My two days off didn't fare as well as I had planned. The first day I had spent staring at the envelop and imagining the contents that it could contain. bending it lightly I figured it didn't contain a folded piece of paper, if felt like it contained a single card. I wanted to open it, every time I reminded myself that I couldn't. There was nothing that could tear my mind away from this magnet of my attention. I attempted reading, writing, and even TV. None had any positive affect on my current mood. I ate light and found myself going to bed earlier than usual. The second day was worse. When I awoke, a feeling of despair washed over me. There was nothing that needed done, and nothing I wanted to do. I was imprisoned in my own solitary paradise. I attempted to play my guitar to ease the storm inside my skull to no avail. The day was wasted with me laying in the middle of the floor painting invisible pictures on the ceiling. The only company I had was a little brown envelop sitting on my chest. I wished for work, I willed the time to tick faster so that I may leave to go to work. I wanted to return to work to have the mundane chores to give my brain something to do. So this morning as I showered I found myself anxious to return to the station, not for the thrill of fires or rescues. Instead the idea that like every work day, there was a chore, task, or assignment that would take my mind off of the cursed piece of paper.
0800. Shift change, I trotted in to station wearing a smile that I was not entirely sure where it came from. Today was an easy day for me, I was replacing Sun ray's spot on Engine 3. like yesterday I'll only have to leave the station for serious medical emergencies or fires. This among other reason is why I love Station 3, it was on the edge of town near Sweet Apple Park. So we hardly got any calls at all. The lack of calls also meant that district headquarters also short staffed us most of the time. Sun filled me in on some changes that happened during the other shifts, and other little bits of information passed down. nothing of huge interest so I 'officially' released her and trotted inside to the locker room to change. I opened to door to my locker and found a note had been stuffed through one of the vent slots. It had no name on it and the inside was something rather odd. It had only one line typed into the middle.
Little advice, don't forget your phone.
That was it, nothing else. the paper was firm and postcard like. But it was soft enough to be flexible, with no apparent owner. I patted the side pocket of my jacket, and yep phone. And a another pat to my chest, note and envelope. Yep all there. I tossed the note into my locker and headed off to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. I found Pike and Phoenix engaged in conversation at the table, so I tip toed into the kitchen as I listened in.
"So, BC June says that Stacks took almost an hour to finish their station. He said Stacks even found a possible soft spot on Truck 2. So the BC gave him a note to bring back. Apparently they said to save Station 1 till last, so he went to Station 4 clear across town!" Pike seemed so proud of himself I did my best not to interrupt.
"And Station 4 even played along. Straight couldn't stop laughin' over the phone, The BC Was already at that meeting, so as station officer he told Stacks to take detailed notes on any soft spots found. It wasn't until after dinner he came back with a stack of papers. I had no idea how many there were, but he took them straight to the BC's office. Apparently each note was a detailed location of all the soft spots he found." Pike burst into laughter and Phoenix just rolled his eyes, he had gone to Station 1 to do some admin duties for Sabre. Sun wasn't entirely sure why when she told me.
"When Lord Helmet (Sabre) broke it to the guy that there were no such things as soft spots Stacks almost had a breakdown in the office. But the half that was Moon's (Jumper) plan fell into place well." He fell into his more calm state. "Moon walked in and brought him to the kitchen where we had gotten the usual 'welcome to Ponyville District' cake. He looked so lost, but Moon did her thing and explained that it happens to everypony that walks into the district. And she said in years to come you'll find yourself realizing that you learned something valuable today. Stacks was speechless, it couldn't have gone better!"
Pike smacked his hoof on the table triumphantly. This is why Pike was a lovable pain in the ass. All his newbie pranks were mean in a way, but they had a purpose. I looked down at my mug as i filled it with coffee. I remember the reason I was to stir the tanks was so I knew how to maneuver on the tops of the engines with ease. which under training circumstances was a tough thing to do. When I confronted Pike about it Jumper did the exact same thing, took me into the dining area where an apple cake awaited with the same message.
