It had been a week or so and we were working as hard as always. Flights through the canyon, target practise and so on. The good thing was that when we weren't training or were having a ten minute break, I was talking to Nick or one of the others on the base. Although when I was talking to the ghost everyone thought that I was crazy talking to my-self and Blade certainly never looked impressed. He never seemed to have a sense of humour but I got along with him. At night Dusty and I would sleep like logs and not even a wild animal could awaken us.
One day, after Dusty had failed to go under the bridge again, we were all heading back to base. Nick was constantly following use but only I could see him, not including Windlifter. Suddenly Dusty began speeding up when he spotted a trail of smoke in the near distance. You can guess what was going to happen next.
"Dusty, wait! That's not—" I started to call after him.
Whoosh.
Dusty dropped some of his retardant right onto fire…and the campers sitting in front of it. They weren't happy about that.
"Too late" Nick said with a smirk and I groaned as we caught up to Dusty.
"Good job." Blade said to Dusty. "You just saved those folks from a nice vacation."
Dusty looked a bit downcast at that and I groaned again, while Nick thought that the whole thing was a big joke. He seemed to find the humour in everything.
"Propwash Junction to Dusty and Belinda. Come in, Dusty and Belinda! This is Propwash Junction!" Skipper's voice said over the radio in their hanger. I scrambled up from where I was sunning myself and bounced into the hangar.
Dusty hurriedly answered. "Hey, Skipper!"
"Howdy partners" I said in excitement to them.
"Hey! How's it going?" Skipper asked.
Dusty sighed a bit. "This is tougher than I thought, but it is so good to hear from you."
"It is certainly tiering" I agreed.
"Well, we wanted to radio—" Skipper started.
"Hey, Skip! Let me tell 'em!" Chug called excitedly in the background
"Oh, all right, Chug." Skipper said.
"Tell us what?" Dusty asked, hoping it wasn't more bad news about the airport. My ears went forward in excitement.
"Okay!" Even over the radio, Chug sounded like he was ready to burst from excitement. "That….we….." He couldn't stop chuckling hysterically. "Oh, I can't! You tell 'em, Sparky!"
"So, okay, there's this fella out in California." Sparky explained.
"California!" Chug repeated.
"The Skipper and I know him from back when we were stationed in Coronado."
"Near San Diego!"
"We all used to go down to Baja."
"Near Coronado!"
Sparky laughed. "Oh boy, there was this one time we went to this bar, and Skipper put a hula skirt and coconuts on his—"
"Sparky!" Skipper barked, silencing the forklift. I snickered to myself.
"The point is he has one of your gearboxes!" Sparky said.
"We got the gearbox!" Chug said happily.
"You got the…..you got the gear….." Dusty's and face broke into a smile. "Are you kidding me?!"
"Woo-hoo" I cheered.
"Oh, wait! It gets better!" Sparky said. "He's gonna ship it out tonight!"
"We'll have it in a couple of days!" Chug called.
"Hey, we can race again!" Dusty said to me.
"You bet your propeller!" I said with a laugh.
"This is the best news!" Dusty sighed happily. "This is just what I needed to hear right now."
"We'll let you know as soon as we get it!" Dottie called from the background.
"Hey Dusty, Belinda! Listen to my new siren!" Mayday called. A second later, a strange squeaking sound came from the radio. Dusty stared, blinking a bit and I tilted my head to one side in confusion. The sound stopped after a moment. "Huh?"
A pause, then Dottie came on. "Yeah…..I haven't actually hooked up his siren yet."
Suddenly a noise echoed throughout the base.
"All aircraft, be advised, Superintendent Spinner has entered the base. I repeat, Superintendent Spinner has entered the base." Patch said over the intercom. Someone was honking their horn loudly in the distance.
"Hm, something's up." Dusty realized. "Gotta go, guys!"
"Bye guys" I said and we singed off.
