Hey guys. Sorry it took so long for me to update. I just had a lot of schoolwork to do, and I didn't have the time to finish until the weekend. Anyway, the 4th chapter is up, and I hope you guys enjoy!

"Get up, maggots! It's morning!"

The cadets were awoken to the sound of their instructor bellowing with his nigh-malevolent voice to prepare for their second day of hell on earth.

Moaning in distress and annoyance, the cadets were slow to get up, groggily tossing their sheets off of their bodies. Even Edward Elric, the boy who had still been able to walk around after running until sunset, was more than unwilling to drag his carcass onto the cold floor. Shadis was not pleased whatsoever, his signature scowl clearly present on his hardened face.

"Alright, how about this? Whoever isn't out of bed in 3 seconds will have outhouse duties for the rest of the week."

If any cadets were still drowsy before, they were renewed with enough energy to run until sunset at Shadis' threat.

"That's more like it! Now today, we will continue practicing with the vertical maneuver gear. Edward Elric! Front and Center!" Edward was both bewildered and alarmed when he heard the sergeant call his name. What had he done this time? Was it something he had done after finishing his punishment? He could only wonder as he quickly glided to the center of the cabin in front of Shadis.

"So Edward, you managed to still stand after that little fun run?" Shadis had to admit, he didn't believe it when he asked the other cadets how the hotheaded instigator he punished had not only managed to complete the punishment at 7:00, but that he was still able to walk after he finished. For god sakes, he had run almost 8 hours. Even the strongest, most arrogant cadets he met only finished at 11:00 at night, and they would be gasping for air shortly after. So how was it that this midget was able to brush it off like it was nothing? Shadis couldn't help but be slightly, only slightly impressed by this feat, but if 200 laps was really a stroll in the park for him, then he would have to come up with a way to humiliate him in front of the others, to prove insubordination would e met with the harshest discipline.

"Yes sir!" Ed didn't like the smirk that formed on his face. Ed was lucky enough his body was near it's physical peak, or else there would have been no way he would have survived the torment. Hell, even now he was beginning to feel the toll of the run coarse through his body, and this probably wasn't going to make it better. He was sure that he couldn't repeat this for a week. So what could the sergeant possibly be thinking of now? Ed could only imagine.

"Since I'm feeling generous today, I'll give you a chance. While you were doing your dynamic exercise, you missed the training we began with the vertical maneuver gear. If you can show me that you can last more than 10 seconds on the gear, then I'll cancel the punishment. But if you fail, you'll be on toilet duty as an addition to your punishment. So, do you accept, midget

MIDGET?! That did it. No pompous asshole was going to tell him what he and could not do, especially not this bald motherfucker!

"Sure, ill do it!"

Did they just hear him right? They had never heard of anyone ever mastering the maneuver gear on their first try. Now a starter soldier had the balls to stand up and try it just like that? The male cadets murmured to each other, but Alphonse stood their petrified. Did brother really agree to this? He had seen what this gear required. He himself had tried it yesterday, and nearly 3 seconds after, it had left him with a bruised head shortly after. The best time so far was Mikasa, who had stayed on for about 7 seconds. Brother had said he would do it for 10. A great deal of physical strength was required, and not only that, but you needed to be unmovable, both physically and emotionally. And the worst part of it was his automail. With the differing weight of his mechanic arm and leg, it would be much harder to keep balance. And what would the cadets think of mechanical body parts? Ed had been lucky enough to have his automail being covered by the gloves and thick socks he had been fortunate enough to be wearing when they had arrived to this place. What if his clothes slipped off and revealed the automail?

"Alright! Be outside in 30 minutes, because you don't want to miss a thing!"

"Brother! Are you crazy?!"

After Shadis had left, most of the cadets had begun to make their beds and change, Armin, Eren, Reiner, Bertolt, Alphonse, Connie, and the Elric brothers stood in the corner of the cabin, debating what Ed would do.

"Guys, you got to help me with this!"

