The next morning was quiet. Red Field rolled off of his bed and stared at the ceiling. He carefully checked out of the side of his vision to see that his father was not still asleep. His parents’ bed was empty of both occupants and Red Field sat up. He groggily pulled some hay out of the pantry and set it atop the table. The humidity had permeated the stalks and ruined the taste.
He mindlessly grazed on his breakfast.

The sun was up and he watched the golden light extend into the doorway. He had nothing to do, and nothing he wanted to do. Red Field soon finished eating and walked back to his bed. He collapsed on the matted blankets and prepared to go back to sleep. As he landed, the thick edge of a book dug into his back. He yelped in pain and rolled off of the bed. Red Field furiously unearthed the book he had been reading from under the covers and threw it across the room. He resumed his supine position on the bed.
For a few minutes he tried to go back to sleep, then gave up and rolled over onto his side. His view settled on the upturned book on thresher maintenance that lay beneath the counter. He watched the motionless book for a time, then got up and recovered it. He glanced at a page.
The shaft must not extend so far as to directly contact the Grafenburg spot.
He slammed the book closed. Gathering the rest of the books and depositing them in his satchel, Red Field started once again for the library.

He pushed open the doors to the shed. Mr. Whittaker was seated behind his desk, like always. Red Field watched the napping stallion for a minute, then sighed and walked over to him. He quietly set the stack of farming literature onto the desk and the light thud awoke the elderly librarian. Mr. Whittaker grunted and adjusted his bifocals. Without a word he stamped each of the books and set them in the bin behind the desk. He said nothing to Red Field and resumed his sleepy slump. Red Field left the table and walked to the M section. He looked for books on mathematics for all of five minutes before he gave up.

His back pressed up against the metal shelf and he gazed at the long rows of irrelevant topics that started with M. He couldn’t make a passable algorithm, not before Cargill decided on his hire. Red Field closed his eyes; all he had to offer was a description of his intelligence and a certificate that said he had passed at least four courses at Rockvale Community High School.

A few minutes had passed and Red Field was absentmindedly calculating how many books the shed contained and how long it would take to burn them all when Mr. Whittaker tapped his shoulder.

“Am I interrupting anything?” He asked quietly. Red Field shook his head.

“No.” Mr. Whittaker grunted and sat down next to him. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. I just,” he tried to think of an easily-assimilated explanation, “got stuck on a problem and I couldn’t figure it out.”

“Well I’m sorry too Red.” Mr. Whittaker looked around at the shed. “You’re the only pony that ever came in here. And I felt bad that I didn’t even have anything good for you to read.” He removed his bifocals and wiped the lenses. “But I should have told you before I put those books in your bag.”

Red Field shrugged.

“It’s fine.”

“I’m sorry I don’t have any good reading to offer you. Seems that’s what a library’s for.” Said Mr. Whittaker with a sad humor. Red Field smiled a little.

“Where’d you put those books?” He asked.

“I thought you said you didn’t like firearms.” Red Field smiled again. He looked at the shelf of farming literature before him and shook his head.

“I like them more than mechanical discrepancies of third generation tractor engines.”

Mr. Whittaker wasn’t somepony that Red Field cared about. His lackluster organization of the shelves, along with his almost narcoleptic napping made him an insufficient librarian. However, unlike virtually every other pony in Rockvale, Mr. Whittaker didn’t disgust Red Field. Red Field had next to no hope of a job with Cargill and resigned himself to that.
Mr. Whittaker offered him the chance to temporarily escape his sorrow through a few books on something at least somewhat interesting. Red Field had nothing to do and no hope of going anywhere; he might as well do some reading.

Mr. Whittaker deposited the books on the table. Red Field thanked him, then got to work on reading. The depressing reality faded away from him and Red Field again receded into the black and white world of books. He read of twist rates, muzzle velocity, powder loads, and headspace. The reading wasn’t much better than machinery manuals, but it was better. He spent the entire day inside the library, and forgetting all of his problems.

As he was leaving, Red Field stopped at Mr. Whittaker’s desk.

“What was the point?” Mr. Whittaker looked up. Red Field set the small stack of books atop the desk. “These were just used for triggering avalanches and therapy for excess testosterone. Why are there so many books on them?”

“Because they’re history.” Mr. Whittaker said, sliding the books across his desk. “Just ‘cause we got rid of them doesn’t mean we should forget them. You forget history and you’ll repeat it.”

Red Field hesitated.

“Celestia never sanctioned using them as weapons did she?” He asked. Mr. Whittaker laughed. His amusement bounced off the steel walls around them. Red Field felt a smile come to his face as he realized the absurdity of his inquiry.

“Of course she didn’t.”

