"I can't be with you."
Those words shot through Braeburn's mind like a bullet through a window. He simply replied, "What?"
"I'm sorry," Little Strongheart replied.
Braeburn had not taken the breakup well. Even though Little Strongheart said they'd still be best friends as they had been before, and he had acknowledged that, he was crushed. Ever since the 2 had met, he had had a crush on her, and they had been together for 5 weeks beforehand.
As he sat in his bedroom, wondering what to do next, he saw an advertisement for the Imperial Equestrian Army on his TV. He was 21 by this point, and when he was 16, he avoided military service by doing 2 years in Appleloosa County Civil Defence. Now, he wondered if this was the best way to deal with the breakup. He had become disillusioned with his own hometown and for the first time in his life, he wanted to move as far away from his home as possible.
He got up and walked to the Town Hall, where a recruiting station was based for town residents who wished to sign up, or for those unlucky enough to be drafted. When he got there, he saw 2 others at the recruiting desk. He quietly walked up. The recruiter said, "Are you here for conscription or are you volunteering to sign up?"
"I'm here to sign up voluntarily," Braeburn said. "I want to sign up for the Army as an active soldier, not as a reservist."
"Alright, sounds good to me. I will call you back tomorrow and tell you where to take your physical and medical test." Braeburn then wrote down his home phone and cell phone numbers down for the recruiter. "If you have any questions, just call us back at 867-365-275-557. Good?"
Afterwards, Braeburn quietly went to bed, thinking about the day's events. He wondered if what he just did was the right thing to do.
Then, at 3 AM, his phone rang. He picked it up. It was the recruiter. He said, "Alright, you'll be going to Fort Sandview at no later than 14:00. That's 23 minutes from here."
"Alright," Braeburn said.
"Are you sure you want to enlist as an active-duty soldier?"
"Yes, I am."
"Alright. When you get there, another officer will lead you to the doctor that will be performing the exam on you."
"Alright."
"That is all. Goodbye."
"Bye." Braeburn then hung up before saying to himself, "This will be fun."
When he got to Fort Sandview, there were about 10 other new recruits from around the area joining him. Before seeing the doctor, Braeburn was asked a series of questions about his education and past life. He had gotten an Advanced High School Diploma at 18, but had not gone to college. Even so, he checked out perfectly.
When he visited the doctor, the doc said, "Hello. I will be doing some regular checkups on your physical health. Nothing too weird. Pretty much like a regular doctor visit, really."
First, he checked Braeburn's knees. Then he checked his ears with a noise test. He passed both. He then checked his weight and height. Then he had him do a urine and blood test.
After many more tests, Braeburn was finally released after 5 hours. As he got out of the office, he was told a doctor the good news: He had passed! Braeburn smiled and said, "Alright. Thanks for telling me."
10 days later, he packed his things and headed off again, this time to the Appleloosa County Airport. There, a C-130 of the IEAF would take him and 27 other recruits to Fort Creek Bed, a major training base of the IEA that was about 32 minutes from Los Pegasos. It would be a 1 hour flight.
As he was about to step into the terminal, he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Wait!"
He turned around and saw Little Strongheart running towards him. She began crying as she said, "I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I don't want you to go. Please."
Braeburn replied, "I'm sorry, Little Strongheart, I can't be with you. You said it yourself. You were right. And besides, it's too late*. I've taken a new direction in life. Even if I wanted to love you, I could not. I'm gonna be gone. Goodbye forever, Little Strongheart." He then just walked away, tears forming in his eyes.
She said, "Goodbye..." Braeburn didn't respond at all. He just calmly walked out to the tarmac and onto the C-130.
He then strapped in and thought, "Here we go." The plane then taxiied to the runway and took off.
