The Equestrian Borderlands

Don’t you see the bodies burning?

Part Two

“Aaahhh,” I grumbled. “What the fuck happened?”

When no pony answered me, I started to look around. Everything was dark, so it was hard to make things out. I could hear beeping, witch didn’t tell me much. What in the hell beeped? I asked myself. An alarm clock for one… Or one of those crazy magic guns…

I glanced to my right, and saw a ECG, or a electrocardiogram for people who don’t know what it is. How the fuck do I know that? Radiant Grace… I don’t want to get into the hundred or so times she yelled at me about medical terms. Yes, she yelled medical terms at me… It was not fun. I would do something dumb and idiotic, and she would go on rants. Most of the time she thinks I’m not listening, but how could I not? She asks me question, and if I don’t answer them, I get smacked, or yelled at some more! That and um, when I do pay attention to things... I can’t forget them. Yeah, sometimes I hate my cutie mark. How the fuck is a stallion suppose to pick up mares with a old floppy disk on fire for a cutie mark? Who never forgets things when he pays attention? If mares knew about that, and asked me what their names are, and I didn’t get it right, shit would hit the wall.

It was a playcolt’s nightmare...

As I lay in the darkness, I found myself with nothing to do. My body felt bad… My muscles felt sore, and my horn stun a bit, but in the end, it wasn’t life or death… I’ll tell you this though, my body hurt to the point that I could not even masturbate, so if that tells you something, then good…

As time passed, my vision started to adjust to the darkness, and I could start making things out. It was still hard to see, but for the most part I could walk around if I wanted too, and with how my hooves felt walking was out of the question. Glancing down at myself, I gave my body a once over. For the most part I looked fine. A few cuts and bruises, but nothing major. From the looks of it the grenade didn’t do... do...

My train of thought trailed off as I glanced down at my left hind leg. “WHERE THE FUCK IS MY LEG!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, staring down at myself. My hind leg, from the joint down was as missing! As I yelled, I could not help but start to hyperventilate.

“Ah, what’s going on! Who’s there?! I have a gun!” Radiant Grace yelled, and as I glanced off to where her voice came from, I saw a pony like shape sleeping in the bed next to mine.

“Grace?!” I yelled, still freaking out. “Where's my leg?!”

“Cinder?!” She yelled back, before I saw her leap to her hooves, rush over to the door of the room, and turn on the lights.

My hooves shot up to my eyes as the light blasted on, as the damn thing was blinding! “Ah damn it, my eyes!”

“Oh my god, Cinder,” I then felt Grace’s weight on top of me, before her hooves wrapping around my neck. “I’m so glad that you’re alright!”

“Grace, you’re laying on my balls!” I yelled. She let out a gasp before she leaped off of me, her wings taking her several hooves away from me. My hooves fell down between my legs, before I held my colts with the utmost care. Well… a leg and a half! “Aahh… Yeah… fuck today...”

“I’m so sorry, Cinder. I didn’t mean to hurt you… How a-are you feeling?” She stuttered. I glanced at her, and saw her eyes staring at my leg. When she noticed me watching her, she looked away. Trying to find something else to look at.

“I don’t know, Grace! You tell me!” I ground, still clutching myself. “My first leg, and now my baby makers! Ah, today is not a good day!”

“Oh my god, Cinder! I’m so sorry!”

“Ahh… Don’t worry…” I mound. “Not… that bad…” I bit my lower lip, before I slowly composed myself. Very slowly. Because how in the hell could somepony compose themselves in a timely manner after learning that they lost their leg, right before getting their nuts caved in? The answer is not at all! Fuck, my balls hurt!

“I know what you’re going to say, Grace,” I started, staring her down. One of my hooves still placed firmly on my balls. “It’s not your fault… You’re just happy I’m alive… You didn’t mean to...”

“No… Cinder, if I helped you pass inspection-” I held my hoof up, and planted it on her lips. The one that wasn’t touching my balls, by the way.

