Over the Hills and Far Awayby TealChaptersPrologueChapter 1Chapter 2PrologueOver The Hills and Far Away By Teal Prologue The rain poured as if there were a waterfall above them. The last of the rain clouds have been placed by the pegasi earlier, as it started conducting its job of bringing down rain on the surrounding areas. Dark skies hovered above them as the rain became heavier and heavier as the minutes pass. The Weather Corps did a good job at changing the weather and they were happy to leave the area to its gloomy and wet faith. The ground all over them turned muddy from the excess water, as the landscape changed from the usual hot and dry to cold and soggy. It looked like a miserable sight, with gloomy weather all over the place. As the rain continued to pour, ponies assigned to a large wooden fort hunkered in their tents, as they tried to avoid the rain above them. They hid under their canvass tents so that they won’t get soaked by the downpour. They tried to keep themselves dry by covering the ground with blankets, but the rain soaked ground made the task harder than they wanted. As more and more rain fell on them, the ground around the tents became moist, till the dirt under the pony’s hooves became moist and wet. With no other way to stop the water from moistening the ground under them, the ponies pilled more and more cloth on the ground, in hopes of covering it all up. Camp life was tough even without the bad weather, but whether one liked it or not, they had to live through it. Ponies inside tents tried their best to ignore the wet ground and cloth under them, as they closed their eyes and tried to get some rest. Days of marching and fighting have brought them to near exhaustion, as they were happy to finally be able to sleep, wet surroundings or not. They closed their eyes and slept through the bad weather, hoping that it would be gone when they woke up. But for Corporal Midnight Sky, who sat inside a tower overlooking the Eastern wall of the fort, sleep would not come till he was relieved from sentry duty. Midnight Sky sat inside the wooden tower, with the tower’s roof protecting him from the rain and its height protecting him from the muddy ground. He looked down to see the field, wet and muddy from the continuous downpour. The plants, which were once deprived of nourishment, were now enjoying the water that was given to them. If rain fall like this happened more often, then the fields would be blooming with plant life instead of the barren and dry state they usually have. Towards the North-East, he could see the dirt road that ran from the East to the West. Its once dry path was now soaked and brown with mud. It would be almost impossible to march through the road, with its mud soaked path that would stick on hooves and carts. The thick mud would cling to anything that steps on top of it, making it impossible to pass through. Midnight Sky sighed as he shook his head. It would take an entire day before the mud would dry. An entire day of sunlight would dry the mud to a state that would make it possible to trot on. But that would only happen if the order was given to clear the skies and let Celestia’s sun dry the road and fields. From the rumors he has heard, the plan to clear the skies was not going to happen anytime soon. So till the clouds are cleared and the rain stops, they were stuck here with the gloomy weather above them. Looking up, he could see the cloud covered skies above him. Watched as the droplets of water fell from the sky and landed on the ground. How he wished to be able to fly up, pass the clouds and see the clear skies above. With wings spread wide, taking him to heights as high as mountains. To be able to go high and fast, zooming through the air like and arrow, while chasing off the birds that tried to compete against him. To have cool air blowing against his face as he dived from unimaginable heights, only to pull up in the last minute. Giving another sigh, this time a little longer, he shook his head sadly as he let go of that dream. Whatever went through his imagination would stay there, as he knew that they would never be fulfilled. His wings would never be able to take him up, for he was a grounded pegasus. No matter how hard he would try, he just doesn’t have the wing power to carry himself above the ground. A complication in birth was to blame, as it damaged the vital wing muscles and nerves that enabled a pagasus to fly. With that, he was deprived of something a regular pegasus should be able to do. The sound of hooves stepping on the wooden stairs snapped him out of his depressing thoughts, as he turned around to see a soaked unicorn behind him. Her blue eyes stared at him with an annoyed look, but he knew that the annoyance wasn’t directed at him. Her black rain soaked fur matted with her golden armor, as the water dripped on the wooden floor below them. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to get your armor wet, Raven?” Midnight Sky said, acting as if he was reprimanding her. Of course he was not serious, but it was still a good thing to remind her of the horrible things water those to metal. “You don’t want those things to rust, do you?” “Your blaming me for this?” She said, gesturing to her armor with her hoof. “You should be blaming those Pegasi in the Weather Corps. If they didn’t have to make it rain, then me and my armor wouldn’t have to be soaked and freezing. Why do they have to make it rain anyways? Sure I hated the hot climate of this country, but I would prefer to stay hot and dry, that wet and freezing.” “You know how it goes, General’s orders.” He explained before looking back out to the field. He made a quick glance towards the road and saw the muddy path once more. He knew what the General was planning and knew that it would work. “Move over here and I’ll show you what I think he’s trying to do.” He said, motioning with his hoof for her to come closer. Without saying a word, Raven nodded and moved up next to him. “You see that road over there?” He asked, pointing towards the road that he was staring at. “Yeah…” She said nodding. “…that’s the road that would take us to the Griffons.” “Yeah, it is…” Midnight Sky said, agreeing with her. “…but it is also the road that would take the Griffons to us.” He then looked away from the scenery to face her, as he continued with his explanation. “With the past month’s fighting, our army has taken a beating. Sure, we won a couple of battles, but the casualty report is too high. We also have the problem of stretching our supplies too thin, since the Supply Corps is having trouble in catching up on us. So with those problems at hoof, the General decided to halt the army and dig in. We built these wooden forts here…” He said, tapping the floor. “…so that we could fight of any attack the enemy would try. But I doubt if the enemy would be able to reach us. With this rain, the Griffons would have trouble moving through the muddy roads. So the Weather Corps is basically creating a moat of mud between our battered army and the Griffons.” “But wouldn’t the rains slow down the Supply Corps? Surely the roads their taking would be muddy too?” She suggested. “Well from what I have heard…” He said, remembering the rumors that circulated around the fort. “…the rain clouds were only placed over us. The roads leading towards our area is clear and dry, giving them a nice clear path to trot on.” Raven plotted herself down as she gave a sad sigh. “Great…” She said, looking down. “…it makes me wish I was assigned to the Supply Corps instead. They do nothing but laze around once they stop pulling carts.” “Oh, don’t say that.” He said, putting his hoof against her chin, forcing her to look up. His eyes met hers, as she saw the smile on his face. “…if you were assigned there, then it would have been a complete waste of fighting material. I don’t know anypony else who could take on three Griffons.” A small grin went up on her face as she let out a short laugh. “Oh, stop it. If anypony here is a fighting machine, it’s you.” She said, pointing her hoof at him. “I was only able to fight them off because I had the use of my magic.” She said, lighting her horn to give emphasis. “You, on the other hoof, can fight off Griffons with only a sword held in your mouth. If I remember correctly, you jumped over a Griffon that was charging you stabbed his comrade, who was behind him, before turning around to finish him off. If you don’t call that fighting skill, then I don’t know what that was! I can’t imagine myself doing that. I would be helpless without my magic. You, my good pony, were born to fight.” Midnight Sky gave an amused chuckle as he shook his head. “Go tell the young me that. If I knew that I would grow up to be a fighting machine, then I would have signed up earlier.” He said, before turning his gaze back outside. As he watched the rain once more, his mind began to drift to memories of a life long forgotten. A life that he didn’t like, but would stay with him as long as he lived and trot the earth. He remembered the young colt lived in the streets and stole food to live. The colt who signed up to escape his old life and find adventure. The colt who grew up to be him, a fighting machine. Chapter 1Chapter 1 A dark blue colt hid in the dark alleys of Manehattan, trying to lessen his appearance as he hid behind a large trash bin. The sound of hooves could be heard echoing near the alley, as the sound dominated over the sound of rain pouring down the city. As he hunkered behind the bin, the colt could feel droplets of water falling on top of his head, irritating him. But he did not let the irritation overtake him, as he knew that any small movement could give away his position. The sound of hooves grew louder, as shouts started to echo along with it. Peaking on the edge of the bin, the colt managed to catch a small glance at the rushing ponies. There were three of them, two of which were members of the local constabulary, with their whistles and blue hats, while the other was a fat unicorn who wore a baker’s hat and apron. The unicorn was flustered and tired, as he tried to keep up with the other two, but anger and irritation was still plastered on his face as he screamed: “How could we have lost him? You to idiots can’t even catch a mischievous colt. When I meet your superior, I am going to give him a long complaint about you two!” He watched as the three ponies galloped out of his field of view and away from him. Snickering to himself, the colt relaxed his tense muscles as he gave a sigh of relief. All that running and dashing has taken a toll in his muscles and he took a sit to give them some rest. Although some would consider this place an unhygienic place to rest, for a young pony like him, who has lived most of his life in the dirtiest places of the city, this alley was like a living room. Despite the ragged and indecent look of places like this, to him it was home. Seeing that there was no place that he could actually call home, anyplace that would provide shelter and protection from the harshness of life was home enough for him, no matter what it looked like. But what did a real home feel like? The thought always made him wonder, wonder about the feeling of having a real home and not a make shift canvass roof, handing from some wires or on anything he can put it on. Maybe a real home would be nice, with warm food and a bed. But in his state, getting a place like that would be impossible. He could always go back to the orphanage… ‘No, enough of that place!’ He thought, as he shook his head. The orphanage has done nothing to him but order him around. They would tell him to roam the streets, beg for money, only for them to take it in the end of the day. If those bits he begged for were left to him, then he might just be able to buy a real home. But that wasn’t the case, as everyday they were sent out to beg for money only to have it taken. This repeated injustice was the reason he left in the first place and he wasn’t going to give them the privilege of seeing him crawl back to them, begging for a place to stay. Besides, he doubt it if they would accept him anymore. He was almost eighteen, almost real stallion. After one more year, he would be called an adult and adults weren’t allowed to stay in orphanages unless they would work there. He could try to apply for a job there, but he tried to avoid the place as much as possible. That was a place of maltreatment and he didn’t want to be associated with them. The sound of grumbling distracted him from the thoughts of home and the orphanage, as his stomach complained about the lack of food inside it. It has almost been two days since he last ate, so it had all the right to grumble and complain. With his way of life, getting three square meals a day was an impossible task. He would have been lucky to get three meals a week, let alone a day. But a confident grin grew on his face, as he patted his stomach to ease its complaints. Shifting from his position, he brought his right hoof under his left wing to pull out a brownie that was safely tucked in his wing. Sure he would have to bear the slight annoyance of having sticky feathers, but he knew that it was worth the small discomfort. Looking at the brownie at his hooves, he couldn’t help but admire his prize. To be able to snatch and run from the bakery to hear was quite a task for his weak body, but it was a task that was well rewarded. Sure, he knew that stilling was bad. But who could blame him? He was a poor pony who had nothing to eat, while the owner of the shop was a fat baker who could feast on his creations. Besides, it was only one brownie out of the hundreds out there. The baker would not lose a profit from one brownie. His mouth watered at the thought of consuming the pastry. He could only imagine the sweet flavors that would fall upon his tongue once he took a bite. Not wasting another second, he moved the brownie closer to his mouth. With eyes closed in anticipation, he prepared to take a big bite and enjoy his hard earned brownie. He closed his mouth, biting down in hopes of cutting a big chunk into his mouth. But this great surprise, he bit on nothing but air. Quickly opening his eyes in a alarm, he was shocked to see that the brownie was gone from hos hoof. It just disappeared, without even giving him a chance to take a bite. How could this happen? Why was life teasing him all the time? He looked on the ground, trying to see if it fell, but found nothing. It just disappeared and was lost from him forever, leaving his stomach empty and angry. Then, the sound of wings flapping and a loud squawk caught his attention, as he looked behind him to see a large white bird flying away from the alley. Normally, there would be nothing odd about it, since birds were common in Manhattan. But as he squint his eyes, trying to get a clearer view of the bird, he saw that the bird was carrying his brownie in its claws. The cheeky bird was stilling his brownie! The very brownie that he risked his life to steal! “Hey!” He shouted at the bird, as he began to move out to chase it. “Come back, that’s mine!” He burst out the alley, sliding on the sidewalk before moving forward to give chase to the flying bird. His hooves brought him to a quick pace, as they forgot the fatigue that overcame them only moments earlier. The adrenaline was being pumped in his blood, as hunger and weariness was pushed off by determination. His body worked double-time, just to be able to catch the bird and retrieve the pastry. Once in a while, he would try to jump and swat the bird, in hopes of bringing it down. His hoof usually missed the bird, as it continued to fly farther and farther from him. The process of swatting the bird down proved to be too tiring and he soon gave up on it. “You’re lucky that I can’t fly…” He grumbled to himself. “…if I could, then you would one dead bird.” It was another sad truth in his life, the fact that he could not fly. From what he was told in the orphanage, the cause of the problem was a complication during birth. Something to do with muscles and nerves, but he didn’t care much about the scientific details. The main point was, he would never be able to fly under his own wing power. This was a devastating problem, seeing that a flightless pegasus was basically a useless pegasus. Most jobs that need pegasi usually involved flight and the need to go high. He could always try ground based jobs, but most of those jobs were difficult if you didn’t have unicorn magic or earth pony strength. Without flight, magic, great strength, or the gift of taming the ground, the list of future jobs for him was narrow. To odd more problems to the situation, his disability was often the center piece of mockery, as the other foals in the orphanage would mock him. They would often say that the main reason his mother left him there was because he couldn’t fly. This would often lead to fights that he sometimes won and sometimes lost. The win and lose ration usually drifted towards him losing all the time. Basically, his young life was filled with anger and pain, both literally and emotionally. He wasn’t the best fighter in the world, but at least he was learning. Those experiences in the orphanage helped him learn how to fight bigger enemies. Although it was painful and left a lot of bruises and scars, it was a valuable lesson that might help him a lot, epically in the slums where there is no law. In the slums, the fight for survival becomes so desperate that attacking a fellow pony was common. With no ability to get away fast, when the fighting became intense, he had no choice but to fight it out. So far he has not encountered a fight with the bigger ponies in the slums, which he considered as a piece of luck that he owed to the universe. Maybe the universe was taking back the debt he owed them, as they denied him of the small meal that he wanted. He kept his eyes on the bird, as it flew above him, mocking him. He wasn’t going to let go of this bird till he’s able to catch it and get what was stolen from him. He followed the bird to wherever it went, not caring where it brought him. He was too determined on catching the bird. So determined that he didn’t notice the large crowd that was gathering in front of him, with ponies flocking around towards one corner of the area. He didn’t turn his gaze away from the bird as it brought him closer and closer to them. He remained oblivious to the crowd till it was too late. With great momentum his muzzle bumped onto the side of a large stallion that was standing on the side of the crowd. The impact was more painful for him than for the stallion, as the large male pony was stuffed with muscles and meat. The impact almost crushed his muzzle, as he was thrown backwards. Like a ball thrown on a wall, he bounced back and fell on the ground. He lay there, rubbing his nose as he looked up to see the stallion staring down at him, with an annoyed look plastered on his face. “Watch where you’re going.” The stallion growled with his deep voice. Seeing how tall and bulky the stallion was, he knew that a fight would him would not end well. The best thing he could do was apologize and hopped that the stallion wasn’t too angry at him. With a sheepish look on his face, he gave a nervous apology. “Sorry…” He said, closing his eyes and hoping for the best. When he felt nothing impacting him, he opened his eyes and heard the stallion make a grunt before looking away from him. With a sigh of relief, he stood up and looked up towards the sky. By now, the bird was gone, flying away with its prize in between its claws. With great irritation, he slammed his hoof on the ground. ‘There goes today’s meal…’ He thought in defeat. Now he had to find another meal or starve to death. As he stood there, thinking what he was to do, he began to notice the large amount of ponies gathering. They were forming up all around him and seemed to be looking at one direction as they pushed their way forward. Despite the rain the was pouring down all of them, the ponies seemed excited with eager eyes. This made him curious as to why they were all gathering here. Was there another rally? Or maybe they were giving free food? If they were giving free food, then he wanted to be first in line. His stomach was still demanding to be filled and he found no other way to fulfill its needs. If there was food, then his hunger would be satisfied. If there wasn’t, then at least his curiosity would be satisfied. So with his smaller figure, he moved pass the large ponies, passing through small gaps and moving his way forward. It was a difficult task, going through tight fits as he pushed his way through the crowd. With the possibility of getting food, he made his way through till he found himself in the front row, looking at three misplaced ponies. Misplaced because of the golden pieces of armor they wore. For they wore the brightest pieces of armor that he ever saw. Despite the dark surrounding and gloomy feeling around them, the armor of the three ponies looked bright and cheerful. It was also the cleanness thing he has ever seen in his life, so clean that he could see his reflection on it. It was like a mirror, a mirror made out of metal. Its bright golden color made the three stick out from the crowd, as the ponies gathered around the brightly cladded ponies. They stood in the middle of the circle, tall and proud, as they looked down on the ponies around them. They all wore the same golden armor, complete with all its pieces, from helmet to flank guard. They were clearly well suited and well-armed, as he noted the weapons they carried with them. All of them had swords, sheathed in their scabbards, as it dangled on the side of their armor. Along with the swords was a spear, which one of them carried. The other one carried nothing else other than his sword, while the last one had a flag with him. Looking at the flag, he could see that it was attached to a bronze pole, which had a golden alicorn figurine on the top tip. Looking towards the banner, he saw a large symbol of the sun, representing their Solar Princess, and some text written below it. ‘47th Royal Regiment’ It read. Despite having little to almost no education, the ability to read was a simple task for him. During his stay in the orphanage, one of the kind soles, a colt that was slightly older than him, thought him how to read and write. The used to go to school when his parents were still alive. But when they died and he was thrown into the orphanage, he was forced to drop out, seeing that the orphanage