Chapter 1: When The War Came
Sandbar woke up. His first gaze went to the makeshift roof above him made of sticks and sod. The rancid scent that he became so familiar with welcomed him, causing his muzzle to scrunch at the first whiff. A small mumble of disgust escaped from his mouth as he sat up from his makeshift bed. Several more annoyed sounds came from Sandbar as his muscles ached at his movement. However, he didn’t have too much of a choice in the matter, since it was his turn to stand guard.
The earth pony got up and dusted off the pale gray uniform he had slept in. It didn’t change anything about his appearance, however; the uniform was filthy and hadn’t been properly cleaned in at least a week. As much as Sandbar wanted to at least try to clean himself and the uniform up a little, he knew it would simply return to its disgusting state in a matter of hours. Passing by fellow soldiers who were sleeping in the same foxhole, Sandbar grabbed his nearby haversack, helmet, and rifle and exited into the main trench. There was a gloomy and eerie darkness in the atmosphere, accented by the overcast skies above. The early morning air was crisp and cold enough to feel like daggers with each breath that Sandbar took. The earth pony rubbed his eyes and stretched for a moment before putting his helmet on and started making his way through the labyrinthine trenches.
Despite knowing where he was going, Sandbar took note of the zig-zagging trenches as he made his way toward his destination. It was just as filthy as he always knew, but perhaps a little bit cleaner than normal. The recent rain was expected and the troops were instructed to prepare accordingly, including storing weapons properly and to reinforce the walls. Soldiers from the previous shift were spending most of their time draining any pooled water and replacing bad planks on the pathways. Sandbar was impressed with their work, and happy it wasn’t him who was stuck with that duty this time. The work was always hard with the minimal light they were given to work with on cloudy nights. Despite the ‘improvements’, the pony saw plenty of rodents dwelling and scurrying throughout.
Finally, Sandbar reached his destination. It was the extreme front of the trenches that faced the area referred to as terra nullius. The walls of the trenches were reinforced with wooden planks and fresh sandbags. Adorned at the top of the trench wall that faced terra nullius, barbed wire wrapped around repeatedly. Just looking at it sent a shiver down Sandbar’s spine, as it reminded him of the last time he repaired the damaged wire, causing him cuts on his limbs. After passing a few of his fellow pony soldiers, he arrived at his station for the day and was greeted by a familiar face.
The yellow mare sat in her lookout post against the trench wall. She looked over to see Sandbar before she turned her attention back to the land beyond the trench, “Yer late.”
Sandbar couldn’t help but smirk,“Like you’re any better with your sense of timing, Apple Bloom.”
“Hey, don’t blame me if ya don’t have enough time ta shovel down yer food. Ah’m just tryin’ to help,” Apple Bloom scolded. Like every other soldier in the trenches, the mare was dirty. Both her uniform and her yellow coat were filthy with mud, both wet and dry. The uniform also looked as if it had seen better days with the several holes riddled throughout. Even the helmet resting on top of her red mane (and the pink ribbon she had wrapped around the base of it) was dented, damaged, and dirty.
Setting down his haversack and leaning the rifle against the trench wall, Sandbar took a seat on the ground near Apple Bloom. “I don’t need you to baby me. I am older than you,” Sandbar said as he rummaged through his bag for a tin can.
“Excuse me? How many rotations have ya done an’ how many have ah done?” Apple Bloom said with a bit of attitude.
“Whatever,” Sandbar said. He then pulled out a can opener from his bag. After fiddling with the tool and the can, he opened it up to reveal a mixture of celery, carrots, and various other vegetables. This was his first meal of the day: pickled vegetables and water from his canteen.
Apple Bloom took note of what Sandbar was eating, “That’s yer breakfast?”
“Only the finest cuisine for us grunts in the trenches,” Sandbar sarcastically said as he took his first forkful bite. While he winced a little at the powerful flavor, he had started to develop a taste for it.
“Didn’t ya get a canned apple ration?”
“Saving it,” Sandbar motioned to his haversack, “If I’m being honest, what I really want is a fresh baked piece of bread. Just a slice would do.”
“Maybe it’ll be a nice treat durin’ R and R?” the mare gave a hopeful thought. “Would be somethin’ to look forward to for us livin’ the soldierin’ life.”
Sandbar smirked at the thought. “Us? Getting R and R? Maybe if that fabled armistice would happen.”
“Hey, it could happen. Just listen to da news.”
There were rumors of an armistice occurring for the last few months. Some soldiers were holding out hope that such a thing would happen. Others weren’t holding their breath since those rumors were circulating since the start of the war. As the weather was getting worse on all fronts of the war, any hope was dashed by even the optimistic.
“Speaking of news, did I miss anything?” the green stallion asked, halfway through his canned vegetables.
“Just radio chatter. Nothing ya’d find all that interestin’.”
“Humor me.”
Apple Bloom turned to face Sandbar as she spoke. “Well, ah heard that Commander Fluttershy is holdin’ the line on the griffon front with Commander Sky Beak,” the mare recalled. “An’ ah heard that while our alliance with the dragons might still be rocky, they are pushin’ the Queen Chrysalis’ changelings back. It’s pretty impressive what mah sister can do with General Ember.”
“Any news from our friends from across the way?”
“No movement from the yaks.”
Sandbar nodded as he finished his meal. He threw the empty can across to the other side of the trench. “I’m not sure what’s worse about this war: the brief and violent fighting or the endless boredom between them.”
“That’s jus’ how war is, Sandbar.”
“Ah yes, the Great Equestria War,” the stallion jokingly mused. “But I must ask, what makes this war so great?”
The yellow pony looked at Sandbar for a moment. She wanted to answer his rhetorical question, but she had no real answer to give, at least one that would satisfy either of them. Instead, Apple Bloom looked at Sandbar’s weapon, “How’s your rifle?”
“Cleaned it right before I went to sleep.”
“Then clean it again. Rain an’ mud can really messes with it.”
“I will, I will. I know how much of a clean freak Commander Rarity is,” Sandbar insisted.
“It ain’t just that, we don’t want yer rifle to jam when ya need it most,” she explained.
Sandbar stood up to his hooves. “It’s not like I’m going to use it.”
He was right. Despite being on his third rotation to the trenches and taking part in a number of skirmishes, Sandbar had not once fired his weapon. For those in his company, there were a number of theories amongst the soldiers about why he hadn’t. Zephyr Breeze thought it might because he was always lucky enough to not have to. Amethyst Star thought Sandbar didn’t need to fight any enemy with any weapon other than his own hooves. Limestone Pie thought he was simply a coward.
“One of these days yer gonna end up on the wrong end of that thing an’ were gonna wish ya coulda fired back.”
“Well, I won’t have long to regret it, so there’s that.”
The response seemed to rub Apple Bloom the wrong way, “Why don’tcha ever fire that thing? Ya passed basic, yer a pretty good shot an’ what not.”
Sandbar took a drink from his canteen before he answered, “I dunno. I just think it’s more important to help the rest of you where I can.”
“True, ya did pull Limestone out of that there terra nullius durin’ the firefight a few weeks back. Awfully brave of ya, Sandbar.”
A smirk appeared on the stallion’s face, “Yeah, and she thanked me with swearing and claiming that she didn’t need to be carried back to the trenches.”
“But she offered ya a cigarette, right? I heard that’s the highest honor she can bestow,” Apple Bloom had a small laugh in her voice. Despite how her words might seem sarcastic, it was a true sign of respect from the grumpy Limestone.
“Yeah, but I don’t smoke.”
After a brief laugh between the two soldiers, Apple Bloom jumped down from her elevated lookout post. It was then that her smaller than normal stature was obvious again. She might be smaller and younger than a number of others in her company, but Apple Bloom commanded and deserved all the respect she got.
“Make sure yer radio is on,” she instructed.
Sandbar reached into his haversack to pull out the bulky device and clicked it on. “Got it.”
“Got yer rifle?”
“Gonna clean it again like ya said.”
“And yer ammo?”
“All in the sack.”
“Good. Enjoy yer shift. soldier.”
The stallion saluted, “Corporal Apple Bloom”
The mare saluted in return, “Private Sandbar.”
