Red Field passed Beast, on what Bren called the skin of his teeth and Black Rain termed “a bunch of total bullshit”.

Twenty-four cadets stood at attention while Bombs Away delivered a speech regarding the proud traditions and honorable conduct which everypony was planning on disregarding on their week of leave. Red Field graduated second from the last in terms of aggregated combat performance predictions, and after he’d passed the last test, Agent Orange had made certain to tell him that he was in for a hell of a career. And also a hell that was his career.

A change had come over Red Field though.

At the gym, a small mantra had been scribbled onto one of the weight racks.

It read: “Pain is just weakness leaving the body”-Red Field began to wonder if that was the sickness that he’d been feeling.

Trite as many of Gale Force’s mantras were, he’d started to take a few of them to heart.

In his last days of Beast, Red Field had started to talk more. He offered suggestions during group efforts, and once had even interrupted somepony proposing a particularly bad plan involving matches and a rope bridge. He had learned to pass through McMillan forest with ease, or at least without falling. He was still an abysmal CQC fighter, and the remaining weapon training sessions he’d only just passed. He allowed any and all firearms to hurt him with their recoil. But for every physical deficiency he held, Red Field had passed a written test with a perfect score.

The offer of becoming a sniper kept him at Gale Force. The odd description of the apparently atypical soldier given by Belligerence had stuck with Red Field. He hadn’t learned any more about being sniper, and hadn’t even seen Belligerence since the incident with the Towel Maker. Despite this, Red Field continued to feel an odd attraction to the mysterious post.

Of course he hadn’t forgotten about the promise of a full scholarship to any school of his choosing after four years. Red Field had already made plans to read every book on magic he could before he attended the Academy of Advanced Magic for a degree in alchemy.

Equestria had no wars to fight and Red Field imagined he’d complete sniper training, then barricade himself within the barracks and do some reading. Red Field told himself he was only at Gale Force for the free scholarship and that being a sniper was just a way for him to avoid going insane while amidst the company. But despite his rationale, Red Field derived a little satisfaction from his impending post.

Red Field stood beside Full Wing. The group had been divided by barracks, and each little formation stood at attention in the humid gym. The cadets had been given their fatigues and the lines and creases stood out on the new cloth, which was speckled and flecked with the muted tones and shades of Equestrian Defense Pattern- Forest. Bombs Away stood at the head of the little gathering. Behind him was the rest of the Gale Force Company.

“Cadets, you’ve learned the basics of Gale Force Company. You have swam, shot, climbed and grown. I am proud to see you in my ranks, and prouder still that you showed the dedication to both yourselves and your country to remain in this program when so many other ponies chose not to. You have taken your first steps to becoming Equestria’s best defense.” Bombs Away chuckled. “There are no diplomas we give out, and I’ll try to wrap this up.” He surveyed the ponies. “From this point forward, each of you has entered into a commitment to defend our nation from all enemies, foreign or domestic. We are in a time of uncertainty, though a capable Queen presides over our country, the loss of Celestia is felt even still. And if you are called upon to protect our nation, I have no doubt that you will execute your duties with all of the honor and courage of the thousands of Gale Force members that have gone before you.” Bombs Away smiled. “Class of Five Five Six, welcome to the company.”

The cadets erupted into a cheer, which the rest of Gale Force took up. Red Field shouted louder than he had ever shouted. Full Wing turned to him and Red Field slammed into him with a coltish hug.

“We did it dude!” Shouted Full Wing. “We fricken did it!”

“Hell yeah!” Red Field shouted back. The rest of Squad Six came to the pair. Bren was grinning and gave each of them a proud brohoof. Siplinski carried a pair of worn patches, which identified the two as members of Squad Six.

“Here.” He slapped them onto their shoulders then stuck out his hoof. “It’s good to meet you guys, like as teammates.” Red Field slapped the red unicorn’s hoof.

“Great meeting you too.” Full Wing declined Siplinski’s offer to brohoof and instead tackled him. The pair fell to the mat and began to wrestle. Bren laughed and gave Red Field a pat on the shoulder.

“Heh, been a long time coming Red.” He looked over at Red Field. “I know Full’s pretty much made for the Airborne, but you put in the most work of anypony here. I mean it, you stuck with this place and I can tell you don’t really like this kinda thing. You have a lot of guts to stay here, so congrats.” He gave Red Field another pat on the shoulder and for a few seconds they watched their comrades writhing at their hooves. “Hey, do you have any more of an idea about what you want to do?”

“Undeclared clopper” was an acceptable designation for cadets at Gale Force. Red Field had spent his remaining time in Beast telling everypony he was undeclared and had no real preference for what he wanted to do. He didn’t dare run the risk of exposing Belligerence’s offer, only to fail out.

But he had finished Beast. And Red Field felt good. Red Field felt very good. Of the three senior members of Barracks Six, Bren was the pony who Red Field had come to like the most.

“Belligerence offered me the position of sniper.” He said after a moment. Bren raised his eyebrows and looked down at Red Field like he thought Red Field might be mistaken.

“What?”

“He said I had some potential back on the first day of firearms training.”

“Wow, that’s, amazing. Have you told anypony else?”

“No, I wasn’t sure I’d pass everything.”

“I see.” Bren thought for a moment, then looked down to Siplinski and Full Wing. Full Wing had his hind leg over Siplinski’s spread-eagled body, though this appeared to be more of an incidental position than a planned maneuver. Siplinski was trying to throw him off. “Hey!” Bren gave them a kick. “You idiots planning on coming?”

“Hell yeah! Wouldn’t miss it for anything!” Said Full Wing.

“We need to pick up Rain, he said to meet him twenty minutes after the ceremony.” Said Siplinski, straightening his mane, which had been tousled in the impromptu wrestling match.

“Let’s grab what we need from the barracks and then go meet him at Maremont.” Bren said. The three followed him out of the gym and into the warm, midsummer evening.

All throughout the base, ponies were shuttling bags from their barracks to the fleet of waiting chariots. Everypony had plans for their short leave of freedom and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Squad Six was looking to travel to Las Pegasus. Of course Red Field didn’t have any particular desire to journey to the neon-lit sands of the most sinful city in Equestria. However one of the changes that had come over him was finding himself almost stupidly willing to join his barracks-mates in anything. Full Wing had called the feeling “being up for anything”. Red Field was a little worried about that term.

Red Field looked forward to vacation. Rest and good food somewhere that wasn’t suffocating in humidity and sweat appealed to him. Las Pegasus would have at least a small library somewhere. They reached the barracks and the other ponies began immediately throwing belongings pertinent to the trip into their packs. Red Field awkwardly climbed into his bunk and waited for them.
As he sat down, Red Field felt something like paper bending underneath him. He looked down and saw a few letters had been placed on his bed.

