my scorecard for the time being, Rainbow," Sterling had mumbled out loud to the women who looked back at him. This earned him a few soft gasps 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 major vengeance. "Ugh.... And I know that.... you all have some questions for me.... but I can't.... answer any of them until.... I have fully recovered from this.... painful afterthought," he then said, knowing that the women had all wanted him to come back to them.

"S.... Ster.... S-S-STERLING!!", Fluttershy cried out in a shrill voice with how thrilled and terrified she was on how he was now back to the waking world. This was evidenced by how the woman had jumped to his side, causing the man to wheeze out his horrid pain as he squealed out 'GENTLY!' to her as she hugged him. But the veterinarian could not hear his plea for a softer touch as she had peppered his face and lips with kisses, moans and cries while holding him close to her, despite how Sterling now knew how a wooden slab with too many nails in it felt.

"Fluttershy!", Pinkie Pie cried out to her friend. "You can't do that to him! He's in a lot of pain right now! And I betcha that your kisses on him hurt just as much!", the confectioner protested while doing her best to pry her off of him. But this was only met by how much tighter she held him, much to Sterling's increasing discomfort. "Rarity? Applejack? A little assistance, please?", Pinkie had pleaded to her friends.

"Fluttershy, my darling?", Rarity began to softly speak to the woman that was on top of the man, while crying softly as her head was buried deeply into his chest and shoulders. "I know how much you wanted him to come back to us. And believe me, dear, I'm just as happy that he is still with us. But you must get off of him now, my love. Or else it will take him a month to recover," she said to her, petting her loving friend's head softly.

"S.... Sterling?", Fluttershy whispered to the man who only grunted his reply to her. "I am so sorry.... I waited for so long for you to come back to us.... I was s-s-s-so.... s-s-scared.... that you wouldn't come back to us! But now you're here! I didn't want you to leave us! I just love you too much to want you gone from our lives! And when Rarity and I met you for the first time, I just wanted nothing more than to keep you by our sides! I love you, Sterling.... I love you so much!", she cried loudly to him in her surprising confession while moving herself just so that he was not as uncomfortable with her gesture as a waterfall of tears fell down on Sterling's face and chest.

Sterling was also crying as she was, given that his worst fears had been blown away from how he was in a hospital bed, and not in a coffin. He was happy that he, after taking his time to recover, would finally be able to show both Fluttershy and Rarity how much he loved them. His heart, despite having had an anesthetic moved into his system, was still beating rapidly as the heart monitor had begun to beep a higher note than before. But he didn't give two damns about it.

"I... I love you too, Fluttershy," he mumbled to her, knowing that he would have to face the consequences of making his brand new girlfriends cry after his recovery. "Just as I especially love you as equally, my lady Rarity," he spoke up to the fashionista who sobbed an unladylike cry while her tears had flown out from her sapphire blue eyes, staining some of the mascara that she had on. But as he got a closer look at both her and Fluttershy, Sterling had noticed that the women looked specifically distraught from the stress of having to stay in the hospital as they waited for him to be conscious again.

"You... do?", Fluttershy and Rarity asked him at once, wanting to hear the sincerity in his voice.

"I wanted so badly to tell you both how much I loved the both of you from a distance. When I had started to fight against Equestria's enemies, years ago, I had heard how the Elements of Harmony had taken down the big leaders. And I knew that my unit had done their very best to keep our countries safe. We all had to make sure that we were not discovered. Not by our sovereigns, nor by our own heroes," he began to say to them.

"I guess that y'all wanted to keep yerselves a secret, huh?" Applejack asked him. Sterling could only nod in agreement.

"But I knew... deep within my heart... that my love for both you and Rarity could only be reached out to you by how much safer I could make you feel while you and your bad-ass friends fought against Discord and Nightmare while we held off the aggressors that would have led you to your deaths. And so.... I can only hope.... that you won't hate me for what I have done," he said to the ladies around him.