"Dude, you shouldn't have agreed to do it. Wasn't too smart." Reiner, like everyone else, once baffled again by Ed's ballsiness to take on the impossible. He had managed to stay balanced on the gear for 5 seconds, which was above average or at least acceptable for the sergeant, but for a cadet who had absolutely no prior knowledge of titans and the mechanism to kill them, especially the cadet who managed to piss off the sergeant, this was going to be an impossible task.

"Hey man, are you sure you're gonna be alright?" Connie, a kid who Ed had overheard talking the day before, must have cared enough to give Ed some mode of confidence. "I mean, I've got a pretty expert hang on how this gear works. I guess it's just the magic touch, but are you sure you're gonna be able to do this?" Connie's words seemed to have knocked some of that overblown pride back into place, as Ed's devilish smirk slowly faded into a blank line.

"Hey Reiner, Bertolt, you think you could give Ed here some advice?" said Eren. Eren wasn't one to let somebody down. I mean, he knew first hand how fucking challenging this thing was to master. He was lucky enough that Reiner and Bertolt had gone out and helped him master the gear last night, but Edward had no such advice since he had turned down Bertolt's offer to go train with them, but if he had been in Ed's position, Eren wouldn't have had the strength to even get on his feet. Hopefully Reiner and Bertolt would be in as generous a mood today as they had been yesterday.

Neither Bertolt nor Reiner thought that they would have to be giving lessons 2 times in 2 days. They had heard about the event nonstop from nearly everybody they met the day after the titan attack on Shiganshina. Nearly half of the population living in the district had been prey to the titan onslaught, and neither of them had any idea of the losses Eren could have suffered from the titan breach. Pity filled both of them, and they had decided to lend him their support because of it, but with this guy, all either of them saw in Ed's eyes was an arrogant asshole who always had a bone to pick with authority, only self preservation for himself and possibly his brother, and they didn't know if Ed would really pay attention to their teachings like Eren had the night before.

"I don't know… we already lectured Eren last night about how to master the 3d gear. And that took hours. I don't even think that you'll be able to absorb any information we give in 30 minutes. Besides, we gave you the chance to come with us, but you declined the offer."

"But the biggest problem for you," said Reiner, crossing his arms in a defiant and intimidating stance, "you're too short. You'll have a tougher time mastering the gear."

"Hey who the fuck are you calling short, ass face?!" Ed practically lunged at Reiner, and would have succeeded if Al and Armin hadn't been there to hold him back again. Ed's pupils disappeared and his teeth sharpened in a comical way, as steam poured out of him as he attempted to claw out Reiner's eyes.

After 30 seconds of Al convincing him that Reiner didn't mean it and that anger wouldn't help him solve anything, Ed's mouth slowly curved from a snarl to a blank slate, his hands going down to his sides, as his rage diminished.

Edward Elric returned his steely glaze at Bertolt and Reiner, his self-assured attitude clearly evident with the way he walked towards them, but the serious and determined gaze he shot at both of them told a different story.

"Bertolt, Reiner, I know that I might come off as…. Hot headed," said Ed, momentarily clenching his teeth as he cringed at his last words.

"But I really need your help right now. So, can you give me a hand, as a fellow peer?"

Both cadets blinked in awe at the blonde soldier in front of them, somewhat shocked at Ed's unpredictable response. They felt as if the air had been sucked out of the room, and all that remained was the shallow breathing of the serious and semi-remorseful soldier standing in front of him right now.

Perhaps this soldier wasn't as arrogant and self-centered as he showed himself to be. The passion and fire that burned in his eyes while he spoke was like an inferno, swirling and encircling them as it sucked them in. It looked nearly identical similar to the gaze Eren had given them last night.

"Alright. We'll do it," said Bertolt. Reiner combed his hand through his hair, trying to handle the stress coming to him and figuring out how he would deal with another pupil.

"Yes! I owe you guys," shouted Ed. Gone was his expression of worry, and a new emotion of relief came over him.

"Sure, but lets get ready before we all get punished by the sergeant." retorted Armin. Hastily, the 6 cadets walked to their separate bunks to make everything spotless, unsure and unnerved of the wrath Shadis would unleash upon them.