“Another word out of that pretty mouth of yours, and you’re the one that’s going to be holding my balls...” To my luck, she didn’t hit me for my sexual comment...

“Cinder, I’m trying to say sorry for-”

“Grace, just, please,” I said loudly, cutting her off. “You always get mad at me when I get hurt, and I KNOW for a fact, that you’re going to blame yourself for this, and the ONLY thing you should blame yourself for, is crushing my genitalia. So don’t you DARE say me going out on patrol is your fault. Besides, if you do, you’re not going to get your present…” Saying this implied that I had a gift to give her, and I didn’t… But at least it stopped her from talking, right? In any case, I leaned back. Planting my head back into my pillow. “You’re turning twenty-four, right?” I asked.

“Yeah…” She muttered, before her eyes roamed over to my leg.

“Great!” I smiled, clapping my hooves together. “Twenty-four is now my unlucky number!” My smart ass remark was met with a hoof to my shoulder. “Ah, come on! Didn’t you take a vow to never hurt a pony anyways? Especially your best friend who just lost his leg?”

“I didn’t even hit you that hard, you baby,” She smiled, before letting out a long sigh. “Besides, the Crimson Lance doesn't enforce that rule, and it’s not a medical standard for the Arion anyways…”

“Well… shit,” I glanced back down at my missing leg. “Today is probably the worst day of my life… What does my medical chart say anyways?”

Standing up, Grace moved to the end of my bed. Reaching out with her wing, she plucked my medical chart up. Her tired looking eyes started to roam over the papers, before she bit her lower lip. “Well… you’ll live,” She started.

“What do you mean I have only a week to live?” I asked, trying to get a reaction out of her.

“What? No, no…” She waved one of her hooves at me, shrugging off my attempt at getting her to smile. “You’re going to be fine, Cinder… Just a few things are worrying me…”

“Like?” I offered, rolling one of my hooves, so that she would spit it out already.

She let out another sigh, before looking me once over. “The Grenade was a toxin base one, and the poison used seems to be a scorpion base one-” She started to walk around as she read, waving her hooves around as she spoke. “-which made finding the antidote easy, because we have nothing but anti-scorpion venom here in the base. What we didn’t expect was that your leg, which was the only place that the shrapnel from the mine penetrated your body, started to grow an infection. Sadly, we were unable to identify just what type of infection it was, and were forced to remove it-”

“By remove it, you mean my leg?” I asked, cutting her off.

“Yeah… From the reports… Look, it was bad, there are a lot of big words you would not understand, trust me, you would have been killed…” She trailed off, as she realised what she said. Her eyes froze as she stared off in the distance. Radiant Grace was a strong mare. She did what she had to to help me stay in line. There were times that she slips up, or I drive her off, but when it came to it, she was a big softy, and the idea of my death always made her emotional. Me in pain though? Only by her hooves was it ever a good thing...

“I’m not dead, Grace. I’ll be fine…” No I wont… “ Your words, not mine. Remember that,” I offered, trying to snap her back to normal. “Grace?” She didn’t respond, and her eyes still looked distant. I stared at her for a moment, before an idea come to me. Grabbed my pillow in my hooves, I lifted in the air, before chucking it at her.

“Ah, what the fuck?!” She yelped in surprise, as the pillow hit her in the side. Her eyes snapped to me, then down to the pillow. “Thanks…” She mumbled, before shaking her head. “Where was I?” She asked, looking back at the chart.

“The remove my leg due to an infection,” I told her.

“Right! Um, er, ah! Here we go,” She tapped her chin with a hoof, before frowning. “Well that seems off… They gave you a L-Three Detox potion… I don’t even know you qualify for that.”

“I don’t…” I muttered. “Captains have access to all Level Two Healing potions and surgical equipment… With only a few exceptions here and there… It’s not till rank Colonel do I get to use that… Is it a typo or something?”

