//------------------------------//
// Making the Grade 
// Story: PVFD: The Test 
// by Rescue Sunstreak 
//------------------------------//

Two stallions stood looking around. The stench of burned wood, chemicals, and melted glass in the air. Both ignored the sunlight streaming in through the holes in the roof above them. Both seemed oblivious to the sound of water dripping, or the crackle of still smoking wood here and there.

Rescue turned, his trained eyes taking in the burn pattern along the large wood beam above him. Following it down, to the floor line, he gave a grunt.

Turning his head to his left and using his nose to dig into his bag. He tugged out a small crowbar held in his jaws grip. Once more he took a few steps, hearing the wood creek under his hooves. Bending his neck down and wedging the blade of the tool into the space between the beam and the burned facade. He gave it his earthpony strength and with a twist of his mouth caused the facade to rip away from the wood stud beneath it.

He gestured to the clean, unburned wood.  “What do you see crash?”

Lowering his head in and sniffing, the  lunar unicorn stallion perked his ears. “No discoloration, so it burned too fast, and no smell of accelerants at all. The fire didn’t start here Chief.”

Rescue gave a nod as he tucked the small crowbar back in its place. “Exactly, now, where do you think we should look next?”

He had been training Crash to become the next fire inspector for two years now. Knowing that he himself was about to become the Battalion chief, this was the unicorns final test. Rescue needed to know that Crash could do the job.

Crash eyed the burn pattern then gestured “It came up, burned along that beam there, from below us, so, ground floor.” confidence in his tone.

Once more Rescue stopped himself from giving a smile. The colt was good, real good, and he did not lament one bit taking the pony under his wing so to speak.

Following the unicorn down the steps to the ground floor once more Both moving slow and keeping a eye on where they stepped. The wood had been charred pretty good but was stable.

He watched as Crash lit up his horn. Using a spell to give him more focused light, then moved his head slowly in an arch. Following the spread out pattern of smoke and charred wood, ears perked eyes wide.

“Chief, this....” pausing and looking over at the older stallion “look here, it burns right down to the ground here too, and then across to…” gesturing “The casks?”

Rescue nodded “good eye” he himself looking over the remains of the casks. Walking over closer to them and gesturing Crash to join him. “Now what do you smell?”

Once again the unicorn lowered his head and sniffed here and there, then turned and plucked out a crowbar of his own. Using magic to hold it rather than his mouth, he pried up a floorboard right next to one of the husks that was once a barrel of whisky.

“It is burned under the flooring, look, and.. OH boy” yanking his head back “the stench of whisky is so palatable I can taste it.”

Rescue narrowed his eyes “What does that tell you rookie?”

Crash flicked a ear as he eyed the ground under the torn up floor stud. “It didn’t burn hot enough to burn off all the Alcohol so, this is not leaking from the casks, this flowed in place before the fire started.”

Green eyes followed the grey stallion as he walked a few more paces away and used his hoof to kick a item on the floor. “This is a brooch tool, but it shouldn't be here. According to the manifests we were given. This room was all new casks, less than five years old. Nopony would broach that young of a cask. The stuff would be like drinking turpentine as far as taste.”

He turned and looked at the elder firepony “somepony popped the cork on a cask, but, why?”

Now, rescue smirked “you are onto something, why did they? Look around again, you are missing one thing.”

Crash looked back around, lighting up the area bright as he could with a small spell. Then He saw it, there on the floor, a spot where the water from the hoses didn’t puddle or soak into the wood.

He walked over to it and used the edge of his steel hoofshoe to grind a bit at it, causing something waxy to flake up. Dawning hit him and he looked up with a wide, eager grin.

“I got it! This is candle wax, see how it doesn’t soak into the wood but rather flowed across it in the heat? Bottling wax would have soaked into the wood, but not the stuff they use for candles. Somepony was in here, A pegasus or a earth pony, as a unicorn would not have needed a candle.”

Rescue sat and gestured for his young trainee to continue. He watched as his fellow firefighter yanked out a folder from his bag and flipped it open in the air, once more his particular dark purple magic holding the papers firm.

“Nopony working in this industry would use a open flame near the casks, they would use a hurricane lantern so as to keep flashover from happening.”

Again the stallion paused as he looked about then back to his Chief.  “The night guard that called in the fire, he is a Pegasus. See here, Ice took the report and she noted he smelled like he had a few. I knew I remembered reading that.” As the unicorn tapped the page.

Rescue gave a nod of his head “so, what is your conclusion?”

Now the young grey uniicorn sat down and looked over the room, then turned back to look Rescue in the eyes.

“I think, our night watchpony was tapping off a little to drink. Perhaps hoping to hide it by hitting the new casks where no one would see the loss for another year or two.”

He gestured “Perhaps he got drunk, may have tripped, but whatever happened the candle fell and flashed over. Because of the air flow in this part of the brewery the fire quickly backflashed to the open cask and” he did not need to finish, for the three alarm fire from the night before did that for him.

Rescue gave a nod “I concur” then a big genuine smile lit the older stallions face up. “Congratulations, Inspector Firestone”

The poor unicorn just blinked “you didn’t call me Rookie...did...did I just…”

Lifting his dark hoof up, he brought it to rest on the unicorns turnout covered shoulder. Looking him right in the eyes “It is my honor to name you, Fire Inspector Lunar ‘Crash’ Firestone” putting tone to his words so the nickname of Crash stood out.

From outside, a uproar of hoots and hoof stomps started up. Both males turning to look at the twelve members of Ponyville Station one who were on cleanup detail. All looking in through the burned out wall, and cheering their brother.

Crash sniffled a bit and whispered “I, I won’t let you down, Chief.”

Rescue gave a nod “I know you won’t crash, I know”