He opened the first letter and pulled out the page. He recognized his mother’s writing.

“Dear Red Field,
Are you all right? Your father and I have been very concerned for you. We hope very much that you are safe and hope you know that we love you very much. Please reply to us as soon as you can.
Love,
Mom.”

Red Field looked to Bren, who was stuffing cologne into his pack.

“Hey Bren, are we still good to stop at my parents’ place after we get done in Las Pegasus?” Red Field asked.

“Yeah, we’re still stopping to visit everypony’s parents though.” Said Bren.

“That’s fine.” Red Field was going wear his uniform when he got home. The first thing he’d say to his father was that he was a sniper. Red Field opened the next three letters. They held mostly the same sentiments as the first. He was going to tell him that he was going to the Academy of Advanced Magic too.

Barracks Six packed in under eighty seconds. Under Siplinski’s hurrying command, they walked to the larger machine shop that sat between Site’s workshop and the chariots. Maremont was an unsightly structure, even for a military building. The walls were a stained concrete grey, emblazoned with an old metal sign bearing the shop’s name and nothing else.
The interior of the building was a mess of workbenches, bins full of parts, and stallions who looked too large to be well-suited to any sort of precise manufacturing. Red Field had learned that Maremont built most of the weapons for Gale Force, along with some vehicle parts.

Site was retained as a gunsmith tasked with exclusively arming UATs and only did repairs on the pedestrian firearms of the rest of Gale Force.

Red Field saw row after row of KKATs and Towel Makers sitting against a wall, tags dangled from a few and some were missing parts. He also saw the tan frames of Tau-23s, the hoofguns of Gale Force(Red Field was a particularly bad shot with hoofguns).

“Oh man this place is sick.” Said Full Wing. “They have everything in here.”

“You should see Site’s place, he does custom ones for UAT, they’re sick; I got to hold one last year.” Siplinski said, poking a hoofgun that lay on a table near him. Red Field found himself surprised that Gale Force had the capacity to manufacture firearms. He wondered where they’d found the tooling, or even plans for the prohibited weapons.

“Hey, just let me grab my shit from the barracks and we can go.” Black Rain was stained with grease and seemed glad to leave. He was carrying a keycard which he deposited in a slot by the door. He nodded to Full Wing. “What’s up? You finally pass?”

“Fuck yeah I did.” Said Full Wing. “All that’s left to do is become the best flyer in Airborne!”

Black Rain saw Red Field.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

The two were getting better. Black Rain still disliked Red Field, and Red Field still very much disliked Black Rain. However the black pony had grown to accept the tiny two-tone unicorn as a fact of his life, perhaps as a tumorous fact, but a fact nonetheless. He had started shrugging off and disregarding Red Field’s presence and rarely spoke in any regard to Red Field. Red Field reciprocated the courtesy.

“We’re taking chariot seven, I couldn’t get six.” Said Siplinski as they walked back to their barracks.

“Course not. Thirteen is taking most of them, they’ve got three more members than the next biggest squad.” Said Black Rain. “Flashpoint needs to reinstitute the barracks cap.”

“How much money has everypony got for the trip?” Asked Bren.

“I got a hundred and twenty from my folks.” Said Full Wing.

“Eighty five for me.” Said Siplinski.

“I got two hundred I’m taking to the craps table, plus twenty for whatever.” Said Black Rain as they reached the barracks.

“Plus my seventy five.” Said Bren. He looked to Red Field. “Red, what are you bringing? We usually bring at least fifty each.”

Red Field blushed. The last bits he’d gotten were for his birthday.

“Uh, I don’t have any money.” He said. Black Rain entered the building and began rummaging through his things. The rest of Barracks Six stood quietly outside and Red Field became intensely uncomfortable. He hadn’t even considered how much it might cost to visit Las Pegasus.

“I’ll drop fifteen for his room.” Said Siplinski.

“No no!” Said Red Field quickly. He’d never been put in a position of accepting charity before, and his instincts immediately informed him that he was not that kind of pony. “I can stay with somepony.” A pause came. Red Field realized it wasn’t much better to take up space in somepony’s room. He bit his lip. “If that’s okay.”

“Yeah man, you can stay with me.” Bren said giving him a gentle knock on the shoulder. “I get the bed though.” Red Field felt terrible and thanked Bren.

“Guess this means you won’t be paying for food or anything else.” Siplinski said slowly. Red Field squirmed once more.

“Hey, I got him covered, food, whatever.” Full Wing said. “You saved my ass back at that shooting thing, least I can do is pay you back.”

“Uh, thanks Full.” Said Red Field.

Black Rain reemerged from the barracks, a burlap pack slung over his shoulder. He’d wiped off some of the sweat and took a swig from his canteen. He pointed to the chariots.

“The hell are we waiting for? Let’s head out.”

The trip to Las Pegasus took about five hours. The chariot was designed for four ponies and additional gear. In this case, Red Field was the additional gear and he sat at the back of the vehicle in an opened storage compartment.

Black Rain flew, and Bren sat beside him. They rose out of the muggy canopy of McMillan woods and into the sunny sky. At first Red Field had sweated in the brutal sun, and was soon slipping around in the tiny compartment. Then they had climbed into the sky. An icy wind whipped over them and Red Field began shivering in the chilly metal crevice. The first hour crawled by miserably.

Full Wing and Siplinski chatted about Gale Force, and then moved to weapons, then machinery. Red Field’s head barely protruded from the compartment, but he heard every word of the conversation, and since he had no evasion whatsoever, he was forced to concentrate on what he heard.

Soon his head was slumped downward and he found himself categorizing their speech patterns. Then Siplinski said something about the kinds of mares he found attractive, then Full Wing replied with a similar response. Then Black Rain heard them.

“Jesus, you two are like a couple of schoolcolts.” He said, shaking his head. “Are we going to have to have ‘the talk’ when we get to the Halter?” Siplinski called a playful obscenity up to him.

“Hey, that reminds me though.” Bren said. Red Field saw him look back at Full Wing and Siplinski. “We should figure out some ground rules before we get there. We are not having a repeat of last year.” Red Field listened as Full Wing inquired eagerly about last year.

“Rain almost got busted for soliciting foal prostitution.” Siplinski said.

“Hey shut the fuck up!” Said Black Rain. “Seriously, don’t you say that again!”

“Sip, let me explain.” Bren said. “What happened was, Rain met some mare at a bar and they went back to his place.

“Like to have sex?” Asked Full Wing. Red Field heard Black Rain mutter “oh my God”.

“Uh, yeah something like that.” Bren said. “Anyway, she didn’t have a Cutie Mark, and-”

“Then that shitbag Barnhooves called the cops on me ‘cause he thought it’d be funny.” Black Rain snarled. “Fucking glad his ass got canned.”