wasn’t willing to pay for his education. What little he knew, he thought to him. He was truly grateful for the gift of knowledge that was bestowed on him that he considered the older colt a friend. Sadly, that friend of his had to go when he was adopted years later, but the memory of the gift always stuck to him. Now, as he stood there in front of the crowd, he started to use the knowledge given to him. Too bad there wasn’t much to read. Other than the unit name and insignia, there was no piece of material stating why they were there. All he knew what that they were military and the presence of military never was a good thing. So his mind started to drift, wondering why they were gathered here. Where they here to arrest somepony? Was the city in the state of martial law? If so, why? But all his questions were soon answered when one of the ponies stood on top of a wooden box and bellowed in a loud and clear voice. “Citizens of Equestria, I see that you have all gathered here in curiosity as you wonder why we are here. So let me answer your questions and ease your worries.” He scanned the crowd as he continued. “Me and my comrades are here to endorse something. To give you an offer that I know is almost impossible to resist. We are here to look for volunteers. That’s right, volunteers. Now you may be wondering, volunteers for what?” He gave a short pause as some of them nodded. “Well volunteers for the army of course! Volunteers for the 47th Royal Regiment” He said, cheerfully, as if he expected the crowd to be as enthusiastic as him. Of course some of them where enthusiastic at the offer, as they opened their ears to listen. But for the young stallion, the thought of the army was not exciting. To him, it was like the orphanage all over again. To be ordered and push around by older and stronger ponies. To be abused as your superiors throw insults at you. If he wanted to experience those things, then he might as well return to the orphanage. But as he was about to turn back and trot away, one line from the recruiter caught his ears and made him stay. “…riches as far as the eye can see.” This made him turn back to face him, as he started to listen intently. “There are a lot of far of places that hold great treasures and the army allows everypony, that’s right, everpony, to have a share on those riches. Any unit that stumbles upon gold would have them equally distributed to every member of the unit, from officers to the regular soldier. By the time you are over with your duty, you would end up as a rich pony. Now what do you say? To be able to gain glory as you serve under noble leaders. To be fed and have a roof over your head. The army would give your life something it would be missing, a home.” Those words circulated in his head, as he began to think about the possibilities. He would be fed and given a nice place to sleep. These two things alone sounded nice, but the fact that he could find riches and become rich is what sold the deal. He would find gold in the far off lands of this world and taken them. Add that with the pay he would getting, then it would mean he would be a well-paid pony by the end of his service. Joining the army sounded more like an adventure than a patritic cause. He imagined himself more as an explorer, instead of a soldier. But joining the army might also be his only choice, seeing that it was also a job. A job that anypony can join, no matter what their background was. The army would accept him, despite his disability of not being able to fly. It would be easier to join the army and be accepted than to be able to find a job for a flightless pegasus. Volunteering started to seem like a good choice. Sure the army would be worse than the orphanage, but at the same time it was better. He would get ordered around, but he would get paid for it. He would find money, but he would be able to keep it this time. Besides, he was too old for the orphanage. But he was also too young for the army. At age seventeen, he was one year too short. The standard enlistment age was eighteen. He would be too young to join and would be rejected, all because he was one year younger. But they don’t know that… A mischievous idea formed in his head as he planned it all out. He would conceal his age and pretend to be eighteen. It wouldn’t be too difficult, seeing that it was only a one year gap. Besides, he looked eighteen anyways. With his lean figure, he usually looked older than he was supposed to be. It would be easy for him to pass off as an eighteen year old. To add to the things that were in his favor, the recruiters were not taking papers of identification. They weren’t checking identification cards or birth certificates. Instead, they were just asking volunteers to sign their name. Nothing more than that. So it was final. He was going to sign up and join. Go off and find riches and return with more money than he had when he left. “Private Midnight Sky, 47th Royal Regiment… Hmmm…I like the sound of that.” He said, with a grin, as he trotted towards the line of volunteers. Chapter 2Chapter 2 Recruit Midnight Sky felt tired and sore, as he did his best to stand at attention in the middle of the parade ground. For the past week, they have been doing nothing but march, march, and march. From Manehattan, he and the other recruits marched all across the countryside, through the dirt roads that crisscrossed the country, towards their designated training camp, Camp Horseshoe, which was located at the outskirts of Baltimare. Although Midnight knew that the army would push them to their limits, he never expected them to do it so soon. He thought that they would go easy on them on the first week, but instead, they marched the new recruits to the camp, instead of taking the train that could bring them there in a quicker amount of time. At least they stood through to the promise of feeding them, although the food needed a little more improvement. Maybe a little more spices? Now he stood there, with two hundred other recruits, waiting for further orders. The ponies were still tired and weary from the long march, having just finished a night march so that they would arrive at the camp before dawn. They felt their muscles ache, and eyes close, as the long march started to take its toll. Midnight felt the same thing, but tried to ignore it all and instead focus on other things. If he distracted his mind from the aching pain, then he might be able to remove the feeling from his mind. Mind over matter, they would always say. So he began to look around at anything that would bring his mind away from his tired body. Glancing towards the far-off bay, Midnight could see the busy ports of Baltimare, as large wooden vessels plowed through the water. Being the second most important port, next to Manehattan, Baltimare was always bustling with ships carrying good to and from faraway lands. The Camp was strategically located on a large plateau that over looked the bay, giving it a dominating presence in the area. This also gave him of a good view of the ships, as they went there way. One of them, a large two decked ship of the navy, moved close by, its sails ready to take it out of the bay and out to the ocean. Even from a distance, the ship looked big and powerful. With its wooden hull and powerful weapons, it could take on ships that got in its way. While its large sails provide speed for attack and retreat. The Equestrian navy was known to have the most powerful fleet in the world, as it protected trading ports that were essential for Equestrian commerce. Thousands of ships, bearing the Equestrian naval jack, sailed the oceans, protecting ships that belonged to their nation. Ships that contained vital goods that would be sold in the mainland once they arrived. The goods cost thousands upon thousands of bits, so it was crucial to protect them, especially from raiders. Many ships have been raided of its contents before and sold in the black market, depriving Equestria of its profit. So it was the job of the navy to send ships and protect them at all cost. As Midnight watched the ship move through the bay, he began to wonder about its destination. Would it patrol the Equestrian coast, protecting the borders from intruders or would it sail to a foreign port and guard the trade routes? The answer to the question would only be known to the Captain of the ship, as he would read their orders and make the necessary adjustments to their course. But that was none of his business. What the navy did was up to them, while the army was stuck to the ground. He removed his gaze from the ship and glanced around the camp, just as a large white earth pony marched towards them. Unlike the recruits who were in the camp, the earth pony wore the golden armor of the army. Polished to perfection, the armor reflected the sun’s rays, making it glint as he marched towards them. From what Midnight could see, the pony seemed to be old as his fur looked ragged, showing that he has been in the army for a long time. But despite his age and state, he marched with perfection. He moved with quick precision towards them, as he kept a straight look on his face. Every single recruit from Midnight’s group seemed to be staring at this new pony, as he approached them. Once in front of them, the pony stood tall and still. His head did not move, but his eyes scanned them all. Moving left and right, he sized them up, focusing his eyes on all of them. An expression of disgust filled his face as he looked at the rag tag group of ponies. With disorganized lines and sloppy postures, one would think that this was a line from a hospital ward rather than volunteers for the army. “What in the name of our gracious sun goddess am I looking at?” He bellowed, as anger replaced the disgusted look on his face. He stomped his hoof on the ground with so much force, that Midnight thought it could have caused an earthquake. “Is this what you call a line?” He said, moving across it. “Because this looks like connect the dots! Do you have a gigantic pen for me, so that I could fix this mess up?” He then spit at the recruit nearest to him, as he stood at the center of the line. In the presence of the large soldier, the recruit who was hit by the spit stood still, not wanting to known on what would happen if he reacted. “Train one more batch, Sergeant. You’re so good at it that you won’t have a problem training them.” He said, trying to do a mocking impression of, what Midnight guessed, his commanding officer. Shaking his head, he glanced at the recruits, who were trying to do their best in hiding their fear. “Alright, listen up.” He said, shouting so that everpony could hear. “My name is Master Sergeant Rock…” The Sergeant was cut off when a short chuckle came from the rear of the line. Some brave soul decided to express his feeling, braving the possible consequences. The Sergeant glanced towards the sound, his eyes focusing on that direction, but found nopony laughing. Squinting his eyes, he let out a growl. “So, you think it’s funny? To have a name like rock? Do you!” “N…No…Sergeant.” A recruit near him said, shaking in fear from the presence of the large earth pony. “Well somepony here does.” The Sgt. Rock retorted, as he glared at all of them. “But you know who doesn’t agree with you? No? Well