Sabre nodded his head and sighed. "I'm sad I missed that. I had to take Sabre's place in the meeting since he had to file the paperwork for the school fire drill. And afterwords I had to file a paid leave of absence for Smoke, they seriously thought it was a prank so they couldn't decide if they should approve it or not. It took two phone calls from sabre to finally get their pony butts into gear to file it."
I walked out from the kitchen area right behind pikes chair. Sabre looked up as I entered. "Thanks for going through that for me."
Pike jumped about two feet in the air and his wings snapped open in defense nearly knocking my coffee out of my hoof.
"Sweet Celestia Mute, Didn't anypony ever teach you not to sneak up on a Pegasus like that?" He bellowed turning in his chair to look at me, his wings back under control.
I walked over to the end of the table and sat my coffee down and gave Pike my best 'Sorry' look.
"So tell us, did you actually meet the princess or did you just play hooky all day??" Pike asked leaning on the table staring intently at me. I looked over at Phoenix who just looked curious, but not to the level of a certain Pegasus.
"Yes." I said sipping my coffee.
"Yes tooo?"
"Both. I met with Princess sparkle who didn't actually tell me much. I know she has a task for me, I know it's going to be a tough task, and that's pretty much it. The whole thing left me so lost I went home." I said with a shrug.
"That's it? What was the castle like? What was the princess like? Are all the rumors true? Is there actually a dragon in the castle? Does everypony dress in robes and sit in circles to meditate? Come on tell us more!"
"More what?" Came stacks voice as he entered the room. Saved by the newbie. He was followed by jumper and I could hear Sabre back in his office.
"Oh nothing really, just Mute got a new job higher up in the hierarchy." Pike said indifferently, rhyming terribly.
"Pickle be nice." Jumper said sitting down next to Phoenix.
"Pickle?" Stacks apparently didn't know all the nicknames yet.
"Don't ask." Phoenix said stopping any explanation. "And Pike is trying to get more information about his meeting with the Princess yesterday."
"You met the princess?" Stack asked not sure if it was a joke or not. Jumper also seemed a bit lost.
You bet your flank I did, and I don't want to say more or else I might end up with more questions. Also, Stacks didn't know? I guess I could expect Phoenix and Sabre keeping the whole thing under wraps. But how did Pike keep hushed about the whole thing? Maybe orders, maybe disbelief. Who knows.
"Yup our very own royal Mute." He said giving me a sideways grin.
I rolled my eyes and took another good swig of my coffee. Something was bothering me, of all the questions I had there was one that didn't fit with the others. Why did the princess send the note to the Fire District. Why not directly to the station, or better yet, why not straight to me? if I was tasked with something with great importance, why am I waiting a week before I know what it is? Maybe it's a test, strange test if you ask me. Speaking of test.
"Any response from Canterlot?" I asked Phoenix, he seemed to have disengaged from the conversation as well and was just reading the newspaper. Pike was discussing how I got the letter to Jumper and Stacks.
"Not yet, The process should have your grade either today or tomorrow." He said not looking away from his paper.
Fair enough I can wait.
Sabre walked in and the entirety of B-Shift was now at the table.
"Morning, we'll get to today's chores and what we're doing for drill in a moment. Smoke, what came of your meeting with the princess yesterday?"
I looked up from my thoughts to find all of them staring at me. Especially Pike who seemed like a hungry dog and I was the steak.
"The princess has asked me to undertake a task of extreme difficulty. She was vague on the details, and I'm not entirely sure what I am tasked to do. All I know is next week I expect to hear from her more on the subject." I said making eye contact with Pike to drive home the fact that that was all I knew.
"Huh, I wonder what it could be." Stacks asked open ended.
Welcome to my world. I haven't the slightest idea. The best case scenario, and basically the only scenario is that I'm a new guinea pig for a test project.
"Well hammer, that is what we're all wondering." Pike said a little incredulously.
Hammer? Really that's the nickname for the poor pony. Still better than pickle.
"Well, keep us in the loop bud. Okay first up is station duties. With Stacks now on the team, we are back to almost full functionality. But it does mean no more double duty for anypony after today." Sabre was interrupted by a cheer from Pike. "Anyways, Pike you have rig checks. Jumper you've got supply inventory. Phoenix, take Stacks and show him how to clean the shop. And Smoke, are you comfortable pulling a double today?"
