A Dog's Legs (EAW)by SaharaTheWolfeChaptersChapter 1: The LandingChapter 2: GoodbyesChapter 3: A Long Trip HomeChapter 1: The LandingWe were soldiers, like the others that were there, it didn't matter that I was a Diamond Dog, all that mattered was the fact we were about to invade wingbardy. My name is Jack, I was a brown Labrador Retriever, but I was just another soldier in my squad. It was led by Boss, a large Mastiff, he was battle scarred from many years being in fights. Second in command was Zeus, he was about my size and was a blonde Golden Retriever, he looked terrified since he wasn't that big of a fighter. Our medic was Dirk a smaller black Shih-Tzu that was an immigrant from the east. Finally there was Jasper, he was a quiet and shy Pitbull, he was our radio operator, and there were about six others. I don't know them that well, at least I was with the dogs I knew. I was apart of the dogs that suppressed the slaves when they tried to revolt and the rest is history, Molly convinced her father to hold a trial for the leaders of the rebellion, their lawyer planted the seed of Harmony in us, and Rover gave her power. It changed our society forever and many of us view our time fighting slaves as evil. Despite that most of those who served in Rover's army joined again to redeem themselves in the eyes of our new society. I was apart of a naval invasion against Wingbardy, I wasn't completely aware of the reasons why, but I joined to be with some of my old friends who were in my squad. We were loaded up on some transports and sent to the beaches, we stood in the transports together chatting as we saw the beach come into view. That's when the artillery started firing at us, I saw two boats full of soldiers blown up before we even got close to the landing. None of us took this well and started freaking out, Boss yelled how we were told they didn't know about this operation, Zeus vomited, and I started shaking. Despite my experience I was still scared to go fight, yet I felt this wave if excitement go over me, a part of me wanted this. As we approached the landing Boss calmed down and started telling us our objectives. “When we land we need to defeat the griffons and take their artillery. We don't know what resistance we'll face and what defenses they'll have, but we should expect trenches. So when we land find a spot they don't have defended and jump in, this might be our only chance to get a foothold here.” Boss said strongly, despite the shock of the artillery he composed himself quickly. When our boat landed on the coast and opened up for us to leave there was a flash and a loud ringing in my ear as I was thrown into the air, before I knew it I was laying in the sand, our transport boat was partially blown up by an artillery shell, and I was sent flying out. The sound of heavy fighting surrounded me at every side, my own blood flowed in front of me, I felt weak and couldn't move my legs. I couldn't even feel them, I was terrified that they had just been blown off and lost forever. I moved my paws and pushed myself up, I was expecting to see other Dogs, Ponies, and Changelings fighting valiantly and pushing into the beach, but all I saw was a massacre. As I look around I saw other dogs and ponies charging up the beach, but many were being shot, some even having their limbs ripped off of them. I had seen this back when we were suppressing the slaves in the mines, but actually being on the side it's happening to is a much different situation. As I used my paws to drag myself behind one of the tank traps I looked to see that the enemies had situated themselves in trenches far ahead, I saw a pony get close to the trenches, he threw a grenade in one and the explosion thrusted a griffons body in the air. Before I reached the tank trap I felt a small paw grab my back and drag me forward, it was Dirk, he looked beat up, but him being alive gave me hope that I wasn't the only survivor in our squad, at least I could have a friend to talk to. At the tank trap he put my back on it, that's when I saw my legs, they were a mangled mess of shrapnel, my heart sank as I thought I could very well die from bleeding, but at least they were still attached to my body. “What happened to you Jack!?” He barked as he was examining my body. “It looks as though someone smashed your legs with a rock!” “I don't know, but what happened to the others in our squad!?” I barked back, I didn't care for my legs, all I wanted to know who else survived. Dirk looked around, he looked visibly sader as he saw the Carnage of the battle. “I don't know, but I know Boss and Zeus were killed in the explosion.” He said I he looked around more. “I'm not sure how injured you are, but I'm gonna help you as best I can.” As he started removing shrapnel from my legs blood squirted out, some covered his arms as he was bandaging them closed. I started to feel even weaker, but before I passed out Dirk slapped me and forced me to look at him. “Come on, keep your head up, I don't want to lose you!” He shouted at me, despite the anger in his voice I could hear sadness in it too. I stared directly at his face as he removed more shrapnel from me, I couldn't feel anything, I didn't know if my adrenaline kept me from feeling pain, or if something much worse had happened to me. Whenever I felt too weak to keep my eyes open Dirk would slap me back awake, I don't know why he kept helping me, I might be a lost cause. Past Dirk I saw more transport boats landing and releasing troops, as they raced by us I saw another Diamond Dog look at me, his faced filled with sorrow, but he was forced to move up by another squadmate, I even saw a soldier carrying small tubes as he advanced, I even saw a couple of Diamond Dogs carrying a machine gun over their shoulders. I kept hearing more explosions and gunshots, even a artillery shell hit near me and Dirk, it blew what seemed like pounds of sand on us, I had a few cuts on my arms and the sand made me grit my teeth in pain, Dirk notices this and after he bandages the parts of my legs he recently pulled shrapnel out of he takes out his canteen and pours something on the wounds. I'm not sure what those canteens had in them, whether it was just water or some medicine, but the sand was quickly removed from my cuts. After a while another transport lands and more soldiers run out, a unicorn medic quickly drops some supplies off for Dirk, Dirk thanks the medic and continues to remove more shrapnel. Then the sounds of fighting started to fade away, I was hoping that we were winning, but as I heard the sound of dogs barking triumphantly, ponies thanking Celestia, and Changelings cheering it cemented the fact we had won. A feeling of dim happiness filled me, we had won and no more soldiers would have to die on this cursed beach. Soon enough more medics came by and assisted Dirk in removing shrapnel and bandaging my legs. After they bandaged my legs they brought in a stretcher to take me to where they planned to set up the field hospital, before I knew it I was surrounded by other wounded soldiers, but before I could get a better look at them I passed out. When I woke up both of my legs had casts of them, I was connected to a blood bag, and I was one of the many patients in the field hospital. I wasn't sure how long I was asleep, but I hoped it wasn't long, I wanted to talk to Dirk, and maybe even Jasper if he was still alive. As I regained my senses the smell hit me the hardest, the hospital smelt of death, despite their best efforts many wounded soldiers died in here, it both saddened me and disgusted me, but many knew this was gonna happen, I only hoped they made peace with themselves before going to their creator. I started hearing pained moans from the other patients, it seems I might've been lucky to just got shrapnel to my legs by the sound of things. When i looked more carefully I saw soldiers burned, maimed, and torn apart, I could even see blood stains on the tent walls, some of their injuries were bloody, but I hope it wasn't too painful. Soon enough I heard something enter our tent, I looked to see who it was, it was Dirk, he had blood stained on his paws and torso. When he saw me he quickly came over to me. “Hey Jack, it's nice to see you awake.” He said happily, yet, there was something off about his tone of voice. “You got hit hard by the artillery, but we were able to take most of the shrapnel out of your legs, unfortunately your spinal cord got severed around your lower back by a large fragment of shrapnel.” His tone of voice became much more dismal, something was definitely wrong. “What does that mean for me Dirk?” I did my best to sound strong, but after all I've been through I was still terrified. “It means you won't be able to use your lower body anymore, most importantly your legs.” He came over and sat near me, when he told me this my heart stopped, I couldn't use my legs anymore, the things I've used all my life were gone, just like that, in an instant. As Dirk went on about the medical side of it I started to remember the things I used to do, run, climb, wrestle, play sports, all of these things I couldn't do anymore, all these things I did as a pup, as a teen, even as an adult, were gone. A tear started to roll down my eye as I thought this. Dirk noticed my lack of attention to him and patted me on the shoulder. “Jack, are you okay?” He said in a worried tone. “I-I don't know, I just lost the use of my legs and two of my friends.” I said almost angrily, but I was on the edge of bursting into tears, Dirk noticed this and hugged me tightly. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that question.” “It's okay, I know you didn't mean anything by it.” I hugged him back, we soon let go and I looked at Dirk in the eyes and said, “just tell me, do you think I'll be looked down by other dogs?” Dirk looked at me sadly and sighed. “No, most dogs will treat you better because you lost something fighting for your country, but there are still those that believe that death is preferable to disfigurement.” He was right, but I hoped I didn't run into any of those while I was home. “What happens now Dirk?” I asked hoping he'd say something good. “You're gonna be shipped home soon, there's already arrangements to send you to a hospital in Equestria after a few months home.” “Why do I have to go there? Why not just keep me in our kingdom?” I was hesitant to go to Equestria, after all, they were ponies, I don't think they would know enough about our race to take care of me. “They have better equipment and more trained staff to help you adjust to life, plus their society would take better care of you than ours.” he said as he did a quick examination of my body, most likely to make sure I was still treated correctly. “Okay then, but where in Equestria am I going to?” I asked, I didn't know too much about Equestria, but Canterlot does have a bad reputation for how bad the nobles treat others “I don't know yet, there are a few towns that have good hospitals such as Ponyville, but it'd depend on who'd want you.” He said as he stop examining me, he looked at the other patients in the tent. “What am I gonna do at home then?” I asked, I was worried about how other dogs would see me, would they see me as useless? Would I even be cared for? These questions raced through my mind as our conversation went on. “Well, you're to go to a reward ceremony where you'll be given a Rover federation purple heart, along with a service medal by Molly herself. Despite what happened I don't know how other dogs would see you, I just hope they treat you well.” He said, there was hope in his voice, unlike other dogs when I served during the slave uprisings he seemed to genuinely care for my well being. “You just rest up, I'll be sure to get you a wheelchair so you can learn to use it before you're shipped back home.” “Thanks Dirk, just don't get yourself killed fighting these fascists.” I said almost jokingly to him Dirk chuckled and patted my shoulder. “I won't, but don't embarrass yourself in front of Molly, she's too precious for this world.” He said as he got up to leave. “Dirk, before you leave, please tell me what happened today Boss and the others?” Dirk stopped, he seemed to be contemplating on what he's about to say. “I can confirm Boss and Jasper died when the artillery shell hit us, but Jasper is fine, he's gonna be here for a while, so you'll see him before you leave”. I could hear that he was about to burst into tears, so I let him leave at that. When he left the tent I was left alone with my thoughts, I thought about my childhood with Boss, Zeus, Jasper, and Dirk, how we'd play as soldiers in Rover's army, how we helped each other through bad times, it was too much for me to think they were gone in a blink of an eye, and I cried, I cried for minutes. After I was able to recompose myself I fell asleep, I didn't know what the future would hold for me, but I hoped I would be able to at least pay my respects to Boss and Zeus and comfort their mothers before I was sent to Equestria. Author's Note I re-edited a large portion of this chapter to make it better. I didn't notice a lot of problems on my first reading and fixed them. Chapter 2: GoodbyesWhen I woke back up I heard more sounds coming from outside the tent, the sounds of orders being given, men doing target practice, and fortifications being built. The small camp is slowly being fortified and is turning into a base. I wanted to get right out of the bed and get a job to help, but then I remembered that I was pretty much useless to them in my condition. I looked over at the other wounded soldiers, some had more bandages on them, some were gone, and a few even dead. It became clear to me just how bad the first few waves of men had it, it was almost as if we were sent in like lambs to the slaughter. As I thought of all the lives lost Dirk came in with a few other medics, he was Wheeling in a wheelchair for me while the other medics carried out the dead. “Well, look who's out of Dreamland.” Dirk said smiling, he had an almost fake smile on him, as if he was trying to hide his emotions. “Good morning Dirk, how long have I been out?” I said back. I knew it couldn't have been long, but I just wanted to be sure. “You were out for most of the morning, it's around nine thirty or ten now.” He put the wheelchair next to my bed. “Alright then, I'm gonna need your help with this. Just be careful, or you're gonna have a hard fall.” He grabbed me by the lower arms as I pushed myself up on the bed, he pulled me back and sat me down on the chair. While I got myself into a comfortable position Dirk was putting my legs and feet in front of the wheelchair. As he looked at me his smile faded, but he shook his head and started pushing me out of the tent. The light hurt my eyes for a few seconds, but as my eyes adjusted I saw that we were on a hill that overlooked the base, I saw the soldiers at the firing range, getting orders, but I also saw the graveyard. It was at what I assumed was a graveyard the native griffons used judging by the stone crosses, for our troops we had white wooden crosses, though they had parts on them I couldn't see. “So I was able to find where they buried Zeus and Boss, but before we go there we're gonna get Jasper. He's been testing out radios in the command post.” Dirk said with a melancholy tone in his voice. “That's fine, we should be together when we say goodbye to them, it's only right.” I said back, I still couldn't believe they were dead, they were almost brothers to me. I looked down as I once again thought of the times we had though this time I was able to keep myself from crying. “Yeah, Jasper didn't take it that well, I was with him for three hours as he cried in my shoulder, you know what he thinks of us.” “Yeah I do, especially after all that he's been through, we were pretty much his family and now all he'll have here is you. I only hope you can keep him from doing anything drastic while I'm gone.” “Don't worry I'll take care of him, if anything him helping around the base has helped him talk to others now.” Dirk sounded genuinely happy as he said that, knowing that Jasper was doing good would help him through the grief. Soon we reached the command post and it was mostly empty, but there was a wall packed with radio equipment, in the center with all the backpack radios was Jasper. He was slowly screwing open a radio to see what was wrong with it. As me and Dirk got closer Jasper raised his ears and look at us, a smile quickly appeared on his face as he got up and ran to us. “Guys, it's so nice to see you again, especially you jack! I'm sorry for what happened though, but I'm just glad you're alive.” Jasper said, his tail wagged behind him as hugged me and Dirk. “It’s nice to see you too Jasper, how have you been doing?” I asked back, Jasper turned away and looked at the radio he was checking on. “Oh you know, just making sure the Radios small parts were in properly, you never know when they'll break nowadays.” “I see, have the other soldiers treated you well?” I asked him, I was expecting either neutral or bad response, but he only seemed to get happier. “They've been great, they're all so supportive of me after…. After…” Jasper suddenly stopped wagging his tail and looked down. “After what happened during the landing, I think some of them pity more than like me though.” “Don’t worry, all the soldiers here will help you, we're all brothers here.” Dirk said, he looked around the tent. “Say, where's the gener-” “Private Blunt, why aren't you doing your job!?” The booming voice of the general come from behind us, when we turned around I almost immediately knew who it was, it was Biter one of Rover's old generals, he was even will wearing parts of his old plate armor, but he had the meanest scowl I've seen in my life. “S-Sorry sir.” Jasper said whining “I was just excited to see Jack alive.” Biter looked at me, he examined