Red Field left the library and started for home. Dark grey clouds had blanketed the sky and a stillness had come to the air as a storm approached. Red Field felt good, the crushing boredom was temporarily eased, and he thought on the moral nature of guns. They were surprisingly fascinating. Suppose two ponies were to fight using firearms? Who would be more likely to win? He was still thinking on the hypothetical duel when he heard the poorly concealed galloping of the Tartlets behind him. Red Field couldn’t think of any reason they might have to harass him and he assumed they were just going to spit on him and romp along.

“Wha’ hello miss Fieldy!” He stopped dead in his tracks. Appleseed stood directly beside him, and Red Field took a moment to process the presence of the colt. Appleseed noticed his surprise and began to chuckle. “Eyup, got out early. Good behavior an’ all that shit.” Appleseed had scars. His mane was nearly cut away entirely and his tail was tied up with a length of rope.

Beet and Red Skin flanked Red Field’s left side. Appleseed was chewing sunflower seeds and he spat a hull onto the dusty ground before Red Field’s hooves. “Y’look good Red.” He said. “Y’jus get outta the lahbary?” Red Field said nothing, and Red Skin jerked the satchel from him.

“Eyup, he got a whole mess a’ books in here.” Appleseed took the bag, looked inside, then threw the contents of the bag onto the ground. The colt grinned at Red Field. “Pick ‘em up.”
Red Field shook his head and started forward. Appleseed shoved him back.
“Ah said pick ‘em up.” Red Field didn’t care about the books and he waited for Appleseed to figure that out.
In a second, the colt struck him across the face. He had gained experience while in prison, as the blow tore a jagged gash into Red Field’s cheek and he stumbled back a few steps. Applecrisp grabbed him by the head and threw Red Field to the ground. Kicking his legs apart, Appleseed knelt over Red Field.
“Ah was gone eight months, an ah guess somewhere in there, leetle miss Red grew a pair a balls.” He glowered down at Red Field. “Ya’ll always this qwahit when mah brothers tell ya’ll t’do sumthin?” A bit of slate had slit his forehead and blood ran into his eye. Red Field’s vision blurred as he stared up at the ex-convict.
Red Field shook his head. Appleseed narrowed his eyes at Red Field.
“Ah hope nawt.” He flicked his head. “Nao, go pick ‘em up.” Releasing the trapped unicorn, Appleseed watched as Red Field walked over to the fallen books and began to return them to the bag. “Atta filly.”

Red Field only landed one punch. And in the same instant was thrown back into the dust by three pairs of thick hooves. Beet and Red Skin held him by his forelegs as Appleseed threw a barrage of punches into Red Field’s exposed belly. In just a few seconds, he coughed a sticky wash of blood and vomit.
“Hey hey hey!” Red Skin dropped Red Field and took hold of his younger brother. “Ya’ll can’t be gittin’ intuh trouble. Ya’ll’re a con nao.” Appleseed threw a fierce head-butt into his brother, who stumbled backward.

“Fuck ya’ll ya fuckin’ piece a pussy-assed shit.”

Beet took hold of him.

“He’s a pussy but ya’ll can’t wreck ‘em too bad, Podunk’ll have yer ass.” Appleseed started to shove off his other brother, an action that didn’t appear to slow him at all, then stopped.

“Eyeah.” He wiped away the small trickle of blood that Red Field’s blow had exacted on his lip. “Ah got plans.” He said with dark seriousness. Appleseed rose to his hooves and the three stood over the fallen unicorn. Red Field stared up at Appleseed, along with Red Skin and Beet. All three waited to see what the colt would do next.

A warm globe of saliva broke over Red Field’s bloodied snout and ran down his face. It was followed by two more, which splattered over the rest of his face. The Tartlets were about ten feet away when Appleseed turned and galloped back to Red Field. He threw a kick into Red Field’s testicles. Red Field cried out in pain and Appleseed knelt and gripped him by his black mane.

“Ya’ll cry like a filly.” He whispered, his hot breath drying the spit that ran down Red Field’s battered face. Appleseed threw him back to the dust and galloped back to his brothers.

Red Field lay in the street. Tears ran down his face. He already knew he was going to vomit again and he was soon laying in a sour pool of acid. His face was sticky and he could taste his digested lunch as it trickled from his mouth. He started to sob.

His mother got home just as he was cleaning the last of the blood off of his face. His stomach was pink and swelling from the flurry of punches and each movement pushed his lungs further up into his ribcage. Red Field set the vomit-stained rag in the sink and turned away from her. He started toward his bed.

“Red.”

“Nothing mom.” The tears were already trickling down his cheeks.

“Red.” She put her hoof on his shoulder. Red Field slapped it off in outrage. “Red!”

“Goddamn it mom!” He turned and she gasped. Tears fell from his cheeks and each sob sent shivers of pain up into his chest. “I don’t want this fucking town. Nothing changes, it’s just a goddamn shithole of dust and there’s nothing I can ever succeed at.”

