//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Enlistment // Story: Life,Death,and Rebirth // by Shadow-Dancer //------------------------------// Chapter 11: Enlistment I woke up and opened my eyes as the sun suddenly assaulted me with light. I took the short but painfully long time for my eyes to adjust, this time I did not look at the sun. Once that was over I looked around, as expected nothing changed well at least not much but my hazy mind was quite unaware so it did not register that Twilight slept next to me. Well anyway, it sure as hell did once said unicorn yawned and stretched. I looked over to see just that, I as the ‘Badass ex-Marine TM’ did indeed find it cute as hell.  Well it stopped being cute when my brain registered the awkwardness of my situation, then I just decided to get up and leave hoping that everything sorted itself or I could at least wake up enough to figure out what happened. So I opened the door and left before Twilight woke up. I thought back to the first time she slept next to me, remembering that as the first day I made contact with a pony and when she slept on my cot to keep warm, I doubted that was the reason why she decided to get in the cot, but all I knew was that I my nightmares stopped around her. I closed the line of questioning and put the illusion around myself, while I proceeded to the dining room the matching maze like hallways, almost confusing me once more. It was a few minutes later that I arrived greeted by the guards whom opened the door and let me in, where I was greeted by Celestia and Luna. “Hello Celestia, Luna”  I emphasized their names with a nod but could have sworn that Celestia frowned slightly and her face dimmed, before her face lit back up with her usual benevolent smile. One that was clearly just a mask but a good mask made with many years of practice. Luna seemed to have noticed that her sister was not responding and responded instead. “Good morning Marcus sleep well?” “Yes, I slept  quite well.” I said a bit too quickly   Luna was about to answer when Twilight entered the room, “Good morning everypony.” She yawned. The princesses and I greeted Twilight, and I ordered some oatmeal from the kitchen, while a pony sat some strong black coffee in front of Twilight’s seat and took her order which happened to be oatmeal as well, when the servant left Twilight to a sip of her coffee and seemed to instantly be revitalized, her hair straightened out to its normal everyday look, the bags under her eyes seemed to disappeared and her tired zombie like look also left.  It was truly the most bizarre thing that I had ever seen, and even to this day I have seen very few things that could compete. At the time the only thing I could muster out between my lips was “Where the hell can I find coffee that can do that?” The silence was shattered by the Princesses and Twilight as they rolled in laughter. I recovered from my state of shock moments later and they later calmed down enough to hold a proper conversation. “So Marcus, how has your stay been so far?” Celestia asked. “Nothing too exciting, practiced magic with Twilight’s help, and joined the guard yesterday. Speaking of that I need to turn those forms in today.” I was about to ask them their progress on switching me back to my human form but decided against it. Celestia smiled slightly, “That’s good I’m glad that you're starting to settle.” I clenched my teeth slightly but it seemed Celestia did not notice. Looking to Luna I asked, “How have you been Luna?” “The night courts are empty except for a few nights, it may be another few generations before ponies will stop seeing me as Nightmare Moon and that will change.” Luna looked over at Twilight. “But the few friends I have made since my release have made it easier.” I did not know to much about when Luna became Nightmare Moon and was banished. only what Dad’s Journal told me, Luna became jealous of her sister and acted on it, with his help Celestia banished her sister and that was that.  So instead of an it’s in the past rant that most people say in these situations I said with a smile, “Well that’s good, and I wish you the best. Well I better find the recruiters office and hand them my paperwork.” Twilight gave me directions to my destination and I left with a few good byes. The Recruiters office was a decent walk from the Castle. I took the time to actually look around the city itself, older diplomats walked to and from the castle with their heads looking straight and eyes idly glancing around as if something was on their mind, while the younger ones were visibly nervous, and sweating bullets.  The tenth of a mile walkway from the castle gave way to a busy marketplace as I imagined during the Age of Exploration. I heard as ponies Haggled for cheaper prices and the merchants upping their prices as far as they reasonably could. I made my way past them and took a left. A few minutes later I found my destination clearly labeled, Equestrian Guard Recruiting Office The building was well aged if the faded brick covered in old propaganda posters and old graffiti was any indication, this part of the city seemed like where the poorer citizens of Canterlot would live. “A perfect place for a recruiting office, where people that aren't doing the best can gain a hope to do better and help their families.” I mumbled before walking inside. Like the outside of the building the inside showed signs of age, but still felt like a proper government building. I found a stallion in black tuxedo decorated with multiple pins and blue pants and a yellow stripe going down the sides and from his rank emblem I guessed he was in the Equestrian Army holding the rank of Sergeant. It was odd to see similar rank insignias and pins to what I have spotted members of the U.S. Army use. I shook my head and handed the papers over to the stallion, he took them and told me to come back in a week for the various tests I politely nodded, gave a farewell and left. Thinking about the similarities and differences of the US’s recruiting process and Equestria’s. Now I was one step closer to being able to actually provide for myself once more and hopefully do something that I was familiar with.