30 minutes had passed, and the members of the 104th corps were standing in front of the practice area, eagerly waiting for Ed's performance. The majority of the cadets had wide eyes and arms crossed, curiosity filling the atmosphere around them with a bit of anticipation to add into the mix. Shadis was standing dead center of the training equipment. His arms were crossed behind his back, his uniform looking as sharp and menacing as ever. He smirked in triumph, completely confident in his belief that Ed wouldn't last more than half a second in the air. 'This is the price of defying authority. If he doesn't learn respect now, he'll never learn respect from anyone else or anywhere else. He would make sure that by the end of this, every single soul in this camp would learn to respect their superiors.'

Mikasa stood with Eren and Armin, spectating Ed's attempt at the maneuver gear. She had rarely ever shaken off her calm, lifeless demeanor, and today was no exception. However, she was more than aware of the palpable atmosphere of excitement surrounding her from all directions.

"So how do you think Edward is going to perform?" Mikasa hadn't paid much attention to him after yesterday's introduction, but after hearing about his brazen acceptance of trying to use the Maneuver Gear in front of everyone, she became intrigued as to how he was going to handle his first attempt at the gear.

"I think Edward has a pretty good shot at this. Reiner and Bertolt gave him the basics on how to use the training gear. He should know now how to and if he was able to run 200 laps around the camp, I think he could pull this off." While Eren's words spoke worlds of confidence, his eyes leaked out the hint of doubt lingering in his soul.

Mikasa scowled. Deep down, she wanted the blonde bold headed soldier to make it through this and prove everyone wrong. She couldn't explain it, but she just felt a kind of sympathy for him for the situation he was put in. She couldn't do anything now but witness how these events unfolded.

Ed and Al were standing near the training equipment, preparing Ed and making sure everything was in order for his performance.

Al was still rather unsure about Ed would perform. His mouth was pursed into a thin line, his hands fidgeting in nerve-racking fear for his brother's end result.

"Remember brother, you have to keep all of your clothing tucked in so nobody will notice your automail, got it?" questioned Alphonse.

"Sure thing Al." Ed blatantly stated, too deep in his thoughts to pay attention to anybody speaking to him. Ed's body was shuddering to the point the earth around him shook with it. He had never felt so nervous about anything in his life. Even his State Alchemist exam didn't terrify him like the way this challenge was. What was the matter with him? While the idea of going through feces for a week didn't sound like a pleasant way to spend his free time, this wasn't extreme

"Brother! You're up!"

Ed's head shot up, only to see the stares of around 100 soldiers pointed right at him, reeling with anticipation.

"Oh right sorry." Ed nervously chuckled, slowly striding to the center of the platform. With his hands trembling with dread, he hooked the belt lying on the ground to his waist, latching it to the cords present beside him.

Shadis' smirk widened at the sight of this vigilantes unsure facial expression. Finally, he was going to show all these cadets what it meant to respect authority, and no cadet would ever form the courage to try and defy him again.

"Lets see what you can do, pipsqueak!"

Ed looked fixedly at Shadis as he was being hoisted up into the air by the pulley system. Whatever form of nervousness that was present evaporated in an instant. He was tired of it. He was tired of getting looked down upon by every member of authority he ran into. Like they were better than him. They had no idea the shit he had been through to get this far, the sacrifices and struggles he and Alphonse had to get through to get their bodies back, to save Amestris from certain doom. Who was this guy to humiliate him? No. He wasn't going to be looked down upon by anybody anymore.

Everyone's mouth was held agape as Edward Elric was doing what some had thought was impossible. He was perfectly balanced on the 3d maneuver gear.

Ed was having a more challenging time than they would have thought. He kept repeating to himself: stay balanced, distribute the weight of the automail, keep a strong frame of mind, and don't lean forward or backward. Barely able to keep himself centered, he began to count the seconds passing in his head.