“Yeah, and so,” Bren said after a pause, “he was cleared of everything, she was old enough you know. I mean, Rain knew that when they met and so it was okay but...” Through the thin metal partition, Red Field felt Siplinski shaking with silent laughter. “Anyway, we’re just going to make sure that sort of thing doesn’t happen again.”

“So, what does that mean?” Asked Full Wing.

“I’m still planning on getting laid, I hope you don’t think that’ll change.” Said Black Rain.

“Yeah me too.” Said Siplinski.

“Yeah, uh, that wasn’t what I was going to say. I just mean, never mind. No stories told to anypony until we get back to base, how about that?” The four agreed. For a few minutes the chariot was quiet. Then Full Wing asked about how they got mares back to their rooms, and that question morphed into a general inquiry regarding the proper procedure for solicitation of (non-foal) sexual partners, specifically females. Both Siplinski and Black Rain began a long and unabashed training session on how to “get plot”.

Rockvale did not have sex.

None of the fearfully frail or socially stunted students of the scant school had considered soliciting sexual activity from one another. Red Field had probably been the only normal pony with a chance of a frolic in the hay, even if it was with Affirmative Action. The Apples, he imagined, fucked one another or something of the sort, and only one time had Red Field awakened to a dreadful noise coming from the mattress next to his while at home.

Thinking back to his colthood, Red Field realized that Rockvale had been a surprisingly chaste town. Of course he knew how sex worked, the laminated diagrams that Mrs. Wormwood had personally displayed to the students had been fairly well explained; as a young stallion, who had just spent six long weeks sweating and working alongside similar stallions; Red Field concluded that he ought to either come out as gay, or look forward to “hitting the Halter”.

Yet neither fitted him.

All the talk of seduction and correct methods of soliciting prostitutes, with sexual tips and faux pas interspersed, only made the wedged little pony highly uncomfortable. Red Field began to wonder if something was wrong with him.
The air grew warm after about three hours, and though Red Field couldn’t see anything but the sky above him, he could tell they were above a desert. Black Rain told everypony to look off the left side and they could see the city. The chariot rolled a little as everypony shifted over to the left side.

“Oh man, this place really grew.” Said Siplinski.

“Oh damn, it really did, wonder if we’ll even be able to find anything.” Bren said as the chariot began to descend.

“We will, just stick with me and we’ll find everything we need.” Said Black Rain.

They arrived in Las Pegasus just as the sun was setting. Red Field, having spent the entirety of the trip cramped inside of a storage compartment designed for ammunition and explosives, stumbled and fell face first into the soft sand as he disembarked.
The other members of Barracks Six had a good laugh as he staggered about, attempting to rouse his legs.

They had landed in a fenced area about two hundred meters from the edge of the city. An attendant, who looked like he would fit in very well at Gale Force, took fifty bits from them and promised to fuck up anypony who tried to steal their ride. As a first impression of Las Pegasus, their valet was not very inviting to Red Field. However Black Rain informed them that this guy was “the best” and “nothing he guarded ever got jacked.”

The city seemed turned inward. A few dilapidated apartment complexes and duplex stables lay outside the main body of Las Pegasus like a strange ghost town. The majority of the buildings looked one-sided, almost like the entire city was a billboard facing away from them. The walls of the buildings facing out into the desert were drab blacks and browns and had no windows and only a few had doors. However Red Field saw that the neon orgy of lights and signs spilling over into the desert.

“Damn, looks better than last year.” Said Bren as they trudged toward the asphalt road leading into the city. “They did a shit-ton of remodeling, maybe that means we can get a better place this year.”

They continued to discuss their accommodations until they reached the city. They stopped after the first few blocks and looked about them.

Red Field had never been to a city, and perhaps it would have been better to visit a more prototypical municipality. Everywhere he looked ended in the wall of another building. Only a few alleyways existed and were packed with dumpsters and drifters. He saw grocers, hotels, health clinics and countless apartment buildings. Everything a pony civilization needed had somehow been compacted into a concrete maze within the listless desert.

“Pretty weird right?” Siplinski nudged him. “Must be pretty weird for a country colt.” Red Field was looking at two grocery stores that sat across the street from each other- how did they both stay in business? Who had opened the second one?

Why?

“Hey, we need to stop in here.” Said Black Rain as they stopped before one of the two grocers. Red Field was curious to see how this grocer differed from his hometown’s own general store.

Inside the grocer was a brightly wrapped maze of various prepackaged candies and hays, swarming Red Field’s mind with endless advertising. He tried to pick out a single item to study.

“Hey Red, over here.” Called Bren. They were already checking out? The attendant was a thin brown pony who sat behind a window of unusually thick Plexiglas. Siplinski was pushing some bits under a tiny slit in the glass.

“Gimme a pack of eight.” He said, pointing to something in the secure room where the attendant sat.

“I’ll take the sixteen pack.” Said Black Rain, craning his neck over Siplinski. Red Field, having no money and certainly no desire to buy anything, waited for them to finish. He saw Full Wing squeeze himself between the two stallions and poke his head up to the window. His breath fogged the surface.

“Uhhh, can I get the four pack?” He asked. He looked up to Siplinski. “Is that going to be enough?”

“Yeah that’s fine for your first time.” Said Siplinski with a nod. The attendant returned, carrying some small, brightly colored cardboard boxes.

“This what you wanted?” He asked in an accent that Red Field would have enjoyed tracing. The ponies looked over their purchases.

“Hey Bren.” Black Rain looked back to Bren, who was sitting in a small bench by the door. “Are you not getting anything?” Bren shook his head and went back to perusing the magazines. Black Rain looked back to the shelf of whatever he’d just bought. “Do you have something in really small?” He asked. The attendant sighed and walked back to the shelf. Both Siplinski and Full Wing snickered.

In a moment the attendant returned. He set a squat black box beside the others.

“This what you wanted?” He said again. Black Rain was confident this time.

“Heh, yep.” He said, sliding his payment under the window.

As they left the store, Black Rain reached into the grey plastic bag and tossed something to Red Field. The small black cube was shrink-wrapped. He’d never heard of the item and asked aloud what a condom was.

Amidst the laughter of his squadmates, Red Field was told by Bren what they were for. Bren saw the deep red blush on Red Field’s face and took the box and shoved it inside his backpack. Red Field stopped paying attention to everypony for the rest of the walk.

Their motel had unfortunately not been renovated in the apparent economic boom of Las Pegasus. A basic sign, leprous with graffiti, informed visitors that they had arrived at the Lotus Oasis Motel; Red Field wondered if the proprietors knew what lotuses were.

