I walk down the alley, keeping my back against the wall, and come to a halt by the edge of the building. I glance back to see all of the other kids that had followed me from the orphanage are watching me closely.

“Go for it!"

"Come on, do it already ya big baby!"

"Don't get caught!" they say as they wait for me to do it. I glance around the corner and see my target. Green flakes of pure deliciousness, just waiting to be devoured! They sit out in the open on a stone table as the fat merchant calls out to all of the people walking by.

"Fresh compressed flakes for sale! Get 'em while they're hot!" he shouts as he marches back and forth, waiting for someone to buy his goods. I wait until he's facing away from me before I reach over and grab a handful of the flakes, making a crunching sound that gets his attention. "HEY! I already told you orphan brats not to come near here! Get back!" he yells as I turn around and run down the alley, making the other kids scatter as we all head towards the orphanage.

We run out of the end of the alley and straight into traffic, getting cars to slam their brakes and honk at us as we continue to run towards our destination. The drivers yell at us, calling us names and threatening us, but we ignore them as we make it to our goal: the open square at the orphanage. We all run in and stop in the middle of the square to catch our breath. I can't believe I got away with a full hand’s worth!

"Idiot!" One of the bigger kids pushes me down. "Good job on getting caught! Now give me the flakes!" he yells, as he tries to pry them out of my hand. We struggle around a bit before I trip him, making him fall to the ground. I quickly get on top of him and start punching him, hitting him in the eyes, nose, and across the jaw before I get up and take a bite of the salty treat.

"MILES EREMITA!" Aw shit. I turn around to see the dean walking towards me. He's a fairly tall, older man with a shaved head, and wears a black robe.

"He hit me…"

"Come with me. There's someone who wants to have a word with you," he says before turning around and walking back to the orphanage. Darn it… looks like another night in the pit of shame. I take another bite of the flakes before tossing the rest to the group of kids behind me, making them fight over scraps. I run up to the front door, follow the dean in and up the stairs. He's leading me to his office… I must really be in trouble. What did I do to get in this deep? Well, theft… and beating up that one kid... even though he completely deserved it! He stops before the door and turns back to me, looking somewhat scared and disappointed. "Why do we have to do this with you in filthy rags?" I glance down at my shirt and shorts, then back to him.

"Hey, you're the one who won't get us real clothes. This was the best I could do!"

"Your best are mere rags…"

"Better than what you gave me."

"Look, there's a very important person inside; behave yourself," he warns, before opening the door and pushing me inside.

“Hello there, Mr. Eremita,” a stranger says as he stands and extends his hand to me. “My name is Captain Susurrans Bellum.” I don’t take his hand right away, but after a few awkward seconds, I finally return the gesture. While shaking his hand, I take a moment to size him up. He stands around roughly two meters tall, and has short, jet black hair that has spots of grey; which is odd, because he can’t be more than 30. He has pale white skin, is well-toned, and he’s wearing a straight green suit that has a ton of pins on the left side of the jacket. There are two sets of abnormally shiny twin silver bars on both ends of his collar. On his left shoulder is a pretty weird patch; it has a straight sword going through a human skull, entering through the top and exiting through the mouth, with a shield making the background; the shield is round, bronze, and has an upside down red ‘V’.

“You’re with the military, aren’t you?” I ask bluntly as I let go of his hand and take my seat.

“Ah! Perceptive, aren’t you,” he states mockingly while motioning to the dean, who takes his cue to leave the room, shutting the door behind him. Once the dean is gone, the captain goes to the dean’s chair and takes a seat. "So, Miles, tell me a little about yourself," he says as he leans back in the chair.

"Well… there isn't much to tell."

"Come on, there has to be something. How did you get here?"

"Well… I'm told that my mom died during the exodus of Diamond Halls - whatever that means - and that my dad either is dead, or just an asshole that left me to rot," I say, getting him to just stare at me with a look of mixed emotions. He seems troubled by something, but doesn't say anything. The room falls silent as he stares at me, never blinking, never glancing away, just staring at me with his light brown eyes. I can't think of anything better to do, so I return his gaze.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Do you know who I am?”

“No. Should I?”

"Do you know why I'm here?"

"Not really."

"I'm here for your decision, Miles. What's it going to be?"

"… You’re here for that - by yourself? Don't they usually have a group of people come and ask?"