As Apple Bloom went her way into the zig-zagging trenches, Sandbar climbed up into the small lookout post. The green pony situated himself so he could sit comfortably at the post with his haversack next to him and for his rifle to lean on the trench wall immediately next to him. The post was small, barely enough room for a single stallion, but it was a position each and every soldier had to take their rotation at. The location was one of the most forefront of the trenches, closest to the enemy lines, and elevated just enough so the sitting soldier could look out into the terra nullius to report to any threat.
The view into the terra nullius was almost non-existent. It was still early in the morning, with sunlight only starting to shine. In addition, a blanket of fog hugged the ground of the battlefield. From Sandbar’s post, he was unable to see much in front of him though he knew what did lie before him. Terra nullius was a ruined mess, often with various blockades throughout such as steel barriers, barbed wire, dead trees, and destroyed buildings; all topped off with craters from the repeated mortar rounds and airstrikes from the endless sieges. The fighting had gone on so long that the once lush and green landscape had become devoid of any flora life. And on the other side, about 500 meters at the closest, laid the Yak trenches.
Picking up his radio, Sandbar called in, “This is Private First Class Sandbar, reporting in at Lookout Post Delta 15. Corporal Apple Bloom has been relieved of duty for the evening. Will be holding position until further notice. Please share current time and any special orders, over.”
“Wilco, Private Sandbar. Time: 0330 hours. At this time no special orders, hold position and observe,” the radio replied. “Over.”
“Roger. Over and out.”
Setting his radio down, Sandbar looked out at the foggy battlefield as he softly hummed to himself. To him, and many other troops, it was the tedium of the endless nothing that bothered them most. For days on end, there would be nothing but the routine of waiting within the trenches. That waiting ate at some soldiers, driving some to near madness. Sandbar would happily take the waiting and nothingness over any sudden burst of violence and chaos.
For what felt like ages, Sandbar waited at his post in silence, watching the fog clouds slowly drift on the barren field in front of him. With the sunlight starting to increase, it made the world more visible even with low hanging clouds. The view that Sandbar had in front of him was about maybe 300 meters before the fog concealed everything.
While staring out into the terra nullius, Sandbar thought he saw something. Perking up, he looked more directly at the location in question. Blinking a few times, Sandbar looked on. In the distance, a single figure seemed to be moving slowly through the fog. The shape seemed to be a pony, if only a little bulky. If he hadn’t passed his sleeping body after waking up, Sandbar would have thought it was his fellow soldier Bulk Biceps.
Sandbar looked down to grab his radio to call in what he saw. However, once he grabbed it, and returned his gaze to the same location, the figure was gone. Sandbar looked around to see if whatever that was had changed directions. No signs of whatever he saw. At that moment, Sandbar thought he might have imagined it. After all, he was extremely early in the morning, there was a thick fog that enveloped the terra nullius, Sandbar was hungry and already running on very little sleep. The pony needed a second opinion.
“This is Private Sandbar, reporting from Lookout Post Delta 15, to any troops stationed at a sniper nest. Are you seeing anything out in the terra nullius, over.”
A few moments passed before he heard a response:
“This is Private Cheerilee, reporting from Sniper Nest Gamma 4, to Private Sandbar, say again the question. Over.”
Sandbar repeated himself, “I repeat, are you seeing anything out in the terra nullius, over.”
Cheerilee replied over the radio, “Okay, I just wanted to make sure I heard you correctly. Because there is nothing from our viewpoint. You do realize with how foggy it is, we can barely see our hooves in front of our faces, over.”
“No need for hyperbole,” Sandbar rolled his eyes as he spoke into the radio. “I know it’s foggy out here but I swear I think I saw something out there, over.”
“I can assure you from my location, there is nothing visible in any direction, over.” Cheerilee repeated herself.
Sandbar was quiet for a moment as he looked back out into the foggy field. He then lifted the radio back up. “Copy, perhaps you were right, I guess I’m just seeing things. Apologies, over.”
The radio crackled for a moment before Cheerilee continued, “Don’t worry about it. The battlefield is an unforgiving place and the terra can play tricks on your mind if you’re not careful. Try to get some rest after your shift, over.”
“I’ll try my best. Thank you. Over and out.”
Sandbar set the radio up closer this time instead near the haversack back his hooves. He thought to himself about what he thought he saw. Perhaps he was just seeing things. The sunlight had barely started to shine in the terra nullius and the light must have casted a long shadow from a tree or a ruined wall. It wouldn’t be the first time any soldier in the trenches thought they saw something. During his first rotation in the frontlines, Sandbar saw his squadmate Amethyst Star fearfully shoot at something in the dark, which turned out to simply be a wall of an old barn.
A sudden noise came from the radio, startling Sandbar out of his deep thought: “This is Commander Rarity with a message to all troops: until further notice, cease all radio communication. Repeat, radio silence until further notice. Hold positions. No information to be shared at this time, wait out until then. Over and out.”
This news was surprising. Radio silence was only ever issued under extreme situations, such as when it is believed any radio communication could be intercepted and used to pin-point any troops. Sandbar hadn’t personally experienced anything of this sort. In fact, he had only heard of rumors of this happening on the griffon front and stalled the entire front for nearly a month of tense waiting. This is what the green pony was worried about with this new order.
Out of the corner of Sandbar’s eye, he saw movement. His sight went directly to where he saw it in the terra nullius and he confirmed it, there was a figure slowly moving through the fog. Sandbar wasn’t imagining it, there was something out there. He reached for his radio but froze; the radio silence was in effect. The radio rested in his hoof as he just stared at the figure wandering through the fog. The shadow appeared to move around aimlessly through the terra nullius, as if they had no idea where they were going. However, after about a minute of Sandbar observing the figure, it looked as if it just dropped straight down.
Sandbar sat up as he noticed this. He mumbled to himself about what he just saw happen. Was there really some figure out there, and did it just literally vanish in front of him? A few thoughts went through his head. Could it be a yak out in the terra nullius trying to make their way to the pony trenches? Was it one of the pony troops who were listed as MIA? Or was it simply just the terra nullius playing tricks on Sandbar’s mind yet again?
Against many of the conflicting thoughts in his head, Sandbar packed his haversack with his canteen and clicked his radio off before he added it in. Glancing inside, Sandbar saw that the first aid kit was there. He would never go anywhere without it, especially since it has saved many a creature before. Sliding the bag on his back and grabbing his rifle, Sandbar put his helmet onto his head. Pausing for a moment, the pony carefully picked himself up and climbed up from the trench and slowly worked his way into the terra nullius. He had to know for sure. And if some creature was in trouble, he had to help, no matter what.
It only took four or five steps into the scarred battlefield for Sandbar to start regretting his decision. He started to mumble to himself. “This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy,” he repeated over and over as he slowly trotted through the land. He was absolutely right that what he was doing was crazy, as he was entering a foggy combat zone. This damp and soggy terra nullius was once a large farming field on the outskirts of a small town, used for growing the crops to help feed many of the communities in the region. However, the war had turned it into a barren wasteland scarred by the repeated fighting. No signs of plant life, numerous ruins dressed with barbed wire, barricades and mines haphazardly placed, and craters from the repeated mortar strikes. He carefully moved and watched where his hooves trotted, not wanting to get caught on the barbed wire, slip into a crater, or accidentally set off a mine.
The fog was thick. Sandbar was doing his best to slowly move carefully through the terra nullius. His breathing was steady and barely audible, but it was still the only thing that could be heard that wasn’t his hoofsteps. His eyes darted around the terra nullius, looking to where he thought he saw that shadow figure was. In the back of his mind, Sandbar was praying that he wasn’t trotting right into an ambush. The fog wasn’t making this easy for Sandbar, but he continued on.
After setting one of his hooves down as he trotted, the ground gave way to his weight. Sandbar yelped as he started to slide down a slope. He gripped onto his rifle as best as he could as he tumbled down into the crater about five meters. At the bottom, he partly fell into a pool of still rainwater. He grunted in pain and rubbed his helmeted head. Upon opening his eyes, he saw that the crater he fell into was about as wide as it was deep, maybe a little wider. Sandbar also noted that he was not alone.
