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 became 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