“Red-” She held out her hoof and Red Field pushed it away.

“There’s nothing here!” He cried. “There is fucking nothing here.” His stomach turned violently and he crumpled over to the sink. He dry heaved and coughed a little spit into the sink. His mother placed her hoof on his back. She said nothing.
Red Field bent over the sink. He closed his eyes and his body shook with sobbing.
“There’s nothing for me.”

Cyrus was home early from work. He’d been let off early and was planning on taking his family to the ice cream shop as a means of smoothing over the tumultuous events of the prior night. He only made it to the steps of his tiny shack of a house before he was shouting.

He pushed aside his crying wife and took his son by the shoulders and jerked him away from the sink. He told Red Field he had no right abusing his mother this way. He told him of how selfish and spoiled he was acting.
Red Field punched his father. He struck Cyrus so hard that the grey stallion’s left hoof doubled over his right to keep himself from falling.
Cyrus looked up at Red Field.
The room went silent and Red Field felt his blood throb in his ears. His hoof tingled from the blow. He and his father matched eyes.

“Excuse me!” All three looked to the door. A muscled unicorn stood in the doorway. His eyes flitted from one pony to the next, anxiously trying to gauge whether he should have spoken or not. He was a rich green and his mane was trimmed to a short and professional buzz. The family stared back at him and the stallion grew uncomfortable. “Is this a bad time?”

Cyrus wiped his mouth.

Evidently the stallion hadn’t seen the punch.

“Excuse me but who are you?” Cyrus asked slowly. The stallion gave a little smile.

“My name is Lewerc, I represent Gale Force Academy. I understand there has been a mistake in our application process.”

“Red Field was never on your list of consideration, we are aware of that sir.” Cyrus took a seat at the table. “We’re sorry for wasting your postage money.” He said with a sigh. Lewerc gave a polite, though awkward, laugh.

“Sir, there was somewhat of a snafu in our admissions office.” He cleared his throat. “We would like to extend our acceptance to Red Field.” Cyrus looked up at the unicorn. A little blood had started to run from Cyrus’ left nostril and he wiped it away, leaving a stain.

“You, would.” He said, and Lewerc nodded.

“As I said sir, we are terribly sorry for our initial denial of your son’s application. We think he’d be an exemplary fit.” Cyrus’ mouth opened and he gave a low “uh”.

“Well sir.” Cyrus took a long breath. “I appreciate your offer and your generosity. But my son-”

“What should I pack?” Everypony in the room looked to Red Field. He stared ahead to Lewerc, but in the corners of his eyes he could see the dumbfounded expressions of his parents.

“Ah, you must be Red Field!” Lewerc reached out to shake his hoof. “I am pleased to meet you.”

“Good to meet you too sir. I’ve been wanting to leave for Gale Force Academy for quite some time.”

The chariot rumbled and the seat dug into Red Field’s already bruised flank. He shifted his position to preempt another jarring poke. They had been flying for an hour and he had grown tired of watching the clouds drift by. The sides of the glossy black chariot were too tall to peer over and Red Field simply stared at his hooves.

Red Field had thrown a couple notebooks into a satchel, along with a few bits. Lewerc had told his parents that the initial introduction to Gale Force Academy took a few weeks, after which he’d be given a flight back home.

The chariot rumbled again and he heard a dull clunk.

“Ah, shit.” The other occupant near Red Field sucked in a deep breath and Red Field looked over at him. A white Pegasus with a vibrant purple and white mane was rubbing his shoulder. He looked over at Red Field. “Damn turbulence.” He said with a laugh. Red Field nodded and looked back to his hooves. “So why are you going to Gale Force?” Asked the Pegasus. Red Field looked up. He wasn’t sure of the Pegasus’ question.

“Uh, I got a letter of acceptance,” he said. The Pegasus nodded and adjusted his wings.

“I’m here ‘cause I wasted four years of my life as a fashion apprentice.” He cracked his neck and resettled himself on the seat. “I saw an ad for this place and I figured, why the hell not?” They passed through a cloud. “So what do you know about this place?”

“Uh, not a lot, just that it’s a four year college.” Said Red Field.

“Same. I just applied since they accept anypony.” Said the other pony. Red Field sighed inwardly. He had been afraid of that. Gale Force was no doubt a mediocre college that masqueraded as a select boarding school. “Eyup, I figured, if any pony in Equestria can make it here, I’m gonna do just fine.”

“You’ll still have to pass Beast.” Both ponies looked to Lewerc. The green stallion who piloted the chariot didn’t look back at them and said nothing more. The two looked at one another. Then the Pegasus cleared his throat.

“Beast?” He asked. “What’s that?” The driver turned the reins and the chariot tilted toward the ground.

“Multi-week evaluation of applicants.” He said as they descended. “Everypony who passes Beast gets accepted.”

