They were in Hell.
The suffocating heat penetrated through their heavy fireproof jackets, pants, and boots, all the way down to their bones. Their halogen lamps failed to penetrate the ever-thickening smoke that tried to block their path, the light only allowing them to see a few inches in front of them. The flames that adorned the wooden walls and floor crackled and roared around them, while above their heads, the roof groaned and creaked as it struggled beneath its own weight.
Hydrant and Bull Run inched forward through the fire, their own breathing echoing in their ears; the cold taste of the compressed air filtering through their SCBA gear lingered on their tongues every time they inhaled. Hydrant pushed forward through the flames, battling them back with a constant stream of water from the hose held in his bright yellow magic. His much larger companion followed behind, one meaty hoof on his partner’s back, trusting him to guide him forward, the other hoof clutching his trusty Denver tool. Their booted hooves clomped loudly with every step.
“Got a door here,” Hydrant called, his voice muffled but still clear through his face mask. He raised a hoof and pointed at the solid oak door blocking their path, then went back to trying to beat back the flames.
Bull Run stepped forward, his bulk unencumbered by the weight of his turnout gear, and pressed a hoof against the door. It was fortunately cool to the touch. He raised the Denver tool and with a great grunt, brought the ax head down onto the solid wood, sending splinters flying. He swung the ax again and again at a steady rhythm, carving a hole into the door around the lock. Once he finally broke through, he swung the tool around and inserted the prybar end into the hole. With a grunt of effort, he levered the door off its hinges and tossed it aside.
The room on the other side was a child’s bedroom. A small bed, the bright blue sheets tangled at the foot of the mattress. Stuffed animal toys were scattered around the room, and a dresser and a bookcase stood against the far wall.
“Hello?” Bull called out. Smoke was already filling the room, invited in by the open door. “Is there anypony here?”
He squinted through his face mask, scanning the room for any sign of anypony. Then, he noticed the white closet door in the corner, standing slightly ajar. He crossed over to the door and slowly pulled it open.
A pair of terrified green eyes stared back up at him. A young pale blue unicorn colt, no older than six years old, crouched on the floor, hidden beneath several coats and jackets. His straw blonde mane was already heavy with sweat. He flinched away from Bull Run with a frightened whimper.
Bull slung the Denver tool into a holster on his harness and slowly crouched down so that his face was on the same level as the colt’s. He remembered how frightening he must appear to the youngling, with his enormous bulk, masked face, and loud, heavy breathing.
“Hey, don’t be scared, all right?” he spoke softly. “My name’s Bull. I’m going to get you out of here.”
The colt hesitated, whimpering, unsure whether to fear him or the fire more.
“Your mom and dad are right outside waiting for you,” Bull continued. “I’m going to get you out of here and take you to them, okay?” He reached out a hoof.
The colt looked up at him, his trembling now slightly more subdued, and slowly nodded. He reached out and grasped Bull’s hoof.
Quickly, Bull raised himself up to his full height and scooped the youngling up in his foreleg, holding him to his chest. He turned and walked quickly out of the room, back into the haze of flame and smoke.
“Is this all of them?” he asked Hydrant, who was still aiming his nozzle at the base of the flames.
“That’s all of them!” Hydrant shouted back. The fire roared as if in defiance of his efforts to smother it. “Get him out of here, I got this!”
Bull Run turned and began to run back down the stairs, following their hose through the thick smoke. Flames licked at the walls, trying to reclaim the ground that they had lost. The colt began to cough and choke in his hooves, compelling him to move as quickly as he could.
He fought through the smoke and flames to the bottom of the stairs and sprinted across the short hallway to the open front door. The sunlight embraced them both like an old friend as Bull jogged down the garden pathway to the street. The simple white two-story cottage with the sky blue trim behind them was almost fully ablaze, smoke pouring up into the sky in a spiraling column. Flames danced in the windows, and the entire building groaned as if in pain.
Manehattan Tanker 45 was waiting for them on the curb, its fresh bright red paint and spinning red and blue lights catching their attention instantly. Right next to it was Ambulance 4, its lights also flashing on and off. Several ponies were gathered around the back of the vehicle, including a plump bright blue blonde-maned unicorn mare and a stocky sea green pegasus with a bushy white mustache.
“Short Straw!” the mare cried hysterically, sprinting forward. Tears ran from her eyes.
“He’s okay, ma’am,” Bull Run reported. “Please, let me take him over to the EMT so she can check him out.”
The mother nodded and stepped aside, allowing Bull Run to carry Straw over to the ambulance. A snow white unicorn with reddish-orange hair drawn back in a bun wearing a blue and white short-sleeved shirt gently extracted the colt from Bull’s grip and placed him on a waiting stretcher. The blue-winged rod and coiled snake on her flank matched the one on her sleeve. Her emerald green eyes sparkled with kindness as she fitted her stethoscope into her ears.
“You’re going to be all right, honey,” Healing Touch cooed to Straw, pressing the resonator against the colt’s chest so she could listen to his breathing.
“Bull!” a voice barked. Bull Run turned to see another firefighter storming towards him, adorned in full turnout gear save for the face mask. Lieutenant Smokey Bear was a tall, dark brown earth pony with a long, midnight black mane. Her chocolate brown eyes glowered at Bull. Her cutie mark was a black bear.
“Where’s Hydrant?” she demanded. “Is he still in there?”
“Yeah,” Bull confirmed.
“Get him out of there!” Smokey ordered. “This fire is getting out of control. I tried to radio him, but he’s not responding!”
