Chapter Four: A Spark at Piston Peak

Because the airport was shut down, Dusty would need a different place to take off without having to go to another town. So he and Sky went out with Sparky, Chug, Skipper, Dottie, and Mayday to a section of highway outside of town. Sky left her crutches at home, her wounded ankle wrapped in bandages and supported with a flexible brace so she could still heal and the injury wouldn't interfere with her training. She had more bandages and a first-aid kit tucked in her backpack along with some extra clothes, toiletries, and some tools in case Dusty needed a tune-up. She left her Navy jacket behind and instead wore a light, black jacket over her usual T-shirt.

"You be safe, all right?" Skipper said to Sky, nuzzling the girl.

"You got it." Sky nodded, hugging her father and giving him a quick kiss. "Love you, Dad." She hopped up to her spot on Dusty, ready to go.

"When you get to Piston Peak Air Attack, you're gonna ask for Blade Ranger." Mayday instructed. "He's their chief and an old friend of mine. He can train and certify you two."

"Aye-aye, Chief." Sky nodded.

"Consider it done, Mayday." Dusty agreed, starting up his propeller.

"And Dusty, be careful." Skipper said.

"I will." Dusty nodded.

"We'll see you guys by the time of the Corn Fest." Sky assured as Dusty began taking off. She pulled her goggles down over her eyes, making sure her camouflage bandana stayed secure on her head.

"Good luck, Dusty! Good luck, Sky!" Mayday called.

"Take it easy out there!" Dottie chimed in.

"You can do it!" Skipper encouraged.

"We're proud of you guys!" Chug called.

Sparky cheered for them. "Good luck!"

Sky turned and waved until her family disappeared, Dusty flying off west towards California. Sky stayed relaxed; her usual position for when they were racing wouldn't help with just a casual flight across the country. Dusty and Sky talked now and then during their flight, but for the most part they were silent. Steadily, they began to leave the grasslands and fields behind and arrived at rocky, forested areas. Sky wouldn't admit it, but she felt a little nervous. What would she be required to do while training to be a firefighter? She knew there was more to it than just throwing water onto flames. But what more did she have to know? And, more importantly, was she actually as brave as she thought she was? Sky pushed the thoughts aside for now, enjoying the leisure flight to Piston Peak. She and Dusty did so much racing she almost forgot what a smooth flight felt like.

It took several hours to get to California, and Sky ended up taking a nap on the way there. When she finally saw the mountains and dense forests, she smiled broadly and sighed in relief, knowing the trip was almost over. Dusty and Sky passed a train as they flew into the park, writing on the train's side reading "Muir" and "Piston Peak Railway." Sky waved and Dusty tipped a wing in greeting, the train smiling and blowing his whistle to greet back. The two flew further into the park, staring in awe at the beautiful scenery. Tourists and campers streamed into the park, taking pictures and talking excitedly. They passed the entrance, where Sky noticed a sign that read "Welcome to Piston Peak National Park." As Dusty looped around, a geyser went off and shot water into the air. Sky spread her arms, giggling a bit as the cool mist settled onto her skin. She wiped the water from her goggles, looking down at the magnificent lodge just below them.

"So where do you think the firefighters are?" Sky asked.

"No idea." Dusty admitted. "I guess we'll know them when we see them. Mayday said their base is on a mountain somewhere."

Sky looked around. "Well that's specific." She muttered sarcastically. The two of them ended up flying over fields, a canyon with a waterfall, and a huge lake before Sky spotted something in the cliff side ahead of them. "Hey, I bet that's it!"

Dusty followed her gaze and discovered a runway and several buildings resting on a cliff. Lowering his landing gear, he made a smooth landing onto the runway and began taxiing towards the buildings. Sky unhooked herself from the handlebar and dismounted Dusty, sitting down on his wing. But as the two looked around, they realized everything they expected about the Air Attack team hadn't been completely spot on. There were several hangers, a garage, a tower for traffic control, and even a helipad or two. But it certainly didn't look like a firefighting base. Mellow music played from the speakers on the tower, and the forklift inside was polishing the windows. A green Sikorsky/Erickson CH64 Skycrane sat on a platform next to what must've been his hanger, lifting a dozen logs as though they were barbells. A Native American dream catcher hung from the platform. Outside the hanger next to him, a bright yellow and red SuperScooper hummed to herself as she sunbathed.

"Argh! Stick shift!"

Dusty and Sky glanced over to the garage, where a dark blue and gray forklift waved a wheel and groaned in pain, having apparently kicked some canisters. A Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar with the words "U.S. Air Force" printed on his side sat at his hanger, listening to a radio.

"You sure this is the right place?" Dusty whispered.

"I thought it was." Sky shrugged.

"Ripping!"

"Duck!" Sky yelped and Dusty quickly obeyed as a vehicle flew over their heads. The vehicle landed on his treads and spun around, revealing to be a yellow and black skid street digger.

