Applejack clapped her hooves together as she saw Pinkie Pie bound from one huge rubber ball to the next, cheering at her friend’s agility and skill. She’d always known Pinkie to be a pony capable of incredible feats, some even bordering on the supernatural, but somehow the pink pony still managed to astound and amaze Applejack even when she was expecting it. Add to that the various corny jokes and goofy rhymes she delivered mid-stride and it was enough to get Applejack rolling in the bleachers, along with half the audience.
“What happens when a pony sits on his glasses? He gets 20/20 hindsight!”
It was lame, and Applejack knew it, but somehow the lameness and goofiness of the joke just made it all the sillier, and the fact she knew the joke would be lame lowered her expectations enough for them to be exceeded again and again. Pinkie was in her element out there, with everypony from foals to old mares laughing their flanks off.
“If two’s a couple and three’s a crowd, what’s four and five? Nine!”
That one really caught Applejack off guard, and she was soon crying so hard that tears were running down her eyes. She had been skeptical when Pinkie had first invited her to the charity circus—clowns were usually too corny for her tastes, and she preferred the practical acrobatics of rodeos to the showy and unnecessarily dangerous ones of the high rope and high bar. But she was having a good time, and so was everypony else, and it was all for the Ponyville orphanage. Even if it had been terrible, she would have put up a few bits to help those poor fillies and foals. She knew their pain all too well.
“Yesterday, Rarity had to throw out her favorite pair of pantyhose after five years of fabulous service. But they had a good run!”
It took Applejack a moment to realize the pun hidden in that joke, but the delay made it all the more hilarious, as did the fact that Pinkie Pie was delivering it while wearing goofy makeup and a surprisingly fashionable clown costume. Other clowns and acrobats were likewise dressed in excellent finery, and the constant display of movement, color and sound was mesmerising, an assault from all directions at once, with Applejack barely able to pay attention to any one thing in particular. She wouldn’t want to do this every day, but as a one-off bit of excitement, it was pretty incredible.
“What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear!”
Applejack continued to roll in her seat, her eyes staring up at the huge ceiling of the tent as she wiped the happy tears from her eyes. She was just about to lean back forward and get another look at Pinkie when something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. There was a bright orange glow far down the aisles. At first she thought there was just a hole in the tent, letting in the sunlight. But at this time of day, the sunlight would be a bright white, not sunset orange. She wiped her eyes again and got a better look. Her jaw dropped.
“Fire! The tent is on fire, everypony! Everypony get out now!” She shouted as loud as she could, but her cries were lost in the uproarious laughter. Even those ponies closest to her thought she was just getting up to use the little filly’s room, or at the very least didn’t understand why she was so agitated. Applebloom seemed to understand that Applejack was upset about something though, as did Big Mac. They stood up as well, and when they stood gaping at the fire, a fearful hush swept through the crowd.
The silence gave way to pandemonium. Ponies on the higher bleachers jumped to the ground and began forcing their way under the side of the tent, ripping up tent pegs as they went. Those in lower bleachers fled towards the exits, which were instantly packed, ponies pushing and shoving and fighting over one another on their desire to escape the flames.
Said flames were spreading rapidly, more rapidly than Applejack had ever seen. She was familiar with fire, used to do everything from clear out bush to cook dinner at night, but this was nothing like that. It was not a series of friendly flames filling a cold room with warmth. This fire moved with unthinking malice, licking at the canvas roof and coating the ponies below with vicious ash. They fled from its wake, but it pursued them, spreading to the bleachers and then the ring itself with astonishing speed.
“Big Mac, get Applebloom out safely. I’ve got to stop this!” Applejack looked around, but every exit was jammed. There were water buckets throughout the main area, but these were intended for small fires, and the circus ponies had already exhausted them. Applejack knew there were many more outside, along with a nearby river and multiple water pumps and fire hoses, but depending on which way she turned, there was either a crowd or a fire preventing her from reaching them.
She turned to Pinkie Pie, her clown makeup already running from the sweat and heat. She was singed, probably from throwing water on the fire. “Pinkie, what do we do? We’ve got to put this out, but all the water’s outside!”
“We do what we have to!” Pinkie charged ahead at the flames, running towards where the fire started. Applejack realized the brilliance of this — with the bleachers and tent in this area already burned to cinders, where the fire had started was now clear, although terrifying. Applejack followed Pinkie, trying to force back the pain as her hooves crunched hot cinders and a baking heat came in waves across her face. In front of her she could see Pinkie’s mane and costume singing and turning black as she ran, but before anything actually burst into flame, the two of them were outside, blinded by the sun and the tears in their eyes.
Applejack tried to shake herself into focus, looking this way and that, trying to figure out where she could help most. A bucket brigade was already carrying water from the river, but most ponies were either fleeing the scene entirely or milling about in shock. Fine time for Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle to be off on a friendship mission! With Dash pouring buckets or, better, moving in a raincloud, and Twilight directing the evacuation and bucket brigades, this fire probably would have been out right after it started. As it was, Pinkie Pie and Applejack were the closest thing to authority, outside of those already devoted to their own tasks of carrying water, saving the circus animals, and doing their best to direct the crowd.