“I thought the ad said anypony can get in.” Said the Pegasus.

“Anypony can apply, but only those who pass Beast get in.”

“Crap, I don’t know if I’m going to make it then.” The Pegasus said. Red Field’s spirits rose. Maybe Beast helped thin out the idiots.

In a few minutes they landed. Red Field and the Pegasus waited while the driver went to collect the next applicant. Red Field began to presume what “Beast” might entail. Probably trigonometry, grammar and syntax, and maybe a few essays. Red Field took a few moments to review these concepts and was already beginning to formulate a five paragraph response to the prompt of why he deserved to attend the school, when the driver returned.

Lewerc said nothing as he climbed aboard and resumed his position at the helm of the chariot. A blue Pegasus stumbled into the passengers’ area carrying an oversized suitcase. The new Pegasus was an athlete. His muscles bulged out on his body in such a manner that caused him to appear short and fat. Long and unkempt, his mane was predictably styled like a Wonderbolt wannabe; Red Field could already tell whom he would be avoiding.

“’Sup dudes!” Said the new Pegasus. He slapped his suitcase down and shoved it under the seat ahead of Red Field. Turning to the other Pegasus, he pointed to the seat beside him. “This taken?”

“Nope, it’s all you!” Said the first.

“Excellent! I’m Full Wing, fastest Pegasus out of Gravel.” Said the newcomer as he sat down.

“Damn, that’s not bad. I’m Sparx, I was in the fashion business for a while, till I figured out that my boss was the only pussy around, and he was a guy so you know.” Full Wing and he shared a crude laugh. “So anyway, I heard about this place and I was like, ‘beats delivering dresses and shit’.”

Full Wing laughed again.

“I was going to go try out for the Wonderbolts since they get all the tail they can handle. But then I heard that this place has a really good weight training program and I figured I’d go here, get cut, then try out for the Wonderbolts.” Red Field stopped listening and was working on his introductory paragraph when he heard a ‘dude’ uttered in his direction. He looked up, Full Wing was looking at him.

“Yes?” He asked.

“So what are you here for?” Red Field hadn’t realized that he still needed a plausible lie for his attendance to Gale Force.

“The, unicorn education.”

“Yeah, dude, cool. So like, what spells do you know?”

Red Field silently cursed his blunder.

“Uh, none.” He forced a chuckle. “That’s why I’m going here.”

“Hehe, well I hope you learn quick.” Full Wing said with a grin. He turned to back to the other Pegasus and Red Field returned to his preparations for Beast. He was midway through his second citation when he heard Full Wing again. The athlete was whispering and a gust of wind was whipping over the chariot, but Red Field heard him perfectly.

“Dude, that guy knows no spells and he’s trying to go to college.” Full Wing snickered. “How long do you think it’s going to be before they send him back to fifth grade?”

Red Field finished his citation and looked straight ahead.

“Probably after your stupid ass gets thrown out for using ‘was like’ instead of ‘said’.” Red Field said to himself.
The chariot tilted again and the Full Wing’s suitcase slid under the seats and struck Red Field’s legs. The blow infuriated Red Field further, and he gave the case a sharp kick. The cramped seating barely allowed him to move and his shin collided with the metal seat bottom. Some of the white skin was rubbed off of the bruise, and he felt the rush of pain surge over his leg instantly. Red Field had to keep himself from crying out. Hearing the thud, Full Wing looked over at him.

“Heh, you okay dude?” Asked Full Wing. Red Field bit his lip as the bruise pulsed over his leg.

“Fine.” He said. The pain subsided after a couple of seconds and Red Field rose from his seat. He walked to Lewerc. “How long before we get there?”

“Just a couple of minutes.” Dusk was falling and the summer sun was retreating toward the horizon. The warmth was draining from the clouds and each gust of wind was cooler than the previous.
They had been flying for hours; where was Gale Force Academy?
As if in response to his unspoken question, the pilot pointed over the front of the chariot.

“It’s right out there.” He said, squinting toward the horizon. Red Field once again despised his diminutive physique as he lifted his short body up to see the distant institution. His head popped over the side and he gasped.
He had assumed them to be traveling southward, or eastward, maybe even westward. Red Field expected Gale Force Academy to appear as a modern series of reddish brick buildings that housed fraternities and out-of-date text books. He expected Gale Force Academy to sit outside of Cantorlot, or maybe Cloudsdale. Red Field expected light to moderate urbanity and lots of fields that were characteristic of central Equestria. A thick canopy of forest and a gigantic river flowing through the trees laid out under them. Red FIeld craned his neck and saw that the forest ran for several miles, before dropping off into desert. He saw no towns anywhere, and he knew why. Red Field turned to the pilot, who was lowering the chariot toward a swatch of ground that had been cleared of brush.