"Drip!" a female voice shouted right before a small ATV, also colored yellow and black, jumped out from behind the dirt ramp the street digger came off. A vehicle with a saw blade came up on the other side of Drip, and a bulldozer and a digger vehicle with a rake tool rolled up to sit on top of the jump.

These guys are firefighters? Sky wondered.

"What the heck is the matter with you?" the ATV snapped.

"Yeah, but Blackout said it was okay to go, dude." The street digger said.

"I did?" the saw bladed vehicle asked.

"He did?" the female car asked skeptically.

"Yeah, he was like, 'He's okay to go, dude.'" The digger said, using his claws to mimic a mouth talking.

"Uh, I'm sorry." Dusty piped up, catching everyone's attention. "We're looking for Piston Peak Air Attack."

"You are there!" the digger cheered.

"Copy that, jefe!" The saw vehicle cheered, the two of them tapping their tools together.

"You two must be the SEAT and rookie. We heard you were comin'." The small ATV said, looping around Dusty and Sky.

"And we came." Sky said with a smirk.

The car smirked back. "I'm Dynamite. This is Blackout, Pinecone, Avalanche…."

"HELLO!" the bulldozer shouted.

"…and Evel Ke-numbskull over there is Drip." Dynamite finished as Drip spun around and flipped himself to stand on his head.

"Did you guys see that?" Drip asked, smiling broadly.

"Nice to meet you." Sky nodded in greeting. "I'm Skylar Riley."

"I'm Dusty Crophopper." Dusty introduced.

Dynamite, Blackout, and Drip hurried out of the way as the SuperScooper from before suddenly barreled forward, a huge smile on her face.

"The air racer?" She squealed, making Dusty flinch. "And oh my gosh, you're Skylar Riley!"

Sky giggled, a little nervous. "Yeah. That's me. Most people call me 'Sky.'"

"That's so amazing!" the SuperScooper cried happily. "You are the coolest psyche human in the world! I just love how you and Dusty work together. I have seen every single one of your races on RSN!" She gave Dusty a once-over. "You're smaller than I thought. But that's okay!"

"Um, thanks." Dusty said, a little freaked out by how freakishly huge the SuperScooper was compared to him. Sky bit her lip to keep her amused giggles at bay.

"So what are a couple of world-famous racing superstars doing here?" the SuperScooper asked.

"Uh, getting certified." Sky said, casting a look to see the Skycrane from before had joined the group to check them out. His copper-colored eyes stared directly at Sky, and she almost couldn't tear her gaze away. She had a feeling the helicopter was wiser than anyone else on the entire base.

"To help out some friends back home." Dusty explained, trying to not look intimidated by the SuperScooper.

"Oh, that's so sweet!" the SuperScooper cooed. "I'm Dipper. That's what everyone calls me, so you can too."

"Pleasure." Sky smiled warmly.

"Great to meet you." Dusty said before turning his attention to the rest of the team. "We're looking for Blade Ranger."

"He's out scouting for spot fires." Dynamite said. "He should be back in a few."

"Thanks." Dusty said gratefully.

"The one the Lakota call Haokah beats his drum with the wind to make thunder." The Skycrane spoke, his deep voice surprising Sky a bit. "With thunder comes lightning, and with lightning comes fire."

Silence for a beat.

He's gotta be Native American or something. Sky guessed.

"Okay….." Dusty cleared his throat, getting more and more weirded out.

"Dusty, be nice!" Sky elbowed her racing partner.

"Windlifter!" Dipper said hurriedly. "Stop scaring our guests! I don't hear any drums."

"Kilawu." Windlifter looked towards the tower. Dusty and Sky followed his gaze.

After a moment, an alarm blared out across the base and a woman's voice spoke over the speakers. "All aircraft, we've got a report of a wildfire."

Wait, how did he…? Sky stared at Windlifter in surprise. The Skycrane had a look in his eyes that said "I told you so."

"Come on, boys!" the gray tug from the garage called. "Let's load up!" He looked to the forklift in the tower. "Patch! Drop the needle!" After a moment, rock music began blaring from the speakers.

"It's an actual fire?" Dusty asked as the team suddenly sprang into action.

"Oh yeah!" Dipper nodded. "It happens all the time. You guys only hear about the big ones!"

Before Dusty's and Sky's eyes, the laid-back vehicles around them began darting around and preparing to go to work. The Smokejumpers hurried into their garage and loaded parachutes onto them, speeding out to the Fairchild starting up his engines on the runway. The gray tug sped over to Dipper and locked a hose onto a nozzle on her side, loading retardant into the SuperScooper. Windlifter started up his rotors, waiting for the tug to push over a large cargo container before hooking it on and taking off. The Smokejumpers loaded into the Flying Boxcar, and he and Dipper took off, following Windlifter out into the park.