my body and his scowl disappeared. “So these are your friends Private Jack Stonewall and Corporal Dirk Azure, I've heard you two and Jasper lost two of your friends, they were Boss Andrak and Zeus Ordell correct?” Biter asked me and Dirk. “Yes sir they were.” I said to him, I was somewhat scared, I'm not sure how a veteran, especially one that was close to Rover, would react to someone who got injured without even fighting. “I see, well, you all have my condolences, Jasper you can take the rest of the morning off, but you better be back after lunch, got it?” Biter said, this shocked all of us as we heard stories of Biter whipping men so much they nearly died of blood loss for smaller grievances. “T-Thank you sir!” Jasper said, his tail started to wag again. Biter walked by us and into the command tent. “By the gods I thought he was gonna have us court marshalled.” Dirk said he seemed to be the most surprised out of us all. “Yeah, but I think he's changed a lot since the slave rebellion, most likely after the trial.” “We were all changed by that, well, we didn't know much about the world anyway, so we were easy to persuade.” I said, I had recovered from the shock and was happy Jasper would be given more time to be with us. “Yeah, but a long time general, and one of Rovers friends at that. It must of really made him think.” Dirk said, he shook his head and turned me and him towards the graveyard. “Let's just go visit Boss and Zeus.” As he said that the mood dropped like a rock, Jasper looked down again and stopped wagging his tail, I slumped down a bit, and Dirk sighed. “I'm sorry for ruining the mood.” He said sadly. “It's okay, we just have to get this over with.” I said to him “Yeah….” Was all Jasper said. As we walked down to the graveyard we saw not only the bodies of the soldiers we fought with, but of the enemies, they were side by side, waiting to be buried. Soldiers in the Graves Registration Companies, the one job no one wanted, were digging graves for all the dead, they were accompanied by chaplains of the different races faiths who were to do commits before the bodies were buried. As we got closer the crosses became clearer to me, they had different symbols on them for each race, a farm for an Earth Pony, a cloud for a Pegasus, a unicorn horn for a Unicorn, A paw print for us Diamond Dogs, a changeling horn for the changelings, and a talon for the Griffons. We had to pass by the bodies before we got to our location, I saw maimed, burned, and destroyed bodies just like in the hospital, but some of the faces I will never forget. There were those that had their eyes wide open in shock, their mouths in the middle of a scream, and some had no face at all. Soon we passed the bodies and were able to get to the graves of Boss and Zeus, they were close by each other, when we got in from of them I could hear Jasper about to cry, I just wanted to hug him and tell him everything is gonna be fine, but I couldn't, not after this. Soon enough one of us decided to break our silence, Dirk cough and breathed in shakily. “H-hey guys, sorry we couldn't come earlier, Jack was injured badly and needed to be fixed up, but we're here now and we'd like to say goodbye.” Dirk said as tears welled up in his eyes. “I'll go first, Boss, you were the strongest, dog I know, you kept us from splitting apart and lead up to become brothers. Zeus, you kept us out of trouble, not only with the school staff, but with the law, you kept us from being common criminals, but our time is up, and we must say goodbye.” As soon as he said goodbye he broke down in tears, I hugged him tightly for a minute, but before I started talking, I was surprised Jasper talked before I did. “Boss, you helped me get through so much hardship, without you I wouldn't be here today, I would've taken my own life, thank you Boss, I will miss you. Zeus, you taught me everything I know, even after the teachers said I was unteachable, I wouldn't even be here with Dirk and Jack if it wasn't for you, thank you Zeus, I'll miss you too, and for until I join you two, this is goodbye.” Jasper said, after this Dirk went over and hugged Jasper as tightly as he could. “Boss, you were an amazing leader, you helped us through everything, any physical activity, any challenges, and especially fights, you were the tight bond that held us all together, and you didn't let your emotions guide you. Zeus, you were a smart dog, maybe even smarter than even you yourself knew, but you were always loyal and kept the law away from us. It is with a heavy heart I must say goodbye.” I said as I I put a hand over my eyes as I wiped away tears that we're welling up in them, I was able to stop myself from breaking down. After what seemed like an eternity we left the graveyard and went back to camp. Despite how much crying there was, we all felt happy that we were able to say goodbye to our friends before we go our separate ways. It would've been a few hours until the boat would come to pick me up, so we decided to just play cards in the mess hall until lunch. It was nice to have a relatively normal conversation with Jasper and Dirk until lunch came around. While we were lined up to get lunch the sounds of air horns alerted us that more boats were arriving, the boat that I was gonna leave on was here. Dirk, Jasper, and I got out of line and left the mess hall. “Well, I guess this is it for now Jack.” Dirk said sadly. “We'll be sure to find you when the war is over.” “I hope so, but until then just send me plenty of letters, I don't want you two to forget about me.” I said back to him. “We won't, you don't have to worry about that one bit.” Jasper said to me. “You mean too much to us.” “Thanks…. Well, goodbye I guess.” I said sadly. I put my hands on the wheels of my wheelchair and pushed myself forward to the boat that'd take me home, then to a friendly, but still very foreign country. Chapter 3: A Long Trip HomeWhile I wheeled myself to the beach a couple of dogs that stunk of oil and grease signalled me over to them. “Hey Jack, Biter told us to make you a couple of leg braces.” One said, he was a Dalmatian. He was pretty scrawny but unlike most soldiers he was equipped with a variety of tools on his belt. “Thanks, I didn't know he cared that much about some soldiers well-being.” I said back to him. “Yeah, we were supposed to give you these earlier, but a dog accidentally broke a few dozen rifles. Sorry we almost missed you.” The other one was a Corgi, he was pretty short. I let them attach the braces to my legs, they were pretty gentile with it too. When they were done they put my legs back into position. “So what are you names?” I asked them nicely. “I'm Alam and he's Garnt.” The Dalmatian said as he point to the Corgi. “Say, my friends are going through a lot and need people to support them. Can you two go and try to cheer him up?” I asked the dogs. “Of course, after what you and your friends have been through, you need as much support as possible.” Garnt said happily. “Thanks, they mean a lot to me. Jasper can be really shy though, just don't try to pressure him into doing anything. That's all I gotta say though, you two have a wonderful day.” I said as I started to wheel myself towards the beach again As I wheeled myself to the beach I saw more soldiers marching past me, some looked at me, but the rest ignored me like a ghost. When I got to the shore there were more transport boats coming in to land. There was also a Unicorn in an doctor uniform that had the Equestrian flag on the shoulders of it. They stood out like sore thumb, I was about to wheel past her, but she ran over to me when she saw me. “Are you Private Jack Stonewall?” She asked as she got close to me. Before I spoke to her I looked at her, she had a smaller frame, she had grey hair and white fur, hazel eyes, and her cutie mark was a first-aid cross with a syrette poking it. “Yes I am miss, why are you asking?” I asked back as I looked at soldiers marching out of more transport boats. “I am to be your aide during the trip to Equestria where I will be helping you get settled into the Ponyville hospital and later into your own house there.” She used her telekinetic powers to grab the handles of my wheelchair and move me in front of her. “I am Morphine Giver, I work and live in Ponyville, so I'll be with you even when I stop being your aide.” “Thanks, is Ponyville a good town?” I asked her as we got on a transport boat. “Oh it's wonderful! There's so many nice ponies there!” She said as she lifted me up with her magic to get me your a flight of stairs. As we went through the boat I saw many sailors doing their jobs, the boat was mostly devoid of soldiers and felt extremely empty. After a few minutes of going through the corridors of the ship we arrive at the mess hall where sailors who were taking their lunch break were either eating or messing around. Morphine pushed me near an empty table and sat near me. “Do you need lunch? They do serve meat