“Surprised?” Asked the Pegasus. Red Field was dumbfounded and he continued to stare at the approaching woods; Neighara Falls was a national park, not a college.

What was Gale Force Academy?

The moon had not yet replaced the set sun and the forest path laid black as the sky. Lewerc led the way, and the three freshmen followed closely. The air around them was thick and warm, but not like Rockvale. Instead of decaying under choking dust and dry earth, the forest teemed with life. Frogs croaked from all directions and the rushing of the river thundered a few meters to their right. Red Field felt a puff of coolness waft over his face and he looked up. A waterfall emptied into the river ahead. The path underhoof was a strip of trampled-down brush and each step on the rooted and uneven ground caused Red Field to wobble.

Full Wing stumbled and his suitcase tumbled into the brush flanking the path.

“Ah shoot, hang on!” Said Full Wing. All three waited as Full Wing dug around in the undergrowth. After a few unsuccessful seconds of searching, Full Wing implored them to wait a little longer. Flame popped behind Red Field’s head and he swung around. A dull red glow hung over the party. Lewerc held a hissing torch aloft. Red Field squinted at the strange torch. It did not look like magic. The cylinder was made of molded plastic, rather than bronze.

“Got it!” Full Wing retrieved the case and tossed it over his back again.

They continued their journey, Lewerc still carrying the strange torch. The red glow lit his steps and Red Field began to survey the forest. He had assumed that all other forests were just an enlarged form of the kind he had seen in Rockvale. However, the trees around him were exponentially thicker and a sort of lowered forest of short plants and brush hung at his hooves. He had never been to Neighara Falls and was intensely curious as to why the academy had been built in the semi-wilderness. Sparx seemed to share in this thought and nudged the pilot, who was just ahead of him.

“Hey.” He asked, pointing to the trees. “What’s up with this?”

“They grow out of the ground, don’t worry, they’re not dangerous.” The Pegasus spoke with such an apathetic and dry air the three freshmen took a few moments to realize his joke. Both Full Wing and Sparx laughed.

“No, like, what’s up with all of this forest? Like, why is the academy all the way out here?” Asked Full Wing.

“We have a strong fitness initiative.” Said Lewerc. “Cross country running is one of the best exercises in cardio.”

“Hehe right on!” Full Wing said. Red Field’s heart sank. Gale Force was going to be filled with other stallions like Full Wing. Red Field looked around at the sleeping forest, his misery already rising.

“So like, are there trails around here-” Full Wing began.

“Hold on.” The procession came to halt behind Lewerc and Red Field watched as Lewerc reached down and picked up a thin root that lay across the path. He lifted the root and tossed it to the side of the path. “Okay, let’s go.”

Red Field touched the root and the horned edge of barbed wire bit into his hoof. A chill went through him.
In just a few moments they crested a hill. A massive clearing lit by intensely bright ground lights lay about forty meters below them. Red Field stared at the clearing.

He had never seen a college before, but he was completely certain that Gale Force was not an exemplar.
The clearing was about eight hundred meters long and four hundred meters wide. Uniform rows of single story dormitories that looked more like barracks ran up and down the compound. After that stood about ten or so miscellaneous classrooms made from corrugated metal. A warehouse that Red Field presumed to be the gym sat at the rear of the clearing and a running track ringed the buildings of the Academy. Thirty or so chariots were parked in a neat pattern along the right side of the clearing. And while the Gale Force Academy’s color scheme had a bizarre overuse of the color olive drab, and none of the buildings were made of brick, Red Field was not off put by the aesthetics of the academy. The oddities of the construction of the campus were lost on him.
Red Field stared at the fifteen meter high fence that surrounded the clearing, and the twisted razor wire that topped the fence.

“Down here.” Lewerc said, starting toward the gate. All three freshmen looked at one another in terror.

“Dude, what is this place?” Asked Full Wing.

“I’ve got no idea.” Sparx said. The pilot looked back at the spooked ponies.

“Coming?” He sounded annoyed and all three quickly returned to his side.

The chainlink fence looked even more terrifying up close, and Red Field felt his heart begin to pound as they stepped under the linked gate. The lights in the compound were bright enough to sting Red Field’s eyes. As they made their way into Gale Force Academy, several groups of students approached them.

All of the students wore the same speckled outfits and all were tall, muscled stallions. In a second, the freshmen were surrounded. They were bombarded with questions as Lewerc led them toward the gym. The upperclassmen noticed Sparx and Full Wing first and began to ask them about their plans for the academy. The nervous Pegasi replied with uncertainty. Somepony hit Red Field’s shoulder and he tensed.

“Hey, what are you here for?” Asked a Pegasus. Red Field had no answer.

“What the hell are you all doing loitering around?” Lewerc asked the upperclassmen.

“Just got back from the MG course. Site needed to clean out some old belts.” Said the Pegasus. He squared his stance when Lewerc did not answer. “Apologies sir.”