"But.... why would you say such a thing, Sterling?" Twilight nearly panicked from his words.

"I do not seek forgiveness for all my sins, but ask only to allow my new friends to live for a lot of years to come. And with that said, I only want to protect the people that I know that I can love. And not just as a Royal Elite, or as a Marine! But as the best person that I know I can be, so help me Lady Faustia the Creator!" After making his declaration, he felt a wince of pain come back as a few tears of his happiness had been jerked out from his eyes. "And if I can become a great friend, as well as a good boyfriend to my two favorite people, then I will do what is needed in order to make you both happy," he then sighed with his hand on his chest.

Fluttershy and Rarity then began to plant a big kiss on Sterling's face cheeks from how much he wanted to love them. It was just after a few minutes from hearing his confession of love to them, 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 even cleared to walk out of the bed to leave," she instructed them with patience as her main virtue, as Sterling saw from looking at the nurse. "So I must ask you ladies leave the room at once," she asked them with her gaze locked onto her patient.

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

"Sterling?" Rarity spoke to him.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Thank you... for everything," she almost sobbed once as she kissed his lips before departing the room. "Thank you... so very much."

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

"....See you later?" Sterling softly asked as he waved to them, happy that he was able to finally wave at them.

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

"May I ask how you're feeling right now, Captain?", Red Heart asked him, keeping her professionalism from allowing her girlish enthusiasm from pouring out. She was also very thankful that the new hero of Ponyville was able to come back. And as Sterling saw from the little table next to him, so was all of the village. There was even a set of 'Get-Well-Soon' cards from Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire. All of the tokens from his new community had really begun to be the kind of eyesore that he needed to see in order to keep his sanity from breaking. Another tear had formed from his face, to which the lady doctor kindly wiped off with a tissue.

As much as he wanted to say that he was happy that the whole town, including his girlfriends, had given him a lot of gifts, the real truth had begun to take over his body and mind.

"I feel like hammered Dragon shit," he spoke up to the nurse bluntly. "This pain is just as familiar as before from High Trotter City, but it is much more intense than the last time that I felt it," he added to the doctor, who kept writing down her notes for the official report to give to the head doctor. "How long have I been here, Doctor?", he then asked her, hoping that it was not for too long.

"You were brought in here four days ago, as the Dire Wolves had been eradicated. And the medical team that was assigned to help you heal up in the E.R. was able to successfully remove the last remaining bits of the poison in your blood while they stitched up your wounds," she reported to him with a flat tone that hid her want to say it all to him with some sadness. "But after the team had succeeded in closing your wounds, they had discovered something in your body that we had to let happen, or else our efforts would have been in vain," she then stated to him.

"And that was?" Sterling asked, fearing the worst thing that could be told to someone in a hospital.

"Your old wounds and scar tissue, along with the newest ones that we closed up, had somehow disappeared when the surgeon in charge of your stitch-up had reported that your magic had glowed around your body. As soon as the magic from your body had all but vanished, the team had observed that all of their efforts had somehow been helped by some reaction in your body. And even the strings that were used to close you up had been ejected from your skin," she then told him, feeling that the same story was just as incredible as when she had heard it.

"Even the ones on my face?", he asked, feeling that this was not some hack story concocted by the people who had attended to him while he was in that coma.

"If there were any, then they must have disappeared as well," Red Heart told him with a little smile on her face.

As soon as Sterling heard that statement from her, he had felt the desire to confirm her little story immediately. And as he lifted himself up from the bed, he felt that there was absolutely no pain in his body. But he also had a boost of energy that would usually come from sleeping on a more comfortable bed. The lady doctor could only watch in amazement as Sterling had then set his feet on the ground before taking a walk to where the window was. He then turned and saw that there was a full-body mirror for him to see himself with a robe that covered his semi nude body near that window.