Pinkie seemed to be everywhere at once. One moment she was hauling a bucket towards the fire, the next she was diving back into the flames to drag somepony to safety. She was a blur of pink hair and running makeup, with a trail made of a torn clown costume and a reek of cinders. Knowing she couldn’t possibly keep up with such movement, she ran towards a crowd of onlookers, grabbing buckets as she went. “You there! Everypony line up behind me going down towards the river! Then face me, and it’s empty buckets on the right, full ones on the left!”
Stirred to obey any leadership in the face of disaster, the ponies quickly lined up and obeyed, grabbing the rope-handled buckets in their teeth and hurling them back or forward as fast as they could. In moments Applejack had a bucket of water between her hooves, which she threw on the fire as hard as she could. She passed it back and tossed another, then another, then another, keeping up the flow of water at as high a pace as she could.
Other ponies likewise joined the bucket brigade, and the two lines turned into three, then four, then five, stopping there only due to a lack of buckets for a sixth. Even then, it seemed like their efforts were in vain. The fire had spread astoundingly fast, and even moving in as close as they dared, Applejack and the other line leaders found themselves doing little to slow it down, much less stop it. What was really needed was the fire department, with their ability to pour down great waterfalls, along with help from weather pegasi who would bring in rainclouds to deluge the fire from above.
As such, Applejack breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the clang of their engine bell pounding over the horizon, and began to direct ponies away from the fire, giving the fireponies room to maneuver in their cart into position. Powered by equal parts hoof power and magic, the fire department’s engine began to throw great waves upon the flames, beating them into submission with wet ferocity.
With the firefighting in the hands of professionals, Applejack went in search of her friends and family. Now free to worry about them, she began to panic, the thought of the crush she’d seen earlier terrifying her towards thoughts that they might not have gotten out in time. But she soon saw Big Mac, with an exhausted and terrified Apple Bloom riding on his back, the both of them towering over a crowd milling around or queueing up for the overwhelmed medical tent. “Big Mac! Applebloom! Are you two okay?”
“Eeyup!” They were both coated in soot, but it appeared to have been blown upon them by the rush of hot wind and fire, not the result of any burning. Other ponies weren’t so lucky, with assorted nurses and volunteers tending to bruises, burns and smoke inhalation as best they could. The small medical tent was intended primarily for first aid, and those ponies who had volunteered their time could do little more than wait for the ambulances, which were likewise overwhelmed by the numbers.
Applejack couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen so many ponies hurt at once before. She knew that these things happened — the battle with Tirek had almost completely destroyed the entire town. But she’d never seen the consequences of this disaster up close, and she never imagined how much worse it would be with so many foals among the injured.
“Applejack! Are you okay?”
She turned around to be confronted face-to-face with Pinkie Pie. Her mane and tail were badly singed, her costume in ribbons, her makeup turned into a horrifying abstract painting. Still, she seemed unhurt, or if she had any injuries, they were minor. “Uh, yeah Pinkie Pie, I’m fine. Just a little singed, and I guess I’ll need to take my hat to Rarity’s tomorrow for some repairs, but I’ll be okay after a nice cool bath I think.”
“No time for that now! The fire’s out, but we’re just starting!” Pinkie Pie ripped the last clean portion of her costume off and began wiping her face clean. This done, she discarded the rags in a nearby trash can. Without the makeup or costume, the abundance of singed hair and light burns on her body were all the more apparent. “The fire department is making sure everyone is okay, and the paramedics are taking care of the wounded. But there’s still so much for us to do!” She ran off and then returned with a set of juggling balls, which she began to toss and catch expertly with her hooves.
“Pinkie Pie, I don’t mean to judge, but in a situation like this, is juggling really important?” She sat down, leaning on Big Mac. She suddenly felt very tired, and when she closed her eyes, her whole face hurt. She’d have to get checked by a nurse as soon as one was free, she probably had some kind of burn or something. “Shouldn’t we either help the professionals or get out of their way?”
“Well I don’t know about you, Applejack, but I consider myself a professional!” She continued to juggle, approaching a group of foals. “Hey, what happens when a bull and a donkey have a baby?”
“Pinkie Pie, I really don’t think now is an appropriate time for-”
“You get a cow who’s milk has some kick to it!”
Some part of Applejack wanted to laugh, but her sides already hurt, and not for the right reasons. But the foals seemed to perk up at Pinkie’s antics. A few of them stopped crying, and the others at least turned in her direction. Applejack sighed. If this is what Pinkie Pie needed to do, then fine. She’d just try to catch her breath, and wait for somepony to either examine her injuries or tell her that she was needed elsewhere. She’d just lie down, close her eyes and wait for them.
“Why didn’t the colt want a second apple? He already had a pear!”
Applejack chuckled a little and blinked her eyes. She was blinded by the sun, which now sat squarely on the horizon. Had she fallen asleep? Certainly, time had passed, and Big Mac and Applebloom were napping quietly on the grass, their faces and flanks now patched with assorted bandages. Much of the crowd was gone now, although there was still a long queue in front of the medical tent. The faces were different, though, and their injuries decidedly minor. Some seemed to need only someone in a white lab coat to reassure them that they were okay.