There was a yak in front of him. Their coat and mane were different shades of brown. They didn’t wear a uniform similar to what the pony wore, but instead they had a pair of bandoliers wrapped around them, as well as a woven blanket of sorts resting on her back. Just like his own uniform, the yak’s dark green blanket had seen much better days, caked with dirt and had several tears. Two horns rested at the top of their head, appearing to have been recently splashed with mud. The yak’s mane was divided into two very long braids, both appeared to be hastily done and were starting to come undone. It was at that moment realized that the yak in front of him was a girl.
The yak had a look of absolute dread on her face. Her eyes looked around the floor of the crater, her gaze resting on a yak-made firearm. In a panic, she tried to reach for it. Her attempt, however, was in vain as she tripped forward onto the ground. She said something in her native tongue upon falling and seeing that she was unable to reach the weapon.
Sandbar noticed why she fell: one of the yak’s hind legs was caught and wrapped in the barbed wire that continued beneath the muddy ground. In what must have been thrashing attempts to get free, the yak became more tangled within the mud. He could tell even from afar that the wire was digging into the wrapped leg. An adversary or not, Sandbar felt he had to help her.
“Do you speak Poneish? Can you understand me?” Sandbar asked calmly. He spoke as clearly as possible in hopes that she would understand.
The yak replied, but in their native language. Her tone was rough and threatening in an effort to scare off the pony.
“Your leg,” Sandbar motioned to his own left rear leg, “Are you okay?”
Again, the yak replied in a language he couldn’t understand. She was still aggressive with her speech, but her face reflected pain from the wire.
An idea came to Sandbar. He raised his front limbs up, including the rifle in one limb, and lowered it to the ground. He then raised himself back up, showing that his hooves were empty. He then took off his haversack and helmet, and also lowered them both to the ground. “Look, my hooves are empty,” he stated. He took a couple hoofsteps forward as he continued, “I’m holding nothing.” Sandbar was hoping she was understanding what he was saying.
The yak didn’t say anything as the pony slowly drew closer. They seemed to understand what Sandbar was saying and calmed down. However, as soon as Sandbar was within limb reach, the yak grabbed onto Sandbar’s uniform. She pulled him close to her body, knocking Sandbar off balance, and then threw his body right back on to the ground in front of her.
Landing on the muddy ground with a thud, Sandbar hit the ground. His head was now pointing toward the yak. He groaned in pain as he mumbled under his breath, “Seems I need a little work on my communication skills.”
Upon opening his eyes, he saw that the yak was towering over him, with her face appearing upside down from his point of view. In her hooves, she held a combat knife. With both hooves as she lowered it down until the point was a few centimeters from Sandbar’s neck. It was during this moment of danger that Sandbar took note of the lovely olive shade to her eyes. The pony’s fight-or-flight response was going wild, but he didn’t make a move save for his racing heart. It might have just been the adrenaline running through his veins, but it also might have been something else.
The yak finally spoke in a language that Sandbar could understand, “Pony try to ambush! Yona will put end to pony!”
With a sincerity that even surprised himself, Sandbar spoke, “You’re....beautiful....”
The words startled the yak enough to pull the knife away from Sandbar’s neck. She moved her body away so that she no longer towered over the pony’s body. The yak was doing her best to hide the flush of her cheeks.
Wincing in pain, Sandbar got back up to his hooves. “Quite a throw you got there.” He rubbed his back a little of where he had landed.
“What pony want?!” the yak yelled. Her words weren’t angry as they were frightened. Her face continued to show her pain.
Sandbar’s face became a little brighter, “Oh, you speak Poneish, awesome!” He smiled at the relief of the two sharing a common language. He then pointed to the wire wrapped around her, “Your leg looks like it’s tangled up in that wire. Are you hurt?”
The yak looked down toward her rear left leg. The leg in question was out of her reach, keeping her from freeing herself. She didn’t speak for a moment, as her face looked as if she was trying to swallow her pride as well as a flash of other emotions. Doing what she could to hide her face, the yak silently nodded.
A small but warm smile appeared on the pony’s face. He nodded back, “Alright, I’ll help you get you out of that wire.”
“Pony will explain everything as pony do it,” the yak demanded in an authoritative tone. She still gripped the combat knife tightly.
“Of course.”
Sandbar went back to grab his haversack. He pulled out a small canvas bag and trotted back to the yak.
“This is my first aid kit.”
“Open.”
Sandbar did as he was instructed. As he stated, there were only medical supplies and instruments inside.
The yak looked inside and nodded in understanding.
The pony then resumed his trot to the barbed wire that ensnared the yak. Bending down into the mud, Sandbar took a better look at the situation. A worried expression was on his face as he examined it. The barbed wire wrapped around her left rear leg and appeared to dig into her skin and draw blood due to her repeated struggling.
Looking at the wound was enough to cause Sandbar to wince in pain. He then turned to look at the yak. “The wire is wrapped around your leg and it’s digging in. I can’t tell how deep, but you are bleeding,” Sandbar explained.
A worried expression was on the yak’s face, “Can pony free leg?”
Sandbar studied the leg for a moment before answering, “Untangling it wouldn’t be a smart idea, since it could cut up your leg even more. But if I cut you from the rest of the wire, I can carefully take the wire off.”
“Pony do that now,” the yak requested as she sheathed the knife.
Sandbar nodded as he pulled out a pair of cutting pliers from the first aid kit. He showed it to the yak so she could follow along with what he was doing. “I will be cutting the wire with these, and I may have to grab your leg. So, no throwing me this time, okay?” Sandbar ended with a slight joke in an effort to ease the tension, though it didn’t seem to have an affect on either of them.
The pony carefully and gently held part of the yak’s leg as he took precision cuts along the barbed wire. With each snip of the metal by the pliers, there was a small flinch from the yak. She was shaking, worried that her trust might have been misplaced. She had heard numerous stories about ponies from her time in the trenches, but never did she believe she would be trusting her well-being to a pony that she was face-to-face with.
“So, what’s your name?” Sandbar asked, breaking the yak out of her thoughts.
She did her best not to trip over her own words, “Yona.”
A warm smile was on his face and reflected in his voice as Sandbar repeated, “Yona? That’s a lovely name. I’m Sandbar. It’s nice to make your acquaintance, though I wish it were under better circumstances.”
Yona did have a weak, but genuine smile on her face, “Likewise.”
Sandbar took a close look at the wire-wrapped leg. The barbed wire on her leg was clipped free and away from the rest of the strand. Yona was free, but the sharp barbs still dug into the yak’s leg.
“Okay, move forward a little, but don’t put pressure on your leg,” Sandbar instructed.
Doing what she was told, Yona hopped and hobbled a little from her position. Her rear left leg stung from the metal, but she felt relief with being free of the connection. Quickly, Sandbar appeared next to her. Without a word, he guided her to the other side of the crater. It took a little positioning and guiding, but the pony helped the yak so that she would lie down on the incline of the hole. Yona hated that she was lying on her back, so defenseless on the wet and muddy battlefield, but with the way her leg was, she didn’t have much of a choice.
“There, that wasn’t too bad, right?” Sandbar asked, a bit exhausted and surprised from having to move Yona around the foxhole.
“What going to happen now?” Yona’s voice was worried and had a tinge of pain.
Sandbar explained his next step, “I’m now going to try and take the barbs out of the leg. It might be tricky, but I should be able to get them out and clean the wounds.” He looked around the hole for his supplies.
“Pony going to remove the wire? Will it hurt?” the yak asked with concern.
He grabbed the first aid kit and brought it closer to Yona’s body. “It....might. But that might not be the part that hurts most,” Sandbar admitted. He looked around the foxhole a little more before finding his helmet.
Yona had a worried face.
“Look, I’m not going to lie to you, Yona,” the pony lifted the injured leg and placed his helmet underneath, propping her leg up with it, “this wire is razor sharp and might have dug into the muscle. After I get it out, cleaning the area will hurt, but it will help.”
The yak looked at her rear leg for a moment and then back to Sandbar.
“Do you trust me?”