The building’s interior did not improve Red Field’s opinion of their lodging. A narrow lobby, with ragged and stained carpet that enshrouded their hooves, greeted them. A meaty and equally stained stallion sat in a tiny office ahead of them. The check-in was built with the same resilient partition of Plexiglas.

“Hey, I called about a week ago. Four rooms for Rain.” Said Black Rain through the tiny slot. The concierge, if he could rationally be referred to as such, had yellowed eyes, and a soaking toothpick jutted from his lips.

“Money.” His voice was auditory sandpaper and Red Field’s neck prickled at the sound. Everypony besides Red Field dug in their wallets for their payment. Black Rain collected the bits and slid them to the pony. Taking the small stack, the attendant turned an eye at the money. He counted them under his breath, and since no other noise filled the empty lobby, everypony heard his wheezing “twenty, forty, sixty”. He looked up at Black Rain after finishing and Red Field was certain he was going to ask for more.

“Rules. Nothing underage.” Siplinski gave Black Rain a small kick. “No more than six in a room at a time or I’ll call the cops. The towels haven’t been washed in a week so it’s not a good idea to steal them. Don’t shit on the curtains or I’ll break your Goddamn neck.” Red Field was unnerved this was a consideration. “And you can’t pay me anything to not tell the cops which room you’re in.” More silence filled the room as the “rules” sank into Barracks Six. “But for wives it’s fifty bits. Eighty to say to look somewhere else.” He added, taking his seat again.

“That it?” Asked Black Rain. The attendant nodded and reached into a cabinet beside him.

“Checkout is at eleven, and if you’re selling yellow then get the hell out of here.” He said, taking four rusted keys from the cabinet. He slid them under the partition. “Enjoy your stay.” Siplinski thanked him and they collected the keys. Red Field had never stayed in a hotel before, and was preparing to make a vow to never repeat the experience. They were starting down the hall when the attendant shouted for them to stop.

“You, kid, over here.” Called the hotelier. Red Field returned to the desk. He was just tall enough to peek over the top. The pony scowled down at him. “No minors allowed.”

“But, I am an adult.” Red Field said.

“Fuck off kid, I ain’t in the mood.”

“Sir, I am an adult.” Red Field said again. The attendant rose out of his chair, an act which Red Field had thought impossible.

“I said nopony underage, you can have your group thing somewhere else, but not at my place.” The attendant pointed to Black Rain. “Take your appetizer,” he pointed to Red Field, “and get out.”

“Excuse me?!” Asked Black Rain in a tone that showed he was not prepared to improve the situation.

“He just graduated from basic training.” Said Bren. The attendant looked to Bren.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Here’s his ID, he doesn’t have a bag so I was carrying it.” Bren tugged a laminated card from a pocket of his backpack. He slid it to the attendant. Red Field saw it was his Gale Force ID, but oddly, it designated him as part of the normal Equestrian Army. The attendant was equally puzzled and he studied the card for some time. Finally, the paunchy pony let out a long breath and slid the card back to Bren.

“Well hell, guess he is a ‘soldier’.” He said with a shrug. The attendant appraised the rest of the group, then guffawed at Red Field. “Looks like you’re going on some hardcore maneuvers tonight.”

“Whatever, asshole.” Said Bren. Red Field followed Bren and the rest of the group back down the hall.

They shuffled through the dim corridor until they reached their rooms. Everypony promised to get settled for fifteen minutes then meet in the lobby to decide where to get dinner.

Red Field followed Bren into his room.

The room was not much bigger than his shack in Rockvale. A single recessed light illuminated the room a dingy off-white. A few steps took them to a bed that was covered in a bedspread from which a few spot-cleaned stains still faintly showed. The room had a nightstand with rusted metal lamp and a small table with a single uncapped pen and notepad. Bren sighed and hefted his backpack onto the bed, which creaked under the weight. He groaned and fell beside the pack. Red Field continued to stand, as the room had no couch, or even chair.

“Hey, sorry about that.” Bren said from the bed. He had his hoof over his face. “It’s not usually this shitty, promise.” Red Field nodded and looked around the room for any insects that might threaten him during the night. “Hey, uh, about what you said at the graduation.” Red Field looked down. Bren had sat up. “Like, were you really serious? Did Belligerence actually ask you to do sniper training?”

“Yeah, he did.” Replied Red Field curtly. Bren sighed again.

Red Field suddenly grew exhausted with everypony’s constant disbelief that he was capable of anything. This, combined with his irritation about being stuffed in the back of the chariot and being forced to listen to misogynistic banter, combined with the implication of having a small penis, combined with the implication of his being an underage gay prostitute pushed him to tell Bren how fucking tired he was of the squad’s bullshit.

“You know what-” Red Field began.

“Just don’t tell Rain okay?” Bren said. “He just got his job at Maremont and that’s been great. Just, let me tell him about your post okay.”

“Why does it matter?” Red Field asked.

“Uh, sort of a long story. I guess- oh shit, we better get going.” Bren glanced at his watch and rocked to his hooves. “We usually go to this little gryphon place that closes soon. I’ll tell you when we get back.” He grabbed his key and his wallet and Red Field followed him from the dank room into the danker hall.

The rest of Barracks Six waited in the hall.

“We good?” Asked Black Rain. Bren nodded. “All right, Sip, lead the way.” Passing down the hall and back to the lobby, they exited into the desert night.

The air was deliciously dryer than Gale Force, and though the last streams of orange and red were still trickling down the sky from the fallen sun, the night was cooling quickly. The Lotus Oasis sat near the edge of the city, with just a few stores and offices surrounding it. However the neon radiation from the central hub of the city’s entertainment district still cast a warm glow onto their street.

Full Wing had to know how they’d found a restaurant run by gryphons.

Siplinski and Black Rain told him of the time they had been too drunk to fly back to base on their last night on leave, some years ago. They’d stumbled, quite literally, into the small café while attempting to find a coffee shop. They spoke of standing outside of the window, trying to make sure they were both seeing what they were seeing: a “bird cooking shit inside”. It turned out they had seen what they were seeing, and upon solicitation, the bird told them of a spell he knew of to drastically reduce hangovers and boost sobriety. Full Wing was predictably taken aback by the thought of a gryphon knowing anything about magic. Red Field already knew the creatures possessed a rudimentary sense of enchantments, though he didn’t say anything.

The rest of the story was a tale of Squad Six sobering under the spell and thanking and paying the gryphon, whose name was Talon. They had then flown all night back to Gale Force and Black Rain claimed “it was the most fucking sober” he’d ever been. They’d later made at least one meal at the small café a tradition for their leaves in Las Pegasus, and according to Bren, Talon cooked pretty decently too.