We both wandered out side in confusion as the honking got louder. Maru was doing tune-ups on Dipper and Windlifter. Falco was sitting on top of one of one of Windlifter propeller blades. Falco had seemed to have taken a liking to Windlifter. I looked over and saw Blade coming our way and he didn't look happy. Suddenly Nick appeared next to me and he looked annoyed and had a scowl on his face. Now that was unusual for Nick who always seemed happy.
"Hey, what's going on?" Dusty asked as he approached them with me following.
"Eh, park superintendent." Maru scoffed with an unimpressed look.
"He waxes himself. Daily." Windlifter said, causing snickers from Dipper and Maru. Falco let out a squawk and shook his head for some unknown reason.
Just then a Cadillac drove up to the base, a Piston Peak National Park logo on his flanks and his paintjob a glistening, sparkling white. I couldn't believe that this was the super intendent. He looked more like a city person.
"Honk-honk, beep-beep!" The Cadillac called obnoxiously. "Park Superintendent coming. I sign your paychecks! Anybody gonna greet me? Yes, you are!"
"We are?" I asked in a confused was as I looked at Maru.
Maru rolled his eyes. "I got some oil pans to change." We watched as he drove away to the tower.
"Blade, Blade, Blade." The Cadillac said as he approached the fire chief. I was feeling sorry for him already. Blade that is, I didn't really care about the super intendent.
"What do you want, Cad?" Blade demanded. His scowl seemed to grow deeper with Cad's presence and Nick looked like he wanted to tear Cad to pieces. Come to think of it I was thinking about it as well.
"That's a big hill." Cad sighed. "Listen. Do you think I like driving all around over here and up there, over there just to complain? Answer: no, I don't. But I heard from some campers that one of your staff just soaked them with that red fire phosphorescent stuff that you use. The deodorant."
"Oh boy" I sighed and glanced at Dusty. I reckon that Cad could talk the hind legs of several donkeys.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. That was my fault." Dusty said as he owned up.
"The team needs to train." Blade told Cad. "There's gonna be some mud spilled along the way." But Cad didn't seem to be listing to Blade now. One glance at use and he had found a new interest.
"Are you kidding me?" Cad laughed before approaching us.
"No, that's the way it works." Blade growled, rolling his eyes and turning as Cad made his way over to us. I took a step back and that seemed to catch Nick's interest that I had seemed to back down.
"No, you are not!" Cad said happily, looking to Dusty and me. "Blade, you're hiding a world famous racer right here at Piston Peak! Ripslinga!"
Dusty blinked and cleared his throat. "It's…..Crophopper."
"Crophoppa!" Cad corrected.
"Dusty." The former crop duster introduced. "And this is Belinda Autumn Splash."
I just nodded a greeting.
"Ah so she's your cute little pony" Cad cooed at me. "Hey, she's quite the looker too."
I flattened my ears and beared my teeth. I didn't take kindly to anything like that and I wasn't a pony either. Cad on the other hade wasn't fazed by this.
"Me, Cad Spinner." Cad introduced. "You, one fast plane! What are you doing up here?"
Dusty perked up a bit in pride. "Well, I'm getting certified—"
"Doesn't matter." Cad interrupted. "Tomorrow night. The lodge. Grand reopening party. You're invited! And your little pony. I'm thinking high-speed flyover. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking it'll be…it'll be dark." Dusty noted as he remembered what Blade had said.
"And I think you're wolf in sheep's clothing" I stated before moving over to Blade and the others.
Cad didn't seem to notice. "Hey! There's gonna be a lot of VIPs. 'Very Important Planes.' How would you like to rub tires with the Secretary of the Interior of the United States…..of America? I smell photo op! Flash! Cha-ching! Ya gotta do it, come on!"
"I smell somethin' else." Blade noted, mostly to Windlifter and Dipper beside him. I flicked one ear and hoped that Cad would go away, before I make him.
Cad rolled his eyes, looking to the fire chief. "Blade, Blade, Blade. Can I explain something? Yes, I can. Look, spilling mud on people makes for sad campers. Big party at my lodge makes for happy campers! You understand?"
"You've packed too many 'happy campers' into the park." Blade snapped. "And way too many into that lodge."