She nodded, “Yona trust pony.”
Sandbar nodded back with a small smile. He turned his attention back to the leg, which caused his smile to fall away. Doing his best, he took a deep breath in an effort to calm his nerves as he reached his hooves to the wire. The moment a hoof touched a part of the wire, he felt Yona flinch at the pain. It was as Sandbar had worried: the wire did reach into the leg muscle.
“It’s okay,” Sandbar said calmly, “you’re gonna be okay. I promise.”
Yona didn’t say anything, instead she tried to think about anything else.
Reaching for a pair of surgical pliers with one hoof, Sandbar held Yona’s leg steady with the other. He hesitated several times before moving the pliers to the entangled wire. However, before he started, he spoke up, “So, how did you end up in this foxhole?”
The question caught Yona off guard, “What pony say?”
“I was just asking how you ended up down here. You know, all tangled up in the barbed wire,” Sandbar restated his question as he looked down at the wire.
Yona had a very bashful look on her face, almost as if she was embarrassed to say anything. “Does pony promise not to laugh?”
Sandbar answered earnestly, “I swear to Celestia.”
The promise didn’t make Yona feel much better. Nevertheless, she answered, “While on patrol, Yona tripped on Yona’s long braid.”
Looking up to Yona, Sandbar took note of the long braids of her mane that adorned her head. They both appeared to be weaved with care, even if it was done quickly, and quite long in length. Despite being a possible tripping hazard, Sandbar did think they did look lovely on the yak.
“I can see how that could happen,” Sandbar stated, turning his attention back to what he was doing, “Have you thought about maybe lopping it back up? It might help keep the braids from dragging on the ground.”
The idea did spark a thought to the yak, “Pony really think so?”
“Yeah, it might also be a good look for you,” Sandbar said with a smile.
Yona’s face became flushed at Sandbar’s words. However, she was quickly brought back to reality with a sudden sting from her leg. She twinged in pain for a moment, but was surprised when the expected pain quickly ceased. The yak looked at Sandbar, who seemed to have a satisfied look on his face.
“Good news, the wire is now off,” the stallion said with a smile in his voice.
“Already?” Yona asked in disbelief.
Sandbar nodded, “Yes, would you like to see the wire?”
The question caused Yona’s heart to sink. She quickly shook her head no in response.
“Yeah, didn’t think so,” Sandbar said with a small laugh. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to see that again.”
“Yona actually surprised. Yona thought removing of wire would hurt more,” she admitted.
Sandbar was busy preparing for the next part, “It can hurt quite a bit, but it looks like we were lucky on that step. But this next part will hurt.”
“What pony talking about?”
“We will now have to clean and dress the wounds. If we don’t, we’re risking infection and the whole injury getting worse, especially in these conditions,” Sandbar explained. “It will hurt and sting, but it will be for the best.”
Yona’s mind was racing. Her leg had a soft pain to it now that the wire was removed, but she absolutely knew it would hurt with the deep lacerations on her leg. She had to trust this pony if she was to get out of his crater anytime soon.
“Okay, pony will clean and dress Yona’s leg.”
With a nod and a smile, Sandbar spoke, “Will do. Just don’t buck me in the face while I clean the cuts, alright?”
A small smile also appeared on Yona’s face at Sandbar’s touch of humor.
Turning his attention to the leg, Sandbar first took a small piece of cloth and got it damp with some water from his canteen. He then used it to wipe clean the leg of any mud, dirt, and blood that was on the leg’s brown coat. Yona’s entire body shivered as she felt the cold water from the cloth.
“Easy, easy,” Sandbar softly spoke in a reassuring tone. He held a little pressure on the cloth-covered wound. He looked at Yona to see that she was looking right back at him. The yak had a very concerned look on her face. Her breathing sounded like she was trying her best to keep herself calm and to keep mind of any pain.
Sandbar lifted the cloth off of Yona’s leg, Upon it, there was a stain of blood that came from the wound. The wound on the leg itself, however, was much cleaner and the bleeding seemed to have stopped. This allowed Sandbar to get a better view of the wound itself. A small smile appeared on his face, and Yona took notice.
“What pony smiling about?”
“More good news, the wire didn’t cut your leg up too deep. It appears that there’s no arteries or muscle damage,” Sandbar answered. As soon as he finished speaking, both he and Yona breathed a sigh of relief.
“So Yona going to be okay?” the yak asked hopefully.
The pony wiped the wound once more with the cloth. He then reached for the first aid kit. “Absolutely. You’re going to want to keep any pressure off the leg for a while though.” Pulling out a few pads of gauze, Sandbar started to place them on the wounds on the leg. He then took out the roll of bandage and started to unraveled it. “If I wrap it too tight, just let me know,” Sandbar stated.
Yona silently nodded as she watched the pony take great care with his motion.
As Sandbar took care to prep Yona’s leg, he started to sing quietly to himself: “When we arrive, sons and daughters,/We’ll make our homes on the water,/We'll build our walls aluminum,/We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon now....”
“Is pony singing?” Yona asked with a bit of surprise.
Sandbar was a bit embarrassed at it being pointed out, “Yes, sorry. It helps me focus a little. I guess it doesn’t help it’s a song about hoping to return home from something like this.” The pony gave a little nervous laugh as he started to slowly wrap the bandage around the gauze covered leg.
Yona didn’t respond to what Sandbar said. However, after two wraps around her leg, Yona had an inquiry, “Yona have question for pony.”
“Pony has answer for Yona,” Sandbar said with a smile.
“Why pony helping Yona with first aid? Yona heard all ponies want to fight and hurt all yakkind.”
While the question didn’t surprise Sandbar, the following statement from the pony did surprise Yona, “I assure you, I have no such desire.”
“But then why pony giving first aid?” Yona repeated.
Sandbar answered as plainly and simply as possible, “Because you needed help.”
The answer still puzzled Yona. “Yona not understand.”
The pony continued as he slowly wrapped the bandage around the yak’s leg, “There’s already enough problems going on with all this fighting, I think a little kindness can go a long way.”
“But Yona not pony.”
Sandbar couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Yeah, I know you’re not a pony, Yona. I just simply believe in doing what I can to help others, even if it’s on the battlefield and no matter which side the creature is on. It’s why I volunteered to help during this war, even if I must carry a weapon.”
This surprised the yak, “Pony volunteered?”
“Yeah,” Sandbar nodded as he paused the wrapping for a moment, “I volunteered for the service, but I told my commander right at the start that I didn’t want to fight, but to help.”
Yona was listening intently, “What did pony commander say?”
A little snort of a laugh escaped from Sandbar as he recalled, “Commander Rarity thought I was absolutely crazy. As did the rest of the troops I trained with. I guess you could say they got over it when I showed my talent for field medicine. The compromise was I still have to undergo basic training and learn how to shoot a rifle. Though I could never imagine using the thing.”
“But you have never shot rifle?” Yona motioned to the pony’s weapon on the opposite end of the foxhole.
“At something other than a training target, not once.”
The yak was stunned by Sandbar’s admittance that he had never once used his weapon on the battlefield. “Then pony only has been doing medical stuff?”
Sandbar nodded as he resumed his slow wrapping of the leg, “That’s right. Whatever I can do to help on the battlefield. I want to help, not harm.”
“Is pony not afraid?”
“Terrified!” Sandbar said with a laugh, “Rushing in with the other ponies into the terra nullius, knowing if it came to it, I couldn’t pull the trigger, it’s a frightening thought. But I remember what my comrades are doing, knowing I have to help them if something happens. I’ll run into a hail of bullets if it means I can save any creature.” The stallion pulled a little on the bandage before asking, “Is this too loose or too tight?”
Yona shook her head and answered, “No, it fine.” She thought about what Sandbar said for a moment before speaking. “Pony not like any ponies that Yona heard stories of.”
Sandbar tightened the bandage a little before wrapping a little more around the leg, “Huh, what kind of stories have you heard?”
“Yona hear many stories of ponies. That ponies are wicked and only wish to attack and invade non-ponies. Different ponies use their different abilities, like wings and magic, to attack all creatures who not agree,” Yona explained. She flexed the leg muscle that was wrapped in the bandage. It was snug on her, almost like a comforting hug.
