Fires Above

by Pish

Chapter 6

Twilight's promotion of Flood from recruit to errand boy had effectively taken his desire to prove himself and nipped it in the bud. Her first instruction, a medical supply pickup, had brought him to a familiar building in the Thoroughfare: the Mantle City Medical Clinic.

The Clinic, run mostly by former doctors, nurses, and a few volunteers, was hardly ever fully staffed. Very seldom were ponies injured in the underground, since most cases of danger arose from cave-ins and tunnel collapses, which were easily taken care of through unicorn magic and good old-fashioned diamond dog digging.

As Flood walked into the empty waiting room, however, he couldn't help but feel as though the place would soon be filled with more than just a couple pegasi with feather flu. He thought he could sense a coming storm, one that was already looming ominously over Equestria, waiting to strike down through the dirt and into the community.

He strode up to the counter, peering around for whoever was supposed to fill Twilight's order.

"Hello?" he called out.

A white rabbit poked its head around the corner of a doorway. Flood and the rabbit locked eyes for a few seconds, and just as fast as it appeared, the rabbit darted back behind the doorway.

"Uh..." Flood muttered. Not exactly a pharmacist...

He began to walk around the lobby, somewhat indifferently, waiting for somepony to join him. He didn't notice the pink-maned pegasus enter behind him.

"Um..."

He wheeled around at the noise. "Oh, sorry, didn't hear you come in," he said. She didn't respond; instead, she stared at him, much as the rabbit did a few moments earlier.

"Are you...the rabbit from before?" Flood asked, unsure.

"Angel?" the pegasus asked.

Flood raised an eyebrow. "Uh, no," he said. "My name's Flood."

"Oh! I thought recognized you," she said. "You were hurt pretty badly when Rainbow Dash brought you in."

"Um, Rainbow Dash brought you here in a hurry the other day. She said to take care of you."

She must have been the one that took care of you after running back through the tunnels. "You nursed me back to health?"

"Oh, um, I guess so," the pegasus said. She looked at the ground for a moment, idly tracing her hoof in the dirt.

"Well, thank you, uh...what was your name?"

She looked back up at Flood, a little smile creeping across her face. "My name is Fluttershy." She gestured behind her. "And the bunny is Angel." The white rabbit from before poked its head out from behind her.

Flood smiled. "Your assistant?"

Fluttershy smiled back, shyly. "A little bit, I suppose. Angel's been with me since he was a baby. Before..." She trailed off, staring back at the floor.

"Before the Corona?" he finished for her. Fluttershy nodded.

"I took care of a lot of animals when I lived in Ponyville," she said. "I don't know if they made it down here, too." She sniffed, and rubbed her eye with a hoof.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Flood apologized. "I lost a lot, too."

They were silent for a few moments while Fluttershy collected herself.

"I suppose I should pay my hospital bill, then?" he said, levitating his bag of bits from his saddlebag. Suddenly, Fluttershy was in front of him with a flap of her wings.

"Oh, no, there's no need," she said, shaking her head. "Any friend of Rainbow Dash's is a friend of mine. I couldn't take your money, not in the condition you were in a few days ago."

How do they stay funded with her working here? Flood wondered inwardly. "Are you sure? It wouldn't be a problem..."

"No, no, I just couldn't. Any way I can help somepony, I will. That's why I volunteered as a Clinic attendant; so I could share what medicine we have to whoever might need it."

A feeling of warmth filled Flood at her words.

Kindness, warm and compassionate...
Whispered words filled the Clinic waiting room, as if spoken by an invisible crowd. Flood wheeled around, looking for the source.

"Um, is something the matter?" Fluttershy asked.

Flood hesitated a moment before answering. "No...nothing," he said. "I was actually sent here to pick up an order. For Twilight Sparkle?"

"Oh, Twilight's a friend of mine, too!" she said as she took off again, this time behind the waiting room desk. She re-emerged with a white saddlebag in her teeth. "Twilight had a strange order to fill."

Flood raised an eyebrow. "What makes it so strange?"

"Well, the first aid kits aren't any trouble. But what she needs so much anti-biotic and radiation medicine for, I haven't any idea."

Flood squinted at the bag for a second before levitating it around his neck.

"Whatever it's for, though, I'm sure she needs it for something important," Fluttershy continued. "She works so much, sometimes she comes in sick from not sleeping or eating enough."

"I should probably get it to her as soon as possible, then," Flood replied. "Thanks again for patching me up, Fluttershy."

They exchanged smiles, and Flood left the clinic.

---

The next stop on Flood's itinerary was Sweet Apple Caverns, one of Mantle City's largest sources of food. The underground orchard was another place in the depths of the earth that Flood was also familiar with. In fact, the block Flood lived on was located directly below the main orchard cave.

The enchanted lamps used on the trees gave off intense energy and artificial sunlight, which helped the trees to grow much faster than if they were exposed to regular sunlight. The energy absorbed by the trees caused the roots to draw in nutrients from the soil with such power that the dirt around them became intensely packed. The tightly-packed dirt ended up being so solid that it was used as the ceilings for some of the housing areas.