"Let’s just say you're special. So, what's it going to be? Military life, or the streets?" I can't believe this. Just yesterday, I was just another scummy orphan. But I turn eight, and now it’s ‘join the military or try to make it on your own in the streets’… it’s not fair.

"Well?"

“*sigh*…Well, I guess the best shot I’ve got is with the military, so that’s where I want to go.”

“You realize, once you make this decision, there’s no going back,” he states as he looks down at me with an even coolness in his voice, continuing his constant barrage of stares. This guy is creeping me out. Why can’t he look at something else for a bit? I’m only making the hardest choice of my life! Why can’t he just look out the window or something?

“Well…” I start to say, but my gaze is drawn out the window. The dean’s office is on the third floor of the orphanage, so the view of the city isn’t too bad. Directly next to the orphanage grounds are a bunch of one- and two-story houses and businesses, most of which are either a dull grey or soot black color, thanks to the constant downpour from the nearby factory. As I lift my gaze further and further away, the buildings get taller and taller, until I reach the tallest building in the city - the Parliament’s Congressional Hall. This building stands at least 900 meters tall, getting narrower and narrower until it shoots out - like a dart - sending the top out of view from the window. As I continue to stare out at the city, a certain unblinking someone coughs for attention.

“Well…?”

“*sigh*… Well, I figure if I go to the streets, I won’t last long without needing to turn to gangs or a life of crime - and I hate taking from others, so that wouldn’t work. That leaves me with the only other choice. And who knows? Maybe joining up won’t be so bad. I might even be able to do some good there!”

Once my little speech is over, all the captain can do is continue staring at me. He seems a little dumbfounded for a moment, but soon grows a somewhat sly smirk. Taking a breath, he stands up and puts his hand out for another shake, and says - in a somewhat proud tone - “Well then, welcome aboard.”

After I shake his hand, he pulls out a small, thin tablet and a very elegant-looking pen, and has me sign a ton of documents. Not knowing how to write, I end up just scribbling a bunch of lines. He then proceeds to escort me back down the stairs and out the front door. Along the way, I see the other kids watching me leave: some looking on in confusion, others snickering and laughing, but most just watching in fear, knowing they too will soon face the choice that I just made.

As we make our way out to the yard, I see the vehicle that will take me to my new life. It’s a fairly large and boxy wheeled vehicle, with four heavily armored doors, and an open hatch on the roof, with a massive gun mounted next to the opening. The gun has a rectangular body, with two round drums near the vertical trigger on one end, and a single metal tube that extends out nearly a meter on the other. Something is written in red on the side of the gun, but I don’t know what it means; I look over to the captain, who stops me from asking anything by putting his hand over my mouth.

“Before you ask, no, you can’t drive,” he says flatly.

“I wasn’t going to - ”

“And no, you don’t get to ride in the gunner seat.”

“I don’t want - ”

“And yes, there is real ammo in the gun, but no, we won’t be firing at anything, so don’t get any ideas.” At this point I’m starting to get irritated, and I think he knows this due to the huge smile on his face.

“I just wanted to know what was written on the gun.” I pout.

“Oh! Well why didn’t you just say so?” I facepalm. “It says: ‘Spartan Pen’.”

“Uhh…”

“You know, like the saying.”

“…”

“The pen is mightier than the sword.”

“… I don’t get it. Also, what’s a Spartan?”

Captain Bellum smiles warmly at me as he opens the rear door and says, matter-of-factly, “Heh. Well Miles, you are! Or, you will be. Now if you don’t mind, we really should get going.”

I walk to the opening, but pause before entering to take a look back. Almost every child at the orphanage is watching me, along with the dean and a few other workers. I stare back for a few seconds, before spitting on the ground and climbing into the seat. As soon as I sit down, the door is shut, the captain takes the seat in front of me, and we’re off.

Not once do I look back, after that; I don’t want to be reminded of that horrible place. All I have to do now is enjoy the ride, and hope life in the military isn’t as bad as it was there. Who knows? This could lead to some greater purpose for me. I might even be able to do some good!

I want to thank all my friends for helping me write this. It’s hard to think of stuff when you normally don’t ever write. This is also my first fanfic ever so feel free to let me know about any concerns.

*Warning, the first few chapters wont have ‘ponies’ but we’ll get there soon enough, so just hang in there a bit.

Latin Translation Blog

Man of War group

Revised as of July 19th 2012.

Brony on!