With no desire to waste any time, he undid the little knot at the back and caught a peek at his backside. It was all true: There was just no scarring, wound or scratch on him. Not even the ones that he had acquired years ago when he was just eight years old. He then took the same robe and wrapped it around his waist to see his upper body. The same results had taken effect on that part of his body as well. He could only look in awe of how much better he looked. But he had to consult with the Princess of Ponyville to try to figure out how his magic had healed up every part of his anatomy when he got out of the hospital.

Sterling was very thankful that he was only clad in his boxers when he undid his robe, lest there be some unintended comedy against him or the lady doctor in the room.

"How are you feeling now, sir?", Red Heart asked him after he saw him put the robe back on properly with his magic.

"Like a brand new, dumb-ass recruit in the Marine Corps," Sterling replied. "Just ready to take on the world," he explained to her, earning a polite giggle from the woman.

"Well then, it would be for the best that you leave this room, and the hospital itself if you're feeling this pepped up, tiger," she then suggested with a warm smile to him as she gave him a slap on his lower cheeks. Professionally warm, of course.

"Ooh! Well, uh... Thank you, Doctor Red Heart. And have yourself a wonderful day or night," Sterling waved to the medic before stepping out of the door of the room that he spent too much of his precious time in.

Within five minutes of having stepped out of the recovery room, he found the wardrobe station to see his card pack and blue denim pants, along with his socks and shoes neatly placed on the bench. But there was no shirt for him to wear, as far as he saw in the room. Before he could make a complaint, he saw that there was a parcel next to the clothes that had been there for at least a day, as he speculated. He then took a glance at a note that was on top of the package. He picked up the note and read:

Dear Sterling,

I took the liberty of making you a new shirt for you. And you'll find that it is within the same fashion that I saw you in before you defended all of Ponyville from those vile beasts. And you needn't worry about paying me at all; your defense of the town 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 out 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 treat you today at the local spa before we take you home for some excellent home cooking.

With love,

Rarity & Fluttershy.

P.S. We both wanted to let you know that it was very hard for us to not give in to our shared temptation of stripping you down when we saw you in only your underwear. Tee-hee! Muah!

Sterling had begun to blush wildly. Those women were tempted to see him naked? "Like Tartarus!", he shouted at himself at the idea of seeing two hot women looking down on... "No, Sterling! None of that, now!", he further ordered his brain as he took out a shirt that one of his girlfriends made for him while shaking his head in order to stop thinking such undesired thoughts. And after putting on the new shirt with his other articles of clothing, he crushed the package to throw it in the garbage bin. And after throwing away the trash, he walked out of the room and saw the front door of the hospital in his sights.

He was making his way towards the front entrance of the hospital with a slow step. But a nurse had called out to him to stop and sign the official paperwork to let himself out. And as he finished, he then took his steps towards the door.

Sterling had then remembered, as he walked towards the exit, that even though he would have to share his story on what his unit was, and how he was the last of them, until his old friends had come to help him out, he would eventually tell them about it all when he had a chance to get back to what he wanted ritualized. His true role in coming back to Equestria, his amazing abilities in magic, and his past life would soon be revealed to his new friends.

“Good sir, I see that you're alive this day,” a deep but feminine 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 four days ago.

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

“Yep. I have a clean bill of health that announces my ability to leave this place,” 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're the first to defend us from all of the evil that had been 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 from how spooked he was, 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.

As Sterling's eyes had adjusted to the light outside, he saw his card pack on his belt and decided to pull up a pair of sunglasses for his globes. And after putting on the accessory, he had given himself a smile. It was a smile that showed the sun how he had felt like a brand new person. And as he did so, he looked to the land in front of him. What he saw was just more than enough to make his smile disappear.

It was Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and their niece, Princess Cadence, who were all waiting for the soldier to be released. But along with the three royal rulers, Twilight Sparkle was also with them, along with Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash at the sign where the red-colored cross indicated his spot. And he knew too well what was about to happen.

"Captain Sterling Caliber," Luna spoke up from the distance that the man observed. "Here," she pointed to a spot on the ground below her. And he obeyed her calling as his feet went to the spot. As soon as he did this, he bowed to the sovereigns before him with a deep bow.