“I’ll go ask the Doctor…” She muttered, before she started to walk to the door.

“Do it latter, Grace. Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing anyways…” Waving my hoof at her, I shrugged it off. It wasn't that big of a deal anyways, right? “Right, now is there anything else I should know?”

“Mmmm,” She bit her lower lip again, as her eyes started to look over my chat. Reaching out a wing, she flipped over to a new page, before smiling. “You have to chug down a L-One Healing potion every seven hours, and you’ll be fully healed up in three days.”

“Great! Once I’m healed we’re going drinking! Gotta make up for not having a present for your birthday!” I smiled. “And after a day like today, I’m going to need like… Three keggers just get over this shit.”

“Wait, what do you mean you don’t have a gift? You just said you had a gift not five minutes go!” She yelled, leaning into me, her face scrunched up in anger. “And you can’t drink a kegger to start with! Last time you almost lost your liver trying!”

Reaching out with a hoof, I started to pat her on the head. “Silly Grace, of course I have a gift for you,” I smiled, as I held my other hoof to my chest. “I just don’t have it yet. Besides, your favorite drink is hard cherry cider, and I know a guy to get some...”

Reaching out with her wings, Grace grabbed my head, and pulled me closer to her. “If you’re messing with me on this, I will literally buck you so hard that you’d wish you could drink a kegger…” She growled, training off as she glared at me.

My smile grew as she held me. “So, if I don’t get you the Hard cherry cider, you’ll buck me? Then hope in bed, we’ll get started right now!” I was rewarded with a hoof to a chest this time, knocking out all the air in me. “W-worth… i-it…” I wheezed, silently laughing to myself.

Radiant Grace had two weaknesses. Me getting hurt, which I already told you about, and the sweet, sweet flavor of Hard Cherry Sider. Also hurting me, but that doesn't count… Now, if you ask me, I would rather have a nice cheap beer, but hey, the mare knew what she liked... And what she liked, was the rarest alcoholic drink on Equnora… We don’t even have cherries on the planet! Any and all places that start growing them get attacked and destroyed by bandits, and no pony knows why. So the demand was high, and the supply was little to none at all.

“You can be a dick sometimes, you know that?” She asked, shaking her head.

“Give me a break, Grace,” I leaned back into my bed, and let out a… somewhat angry sigh. “Messing with you is a good way to forget that I lost my leg, and if I wasn’t, I would be screaming at the top of my lungs. What would you prefer?”

“I don’t know… Keep talking crap and I’ll have the doctors give you a stative to knock you out...”

“Look, Grace...” I placed my hoof of on her shoulder, and gave her another smart ass smile. “You don’t need to give me a roofie to get me to bed. You just need to join me!” I shifted my weight to the side, and tapped my hoof on the bed.

And then I got another hoof to the chest...

At some point through the night, sleep fell over me. I don’t recall what Grance and I were talking about, but I do know she hit me a few more times. I could tell from the bruises on my chest. She had already ran off before I woke up though, since she did have work to do. Check ups in the Barracks or something… All I knew is that she was not in the hospital today. Life on Equnora was never simple enough for us to just have the day off and hang out. Even with losing a leg, the call of Arion was never ending, and we of the Crimson Lance were the ones to answer… Bullshit if you ask me.

And what was that call, anyways? Nopony, or at least nopony of the lower ranks, knew what that call was. Hell, I wasn’t suppose to know what that call was, but hey, mares talk in their sleep, and let’s just say Brigadier General Two Shot really talked in her sleep. After two hours of fun. She fell right to sleep, and started to talk about her pride for the Crimson Lance, and how she was happy that Arion chose the Crimson Lance to find something called the Vault. Past that, I had no idea what we’re doing here. Oh, and her number was two, if you were wondering.

“Good morning, Captain Cinder, Sir,” My thoughts were ended as a nurse walked into my room. A male nurse. No fun… The short gray stallion was pushing a cart, while giving me one happy, but creepy at the same time, smile. “Hope you’re hungry.”

