//------------------------------// // 2 First day // Story: One of Many // by Nightmare Darkness //------------------------------// No one really truly appreciates sleep till it’s taken away….violently. My eyes opened in shock as a loud crack of a cannon caused me to jerk and fall out of my bed onto my back. “Out of bed you maggots! Get out into the square! Move it, move it, move it!” Came a booming voice. I stood up and saw Grey was rolling out of bed with a look that was a cross between fury and surprise. I trotted out of the barracks being pushed and shoved by everyone. We were all out in a cluster of bodies before a pegasus landed in front of the group. The moon was still up and the day hadn’t even begun. “Welcome to day one of training! I am your instructor Dusky Skies. I am one of the group who secondly survived Commander Aethers training, and with luck… so will you. As you all stand before me now, you are all useless, every single ohttps://www.fimfiction.net/story/194325/the-life-of-deathof you. Now first off form ranks!” She ordered and we all looked at each other unsure as to what she meant. After a long pause she bellowed loudly. “Form lines you pack of soggy hay eaters!” She ordered. We all began to form a lines and I looked for Grey who was three rows back as we all fell into line. “Look forward recruits!” she barked causing me to snap my head around and face forward. It took several moments before the entire group stood in ranks. My legs were already sore at standing with my legs together. “The first thing you do every morning is this. Do you understand?” she yelled. I stayed quiet and so did the group, which caused her to frown and she flapped her wings and hovered so she could look down on all of us. “When I ask you something you respond with, Yes Instructor! Do you understand!” she said as her voice echoed in the morning air. “Yes Instructor!” I said as my voice joined in with the chant that reverberated in the square. “Good! Now do you love to run!” Dusky Skies asked which caused a few to call out sporadically and in various volumes. “I asked do you love to run!” She yelled. “Yes Instructor!” I exclaimed joining the military choir. “Everyone is to stay on their hooves or claws. No wings! No Magic! Follow Instructor Golden Sword!” She said as she landed beside the group and began to run. I turned and saw Instructor Golden sword who began to trot in front of the group, the ranks began to fall apart before a voice I couldn’t see who owned yelled out. “Keep your ranks!” I heard ordered and to I began to run looking forward at the back of the head of a changeling. Already the sound of others panting could be heard as the beats into the ground sounded like rolling thunder. I don’t know how long it had been my lungs stung, my legs ached, and my hooves throbbed. Already several had fallen out but a glance in Greys direction every once and a while made sure he was still in. The Instructors yelling and constant abuse was becoming numb to my ears. The sun was still below the mountains before approaching a large hill. “Halt!” Instructor Golden Sword ordered causing us to stop. The pony behind me bumped me which caused me to bump into the changeling in front of me. My body was shuddering as I gulped air, my body was soaked head to hoof from the sweat and my eyes stung as sweat got into my eyes causing them to blur slightly. “Hey…,” I heard and looked up to see Grey Wing now beside me. “H-How…,” I said. “Lots…of...move around…,” Grey said between taking in gulps of air. I understood what he meant by moving up to be beside me in the slight chaos of the group stopping. “Where…are we?” I asked looking around at the group of everyone some on the ground trying to catch their breath. “I don’t know.” He said looking around. “Where are the instructors?” I asked as I looked around. “Up there.” The changeling that was ahead of me said. I looked up at the top of the bluff. Our instructor’s outlines were seen as a smaller outline of our commander, Dane Aether Astra stood in between them as her horn glowed and several rocks now stood at the precipice of the hill and then they were let go to let gravity do what it does best for large roundish objects. “Look out!” I yelled out causing everyone to look up the hill and panic at the sight of boulders rolling down the hill. I spring into flight mode I dodged one rock that just missed me and Grey was about to take to the sky before a stone hit his legs causing him to spin in the air and crash into the ground. The changeling who was in front of me jumped out of the way of a rock and into the path of another one. “Look out!” I exclaimed as Istrained my already tired legs to shove the changeling out of the way of a bolder neglecting my own surroundings and a bolder the size of a filly slammed me in the flank causing my world become nothing but pain and a blur of color. My head hit the ground hard as explosions of light clouded my vision. As fast as it had happened it was over. I tried to stand up but my flank was turning purple as a large bruise began to form. Grey approached me limping with a wince on his face. “This is ridicules…,” he said exasperated. I sat up gritting my teeth as the changeling approached us. “Thanks for that, Names Cicada,” Cicada said with a fang filled smile that made me feel only slightly uncomfortable. “No problem…” I said trying to stand, then felt a smooth but hard carapace against my coat push me up and keep me steady. “Glass Prism,” I said as I looked at Cicada with a thought that came to mind but I didn’t know if I should ask it. Cicada who looked at me questionly. “What?” Cicada asked. “Are you a guy or girl?” I asked which earned me a punch in the shoulder from Grey and a half lidded look from Cicada. “I’m a girl.” She said with and unenthusiastic look that made me feel like an idiot. “Sorry I…don’t know many changelings.” I said trying to recover my mistake but she shrugged. “To be expected. Are you a guy?” she asked as if truly asking the question with garnered a half lidded response from me. “You couldn’t tell but Glass is a girl.” Grey said with a smile. “Shut up.” I said and he giggled as Cicada smiled. “Nice to meet you.” She said before Instructor Dusky Skies flew over us and landed. “Form up! We’re going back! Everyone pick up and assist the wounded we have a three hour hike back to base.” She announced as there was a collective groan from us all. “If this is only day one…how are we going to survive…?” I said abandoning hope. “One day at a time.” Grey Wing said as he began to limp in front of me as Cicada helped me along. “You know you need to grow a pair. I know I can.” Cicada said as I looked down at her incredulously and she smiled up at me. If I thought the run to the rock abuse sight was tough the walk back was like another world in pain and exhaustion. Cicada helped me as best she could but it was hard on her two. After an hour I could put more weight on my back leg but it still burned every time I put pressure on it. After four hours we arrived back at the square, out of our original large group many had fallen and were left behind to be picked up by medics. How I managed to make it was in no small part to Grey and Cicada. The instructors had no end in her abuse towards us and when we had formed up in the square Dusky Skies smiled fiendishly. "Congrats to you that have survived the first day in its entirety. Get some grub and those of you with wounds get them checked out." She ordered and all of us visibly slumped in relief, I was tempted to just go lie in bed and forgo eating but Grey gave me a nudge and took the lead towards the galley. I followed lamely and after eating what could barely be passed as food we made our way to our barracks. Cicada went to her barracks along with the other mares and female recruits. Entering the barracks I found my bed and fell into it wordlessly and was instantaneously consumed by darkness. The sound of thunder that shook the windows and foundations of the barracks made my eyes snap open and try and figure out what could have made such a sound. "Wake up you motherless sods!" Golden Swords voice bellowed through the barracks. "Time to get up!" He said ecstatic. When I tried to move my body felt like it was made of wood and the muscles that were suppose to work for me protested in a way I had never known. "Celesta preserve me..." I cursed as I fell out of my bed and began to try and jog to the door. Grey's eyes were red and his face displayed the same discomfort I felt. We were outside and formed up in three ranks. Many were missing from the previous day. Cloud Strife hovered over us with a sadistic grin that mirrored our commanding officer's who stood by a massive cannon where several bits of confetti and some bits of ribbon scattered in front of the cannon. "Do you like morning runs?" Dusky skies asked and with a woeful chorus we all responded. "Yes Instructor." I said but felt my heart sink with my words. "Your damn right...." She confirmed before landing and leading a jog that was more hellish then anything I could recall.