"Hmmhmmhmm! You need not bow to us, Captain," Celestia giggled warmly to him. "We were merely educating young Twilight here on the importance of the unit that you are still a member of to this day. You may rise, my young man," she then instructed him, with the man obeying her Highness.

"So you're the one named Sterling Caliber, huh?" Cadence asked him, feeling a bit happy to meet the man behind the name. Sterling could only nod his head as he was just too embarrassed to reply to her by the sheepish look on his face. "It is just a real pleasure to finally meet you, Captain," the Alicornian Princess of Love giggled as she saw his reddening face. He was just as infatuated with seeing her as he was with just hearing her voice.

"A pleasure, Cadence? No offense, but, this guy is seriously one of the most bad-ass men that I've ever seen in the years that I have been here!" Rainbow then declared out of the blue as she playfully punched Sterling's shoulder. Sterling had seen the spectrum-colored Auran speak so freely to the Princess and was just majorly surprised with what was happening.

"Ah can say th' same thang 'bout Sterling as well, sugar cube. But it's best that we don't alarm him so much with that there praise of yours," Applejack interjected quickly, noticing the surprise in Sterling's eyes.

"And we definitely need to move out to our new neighbors house in order to celebrate his 'Welcome To Ponyville/Congratulations On Building Your New Home/Congratulations On Getting Out Of The Hospital/Getting Reunited With Your Old Team After Not Seeing Them For A Long Time' party!!" Pinkie Pie rapidly spoke up before realizing that she had no more breath in her lungs. The sped-up speech from the party animal then set Sterling to get a laugh out from his throat as he could not believe that a single Equian woman could do such a thing. But such a party could not take place until he had confessed his perspective on the matter at hand.

"I-- ah-ha!-- I... just... can't do that, until I've spoken to everyone about my unit. Starting from when I was recruited," Sterling said after composing himself.

"And where, exactly, do you wish to tell us your tale?", Twilight asked him at that moment.

As Sterling took a moment to list off the possible destinations, he was able to find the perfect place.

"How about at my home? I'll pull up some tea so that all of you can listen in, because it is going to be quite a while for all of you to hear my story," he suggested.

And they all nodded their heads in agreement. Before they could go to his home, Fluttershy and Rarity had stepped up to where the rest of the group was at.

"And will we still be able to hold up that date to the spa, Sterling dear?", Rarity asked him, wanting to know if it was still possible.

"Not until I've told everyone my story. And that includes the two of you," Sterling answered as politely in his tone as he could. "And even if I have to tie down the spectrum-colored Auran to a chair, I still need everyone to listen," he then chuckled as he had glared at Rainbow Dash, who had a small look of fear in her face.

"No-no-no-no-no, Sterling! I'll... I'll stay in my seat if you want, okay? Just no tying me down, please?", Rainbow practically begged him. This exchange had even gotten the royal group to laugh just as loudly as he did.

.....

Within two hours, after having arrived at Sterling's house, the Captain of the Royal Elites had begun to relate all of the events that took place in his life. From the beginning of his self-made evacuation of his home country, to his recruitment into the Royal Elites at a young age, how he met the others that were able to stay for so long in his unit, to how he had believed that his whole team had died at the base, and even towards the events that had only passed by four days ago. But within the telling of his tales of his life, Sterling also told him about how Card Summoning and Ethereal Possession both worked together. Both in the battles that he faced and in the time that he was trying to relax.

"So, let me get this straight: Not only do you have some displacement and storage magic that utilizes cards as a storage place, but you also have three powerful spirits that can help out anyone that you wish to protect?", Rainbow chipped in with her curiosity piqued as she heard the Captain say.

"Well... let me show you," Sterling said to them all while acknowledging Rainbow. With a deep breath in and out, he then said, "Come on out, you royal fools," with a smile.