“You have no idea,” I laughed as my stomach gave me an angry growl. “I have yet to eat anything since yesterday morning! What do you have?”

“MREs, Sir-” He reached down into his cart. “-would you rather have blueberry pancakes or oatmeal?”

“Oatmeal…” I muttered. “Why did I think I would get anything different from the norm?”

“Most ponies do, Sir,” He commented, before opening up one of the rations, and pouring water into it. The sizzling sounds that came from the MRE let my stomach know that it was going to be given a gift. A somewhat edible delight, if you will... “And you’re going to have to drink this healing potion-” He reached into the cart again before pulled out a small clear bottle with red liquid in it. “-along with your breakfast, Sir.”

“Yeah, yeah…” I muttered, before looking out the window. “The next few days are going to be so fun…”

“Well if that’s all sir, I’ll be on my way.”

“Oh, tell Doctor, um, who’s my Doctor, by the way?” I asked.

“Doctor C Section,” He fround. “Though he just likes to be called Doctor Section.”

“Ah, right… Tell him to drop by, I have some question about my leg,” I bit my lower lip before looking around. “And ah, what time do you get off, anyways?”

“Ah, sorry, I don’t swing that way, Sir…” He started, his smile turning upside down. “Ah, I’m just going to go, Sir. I have… things to do, Sir.”

“I’m asking because I want to know when I’m getting a good ol’ mare nuse. Now answer the question, that’s an order.” I stated in a demanding tone, not wanting to deal with the idea that I was into stallions! Could you imagine the rumors that would start?! My reputation as a mare’s stallion would be destroyed! In a bit of angry fit, I snaked my MRE from the nurse with my magic.

“In an hour, Sir.” He called, snapping to attention.

“Good, now hoof me my potion and some water. I know how you have to watch me drink it before you can leave. Medical protocol and all that,” I said, reminding him of what he was suppose to do. As I said before, I know these things since Radiant Grace always yelled at me.

“Right, thank you, Sir.”

Yeah, these next three days are going to be way too damn long…

Didn’t help that the oatmeal tasted horrible. I was able to water it down with the potion, but year old dry oats were just something that I didn’t like, and the aftertaste? My Celestia, ass taste better than it, and I for one know what ass tastes like… What? Some mares have strangest fetishes, and don’t get me start on how they love it when I-

KABOOM

My train of thought was derailed as an explosion rattled the base. My reaction was to leap out of bed, and get ready for whatever came, but with my missing hind leg I found myself on the ground, and it was a very intimate relationship we had. Pain came forth and I had to bite my tongue not to scream, as I did land on the stub that is my leg.

Standing up was a challenge alone. My legs were wobbly, and it was hard to balance myself at first, and though I could stand, walking was another story. I had to hop to move around effectively, but it was still at a snail’s pace. Slowly I made my way to the window, and I froze at what I saw.

Our base had a rather simple layout. A large squared wall that wrapped around the base, with a few large buildings within it. Those buildings were no more than two stories tall, but they did go underground a fair bit. There was the Hospital, where I was, the Barracks, then there was HQ, and last but not least was the Hanger. And what I saw was utter destruction of that laid out.

The Barracks, where everypony on the base lived, was in utter ruin as the south side wall was all but destroyed. A massive crater took hold of the side of the building. My mouth was agape as I could see ponies motionless in the rubble, partially hidden by all the sand, smoke and dust in the air. I could see ponies stumbling out of the Barracks too, but their movements were slow. I could even see a mare, though it was hard to tell who she was at this distance, fall to her death from the second story as part of the building crumpled down into her.

