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.