And just like that, three new ghostly figures appeared from behind Sterling as he was looking to the group that faced him at first until they all saw the trio behind him.

And I suppose that you wanted us to meet these... pleasant looking ladies, Master Caliber?, the platinum-colored King asked the man on his chair.

"That's right, Platinum Heart! These people are the Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence & Twilight Sparkle. The other ladies are the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony, now the Council of Friendship. Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie & Applejack," he introduced to the royal ghosts. Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, understandably, got scared from seeing the ghosts at first. "No need to be afraid of them, you three," he laughed a bit. "They mean you no harm."

Far from it. We only wanted to see the ladies who Master Caliber had always fought for, the Queen named Palladium Lily-Rose calmly said to them.

And even I can see how the good Captain just has the best taste in friends, the Prince named Titanium Will chuckled, making all of the girls, even the Princesses as well, blush.

"Oh! You are really just a flatterer, your Highness," Rarity giggled in a maiden fashion.

"You do us all a great credit, your Majesties," Luna said to them.

But we can't allow ourselves to intrude on Master Caliber's party. So please forgive us, but we must excuse ourselves, the Queen apologized to them. But we look forward to seeing all of you at some point, she then said before she and her husband and son both followed her to the library.

"So... What do you think is about to happen, Sterling?", Fluttershy asked the man, noting that the ghosts had left.

"My guess is that they are going to where the empty book is at. They'll take their knowledge from the past and have it written down for the next few months unless I call them up from their duty," Sterling speculated.

"You really do have some great friends, don't you?", Twilight said to him, surprised at everything that happened.

"Eh, I guess so," he shrugged at the query.

"So, uh... do we get to have those parties that I want to hold for you? Please, Sterling? Please?" Pinkie squeaked to him with her eyes going into cute puppy mode as her lips began to tremble. Sterling would not hear the end of it if he had refused or delayed her requests any longer.

"Okay. Go right ahead, Pinkie!"

Pinkie then gave out a long gasp before zipping out from the front door. Some seconds later, much to the man's confusion, the party planner had rolled in a cannon that exploded a bunch of colorful confetti and streamers as all of the company in the room had cheered out loud.

An hour later, even the teammates in Sterling's unit joined the party. Needless to say, the party was now kicking off into high gear. The soldiers and the royalty had been given a grand tour of his home as they all commented on how their host had just decorated his home so well. After the whole tour was done, Applejack had brought in a few barrels of hard apple cider to go with a pair of different whiskey bottles. Within a moment, the same barrels had been placed inside of a secret panel that Sterling built for a taproom that was made for his alcoholic beverages. And after a quick explanation about the workings of his intended room for his new beverages, five more barrels of the same product had been introduced before placing each of the kegs into a chute that lead to the room down below the home within the foundation.

.....

Another few hours had passed by, and Sterling had begun to make the food for his guests as they had all shared some conversations with one another. Some had talked to the royalty, while some had talked among themselves. But either way, everybody in the rooms had brought some tales or debates that livened up the party.

But it was only Sterling who had begun to lounge in his recliner chair with his cold drink of whiskey in hand as he watched the others have a great time. He could only smile appreciatively as the guests had mingled. But even Fluttershy, the Auran who was still as timid around new people as before, saw that her soon-to-be boyfriend wasn't joining the fun.

"Um... hey, Sterling?" she spoke up to him.

"Yes, Fluttershy?" he replied after taking a sip of his drink.

"Why is it that you aren't joining your friends? I mean.... I'm sorry, but.... I... I think that your old friends would like to talk with you," she commented to him.

"It's not that I don't enjoy their company, Fluttershy... it's just.... *sigh* it's just that I'd like to be left alone for a while, you know," Sterling replied to the sweet girl next to her. "Besides, I haven't even gotten into how much I want to be in a relationship with you and Rarity. And such things need a bit of meditating on, before I can really find out if I can be the kind of guy that the both of you want. You understand me, don't you?" he asked her after softly taking her hand in his.

