Ponyville Fire Department

by Rescue Sunstreak

6 - Hidden truths and visible lies

Rescue had made a point to stay away from the site all week. However, Red had sent word that he needed the firepony there this morning.

With great trepidation, he trotted out to the site, hoping against hope the Pegasus was not there. Ailan, he had found out his name, was from a few mares that talked to him at Berry Punch’s local bar. He didn’t need the stress right now.

Trotting up, he noted already the big winged stallion was in the air, ropes came down from his harness and he was lowering a large bucket to the ground. His earth pony helper on the ground grabbed the ropes and unhooked the empty bucket, then shifted them over to one full of dirt near the trench two other pony were digging in.

His eyes watched as he waited for Red to trot over. That big wingspan pumped harder, and with almost no effort he watched as the bucket lifted from the ground. Suddenly a thought came to him, well, not many thoughts had come. However, he had forced them away like he always did by jogging, and if they came too much, a little pain from a headbutt to a wall did the trick.

No, this idea was new. He pondered, could a pony that big lift another pony in some kind of sling? Would the flight be smooth enough? He didn’t hear Red come up.

“Yo, Chief, glad you could come by.”

Rescue snapped out of his thought and he turned. “Good morning, Red, what’s up?”

For once, Red kind of paused then gestured to the plans on the table next to them. “We are hitting a lot of large stones, gonna make us a week behind easy.”
Rescue glanced out at the work being done and back to Red.

“Well,” a long exhale followed and he gave a nod. “Can’t be helped. Are we still going to make it before the summer heat hits?”

Red glanced up at the sky and back over to the plans then gave a nod. “Yeah. If we push hard enough, we can do it, Chief.”

Rescue pondered then turned and pulled out a paper from his left saddle bag, offering it out to the brick colored stallion. Red took it, looked it over, then lifted a eyebrow with a surprised look.

“This here is on the up and up, Chief?”

Rescue gave a nod. “Yep, Luna’s seal is on it and I verified it with Princess Twilight Sparkle. It came directly in from Canterlot. The budget for five more workers, and two more stone masons has been approved,” he said, surprised himself that it happened.

Red beamed. “More ponies working, making bits to feed their families and helping get this place up off the ground. I sure thank you for that, Chief.”

“Wasn’t me, Red, but if it helps Ponyville and gets my station done, I am all for it.”

---

Two weeks later, Rescue found himself hanging out in a bar. Not a place his AA sponsor would like him to be, if she weren’t sitting next to him right now. As it turned out, soon as he had checked in after coming to Ponyville, Applejack was given over to sponsor his sobriety. He didn’t know her whole story but she knew the demon in the bottle well.

Sitting to his other side at the table was the mint colored unicorn mare he had become good friends with. Lyra and her marefriend were the first openly same-gender couple he had ever come across. He had confided to Lyra, but made her swear an oath to never speak of it. She had become concerned when she saw a mark on his forehead one night having dinner with them. She was quite disappointed in him over that, over the fact he would hurt himself to keep from thinking about...

“How y'all feeling, Rescue?” The southern drawl coloring the words of the mare to his left.

The big brown stallion exhaled a bit. “The smell if a bit rough, but, I am doing okay,” he replied, looking at the glass of water in front of him.

“Well now, we got to test yer limits, Rescue. Got ta' make sure you can walk into a bar or restaurant and not feel pressure.”

He gave a nod to the blonde maned mare and looked up, hearing the door open, just in time to see that same winged pegasus walk in. He let out a groan and looked away fast as he could, but it wasn’t fast enough. The sand pegasus had seen him and was heading his way. He looked up to find Lyra glaring at him just as the stallion walked up.

“Hey, it’s Rescue, yes?”

Turning he found himself looking at the green eyes of an angel given pony form. It was everything he had in him to just nod and mutter, “Eeyup.”

This of course had two reactions, one was AJ narrowing her eyes, and the other was Lyra kicking him in the leg under the table. It was the mint unicorn that spoke up. “Ignore him. Hi, my name is Lyra, and this is Applejack, and you are?”

The pegasus gave a warm smile. “Ailan Sempar, but all the fellas call me Ailan.”

Rescue could feel the eyes on the side of his head, he thought about shutting his own eyes and getting up to leave. However, before he could, AJ spoke up.

“Well grab a seat there partner, Rescue and I are just working to be social without feeling the need to drink.”

She, however, noticed Rescue acting very odd, and spoke to him.

“Sugarcube, what in tarnation got yer tongue?”

Rescue shook his head. “Nothing, I am fine.”

Whoops, rule one, never lie to your sponsor, especially when she is the damn element of Honesty! He could feel AJ’s eyes bore into him and lifted his head to look her in the face.

Before she could say anything she watched the pegasus touch Rescue’s hoof. Suddenly the lights went on for her, then again the look on Lyra’s face was enough to put the rest of the puzzle together in her head. The lack of interest in any of the mares, the fact he never once spoke of a marefriend, the way he avoided looking Mac in the eyes, and now this stallion.

“Hey, Rescue. Are you okay?”

Turning his head, he found himself looking at Ailan, and his nerves gave out. He was up and out the door before anypony could say a word. Muscles born of years of pulling wagons and of running for a living pushed him on and into the night, heading for his rented room.

What he didn’t see was AJ and Lyra bracketing a yellow pegasus stallion who looked upset. Lyra leaned over and said softly. “It isn’t you, Ailan, he is just dealing with a lot.”

AJ, who was still processing it all, did find the voice to speak. “Y’all give him a day, then talk to him. Ah will make darn sure he ain’t gonna do that again. Ah don’t know what is going on, but ah got my suspicions and if they are right, well that is between you and him,” as she turned and walked off.

