//------------------------------// // 2 - Orientation day // Story: Ponyville Fire Department: New Generation // by Rescue Sunstreak //------------------------------// Arriving in Canterlot and finding their way to the academy had not been too difficult. In fact, Rumble had struck up a conversation with a group of four cadets from the Crystal Empire on the train. Now, the four crystal ponies were walking with the Ponyville cadets. It could not have been more intriguing to learn they were the first of their kind to start down the road of becoming first responders. “That's wild! So, it’s a bit like soft metal fires then?” Rumble glanced over as the nine ponies walked together in a tight group. Blue Sapphire, a crystal earth pony, gave a bit of a nod. “Exactly. So, if a fire reaches a high enough temperature to hit the flash point of crystal, we can’t use water on it. It just makes it hotter and burn brighter.” “Hey, Pipsqueak, how come you and Lily have that little pin on your uniforms already?” Clouded Ruby asked. The reddish-yellow mare gestured her hoof at the open parachute with the crossed axe and saw over it. Pip glanced over, then back to where he was walking. “Lily and I are both honorary Hot Shots, Academy regulations let us wear our pins to show that.” The four crystal ponies exchanged looks with each other and back at the paint pony in a bit of awe. “So, you two have made a jump already?” Lily shook her head. “No. It’s a long story, but to sum it up, we pulled a wagon across a fire line in full gear to pull ten Explorers and a full crew out who were trapped behind it. That was during the big Whitetail Woods fire, about three years ago.” Pip continued after her. “So, at the Firefighter's Ball that year, we were inducted. Of course, we still have to qualify in jump school and graduate from the Academy before we can become full members.” Blue shook her head. “That's crazy... and cool all at once. You think we will all get the same bunkhouse?” Diamond Tiara shrugged. “Who knows, but it would be pretty cool. First Ponyville cadets, and the first Crystal Empire cadets, all in the same unit.” Clouded leaned over and spoke in a softer voice to Scootaloo. “Is Diamond seeing anyone?” The tangerine pegasus smirked slightly and gave a nod, keeping the private-conversation tone. “Sorry, Clouded, but her and Pip are engaged. Heck, they have been together since we were all like ten or eleven.” “Damn! All the cute ones are already taken. You Ponyville ponies move fast,” Clouded grunted, but he smirked some, having already learned about her and Rumble. --- Diamond simply could not fathom how somepony so old-looking could be so darn loud! She stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her fellow cadets, listening as the training officer lectured bunk assignments to every pony there. “Ponyville!” the faded dark-green earth pony stallion shouted. He stood up on a small podium with eight other firefighter trainers who had all been introduced. Diamond called out. “Here and accounted for, sir!” His head pivoted and looked down at the pink mare, silently sizing her up. He gave a grunt, then a nod. “Bunkhouse three," he said, shifting his attention back down to his clipboard. “Griffonstone!” A large and rather burly eagle-headed griffon spoke up. “Here and accounted for, sir!” Flint Stone looked over and down at the group of four griffons, then grunted out. “Bunkhouse four.” Back down to his list, he called out and assigned four other groups before he called out the last. “Crystal Empire!” Blue proudly raised her head. “Here and accounted for, sir!” Once more, the earth pony’s head turned and looked down at the group of four. “Bunkhouse three.” Scootaloo grinned at that. “Cool!” Tucking the clipboard back into a hip bag hanging from his side, the older stallion glanced down at the Ponyville group. He lifted a hoof and pointed right at Pipsqueak. “You, paint! You are Pipsqueak Sunstreak, yes?” Gulping, Pip kept his head up and eyes forward. “Yes, sir,” he responded. Clicking his tongue a few times, the old stallion gave a grin. “I was your father's probationary training officer. I will expect big things from you, boy.” The paint colt struggled to swallow another lump, nodding firmly. “Yes, sir!” With a nod, ignoring the snicker from a few of the other training officers, the old stallion bellowed out. “Dismissed! Unpack your gear, clean up. Remember, you all have the official meet-and-greet at seventeen-hundred hours. You are expected to wear your