The café was named the Nest Egg. This gave Red Field a small chuckle as they reached the tiny, one room restaurant wedged between a high-rise apartment and dry cleaner. At the door, Black Rain told Full Wing not to make fun of anything about Talon.

The Nest Egg had only two tables. Ahead stood a dingy counter with laminated menus typed in the heading style on Microsoft Word. A ceiling fan above swished the desert air languidly. A vicious and overpowering scent of rosemary commanded the air and a few stained pots gurgled atop a stove behind the counter.

Nopony worked the counter and Siplinski leaned over the counter.

“Hey, are you here feathers?” He called into the door to the kitchen.

A squawk, so stereotypical and perfectly timed that Red Field had trouble keeping from laughing, responded to Siplinski’s inquiry.

“Be right there!” Called a masculine and strangely well-vocalized voice. A gryphon emerged from the back room. His upper torso was a muddy brown, but his lower half to his yellow stalk legs, was a snowy white splashed with sauce and grease. “Sorry I was- ah fuck you!” He said as he recognized Siplinski. The deep tenor of his voice dropped and was replaced by the graveled intonation of a bird who did not like speaking like a pony. “You’re early this year!”

“Oh yeah, guess we are.” Said Siplinski. The bird reached over the counter and struck his shoulder.

“Making me think you’re one of those Cantorlot assholes, making me talk right.” The gryphon and the rest of the veterans of Barracks Six greeted each other and Red Field hung back. The giant bird didn’t scare him, but, Red Field didn’t want to get too close either.

“And now who do we have here?” The gryphon leaned over the counter and looked down at Red Field.

“Uh, just, their friend.” Red Field pointed to Bren. “I mean, I’m in their squad.” Bren explained that Red Field had just finished basic training.

The bird chuckled.

“Well you don’t seem like the raw meat and wrestling type like these three assholes.” He said to Red Field. “What’s your job?”

“Sni- uh, I-”

“He’s not sure yet.” Said Bren quickly. “There’s a couple places for him to go to you know, he’s still looking.” Before anyone could respond, Bren sought out Full Wing, who was incidentally also attempting to keep his distance from the oversize avian. “But this guy here is going straight airborne!” He thrust Full Wing to Talon. The bird was enthralled with Full Wing and the two talked for a few minutes on topics that only pertained to creatures with wings.

Finally Talon turned back to Bren.

“So are you going to order something or am I going to have to ask you to stop loitering and leave?”

“Hell yeah we’re eating, you remember what we get?” Siplinski said. Talon put a feather beside his beak.

“I was an elephant in a past life.” He bowed and turned toward his stove. “Three plates, excuse me, five plates of Ire Seed?”

“What’s that?” Asked Full Wing.

“It’s really good, it’s what we always get.” Said Black Rain. “You could get something else since we pay separately.”

Red Field again realized he had no money.

“No problem I gotcha.” Said Full Wing, nudging Red Field. Red Field felt the shame of charity again. “I’ll do a plate of Ire Seed too I guess, so make that five plates.”

“Heh, I thought I said that already.” Talon chuckled and began to measure out some black seed into a pot.

Red Field studied Talon as he cooked. The gryphon explained to both he and Full Wing that he’d come to Equestria after he “felt he was no longer welcome back home”(he did not go into further detail on this and nopony considered asking further). Talon said he’d always been a decent cook, and a lot of ponies liked the exotic look of a gryphon fixing them dinner. They did not like how a gryphon acted and he had to learn to talk and behave like a pony, which he did not like.

As he stirred in the herbs and oils into the mass of seeds in the pot, Talon cocked, bobbed and twitched his head like any other bird. Occasionally he softly squawked to himself and Red Field saw him fish a lost feather out of the pot. He chatted with Bren and Black Rain and Siplinski about how things had been at base. In turn they asked him about himself, and Red Field learned that Talon lived alone, and most of his recreational time was spent flying.

Soon, Talon slid a steaming plate of the black, beetle-like seeds to each diner. The seeds seemed completely bare and came only with a worn plastic cup of water.

“So tell me!” Talon gave Red Field a slap on the back. “What is it about blowing stuff up and shooting things that makes you want to be an idiot like these ponies?”

“I want to protect and serve my country.” Said Red Field.

“Enough to shoot somebody apparently.” Talon said.

Red Field hadn’t weighed his personal moral convictions against a necessitated murder under the auspices of defense of his country. He also did not have the time to do so at the moment.

“I guess so.” He said.

“Well, looks like it’ll be dogs you’ll be shooting if that new queen ever wises up.” Said Talon.

“What makes you say that?” Asked Black Rain, crunching into the seeds.

“They’ve been lurking a lot around the border to the Crystal Kingdom. Few of them got into a fight with the Kingdom’s border patrol.” Said Talon. Red Field looked up at this, along with everypony else at the table. “They’ve been sniffing around outside of their country a lot recently. There’s a war or something that they’re all fighting over under those mountains; nopony really knows what the hell their problem is.”

“Well there’s like a hundred different kinds of them and there’s like a ton of territories and states from what I hear.” Said Siplinski. “So you probably-”

“Only good digger is a dead digger.” Said Black Rain, who had started eating again. Talon chuckled and turned back to his dishes.

“I knew a couple that were all right.” He said quietly.

Full Wing took a bite of his seeds and coughed.

“Whoa, what the hell?” He asked as the rest of Barracks Six laughed.

“What the hell do you think they’re called Ire Seeds for?” Asked Talon with a grin. “You’re Airborne, you need to take that head on!” Full Wing smiled and tried to swallow the rest of the seeds as he took another bite. He coughed once more and the group spent the rest of dinner cheering him on as he slowly downed the seeds.

Red Field gagged after a couple bites and miserably ate his dinner. He would have discarded the meal had Full Wing not paid for it. Once dinner was finished, they bade goodbye to Talon and departed from the small café. They left at ten-thirty and the night should have been pitch black, but the ever-glowing signs and lights lit the streets up as if it were still daytime. Red Field was exhausted from his day and the brightness seared his eyes and made him squint at his hooves.

They stopped at a convenience store for Black Rain to pick up some beer and as they waited, they saw a couple burros pass by on the street. Siplinski said there were definitely more burros this time.

“Eyeah, hope that’s not the case at the club.” Said Bren, wiping his eyes sleepily. Black Rain reemerged from the store and asked what they were talking about. Upon being informed of the topic, he shook his head and spoke with the certainty of a sage.

“Nopony wants to see burro ass, that’s a fact.” He said, leading them back to their hotel. Red Field was completely spent and the day had been far too long for him to keep up; he still had about six or seven subjects to consider before he caught up to the discrimination and misogyny of the group. He didn’t even care to consider the police dragging away a unicorn suspect in the dusty street outside of the Lotus Oasis. Red Field sleepily followed Bren into their room and fell into the bed. He knew he would need to sleep somewhere else, but at the moment he just wanted to take a short rest. He heard Bren sigh and Red Field guiltily tried to pick himself up.