for Diamond Dogs.” She asked. “Yes please, I haven't had lunch yet.” I said back. She got back up and went over to the food serving area. While she was gone I looked around the hall, most sailors look away when I turned my head to them. While I was looking a dog sat near me, he was a slim young dog, he was a brown lab that had black spots on his arms. “So, you're the guy we're taking back to the mountain. What's your name soldier?” he asked me as he extended his hand to me. “I'm jack Stonewall”. I said as I shook his hand. “What Happened to get you in this situation?” “I got hit by an artillery shell and shrapnel from it severed a part of my spinal cord.” I said awkwardly, I felt strange about talking about this. “I'm sorry for that, my brother lost one of his legs during the rebel suppression, I'm Bud by the way.” He said sadly. “I’m sorry that happened, what happened to him after the slaves were suppressed?” I asked him, not a lot of dogs would even mention they were apart of that now considering how our culture has changed. “Most forgave him over it, the ones that didn't just steer clear of him. He's fine now, he's working at a craft-forge making toys for pups.” “Really? I thought most dogs had to at least walk for the job?.” I asked him. I started to think that after I was done in Equestria I could get a job where his brother worked at if they let disabled dogs work there. “Not really anymore, most of the factories have areas where dogs sit around and package the toys. It can be really boring, but it's a job right?” He said smiling. “Yeah, I guess it is, I'm sure when I go back to the mountain I'll get a job at a forge then.” I smiled happily. “I gotta go soon, but I'd like to talk again tonight, my name's Bud by the way.” He said smiling at me. “Yeah, I'd like that too.” “Goodbye then Jack.” He said as he got up and left to do his job. As I saw him leave the mess hall Morphine came back with food. “I see you've made a friend.” She said as she put a tray of food in front of me. “Yeah, that dog seems nice enough.” I said as I started eating. “So, tell me more about Ponyville.” “It's a wonderful town, most of the jobs are related to agriculture, the only factory is small and mainly produces toys. It's also mostly populated by ponies of all races, but there are other races there too.” She says to me. “Really? I heard some of the richer ponies can be jerks, is this true?” I asked. “Oh… well there's a few, but they're teenagers so they might change their attitudes.” “How do the ponies feel about other races?.” When I asked this she lowered her head, it seemed there was more to this town than what everyone says. “Most races are treated nicely, but changelings and Diamond Dogs are looked down upon because of past experiences.” She said as she turned away from me. “Wait, there are Diamond Dogs near Ponyville?” This surprised me, I wonder why no one would talk about that. “Well, there were Diamond Dogs near Ponyville. After Rarity, the element of generosity, was kidnapped and enslaved by them for a short time the ponies really haven't treated Diamond Dogs well.” She said sadly. “That… That was how we used to act, but we don't act like that anymore. I'm sure we can convince Rarity that my people are different.” I say to her. “Yeah, here's the thing though, you were specifically picked by one of the elements of harmony.” When she said this I was about to spit my food out. After what my people did one of them wanted to take me in? I quickly composed myself and swallow my food. “Which one would even want to be in my presence after what happened?” I asked her. “That would be Fluttershy, the element of kindness.” She said and finally turned to me again. “It might be because it'll help improve relations with other Diamond Dogs.” “That's true…. Did that include you?” She looks at me surprised, she looks down again and covered her face. “Yes, but because I was helping wounded soldiers I ended up helping Diamond Dogs too. I started to question what I thought. I'd like to go into specifics, but I'd prefer to do it while you're not eating.” She said sadly, she sounded on the verge of tears. “Okay then. If you need to leave for a second you can.” “I'll be fine, I just need to recompose myself.” She said and started to breath slowly. After a few minutes of silence I finished eating. Before I could tell her I was done Morphine levitated my tray up and went to take it back to the kitchen. As I sat there I wondered how long this war would go on for, I just wanted it to end quickly so Jasper and Dirk wouldn't be in danger anymore. Soon she came back and took me to our sleeping area, it was small with two beds and a desk. “This is a surprisingly nice room for us.” I said as I looked around the room. “Yes, it's nice how they treat wounded soldiers. Though not all can get this treatment.” Morphine said sadly. “So, do you wanna tell me what made you consider your prejudice against dogs?” I asked, I was expecting her to say no again since it's such a touchy topic. Morphine sighed and sat on the bed across from me and looked down. “Before I was sent home with you I was helping your friend Dirk to help wounded soldiers. Unfortunately one of the dogs we were helping was in an extremely bad position. He had lost one of his arms and he was bleeding profusely, there wasn't anything we could do. We injected with with enough morphine so he wouldn't feel pain as he died. I watched him die in front of me and after seeing Dirk's reaction, the fact we were told as kids Diamond Dogs didn't care for the well being of each other shattered in front of me. I thought about everything I was told about Diamond Dogs and threw it out of my mind.” She said, halfway through she became on the verge of tears. I went over to her and hugged her, she hugged back tightly. “Thanks for telling me, and I'm sorry for what you went through.” I said to her as we hugged. “Thank you, thank you so much for listening.” She said as she rubbed her eyes. “You're welcome.” I stopped hugging her and went over to my bed. She got back up and helped me get into bed. “Do you want me to get you a book to read?” She asked, her voice was close to being normal again. “I guess, thanks by the way.” I said. Morphine left the room leaving me to my thoughts. I layed there thinking about what she had said, could someone really get rid of their prejudice after one experience? As I thought this Morphine brought in a few books for me. Some were young adult fiction like Daring Doo, but there was some adult fiction like the “In The Hall of The Mountain Dog” series by Spitz Ruffles. “I was gonna give these to twilight, but I think you should read them first. They might be important to your culture.” She said as she handed them to me. “And Daring Doo is popular with both kids and adults, including The Element of Loyalty Rainbow Dash.” She said as she put them on my wheelchair. “Thanks, I'll read them too. I hope they're good.” I said as I opened up the first book in the “In the Hall of The Mountain Dog” which was called “In The Depths”. The book was quite good, it follows the character of Richard, a Dog trying to gain support to overthrow his tyrannical brother. I couldn't stop reading after the first chapter, it was just incredible, though it definitely an adult story since Richard had to do some 'intimate’ things to advance at points. As I was done with the sixth chapter Morphine told me dinner was being served. I marked my spot and after Morphine moved the books off my wheelchair I got in it. This cafeteria visit was less eventful than the first, but I still talked to Bud more. He was from Kazak-A-Karak, I wasn't sure if it was a coastal town, but he talked about it being grand and beautiful. As we talked we both ate pork chops and mashed potatoes, it was a good meal and put us both in high morale. After we ate we said our goodbyes and he went to do his shift. Morphine quickly took me back to our room and I got to reading again, and Around the tenth chapter Morphine took the book from me. “I was trying to talk to you for a minute, you dogs get more into books than fillies do.” She said feigning annoyance. “I was in the middle of my chapter.” I said actually annoyed by her rudeness. “Sorry, but eight is usually when we send patients to bed, so that's what I'll start you on right now.” She said as she marked the page I was on and put the book on the table. “Fine fine, but I'm reading more tomorrow.” I said as I put the blanket over me. Morphine giggled and layed on the bed across from mine and covered herself up. As I was falling asleep I had the idea of taking the book, but considering the fact of my position it was probably a bad idea, so I just let myself fall asleep. My sleep was again plagued by nightmares of battle making me wake up multiple times before it was finally morning. We still had a long ways to go, but at least I had books to keep me from dying of boredom. Author's Note Thanks to Speedy Silverstreak for the idea of having soldiers make Jack leg braces.