I responded with a simple nod.
"Great, your primary task is to reset the plywood on the vertical ventilation prop. Then I need you to do VAC for just this station."
"Oh jeez, I was about to get jealous that Mute gets to use power tools then you had to go and say VAC. Now I feel bad for you." Pike said looking from Sabre then to me.
I just shrugged, it's not the worst. It was exactly what i was looking for, it's monotonous and allows me to think freely without disturbance. VAC just stands for Vehicle Authorization Clearances. All that means is I have to go through every single vehicle parked here and make sure that it's certification from the HQ doesn't expire this month. Then go through everyponys Driver cards in the BC's office and do the same. Once those are done, I have to write a report on every vehicle and individual separately. Not too bad.
"Alright, and for drill we've got some volunteers that need a car fire to get their firefighter one. And since it's been a while since that old prop is collecting dust we are partnering up to get some of that training on. Alright let's get too it." And with that we split up for a bit, each with our assigned tasks.
I spent most of the morning breaking apart the old plywood off the fake roof, then using the saw I cut replacement plywood and nailed them to the beams. Then the shingles in nice neat rows. When I was done I stepped back and admired my work. The little fake roof wouldn't give you much protection, but at least it looked good. I suppose if I ever lost my job I could become a roofer. Like if I fail the task the princess has for me, if I do that that, well that would be the end... No stop thinking about the princess. Focus on the tasks at hand. I looked at my watch, half past noon. Lunch time. I found Jumper making a sandwich in the kitchen. I joined her and made myself a dandelion sandwich on rye. Jumper understood I didn't talk much, so I usually found myself on the receiving end of some kind of rant. Whether it was about Pike or some change in the district. Today was a little different, she was asking me up and down about the meeting with Princess Sparkle. And how cryptic she was about the actual task they had lined up for me. The speakers over head crackled to life and we paused our conversation to listen to see who was leaving.
Station 3, Alpha response for a breathing problem, 272 Angel Way.
The message repeated and Jumper got up and headed for the ambulance. Pike and her were the ones assigned to the ambulance, so she headed out and I listened to them leave as I finished lunch alone with my thoughts. Whether or not I should worry about that note, and whether or not I should be worrying about what the task may be. And whether or not I should be worried at all. I cleaned both our plates up and headed out to finish my second chore before drill.
I went through all the vehicles. Collecting information on the clip board as I went, date of expiration and VIN. I found the rubber mallet had gotten left in the pickup truck so I swung past the shop to drop it off. Stacks and Phoenix were having a good laugh, so they were having fun. On my way back into the station Pike and Jumper had returned so I stopped to listen as I passed through the vehicle bays. Pike was in a verbal debate with Jumper whether or not she could tell Stacks why his nickname was Pickle. I didn't stick around to hear the end of it. I sat down at the little workstation next to the BC's office and went to work. The SUV and the pickup truck were good. The engine, the brush rig, the truck, and the water tender were all good as well. Their water tanks were in the green for magic too. But the little sedan expires in two weeks. So that report was a little longer since I had to write out into detail the physical condition of the vehicle. After an hour and a half of substantial online paperwork I grabbed the little bin with our cards in them. Turns out the other shifts had already done theirs. So I only had to focus on B-Shift.
Sabre - BC - Good
Phoenix Down - LT - Good
Pike Pie - FF/Paramedic - Good (He hated that last name)
Smoke Jumper - FF/Engineer - Good (No relation, just confusing as hay when I joined.)
Smoke Eater - P FF/EMT Good (Hopefully that P for Probationary is going to disappear today)
Stacklemire III - P FF/EMT - Good (Whoa that's a name)
I stopped and stared hard at Stack's card. it was brand new and I wanted to laugh, but at the same time I felt terrible. It's no wonder he goes by Stacks. And come to think of it, this is probably why I got put on VAC in the first place. If Pike had seen this there would have been a one horse riot. Even with her more calm nature, if Jumper had seen this she would have surely shown it to pike. Poor guy.