I’ll tell you. Col. Silent Dawn, the one who gave me this name. So unless you have any complaints against the Colonel’s decision, I suggest you keep your mouth shut!” Nopony replied, as expected. “Good…” Sgt. Rock said, as he nodded to himself. “It is good that we have an understanding. Now where was I? Oh yes.” He began to pace in front of them, going back and forth as he looked at each pony in the front row. He stared directly at their eyes, as the ponies felt he was staring at their souls. “I am here to train you, like every other drill sergeant in this camp. The ‘47th’’‘needs soldiers and you are the sorry excuse we get. So I get the best job in the world, to train raw recruits like you.” He said, adding sarcasm to the last line. “But don’t you worry…” He said, now moving in front of Midnight before turning towards him. “…because I’m going to train wimps like you…” He said, pressing his hoof on Midnight’s chest. “…into real fighting soldiers.” He then continued his movement along the line, leaving Midnight who had his pride damaged. Ponies called him a lot of thing, but never a wimp. Now, to be called one, in front of two hundred recruits, was a complete embarrassment. But he was not going to let that bring him down. He was told that drill sergeant we’re cruel, but it was just part of an act. They were meant to be like that, so that they could toughen then recruits and make them follow orders. He may act like that to them at the start, but sooner or later they would soften up. Or at least he hoped… Midnight sat on top of a soft bed, as he looked around the white room. With its color and bright lights, the room looked very hygienic and clean. Which it should be, since it was acting as one, of many, checkup rooms that were dedicated to inspecting the health of the new recruits. Medical instruments were piled on one table and charts and papers pilled on another, as the doctor went through the files, looking for his name. Like most of the officials and officers in the camp, the doctor was a unicorn. Not that he had anything against it, since he didn’t care what race his officer or superior was. Although it did feel odd to see that most of the high ranks were occupied by magic wielding ponies. “Ah, here it is.” The Doctor said. “Midnight Sky, right.” “Yes, sir.” He said, nodding and straightening up. From the sign he saw in front of the room, the doctor had the rank of captain and so he should treat him as such. “Oh, no need for that….” He said, waving it off. Reserve that for your drill Sergeant. Please, just call me Doc.” “Yes, si…I mean, Doc.” He said, almost making the mistake. The Doctor smiled, as he approached Midnight and levitated the file in front of him. “Now, this is your medical file. Every checkup that you have to go through would be written here. All medical injuries would also be written down as we keep track of your health. Everypony in the military has one, so there is nothing special about it.” He said, before putting it down on the nearby table. “So, let’s start with the basics. Have you encountered any medical injury before?” He asked, in a friendly tone. “Well, no…I don’t think so….”He said, trying to remember every injury he has been through. Although he was bruised up many times, in the fights he has been through, he hardly thought that it was worth mentioning. But there was one thing that might be considered as a medical injury. Something that brought embarrassment to his inner pegasus. The problem that deprived him of his dreams and left him stranded on the ground. “Well…there is something that might be considered as a medical injury.” “Let me guess, a broken bone? I know you pegasi have the habit of crashing and tend to brake your bones because of that. Don’t ask me how I know; I have conducted a thousand checkups on pegasi by now.” He said, picking up a quill and scribbling it down on the file, expecting that his guess was correct. “Actually no. In fact, I would have had that, instead of what I have now.” The Doctor gave him a puzzled look, as he moved the quill away from the file. “What do you mean?” “Well you see…” Midnight said, feeling ashamed to reveal his disability. He shuffled his hooves on the bed, not knowing if he would have the strength to reveal it. To have the fact known and listed on a file was just nerve racking, but he knew that he had to say it. “…I…I can’t fly…” “What now?” The Doctor said, moving closer to him. “For a second there, I thought you said that you can’t fly. But of course that’s preposterous, seeing that you’re a pegasus…” Midnight cut the doctor off, as he looked at him with a straight face. “No, Doc, you heard me right. I can’t fly. It’s a disability that has been haunting me since birth.” The expression on the Doctor’s face turned to a frown, as he knew that the pegasus was serious. No pegasus would joke like something like that, since flight was something precious to them. Like magic to unicorns, flight was unique to their race alone. “So, you’re serious. No joking around here?” He said, clarifying what Midnight has said. Midnight only nodded in reply. “Well…” The Doctor said, moving towards the file once more, lifting it and the quill. “…you know I have to write this down. It’s part of procedure. Umm…uhhh, who’s your drill instructor?” He asked, confusing Midnight. Why did he want to know why his drill instructor? “Sgt. Rock.” He said plainly. “Oh, you poor pony…” The Doc muttered loud enough for Midnight to hear. This worried him, as he wanted to know what was wrong. “What do you mean?” He asked, worry still in him .Sure, Sgt. Rock looked bad at first, but he isn’t that terrible, right? “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Sgt. Rock isn’t the nicest of ponies. He likes to pick on the weakest and try to root them out. Just like clearing a garden of weed. Well, this disability of yours, no offence, is going to catch his eyes. This would make him pick on you more, he likes doing that to ponies that he consider weak. In other words, he’s going to make your life here feel like Tartarus.” “All because of a small disability!” Midnight exclaimed, shocked from what he just heard. “Yup.” The Doctor said nodding. “Our Camp Psychologist tried to tell the commander about this, saying that the Sergeant isn’t the sanest pony. He thrives on inflicting pain on others. It’s like a guilty pleasure for him. You would think that a report from the Camp Psychologist is enough to remove him. But with his ability to train the best soldiers and his connections, seeing that his mother is a member of the Royal Guard, it is basically impossible for him to be kicked out of the army. Luckily for the future batch, your group is the last group he would train, before transferring to another unit, something about him being bored of training troops.” “So you’re telling me that I am basically doomed.” Midnight clarified. “Yeah…” The Doctor said. “…just like that unicorn, all those years before. She was just like you, only difference was the fact that she couldn’t cast magic. That poor pony decided to take her life instead of spend another day under Sgt. Rock. Well, with any luck, you won’t end up the same way she did. Now then, let’s continue the rest of this checkup.” Midnight nodded and went through the rest of the checkup. But as he did, the words of the Doctor continued to circulate in his head. If he was right, then Sgt. Rock would not only make fun of him, but also hurt him physically. All because he couldn’t fly! You didn’t need to be a psychologist to figure out that there was something wrong with that pony. Lying down on top of his cot, Midnight Sky felt warm and comfortable embrace of his blanket, as he relieved his tired muscles on the mattress underneath him. Despite it being stiff and as comfortable as a bed of leaves, the bed and blanket was a big upgrade compared to his old sleeping quarters, which was nothing more than a carpet laid on the cold stone of an alley. At least here he had a blanket to keep him warm and wall to prevent the night breeze from freezing him as he slept. Sighing in sheer happiness, Midnight looked up to see the wooden ceiling of his barracks. Everything that has happened so far was great and he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t thought of this sooner. Joining the army was, by far, the best idea he had thought of. So far, the army has done nothing but treat him well, feeding him with plenty of food when he was hungry, providing him a bed to sleep on, giving him a blanket to keep him warm through the night. With all of this being given to him, it was already a hundred times better than the orphanage, where they were barely fed and were told to sleep inside cramped rooms that were filled with orphaned fillies and colts. Remembering those terrible conditions brought a shiver through his spine, as he shifted himself so that he could cover himself with his blanket. The orphanage was a nightmare, something that he didn’t want to return to. But at least he could now put it all behind him, as he was now a recruit in the army. An army that seemed to have treated them all well. From the smiling and happy faces he saw in the mess hall earlier that night, he could tell that he wasn’t the only one enjoying his stay here. Most of the ponies with him were the ones who lived in poverty and starvation, where their homes were nothing more than rags knitted together, where food was anything they can pick up from the trash and beg for. Ponies like him, who were desperate for a real home, a home that would accept them. They have lived for a long time, trying to find that place, but now they have found it. Now they were in the army, a place that accepted them with open hooves and, so far, has treated them with all their basic needs. Aside from the loud and forceful sermon Sgt. Rock has given them earlier, reminding them that this was no paradise, their first day at Camp Horseshoe seemed like the dreams of many, where nopony grew hungry or cold. The ghostly warning of the Doctor was still echoing in his mind, but he chose to ignore them and forget it all. A couple of insults towards him would not break him down and stop him, as he could see more benefits in staying here, a place where the poor can live a life they always yearned for, than leaving and going back to the alleys. Here everypony was equal, with nopony being left out from anything. If the pony beside Midnight received soup, then Midnight would receive soup, if the pony in front of him received uniform, then Midnight received a uniform too. This thought made him happy, seeing that he would not be left out from what was being given. Jealousy would almost be nonexistent to him, as what everypony had, he will have also. There would be no need for stealing, as everything he needed to keep warm and alive would be provided to him. With all of this in mind, Midnight relaxed and laid his head on his pillow, closing his eyes and waiting for sleep to fall upon him. He could relax and fell safe now, as he would have no need to fear the cold or his safety. For he wasn’t in an alley nor in a cramped orphanage anymore. For he wasn’t in a place where he had to worry about tomorrow and the struggles of starvation. For he was now in the army, a recruit and it newest member. He was now in his new home, a real home.