“Let me tell you about Rain.” Said Bren. “But you have to promise to keep it a secret.” Red Field looked up. Bren had seated himself in the peeling wood chair which stood before the desk. He slumped down in the seat like a corpse. “Can you do that?” Red Field had forgotten about the mystery of why he shouldn’t tell Black Rain about becoming a sniper and he took a second to recall what they were talking about.

Bren looked to the ceiling and twisted his mouth.

“Sip’s only been with us for a few years. Me and Rain have been with the company for like, six years.” Bren groaned and lifted his lower hooves onto the table and reclined. “Rain wanted to be UAT. He’s a pretty smart guy, I mean- he’s strong, knows how to shoot, knows like everything there is to know about Gale Force.” Bren looked back at Red Field. “But he apparently wasn’t UAT material, like, I dunno what they said was wrong with him but he didn’t make it past selection.” Bren shrugged. “Not to say that that’s an uncommon thing, it’s like sixty guys try out for UAT every time there’s selection and I think only like five get in or something. But then, most of them don’t care about it as much Rain did- does.” Bren spoke a bit softer. “Rain can be a giant asshole. Think you know that. But really, he’s a good guy, and I know he’d fight and die along with any of us. I really thought he’d make UAT, he genuinely seems like the operator type.” Bren sighed. “But he didn’t, and that kicked the shit out of him. Then Sip came along, and he got two instructor posts in his first year. Then Orange became head of Beast and you don’t know him but there’s a sergeant named West Point that got picked over Rain to do Opfor training with UAT. I know you probably can’t tell, but Rain gives Gale Force everything he’s got. So, it’s pretty sad to see him just get a job with Maremont, which is really just a shitty factory job that’s not all that different than a shitty factory job in the rest of Equestria.”

“So why doesn’t he quit?” Asked Red Field.

“You should get to know him more, the only thing he wants more than to become UAT is get killed fighting, preferably after killing a lot of the other guys and saving somepony important.” Red Field had no trouble believing that. Bren was silent for a time and though the bed was invitingly soft, Red Field was no longer drowsy.

Finally, Bren stood up and walked to the bed.

“I know he’s been a huge shit to you.” Bren stopped in front of the bed and lowered his eyes. “We all kinda have. But, you’ve seriously come a really long way and I’m really glad you stayed with us, more than Full Wing. Give Rain a chance, if nothing else, he has our backs no matter what and you're one of us.” He pointed to the bed. “If you want to take that side, I’ll take this one.” Red Field nodded and slid over to the left side of the bed. Bren switched out the light and climbed onto his side of the bed.

Red Field fell asleep after an hour. He was thinking on everything Bren had said, but he kept coming back to one statement.

“More than Full Wing.”

Red Field now found himself glad that he had stayed with Barracks Six.

Red Field arose around eight, realized he had nowhere to go, and went back to bed. At around nine-thirty, Bren stirred and rolled from bed. Red Field eyes were closed and he was concentrating on not concentrating and falling back asleep. Bren crossed the room and Red Field opened his eyes. He saw Bren standing before the mirror, combing his mane. Bren’s mane was a smushed mess, with flat sections of hair sticking out around his head. His eyes were swollen with sleep and his joints snapped and cracked.

He glanced over to Red Field.

“Not a morning pony?” Asked Red Field with a little laugh.

“Not on my vacation.” Said Bren, patting his mane back into place.

“So what are we doing today?” Red Field asked, taking a seat on the side of the bed.

“Club tonight.” Bren said. Red Field had forgotten about the “entertainment” they had been so eagerly awaiting, and the fear of not having a sexuality returned. “We’ll probably go out and get something to eat, then I think Rain had some casino or something he wanted to go to. Sip usually goes to this weird apartment and buys something. I dunno, I usually look for a tool shop or something.” He shrugged. “You could just stay here if you want.” Red Field did not want to spend the day in a windowless hotel room before attending an obscene venue later that night.

“I’ll come along and see if there’s anything to do.” Said Red Field.

After Bren had finished repairing his mane, they walked to lobby and waited for the rest of the squad. Siplinski joined them in a few minutes and together they waited another half an hour for Black Rain and Full Wing. Eventually they walked to the room and Bren knocked on the door.

“Shit, just a minute!” Called Black Rain. Black Rain poked his head out of the door. “Goddamn, is it already nine?”

“Ten actually.” Siplinski said. Black Rain cracked his neck.

“Kid’s still passed out, two beers put him down and I didn’t feel like dragging him back to his room.”

With Black Rain ruing the morning, the conversation on the way to breakfast could only be described as terse. They walked to a small diner only a few blocks away and took seats in the booth farthest away from the noise of the kitchen.

“Jesus Christ, he was like a foal last night.” Black Rain muttered.

“Watch out, you might get arrested for that.” Siplinski said. Black Rain gave him a look that qualified as a death threat.

“It was half an hour before he finally dropped off. Took me half of the case to just keep from smacking him.” He took a long sip of his coffee. “Whatever, I’m hitting the Space of Aides after this and actually doing something that might pay off.”

“Are you going to take him?” Asked Bren. Black Rain took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
“If he shuts the hell up.” He said tiredly. He pointed at Red Field. “At least you know when to shut the hell up, I’ll give you that.”

“I have to pick up some stuff.” Said Siplinski.

“What is up with that?” Asked Bren, turning to Siplinski. “What are you even buying?”

“Stuff.” He said shortly. He pointed across the table to Red Field. “Hey do you want to come with me Red? I don’t think my guy would have a problem with you like he would with these two.”

“Uh, sure.” Red Field said. Black Rain looked up from his coffee.

“Really. You’re not going to tell us, but you’ll invite him.” Said Black Rain. “Fine, you know what, if it’s something you’d take him to and not tell us about, I don’t think I’d want to know anyway.”

“Like you said, he knows when to shut up.” Siplinski said with a nod toward Red Field.

Their waitress was a plump, shaggy burro. She spoke with an accent and referred to Red Field as “honey”. Red Field wondered what brought the burros to the licentious city.

“God, they better not look like that tonight.” Said Black Rain, watching her return to the kitchen.

“Weren’t you just telling us last night that they wouldn’t?” Bren asked. Black Rain sipped his coffee once more and shook his head gloomily.

“Guess I’m not so sure anymore.” Black Rain said as he looked around the diner. It wasn’t a dirty place, but then, it wasn’t the kind of place that spent a great deal on attracting new customers with anything besides the promise of affordable food. “This whole town’s all fucked up, beer was eighteen ninety yesterday.”