cadet dress uniforms.” He paused to glance down at the three griffons. “You may wear your sashes, with any honors you have, but may not fly your color patch, you have not earned that right yet.” They glanced at each other, then nodded. “Yes, sir,” they said in unison. Turning, he grunted out. “Now, get out of here, all of you.” --- As they had all found out, the bunkhouses were broken up into a cross, and all four attached at one end like a big plus mark. Each wing had two floors, five rooms each, two beds to a room. All females downstairs, all males upstairs. Each floor had its own shared shower area and bathroom. Downstairs was a small kitchen that both floors shared together, along with a spacey common room with four study areas set aside. Pip found himself bunking with Rumble, and he knew Diamond and Scootaloo were bunking together. Lily received her own room due to her size. They had to bring in one of the beds made especially for the draft stallions to accommodate her. Right now, he and Rumble were busy brushing out their cadet dress uniforms, making sure not a speck of lint or hair was on them. Rumble attached a small bar on the left breast pocket, just under a slightly-longer bar with two ribbons on it. "How does that look, Pip?” he asked, stepping out of the way. “Is it on crooked?” Pipsqueak turned and strode over, looking at the shirt hanging from the small hanger on the closet door, taking note of the pure white background, three dark blue bands, and the tiny gold-crossed axe pin in the center red band. “No, you got it dead on.” Walking back over to grab a towel, Pip threw it over his shoulder. “I am going to go shower up.” He headed down the hall, ears catching the chatter of the others from the other bunkhouse wings in the showers. Stepping into the locker room and over to his assigned locker, he tugged his shower kit off his back and stuffing it in the small space. From behind him, he heard, “What the hell happened to you?!” Blinking, Pip glanced behind to see a group of three—two earth pony stallions and a male diamond dog—all of which fixed their gazes at his left barrel side and leg. Looking down, he shrugged, unwavered by the fact that anypony outside of Ponyville would recognize it. “I got burned pretty bad when I was a foal, rushed into a burning building to save a friend.” The Diamond dog snorted. “Horseapples, bet you got caught playing with matches or something,” the small group then walking off down their hall, laughing. A timid voice from his left spoke up. “D-d-d... D-don’t l-let them get-get-get to you.” Turning, he found himself looking at a rather small yellow unicorn. The stallions cutie mark looked to be a book set aflame. “It’s cool, I am used to it by now. Name is Pipsqueak, but everyone calls me Pip,” he paused, brushing a hoof across the floor. “Or Squeaker.” The unicorn offered out a hoof, Pip shook it lightly. “R-r-r-Run C-Card, I-I-I am here from Mmm-m-m-m Manehattan.” Pip smiled. “Cool, Ponyville here.” He watched his new friend nod. “I-I know, Y-you-you saved my b-b-b-b-b... brothers life. H-he was part of s-s-station fif-fif-fifteen’s E-Explorers.” Blushing now, he tucked his ears down. “It was a team effort. I am really glad we were able to make it, Run Card.” The smaller stallion smiled. “Y-you d-d-didn’t ma-ma-make fun of my s-s-s-speech.” Pip furrowed an eyebrow, shaking his head. “Why would I? Does it stop you from doing your job?” Run Card shook his head. “N-no.” Pip gave a single nod. “Like my dad taught me, all that matters is what a pony does, and where his heart goes, as long as you try your hardest.” The smaller stallion nodded. “I-I-I w-will.” Pip turned to head into the shower just as Rumble walked in with his kit and towel over his back. “Hey, Rumdumb, this is Run Card. His brother was in the Station Fifteen Explorers,” before disappearing into the shower area. Rumble gave a smile. “Sweet! So, you must have been Station Thirty then,” he said, their voices blotted out from the sound of running water. --- Pipsqueak glanced around the gathering. There were so many of his fellow cadets he had yet to meet. Rumble beside him gave a nudge. “Dude, you better keep an eye on your mare, or some sweet talker is going to take her from you.” Pip snorted. “Yeah, right. They would be lucky to get away from her without a broken nose.” Rumble glanced over, then snorted out. “True. Well, I am going to go meet others." “Yeah, same, see you back in the room.” Pip then spotted the cadets from Manehattan and