The pony didn’t interrupt or interject to Yona’s words as he wrapped the bandage a little more.
The yak continued, “The things Yona and other yaks have been told, it concerning and why many yaks fight to protect home. Yakyakistan home of yaks, and yaks must protect home from threats, no matter how dangerous.”
“I see,” Sandbar finished wrapping the bandage around Yona’s leg and tucked it away, “Wanting to do what you can to protect your homeland, that is very noble of you, Yona.”
Yona paused for a moment before speaking again, “But Yona never expected such kindness from a pony. Yona not know what would have happened if pony not find Yona tangled in wire.”
With a smile, Sandbar waved it off, “Think nothing of it, Yona. I’m happy to help.”
While his words seemed relaxed and carefree about the situation, Yona still felt she was deeply indebted to the earth pony.
“Since you asked me something, can I ask you a question, Yona?”
“What question?”
Sandbar looked over to both weapons lying in the mud, “Have you ever fired your rifle?”
There was a pause. Yona looked away with a guilty look on her face. “Yes, Yona has fired weapon.”
Looking at the yak, Sandbar could tell there was a lot to Yona’s expression. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was behind it, but it seemed painful to the yak.
The pony decided to change the subject. “You know,” Sandbar started speaking again as he began packing the first aid items away, “I’ve heard many stories about yaks and other creatures too. Changelings are able to possess any creature, hippogriffs lure boats of creatures to their doom, and stories like that. But I know they’re just that, stories. I might hear this and that about yaks being uneducated brutes, or how dragons are greedy, griffons are selfish, but those are just stereotypes.”
“There more to creatures than rumors,” Yona said.
Sandbar nodded with a smile as he closed the first aid kit and placed it in his haversack, “Well said, Yona.”
“Thank you, pony,” she returned with a smile of her own.
Sandbar moved himself to sit to the right of Yona on the incline of the crater. The pony breathed a sigh of relief after being tense while dressing Yona’s leg.
“So, now what Yona and pony do?”
“Right now, all we can do is wait,” Sandbar answered, as he reached next to his haversack for his canteen. “With your leg not being fit for movement and me being unable to make a call for a medical evac due to the radio silence, we’re stuck here for a bit. Water?”
Yona nodded at Sandbar’s offer, “Please.” She opened the canteen and took a drink, which she deseperately needed. The water was cold, and about the same temperature as the water used to clear her leg. The yak then passed the canteen back to the pony.
Taking a drink of the canteen himself, Sandbar wiped his mouth and closed the canteen off.
“Sorry Yona not have own canteen,” Yona sheepishly said, after she noticed Sandbar took a gulp of water himself, “Yona must have forgotten to bring on patrol.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll just have to make sure his lasts between the two of us for a little bit,” Sandbar brushed it off. However, he did add a small joke as he set the canteen in between them both, “Though, we might want to try and keep the indirect kissing to a minimum.”
Yona wasn’t sure what Sandbar meant for a moment. Once it dawned on her, her face became flushed. She tried to say something, but she tripped over her words a little. After taking a second, she asked Sandbar a question, “S-So, what pony plan on doing now?”
Settling in a little with his back against the incline of the crater, Sandbar answered, “Well, since I’m going to be stuck in this hole, I’m just gonna rest my eyes. A little rest can go a long way.” Crossing his front limbs in front of him, the pony closed his eyes.
Yona looked at her bandaged leg being propped up by the pony’s own helmet. There was still a slight sting to her leg, but she already was feeling much better than she was when tangled within the razor wire. Silently, Yona looked over at the green pony next to him. She still was in awe of how this pony came across her and selflessly assisted her in her time of need. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked at the resting pony. In a hushed whisper, Yona spoke something to Sandbar in her native language. It was not audible to the stallion, but the yak seemed pleased with what she said. She then also followed suit and closed her eyes.
Chapter 2: After The Bombs
Some time later, Sandbar woke up. Directly in his line of sight were the low-hanging clouds he had seen earlier that morning. To the pony, it looked as if nothing had changed in the sky, so he couldn’t tell how much time had passed. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes for a moment and then turned to the yak that was still seated next to him.
Yona greeted him with a smile, “Did pony rest well?”
“Better than I would have thought,” Sandbar said sincerely. He moved his limbs and neck around in an effort to get the blood flowing through his body again. “Did you get some shut-eye?”
The yak nodded, “Yona got some sleep. Dirt not as comfortable as wool mattress back in Yakyakistan.”
Sandbar was a bit surprised to hear a joke from Yona. A chuckle escaped from the pony as he joined in the humor, “Well, not sure about your trenches, but I think this muddy dirt might be much more comfortable than the cots back in my trenches.”
Yona returned the chuckle, “Dirt more comfortable than cots!”
Both creatures laughed.
The stallion’s attention went to the leg that was still propped up on the helmet, “How is your leg feeling?”
“No problem after pony finished bandaging. Only little sting of pain,” Yona explained.
Sandbar nodded, “Good to hear, wish I had a painkiller to offer though. It’s probably best to stay off it for a while longer, though I’m not entirely sure how long we’ve been in this pit.”
Excitedly, Yona spoke up, “Yona can know!” Looking up to the cloudy sky above, Yona examined the clouds carefully with an almost piercing gaze. After a few moments, she spoke, “Time is about one hour before noon.”
“How do you know?” Sandbar asked with an impressed surprise.
“It old yak trick. Yak are able to look into cloudy skies and know where position of sun, moon, and stars are,” Yona explained.
“That’s really cool, Yona.”
A little bashful, the yak added, “Yona was taught by father. He taught Yona a lot.”
“He sounds like an amazing yak,” Sandbar commented warmly.
Yona happily agreed, “Yona’s father very amazing! He used to be explorer of the wildernesses of Yakyakistan. He loved frontier and would often take Yona and family camping to visit wild places in nature! It where Yona learn most about being best yak possible! When Yona get back, Yona want to go camping with family again.”
Sandbar smiled as he heard Yona speak highly of her family members. “I hope this war ends soon so you can return home to them.”
Her expression dropped a little as she thought, “Yes, Yona want that too. Yona want war to end so Yona can see whole family again.”
Taking note of what he said brought the mood down a little, Sandbar could only say a single, melancholic word, “Yeah....“ He then decided to ask a question that was on his mind, “Hey Yona, how were you able to figure out the position of the sun through the clouds? I find that absolutely incredible.”
This question brought Yona back from her brief, sullen state. She thought for a moment before answering honestly, “Yona not sure how it work, but Yona just know it does. It something all yaks can do according to Yona’s father.”
Sandbar raised a hoof up to his mouth to think, “Hmm, maybe it has something to do with how pegasi are so attuned with the wind or how unicorns are attuned with magic. It’s just something you know how to do naturally.”
Yona had a question of her own, “Pony not unicorn?”
“Huh? No, I’m not a unicorn, I’m an earth pony.”
“Then what earth pony attuned to?”
This was something that Sandbar didn’t have an easy answer to. “I dunno, actually. I’m told we have an inert connection with nature, like plant-life, animals, geological stuff, but sometimes it just doesn’t click. Maybe it has to do with how things have been going on with pony society for a while.”
“What does pony mean?”
Again, Sandbar wasn’t sure how to answer, “Well, for as long as I can remember, we have been focusing on building up our defenses....and offenses. I never really gotten a chance to really figure out exactly what I can do as an earth pony. We’re more hardy than unicorn or pegasi, but that’s about all I know.”
Yona was silent as she listened to Sandbar.
“But what I do know is, if it wasn’t for this dumb war, I know I would love to learn more about this connection I have to nature. It’s something I love.”
“Pony like nature too?”
A small smile appeared on Sandbar’s face, “Of course! Before the war, I used to go out exploring in nature all the time with my friends and with my family. My friends and I would hike in the forests near my home. And my parents taught me so much about sea life. About the tides, the aquatic creatures, and just how to be one with nature.” Sandbar paused for a moment before he continued to speak wistfully, “If this whole war wasn’t happening, I’m sure I’d be studying plant and animal life, to help preserve this beautiful world. Even if it doesn’t seem all that beautiful right now.”
