Earlier that afternoon, at the north end of the small town north of Trost, soldiers were gathered in a large, spacious area with an open stone-and-wooden stage in the back. Many were conversing over which division they would join. While none of them had made the top ten, thus were denied the privilege of joining the Military Police, and with the high casualty rate of the Scouting Legion, many of them had agreed to join the Garrison.

Off in the back of the area near the side of a building, Reiner, Bertolt, Ymir, and Krista all waited around for the announcement to gather to commence. Standing against the building with their backs to the wall were Sasha, Armin, and Annie. However, Jean walked up to join them, alerting the four soldiers to their presence.

“Jean,” Armin exclaimed, “are you really joining the Scouting Legion?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed with a much steadier expression than he did the previous night.

“Why, all of a sudden?” asked Sasha, completely taken aback by Jean’s change in allegiance. “I mean… aren’t you scared?”

“Huh?” Jean huffed, almost offended. “Of course I don’t want to join the Scouting Legion.”

“Then,” wondered Conny, “why?”

“It isn’t that I decided that the titans don’t scare me, and I won’t say something like, ‘The best should join the Scouting Legion,’ either. I’m not as eager to die like some people are.”

“You mean Eren?” Conny asked, sounding a bit more downtrodden. “He already joined the Scouting Legion. And from what I’ve heard, so have the ponies.”

Jean and Sasha both gasped, as if they had forgotten this fact.

“Cadets,” shouted a Military Police soldier at all of the cadets in his area, “line up! Line up before the stage! Line up before the stage.”

Cadets were finishing with their conversations, moving towards the stage at a brisk walk.

“I’m not risking my life because someone convinced me,” Jean told Conny. “This is a job you can’t do unless… you decide for yourself.”

With that, Jean made his way to the stage with the other cadets, as did Reiner, Bertolt, Ymir, and Krista. Conny stood to his feet, ready to join them all with Sasha, Armin, and Annie.
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With the sun much further down, torches were lit on both sides of the gathered soldiers as well as on the stage, providing ample lighting for the soldiers to see the stage and their surrounding area. Upon the stage was Erwin, giving his speech to encourage many of the soldiers to enlist in his faction. Off on stage right, Hanji, Petra, Mike and some other Scouting Legion soldiers were present if needed. With all eyes trained on him, Erwin could begin his speech.

“I am Erwin Smith,” he began, “commander of the Scouting Legion. Today, you will join a military branch. To put it bluntly, I’m here to persuade you to join the Scouting Legion. During the titan attack, you learned how terrifying they can be and how limited your own power is.

“However, this battle has brought humanity closer to victory than it has ever been. Through Eren Jaeger, as well as existence of the six ponies and dragon that arrived here, by putting their lives on the line, they’ve proven themselves, without a doubt, as friends of humanity. With their help, not only did we stop the titans’ advance, as well as save many live that might have otherwise been lost, but now we have a way to discover the titan’s true nature.”

The cadets all made collectives gasps, stunned by this news. Erwin squinted, knowing that the bait he had thrown was bringing them all in.

“We believe,” he continued, “that in the basement of his Shiganshina home, there are answers about the titans that he himself doesn’t have. If we can reach that basement, we will find clues that will end this century of titans ruling over us.”

More surprised gasping ensued. Bertolt, in the back with Reiner, himself gasped at this news.

“The basement…” wondered Reiner.

“We’ve already advanced that far?” spoke a soldier in the crowd.

“If we learn what they are,” someone else responded, “we can end this.”

Armin looked intuitively at Erwin, unsure of his intentions.

No matter how much he wants recruits, he thought, I can’t believe he’s publicizing this information. Or does he have a hidden motive? What is he trying to see?

Erwin continued to look upon the soldiers that were intrigued with his words. However, he developed an unpleasant grimace, knowing he couldn’t hold back the true danger of their division for much longer. As crucial as new recruits were, he knew that he couldn’t win them over with hidden truths and bright sparkle. Facing forwards again, he resumed his speech.

“We will head for the basement in Shiganshina,” he devised aloud for the soldiers to hear. “However, that requires us to retake Wall Maria. In other words, our objective hasn’t changed.”

Mike and Petra knew this was their cue. Petra, grabbing a large roll of paper, entered onstage with Mike. Erwin looked back at them as they unrolled the sheet together, producing a crude, but presentable map of the walls and the districts. A large red X was placed over Trost, and a curved arrow was pointed down from the eastern district of Wall Rose down the southern district of Wall Maria: Shiganshina.

“But with the Trost gate sealed,” explained Erwin, “we’ll have to take the long way around, from the Karanese district to the east.”

With Erwin turning back to face the soldiers, Petra and Mike knew they were finished with, so they rolled up the paper and walked back offstage to give Erwin the floor again.

“The four years we spent laying a route for a large army have gone to waste. In those four years, more than sixty percent of the Scouting Legion have lost their lives. Sixty percent in four years; an insane figure. Any trainees who join will participate in an excursion beyond the walls in one month’s time. We expect that thirty percent will not return, and that’s even including the assistance of the ponies.”

At this moment, the soldiers began to quake. With the fact that for every two men and women among them, one would die, was an immensely scary fact to take in. Erwin expected this reaction, his expression never changing and his words continuing.

“In four years,” Erwin resumed, “most will be dead. But those who survive will become superior soldiers with a high survival rate.”

Erwin knew that he was on thin ice with the soldiers in attendance, and if they weren’t set on joining now, they probably ensured they would never join with his words. However, any wavering on his part would probably be the most crippling blow to the soldiers’ morale.

It was evident that the soldiers were terrified of Erwin’s statistics and the high risk of losing their lives by joining him. But it didn’t matter. Erwin knew he had to remain firm for any potential soldiers still willing to join, and that’s exactly what he needed to do.