My attention was driven to the wall that protected the base, as ponies of all types were climbing, or flying in some cases, over it. We were being attacked by Bandits. It was as simple as that. Our perimeter was broken, and Bandits were in. I could see Pegasi flying down from the sky, Earthponies charging in once over the wall, and even a few Unicorns teleporting in. Crimson Lance troops charged to meet them. Guns at the ready, firing rounds at the invaders, and in the case of some Unicorns, magical blast. The Bandits seemed organised, at least from first glance. They moved in groups, working as one, and soon I could see Crimson Lance troops falling in battle. Though it was not one sided. Ponies on both sides being torn to shreds, their bodies going ragdoll as the life inside of them was taken. But the only thing on my mind as I saw this, the only pony I cared for as I stared at the bodies of the fallen was Radiant Grace. And I knew she was working in the Barracks today. She was a Medic. Not trained for combat, for the most part. She was other hit by the bomb, or was hiding in the intact Barracks.

And all I could do was stand there… I bit my lower lip in frustration. Bum leg or not, I needed to find her. I need to make sure that my best friend was safe. Turning around, I hobbled my way to the door, before slamming it open with my magic. I was not going to let anything stop me! Not a door! Not my damn leg! Not the Doctor yelling at me to get back in my room! No, anything that got in my way was thrown aside! Especially the Doctor that was yelling at me to get back in my room! I didn’t just throw him aside! I threw him through one of the doors!

“I’m coming, Grace!” I growled! “Those Bandits won’t take you from me!”

As I was in critical condition when I first came into camp, I was placed in the second floor of the hospital. Though I was better off now then when I first arrived, I was still in no condition to use the stairs, let alone do what I was planing on doing, but as the elevators lock up when the base was attacked, my crippled ass was forced to hobble down the stairs. But not even stairs could stop my ass from finding Grace!

Bravely, I took my first step. It was easy, so I took another. It was… also easy. Then I moved my only back leg, and what seemed easy turned into hell itself, as I started to fall down the stairs. This time, I didn’t hold my screams in. “Aaaaahhhh, fuck me,” I yelled as I tumbled my way down, before slamming into the opposing wall.

“Why didn’t they give me a god damn painkiller?!” I yelled, as I slowly pulled myself up. “And why is this so fucken hard to walk?” In my rage at the pain I was experiencing, I let out a blast of magic. Nothing amazing, just something to put singe part of the wall.

I glanced down the second stair case I had to walk down. Since the stairs where in such a tight place, they had to break them in half, meaning my challenge was not yet over. If only there was an easier way to get down there? Why could I have not been born with wings? Or born with a gift in magic?! I knew how to levitate things, but teleporting would be really fucken useful right about now! I can’t just use levitation to get down stairs! Do you know how hard that is?! Life was too much of a bitch, and don’t work that way!

I then face hooved, before my horn started to glow, and my magical aura formed around my hind leg. I was in NO way strong enough to hold my whole body up, but just half of my ass? Yeah, I could do that… Kind of...

Walking, I mean hobbling, down the stairs was now much easier, as I had more control over my balance, but life, as I said before, was a bitch. My cleverness was rewarded with the wall near me being blow out. Concrete shrapnel buffered my side as I fell down the stairs for the second time. My luck wasn’t was that bad as the stitches on my leg didn’t burst open from the hard impact I took. An Earthpony must have stitched up my leg or something. But the pain? Don’t get me started. I laid there for almost a minute before I could attempt to move.

Slowly standing to my hooves, and wishing I had some painkillers or two barrels worth of alcohol, I turned my attention to the first floor stairway door. I can proudly say that the damn door nearly broke off its hinges when I slammed it open, but I did not like what I saw through the doorway.

I could see the front office of the Hospital, and standing at the front door was a Unicorn Bandit. He stood behind a large shield as two Crimson Lance privates fired round at him, pinning him down, or at least trying too. He was wearing some type of cloth armor, so I could only see his face, and he was mad.