"We gotta see this!" Dusty said excitedly.

"Yeah, let's go!" Sky urged, hopping back onto Dusty and the two taking off after the firefighters. They flew a safe distance behind the aircraft, not wanting to get in the way. Soon, a huge column of smoke could be seen in the valley, and Sky began to wonder what classified a "big" fire. As they came closer, Dusty and Sky noticed another aircraft already at the scene. The craft disappeared, only to reappear as he burst out of the smoke from the fire. The aircraft, a red and white AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, could only be Chief Blade Ranger. Sky suddenly felt an electric shock, like static, at the sight of Blade, but she shook it off. Blade looped up and around, dropping a load of red retardant around the edge of the fire. His icy blue eyes, alert and focused, scanned every inch of the blaze.

"Whoa!" Dusty breathed, banking off to one side to watch but stay out of the way. He and Sky watched as the firefighters moved per Blade's orders. Dipper and Windlifter made a circle of retardant around the fire. Cabbie dropped the Smokejumpers, and the ATVs got to work clearing debris on the ground to prevent the flames from spreading.

"Wow!" Sky gasped in amazement. "Cool!" She noticed Blade breaking formation, and she watched him fly off towards the trees. Sky spotted a herd of deere desperately trying to escape the fire. One of the males was falling behind, in danger of being cut off from the herd and possibly killed. Swooping down, a door slid open on Blade's side to reveal a winch and hook. Flying down smoothly and swiftly, he let out the cable and caught the deere's antler rack in the hook. Blade pulled up, taking the animal with him just as a burning tree hit the spot the animal previously occupied. The helicopter dropped the deere with the rest of the herd, reeling in the hoist.

"Awesome!" Dusty breathed.

Sky stared in amazement, unable to hide her awe at the work the firefighters did. So this is what firefighting was about. And soon, she and Dusty would get to do it with Mayday. Sky looked ahead and gasped. "Dusty, watch out!"

Too late. Dusty was so focused on what was happening he didn't realize how close he was flying into Blade's path until he accidentally cut off the fire chief. Sky spun around to make sure they didn't clip the helicopter. Her blue-green eyes locked onto Blade's icy blue ones for a brief moment. But in that brief moment, they both felt something like an electric shock. What's going on? Sky wondered. Why is this happening?

Blade's surprised expression to the shock fell into a glare as he realized the extra flyers. "Get out of this airspace!" He ordered.

"Oh, sorry!" Dusty called. Suddenly, he flew right through the retardant Dipper had been dropping, coating him and Sky in the red stuff.

Sky coughed and gagged, like Dusty did. Her goggles were so coated she couldn't see a thing. "Aw, Dusty!" She whined.

Dusty looked up and caught sight of Blade as he flew away. The red and white helicopter glared at him with a look that spelled certain doom. Oh great. We're dead.


Dusty and Sky yelped as the grey tug hosed them down to get the retardant off. Unfortunately, while it did make them clean, it also left the two sopping wet and a little cold. The tug nodded in satisfaction and rolled off into the garage to get to work. Sky pulled off her goggles, shaking them a bit as water dripped from her clothes and backpack. Blade stood nearby, casting the pair of racers a very uninterested and stern glare.

"When you dry out, wing it back to the lodge with the rest of the tourists." Blade ordered, beginning to roll off.

"We're not tourists." Sky protested, wringing out her hair.

"They're the trainees." Windlifter said.

Blade paused, turning to stare at Sky and Dusty. "You're the ones Mayday radioed about? Oh for the love of—"

"Oh come on, Blade!" Dipper said excitedly. "They're not just any plane or human. It's Dusty Crophopper and Skylar Riley!" Dusty tried to warn Dipper against it, but she continued. "They raced all the way around the world! And Sky's a psyche human, can you believe it?"

Dusty chuckled nervously, not liking the deadpan, unblinking expression in Blade's eyes. "Well, I mean…."

Sky elbowed him. "Come on, own up to it." She looked to Blade and stood up a little straighter. "I am a psyche human, and not only did Dusty and I race all around the world, we won."

"We did." Dusty finally nodded. "We did do that."

Blade rolled up a little closer to them, staring at the pair. Sky felt her confidence begin to waver, but she kept her strong demeanor as Blade spoke. "The world wasn't on fire though, was it?"

Sky blinked. So did Dusty. "Was the whole world…"

"…..on fire?" Sky finished.

She and Dusty shared a look. "No." They said at the same time, Dusty a little more nervous and Sky speaking as though it were obvious.

Blade stared at them for a moment, making a "hmm" sound. Finally, he turned to the tug in the garage. "Maru!"

"What?" Maru shouted indignantly.

"Rip off his landing gear!" Blade ordered.

"Uh, wait, what?" Dusty gasped.

Maru chuckled deviously, dropping his welding mask and firing up his torch.