I typed in detail the reports required from national, then I returned the little box back to it's place. I thought I had done that pretty quick, but when I glanced at the clock I only had ten minutes before the drill started. I trotted to the kitchen and poured some coffee.
I didn't make it through the door when our most feared sound went off. The metallic bell rang throughout the station. A fire. I galloped to the bay and started to toss my turnouts on, I'll admit I was still a little awkward on doing it quickly. It was strange, the second fire in one week. It was unusual for this time of year. I was the first one there, the others were pushing the car fire prop back into place. The ringing stopped and silently we all counted the number or rings of the bell. Just two, but two was enough.
Ponyville Stations 1, 2, 3, 4. Second alarm for a Commercial Fire.
All Ponyville stations, second alarm for a commercial fire at 17654 Gator Dr.
A thought hit the back of my mind, I suddenly remembered the card. 'Don't forget your phone.'
I padded my chest, note and envelope. But I had left my phone by the computer. I galloped inside and stuffed it in my inside pockets. By the time I was back outside, Pike and Jumper were already gone in the ambulance. Phoenix had the engine started and Sabre and Stacks were working on getting their bunker gear on. Phoenix gave me a stare as I galloped out of the station already half dressed, but didn't say anything. I pulled my hood on, zipped my turnouts the rest of the way on and dropped my mask around my neck. I tossed my helmet on the floor in front of my seat and climbed in. I slipped my hooves through the straps of the air pack and belted my self in. Placing the headset on my head I was good to go.
"Mute, good to go." I said balancing the knob on my right ear to an appropriate volume. Phoenix and Sabre were already set. I looked over at Stacks seat, he was just getting his seat belt on. I lifted his headset off it's hook and handed it to him. He gave me a brief smile before placing it on his head. It was common practice to use our nicknames, it started long before pike arrived at the station. Supposedly it gave a more relaxed atmosphere when going to a call to help clear the air.
"St-ammer, good to go." He tripped between using his actual name and his nickname.I had to push the mike away from my mouth as I started laughing at his crossed over name. He gave me a dirty look, a friendly, but dirty look.
The engine lurched forward and the high pitched wail that emitted from our grill announced to the street that our very own big red was about to launch. We were racing towards the center of town down the same route I had taken three days prior. As we passed the castle I could have sworn I saw Princess sparkle on the balcony looking down at us. almost every pony we passed on the street had stopped and were watching us go past. I couldn't blame them. A large, noisy, and quite flashy (pun intended) object was passing them by. My favorite part was the excitement of a foal or any young pony that saw me wave back when they waved at us.
From my backward seated position I couldn't see the fire, but something told me it wasn't going to be small. The back seat headsets weren't connected to the radio, but from turning to look at Sabre, I could tell it wasn't good. He kept shifting in his seat, then he would write something down on his white board. Whatever list he was making it was getting longer.
"Hammer, Mute." Sabre finally said over the headsets. "The fire was just escalated to a fourth alarm, the building is a hobby warehouse. it's apart of a shopping complex and the next door buildings are in danger. We are going in as a flanking fire attack. We're going to make entrance on the delta side of Gladiator Gaming. The buildings on the other side of the warehouse are already involved. Command thinks that the store is savable. We're coming in backwards, so Stacks you're on mirror." Sabre was on the verge of yelling. Even with our headsets on the noise of the engine and siren combo was plenty loud. A mirror is a pony who stands at the front or back of the engine so they can see hand signals from the ponies on the hose line or from other engines and relay that to the pump operator. This usually only is needed when we go in backwards. Where the pump panel is on the other side of the engine from the fire.
"Mute, you're on nozzle. I'm backing you up. Grab the front cross-lay and set up outside the back door of the comic store." and that was that. The orders were out.
In less than a minute we were on scene. I jumped out and could see things had obviously gotten worse. The black column was as wide as the building itself. About five other engines and a truck were on scene and water was already flowing. The tall ladder of the truck reached into the sky and a steady stream of water was punching into the darkness. I tightened my pack around me and I trotted around to the other side of the engine, pulling the hose onto my back I dragged it, dropping loops as I went, to the side door of the store. I turned to face the engine. Sabre was just returning from talking with command and Stacks was at the tail.