PrologueOver The Hills and Far Away By Teal Prologue The rain poured as if there were a waterfall above them. The last of the rain clouds have been placed by the pegasi earlier, as it started conducting its job of bringing down rain on the surrounding areas. Dark skies hovered above them as the rain became heavier and heavier as the minutes pass. The Weather Corps did a good job at changing the weather and they were happy to leave the area to its gloomy and wet faith. The ground all over them turned muddy from the excess water, as the landscape changed from the usual hot and dry to cold and soggy. It looked like a miserable sight, with gloomy weather all over the place. As the rain continued to pour, ponies assigned to a large wooden fort hunkered in their tents, as they tried to avoid the rain above them. They hid under their canvass tents so that they won’t get soaked by the downpour. They tried to keep themselves dry by covering the ground with blankets, but the rain soaked ground made the task harder than they wanted. As more and more rain fell on them, the ground around the tents became moist, till the dirt under the pony’s hooves became moist and wet. With no other way to stop the water from moistening the ground under them, the ponies pilled more and more cloth on the ground, in hopes of covering it all up. Camp life was tough even without the bad weather, but whether one liked it or not, they had to live through it. Ponies inside tents tried their best to ignore the wet ground and cloth under them, as they closed their eyes and tried to get some rest. Days of marching and fighting have brought them to near exhaustion, as they were happy to finally be able to sleep, wet surroundings or not. They closed their eyes and slept through the bad weather, hoping that it would be gone when they woke up. But for Corporal Midnight Sky, who sat inside a tower overlooking the Eastern wall of the fort, sleep would not come till he was relieved from sentry duty. Midnight Sky sat inside the wooden tower, with the tower’s roof protecting him from the rain and its height protecting him from the muddy ground. He looked down to see the field, wet and muddy from the continuous downpour. The plants, which were once deprived of nourishment, were now enjoying the water that was given to them. If rain fall like this happened more often, then the fields would be blooming with plant life instead of the barren and dry state they usually have. Towards the North-East, he could see the dirt road that ran from the East to the West. Its once dry path was now soaked and brown with mud. It would be almost impossible to march through the road, with its mud soaked path that would stick on hooves and carts. The thick mud would cling to anything that steps on top of it, making it impossible to pass through. Midnight Sky sighed as he shook his head. It would take an entire day before the mud would dry. An entire day of sunlight would dry the mud to a state that would make it possible to trot on. But that would only happen if the order was given to clear the skies and let Celestia’s sun dry the road and fields. From the rumors he has heard, the plan to clear the skies was not going to happen anytime soon. So till the clouds are cleared and the rain stops, they were stuck here with the gloomy weather above them. Looking up, he could see the cloud covered skies above him. Watched as the droplets of water fell from the sky and landed on the ground. How he wished to be able to fly up, pass the clouds and see the clear skies above. With wings spread wide, taking him to heights as high as mountains. To be able to go high and fast, zooming through the air like and arrow, while chasing off the birds that tried to compete against him. To have cool air blowing against his face as he dived from unimaginable heights, only to pull up in the last minute. Giving another sigh, this time a little longer, he shook his head sadly as he let go of that dream. Whatever went through his imagination would stay there, as he knew that they would never be fulfilled. His wings would never be able to take him up, for he was a grounded pegasus. No matter how hard he would try, he just doesn’t have the wing power to carry himself above the ground. A complication in birth was to blame, as it damaged the vital wing muscles and nerves that enabled a pagasus to fly. With that, he was deprived of something a regular pegasus should be able to do. The sound of hooves stepping on the wooden stairs snapped him out of his depressing thoughts, as he turned around to see a soaked unicorn behind him. Her blue eyes stared at him with an annoyed look, but he knew that the annoyance wasn’t directed at him. Her black rain soaked fur matted with her golden armor, as the water dripped on the wooden floor below them. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to get your armor wet, Raven?” Midnight Sky said, acting as if he was reprimanding her. Of course he was not serious, but it was still a good thing to remind her of the horrible things water those to metal. “You don’t want those things to rust, do you?” “Your blaming me for this?” She said, gesturing to her armor with her hoof. “You should be blaming those Pegasi in the Weather Corps. If they didn’t have to make it rain, then me and my armor wouldn’t have to be soaked and freezing. Why do they have to make it rain anyways? Sure I hated the hot climate of this country, but I would prefer to stay hot and dry, that wet and freezing.” “You know how it goes, General’s orders.” He explained before looking back out to the field. He made a quick glance towards the road and saw the muddy path once more. He knew what the General was planning and knew that it would work. “Move over here and I’ll show you what I think he’s trying to do.” He said, motioning with his hoof for her to come closer. Without saying a word, Raven nodded and moved up next to him. “You see that road over there?” He asked, pointing towards the road that he was staring at. “Yeah…” She said nodding. “…that’s the road that would take us to the Griffons.” “Yeah, it is…” Midnight Sky said, agreeing with her. “…but it is also the road that would take the Griffons to us.” He then looked away from the scenery to face her, as he continued with his explanation. “With the past month’s fighting, our army has taken a beating. Sure, we won a couple of battles, but the casualty report is too high. We also have the problem of stretching our supplies too thin, since the Supply Corps is having trouble in catching up on us. So with those problems at hoof, the General decided to halt the army and dig in. We built these wooden forts here…” He said, tapping the floor. “…so that we could fight of any attack the enemy would try. But I doubt if the enemy would be able to reach us. With this rain, the Griffons would have trouble moving through the muddy roads. So the Weather Corps is basically creating a moat of mud between our battered army and the Griffons.” “But wouldn’t the rains slow down the Supply Corps? Surely the roads their taking would be muddy too?” She suggested. “Well from what I have heard…” He said, remembering the rumors that circulated around the fort. “…the rain clouds were only placed over us. The roads leading towards our area is clear and dry, giving them a nice clear path to trot on.” Raven plotted herself down as she gave a sad sigh. “Great…” She said, looking down. “…it makes me wish I was assigned to the Supply Corps instead. They do nothing but laze around once they stop pulling carts.” “Oh, don’t say that.” He said, putting his hoof against her chin, forcing her to look up. His eyes met hers, as she saw the smile on his face. “…if you were assigned there, then it would have been a complete waste of fighting material. I don’t know anypony else who could take on three Griffons.” A small grin went up on her face as she let out a short laugh. “Oh, stop it. If anypony here is a fighting machine, it’s you.” She said, pointing her hoof at him. “I was only able to fight them off because I had the use of my magic.” She said, lighting her horn to give emphasis. “You, on the other hoof, can fight off Griffons with only a sword held in your mouth. If I remember correctly, you jumped over a Griffon that was charging you stabbed his comrade, who was behind him, before turning around to finish him off. If you don’t call that fighting skill, then I don’t know what that was! I can’t imagine myself doing that. I would be helpless without my magic. You, my good pony, were born to fight.” Midnight Sky gave an amused chuckle as he shook his head. “Go tell the young me that. If I knew that I would grow up to be a fighting machine, then I would have signed up earlier.” He said, before turning his gaze back outside. As he watched the rain once more, his mind began to drift to memories of a life long forgotten. A life that he didn’t like, but would stay with him as long as he lived and trot the earth. He remembered the young colt lived in the streets and stole food to live. The colt who signed up to escape his old life and find adventure. The colt who grew up to be him, a fighting machine.
Chapter 1Chapter 1 A dark blue colt hid in the dark alleys of Manehattan, trying to lessen his appearance as he hid behind a large trash bin. The sound of hooves could be heard echoing near the alley, as the sound dominated over the sound of rain pouring down the city. As he hunkered behind the bin, the colt could feel droplets of water falling on top of his head, irritating him. But he did not let the irritation overtake him, as he knew that any small movement could give away his position. The sound of hooves grew louder, as shouts started to echo along with it. Peaking on the edge of the bin, the colt managed to catch a small glance at the rushing ponies. There were three of them, two of which were members of the local constabulary, with their whistles and blue hats, while the other was a fat unicorn who wore a baker’s hat and apron. The unicorn was flustered and tired, as he tried to keep up with the other two, but anger and irritation was still plastered on his face as he screamed: “How could we have lost him? You to idiots can’t even catch a mischievous colt. When I meet your superior, I am going to give him a long complaint about you two!” He watched as the three ponies galloped out of his field of view and away from him. Snickering to himself, the colt relaxed his tense muscles as he gave a sigh of relief. All that running and dashing has taken a toll in his muscles and he took a sit to give them some rest. Although some would consider this place an unhygienic place to rest, for a young pony like him, who has lived most of his life in the dirtiest places of the city, this alley was like a living room. Despite the ragged and indecent look of places like this, to him it was home. Seeing that there was no place that he could actually call home, anyplace that would provide shelter and protection from the harshness of life was home enough for him, no matter what it looked like. But what did a real home feel like? The thought always made him wonder, wonder about the feeling of having a real home and not a make shift canvass roof, handing from some wires or on anything he can put it on. Maybe a real home would be nice, with warm food and a bed. But in his state, getting a place like that would be impossible. He could always go back to the orphanage… ‘No, enough of that place!’ He thought, as he shook his head. The orphanage has done nothing to him but order him around. They would tell him to roam the streets, beg for money, only for them to take it in the end of the day. If those bits he begged for were left to him, then he might just be able to buy a real home. But that wasn’t the case, as everyday they were sent out to beg for money only to have it taken. This repeated injustice was the reason he left in the first place and he wasn’t going to give them the privilege of seeing him crawl back to them, begging for a place to stay. Besides, he doubt it if they would accept him anymore. He was almost eighteen, almost real stallion. After one more year, he would be called an adult and adults weren’t allowed to stay in orphanages unless they would work there. He could try to apply for a job there, but he tried to avoid the place as much as possible. That was a place of maltreatment and he didn’t want to be associated with them. The sound of grumbling distracted him from the thoughts of home and the orphanage, as his stomach complained about the lack of food inside it. It has almost been two days since he last ate, so it had all the right to grumble and complain. With his way of life, getting three square meals a day was an impossible task. He would have been lucky to get three meals a week, let alone a day. But a confident grin grew on his face, as he patted his stomach to ease its complaints. Shifting from his position, he brought his right hoof under his left wing to pull out a brownie that was safely tucked in his wing. Sure he would have to bear the slight annoyance of having sticky feathers, but he knew that it was worth the small discomfort. Looking at the brownie at his hooves, he couldn’t help but admire his prize. To be able to snatch and run from the bakery to hear was quite a task for his weak body, but it was a task that was well rewarded. Sure, he knew that stilling was bad. But who could blame him? He was a poor pony who had nothing to eat, while the owner of the shop was a fat baker who could feast on his creations. Besides, it was only one brownie out of the hundreds out there. The baker would not lose a profit from one brownie. His mouth watered at the thought of consuming the pastry. He could only imagine the sweet flavors that would fall upon his tongue once he took a bite. Not wasting another second, he moved the brownie closer to his mouth. With eyes closed in anticipation, he prepared to take a big bite and enjoy his hard earned brownie. He closed his mouth, biting down in hopes of cutting a big chunk into his mouth. But this great surprise, he bit on nothing but air. Quickly opening his eyes in a alarm, he was shocked to see that the brownie was gone from hos hoof. It just disappeared, without even giving him a chance to take a bite. How could this happen? Why was life teasing him all the time? He looked on the ground, trying to see if it fell, but found nothing. It just disappeared and was lost from him forever, leaving his stomach empty and angry. Then, the sound of wings flapping and a loud squawk caught his attention, as he looked behind him to see a large white bird flying away from the alley. Normally, there would be nothing odd about it, since birds were common in Manhattan. But as he squint his eyes, trying to get a clearer view of the bird, he saw that the bird was carrying his brownie in its claws. The cheeky bird was stilling his brownie! The very brownie that he risked his life to steal! “Hey!” He shouted at the bird, as he began to move out to chase it. “Come back, that’s mine!” He burst out the alley, sliding on the sidewalk before moving forward to give chase to the flying bird. His hooves brought him to a quick pace, as they forgot the fatigue that overcame them only moments earlier. The adrenaline was being pumped in his blood, as hunger and weariness was pushed off by determination. His body worked double-time, just to be able to catch the bird and retrieve the pastry. Once in a while, he would try to jump and swat the bird, in hopes of bringing it down. His hoof usually missed the bird, as it continued to fly farther and farther from him. The process of swatting the bird down proved to be too tiring and he soon gave up on it. “You’re lucky that I can’t fly…” He grumbled to himself. “…if I could, then you would one dead bird.” It was another sad truth in his life, the fact that he could not fly. From what he was told in the orphanage, the cause of the problem was a complication during birth. Something to do with muscles and nerves, but he didn’t care much about the scientific details. The main point was, he would never be able to fly under his own wing power. This was a devastating problem, seeing that a flightless pegasus was basically a useless pegasus. Most jobs that need pegasi usually involved flight and the need to go high. He could always try ground based jobs, but most of those jobs were difficult if you didn’t have unicorn magic or earth pony strength. Without flight, magic, great strength, or the gift of taming the ground, the list of future jobs for him was narrow. To odd more problems to the situation, his disability was often the center piece of mockery, as the other foals in the orphanage would mock him. They would often say that the main reason his mother left him there was because he couldn’t fly. This would often lead to fights that he sometimes won and sometimes lost. The win and lose ration usually drifted towards him losing all the time. Basically, his young life was filled with anger and pain, both literally and emotionally. He wasn’t the best fighter in the world, but at least he was learning. Those experiences in the orphanage helped him learn how to fight bigger enemies. Although it was painful and left a lot of bruises and scars, it was a valuable lesson that might help him a lot, epically in the slums where there is no law. In the slums, the fight for survival becomes so desperate that attacking a fellow pony was common. With no ability to get away fast, when the fighting became intense, he had no choice but to fight it out. So far he has not encountered a fight with the bigger ponies in the slums, which he considered as a piece of luck that he owed to the universe. Maybe the universe was taking back the debt he owed them, as they denied him of the small meal that he wanted. He kept his eyes on the bird, as it flew above him, mocking him. He wasn’t going to let go of this bird till he’s able to catch it and get what was stolen from him. He followed the bird to wherever it went, not caring where it brought him. He was too determined on catching the bird. So determined that he didn’t notice the large crowd that was gathering in front of him, with ponies flocking around towards one corner of the area. He didn’t turn his gaze away from the bird as it brought him closer and closer to them. He remained oblivious to the crowd till it was too late. With great momentum his muzzle bumped onto the side of a large stallion that was standing on the side of the crowd. The impact was more painful for him than for the stallion, as the large male pony was stuffed with muscles and meat. The impact almost crushed his muzzle, as he was thrown backwards. Like a ball thrown on a wall, he bounced back and fell on the ground. He lay there, rubbing his nose as he looked up to see the stallion staring down at him, with an annoyed look plastered on his face. “Watch where you’re going.” The stallion growled with his deep voice. Seeing how tall and bulky the stallion was, he knew that a fight would him would not end well. The best thing he could do was apologize and hopped that the stallion wasn’t too angry at him. With a sheepish look on his face, he gave a nervous apology. “Sorry…” He said, closing his eyes and hoping for the best. When he felt nothing impacting him, he opened his eyes and heard the stallion make a grunt before looking away from him. With a sigh of relief, he stood up and looked up towards the sky. By now, the bird was gone, flying away with its prize in between its claws. With great irritation, he slammed his hoof on the ground. ‘There goes today’s meal…’ He thought in defeat. Now he had to find another meal or starve to death. As he stood there, thinking what he was to do, he began to notice the large amount of ponies gathering. They were forming up all around him and seemed to be looking at one direction as they pushed their way forward. Despite the rain the was pouring down all of them, the ponies seemed excited with eager eyes. This made him curious as to why they were all gathering here. Was there another rally? Or maybe they were giving free food? If they were giving free food, then he wanted to be first in line. His stomach was still demanding to be filled and he found no other way to fulfill its needs. If there was food, then his hunger would be satisfied. If there wasn’t, then at least his curiosity would be satisfied. So with his smaller figure, he moved pass the large ponies, passing through small gaps and moving his way forward. It was a difficult task, going through tight fits as he pushed his way through the crowd. With the possibility of getting food, he made his way through till he found himself in the front row, looking at three misplaced ponies. Misplaced because of the golden pieces of armor they wore. For they wore the brightest pieces of armor that he ever saw. Despite the dark surrounding and gloomy feeling around them, the armor of the three ponies looked bright and cheerful. It was also the cleanness thing he has ever seen in his life, so clean that he could see his reflection on it. It was like a mirror, a mirror made out of metal. Its bright golden color made the three stick out from the crowd, as the ponies gathered around the brightly cladded ponies. They stood in the middle of the circle, tall and proud, as they looked down on the ponies around them. They all wore the same golden armor, complete with all its pieces, from helmet to flank guard. They were clearly well suited and well-armed, as he noted the weapons they carried with them. All of them had swords, sheathed in their scabbards, as it dangled on the side of their armor. Along with the swords was a spear, which one of them carried. The other one carried nothing else other than his sword, while the last one had a flag with him. Looking at the flag, he could see that it was attached to a bronze pole, which had a golden alicorn figurine on the top tip. Looking towards the banner, he saw a large symbol of the sun, representing their Solar Princess, and some text written below it. ‘47th Royal Regiment’ It read. Despite having little to almost no education, the ability to read was a simple task for him. During his stay in the orphanage, one of the kind soles, a colt that was slightly older than him, thought him how to read and write. The used to go to school when his parents were still alive. But when they died and he was thrown into the orphanage, he was forced to drop out, seeing that the orphanage wasn’t willing to pay for his