“Celestia’s assassination fucked everything up; even out here.” Bren said. “It’s pretty impressive to see all these new buildings and shit during a recession.”

“Gale Force was probably the only part of Equestria that got more money after the Blast.” Siplinski said.

“Yeah, at least the new queen knows where her the priorities are.” Said Black Rain, finishing his coffee.

Siplinski did not tell Red Field where they were going. This unnerved Red Field as he followed the twitchy red unicorn through the streets and side-streets of Las Pegasus in a rambling, yet somehow determined route to a place which sold “stuff”. They had left immediately after breakfast; according to Siplinski, his guy “didn’t like to be kept waiting”.
Red Field didn’t know a lot about Siplinski. He knew Siplinski talked faster than his mouth could articulate and that he was the most excitable of the senior members of Barracks Six. Red Field knew Siplinski was a competent soldier- and that was about it. Red Field had no idea what kind of secretive product a pony like Siplinski would buy, and he couldn’t help but imagine several unsavory possibilities.

Siplinski looked like a sparrow, glancing to and fro as they crossed streets and mantled curbs. He would stop for a moment to catch his bearings, then jerk back to a brisk pace. Red Field followed him, hoping they weren’t going to break any laws.

After a twenty minute walk through the heart of the Las Pegasus downtown, Siplinski stopped at a paltry brick building with smudged windows and a “space for rent” sign above the door. Red Field followed him into the inside. The short industrial carpet was old and worn, and the fluorescent lights glowed a pale white. They walked down a hall which was lined with offices. The entire place smelled musty and sour. As Red Field’s eyes adjusted to the dimness, he saw Siplinski glossing over a directory between two of the offices.

“This way.” Red Field caught a glimpse of the directory as they walked past. A pediatrician’s office and a construction company operated in the building. What kind of a secretive backroom deal took place in affordable small-to-midsize office space?

Their door was the second to last on the left. Siplinski stopped at the door and turned to Red Field.

“Okay, you can ask questions or buy something if you want, but don’t make things weird okay?” He said, his cadence cascading onto Red Field. Red Field, not in any state of mind to mess with whatever waited on the other side of the door, nodded. As Siplinski opened the stepped inside, Red Field caught sight of the brass nameplate affixed to the door.

“Prof. Flam’s Felicitous Circuitry.” Red Field was still trying to ascertain what circuitry was “felicitous” when they entered.

They’d come to a toy store.

Red Field had never been in a toy store before, but he knew from the fiery abuse of red and blue plastic on every item on every display that he was in a toy store. The store had been a waiting room of some sort, as evidenced by chairs and credenzas now serving as displays and shelves for the toys. Siplinski ventured ahead to the receptionist’s desk-turned-checkout but Red Field paused to look at the products. Most were inside vibrant cardboard boxes, but a display model had been opened and assembled and stood on a table.

He tilted his head at it.

The toy was a tiny patchwork of metal buttons and red and blue wires all interconnected and secured to a perforated plastic board by dull grey dots of solder. It was a circuit.

A very rudimentary and obviously foal-oriented product, the toy was made to power a single dull LED light from a single-cell battery. Red Field felt confused at what brought Siplinski to a toy store. Siplinski was leaned against the desk and rang a bell.

“Be right out!” Somepony trotted out of a doorway behind the desk.

Red Field doubted very much that Professor Flam had earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering, or that he’d even taught anywhere of note. A tall tan pony sporting an “eccentric” corduroy jacket greeted Siplinski and they began to converse. Professor Flam’s smile was strangely familiar to Red Field. He realized it bore a very close resemblance to the smile that Appleseed had worn whenever Podunk had caught him doing something felonious. Siplinski and Professor Flam seemed very well acquainted as they began to converse and Red Field turned his attention back to the toys.

All of them were basic arrangements of clearly identified electrical components. They were also garishly packaged and Red Field studied all of the models. The most complicated design was in a yellow box that proclaimed its contents built a marshmallow cannon. Red Field wasn’t sure if the store was more or less disturbing than the black market he’d been expecting.

“See anything you like?” Professor Flam was standing beside Red Field. Red Field had gotten better at not jumping whenever somepony startled him, but Flam had appeared silently and Red Field flinched a little.

“Uh, not yet.” He said. Professor Flam pointed to the yellow box.

“Now that’s a mighty complicated kit for strong-minded stallions. Say how old are you son?”

“Eighteen sir.”

“OH!” A sort of giddy smile twisted over Professor Flam’s face. “You don’t look a day over foaling.”

Red Field turned to the odd salespony.

“Where did you earn your doctorate, if I may ask?” Red Field was rarely insulted by somepony wearing a coat one size too large and whom he doubted had ever held any kind of academic position.
Siplinski cleared his throat.

Red Field glanced over at him and saw that Siplinski was glowering at him. But Professor Flam didn’t seem to mind.

“Oh Professor Flam has taught all over.” He said. “I’ve been all over this big big land and collected the finest array of fascinating electrical gizmos and whatchamacallits ever seen.” A pause fell as everypony uncomfortably absorbed the sales pitch written for younger ponies. Siplinski closed his eyes in embarrassment. “Anywho!” Professor Flam returned to Siplinski. “You were asking about something special?” His tone changed and he sounded more like a normal pony with Siplinski.
Red Field saw that both of them were conscious of the peculiarity of a pony Siplinski’s age purchasing anything from Professor Flam’s Felicitous Circuitry and he guessed they had an understanding between them.

“I’ll just grab your box,” Professor Flam said to Siplinski, “if your friend there doesn’t have any more questions.”

Red Field felt guilty for disturbing their amicable relationship as Professor Flam disappeared into what used to be the doctor’s office.

“Hey!” Siplinski whispered. “Shut the fuck up.” Red Field nodded shamefully.

In a minute, Professor Flam was back. He carried a plain black cardboard box. He dropped it onto the desk and shoved it to Siplinski.

“I don’t put this one out, kids would burn their little hooves trying to put it together.” He said with a small laugh. “Sixteen bits.” Siplinski paid for the kit and slid the box into his saddlebag.

“Thanks, I’ll be back next year.” He said. Professor Flam walked around the counter and saw the pair to the door.

“Well you are my biggest customer and not just in purchases.” Said Professor Flam. “I certainly hope you enjoy yourself.” He opened the door and Siplinski took a minute to Tetris the box through the narrow doorway. Siplinski thanked Flam again and started down the hall.

As the door closed, Red Field saw Professor Flam take a seat behind the receptionist’s desk. He looked up at Red Field and their eyes met. That same smile came to Flam.

Red Field did not like that smile.