Chapter 1: The LandingWe were soldiers, like the others that were there, it didn't matter that I was a Diamond Dog, all that mattered was the fact we were about to invade wingbardy. My name is Jack, I was a brown Labrador Retriever, but I was just another soldier in my squad. It was led by Boss, a large Mastiff, he was battle scarred from many years being in fights. Second in command was Zeus, he was about my size and was a blonde Golden Retriever, he looked terrified since he wasn't that big of a fighter. Our medic was Dirk a smaller black Shih-Tzu that was an immigrant from the east. Finally there was Jasper, he was a quiet and shy Pitbull, he was our radio operator, and there were about six others. I don't know them that well, at least I was with the dogs I knew. I was apart of the dogs that suppressed the slaves when they tried to revolt and the rest is history, Molly convinced her father to hold a trial for the leaders of the rebellion, their lawyer planted the seed of Harmony in us, and Rover gave her power. It changed our society forever and many of us view our time fighting slaves as evil. Despite that most of those who served in Rover's army joined again to redeem themselves in the eyes of our new society. I was apart of a naval invasion against Wingbardy, I wasn't completely aware of the reasons why, but I joined to be with some of my old friends who were in my squad. We were loaded up on some transports and sent to the beaches, we stood in the transports together chatting as we saw the beach come into view. That's when the artillery started firing at us, I saw two boats full of soldiers blown up before we even got close to the landing. None of us took this well and started freaking out, Boss yelled how we were told they didn't know about this operation, Zeus vomited, and I started shaking. Despite my experience I was still scared to go fight, yet I felt this wave if excitement go over me, a part of me wanted this. As we approached the landing Boss calmed down and started telling us our objectives. “When we land we need to defeat the griffons and take their artillery. We don't know what resistance we'll face and what defenses they'll have, but we should expect trenches. So when we land find a spot they don't have defended and jump in, this might be our only chance to get a foothold here.” Boss said strongly, despite the shock of the artillery he composed himself quickly. When our boat landed on the coast and opened up for us to leave there was a flash and a loud ringing in my ear as I was thrown into the air, before I knew it I was laying in the sand, our transport boat was partially blown up by an artillery shell, and I was sent flying out. The sound of heavy fighting surrounded me at every side, my own blood flowed in front of me, I felt weak and couldn't move my legs. I couldn't even feel them, I was terrified that they had just been blown off and lost forever. I moved my paws and pushed myself up, I was expecting to see other Dogs, Ponies, and Changelings fighting valiantly and pushing into the beach, but all I saw was a massacre. As I look around I saw other dogs and ponies charging up the beach, but many were being shot, some even having their limbs ripped off of them. I had seen this back when we were suppressing the slaves in the mines, but actually being on the side it's happening to is a much different situation. As I used my paws to drag myself behind one of the tank traps I looked to see that the enemies had situated themselves in trenches far ahead, I saw a pony get close to the trenches, he threw a grenade in one and the explosion thrusted a griffons body in the air. Before I reached the tank trap I felt a small paw grab my back and drag me forward, it was Dirk, he looked beat up, but him being alive gave me hope that I wasn't the only survivor in our squad, at least I could have a friend to talk to. At the tank trap he put my back on it, that's when I saw my legs, they were a mangled mess of shrapnel, my heart sank as I thought I could very well die from bleeding, but at least they were still attached to my body. “What happened to you Jack!?” He barked as he was examining my body. “It looks as though someone smashed your legs with a rock!” “I don't know, but what happened to the others in our squad!?” I barked back, I didn't care for my legs, all I wanted to know who else survived. Dirk looked around, he looked visibly sader as he saw the Carnage of the battle. “I don't know, but I know Boss and Zeus were killed in the explosion.” He said I he looked around more. “I'm not sure how injured you are, but I'm gonna help you as best I can.” As he started removing shrapnel from my legs blood squirted out, some covered his arms as he was bandaging them closed. I started to feel even weaker, but before I passed out Dirk slapped me and forced me to look at him. “Come on, keep your head up, I don't want to lose you!” He shouted at me, despite the anger in his voice I could hear sadness in it too. I stared directly at his face as he removed more shrapnel from me, I couldn't feel anything, I didn't know if my adrenaline kept me from feeling pain, or if something much worse had happened to me. Whenever I felt too weak to keep my eyes open Dirk would slap me back awake, I don't know why he kept helping me, I might be a lost cause. Past Dirk I saw more transport boats landing and releasing troops, as they raced by us I saw another Diamond Dog look at me, his faced filled with sorrow, but he was forced to move up by another squadmate, I even saw a soldier carrying small tubes as he advanced, I even saw a couple of Diamond Dogs carrying a machine gun over their shoulders. I kept hearing more explosions and gunshots, even a artillery shell hit near me and Dirk, it blew what seemed like pounds of sand on us, I had a few cuts on my arms and the sand made me grit my teeth in pain, Dirk notices this and after he bandages the parts of my legs he recently pulled shrapnel out of he takes out his canteen and pours something on the wounds. I'm not sure what those canteens had in them, whether it was just water or some medicine, but the sand was quickly removed from my cuts. After a while another transport lands and more soldiers run out, a unicorn medic quickly drops some supplies off for Dirk, Dirk thanks the medic and continues to remove more shrapnel. Then the sounds of fighting started to fade away, I was hoping that we were winning, but as I heard the sound of dogs barking triumphantly, ponies thanking Celestia, and Changelings cheering it cemented the fact we had won. A feeling of dim happiness filled me, we had won and no more soldiers would have to die on this cursed beach. Soon enough more medics came by and assisted Dirk in removing shrapnel and bandaging my legs. After they bandaged my legs they brought in a stretcher to take me to where they planned to set up the field hospital, before I knew it I was surrounded by other wounded soldiers, but before I could get a better look at them I passed out. When I woke up both of my legs had casts of them, I was connected to a blood bag, and I was one of the many patients in the field hospital. I wasn't sure how long I was asleep, but I hoped it wasn't long, I wanted to talk to Dirk, and maybe even Jasper if he was still alive. As I regained my senses the smell hit me the hardest, the hospital smelt of death, despite their best efforts many wounded soldiers died in here, it both saddened me and disgusted me, but many knew this was gonna happen, I only hoped they made peace with themselves before going to their creator. I started hearing pained moans from the other patients, it seems I might've been lucky to just got shrapnel to my legs by the sound of things. When i looked more carefully I saw soldiers burned, maimed, and torn apart, I could even see blood stains on the tent walls, some of their injuries were bloody, but I hope it wasn't too painful. Soon enough I heard something enter our tent, I looked to see who it was, it was Dirk, he had blood stained on his paws and torso. When he saw me he quickly came over to me. “Hey Jack, it's nice to see you awake.” He said happily, yet, there was something off about his tone of voice. “You got hit hard by the artillery, but we were able to take most of the shrapnel out of your legs, unfortunately your spinal cord got severed around your lower back by a large fragment of shrapnel.” His tone of voice became much more dismal, something was definitely wrong. “What does that mean for me Dirk?” I did my best to sound strong, but after all I've been through I was still terrified. “It means you won't be able to use your lower body anymore, most importantly your legs.” He came over and sat near me, when he told me this my heart stopped, I couldn't use my legs anymore, the things I've used all my life were gone, just like that, in an instant. As Dirk went on about the medical side of it I started to remember the things I used to do, run, climb, wrestle, play sports, all of these things I couldn't do anymore, all these things I did as a pup, as a teen, even as an adult, were gone. A tear started to roll down my eye as I thought this. Dirk noticed my lack of attention to him and patted me on the shoulder. “Jack, are you okay?” He said in a worried tone. “I-I don't know, I just lost the use of my legs and two of my friends.” I said almost angrily, but I was on the edge of bursting into tears, Dirk noticed this and hugged me tightly. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that question.” “It's okay, I know you didn't mean anything by it.” I hugged him back, we soon let go and I looked at Dirk in the eyes and said, “just tell me, do you think I'll be looked down by other dogs?” Dirk looked at me sadly and sighed. “No, most dogs will treat you better because you lost something fighting for your country, but there are still those that believe that death is preferable to disfigurement.” He was right, but I hoped I didn't run into any of those while I was home. “What happens now Dirk?” I asked hoping he'd say something good. “You're gonna be shipped home soon, there's already arrangements to send you to a hospital in Equestria after a few months home.” “Why do I have to go there? Why not just keep me in our kingdom?” I was hesitant to go to Equestria, after all, they were ponies, I don't think they would know enough about our race to take care of me. “They have better equipment and more trained staff to help you adjust to life, plus their society would take better care of you than ours.” he said as he did a quick examination of my body, most likely to make sure I was still treated correctly. “Okay then, but where in Equestria am I going to?” I asked, I didn't know too much about Equestria, but Canterlot does have a bad reputation for how bad the nobles treat others “I don't know yet, there are a few towns that have good hospitals such as Ponyville, but it'd depend on who'd want you.” He said as he stop examining me, he looked at the other patients in the tent. “What am I gonna do at home then?” I asked, I was worried about how other dogs would see me, would they see me as useless? Would I even be cared for? These questions raced through my mind as our conversation went on. “Well, you're to go to a reward ceremony where you'll be given a Rover federation purple heart, along with a service medal by Molly herself. Despite what happened I don't know how other dogs would see you, I just hope they treat you well.” He said, there was hope in his voice, unlike other dogs when I served during the slave uprisings he seemed to genuinely care for my well being. “You just rest up, I'll be sure to get you a wheelchair so you can learn to use it before you're shipped back home.” “Thanks Dirk, just don't get yourself killed fighting these fascists.” I said almost jokingly to him Dirk chuckled and patted my shoulder. “I won't, but don't embarrass yourself in front of Molly, she's too precious for this world.” He said as he got up to leave. “Dirk, before you leave, please tell me what happened today Boss and the others?” Dirk stopped, he seemed to be contemplating on what he's about to say. “I can confirm Boss and Jasper died when the artillery shell hit us, but Jasper is fine, he's gonna be here for a while, so you'll see him before you leave”. I could hear that he was about to burst into tears, so I let him leave at that. When he left the tent I was left alone with my thoughts, I thought about my childhood with Boss, Zeus, Jasper, and Dirk, how we'd play as soldiers in Rover's army, how we helped each other through bad times, it was too much for me to think they were gone in a blink of an eye, and I cried, I cried for minutes. After I was able to recompose myself I fell asleep, I didn't know what the future would hold for me, but I hoped I would be able to at least pay my respects to Boss and Zeus and comfort their mothers before I was sent to Equestria. Author's Note I re-edited a large portion of this chapter to make it better. I didn't notice a lot of problems on my first reading and fixed them.
Chapter 2: GoodbyesWhen I woke back up I heard more sounds coming from outside the tent, the sounds of orders being given, men doing target practice, and fortifications being built. The small camp is slowly being fortified and is turning into a base. I wanted to get right out of the bed and get a job to help, but then I remembered that I was pretty much useless to them in my condition. I looked over at the other wounded soldiers, some had more bandages on them, some were gone, and a few even dead. It became clear to me just how bad the first few waves of men had it, it was almost as if we were sent in like lambs to the slaughter. As I thought of all the lives lost Dirk came in with a few other medics, he was Wheeling in a wheelchair for me while the other medics carried out the dead. “Well, look who's out of Dreamland.” Dirk said smiling, he had an almost fake smile on him, as if he was trying to hide his emotions. “Good morning Dirk, how long have I been out?” I said back. I knew it couldn't have been long, but I just wanted to be sure. “You were out for most of the morning, it's around nine thirty or ten now.” He put the wheelchair next to my bed. “Alright then, I'm gonna need your help with this. Just be careful, or you're gonna have a hard fall.” He grabbed me by the lower arms as I pushed myself up on the bed, he pulled me back and sat me down on the chair. While I got myself into a comfortable position Dirk was putting my legs and feet in front of the wheelchair. As he looked at me his smile faded, but he shook his head and started pushing me out of the tent. The light hurt my eyes for a few seconds, but as my eyes adjusted I saw that we were on a hill that overlooked the base, I saw the soldiers at the firing range, getting orders, but I also saw the graveyard. It was at what I assumed was a graveyard the native griffons used judging by the stone crosses, for our troops we had white wooden crosses, though they had parts on them I couldn't see. “So I was able to find where they buried Zeus and Boss, but before we go there we're gonna get Jasper. He's been testing out radios in the command post.” Dirk said with a melancholy tone in his voice. “That's fine, we should be together when we say goodbye to them, it's only right.” I said back, I still couldn't believe they were dead, they were almost brothers to me. I looked down as I once again thought of the times we had though this time I was able to keep myself from crying. “Yeah, Jasper didn't take it that well, I was with him for three hours as he cried in my shoulder, you know what he thinks of us.” “Yeah I do, especially after all that he's been through, we were pretty much his family and now all he'll have here is you. I only hope you can keep him from doing anything drastic while I'm gone.” “Don't worry I'll take care of him, if anything him helping around the base has helped him talk to others now.” Dirk sounded genuinely happy as he said that, knowing that Jasper was doing good would help him through the grief. Soon we reached the command post and it was mostly empty, but there was a wall packed with radio equipment, in the center with all the backpack radios was Jasper. He was slowly screwing open a radio to see what was wrong with it. As me and Dirk got closer Jasper raised his ears and look at us, a smile quickly appeared on his face as he got up and ran to us. “Guys, it's so nice to see you again, especially you jack! I'm sorry for what happened though, but I'm just glad you're alive.” Jasper said, his tail wagged behind him as hugged me and Dirk. “It’s nice to see you too Jasper, how have you been doing?” I asked back, Jasper turned away and looked at the radio he was checking on. “Oh you know, just making sure the Radios small parts were in properly, you never know when they'll break nowadays.” “I see, have the other soldiers treated you well?” I asked him, I was expecting either neutral or bad response, but he only seemed to get happier. “They've been great, they're all so supportive of me after…. After…” Jasper suddenly stopped wagging his tail and looked down. “After what happened during the landing, I think some of them pity more than like me though.” “Don’t worry, all the soldiers here will help you, we're all brothers here.” Dirk said, he looked around the tent. “Say, where's the gener-” “Private Blunt, why aren't you doing your job!?” The booming voice of the general come from behind us, when we turned around I almost immediately knew who it was, it was Biter one of Rover's old generals, he was even will wearing parts of his old plate armor, but he had the meanest scowl I've seen in my life. “S-Sorry sir.” Jasper said whining “I was just excited to see Jack alive.” Biter looked at me, he examined my body and his scowl disappeared. “So these are your