NOW BEING REBOOTED AND REWRITTEN.

When Ponyville County was carved out of Trottingham County in 1944 under decree by Princess Celestia, its settlers quickly got to work, establishing several towns and villages. The center of the county would be the Town of Ponyville, and within it, the Village of Ponyville.

Then, in 1945, a devastating brush fire in the Everfree Forest resulted in a major wake-up call for the residents of the county.

By 1948, two volunteer fire companies, Harmony No. 1 and Friendship No. 2, had been formed to protect the Village of Ponyville, with a third, Everfree Fire Company, forming its own fire district to protect a tiny hamlet on the edge of the forest. In 1949, ambulance service came to the area when Friendship No. 2 bought an old hearse. Harmony No. 1 quickly followed suit. By 1960, 6 towns and 4 boroughs were chartered.

Now, in 2017, Ponyville County has 6 towns, 4 borough, and 3 villages with a small but growing population of 86,000. Fire and EMS are provided by 24 fire departments (22 volunteer/2 career) and 6 volunteer ambulance corps. In addition, the Ponyville County Sheriff's Office provides advanced life support with 8 medic fly cars that rove throughout the county. The Town of Ponyville, the largest town in the county by both land size and population, has 6 fire departments:

1. Harmony Fire Company #1 (1945)
2. Friendship Fire Company #2 (1945)
3. Everfree Fire Department (1948)
4. Medan Village Fire Department (1952)
5. Northern Ponyville Fire Department (1960)
6. Northside Fire Company #3 (1972)

All provide fire, rescue, and emergency medical services, with Harmony, Friendship, Medan Village, and Northside providing ambulance services and Everfree and Northern Ponyville providing medical first response. In addition, the Ponyville County Airport has its own military-run fire department, and E-FIRE, or the Imperial Parks Service Fire and Rescue Agency, frequently provides mutual aid through its two stations in the Everfree National Forest.

Friendship in particular is notable for the fact that it was founded by the Apple family, and there have been multiple Apple family members in the department since its inception. This is a story about them and this fact that's often little-known outside of the Ponyville area.