"Yes, Sterling. I understand... you are wanting to figure out if you can be a good man for us. But I think... um... t-that is, um..." her voice trailed off as her face had turned a shade of red as his did with how close they were.

"Yeah...?" he sighed to her as he took to his feet to meet her eye to eye.

“Please... I... I want to let you know... even... even though I am quite nervous about this... I-I want you to know that both Rarity and I actually wanted to do this for quite a while. So, um.... J-just... let this happen,” she whispered as she softly cupped his face with her hands.

"Okay...."

And just like that, within a second of pulling in his face, Fluttershy then gave Sterling the one gift that he never had in his entire life:

His first.... kiss. And full on the lips.

All of the waking world stood still as he felt the butterflies in his stomach leaving him as he closed his eyes in the feeling of the new affection being given to him. But while that feeling came around, the weight of the deaths that he carried with him as a Marine, and as the Royal Elites leader, had also faded away within an instant. And there was also a fire in his heart that burned with a raging heat that was hotter than Celestia's sun while shining even brighter than Luna's moon itself. The single kiss then turned a bit brighter as fireworks were going off in his mind-frame after being given a few more kisses. The smooches had then dispersed to fully stopping when their lips parted, leaving both Sterling and Fluttershy nearly breathless.

But before Sterling could even give a comment, Rarity then gently turned his face to hers and beckoned him to come closer to her. And even he knew what was about to happen. The posh lady then took his face and slowly began to kiss the man as well. The same feelings that he had felt from before came back just as intensely as before. And just like before, his world was stopped as fireworks exploded while the heavy weights in his heart were lifted up once again. And after closing his eyes, a few more kisses were given to him once again. But this time, he was able to figure out the exact answer that he never expected to happen to him. And after he parted his lips from hers, he stepped back to look at them with the hope of clarifying the issue at hand.

"So.... does this.... I mean.... are you both....?", Sterling tried to ask before being denied a chance to ask the question.

"We would love to be your girlfriends, Sterling," Fluttershy spoke in a cooing tone to him with her teal-colored eyes keeping their gaze on his silver globes.

"And we both want you to know, my darling new man, that we have both wanted a man to love us for a long time. But we can still take it slowly if you wish for it," Rarity added while trying, in vain, to keep her longing from being known to him.

And even after hearing their own confessions now.... now Sterling had no choice but to silently tell them his answer as the blush on his face grew redder. He then began to pull Fluttershy towards him and kissed her again. But this was just as intense, if not more, than before. And after hearing the Auran give off her squeak, his attention then turned to the seamstress who puckered up for him. The same motions had been repeated just as heatedly as before, leaving both the man and the women just as breathless as a few moments ago.

"I'd love for you both to be my girlfriends."

But before he could see them off, Sterling noticed how the guests, save for the Princesses, had begun to cheer loudly for the new couple that became official during the party. Feeling just slightly happy that his old friends, Sterling then showed them all a big kiss to his new girlfriends, to which most of the guests gave a whistle or catcall.

"Huzzah! Now that the Captain has acquired some lovely girlfriends, I won't have to make fun of him being single any longer! I hated it when I did that, even if it was quite fun," the Viking announced.

"Shut up, Brandon! Or I'll send you packing to your kingdom!" Sterling laughed loudly towards his tall friend.

"And you call us the dramatic ones," Furious and Grizzly spoke up to him with a laugh behind their message.

.....

The time on the grandfather clock had announced that it was 9:30 PM. By this time, the closing of the party was sealed off as a big hug and a deep kiss to Fluttershy and Rarity's lips had connected before they went off to their own homes. Sterling was now happy that his life had taken a bigger turn. One that he could never ignore, no matter what he would say or do.

"Girls?" he called to them.

"Yes, Sterling?" they replied.

"I just wanted to say... after all this time, I could not have been more happy with how things turned up. And I must apologize for having kept that secret from you," he said to them solemnly. "But I must also tell you both.... that I really am looking forward to the dates that I'll be having with the both of you. Including the one to the spa next week," he nodded to the ladies with a chuckle.