education. What little he knew, he thought to him. He was truly grateful for the gift of knowledge that was bestowed on him that he considered the older colt a friend. Sadly, that friend of his had to go when he was adopted years later, but the memory of the gift always stuck to him. Now, as he stood there in front of the crowd, he started to use the knowledge given to him. Too bad there wasn’t much to read. Other than the unit name and insignia, there was no piece of material stating why they were there. All he knew what that they were military and the presence of military never was a good thing. So his mind started to drift, wondering why they were gathered here. Where they here to arrest somepony? Was the city in the state of martial law? If so, why? But all his questions were soon answered when one of the ponies stood on top of a wooden box and bellowed in a loud and clear voice. “Citizens of Equestria, I see that you have all gathered here in curiosity as you wonder why we are here. So let me answer your questions and ease your worries.” He scanned the crowd as he continued. “Me and my comrades are here to endorse something. To give you an offer that I know is almost impossible to resist. We are here to look for volunteers. That’s right, volunteers. Now you may be wondering, volunteers for what?” He gave a short pause as some of them nodded. “Well volunteers for the army of course! Volunteers for the 47th Royal Regiment” He said, cheerfully, as if he expected the crowd to be as enthusiastic as him. Of course some of them where enthusiastic at the offer, as they opened their ears to listen. But for the young stallion, the thought of the army was not exciting. To him, it was like the orphanage all over again. To be ordered and push around by older and stronger ponies. To be abused as your superiors throw insults at you. If he wanted to experience those things, then he might as well return to the orphanage. But as he was about to turn back and trot away, one line from the recruiter caught his ears and made him stay. “…riches as far as the eye can see.” This made him turn back to face him, as he started to listen intently. “There are a lot of far of places that hold great treasures and the army allows everypony, that’s right, everpony, to have a share on those riches. Any unit that stumbles upon gold would have them equally distributed to every member of the unit, from officers to the regular soldier. By the time you are over with your duty, you would end up as a rich pony. Now what do you say? To be able to gain glory as you serve under noble leaders. To be fed and have a roof over your head. The army would give your life something it would be missing, a home.” Those words circulated in his head, as he began to think about the possibilities. He would be fed and given a nice place to sleep. These two things alone sounded nice, but the fact that he could find riches and become rich is what sold the deal. He would find gold in the far off lands of this world and taken them. Add that with the pay he would getting, then it would mean he would be a well-paid pony by the end of his service. Joining the army sounded more like an adventure than a patritic cause. He imagined himself more as an explorer, instead of a soldier. But joining the army might also be his only choice, seeing that it was also a job. A job that anypony can join, no matter what their background was. The army would accept him, despite his disability of not being able to fly. It would be easier to join the army and be accepted than to be able to find a job for a flightless pegasus. Volunteering started to seem like a good choice. Sure the army would be worse than the orphanage, but at the same time it was better. He would get ordered around, but he would get paid for it. He would find money, but he would be able to keep it this time. Besides, he was too old for the orphanage. But he was also too young for the army. At age seventeen, he was one year too short. The standard enlistment age was eighteen. He would be too young to join and would be rejected, all because he was one year younger. But they don’t know that… A mischievous idea formed in his head as he planned it all out. He would conceal his age and pretend to be eighteen. It wouldn’t be too difficult, seeing that it was only a one year gap. Besides, he looked eighteen anyways. With his lean figure, he usually looked older than he was supposed to be. It would be easy for him to pass off as an eighteen year old. To add to the things that were in his favor, the recruiters were not taking papers of identification. They weren’t checking identification cards or birth certificates. Instead, they were just asking volunteers to sign their name. Nothing more than that. So it was final. He was going to sign up and join. Go off and find riches and return with more money than he had when he left. “Private Midnight Sky, 47th Royal Regiment… Hmmm…I like the sound of that.” He said, with a grin, as he trotted towards the line of volunteers.
Chapter 2Chapter 2 Recruit Midnight Sky felt tired and sore, as he did his best to stand at attention in the middle of the parade ground. For the past week, they have been doing nothing but march, march, and march. From Manehattan, he and the other recruits marched all across the countryside, through the dirt roads that crisscrossed the country, towards their designated training camp, Camp Horseshoe, which was located at the outskirts of Baltimare. Although Midnight knew that the army would push them to their limits, he never expected them to do it so soon. He thought that they would go easy on them on the first week, but instead, they marched the new recruits to the camp, instead of taking the train that could bring them there in a quicker amount of time. At least they stood through to the promise of feeding them, although the food needed a little more improvement. Maybe a little more spices? Now he stood there, with two hundred other recruits, waiting for further orders. The ponies were still tired and weary from the long march, having just finished a night march so that they would arrive at the camp before dawn. They felt their muscles ache, and eyes close, as the long march started to take its toll. Midnight felt the same thing, but tried to ignore it all and instead focus on other things. If he distracted his mind from the aching pain, then he might be able to remove the feeling from his mind. Mind over matter, they would always say. So he began to look around at anything that would bring his mind away from his tired body. Glancing towards the far-off bay, Midnight could see the busy ports of Baltimare, as large wooden vessels plowed through the water. Being the second most important port, next to Manehattan, Baltimare was always bustling with ships carrying good to and from faraway lands. The Camp was strategically located on a large plateau that over looked the bay, giving it a dominating presence in the area. This also gave him of a good view of the ships, as they went there way. One of them, a large two decked ship of the navy, moved close by, its sails ready to take it out of the bay and out to the ocean. Even from a distance, the ship looked big and powerful. With its wooden hull and powerful weapons, it could take on ships that got in its way. While its large sails provide speed for attack and retreat. The Equestrian navy was known to have the most powerful fleet in the world, as it protected trading ports that were essential for Equestrian commerce. Thousands of ships, bearing the Equestrian naval jack, sailed the oceans, protecting ships that belonged to their nation. Ships that contained vital goods that would be sold in the mainland once they arrived. The goods cost thousands upon thousands of bits, so it was crucial to protect them, especially from raiders. Many ships have been raided of its contents before and sold in the black market, depriving Equestria of its profit. So it was the job of the navy to send ships and protect them at all cost. As Midnight watched the ship move through the bay, he began to wonder about its destination. Would it patrol the Equestrian coast, protecting the borders from intruders or would it sail to a foreign port and guard the trade routes? The answer to the question would only be known to the Captain of the ship, as he would read their orders and make the necessary adjustments to their course. But that was none of his business. What the navy did was up to them, while the army was stuck to the ground. He removed his gaze from the ship and glanced around the camp, just as a large white earth pony marched towards them. Unlike the recruits who were in the camp, the earth pony wore the golden armor of the army. Polished to perfection, the armor reflected the sun’s rays, making it glint as he marched towards them. From what Midnight could see, the pony seemed to be old as his fur looked ragged, showing that he has been in the army for a long time. But despite his age and state, he marched with perfection. He moved with quick precision towards them, as he kept a straight look on his face. Every single recruit from Midnight’s group seemed to be staring at this new pony, as he approached them. Once in front of them, the pony stood tall and still. His head did not move, but his eyes scanned them all. Moving left and right, he sized them up, focusing his eyes on all of them. An expression of disgust filled his face as he looked at the rag tag group of ponies. With disorganized lines and sloppy postures, one would think that this was a line from a hospital ward rather than volunteers for the army. “What in the name of our gracious sun goddess am I looking at?” He bellowed, as anger replaced the disgusted look on his face. He stomped his hoof on the ground with so much force, that Midnight thought it could have caused an earthquake. “Is this what you call a line?” He said, moving across it. “Because this looks like connect the dots! Do you have a gigantic pen for me, so that I could fix this mess up?” He then spit at the recruit nearest to him, as he stood at the center of the line. In the presence of the large soldier, the recruit who was hit by the spit stood still, not wanting to known on what would happen if he reacted. “Train one more batch, Sergeant. You’re so good at it that you won’t have a problem training them.” He said, trying to do a mocking impression of, what Midnight guessed, his commanding officer. Shaking his head, he glanced at the recruits, who were trying to do their best in hiding their fear. “Alright, listen up.” He said, shouting so that everpony could hear. “My name is Master Sergeant Rock…” The Sergeant was cut off when a short chuckle came from the rear of the line. Some brave soul decided to express his feeling, braving the possible consequences. The Sergeant glanced towards the sound, his eyes focusing on that direction, but found nopony laughing. Squinting his eyes, he let out a growl. “So, you think it’s funny? To have a name like rock? Do you!” “N…No…Sergeant.” A recruit near him said, shaking in fear from the presence of the large earth pony. “Well somepony here does.” The Sgt. Rock retorted, as he glared at all of them. “But you know who doesn’t agree with you? No? Well I’ll tell you. Col. Silent Dawn, the