friends Private Jack Stonewall and Corporal Dirk Azure, I've heard you two and Jasper lost two of your friends, they were Boss Andrak and Zeus Ordell correct?” Biter asked me and Dirk. “Yes sir they were.” I said to him, I was somewhat scared, I'm not sure how a veteran, especially one that was close to Rover, would react to someone who got injured without even fighting. “I see, well, you all have my condolences, Jasper you can take the rest of the morning off, but you better be back after lunch, got it?” Biter said, this shocked all of us as we heard stories of Biter whipping men so much they nearly died of blood loss for smaller grievances. “T-Thank you sir!” Jasper said, his tail started to wag again. Biter walked by us and into the command tent. “By the gods I thought he was gonna have us court marshalled.” Dirk said he seemed to be the most surprised out of us all. “Yeah, but I think he's changed a lot since the slave rebellion, most likely after the trial.” “We were all changed by that, well, we didn't know much about the world anyway, so we were easy to persuade.” I said, I had recovered from the shock and was happy Jasper would be given more time to be with us. “Yeah, but a long time general, and one of Rovers friends at that. It must of really made him think.” Dirk said, he shook his head and turned me and him towards the graveyard. “Let's just go visit Boss and Zeus.” As he said that the mood dropped like a rock, Jasper looked down again and stopped wagging his tail, I slumped down a bit, and Dirk sighed. “I'm sorry for ruining the mood.” He said sadly. “It's okay, we just have to get this over with.” I said to him “Yeah….” Was all Jasper said. As we walked down to the graveyard we saw not only the bodies of the soldiers we fought with, but of the enemies, they were side by side, waiting to be buried. Soldiers in the Graves Registration Companies, the one job no one wanted, were digging graves for all the dead, they were accompanied by chaplains of the different races faiths who were to do commits before the bodies were buried. As we got closer the crosses became clearer to me, they had different symbols on them for each race, a farm for an Earth Pony, a cloud for a Pegasus, a unicorn horn for a Unicorn, A paw print for us Diamond Dogs, a changeling horn for the changelings, and a talon for the Griffons. We had to pass by the bodies before we got to our location, I saw maimed, burned, and destroyed bodies just like in the hospital, but some of the faces I will never forget. There were those that had their eyes wide open in shock, their mouths in the middle of a scream, and some had no face at all. Soon we passed the bodies and were able to get to the graves of Boss and Zeus, they were close by each other, when we got in from of them I could hear Jasper about to cry, I just wanted to hug him and tell him everything is gonna be fine, but I couldn't, not after this. Soon enough one of us decided to break our silence, Dirk cough and breathed in shakily. “H-hey guys, sorry we couldn't come earlier, Jack was injured badly and needed to be fixed up, but we're here now and we'd like to say goodbye.” Dirk said as tears welled up in his eyes. “I'll go first, Boss, you were the strongest, dog I know, you kept us from splitting apart and lead up to become brothers. Zeus, you kept us out of trouble, not only with the school staff, but with the law, you kept us from being common criminals, but our time is up, and we must say goodbye.” As soon as he said goodbye he broke down in tears, I hugged him tightly for a minute, but before I started talking, I was surprised Jasper talked before I did. “Boss, you helped me get through so much hardship, without you I wouldn't be here today, I would've taken my own life, thank you Boss, I will miss you. Zeus, you taught me everything I know, even after the teachers said I was unteachable, I wouldn't even be here with Dirk and Jack if it wasn't for you, thank you Zeus, I'll miss you too, and for until I join you two, this is goodbye.” Jasper said, after this Dirk went over and hugged Jasper as tightly as he could. “Boss, you were an amazing leader, you helped us through everything, any physical activity, any challenges, and especially fights, you were the tight bond that held us all together, and you didn't let your emotions guide you. Zeus, you were a smart dog, maybe even smarter than even you yourself knew, but you were always loyal and kept the law away from us. It is with a heavy heart I must say goodbye.” I said as I I put a hand over my eyes as I wiped away tears that we're welling up in them, I was able to stop myself from breaking down. After what seemed like an eternity we left the graveyard and went back to camp. Despite how much crying there was, we all felt happy that we were able to say goodbye to our friends before we go our separate ways. It would've been a few hours until the boat would come to pick me up, so we decided to just play cards in the mess hall until lunch. It was nice to have a relatively normal conversation with Jasper and Dirk until lunch came around. While we were lined up to get lunch the sounds of air horns alerted us that more boats were arriving, the boat that I was gonna leave on was here. Dirk, Jasper, and I got out of line and left the mess hall. “Well, I guess this is it for now Jack.” Dirk said sadly. “We'll be sure to find you when the war is over.” “I hope so, but until then just send me plenty of letters, I don't want you two to forget about me.” I said back to him. “We won't, you don't have to worry about that one bit.” Jasper said to me. “You mean too much to us.” “Thanks…. Well, goodbye I guess.” I said sadly. I put my hands on the wheels of my wheelchair and pushed myself forward to the boat that'd take me home, then to a friendly, but still very foreign country.
Chapter 3: A Long Trip HomeWhile I wheeled myself to the beach a couple of dogs that stunk of oil and grease signalled me over to them. “Hey Jack, Biter told us to make you a couple of leg braces.” One said, he was a Dalmatian. He was pretty scrawny but unlike most soldiers he was equipped with a variety of tools on his belt. “Thanks, I didn't know he cared that much about some soldiers well-being.” I said back to him. “Yeah, we were supposed to give you these earlier, but a dog accidentally broke a few dozen rifles. Sorry we almost missed you.” The other one was a Corgi, he was pretty short. I let them attach the braces to my legs, they were pretty gentile with it too. When they were done they put my legs back into position. “So what are you names?” I asked them nicely. “I'm Alam and he's Garnt.” The Dalmatian said as he point to the Corgi. “Say, my friends are going through a lot and need people to support them. Can you two go and try to cheer him up?” I asked the dogs. “Of course, after what you and your friends have been through, you need as much support as possible.” Garnt said happily. “Thanks, they mean a lot to me. Jasper can be really shy though, just don't try to pressure him into doing anything. That's all I gotta say though, you two have a wonderful day.” I said as I started to wheel myself towards the beach again As I wheeled myself to the beach I saw more soldiers marching past me, some looked at me, but the rest ignored me like a ghost. When I got to the shore there were more transport boats coming in to land. There was also a Unicorn in an doctor uniform that had the Equestrian flag on the shoulders of it. They stood out like sore thumb, I was about to wheel past her, but she ran over to me when she saw me. “Are you Private Jack Stonewall?” She asked as she got close to me. Before I spoke to her I looked at her, she had a smaller frame, she had grey hair and white fur, hazel eyes, and her cutie mark was a first-aid cross with a syrette poking it. “Yes I am miss, why are you asking?” I asked back as I looked at soldiers marching out of more transport boats. “I am to be your aide during the trip to Equestria where I will be helping you get settled into the Ponyville hospital and later into your own house there.” She used her telekinetic powers to grab the handles of my wheelchair and move me in front of her. “I am Morphine Giver, I work and live in Ponyville, so I'll be with you even when I stop being your aide.” “Thanks, is Ponyville a good town?” I asked her as we got on a transport boat. “Oh it's wonderful! There's so many nice ponies there!” She said as she lifted me up with her magic to get me your a flight of stairs. As we went through the boat I saw many sailors doing their jobs, the boat was mostly devoid of soldiers and felt extremely empty. After a few minutes of going through the corridors of the ship we arrive at the mess hall where sailors who were taking their lunch break were either eating or messing around. Morphine pushed me near an empty table and sat near me. “Do you need lunch? They do serve meat for Diamond Dogs.” She asked. “Yes please, I haven't had