His horn glowed as a rifle floated out from cover, before he started to blindly fire at the Privates. Most of the rounds went wild, hitting the walls behind them, but the Unicorn's gun was large, and had a massive magazin. It did not take long for him to shift his aim around and tear one of the Privates apart. Their armor doing nothing against the massive hail of rounds.

“Aaahhh!” The Private screamed.

“Hahaha, come meet your maker!” The Bandit yelled in glee, while he continued to fire.

“Ah, Celestia, I don’t want to die!” The other Private yelled as he took cover.

The sight of a comrade getting killed was something that I did not like to see twice, yet as I started to limp forward, the other Private let out a scream as the Bandit turned his attention to him. The rounds tore into and through the cover he hid behind, blasting him in the back. With a meaty thud, he was dead before he hit the ground.

“Oh what do we got here?” The Bandit yelled, turning his attentions to me. “Another target!”

I froze as he turned his gun to me, and braced myself as I knew the end was near.

*Click*

My heart skipped a beat when I heard the click.

“Ah hell, why da’ I have to need to reload now?!” The Bandit screamed in rage, before lowering his gun down to himself.

My eyes dashed to the Privates that lay dead, then back to the Bandit. I didn’t want to end up like them, and this was only only chance. I bit my lower lip, as I looked to the dead Private’s guns. I could not move fast enough to get to them, even if I had my fourth hoof. But I didn’t need to. My horn light up, and the two guns started to float. I quickly moved then over to the Bandit. I could not get through his shield, but I didn’t have too.

Unlike the Privates I knew that if you could not get through something, you just had to go around it. Limping back into the stairway, I took cover as my guns made their was past the Bandit’s shield.

The stallion smiled as he snapped his Light Machine gun closed. He was finished reloading, but as he looked up he found both of my new guns were floating right next to him, pointing right at his face.

“Ah Fu-” was all he got out before I pulled the triggers.

His magical glow around the his gun, as well as the shield, both died out as he hit the floor. I noticed that I was breathing heavily. My condition was bad, and it was only going to get worse. I knew that Grace would yell at me for putting myself through this, but she always puts up with my antics. The least I can do is keep her safe in this Bandit attack...

After a few moments I finally was able to slow my breathing, before limping out into the front office of the Hospital. I could see more Bandits and Crimson Lance troops fighting, and the Majority of the fighting was done in the center of the base.

“Grace, you better be alright…” I muttered to myself, before taking a simple step outside.

“Don’t go out there, please!” I stopped, turned around and found myself looking at a Doctor, as well as a few nurses, hiding behind a few of the front desk. “Please, you’re wounded, don’t go out there! You need to rest and recover!”

“I’ll do that when I’m dead.” I yelled back, before hobbling my way out of the hospital. To my anger, a magical glow wrapped around me, and I was lifted back into the hospital.

Turning myself around, I watched as one of the Unicron Nurses, a red mare with a white mane, frowned at me as her horn glowed.

“Put me down!” I yelled.

“As you insist,” She said, before I hit the ground, and once again I landed on my stump.

“AAAAAHHHH, BITCH!” I yelled. “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!”

“Please listen to us, you’re just came in yesterday with an infected leg. You’re in no condition to go out and fight! We just want to help you.” The Doctor yelled.

Pulling out one of the guns, I aimed it at them, before firing. The round hit the wall behind them. “Stop me again, and this next one’s not going to be a warning shot!”

“Please, we just want to help you! Leave the fighting to those who are not injured!”

I fired again, this time hitting the Doctor in the ear. He let out a scream, as his hooves shot up to his ear. “I warned you! Now don’t get in my way again,” Slowly, I made my way to my hooves, before turning to the door. “I have someone to save, and if she turns out dead, I’m coming for you head, do you understand me?!”

“Y-yes…” The Doctor said.

Without another word, I marched my way out of the Hospital. My magic wrapped around my missing leg, and the two rifles the Privates had. The hot sun beating down on me right away, and I was forced to squint my eyes from the bright sun.

To be continued...