“Get outta here and go give Blitz some trouble.” Said Lewerc. The group dispersed around the freshmen. Red Field was thankful that he didn’t have to answer anything. His heart jumped again as somepony thwacked his shoulder.

“Team Two, remember bro.” Said the same Pegasus with a flick of his head. Red Field stared at him, trying to comprehend his meaning.

Red Field was utterly confused, thoroughly scared, and afraid of whatever surprise was undoubtedly waiting in the gymnasium. Sparx and Full Wing had been conversely excited by the upperclassmen and were guessing the meaning of all of the questions.

“You think that was their flight team?” Full Wing asked. “Like, I kinda thought this place was far out, but those guys were-”

“Okay!” Lewerc stopped them at the door of the gym. “Tonight’s just a rundown of what to expect over the next couple days. You guys will sit on your left, just find a seat anywhere, doesn’t really matter.” He looked at his watch. “Should just be a couple of minutes before the Commander gets in.” He opened the door for them.

It was hot inside the gym. The floor was covered in blue wrestling mats and bleachers sat on the right side of the room. More upperclassmen sat on the bleachers. The stallions were chatting and laughing. They all wore the same speckled outfits and nearly every one of them was a burly stallion with no vocal inclination toward indoor speech. The left side of the room was bare, and about twenty or so nervous and less muscular ponies sat against the wall. The three walked to the rest of the freshmen and took positions against the ribbed metal wall.

Red Field’s heart was pounding, Gale Force Academy seemed less like a mismatch for him and more like an antithesis to him. The students across from the shouted questions ranging from study plans to sexual preference and predictably Full Wing and Sparx shouted back answers. Red Field pretended not to hear and slunk down further on the wall. The noise hurt his ears and he was sorely uncomfortable.

He looked up sharply. The noise had stopped. The stallions across from him stood stock still and stared forward with a corpse-like solemnity. Sparx and Full Wing were silent. Red Field swallowed. He didn’t know how much further he could go without information.

“Welcome to Gale Force Academy.” He looked to his left. A green earth pony dressed in the odd speckled uniform strolled inside from a door behind the bleachers full of upperclassmen. “I am Commander Bombs Away.” The pony paused his speech until he reached the center of the room. He faced the freshmen.

Bombs Away was authority. Red Field had only seen the principle of Rockvale Community High School a few times and Mr. Flaccid had not instilled a remarkable schema of authority in the young unicorn. Red Field knew no truly authoritative ponies in Rockvale and had never met anypony with the title of “Commander”.
But within a few moments of beholding the stony stallion, Red Field knew to fear Bombs Away.

Bombs Away looked expectant as he studied the group of freshmen. The now silent group of stallions standing behind him gave credence to the reality that Bombs Away’s expectations were always met.
Bombs Away’s view dwelt on each pony for an instant and nothing caught his eye. Bombs Away’s blue eyes ran across the twenty or so ponies lined before him and Red Field flinched inwardly from the wordless evaluation. Bombs Away said nothing and Red Field couldn’t make out emotion on the commander’s face. The pause, which rested the room in perfect silence, felt almost aimed at the freshmen. Bombs Away seemed to both inspect, and test the new ponies.

“You are the five hundredth and fifty sixth class to attend this institution.” Said Bombs Away. “You have been offered the chance to attend Gale Force Academy, which is an invitation that less than a quarter of a percent of all the stallions in this nation will receive. However, contrary to what you may have been informed, Gale Force Academy is not an academic institution.” A murmur ran through the group and Red Field swallowed. “However, you have been promised an exemplary education, and I do not intend to break that promise. After spending four years here, you will be offered the opportunity to attend any school in Equestria of your choosing on a full scholarship.” Another murmur rippled through the freshmen, but Bombs Away continued to speak. “Gale Force demands nothing short of full commitment of every aspect of your life for every day you spend in this institution. There is no tolerance for any lack in capability or commitment. To receive a scholarship you must uphold the standards met by the previous five hundred and fifty five classes. If at any point you cannot uphold this level of excellence you will be dismissed from the program immediately.”

Time slowed to a crawl as Red Field beheld the nightmare. He was surrounded by aggressive stallions in a bizarre and austere academy which apparently didn’t even educate. The stuffy air of the gym felt cold and clammy and a sweat broke out over him.

“If you do not wish to enter this program, then you may collect your belongings and exit through the doors from which you entered. You will be returned home within the night.” Bombs Away said.

None of the freshmen so much as twitched. The entire building seemed to wait for one of the twenty to cave in and the pressure in the gym became volcanic. The sickening fear washed over Red Field, yet nothing would force him to budge from his position. He stood as still as he could as the intimidation of the group overcame the terror of being trapped with them.