waved, heading for the drink table. Half way, there he found himself cut off by a familiar diamond dog and two earth pony stallions. “Hey, look, it's the firebug.” Exhaling slowly, Pip shook his head. “What is it with you? Your mother not hug you enough as a pup?” A growl slipped from the diamond dog. “What did you say, runt? You got a mouth on you. Not surprised considering you are a liar, too.” Pip was about to retort when a hoof stomped down hard. “What is going on here?!” Snapping to attention and making note of the three other cadets did the same. Pip saw it was a rather large draft stallion, easily his father's size, dressed in a training officers uniform, its markings indicating that he was the wagon-and-pull trainer. “Nothing, sir, just engaging in conversation with my fellow cadets.” He snorted and looked at the other three, before looking back at Pipsqueak. One eyebrow lifted, then suddenly he lifted his hoof up and saluted the paint pony. This caused the diamond dog to suck in a shocked breath. “You must be Rescue’s kid, Pipsqueak Sunstreak,” the big stallion gestured to the ribbon on his chest. “Honor to have a Iron Hook winner among the cadets.” Leaning closer, still ignoring the shocked Diamond dog and his two friends. “I hear you paid a price for that ribbon, son. That ain’t going to hold you back, is it?” Pip lifted his head a bit higher. “No, sir!” The stallion gave a nod. “Good. A lot of us will have our eye on you, son. Carry on, cadets,” as he turned and trotted off. “N-no way, you... you really received the Iron Hook?” The stallion to the left of the dog half-whispered. Pipsqueak shifted back to the three, nodding “Rumble and I both,” gesturing to the grey pegasus currently talking to another group of cadets far across the room. “Look, sorry, okay? My name is Hose Weaver, that is Butch, and the quiet stallion there is Smoke Dancer. He doesn’t talk, he is mute from birth... but, he does know Equestrian standard sign.” Finally, the diamond dog spoke up. “I... I had no clue, I had no right to call you... I am a bad dog,” his ears flattened. Pip shook his head. “No, don’t do that—Butch was it? You just made a mistake, and now you know and you won’t make that same one again," he then offered out his hoof. “So how about we start again. Hi, I am Pipsqueak. I'm from Ponyville.” Shaking hoof with the paw, then shaking the hooves of the other two. Hose translated for the ear motions and head tilts of the green earth pony while butch hung close. “So, Smoke asks, did Rumble get hurt, too? What about that pony you saved?” Pip smirked some and pointed. “Rumdumb got all four hooves burned and torched his wings some. He won’t admit it out loud, but his wingtips still bother him some... nerve damage. The one we saved is right over there,” pointing at the tangerine pegasus, talking to the griffon group with a pink earth pony at her side. “EMT Scootaloo, over there standing with my fiance.” It was Butch who blurted out. “The pink one? You are getting married? You must only be, what, just turned eighteen?” The paint pony gave a smile and nodded. “Yeah, we agreed to wait 'til we get through our probationary period, but we have been together since we were eleven. So, what is a bit longer of a wait?” The Diamond dog shook his head. “I like you, Ponyville, you got your act together. Come on, let's get some drinks.” Pip gave a nod, turning to walk with his three new friends. He glanced at the diamond dog once more. “Butch, I mean nothing bad by this, but I am very curious. You speak far more clearly than most of your kind I have met.” The dog’s tail started to wag slightly as he smiled. “I was adopted when I was a pup of three months old by a pony couple. I grew up around ponies, going to pony schools and hanging out with pony friends. I got to have the formal education so many other diamond dogs don’t receive.” Pip gave a bit of a nod, then he paused, turning to look up at Butch. “We share something then, Butch. I am adopted, too. My fathers adopted me right after the fire that burned my old orphanage down.” A genuine smile crossed the canine's face, then he blinked in bewilderment. “Wait, fathers?” Pip gave a nod, and started to explain as they each poured a cup of punch and found a spot off to the side to stand out of the way of the others. By the end of the rather-long explanation, the paint pony found a good twenty of his fellow cadets all gathered around, listening to his story, and a certain pretty pink earth pony pressed against his side.