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…

Yes! The crowds roared in excitement as they watched Ed perfectly master the gear. The screams of the cadets were deafening. Even Shadis' eyes were permeated with a sense of slight surprise. Shadis could barely believe it. His arms drooped down from his back to his sides, clenching into fists. His brows furrowed in anger, and he cringed his nose in anger, his confident smile nowhere to be seen. It wasn't just Ed's surprising ability that upset him: the cheers of the soldiers, the smiles of approval, and the way Ed lifted his chin up at Shadis. Shadis ran his hand through his imaginary hair. Despite seething with rage, despite all of the crap he wanted to scream at Edward Elric simply because he could, despite all the frustration of his inability to deal with this cadet's rebellious attitude, he was actually impressed. Edward Elric had taken everything he had thrown at him and excelled, making it appear like child's play. Now he was just two seconds away.

But just as the resonance of applause echoed through the air and rose as each second pass, the applause went silent, and everyone watched Ed fall head first onto the ground.

Bertolt and Reiner mouths dropped down to the floor. What had Ed done wrong? They had told him everything he needed to know and more. He had nigh perfect form, and his face told them that he was determined to see this through to the end. Could it have been his balance? Both were confused when Ed had placed more weight on his left side than his right. That must have been the reason: an uneven distribution in balance. Still, if that were really the case, Ed should have fallen over within the first 3 seconds he was put into the air. So what was it? Little did they know that was what was on the minds of Alphonse, Armin, Eren, Mikasa, and even Shadis.

Shortly after Ed fell down onto the floor, he let out a panicked moan, checking all parts of his clothing to make sure no automail had been revealed to anyone. Thankfully, his tucked clothing hadn't been shaken loose. He set his eyes to Shadis, quickly realizing he had pissed him off big time.

"Wait! Please, let me do it again!" begged Ed. Shadis slowly marched up to him, never averting his gaze from Edward. Shadis stopped just 2 feet away from the older Elric brother. He stole a glance at Ed's belt. Could it be perhaps…

"Fogna, exchange belts with Edward at once." Fogna, one of the soldiers who pulled the lever to raise Edward, stepped a few steps back at his commander's words.

"Yes sir!" Mikasa, Alphonse, Armin, Bertolt, and Reiner looked at each other in confusion. What could the belt have to do with Ed's performance?

It took about 20 seconds for the murmuring to die down, and another 20 seconds for Edward to change belts and hook onto the cords. Edward was hoisted back in the air, worried that he would fail again and still wrapping his head around why he was forced to trade belts. But something felt odd, but odd in a good sense. He suddenly felt a much greater degree of control that he had in his previous attempt. What was different now?

"Your equipment was defective", said Shadis, practically reading Ed's thoughts. "Looks like given functional gear, you aren't the pathetic maggot I thought you were. Your belt had a broken clasp that the supply team didn't notice. Looks like I'm busting some heads in." Many cadets stared at each other. Just when they thought this guy couldn't get more awesome, they just found out he was actually able to stay balanced on defective gear. Edward Elric was truly a badass in the eyes of practically all the soldiers.

Ed leaned forward with wide eyes "Wait, so I made the cut? I don't have to do the run or clean the outhouses?",

Shadis looked at him and nodded. "You're good. Not too bad, but that's probably just beginners luck." Ed barely could contain the laugh of joy that was about to escape his lips, but everybody around him could obviously tell he was the happiest guy in the camp at that moment.

Two suspenseful seconds of silence, and then the tumult broke around Ed as the screams and the cheers and the laughs of the soldiers came through the air. The dazzle of the sunrise shined onto Ed as the applause of his peer's deafened Ed's eardrums. Everybody had expected the worse out of this newbie, and each one of them secretly expected him to fall prey to the mercy of Commander Shadis, but not a single soul had predicted his performance would succeed to the extremity as it had at that moment.

Triumphant with his victory, Ed did nothing to stop the plethora of praise coming from the soldiers. Looking to the crowd, he set his attention on Reiner and Bertolt. Both soldiers were raising their hands together, and threw their fists in the air, more than proud of what Ed had accomplished, and both honored to call Ed their friend.

Ok a change of pace here. I apologize for those who are unpleased with my constant changing of the story, but I'm simply making changes that are more realistic and just make more sense to the story. Thanks for the people who have stayed hooked on the story. I really appreciate all the support, and I just want to let you know I'm trying to give you guys the best I can. Until Chapter 5!