As Flood entered through the underground orchard's front gate, he couldn't help but marvel at the intricacies and inner-workings of Mantle City's largest source of sustenance. The lights running along the dirt ceiling cast an ethereal purple glow on the leaves of the trees and the ground below. Row after row of trees stretched out on either side of him as he walked the long path to a shack where a group of ponies were sorting through dozens of bushels of apples.

He cleared his throat. "Excuse me..."

None of the ponies stopped what they were doing. They continued talking amongst themselves, some sorting apples, a few others taking bushels behind the building.

"I'm looking for, uh..." Flood pulled out the paper Twilight gave him. "Applejack?"

A mare that had been rifling through the apples looked up at him. "That'd be me, pardner!" She trotted up to Flood. "Applejack of the Apple family. What 'kin ah do ya for?"

Flood looked Applejack over: she was a sturdy orange earth pony, with a blonde mane and tail. A cutie mark of three red apples adorned her flanks. A cowboy hat sat atop her head, casting a shadow over her green eyes, and a feature Flood had never seen before: freckles. "Your name is...Applejack Apple?" he asked reluctantly.

A few of the ponies sorting apples snorted and chuckled.

Applejack gave him an apprehensive look. "Can ah help you, kid?"

"Oh, uh, sorry," Flood stammered. "I'm here to pick up 'rations' for Twilight Sparkle. Whatever that means."

Applejack's face lit up. "Ya'll are a friend o' Twi's? Shoot, why didn't ya say so in the first place?" She grabbed his forehoof and shook it vigorously. "Any friend o' hers is a friend o' mine!"

"O-o-h, g-r-r-e-e-a-t," Flood's voice quivered as Applejack shook his hoof.

"Like ah said before, Applejack's the name." She let his hoof go.

"I'm Flood," he replied, recovering from her greeting.

"Come 'round back," the mare said. "Got Twi's package ready ta go."

She led him around the shack and towards a larger building, which Flood assumed was the Apple family home. It was the first time in years that he had actually seen a proper house, built with wood and nails instead of carved out of a dirt tunnel.

They walked through the front door, entering a living room lit by a fireplace in the corner. A massive rug seemed to stretch from end to end in the room, with a couple of cushioned chairs surrounding the center. A trio of rocking chairs sat in front of the roaring fire pit. Flood hadn't felt this 'at home' since the last time he had dinner at Ditzy's.

"Make yerself comfortable, pardner, I'll fetch Twilight's apples," Applejack called from a room beyond.

Flood paced around the room, admiring the accommodations, as he waited for Applejack to return. He came to a fourth rocking chair, sitting in the corner, and gathering dust. Wonder what this one is doing here, he thought.

Applejack came back into the room, hauling a lumpy brown sack of apples. "Hey, Applejack? What's this one doing in the corner?" Flood asked, gesturing to the chair.

She gave the chair a forlorn smile. "Well, now" she said. "That's a special chair for us Apples."

Applejack walked over to the fireplace. "See, this one here's mine," she nodded at the first rocking chair, "mah brother Big Macintosh's," gesturing at the second, "and mah little sister Applebloom's," she motioned at the last one. "And the one over yonder..." she continued, walking over to Flood and the remaining unidentified chair, "is the one mah big brother made fer our Granny."

"Then why'd you put it in the corner?" he asked.

Applejack took her hat off. "When the farm burned down, she didn't make it."

Flood frowned, genuinely sad. "I'm sorry for your loss," he apologized.

"Ah, t'aint none o' your fault, cowpony. She's in a better place, now, ah reckon."

"You mentioned a younger sister?" he asked.

"Applebloom, yup," Applejack responded.

"How well did she cope with all of this?"

"Well, ah told her the truth," she said.

"And what was that?"

"That Granny would always be watchin' over us, day an' night," Applejack explained. "An' Applebloom would always have her big brother an' sister there ta make sure she got through each day safe 'n' sound." Applejack looked into Flood's eyes. "An' ah meant every word."

A familiar sensation of pins and needles sent shivers along Flood's spine, as a voice seemed to whisper all around him: Honesty, bold and true.

Flood glanced out of the window, looking for the source of the voice.

"Somethin' the matter, pardner?" Applejack inquired.

"I just...thought I heard somepony."

"Ah, probably the farmhands playin' a joke." She walked over to the doorway and took a deep breath. "Ya'll best have that south range bucked by this evenin'!" she called out to the ponies at the shack. "Don' pay them no mind." She smiled as she handed him the sack of apples.

He smiled back at her. "Thanks, Applejack. It was nice meeting you."

"Ya'll come back anytime ya need anythin', ya hear?"

---

Comments

[Jphyper]

It took quite a bit of waiting for that update. Not as long it took me for my main story, but still quite some time. Any reason for the delay? Or was it mostly apathy, procrastination, and a short attention span like mine was? If it is, don't be embarassed to admit it; like I said, I'm even worse.

[Pish]

1275033
equal parts loss of free time and motivation, with a tablespoon of lack of ideas
add milk, 2 eggs, and honey
bake at 700°F for 5 months
serves 6

[Jphyper]

1292988 I've had that recipe before. It's not a very tasty one.