lunch yet.” I said back. She got back up and went over to the food serving area. While she was gone I looked around the hall, most sailors look away when I turned my head to them. While I was looking a dog sat near me, he was a slim young dog, he was a brown lab that had black spots on his arms. “So, you're the guy we're taking back to the mountain. What's your name soldier?” he asked me as he extended his hand to me. “I'm jack Stonewall”. I said as I shook his hand. “What Happened to get you in this situation?” “I got hit by an artillery shell and shrapnel from it severed a part of my spinal cord.” I said awkwardly, I felt strange about talking about this. “I'm sorry for that, my brother lost one of his legs during the rebel suppression, I'm Bud by the way.” He said sadly. “I’m sorry that happened, what happened to him after the slaves were suppressed?” I asked him, not a lot of dogs would even mention they were apart of that now considering how our culture has changed. “Most forgave him over it, the ones that didn't just steer clear of him. He's fine now, he's working at a craft-forge making toys for pups.” “Really? I thought most dogs had to at least walk for the job?.” I asked him. I started to think that after I was done in Equestria I could get a job where his brother worked at if they let disabled dogs work there. “Not really anymore, most of the factories have areas where dogs sit around and package the toys. It can be really boring, but it's a job right?” He said smiling. “Yeah, I guess it is, I'm sure when I go back to the mountain I'll get a job at a forge then.” I smiled happily. “I gotta go soon, but I'd like to talk again tonight, my name's Bud by the way.” He said smiling at me. “Yeah, I'd like that too.” “Goodbye then Jack.” He said as he got up and left to do his job. As I saw him leave the mess hall Morphine came back with food. “I see you've made a friend.” She said as she put a tray of food in front of me. “Yeah, that dog seems nice enough.” I said as I started eating. “So, tell me more about Ponyville.” “It's a wonderful town, most of the jobs are related to agriculture, the only factory is small and mainly produces toys. It's also mostly populated by ponies of all races, but there are other races there too.” She says to me. “Really? I heard some of the richer ponies can be jerks, is this true?” I asked. “Oh… well there's a few, but they're teenagers so they might change their attitudes.” “How do the ponies feel about other races?.” When I asked this she lowered her head, it seemed there was more to this town than what everyone says. “Most races are treated nicely, but changelings and Diamond Dogs are looked down upon because of past experiences.” She said as she turned away from me. “Wait, there are Diamond Dogs near Ponyville?” This surprised me, I wonder why no one would talk about that. “Well, there were Diamond Dogs near Ponyville. After Rarity, the element of generosity, was kidnapped and enslaved by them for a short time the ponies really haven't treated Diamond Dogs well.” She said sadly. “That… That was how we used to act, but we don't act like that anymore. I'm sure we can convince Rarity that my people are different.” I say to her. “Yeah, here's the thing though, you were specifically picked by one of the elements of harmony.” When she said this I was about to spit my food out. After what my people did one of them wanted to take me in? I quickly composed myself and swallow my food. “Which one would even want to be in my presence after what happened?” I asked her. “That would be Fluttershy, the element of kindness.” She said and finally turned to me again. “It might be because it'll help improve relations with other Diamond Dogs.” “That's true…. Did that include you?” She looks at me surprised, she looks down again and covered her face. “Yes, but because I was helping wounded soldiers I ended up helping Diamond Dogs too. I started to question what I thought. I'd like to go into specifics, but I'd prefer to do it while you're not eating.” She said sadly, she sounded on the verge of tears. “Okay then. If you need to leave for a second you can.” “I'll be fine, I just need to recompose myself.” She said and started to breath slowly. After a few minutes of silence I finished eating. Before I could tell her I was done Morphine levitated my tray up and went to take it back to the kitchen. As I sat there I wondered how long this war would go on for, I just wanted it to end quickly so Jasper and Dirk wouldn't be in danger anymore. Soon she came back and took me to our sleeping area, it was small with two beds and a desk. “This is a surprisingly nice room for us.” I said as I looked around the room. “Yes, it's nice how they treat wounded soldiers. Though not all can get this treatment.” Morphine said sadly. “So, do you wanna tell me what made you consider your prejudice against dogs?” I asked, I was expecting her to say no again since it's such a touchy topic. Morphine sighed and sat on the bed across from me and looked down. “Before I was sent home with you I was helping your friend Dirk to help wounded soldiers. Unfortunately one of the dogs we were helping was in an extremely bad position. He had lost one of his arms and he was bleeding profusely, there wasn't anything we could do. We injected with with enough morphine so he wouldn't feel pain as he died. I watched him die in front of me and after seeing Dirk's reaction, the fact we were told as kids Diamond Dogs didn't care for the well being of each other shattered in front of me. I thought about everything I was told about Diamond Dogs and threw it out of my mind.” She said, halfway through she became on the verge of tears. I went over to her and hugged her, she hugged back tightly. “Thanks for telling me, and I'm sorry for what you went through.” I said to her as we hugged. “Thank you, thank you so much for listening.” She said as she rubbed her eyes. “You're welcome.” I stopped hugging her and went over to my bed. She got back up and helped me get into bed. “Do you want me to get you a book to read?” She asked, her voice was close to being normal again. “I guess, thanks by the way.” I said. Morphine left the room leaving me to my thoughts. I layed there thinking about what she had said, could someone really get rid of their prejudice after one experience? As I thought this Morphine brought in a few books for me. Some were young adult fiction like Daring Doo, but there was some adult fiction like the “In The Hall of The Mountain Dog” series by Spitz Ruffles. “I was gonna give these to twilight, but I think you should read them first. They might be important to your culture.” She said as she handed them to me. “And Daring Doo is popular with both kids and adults, including The Element of Loyalty Rainbow Dash.” She said as she put them on my wheelchair. “Thanks, I'll read them too. I hope they're good.” I said as I opened up the first book in the “In the Hall of The Mountain Dog” which was called “In The Depths”. The book was quite good, it follows the character of Richard, a Dog trying to gain support to overthrow his tyrannical brother. I couldn't stop reading after the first chapter, it was just incredible, though it definitely an adult story since Richard had to do some 'intimate’ things to advance at points. As I was done with the sixth chapter Morphine told me dinner was being served. I marked my spot and after Morphine moved the books off my wheelchair I got in it. This cafeteria visit was less eventful than the first, but I still talked to Bud more. He was from Kazak-A-Karak, I wasn't sure if it was a coastal town, but he talked about it being grand and beautiful. As we talked we both ate pork chops and mashed potatoes, it was a good meal and put us both in high morale. After we ate we said our goodbyes and he went to do his shift. Morphine quickly took me back to our room and I got to reading again, and Around the tenth chapter Morphine took the book from me. “I was trying to talk to you for a minute, you dogs get more into books than fillies do.” She said feigning annoyance. “I was in the middle of my chapter.” I said actually annoyed by her rudeness. “Sorry, but eight is usually when we send patients to bed, so that's what I'll start you on right now.” She said as she marked the page I was on and put the book on the table. “Fine fine, but I'm reading more tomorrow.” I said as I put the blanket over me. Morphine giggled and layed on the bed across from mine and covered herself up. As I was falling asleep I had the idea of taking the book, but considering the fact of my position it was probably a bad idea, so I just let myself fall asleep. My sleep was again plagued by nightmares of battle making me wake up multiple times before it was finally morning. We still had a long ways to go, but at least I had books to keep me from dying of boredom. Author's Note Thanks to Speedy Silverstreak for the idea of having soldiers make Jack leg braces.
