Smoke Trail lifted a hoof up and rubbed his eyes. Looking out thru the dual lensed Telescope four hours a day really did wear on a pony. The dark green Pegasus glanced behind him at his partner in the tower.
“Hey Zephyr is there any coffee left?”
Zephyr glanced up from the map on the table and shook his head “No but I can make some if you want Smoke.”
Smoke gave a nod back “Please, Luna I hate pulling tower watch. So who did you piss off to get a two week rotation up here?”
The mint green pegasus reached up and brushed his hoof along his short mane, for a moment missing the bun he use to keep in it. However it really wasn’t practical to have a ponybun and wear a hardhat.
“I may have sort of accidently tripped Dust Kicker in the Arena challenge this year, and one of the judges may have seen me do it.”
Smoke frowned “Dude not cool” Looking back out at the valley and rolling hills, evergreen trees as far as the eye could see. Bringing the scope up some and focusing in on the tower about five miles off. On its tightest focus he could make out their counterparts up in their tower. A purple hoof waved so he waved back. Turning back to his scans of the vallies for that telltale smoke.
“Here” Zephyr set the coffee cup down next to his fellow Forest Ranger.
“Hey Zephyr, I never did ask you, why did you join up? I mean what made you want to join the EFS?”
Sitting down, just looking out at the trees. The cloudsdale born pegasus thought about the question for a time.
“When your sister and her friends are the Elements of Harmony, well I guess. I wanted to do more than just fix ponies manes. I saw how much she gave back, how much all of her friends did time and time again. It kind of sunk in that I needed to step up too.”
Smoke gave a nod as he picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. Blinking and looking at it in his hoofgrip. “Hey, that ain’t bad, Perhaps this rotation won’t be so bad after all.” Giving the other Pegasus a grin.
Turning his head and looking out the west side of the big tower. “What about you Smoke, what made you want to do this?”
Shrugging some, the dark green pony pressed his face into the scope once more. “It was always what I did best. I got my cutie mark the day I saw a fire starting down near ponyville. I was only eight, heck I could barely fly. I was hanging out at the edge of a cloud just looking down, when I saw this ribbon of smoke.”
Pulling his head back and taking another sip of coffee. “Turns out that was the Whitetail Woods burn of 1011. Well I rushed to warn someone, and somewhere along the way I got this” Giving a gesture to his flank and the whisp of smoke coming from a log… “Dude are you even paying attention?”
Zephyr was looking off in the distance to the north side. “I saw a flash of dry lightning. I think it hit ground”
Smoke was on it, swinging the scope around “where?”
Turning and rushing inside, Zephyr called out “Uh...Grid four four one mark three niner three.” Already starting to write the coordinates in the logbook as he had been trained to do.
Smoke was quiet for a moment, before he pulled his head back. Frowning he looked once more, reaching a hoof up to tweak a knob.
“I have white smoke, confirming grid reference four four one mark three niner three, hill… Delta Alpha one seven seven”
Zephyr was already peeling off his jacket to get ready to fly. “Your call Smoke, Should I go?”
The pegasus leaned back into the scope and then pulled back. Turning his head to look at his brother EFS member. “I am calling it, break open” pausing to check a chart on the wall to his left. “envoy blue one”
Fluttershy’s brother trotted over to a cabinet and opened it up. Tugging out a blue sealed plastic container. Making note of the yellow, red, and orange ones still set on the shelf. Shutting the door and setting the container on the table he broke the seal on it and opened it up. Pulling out the location beacon, and a card that held it’s magical signature profile.
“Ok, I am gone!”
Smoke watched the scruffy pegasus launch off the side, letting gravity take hold of him before snapping his wings out and skimming the treetops. Sure Zephyr was no wonderbolt but he could hold his own in short bursts. Tracking him in the telescope, he watched him lift up, catching a thermal to get some height once more.
Turning and breaking eye contact, he grabbed a bright red flag with a white square on it and snapped it on a rope, tugging it up the flag post to alert the other towers in the region that they had a sighting. Only after did he turn back to watch his partner.
Zephyr could see why Dash liked speed. It really was a rush to head for the ground full speed and snap roll, to pull up hard and skim the treetops. Looking back down he could see the smoke lifting from the trees and smell the wood and grass burning. The smoke lifting up was already a good thirty feet wide. WIth how dry the area was this meant only one thing, wildfire!
Tugging a strip out of the side of the blue coffee can sized unit held in his grip, he dropped it. Watching it tumble down to disappear into the tree line. With the fire now marked, he winged over and dove to get speed. His job now was as a messenger, to get back to tower command and send up the alert.
Wind tugged at him, his legs tucked in tight. He was no Rainbow, but unlike most of his family he could fly, so fly is what he did. Streaking back down to treetop level he felt a thermal and used it, Zooming back up, gaining speed off it despite climbing in altitude. Turning East, he knew he could use the winds off the hills to get more height fast. He had ten miles to fly and every moment counted.
Smoke knew the other towers were alert now, he saw the flags go up. He knew Zephyr was going as fast as he could go to get back to command.
The older pegasus muttered “Come on kid, you can do it.” looking back into the scope once more. The smoke trail was now nearly three hundred yards or so wide, and it looked to be turning north. Tower eight was that direction, so they would need to vacate if it continued and grew.
Closing his eyes a moment grabbing onto the small silver medallion that hung from his neck.
“Saint Luna, protect your watchers, and let Zephyr fly as he never has before. Guide him, he is a good kid.”
Sweat built up along his flanks, he was tired. Pumping his wings that much harder, trying to get a few extra feet of height. Any moment now he should be able to see the Command building and tower.
There it is! Breathing, huffing hard he once more did a wingover and dove. Picking up more speed, his wings ached and his lungs burned. Streaking in across the tops of the trees, he didn’t bother to go for the landing strip, he didn’t have time for that.
Rather he aimed for the walkway in front of the command building, at the last moment he pulled a stunt that Rainbow Dash had shown him. Twisting his wings, putting incredible strain on the muscles and joints, He pumped hard and came in from full speed to nearly a stop in moments. Just as his hooves hit ground he felt it. A pain ripped up his left wing and down into his barrel, like someone shoving a hot poker into his body.
Crying out as he tumbled, rolling to a stop. He could hear ponies already racing for him calling out. Some skidding to a stop near him, others yelling for a medic.
“What the hell are you doing you dumb kid!”
A deep voice, angry, but also colored with concern. Managing to open a eye and look up, he saw a rather large earth pony standing over him. The big stallion’s blue coat touched grey and faded with age. However the golden eyes looking at him spoke to a resolve and wit untouched.
“C...Captain I…” extending a hoof with the blue marker card.
Taking it, Captain Pond Stomper looked at it a moment then bellowed out. “I want my command staff in the map room, now!” pausing “And someone get this kid water, and into the medical tent.”
Leaning down the old captain whispered “Rest boy, you did good”
Zephyr smiled, then darkness took him as he passed out. His last thoughts, that he had done it, on his own.