Red Field had many questions for Siplinski as they walked back to the Lotus Oasis. He knew Siplinski knew he had those questions. Before they’d even left the building, Siplinski had calmly informed Red Field that they were not going to talk about anything until they got back to his room. Siplinski said he was going to buy something to eat and take it back to their room. Red Field agreed, hoping to make up for his blunder in the store. They stopped at a small grocery and Siplinski told Red Field to grab a bag of hay for him and whatever he wanted for himself. Red Field took a smaller, cheaper bag of hay and they checked out.
The box, though about the size of Siplinski’s body, did not appear to be very heavy, and they made it back to the hotel as the sun of high noon was cresting the sky.
Red Field followed Siplinski back to his room and for the next quarter of an hour they had a silent lunch. The box lay on the meager bed. Finally, once he had finished smacking the last of the dried straw from his lips, Siplinski poked Red Field, who was still eating.

“So I guess you’re going to ask if I’m gay.” He said. Red Field blinked; this was not one of the questions or even related questions. “Well I like electrical stuff you know?” Red Field said nothing, although his seventh question had been answered. Siplinski waited for Red Field to say something, then continued. “Like, Gale Force has this one program where you can learn stuff about that kind of thing but it’s really hard to get in to and it doesn’t pay too well.” Eighteen and twenty-two had been answered. Siplinski again waited for Red Field to say something, then he saw that his companion was still waiting on him. Siplinski frowned uncomfortably. “Do you want to like, give me a hoof with this?” Red Field nodded, slightly satiated that Siplinski was at least self-conscious about his patronage of a foal’s store, “Sweet!”

The box contained approximately 883 pieces, including several large circuit boards, a respectable length of wire and even a mini soldering iron. The instructions were a thickened pamphlet, though the first several chapters were dedicated to detailing all of the scenarios in which the manufacturer would not be held liable for damages or injury.

“I can put together the main stuff, read what this one is supposed to do and let me know.” Siplinski said, plugging in the soldering iron into the ungrounded outlet in the wall. Red Field read the pamphlet in a few minutes. The booklet was surprisingly technical in detail and even gave him something to devote his concentration to.

The kit was supposed to do five things, two functions were powering LED lights, which Red Field felt was cheap. Another function was powering an exposed heating filament which looked like it belonged in a toaster. The next appliance on the kit was a small radio which Red Field found a little impressive. And finally, the assembly of the contents of the black box would give another socket for powering a compatible kit, though Red Field hoped Siplinski wouldn’t attempt to add anything and overtax the already dilapidated outlet.

Red Field looked up from his reading and saw Siplinski delicately guiding the soldiering iron over the end of a wire. Siplinski had already clipped and attached several wires and was nearly finished with attaching the LED station and connecting it to what would be the main circuit.

“Hey, let me see the next one.” Siplinski held out his hoof for the next piece. Red Field gave it to him and prepared to read from the instructions. However Siplinski didn’t ask for any help, and Red Field sat and watched as Siplinski affixed the next few parts without so much as a glance at the instructions. Finally, Siplinski asked for some help with the heating filament. Red Field read off only the first few lines of instruction before Siplinski nodded and said he got it. The next few minutes passed by quietly, as Siplinski carefully soldered the large chip holding the filament into place.

“I only buy from that guy ‘cause his stuff is the cheapest.” Siplinski said. “I found a little ad for his place in a catalog for my little sister.” He said. Siplinski replaced the soldering iron and lifted his head from the board. He groaned and stretched his neck. “I usually get one or two of these kits whenever we come out here.” He shrugged. “I just throw them out before we leave since they break really fast.” Siplinski stood up and groaned again as he stretched out his legs. He took a seat on the bed and looked down at Red Field, who sat against the frame. “Do you think I’m gay for, you know, getting toys?”

“No. You have something you want to learn about and you’re learning about it.” Said Red Field gently.

“Like, if I told Rain or even Bren about this they’d say I’m a queer.” He said, looking down to the board again. “But I’m not super rich you know? I mean, like I want to be an electrician or something like that when I get out Gale Force. But like, I don’t know where to start learning.”

“You know I want to be an alchemist.” Red Field said. “I’m pretty poor, so I’m at Gale Force for more or less the same reason.”

“Oh I’m not poor.” Said Siplinski quickly. A pause fell between them, then he spoke again. “What’s an alchemist?”

“It’s a specialized magician and scientist who works to transmute elements and substances into other elements and substances.” Red Field said.

“I think you’d be really good at that.” Siplinski said after a very blank pause. Red Field smiled a bit.

“Thanks, you seem like you’ll be a good electrician Sip.”

They returned to work on the circuit board and this time Siplinski asked more questions on assembling the radio and socket, as he had never attempted those before. They had just finished the installing the socket and Siplinski was trying to figure out which part of the small black cube was “side A” of the radio.

“I saw you’re going to be a sniper.” He said, jabbing the radio into place. Red Field looked up.

“How do you know that?” Red Field asked. Siplinski shrugged and reoriented the radio.

“I work in Beast so I get to see the list of where everypony’s going.” Siplinski continued to shove at the radio. “So why do you want to be a sniper?”

“It just sounds like something I’d be good at. Belligerence said I’d be a good sniper so I guess I took his word for it. Oh, Belligerence is-”

“I know who he is.” Said Siplinski, running a wire to the radio. “Yeah snipers are pretty cool. But I could never be one, way too much math and stuff.” Red Field’s ears perked up to this. They used math in the military? “Plus I dunno, it’s like something everypony says they’d be good at, but I knew like two of the snipers a few years ago and they were pretty tough guys. Like you have to be a little cold to do kill somepony like they do.” Red Field, having never made the presumption that perhaps sniping was an unpleasant means of dispatching enemies, nearly asked him what he meant by “a little cold.”

He caught himself. He couldn’t risk making himself look ignorant by not knowing the basics of what he planned on making his job. Instead he nodded and looked back to the instructions. The point was moot anyway. He wasn’t going to need to kill anypony. Equestria wasn’t at war.

They finished the board in just under an hour. Siplinski had completed the entire kit with almost no guidance from Red Field. Siplinski dragged the thin cord to the outlet and plugged in the contraption. The pair of lights glowed an impotent red and the filament exuded a dirty orange heat. The radio, however, was silent.

“What the hell?” Siplinski asked in disgust. Red Field looked down at the little black box.

“Radio is a pretty broad term, there’s no adjustment dials on it so it might be a transmitter or something like that.” Red Field said.

“You want to take it apart and see?” Siplinski asked. Red Field smiled, that actually sounded like fun.

“Sure!” He said. Siplinski unplugged the kit and knelt down over the radio. Somepony clomped on their door and both looked up.

“Sip, is the tiny one with you?” Black Rain called through the door.

“Uh, yeah he is.” Siplinski said. “Why?”

“We’re going to the club now.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 10 Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 32 Minutes