"Just as we are, darling," Rarity smiled to him.

"And, um... I-I really am happy that you decided to let us be in your life, Sterling dear," Fluttershy giggled at the last word.

"I love you, girls.... truly," he whispered to them as he approached them for the last time.

"We love you, too," the girls whispered back.

And Sterling had sealed the deal with another set of passionate hugs and kisses before the new girlfriends of his went off to their own homes.

“I'll see you both later within the week, okay?”, he whispered to them as he let go of them both, feeling the tug in his heart that was telling him that the ladies had now become his source of oxygen.

“Okay...” the ladies whispered dreamily, happy that they each got a goodnight kiss and hug from him.

After the door closed in front of him, the same man who had just received his first kisses from the women had begun to go up to his room to sleep off the drinks and food that he enjoyed beforehand. And after taking his clothes off to reveal himself in his semi-nude form, he went to his bed and pulled off the sheet and blanket to cover himself up in the linen and cotton of his bed.

"Fluttershy.... Rarity....", he mumbled to himself before going into a deep sleep that he had not felt for a long time. And as he slept, his dreams had been flooded with visions of the same women holding his sides while laying down on a large cloud below his house. This.... was a good dream, indeed.

.....

Back on the road to their homes, Rarity and Fluttershy had both begun to walk hand-in-hand with a very happy tune in their silenced voices as they looked up to the night sky that Princess Luna was able to recreate time and again with some of the great constellations hanging around in the skies above. And when the two of them had stopped, they were at the entrance of the Carousel Boutique where Rarity always made the best of top-quality dresses and tuxedos. But the place was also her home.

“I.... I think I love him, Rarity...”, Fluttershy whispered to Rarity.

“Ah, yes, my love.... I love him too, my dear Fluttershy...” Rarity whispered back.

The ladies then began to start embracing each other in the same manner that the both of them had been too shy to take while starting out as friends. And with their faces just a millimeter away, they rubbed their noses together in an affectionate matter. The same light of the moon from the sky featured the both of them in a trance that gave them another reason to smile warmly as their faces turned red.

And then they both whispered:

“I'm going to love him just as much as I love you, Rarity.”

“And I shall express those same feelings about him to you as well, my darling Fluttershy.”

The two ladies then wrapped themselves in a tighter embrace that could only slightly mimic Sterling's hold on them while giving each other a deep and passionate kiss that had sent their hearts flying just as high as when their new man kissed them both. Feeling a little more bolder, Fluttershy decided to slip her hands under Rarity's breasts and began to grope them as gently as she could.

Noting what she was doing right there, Rarity decided to do the same thing as their tongues then joined in a wet, passionate dance that showed their passion for each other. The soft moans they each gave out from their kisses had become the only form of music that was allowed to be played in the night. And the both of them had just no excuse to not continue showing each other their passion for one another. And when the lack of oxygen had depleted their desire to keep going, after an estimated ten minutes of heavily making out with each other with the rising heat just as hot as when they each kissed Sterling, they departed for that sweet cool air around them.

“Goodness.... I think we both want him that much. Right, Fluttershy?”, Rarity panted with a giggle.

“Hmmhmmhmm. I don't think that we do.... because I know that we do, Rarity,” Fluttershy quipped to her softly.

It was then that a shooting star had sailed across the sky, making them both gasp at the sight. But even with the same star flying by, they already had their biggest wish come true.

"Have a good night, love," Rarity whispered for the last time.

"Good night, my sweet," Fluttershy replied just as softly.

When the ladies went off to their homes, they had all begun to whisper his name in their sleep. And if the next two weeks after officially making the former Captain their shared boyfriend was any indication, then all would be going according to plan.

But not by the two ladies that had been wanting him. But by the infinite deities that expanded their influences upon the world of Equius from their hold within the expanses of the universe.

.....

*****