Sandbar’s gaze was looking forward at the wet and dirty pit that he and the yak were trapped in. His expression fell a little as he continued, “With all that ponykind has learned, we could be improving and changing the lives of all creatures for the better. However, we use that knowledge to find better ways to hurt others. And in the process, we destroy our world. Scorching the ground, dirtying the water, polluting the sky, all to be the last one standing.”
Yona looked at Sandbar for a moment after he finished speaking.
Noticing Yona looking at him, Sandbar was a bit flustered, “Sorry about that, Yona, didn’t mean to get all depressed like that.”
The yak silently turned her attention to stare at the nothingness that was before them. Within their sight, there was only the other half of the crater, which included remains of the razor fence that Yona was tangled in and a muddy puddle. At the top of the crater and at the sky above, a layer of gray clouds lingered.
After a moment of stillness between the two creatures, Yona spoke “In early days, long before Yakyakistan became unified, all land was covered in lush, wild forests. Yak and gods lived in harmony with nature. Great respect was given to world, as yaks knew world came before, and would remain long after. But slowly, as yaks started to forgot who they once were, forests began to vanish, and so did gods. Those gods that remained, did so only to remind yaks of their past and to demand respect of nature it deserves. Even now, yaks fight to protect sacred land.”
The pony listened closely to the yak’s words.
“So old yak legends goes,” Yona added, “But Yona believes, and Yona wants to preserve beautiful nature. Not just for yakkind, but for all.”
Sandbar smiled, “Seems we have a common goal.”
Yona turned to the pony and smiled back, “Yona and pony do.”
With a small sigh, Sandbar continued, “I know it might be fruitless, but I want to protect the beauty in this world, even after all I’ve seen. This world isn’t perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination.”
“But even if world cursed, one can always find reasons to keep living.”
Sandbar gently smiled at Yona’s words as a warm feeling started brewing within him.
The atmosphere between the two was interrupted by a growling sound. To both of their embarrassment, it was both of their stomachs.
“Oh,” Sandbar tried his best to hide his embarrassment, “I guess it has been a bit since I’ve eaten.”
“S-Same for Yona,” the yak admitted, feeling the same way.
“Do you happen to have anything to eat?”
Yona shook her head, causing her long braids to sway, “Yona didn’t bring bag when leaving trenches. Didn’t expect to be out so long.”
“Hm, same here. I don’t think I-” Sandbar paused as something came to mind, “Wait! I think I have something.” Getting up, Sandbar moved toward his haversack. He picked it up and went back toward Yona. He pulled out a few of the items from the bag to find what he was looking for, including the first aid kit and his radio, which he quickly clicked on. Finally, he pulled out a small can. “Ha, found it!”
“What pony have there?” Yona asked as she looked at the can. “Why pony not just smash can open?”
Sandbar was a bit surprised at the question, “What?”
Yona repeated herself, “Just smash can open?”
“But I have a tool to open it, see?” Sandbar showed the can opener in his hoof.
“That take too long.”
“Well, maybe, but it’s a little easier than just using brute force. Besides, I don’t want to damage what’s inside.”
The yak peered at the can to imagine what it contained, “What in can?”
With the can and a tool from his bag, Sandbar moved back to his seat next to Yona, “It might not be much, but I do have something that we can eat.” He fiddled with the can opener and opened the small can, revealing slices of apples in a liquid.
“What that?”
“Apples. I was going to save it for a little treat after my shift, but now seems like a better time,” Sandbar explained. He then sighed a little as he spoke to himself, “Down to just my C-rations. Not like I could have brought any emergency rations all the way out here.”
“What an apple?” Yona asked.
This surprised Sandbar a bit, “Do you not have apples in Yakyakistan?”
Yona simply shook her head.
“Oh, well, it’s a fruit that’s very popular in Equestria. They give us rations of canned apples to help with troop morale. Not sure if actually helps, but it’s a nice change of pace from other stuff they give us,” Sandbar explained as he pulled out his small knife. He stuck the knife into the can to retrieve a slice of apple to eat.
Yona looked at the can of fruit as Sandbar moved it between them. The sliced yellow fruit seemed odd to her, but she couldn’t ignore that her stomach claimed it looked good. With her own combat knife (that she had earlier used to threaten the pony’s life), she repeated Sandbar’s motion with the knife into the can of apples. Pulling it out, she retrieved two slices of apples. She carefully guided it to her mouth. Eating the slices, she was surprised about this new fruit. While there was no real aroma to the canned apple, the flavor was something like she hadn’t ever experienced in Yakyakistan. It was sweet and crisp with a subtle tartness that appealed to the yak.
Seeing the pleasant surprise on the yak’s face, Sandbar had to ask, “So, what do you think, Yona?”
“Yona like apple!” she claimed as she went for another slice.
Sandbar smiled as he also dipped his knife back in to stab another slice to eat. Within moments, the two creatures finished the small tin of apples. It might not have been a large meal that was shared between them, both Yona and Sandbar savored to each bite and the company.
Sheathing her knife, Yona happily exclaimed, “Yona really liked apple! Thank you for sharing, pony!”
“Happy to share,” Sandbar replied. Using his knife, he stirred the little liquid that remained in the can. It smelt sweet, but despite how inviting it was, he knew it was simply water and not actual apple juice. “You know, my mother had a little something she said: ‘the worst things in this world are being hungry and being alone.’ I can at least hope to fix one of those things.”
“Pony fixing both,” Yona sincerely said with a warm smile.
Sandbar had a pink tint to his face, “I do hope you can try a normal apple one day. You know, not all cut up.”
“Apples not look like that normally?”
“Not at all. These were just sliced up canned apples. If my squad leader was forced to eat these all the time, she’d go crazy. She comes from an apple farm back in Ponyville, and her family supplied apples all over Equestria before the war.” Sandbar realized he was getting off topic, “But her family grew all sorts of apples. I think those were golden delicious or maybe gala apples.”
“What apples normally look like?” Yona asked.
“They’re normally just round fruit the size of your hoof,” Sandbar said as he held up his hoof toward Yona, who in turn looked at both her hoof and the pony’s. “But they’re so much more to do with apples than just eating them like this. They’re great for baking treats, like pies and fritters. But they are also used to make juice and cider.”
Yona was hanging on every word, “If those are good as what Yona just had, then Yona would love to try them!”
Sandbar smiled, “Well, I’d be happy to take you to try pony cuisine, Yona. My treat.”
“Yona would like that.”
The two creatures held a gaze between them for what felt like an eternity. However, their moment was disrupted by the sound of static and a voice Sandbar knew all too well, startling both creatures within the hole.
“Attention all Equestria troops, this is Commander Rarity,” the radio crackled to life. “I report the priority news that an armistice has been reached. I repeat, an armistice has been reached. At twelve noon Canterlot Standard Time, approximately thirty minutes, all fighting will cease. Radio silence will still be in effect until further notice. Over and out.”
The moment the radio chatter died, Sandbar and Yona turned to one another. Both of them had tired expressions of disbelief. Both of them had so many feelings and emotions flowing through them. They both tried to find the right words to say, but were unable to for a few moments. The pony was the first to finally speak:
“It’s....It’s over....” Sandbar said quietly. He had a small laugh as he spoke a little louder, “It’s finally over.”
“Yona cannot believe it....” the yak happily whispered.
Sandbar’s voice grew in volume as he shouted with joy, “It’s finally over! Sweet Celestia, this is great!” He grasped onto one of Yona’s front limbs and shook it with joy.
The yak used the same limb and pulled Sandbar in close to her. With a big hug, Yona also exclaimed with happiness, “Yona is overjoyed! Yona cannot wait to go home!”
The pony was a bit surprised and stunned by the sudden embrace from the yak. However, it was a pleasant sensation for Sandbar, as it felt comforting, safe, and warm; all feelings that he had not felt ever since first setting hoof in the trenches.
It took a moment for Yona to realize what she was doing to Sandbar. She quickly lowered Sandbar back down and apologized, “Yona so sorry! Yona just overcome with happiness now that war over.“ Her face was deeply flushed.