“Did you hear about the pony who got caught trying to steal a barbecue? Last I heard, the police were grilling him!”
Although not sure whether she really needed it, Applejack queued up with the others, figuring a quick examination wouldn’t hurt. Besides, it would mean she could let Big Mac and Applebloom finish their naps before they went home. As she waited, she watched Pinkie Pie continue to bounce and joke to a diminishing audience, although one that included a few exhausted adults, along with the shivering and lightly bandaged foals. Pinkie had managed to get a big acrobat’s ball from somewhere and was balancing on it as she continued to joke, occasionally bouncing on it or pretending to fall.
“What do you give a duck to go with his soup? Quackers!”
Applejack chuckled, as did a few of the other ponies in line. How could Pinkie Pie joke at a time like this? The smell of smoke and burned wood was still thick in the air, and wet embers were still smouldering and popping as the last of the fire department pulled down the remains of the tent and soaked the ashes with water. What had started as a fun charity event had turned into an unmitigated disaster, and outside of Pinkie’s small orbit, every pony was either furious, in shock, or sobbing at the loss of the tent where they both worked and lived.
“A nasty burglar broke into the Ponyville police station and stole all the toilets! Chief Silver Badge says he’s got nothing to go on!”
Now at the front of the line, Applejack let herself be poked and prodded a little, the nurse applying salves and bandages without saying a word. Applejack yawned, then winced as the salve stung her sides a bit, the cold poultice making her burns ache before the bandages were applied. She was pleased to see that, despite running through the fire and getting so close to it during the bucket brigade, she was only lightly injured, and would probably be fine in a few days. She returned to where Applebloom and Big Mac were sleeping, nuzzling them a little.
“Did you hear about the unicorn who lost her entire left side in a teleportation spell accident? She’s all right now!”
Applejack couldn’t believe Pinkie Pie still had the energy to laugh and joke, especially when there were but two ponies still following her antics. A few more laughs later and they began to head home as well, their path guided by the rising moon. Now that she was alone, Pinkie Pie put down her balls and sat on the ground, looking at the few ponies that remained, then trotting off quietly. Curious, Applejack followed. She would thought that Pinkie Pie would be going back into town, or to talk to the circus management and find out what had gone wrong, or something other than to wander off alone.
Pinkie Pie kept looking over her shoulder, but in the dark Applejack was barely visible, and would have given up her pursuit if Pinkie Pie gave any real indication she wished to be alone. But no such indication came, and so when Pinkie Pie finally plopped herself down on the ground, Applejack stood quietly behind her, ready to say or do whatever was required.
All that Pinkie Pie seemed to need, however, was to cry. It came on lightly at first, mild tears trickling through the last particles of soot under her eyes. But these initial drops soon gave way to rivers and then torrents, rolling down Pinkie’s face in an agonized rush. Applejack put her hoof around Pinkie’s shoulder, but this seemed to only amplify Pinkie’s sobs. She cried hard, heavy tears, her whole body shaking with each sob. Applejack felt her own eyes grow wet, and her comforting touch turned into a hug, her body pressed firmly against the back of her friend’s.
“Thank you Applejack, I needed that.” Pinkies words were spit out between sobs, and though she was smiling, the tears still flowed freely, tracing down her face. She hugged Applejack back, smearing black tears across the earth pony’s chest and shoulders.
“It’s okay, Pinkie. But why didn’t you ask before? It’s been hours since the fire, and everypony was havin’ themselves a good cry over it all.”
“It wasn’t time yet. All those scared ponies, those hurt ponies, they needed to laugh. I needed to show them they could still laugh. So I did. The show must go on.” Pinkie Pie sniffed a bit, wiping at her nose with her hoof. “But they’re fine now. They all went home, and now it’s just a story they’ll tell to their grandchildren, how they survived the great circus fire. Tomorrow they will go around blaming other ponies and exaggerating their injuries and demanding somepony go to jail. But right now they needed to laugh. So I couldn’t cry until they all did.”
Applejack nodded a bit. She tilted her head, thinking over Pinkie’s logic, then helped her to her feet and began walking with her back to the medical tent. The moon was on the edge of the sky now, slowly rising into the sea of stars overhead. Pinkie was a strange pony. But Applejack couldn’t see anything wrong with what she did. And maybe it had helped.
“Let’s get those burns checked out and bandaged, then head back to Sugarcube Corner for some ice-cold lemonade. I don’t know about you, but I’m majorly parched, and I bet Applebloom and Big Mac are too!”
“Okie-dokie-loki!” Pinkie Pie bounced down the path towards the tent, her drying tears leaving gray lines down her cheeks and neck as she got into the back of the line. Applejack shook her head. She never understood Pinkie Pie. And sometimes, she didn’t want to. But was there anypony else as devoted to laughter in the times when it was needed most? Probably not.
Author's Note
Made using the prompt "There's a fire."
The title, and concept, comes from the Hartford Circus Fire.
It has nothing to do with the Jerry Lewis film that has not and never will be released because it's too embarrassing even for him.