Lyra was always one to butt her head in where she shouldn’t, and looked at Ailan.

“Ailan you, like him don’t you?”

Turning to look at her a moment, he set his jaw and then turned to leave.

“Does it matter? He made his point.”

Lyra exhaled and watched the pony take flight and head off above the buildings. Looking back to where AJ had headed, in the same direction as Rescue, she knew Bon Bon was going to need to be there too. So she went to grab her before heading that way.

---

Applejack found his door closed in the boarding house. Although, she could hear somepony inside, and she lifted a hoof and knocked, waiting she said in a soft tone. “Sugarcube, we need to talk.”

The door cracked open, then Rescue backed away from it. He wouldn’t face her, looking out the window not back over at the Apple mare who was not only his sponsor in sobriety, but likely one of the best and only friends he had in Ponyville. He heard her close the door with a click and then sit down, half blocking it.

“You... don’t like mares, do you?”

She was blunt, but that is what honesty is. He lowered his ears and kept looking out the window, unable to even meet her eyes in the reflection of her behind him.

“N.. no. I tried AJ, I tried everything to fix myself. I... I don’t know what is wrong with me!”

His voice rose with every word, but before he could get much more out, he was cut off by another knock, a voice, then a second one came from the other side of it. Lyra, then Bon Bon!

“Rescue, can we come in?”

He gave a nod that AJ could see, and she moved out of the way of the door, not speaking as the two mares trotted in. Lyra had tear stains down her cheek, and she could see Bon Bon looked upset as well. Now everyone in town kind of knew about the two. Heck, there wasn’t anything wrong with it, the heart wants what the heart wants, was Applejack’s view on it. She looked back over at the big dark draft stallion, watching his shoulders quiver as he fought down his emotions.

“Rescue, turn and look at me.”

He shook his head lightly. His deep voice filled with a self loathing and hate for himself that was almost visible it was so thick. “If I do, you will walk out that door and never want to talk to me again. I am weak, I am broken.”

Lyra hitched a half sob hearing him speak like that. Bon Bon looked pissed off hearing the words and was about to open her mouth. Applejack put up her hoof and stopped her, looking back over at the stallion in the small room.

“Rescue, ah give my word, ah ain’t goin' no place. Now, turn and talk to us. We are yer friends, sugarcube. Friends don’t turn their backs on each other over stuff like this.”

He paused, then turned slowly. Long ago he had sworn to never shed a tear, not in front of others. Tonight, he broke that promise to himself. His large eyes brimmed with them, a few stray tears raced down his cheek fur to drip off his jaw and splatter on the ground. He could see Lyra was crying, Bon Bon was both upset and angry but holding the mint pony tight. It was Applejack that shocked him the most. She had a soft smile on her face.

“Told ya, I ain’t gonna leave yer side Rescue. Yer my friend, and now ya are gonna listen to me before ya say another word.”

Applejack took her hat off and set it on the bed, looking over her shoulder at Lyra and Bon Bon before turning and walking over sitting right down in front of the much bigger stallion, looking up at his face.

“You ain’t broken, you ain’t a bad pony, and you ain’t whatever other words you are sittin' there screaming at yourself in that head of yours. You are a good pony, a good stallion, and you got to accept that as the truth. You got poor Lyra here so upset, she can’t stop crying. Ah think if ah wasn’t here, Bon Bon there would be kicking yer keester all over the room.”

He glanced up at them, then back to Applejack and nodded his head. Rescue was not daring to speak yet, and was not sure if he could keep the pressure at bay if he did. He watched her eyes move back back at the mares behind her, then back up at him.

“Ya ain’t staying here tonight, not alone. Lyra, Bon Bon, can he use yer spare room?”

Bon Bon spoke up first as she kept her leg around the mint unicorn shuddering and sobbing softly into her neck. “Yes, no questions, no talking tonight. Just rest and sleep.”

Applejack looked back at the firepony and gave a nod.

“You ain’t gonna take off, you will stay put tonight and sleep. In th' morning ah will come on over after ah drop Applebloom off at school. You and me, we are gonna have us a long talk and you are telling me what is going on in that thick head of yours.”

All the big stallion could do was nod, then, found himself in a hug tight as can be by all three mares. The soft mint one spoke with a broken, but still confident voice.

“We will help you, Rescue. All of us.”

Author's Note:

Just kind of a personal note here. This chapter and the next few Rescue is going to be facing feelings and thoughts that are the same ones many of us who are LGBT have had to. I draw for this from my own personal experiences in growing up and coming out in my 30's

A lot of people run from their feelings. Be it because of upbringing, social pressure, or just self loathing. Some, never survive it, and choose death over life. Please don't make that choice if you are one of them reading this story. Shoot me a message in private, I would be proud to sit and talk with you and share my own experiences on things.

Comments

[BrotallySwagical]

Oh there is a romance tag. May I ask what the shipping is? (Not characters just male or female)

[Rescue Sunstreak]

7029258 It will be OC and OC for the most part. However there is already a Lyra/Bon-Bon ship in the recent chapters.

[Nightspawn]

Two weeks later, Rescue found himself hanging out in a bar. Not a place his AA sponsor would like him to be, if she weren’t sitting next to him right now. As it turned out, soon as he had checked in after coming to Ponyville, Applejack was given over to sponsor his sobriety. He didn’t know her whole story but she knew the demon in the bottle well.

Yes... because a person named after a kind of liquor, and sells what is Most Likely Hard Cider is a great pony to sponser your sobriety..