I lifted both hooves over my head, "WATER" I could see Stacks do the same but I couldn't here him. I looked down and checked that the nozzle was closed. The once flat hose filled with life and snapped firm as pressure built. I cradled the hose in my front hooves and let a little spurt of water over the door. No steam. Good, means no flames on the other side. I fitted my mask to my face. Sealing away the outside world. I lifted my hood and got my helmet back on. A twist of a valve by my flank followed by a bell then a chirp signified that all was well. Sabre came up behind me and tapped my tank. I released the air hose from my belt and snapped it into my mask with a twist. Dry, cold air rushed into my face. I turned around and I looked over Sabre's mask area, as well he did mine to double check the seal. We waited until I heard his radio come to life. He moved around me and felt up the door, with a push it was open. A black emptiness is what welcomed us.
This was thicker than any smoke I had ever seen, it was like a wall of black jelly. I would assume it was heavier because of the plastics and paint from the hobby warehouse on the other side of the wall. We pushed in, diving head first into the pitch black. Our helmet lights did little to breach the darkness. We passed shelves of untouched comics. Sabre was using a Thermal imaging camera to watch our path. We didn't have to lay down just yet, but it felt like the smoke had weight to it. Every step I took it got heavier. We had gotten maybe eighty feet in when Sabre could see the heat of the fire. We we're a little ways away and maneuvered until we found the spot on the wall that had the hottest marking and waited. Our job was to put water on the wall as soon as it started to burn. Sabre's radio was going non stop.
"What do you see?" I called through my mask, the tinny sound of the speakeasy turned my voice robotic. A speakeasy is exactly how it sounds. It's a little speaker that's attached to the mask that amplifies our voices.
"I'd say about five more minutes until we're going to have to soak that wall."
"Copy that." I looked back at the blackness before me. My helmet light couldn't even touch the wall ten feet in front. I hated this part. We didn't want to spray the wall too soon, because if we didn't need to and all the property around us got destroyed by water damage and not fire, ponies got pretty unhappy. Which I found totally bogus. Why should we have to take a chance of things going wrong just so a property owner could save his things from water.
There was a blinding flash of white light that caused both Sabre and I to yell out. I turned around he was already on the radio.
POP
This time the light was accompanied by a thunders noise.
"That's it, they just called fifth alarm. We've been ordered to evacuate NOW. Let's go Mute." Sabre called. We traced the hose line back through the pitch black towards a little bit of light in the distance. Per orders we left the nozzle behind.
Three steps was all I made when another flash of white light and the ground trembled. The noise was louder, almost closer. I heard muffled screaming, Sabre was shaking his head. Something was attacking him, well not him but his horn. He was scrapping at his helmet. I grabbed the back of his harness and started dragging. I was fighting him every step to keep him from ripping his mask and helmet off. We HAD to get out of here. My heart was thrown into my throat as the harness lurched and the two of us fell to the ground. Sabre had stopped moving all together. Things were going very very wrong.
I knelt next to him. "SABRE" I yelled. I grabbed his radio and at the first break in traffic I called the worst call possible.
"MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY" I called into the radio and waited.
"This is command to all traffic, clear the air and go to Working channel 4. Mayday this is command go ahead." came the unknown voice. LUNAR was bouncing in my head. Location, Unit, Name, Air supply, Requests.
"Command, This is Smoke Eater off of Engine 3 fire attack. We are 100 feet along the hose line coming in off of the delta side, Gladiator. BC Sabre is unconscious and there are small explosions occurring in the air. Requesting immediate RIC response." RIC stood for Rapid Intervention Crew. They sit at the door and wait hoping they're not needed. Sorry to ruin your day guys.
"COPY! Command to Truck 2 RIC, make ent-" Another thunderous *CLAP* and more trembling. I felt the ground beneath me give way. I did the only thing I could. I crossed my front legs in front of my mask and clutched my helmet. I prayed that the drop wasn't far.