“It’s alright, Yona,” Sandbar insisted with a little laugh and flushed smile, “And I know what you mean, I can’t wait to go home!”
“Yona can’t wait either! First thing Yona want to eat when Yona get home is khapsey!” the yak was already imagining what to do.
“What are khapseys?” Sandbar asked.
Excitedly, Yona explained, “They are fried cookies! Khapsey are usually made for New Year or weddings, but end of war also big celebration, so khapsey will be made! Yona like the sweet ones best!”
“They sound tasty!”
“They are!” Yona answered, “Since pony offered to share apples with Yona, Yona hope to share khapsey with pony one day!”
“I’d really like that,” Sandbar smiled as he looked at Yona, “But before that, we should get you back to your squad. That way we can get you proper medical attention for your leg.”
The yak looked at her leg that was still propped up on the pony’s helmet. It still tinged with a little pain. Perhaps it was both the injury and the mere sight of the leg reminded her of how the razor wire once dug into her. Either way, Yona was now free and breathing a sigh of relief that the fighting had come to an end.
“How is it feeling?”
“Little pain, but much better.”
The pony nodded, “Great to hear. Guess that means we can get you back to your comrades. I think we can get you out of this hole and across the terra nullius. It’ll be a little tricky, but I think we can do it.“
There was a bit of an unsure look on the yak’s face for a moment.
“Ready to give it a shot?”
Yona was about to answer, but she was interrupted by a loud explosion. It was hard for the two creatures for judge how far it was, but it was in the terra nullius and close by. Not even five second later, another explosions occurred, sending a shockwave through the ground. As the earth shook below them, Sandbar was knocked off his hooves and fell down to the ground next to Yona. Another explosion went off, shaking the ground and causing soil to fly up and fall down upon the two creatures in the crater.
“What ponies doing?!” Yona shouted over the explosions.
Sandbar didn’t say anything as he looked around the hole, trying his best to get his bearings. Doing his best, he was trying to calm his breathing and take note of his surroundings. His gaze went skyward where he saw a small speck fly amongst the clouds. Another speck came from it and fell to the ground. That’s when Sandbar realized what was happening: the pegasus troopers were dropping explosives on the terra nullius. More pegasi appeared and did the same.
“They’re dropping mortars on us!” Sandbar answered in horror, getting to his hooves, “W-Why are they doing this?” His voice was shaking as he watched the bombs fall from the sky.
Yona used her front limbs to cover her head in an effort to protect her from the debris that was falling. She knew her action would do nothing to help her from a real blast. Seeing the pony standing up and looking upwards, she shouted out to Sandbar, but her words were muffled by another explosion.
Another mortar exploded, causing dirt and puddle water to scatter around. It flew around and even toward Sandbar. While he was shaken from the shockwave, he was frozen. He knew what his training would have him do; seek shelter if possible, protect the neck, and stay low. His body, however, refused to listen to anything that his mind was telling him. As he was, Sandbar was an open target, and the mortars continued to fall.
Suddenly, Sandbar was pulled out of his frozen state by a powerful force. It was Yona standing up on her own hooves. In the brief moment that Sandbar saw her face, he saw a mixture of emotions, notably fear, dread, concern, and pain from her injured leg. Yona pulled the pony close to her body and fell back to the ground. With her own body, she was doing what she could to shield Sandbar from anything coming toward them.
“What pony thinking?! Pony need to stay low!” Yona shouted over the repeated mortar explosions. Their heads were touching at their foreheads.
He couldn’t talk. As much as Sandbar wanted to try, he was either stopped by the repeated explosions, the shockwaves, or his own speechlessness. With each explosion and shock of the ground, Sandbar felt the grip that Yona had on him tighten just a little. He glanced as much as he could toward the yak’s face. Yona’s teeth were clenched in fearful panic and eyes were tightly shut. Perhaps he was imagining it, but Sandbar could have sworn he was the beginning of tears forming in the corners of her closed eyes. Without a word, Sandbar wrapped his own limbs around the yak. It might not do anything to help protect either of them, but it could at least help comfort her.
While only for minutes, the continuing raid of explosions seemed to go on for hours. The two creatures huddled closely together in silence. They were frightened as each explosion that went off could possibly be the one that took their lives.
Finally able to find his words, Sandbar spoke up over the bombing, “If we don’t make it out of this, Yona, I want to say I l-”
Sandbar was interrupted by a nearby blast, maybe twenty-five meters away. It caused the entire ground to shake violently below them. Both Yona and Sandbar tightened their hold on one another. Not even a moment later, the explosions seemed to cease.
Cautiously, both creatures opened their eyes. Their gazes met. Both of them were flushed for a moment before releasing the hold they had on one another. However, neither of them let go immediately. After several seconds to confirm that there were no more explosions, Sandbar sat up and examined the crater around them. Yona did the same, trying to brush off the debris that fell on her.
While the crater the two creatures were in was not hit directly by a mortar blast, several blasts from elsewhere caused the dirt and other debris to fall in. The two were fortunate, as only soil had fallen upon them and nothing else.
“Is pony okay?” Yona asked Sandbar, her voice almost pleading that he was unharmed.
Sandbar turned to look at the yak. “Yona....you saved me....” he said softly. He then spoke up a little, “But your leg? You shouldn’t have put any weight on it....that could have made it worse by-”
The pony’s words of concern were interrupted by the yak, “Yona not think about it. Even with such pain, Yona had to protect pony.”
“Thank you, Yona,” the humbled Sandbar said with a warm smile.
The yak simply smiled back with a little pink tint to her cheeks.
Looking up at the sky above, Sandbar thought aloud, “We need to get you out of here before another raid starts. I might not know what they are doing, but we can’t stand another wave of mortars like that.”
Yona looked a little unsure about the prospect of moving with her injury, but she then nodded in agreement.
“Alright, then we need to get you back to your trenches and as quickly as possible. And then you can get the proper medical attention for that leg,” Sandbar stated. “And once you’re there safely, I can head back to my squad.”
“But yak trenches are further than pony trenches. Why Yona and pony not go there instead?” Yona asked.
Sandbar thought for a moment but was against the idea, “I don’t think we should. If I were to show up with you, with our luck, Limestone and Corporal Apple Bloom would probably want to take you prisoner.”
The thought was a bit humorous to Yona as she carefully stood up. She did as much as she could to not put too much weight on her rear left leg. She struggled a little to keep her balance a little, but Sandbar was quick to offer a hoof, which she grabbed.
“I got ya, I got ya,” Sandbar said as he supported the yak, “I ain’t going anywhere.”
Yona smiled as he heard Sandbar say those words. She then looked down at the ground, “Perhaps Yona and pony need to travel lighter?”
Sandbar looked down at the items on the ground of the foxhole as well. He nodded in agreement, “Yeah, seems we’re going to have to leave our rifles here, and maybe some more.” The pony reached down to pick up his canteen before taking a final sip. He then offered it to the yak, “One more for the road?”
Moments later, Sandbar had gathered his haversack and put his helmet on. He then went to Yona’s left side, where she wrapped her left front leg around Sandbar for support. Because of their unique walking situation, several items from the two creatures were abandoned in the crater, including both of their weapons, Yona’s helmet, and Sandbar’s empty canteen.
Carefully, the two creatures were able to slowly navigate their way out from the depths of the crater. Upon reaching the surface of the terra nullius, both saw the effects from the recent mortar strikes. There were newly formed craters and plenty of other damage throughout the field. The dirty destruction was the only thing visible in all directions, particularly due to all of the low-hanging fog and overcast skies. At first glance, Sandbar was unable to figure which direction the trenches were.
“Ah dang, which way is it to your trench?”
Yona looked around for a moment before she closed her eyes and sensed her environment. “That way,” the yak motioned with her horns.
Sandbar nodded and guided Yona as he supported her with each step. The movement was slow through the wasteland. They took care with each step they took so as to not step on any unstable ground that would cause them to fall or into any flooded areas of the terra nullius. The added weight to each step for Sandbar made moving even tricker. Nevertheless, he supported Yona with each of their unified steps.