Almost before the sentence was complete, Bull Run was sprinting back towards the house. Rushing through the front door, Bull grasped the hose in his hooves and began to follow it back through the hallway and up the stairs, entering once more into the hellish realm of smoke and flames on the second floor. “Hydrant!” he called out.
No response.
“Hydrant!” he shouted, squinting through the smoke as he followed the hose. He could still feel the water rushing through the hose, so presumably…
A great crack resounded above his head. The ceiling was giving away. ”Hydrant!”
“Bull, I’m over here,” Hydrant’s voice came from his right. The unicorn was still battling the flames, spraying a constant jet of water over the base of the fire, which continued to roar and rage at him.
“Didn’t you hear the lieutenant?” Bull asked, grabbing Hydrant’s shoulder. “We’re getting out of here. It’s too hot.”
Hydrant nodded and they began to back their way out of the house, Hydrant dousing any flames that attempted to block their path. The smoke closed in around them as if trying to prevent them from escaping, but they battled through and exited the house, retreating back to the tanker.
“There you are!” Smokey barked as Hydrant approached. “Didn’t you hear me over the radio? I told you to get out of there once the kid was safe!”
Hydrant unclasped his face mask and allowed it to dangle off his face. His lime green coat and dusty brown mane were caked in sweat. “Sorry, lieutenant,” he reported, clicking the walkie-talkie attached to his shoulder on and off. “Looks like the batteries ran out.”
Smokey glared at him and let out a huff through her nostrils. “At least Bull was here to get your stupid ass out of there. Alright, you two know the drill; contain the fire so it doesn’t spread to these other houses.”
Bull took off his face mask, sighing with relief as his face was exposed to the coolness of the air. He mopped a hoof through his blue-white mane and wiped off his slate-gray mouth. Taking up the hose, he started spraying through the windows on the second floor, hoping to contain the fire within the cottage and let it burn itself out.
“How’s the kid?” Hydrant asked, uncoiling another hose from the tanker.
“He’ll be all right,” Smokey reported, softening a little. “Healing’s going to take him to the hospital just to be on the safe side.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Bull observed Healing loading the rescued family into the back of the ambulance. She climbed in after them and shut the doors behind them. With a growl of an engine and a wail of sirens, the ambulance pulled away from the curb and sped down the street.
Hydrant turned to Bull and grinned. “Just another day in the life of a Manehattan firefighter, eh?”
Bull just grunted and continued sweeping the upper windows with the hose.
“Order up!” Sous Chef sang out, balancing the steaming plates of spaghetti on his spread wings. The volunteer firefighter carried his masterpiece work over to the table where the hungry crew of Firehouse 9 waited and started to hand them out.
“Smells great, Sous,” Smokey grinned, immediately digging into her dinner. The other firefighters all made sounds of agreement.
Sous grinned at the flattery, running a hoof through his tomato red mane as his egg white plumage ruffled in embarrassment. “Ah, anything for the heroes of Manehattan, eh?” he said, sliding into his seat. He twirled his fork through the spaghetti and lifted it to his mouth.
“Glad that we’re all here to enjoy it,” Smokey added, giving a glare across the table at two of her charges. Her face was remarkably similar to the expression on her black bear cutie mark.
Hydrant smiled back at her, his lips outlined by tomato sauce. “Eh, no worries, Sarge,” he replied. “It was an honest mistake, and I’m gonna take responsibility for it. But, I’m still here.” He looked over at Bull Run. “Got my partner to thank for that.”
Bull looked over at him evenly. “Wouldn’t have needed to save your life if your radio had been working,” he grunted. His voice was very like the low rumbling of a bull, like his cutie mark.
“Bull is right,” a voice interrupted from the doorway. Everypony looked up to see a broad-shouldered earth pony stallion entering the room. His coat was a bright orange-yellow, and his face adorned with a short salt and pepper beard. His bright blue eyes focused on Hydrant like a pair of searchlights, which, ironically, was also his cutie mark.
“Hydrant, slip-ups like this are what get ponies killed,” Captain Spotlight Sweep scolded Hydrant, stepping forward. “You needlessly put yourself and your partner in danger.” He scowled. “You’re the one with the bucking fire hydrant on your flanks, you should know better.”
Hydrant frowned and hung his head. “You’re right, Cap—”
Captain Sweep held up a small device in his hoof. It was a black box with a circular gauge and a light on it. He pressed a button on the side of the box. The PASS device started sending out a loud, high-pitched warbling whine as the red light began to blink on and off. Spotlight Sweep allowed the device to let out its warning cry for a few seconds, then switched it off.
“I hate that sound,” he said, pocketing the device. “Whenever I hear that sound, that usually means that one of my team is dead. And the only thing worse than that is when I find that one of my team died because of something they could’ve prevented.” He paused, then patted Hydrant on the back. “Keep that in the back of your mind, son.”
Hydrant nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Captain Sweep paused for a moment, turning to look out the window. The city of Manehattan stretched out before them, the rows of skyscrapers backlit by the setting sun. In the distance, the sparkling waters of the Hayson Bay glowed gold, orange, and red. Dominating the skyline was the Skybridge Building, its twelve-hundred-foot height tipped by an iron mooring mast for airships.
“There are over three thousand ponies in this city, team,” he stated in a grave tone. “They’re all counting on us to be prepared.” He waited a moment longer, then turned and exited the room. The silence left in his wake lingered around the table like an unwelcome guest.
The awkwardness was fortunately broken by Bull Run belching loudly, prompting a round of laughter from the table.
“Glad you think that highly of it!” Sous laughed.
Bull showed a rare smile and draped his forelegs around Sous and Hydrant. “None of you better change,” he said.
“Not going anywhere, bud,” Hydrant grinned back. “Somepony pass the parmesan.”