My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Ladder Company 6 (Engine Company 22)
Chapter 9: Whiteout (As Told By: Gretchen)
It had been a year since the fire at the Princess Royale. Another year, and, in a few days, another Hearth's Warming Eve at the station. Weather reports said that a cold front was coming from the east. Gallus and Gabby were setting up the tree while Gilda and Lt. Wilhelmina, our resident hippogriff, were tending to the tree decorations.
I was baking M&M cookies with Greta in the kitchen. Keeping in the festive mood, the M&Ms are red, green, and white. Gallus, Giselle and Genevieve were looking out the window at the snow falling. The snow was blowing sideways with the forecast predicting 35mph winds. It was 40 below outside. It was bright and merry at the station.
The cookies will go to a Hearth's Warming Eve party with the local police precinct, and a batch for the station. Maybe by then, the snowstorm will die down. The next morning, the storm passed over, but it was frigid outside. We drew straws to see who would have to get the mail. I lost, and I bundled up to go out and fetch the mail.
It was so cold that breathing felt like breathing in needles. It was the day of the Hearth's Warming Eve party too. Many were staying indoors, and warming up around the heaters and fireplaces. The highways and streets were quiet with the beautiful snow on the trees. I did not have much time to take in the scenery as our station got a call.
"What've we got?" I asked getting into my gear as fast as I could,
"Car crash off Highway 1, we got injures reported, let's go!" said Captain Gordon,
Sirens wailed and horns blasted as we hurried out of the station. Our rigs have all-weather tires to brave the storm. We arrived on the scene of a car that slid off the highway, and crashed into a tree. The front looked like crumpled paper, and the car had a Hearth's Warming tree on the roof. There was also an ambulance and a tow truck.
We brought out both our ladder truck and quint unit in case anything else went wrong such as the engine exploding, "Thank Celestia you're here," said the driver, "my children are in the back, they're fine, it's my leg," he explained. He had a laceration on his head with blood dripping down his muzzle. We had to get him out, and fast.
"Don't worry, buddy, we'll get you outta there, Gretchen! Gabby! Get the saws and jaws!" ordered Captain Gordon, we rushed to the scene from the rigs. Gabby and I pulled out the 'Jaws of Life' and the rotary rescue saw. I had the saw, and Gabby had the jaws. With both tools, we were able to pry the stuck doors loose from the Chevy Cruz.
"What's your name, mon amie?" asked Billie coming with an EMT and stretcher,
"Just-a-Dash, and my wife Sugar Sweet," he replied, his wife was in a similar state,
Wilhelmina lit the road flares to make sure drivers move over to make way for our operations in progress. A police-pony named Gold Star was also on site. He was helping to move the traffic along highway. For the few cars on the road trying to get home, it was still a holdup on the main highway. When we work together, we save lives.
Another stretcher was brought over to the passenger side to help Sugar Sweet out of the car. The windshield wipers were still running on the busted glass. Luckily for this family, none of the fragments went into the car. We had to be careful with the injured stallion and mare, "Ready easy now...1,2,3-," with that we got him on a stretcher.
A wail of pain came from the stallion, and he was tended to on site for his head wound and was lifted into the back of the ambulance, "Gilda! Greta! Get the kiddies out!" yelled Captain Gordon over the biting cold winds coming in as the time was passing. It was a good thing this family had their seatbelts on, or this could have been worse.
The children, a filly named Sugar Maple and a colt named Shortbread, looked frightened seeing their parents being carried into the back of an ambulance, "Now don't you kiddies worry, your parents are in good hooves, now let's get you outta there," Gilda said, and tried to get the seatbelt buttons to let them loose, but the buttons were stuck.
The children were frightened as Gilda pulled out a folding knife, "Shh-shh...it's okay,"
"We just need to cut the seatbelts loose, alright, now eyes on me," instructed Greta,
Within a few seconds, the knives cut the seatbelts loose without harming the little ones. I was there to help them out of the car to the ambulance so they can be with their parents. As I was escorting them to the back doors of the ambulance, Sugar Maple looked up at me wrapped in an emergency blanket, "Will our parents be okay?" she asked,
One thing you have to be, especially with fillies and colts, is honest, "Your parents are in pretty bad shape, but don't you worry, they'll make it," I replied, making sure they were not injured or had any starting symptoms of hypothermia. Billie and I helped them into the ambulance. The doors were closed, and the ambulance drove off.
The ambulance's sirens echoed on the winds as it drove to the hospital. The tow truck pulled the wrecked car away from the tree and onto the flatbed, and cleaned up any loose fragments of wreckage or glass from the accident site. We had to cancel going to the party with the city police forces. Still we had each other, and that still counts.
Days later, we learned that the family are expected to make a full recovery from their injuries. There is no better news than that. Sugar Maple and Shortbread made us drawings and wrote letters saying how thankful they were that we came to rescue them. The drawings have a permanent place on the peg board as reminders of what we do.