one who gave me this name. So unless you have any complaints against the Colonel’s decision, I suggest you keep your mouth shut!” Nopony replied, as expected. “Good…” Sgt. Rock said, as he nodded to himself. “It is good that we have an understanding. Now where was I? Oh yes.” He began to pace in front of them, going back and forth as he looked at each pony in the front row. He stared directly at their eyes, as the ponies felt he was staring at their souls. “I am here to train you, like every other drill sergeant in this camp. The ‘47th’’‘needs soldiers and you are the sorry excuse we get. So I get the best job in the world, to train raw recruits like you.” He said, adding sarcasm to the last line. “But don’t you worry…” He said, now moving in front of Midnight before turning towards him. “…because I’m going to train wimps like you…” He said, pressing his hoof on Midnight’s chest. “…into real fighting soldiers.” He then continued his movement along the line, leaving Midnight who had his pride damaged. Ponies called him a lot of thing, but never a wimp. Now, to be called one, in front of two hundred recruits, was a complete embarrassment. But he was not going to let that bring him down. He was told that drill sergeant we’re cruel, but it was just part of an act. They were meant to be like that, so that they could toughen then recruits and make them follow orders. He may act like that to them at the start, but sooner or later they would soften up. Or at least he hoped… Midnight sat on top of a soft bed, as he looked around the white room. With its color and bright lights, the room looked very hygienic and clean. Which it should be, since it was acting as one, of many, checkup rooms that were dedicated to inspecting the health of the new recruits. Medical instruments were piled on one table and charts and papers pilled on another, as the doctor went through the files, looking for his name. Like most of the officials and officers in the camp, the doctor was a unicorn. Not that he had anything against it, since he didn’t care what race his officer or superior was. Although it did feel odd to see that most of the high ranks were occupied by magic wielding ponies. “Ah, here it is.” The Doctor said. “Midnight Sky, right.” “Yes, sir.” He said, nodding and straightening up. From the sign he saw in front of the room, the doctor had the rank of captain and so he should treat him as such. “Oh, no need for that….” He said, waving it off. Reserve that for your drill Sergeant. Please, just call me Doc.” “Yes, si…I mean, Doc.” He said, almost making the mistake. The Doctor smiled, as he approached Midnight and levitated the file in front of him. “Now, this is your medical file. Every checkup that you have to go through would be written here. All medical injuries would also be written down as we keep track of your health. Everypony in the military has one, so there is nothing special about it.” He said, before putting it down on the nearby table. “So, let’s start with the basics. Have you encountered any medical injury before?” He asked, in a friendly tone. “Well, no…I don’t think so….”He said, trying to remember every injury he has been through. Although he was bruised up many times, in the fights he has been through, he hardly thought that it was worth mentioning. But there was one thing that might be considered as a medical injury. Something that brought embarrassment to his inner pegasus. The problem that deprived him of his dreams and left him stranded on the ground. “Well…there is something that might be considered as a medical injury.” “Let me guess, a broken bone? I know you pegasi have the habit of crashing and tend to brake your bones because of that. Don’t ask me how I know; I have conducted a thousand checkups on pegasi by now.” He said, picking up a quill and scribbling it down on the file, expecting that his guess was correct. “Actually no. In fact, I would have had that, instead of what I have now.” The Doctor gave him a puzzled look, as he moved the quill away from the file. “What do you mean?” “Well you see…” Midnight said, feeling ashamed to reveal his disability. He shuffled his hooves on the bed, not knowing if he would have the strength to reveal it. To have the fact known and listed on a file was just nerve racking, but he knew that he had to say it. “…I…I can’t fly…” “What now?” The Doctor said, moving closer to him. “For a second there, I thought you said that you can’t fly. But of course that’s preposterous, seeing that you’re a pegasus…” Midnight cut the doctor off, as he looked at him with a straight face. “No, Doc, you heard me right. I can’t fly. It’s a disability that has been haunting me since birth.” The expression on the Doctor’s face turned to a frown, as he knew that the pegasus was serious. No pegasus would joke like something like that, since flight was something precious to them. Like magic to unicorns, flight was unique to their race alone. “So, you’re serious. No joking around here?” He said, clarifying what Midnight has said. Midnight only nodded in reply. “Well…” The Doctor said, moving towards the file once more, lifting it and the quill. “…you know I have to write this down. It’s part of procedure. Umm…uhhh, who’s your drill instructor?” He asked, confusing Midnight. Why did he want to know why his drill instructor? “Sgt. Rock.” He said plainly. “Oh, you poor pony…” The Doc muttered loud enough for Midnight to hear. This worried him, as he wanted to know what was wrong. “What do you mean?” He asked, worry still in him .Sure, Sgt. Rock looked bad at first, but he isn’t that terrible, right? “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Sgt. Rock isn’t the nicest of ponies. He likes to pick on the weakest and try to root them out. Just like clearing a garden of weed. Well, this disability of yours, no offence, is going to catch his eyes. This would make him pick on you more, he likes doing that to ponies that he consider weak. In other words, he’s going to make your life here feel like Tartarus.” “All because of a small disability!” Midnight exclaimed, shocked from what he just heard. “Yup.” The Doctor said nodding. “Our Camp Psychologist tried to tell the commander about this, saying that the Sergeant isn’t the sanest pony. He thrives on inflicting pain on others. It’s like a guilty pleasure for him. You would think that a report from the Camp Psychologist is enough to remove him. But with his ability to train the best soldiers and his connections, seeing that his mother is a member of the Royal Guard, it is basically impossible for him to be kicked out of the army. Luckily for the future batch, your group is the last group he would train, before transferring to another unit, something about him being bored of training troops.” “So you’re telling me that I am basically doomed.” Midnight clarified. “Yeah…” The Doctor said. “…just like that unicorn, all those years before. She was just like you, only difference was the fact that she couldn’t cast magic. That poor pony decided to take her life instead of spend another day under Sgt. Rock. Well, with any luck, you won’t end up the same way she did. Now then, let’s continue the rest of this checkup.” Midnight nodded and went through the rest of the checkup. But as he did, the words of the Doctor continued to circulate in his head. If he was right, then Sgt. Rock would not only make fun of him, but also hurt him physically. All because he couldn’t fly! You didn’t need to be a psychologist to figure out that there was something wrong with that pony. Lying down on top of his cot, Midnight Sky felt warm and comfortable embrace of his blanket, as he relieved his tired muscles on the mattress underneath him. Despite it being stiff and as comfortable as a bed of leaves, the bed and blanket was a big upgrade compared to his old sleeping quarters, which was nothing more than a carpet laid on the cold stone of an alley. At least here he had a blanket to keep him warm and wall to prevent the night breeze from freezing him as he slept. Sighing in sheer happiness, Midnight looked up to see the wooden ceiling of his barracks. Everything that has happened so far was great and he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t thought of this sooner. Joining the army was, by far, the best idea he had thought of. So far, the army has done nothing but treat him well, feeding him with plenty of food when he was hungry, providing him a bed to sleep on, giving him a blanket to keep him warm through the night. With all of this being given to him, it was already a hundred times better than the orphanage, where they were barely fed and were told to sleep inside cramped rooms that were filled with orphaned fillies and colts. Remembering those terrible conditions brought a shiver through his spine, as he shifted himself so that he could cover himself with his blanket. The orphanage was a nightmare, something that he didn’t want to return to. But at least he could now put it all behind him, as he was now a recruit in the army. An army that seemed to have treated them all well. From the smiling and happy faces he saw in the mess hall earlier that night, he could tell that he wasn’t the only one enjoying his stay here. Most of the ponies with him were the ones who lived in poverty and starvation, where their homes were nothing more than rags knitted together, where food was anything they can pick up from the trash and beg for. Ponies like him, who were desperate for a real home, a home that would accept them. They have lived for a long time, trying to find that place, but now they have found it. Now they were in the army, a place that accepted them with open hooves and, so far, has treated them with all their basic needs. Aside from the loud and forceful sermon Sgt. Rock has given them earlier, reminding them that this was no paradise, their first day at Camp Horseshoe seemed like the dreams of many, where nopony grew hungry or cold. The ghostly warning of the Doctor was still echoing in his mind, but he chose to ignore them and forget it all. A couple of insults towards him would not break him down and stop him, as he could see more benefits in staying here, a place where the poor can live a life they always yearned for, than leaving and going back to the alleys. Here everypony was equal, with nopony being left out from anything. If the pony beside Midnight received soup, then Midnight would receive soup, if the pony in front of him received uniform, then Midnight received a uniform too. This thought made him happy, seeing that he would not be left out from what was being given. Jealousy would almost be nonexistent to him, as what everypony had, he will have also. There would be no need for stealing, as everything he needed to keep warm and alive would be provided to him. With all of this in mind, Midnight relaxed and laid his head on his pillow, closing his eyes and waiting for sleep to fall upon him. He could relax and fell safe now, as he would have no need to fear the cold or his safety. For he wasn’t in an alley nor in a cramped orphanage anymore. For he wasn’t in a place where he had to worry about tomorrow and the struggles of starvation. For he was now in the army, a recruit and it newest member. He was now in his new home, a real home.