“Knowing these discouraging facts,” Erwin spoke, “any still willing to risk their lives, remain here. Ask yourself: Are you willing to offer up your beating heart to humanity?”

The soldiers were taken aback yet again. While Erwin’s words were indeed powerful and moving, they were also brutally honest and dangerous.

“That is all,” Erwin concluded. “Anyone who wishes to join another branch is dismissed.”

A tan, muscular soldier with spiked black hair from backstage walked out just below the cadets’ visibilities to address Erwin.

“Commander,” he wondered, “don’t you think you scared them a little too much? All of them will leave.”

Erwin didn’t respond. He only saw as soldiers, starting with one, then two, then four, then eight, and many, many more began to walked backwards to join the Garrison.

“What about those ponies?” one cadet asked to another to the right of him. “If we join the Scouting Legion, won’t we get to work with them?”

“Pfft,” he huffed, already turning his back, “I ain’t joining the Scouting Legion on thirty percent. No way, no how.”

The soldier walked out, prompting the soldier beside him to leave too. Bertolt, who opted to stay put, watched as Annie left, looking to be the only other cadet looking to join the Military Police. With her, as well as countless others, leaving, Bertolt began to shudder, unsure if he should have walked away to join her. However, with Reiner by his side and standing firm to his decision, Bertolt’s feet remained planted to the ground as well.

Jean looked as the soldiers passed him as he continued to stand still. It was all behind him where they were walking: a life of safety and near-luxury in the Military Police. However, his feet refused to move, even as the other soldiers went to join the Garrison. Conny and Sasha also watched as they saw soldiers leave past them. Mikasa and Armin, however, weren’t moving away for the world. Eren, along with the ponies, were there in the Scouting Legion, and they needed to be there for them.

Damn it, Jean thought, a cold sweat forming on his brow. Come on, you already decided! Don’t make me hate myself even more…

Sasha couldn’t believe what she was doing. She was passing up a perfect life in the Military Police to join Erwin and any others on what seemed to be a surefire march to their deaths.

If I don’t leave now, she thought, I’ll have to face them again.

Conny stood still, but was cracking under the pressure from both the soldiers walking past him and the family that he had back home.

I left the village to join the Military Police, he thought, a sickened, unsure smile upon his face. My mom will be happy. If I join the Military Police, the whole village will think better of me…

The three unsure soldiers continued to assess the situation. There was still time. Still time to escape their trip to Hell and lead safer lives.

We all already know, Jean thought. We’ve seen it…

How the titans… thought Sasha, wincing fearfully.

…eat humans, figured Conny.

They could all envision the same scenario. Sasha was being eaten from the legs up by a squatting titan while Conny was being pulled apart by two others. Jean, too wounded to move, could only watch as his friends were eaten before his very eyes.

However, almost as if an angel were advising them to stay put, the three soldiers regained some memories of their encounters in Trost.
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Conny was lifted up by Rainbow Dash as titans below him jumped and reached out for him. With her pushing him up, the HQ windows came closer and closer.

“I got you, bud,” assured Rainbow Dash.
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Sasha watched as Rarity leapt over the titan setting its sights to kill her, only for the white unicorn to end its life first. With the titan felled, Sasha ran to Rarity, sobbing her eyes out as she hugged her savior.

“Rarity!” she screamed. “You saved my life!”
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Jean watched as Fluttershy drove her back hoof into the titan’s arm that grabbed hold of him. With the bones in its arm broken, the titan let Jean go, allowing him to fly away and to the roofs to run. He looked back as Fluttershy, finished with her lifesaving assault, flew back ahead to the HQ as Jean instructed.
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“–friend like you!” cried Fluttershy as she wrapped her arms around Jean’s waist, filling his chest with soft warmth.
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Jean cried out, expelling all of his anxiety and temptations into the night sky. Upon looking back around, only a small handful of soldiers were left. He could even identify a large number of them: Bertolt, Reiner, Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, Conny, Ymir, and Krista. There were about only a dozen other soldiers after that.

Erwin looked at his meager, but doable number of new recruits with the same intensity in which he addressed them just moments ago.

“Can you die if you’re ordered to?” he asked them all.

“I don’t want to die!” shouted Conny from the group.

Erwin, seeing the determination in their eyes, gave a grateful smirk.

“I see…” he said. “I like the looks on your faces.”

With an inhale, Erwin made the official declaration.

“Then I welcome everyone here to the Scouting Legion!” he shouted, giving the Military salute. “This is a true salute! Offer up your hearts!”

All at once, the soldiers placed their left hands behind their backs and put the right side of their right fists at the center of their chests.

“Yes, sir!” they all declared.

Armin, looking around himself, was happy to see most of his friends had decided to stay.

“Everyone…” he muttered.

“This is terrible,” Jean said to himself, looking at the ground, “The Scouting Legion…”

Sasha was almost on the verge of tears while Conny just looked relieved, the hardest decision that he ever made in his life now finally over.

“I’m scared…” squeaked Sasha. “I want to go home…”

“I don’t even care anymore,” sighed Conny.

Reiner stood before Erwin, proudly giving him his best salute. Bertolt, however, still scared for his life, began to grit his teeth sadly, a small part of him wishing he could have just joined the Military Police. Krista too was almost on the verge of tears, but Ymir looked disappointed with her.

“If you were going to cry,” scolded Ymir, “you should have left.”

Erwin then gave a final declaration to his new recruits.

“You have done well to endure your fear,” he spoke. “You are brave soldiers. You have my heartfelt respect.”

Despite getting to see Eren and their new pony friends once again, they were now entering the most dangerous and lethal faction of the Military. Whether they were prepared for it or not, it didn’t matter. They were all now in the Scouting Legion.