“In approximately four hours you will cease to exist as citizens of Equestria and will assume roles as cadets in Gale Force Academy. You will remain this way for the next four years, or until you fail to discharge your duties.” Bombs Away nodded to the ponies. “Welcome to Gale Force Academy.”

Bombs Away started back in the direction he had come. Red Field watched him walk toward the door. The sheer fear of what was happening froze Red Field’s thoughts and he could not comprehend his countless questions. His heart fluttered in his chest, and the little pony felt his stomach turning. Just a few hours ago he had been arguing with his parents back in Rockvale, and now he was trapped in a hellish and prisonlike “program” that he knew nothing about. Bombs Away rounded the corner of bleachers, and in a moment, the door clicked closed.

The upperclassmen, or whoever they were, shifted their view down to the petrified ponies beneath them. The two groups watched one another.

“Get ‘em!” Somepony shouted.
The swarm of stallions stormed toward the cadets. The uniformed ponies descended out of the bleachers and onto the spooked group, which pressed themselves against the metal wall. Red Field shrank back and whimpered in fear as the hulking mass tore toward him. He closed his eyes and felt their heavy hoofbeats thump toward him. Blood throbbed in his ears and a warm trickle of urine ran down his legs.

Something slammed into him and knocked him against the cold metal wall. Red Field felt himself being hoisted up and dropped onto the back of one of the upperclassmen. The rest of the cadets were being similarly assimilated. The pony who held him, a red unicorn, was accosted by another pony who tried to peel Red Field from his back.

“Fuck off!” His captor laughed from beneath him as he shoved away the assailant.
Somepony took hold of his hind leg and Red Field was nearly dragged from the unicorn’s back as another upperclassman sought to commandeer him. The red unicorn, apparently experienced at retaining cadets, ducked and twisted Red Field’s leg out of the pirate’s grip. Red Field gripped his owner in blind terror and shut his eyes tightly. For the next ten seconds or so, the game continued as the upperclassmen took hold of the cadets and fought one another. The upperclassmen laughed as they sparred for one another control of the ponies.

“Okay!” Shouted somepony. The group stopped. Red Field heard the chuckles and panting of the upperclassmen. He hesitantly opened his eyes. Lewerc watched from the side door. “That’s enough.” Said the pilot. “You guys all know when you have to get them to formal.” The upperclassmen nodded. “And don’t forget, they need to have IDs. If any of them shows up without an ID it’s not their balls going to get busted.”

The unicorn beneath Red Field flicked his head, striking Red Field’s snout. Pain was gone to Red Field and he was nearing a catatonic state of fear. He felt nothing save for a dull nausea in the pit of his stomach.

“Bren!” Called his owner. “Bren!” The Pegasus who Red Field had first met emerged from the crowd and walked over to them. “Got one, where’s everybody else?” The Pegasus motioned over his shoulder.

“Black Rain’s arguing with Leupold, they both got dibs on a Pegasus. Take ‘em back to the barracks, I’ll get the other guys.” Said the Pegasus.

“Roger that.” The unicorn started away from the group. From beneath the haze of muffling terror, Red Field felt the unicorn laughing. “I saw you freaking out. I was going for that grey Pegasus beside you but somebody got there first.” The unicorn shrugged and Red Field felt the unicorn’s bony shoulder blades dig into his chest. “Well anyway, I’m still glad I got somepony.”

They exited the gym and walked toward one of the barracks. The bright lights scorched his eyes and Red Field squinted. The night air was cool and moist and the pleasant breeze awakened him. Craning his neck, he looked back toward the gym. Upperclassmen were exiting the building, a few carrying the other cadets.
A dull light hummed above the doorway to their barracks and a few gnats flew into Red Field’s mane as the unicorn carried him inside.
The barracks smelled of thick, musky sweat and the rich stain of old wood. The building held rows of rusted metal bunk beds whose grey paint had since defected to rust. The floor was a slick concrete slab pockmarked with divots and scratches. The unicorn walked to the third bunk on the left and stopped. Plucking Red Field from his shoulders, he set his pony down before him. The unicorn had green eyes and a proud smile.

“You’re the first one I’ve gotten.” He said. “I’m always keeping off the other teams, but nopony was going for you so I took you.” Red Field swallowed and bowed his head to the apparently victorious unicorn. “Hey.” The pony gave his shoulder a playful tap with underestimated force. “What’s your name?”

“Red Field.”

The unicorn laughed. Not a polite, well-intonated laugh, but a snorting and frank laugh.

“Why’s that?” He asked in . “You’re black and white.” The door banged open, startling Red Field. A pitch black unicorn strode into the room.

“Fucking Leupold grabs this Pegasus from me three seconds after the cease fire. Everypony says it was before, but all the guys that saw were 1’s.” He pulled a black case from the drawer along with two white cardboard boxes about the size of his hoof. “So I’m running the kill house with him. Winner gets the Pegasus” He stormed back toward the door. The red pony followed him.