"Oh, we've got a structural fire engine down there protecting it." Cad assured. I could see that Cad was asking for a kick but I didn't dare move. Instead I just flattened my ears.
"This isn't just about protecting the lodge." Blade protested. "There's low humidity, a lot of dead wood, and we're already short on resources as it is."
Dipper moved over to Dusty and I followed. Dusty was watching Cad argue with Blade.
"He got the Park Service to shift eighty percent of our budget to his lodge restoration project" She whispered to us. Dusty blinked is supprise.
"This base is held together with baling wire and duct tape!" Blade snapped. "Maru had to rebuild that old tower himself!"
"It's better than new!" came Maru's distant shout. I smirked at that comment.
"Hear me, fellow forest friends, dirty though you may be." Cad called, clearly not taking an interest in Blade's words. "This is an historic weekend." A ringing sound rang out, and an antenna rose from Cad's headlight. "Cad, you got thirty seconds. Go. Ah, I don't care how much it costs! Yes! Get the crystal glasses! Yes, fluted! Were you born in a barn? Come on! The lodge is only gonna be grand-reopened once. I'm not gonna—" He caught sight of the firefighters glaring at him. "Could you hold on a second?" He reversed and drove over to park next to some dumpsters. "Then fire the old lady and get somebody who can get them!"
I was starting to feel sorry for Blade and the team because they had to put up with Cad.
Cad finally returned, a smirk on his face. "You're not the only ones who can put out a fire, right?" He looked to Dusty. "So will I see you at the party? Yes, I will!" He clicked his tongue. "Superstar! And I know I'll see you too, sweaty"
"Just keep talking" I growled "Because I attack at any second." Dusty moved his wing I front of me knowing that I would.
Card hardly seemed to notice as he drove off. "Can you believe it? Dusty Cropslinger! He and his pilot are even more famous than you, Blazin' Blade!"
Suddenly a stone bounced off of Cad's roof. He spun around to look for the culprit but everyone gave an innocent look (or a glare in Blade's case). Looking up I saw Falco circling overhead. Cad turned and continued on his merry way. Blade watched Cad leave before sighing in frustration and rolling off, no doubt a major headache beginning to form. I watch him go before turning to the others. Dusty looked to Windlifter and Dipper.
'Blazin' Blade'?" he asked confused.
"Shh!" Dipper said hurriedly.
"What, me shush?" Dusty asked, Dipper continuing her efforts to silence him. "I just said 'Blazin' Blade'."
"Kilawu!" Windlifter finally said.
"What?" Dusty whispered.
"Tonight." Windlifter said. "Main hanger. Tell no one. Especially Blade."
Later on I wander off to find Blade. He was sitting outside his hangar facing west. I nickered to him to catch his attention. Blade turned to me and I cocked my head to one side.
"You okay Blade?" I asked as I moved up next to him.
"I'm fine" answered Blade as he looked back over the valley.
"If you say so" I said not wanting to upset anything. Looking up I could see Nick looping around overhead.
"I noticed your reaction to Cad" said Blade. "You didn't like him at all."
"No and have my own reasons" I answered. "He is really annoying"
"Hmmm" Blade hummed in agreement. Suddenly we heard a screech. Glancing up Blade and I saw Falco soring overhead with something is his claws. Just then Falco dropped it and a fish hit me smack in the face. I shook the fish off and glared up a Falco. Blade on the other hand smirked.
"Your bird been catching the fish out of the rivers?" asked Blade.
"Yes he has" I answered. "I had taught him to fish because when I found him he was only half grown."
"How easy was that?" asked Blade as Falco pounced on the fish and flew off to eat it somewhere.
"It was not easy" I answered "Let's just say that it took him two and a half years before he caught his first fish."
"Guess that you weren't cut out to raise another species" said Blade.
"Once I lost my heard and escaped the two-legers Falco was the only friend I had" I countered "Until I appeared I this world. Still haven't figured out how though."
"Hmmm" said Blade.
"Well I'm off to find dinner" I said "See ya later."
"Rito" Blade answered before turning back to the setting sun. Blade was lost in his past and tonight Dusty and I were going to find out what.