“We’ll get ya back to your trench....and you can get proper attention for the leg,” Sandbar said in between their steps. “And I’m sure you can enjoy a nice mug of hot cocoa....to warm you up once you get back home. Or whatever you....drink back home. I’m sure we all could....use a little pick me up....”
Yona did like the idea of a nice warm mug of tongba once she got home, she wouldn’t have minded having a mug of cocoa either, even if she didn’t know what it was. However, she had something else on her mind. “Yona still not get it,” she said softly with a hint of bewilderment.
“Get what, hot cocoa? It’s a warm drink that has a rich and sweet taste to it,” Sandbar answered, “It tastes like....actually, I’m not sure how to describe what chocolate tastes like.”
“No, not that. Yona not get how pony able to always look on bright side. How pony do it, even during such awful war?” Yona asked as they continued through the battlefield.
The pony didn’t answer right away. But after a few more steps of helping Yona, he gave a response, “Some creature has to. If no creature does, then what’s left?”
The answer seemed to surprise the yak.
“I keep getting told by others that I’m a fool for even thinking like that, especially right now. Well, if that’s the case, then I guess I am a fool for believing,” Sandbar continued, speaking with a smile on his face and in his voice. Yona caught a glance of Sandbar’s face as he added, “I sincerely believe that, at the end of the day, we’re all good creatures.”
There was a brief silence between the two creatures as they continued their conjoined trek across the terra nullius. Yona broke the stillness with her thoughts on Sandbar’s belief: “Yona not think pony fool. Pony have faith in other creatures, and pony practices own belief. Maybe pony right. Kindness not a weakness, but rather something to give strength. One thing Yona was taught by family: purpose in life is to help others, even if it only one yak–, Yona mean, one creature at a time. It make Yona happy to see others follow what Yona had been taught so long ago.”
A smile grew across Sandbar’s face as he glanced over at Yona has he helped her along, “Yaks pretty smart.”
Yona returned the glance back with her own smile. However, they were interrupted by the sound of a shot ringing out. Both creatures froze in their tracks at the sound. They couldn’t pinpoint where the sound came from, but it was close. Even the thought of turning their heads to look around frightened them. Their eyes were fixated on the land before them and the fog that blocked the view. After what felt like an eternity for the pony and the yak, they silently tried to take a step forward.
The creatures did not even get a meter before another shot rang out. The shot blew past Sandbar. While the bullet barely nicked the far edge of his helmet, it was enough to knock the the helmet off of the pony’s head.
“Get down!” Yona commanded as she dropped to the dirt. With her limb, she pulled Sandbar down with her. A stinging pain ran through Yona’s body from her leg, but she ignored it as best as she could.
“I think we found your trenches,” Sandbar said, covering his head as best as he could with his front limb that wasn’t used to aid Yona’s trotting.
Yona mumbled a little to herself, “Tr....Trenches? Yak trenches!” Yona lifted her head up and shouted. Her voice was loud and bold as her native tongue left her mouth.
All Sandbar could do was watch as Yona shouted words he couldn’t begin to understand. The only thing he could understand in her words was Yona saying her own name.
After a pause, a voice called back from the direction the bullets came. It was said in the native yak language.
Yona shouted back again. There was another pause before another shout from beyond the fog.
Finally, Yona turned to Sandbar. “It okay now, yaks know Yona returning to trenches,” her voice was a bit relieved.
Sandbar nodded as he helped Yona back to her hooves. Again, the two continued their conjoined trotting through the foggy battlefield. After almost a minute of navigating through the terra nullius, the two creatures reached the yak trenches. Once there, every eye stationed in the trenches were fixated on them. With the pony’s help, Yona was lowered into the trenches below.
Almost immediately, the two creatures were surrounded by various yaks. They attended to Yona, asking questions to her in their native tongue. Sandbar noticed that each of the yaks were vastly different in appearance, from their coats, manes, clothing, and so on. In fact, Sandbar noted that all of the different yaks reminded him very much of the different ponies that resided back in Ponyville.
The green stallion was separated from Yona during this. He was spoken to in language he did not understand, but with weapons drawn, they guided Sandbar to a separate area of the trench. If he were to guess, Sandbar might have believed he was going to be taken prisoner. He raised his front hooves in the air, “I am unarmed and I have no ill-intent.” It dawned on him that they might not have understood his language. “Perhaps I should have taken a second language back in school.”
Yona saw what was happening to the pony. She hobbled over, apparently protesting in the yak language concerning what was happening to Sandbar. Yona stood next to Sandbar as she continued to speak in her yak language. All the surrounded yaks looked on and listened to her impassioned words, causing the other yaks to lower their weapons. Once she finished speaking, the yaks murmured amongst themselves.
Leaning toward Yona, Sandbar whispered, “What did you say?”
“Yaks were going to take Yona for medical attention, but then Yona saw pony. Fellow yaks were planning on taking pony prisoner. But Yona explained how Yona owe life to pony.”
In front of both, the chatting yaks parted ways to make way for a large yak. Their mane and coat were both gray and aged, which was reflected in their face. Their mane fell down to meet with their beard, which was adorned with a golden hoop to keep it together. On his face, a pair of glasses rested.
“Who’s that?”
“General Horwitz....Yona’s commanding officer,” Yona answered with a bit of surprise and awe.
The older yak spoke to Yona in their native language, to which she replied. Sandbar followed along for what he could, but he was quickly lost with their conversation. All Sandbar could do was helplessly wait as the yaks talked. He noted, however, that Yona spoke with a passion.
After the two finished their lengthy discussion in a language that Sandbar couldn’t understand, Yona turned to Sandbar. “General Horwitz thanks pony for giving Yona medical attention and bringing Yona back. It was brave of pony to do so, and General also say pony has gratitude.”
Sandbar listened to Yona’s translation. He then turned to the General and bowed his head in a sign of respect, “Of course. It doesn’t matter who it’s for, I just want to do what is best for all.”
A gentle smile appeared on the general’s face. “You pony, remind me of a pony I once met in Equestria years ago. A smart pony with a desire to help no matter the cost,” General Horwitz spoke. Sandbar was surprised to hear the yak speak Poneish. “Any creature who puts their life down for another truly is a hero for all. You, pony, are brave and noble. Both your selflessness for Yona here gives me hope for a brighter future. I hope this is the only battlefield we shall ever meet on.” The elder yak gave a bow to Sandbar as he finished speaking. Afterwards, General Horwitz called off to the rest of the yaks in their native language. At his command, the surrounding yaks dispersed to other areas.
Both Yona and Sandbar were alone on the edge of the trench
“I guess this is where we part ways, Yona,” Sandbar said. He was unsure where to look “I just want to say, I’m happy I got to meet you.”
Yona raised her hoof up and shook her head, “No, Yona happy to meet pony. Not just because pony help free Yona, but because Yona feel like she has met kindred soul.”
“We really met each other at a strange time, Yona, and I’m sorry we had to meet that way we did,” Sandbar mused wistfully as he looked at the yak, “but if the circumstances were different, I can easily say that we would have been friends.”
Yona nodded with a bright smile, “The best.”
Sandbar smiled back as he tried his best to hold back the tears that were starting to form behind his eyes, “Well, you should have a proper medic look at that leg of yours so it can heal prope–”
The pony’s words were cut off by Yona closing the distance between the two creatures and giving Sandbar a big embrace. Sandbar was stunned by this, but returned the hug. While unintentional, both the pony and yak had a few tears roll down their cheeks.
“Yona will miss Sandbar.”
“And Sandbar will miss you too, Yona.”
The two creatures finally broke their embrace, despite neither wanting to let go. With that, Sandbar climbed to the top of the trench and looked out onto the terra nullius. However, he quickly turned around and called back down to the yak:
“Hey Yona, be sure to visit me in Ponyville. I’ll treat you to all the apples you can eat.”
“Yona will hold Sandbar to that!”
With a smile, Sandbar waved one last time to Yona as he turned and trotted into the terra nullius and back into the fog toward his own trenches. As he trotted through he now-quiet battlefield, he sang quietly to himself:
“Hear all the bombs fade away./Hear all the bombs fade away....”
END