“You got ‘em Rain.” Said the first unicorn. The black stallion nodded.

“Fucking ridiculous is what it is.” The black pony said.

The blue Pegasus that Red Field had spoken with earlier appeared in the doorway and pushed past the exiting stallion. Looking first to the exiting pony, he glanced at the unicorn who'd seized Red Field, then to Red Field.

“Well we got one!” He said with a conceding laugh. The red unicorn nodded vigorously and thumped Red Field’s shoulder.

“Nobody wanted him.” He said proudly. “So I went for him.” He pointed to the door. “Rain’s gonna get killed, you know that.”
The blue Pegasus nodded.

“Yeah.” He spoke as if the notion of the unicorn’s impending demise were common knowledge. He looked over at the red unicorn and pointed to Red Field. “So, what’s his deal?”

“I was asking his name.” Said the red unicorn. Both turned to the petrified pony. “Said it was Red Field.”

“Cool.” The blue Pegasus nudged his companion. “You want me to clue him in?”

The unicorn shook his head.

“I got this.” The red unicorn took a seat on the bed before Red Field. “So, this is Gale Force Academy, you’re going be training for a while, but don’t worry, you just have to keep your head and do what the instructors say. You’ll have to pick a Team, and choose Team Two. Then you’ll be on our team for the wargames.” The red unicorn spoke with such a rapid and disjointed cadence that Red Field scarcely understood a single word. He stared at the other unicorn for a moment, utterly confounded by the “explanation.”

“Here, I can explain better.” Said the blue Pegasus, thumping the red pony on the shoulder. He took a seat on the bed across from Red Field. “So this place is called Gale Force Academy and tonight was Dispersion. Basically both teams try to get as many cadets as possible so they can get new members for the wargames. Every barracks is part of either team one or two- we’re part of Team Two.” He pointed to the red unicorn. “Him and me and that pissed off black pony are all part of Team Two.”

Red Field gazed unblinking at them.

Was this an academy? A sports team? A concentration camp?

“Don’t worry, it’s supposed to be confusing. It’ll make sense in a couple of days.” Said the blue Pegasus. Red Field nodded stiffly. The blue Pegasus pointed to himself. “I’m Bren.” He shook the red unicorn by the shoulders. “This is Siplinski. You kinda met Black Rain.”

“So what’s your Cutie Mark?” Siplinski asked, pointing to Red Field’s flank. Red Field took a few moments to comprehend the question.

“Chessboard.” He replied. Siplinski nodded.

“So you like, play chess really well?” Asked Siplinski. Red Field nodded.

“Yeah, tell us about yourself.” Bren said in a slightly more encouraging tone. “Just the basic stuff.”

Red Field took about thirty seconds to compose a description. The evening was so surreal that his mind seemed to have relegated itself into a state of perpetual audience and refused to initiate cognition. Red Field wasn’t even sure what kind of description they wanted.

“Well, I’m from Rockvale. I read a lot, I am a unicorn.” Siplinski laughed. “I play chess well and I like to think.”

“Cool.” Said Bren.

“So what’s your 2K time?” Asked Siplinski. Red Field had never run a 2k in his life. He was thinking of an answer when the barracks’ door banged open again.

“God damn it.” Said the unicorn presumably named Black Rain. He walked past the three and tossed the black case, along with the white boxes, onto his bed.

“What happened?” Asked Bren.

“MPs said kill house was closed and told me to get back to barracks.” He shook his head and gave the bed another outraged kick. “So Leupold just walked off with my little pony.” He shook his head. “Total bullshit. Total fucking bullshit.”

“There’s still negotiation.” Bren said. “You can probably get him to join us with some bribery.”

“Fuck you.” Said Black Rain. He pointed to Red Field. “So that’s all we got?”

“We were just giving him a sitrep.” Said Bren. Black Rain took one look at the scrawny unicorn and shook his head.

“Whatever, I’m going to bed.” He tossed the boxes and case onto the floor and lay down on the bottom bunk. The conversation paused as he distributed the covers around himself and rolled over. Bren turned back to Red Field.

“So yeah, tomorrow you’re going to starting Beast. You’ll sleep with us here, and we’ll take you to where you need to go. That’s all I can think of right now. Any questions?”

The sheer number of questions flooding his mind did not deter Red Field from asking what he had been trying to learn from the start of the night.

“What is this place?”

Siplinski tossed back his head an uttered a histrionic and condescending snort, Black Rain groaned in disappointment and Bren chuckled.

“Gale Force Academy, this is a military academy. All of the upperclassmen are members of Gale Force Company. You’re going to be a soldier.”
Red Field had reached his antithesis.

Next Chapter: Chapter 4 Estimated time remaining: 16 Hours, 9 Minutes