Friday morning wasn’t as bad as I expected actually. On occasion Blossomforth would give me a hoof with the clock tower. Today was the only time she brought Thunderlane along though. Can somepony explain how he possibly thought it was a date when they came up to help me work?
“So why am I doing this again,” Thunderlane asked me while we were scrubbing around a giant number twelve.
“’Cause Blossomforth has you on a short leash,” I replied. It’s true; she kept him in line and always had a sharp eye on him. I’d wager the feather flu thing during tornado duty did it but I had no confirmation.
“Double time boys,” screeched Blossomforth from a hatch down below us. “The minute hand’s catching up to you both and I swear I will kill you if you get him crushed Thunderlane!”
We both exchanged brief pale glances and worked harder. I heard about her attitude from Flitter but that was it. Blossomforth was usually nice, very nice actually, but when she was mad, you ran for cover.
“How in Equestria are you still alive when she gets like that,” I asked after we got out of harm’s way by the eleven. We had a whole fifty minutes before we had to worry about the minute hand catching up with us.
“Everything when she’s not mad,” he replied with a grin.
I gave him a smirk. “Everything?”
“Al, it’s great, know what I mean?”
I cocked my head over, turning enough to see the library. “I’m starting to. I really like two ponies. One is always so busy, but I can live with it. Everything else we do really makes up for it.”
“What about the other one?”
“She’s just as brave as she is reckless. She lights a fire in my heart and-”
Blossomforth poked her head back out to glare at us. “If you don’t get back to work Alex, I’m making sure the mayor docks your pay.” I never ever got that attitude from her under any circumstance.
For your sake Thunderlane, I thought, I pray that attitude is the only problem she has.
*****
We all went out for lunch after we finished and Blossomforth went back to being the mare I knew.
“So,” she said casually at the restaurant, “what’s this I hear about you liking somepony Alex?”
She caught me in mid-bite of a daffodil and lettuce sandwich. I was still getting used to the whole ‘flowers are almost a food group on their own’ thing. “Well,” I said after a hard gulp. “Yeah I like somepony.”
“I also hear there’s two of em. Is that true?”
“Well, I um,” I knew I had to choose my words a little more carefully.
“I see,” she said with a smirk. “It’s actually a pretty common thing, more common than you can imagine Alex. Decided who you’re going to let down?”
I shied away a little. I know she wants to help, but I wasn’t really a fan of talking about it. “I hope I can figure it out soon,” I said with a note of depression. “I’m trying something a little aggressive today and tomorrow.”
She gave me a supportive look before turning to Thunderlane. “How about you go and get your brother, I’d like to talk about this a little and I’d like some privacy.” She leaned up against him and gave him an alluring look, “sound good dear?”
“Oh,” he said with a startled look, “yeah I’ll go pick-up Rumble.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if she was just batting him away to talk in private or give him an order. Either way it worked perfectly. “I’ve never heard you like you were today,” I asked after Thunderlane was out of sight.
“Thunderlane” she said carefully, “he's a good guy but he needs a firm hoof. I can't show favorites or he’ll think I'm playing with him. Sorry for how I acted, but that’s just how our relationship is.”
I gave her a lax smile. “Well then Blossomforth, what do you suggest I do about them?”
“Just be honest,” she told me comfortingly. “Do they both know there’s somepony else you care for?”
“Yeah, but we’re all such good friends. It’s really complicated and I’m afraid that if I make a wrong move I’ll get one, only to lose the other’s trust and friendship.”
“Then you just have to tell them how you feel. Look, I know it’s some silly guy thing not to be as emotional as we girls, but you’ll have to spill your heart out to them sooner or later.”
“I just don’t want to lose either as a friend though,” I replied.
“If you don’t take the initiative both will keep hoping and when you have to break it off with the unlucky one then it’ll hurt more. Not just for her, but for you as well.”
I nodded. “Thanks Blossomforth, I’ll pay for lunch today.”
She just smiled, knowing that she did her best. The next part was up to me, an hour from now I’d be seeing where the day with Rainbow took me.
*****
Rainbow Dash was waiting for me when I returned to the tower. “Spend all day in a clock and yer late?”
I cranked my head up and saw the giant clock face read ten after one. “I appreciate the irony of that Dashie,” I replied.
“Yeah, I saw you heading off with Blossomforth and Thunderlane a while ago. What’s up with that?”
“Well, Blossomforth’s been by the tower a few times and she brought Thunderlane with her today.”
“Does she still boss him around?”
“How long’s that been going on?”
“You remember tornado duty,” she asked as we started heading off towards the park.
“So was it since then?”
“Flitter said she started to yell at him from across the hall at the hospital. Stuff like ‘I can’t believe you got me sick’ and ‘what’s Rainbow Dash gonna say to you if they can’t even get enough wingpower to finish the tornado?’ I was so embarrassed when word got around to me. Blossomforth’s always a bit of an attitude, it’s why I don’t like her on weather duty for Winter Wrap-Up. Gets on the rest of the crew’s nerves ya know?”
“Thunderlane seems to take the brunt of it though.”
“Well yeah. It’s nice to see somepony keeps her calmer. She’s so much different since they got together, nice and cheerful unless you have to be around Thunderlane.”
“I noticed, she conned him into working on the clock with me. He thought it was a date.”
“What a featherbrain.”
*****
By the time we stopped laughing at Thunderlane’s expense we were relaxing under a large tree in the nice autumn afternoon.
“Whoo, I haven’t laughed that much since Pinkie found that show that made no sense.”
“Which one Al?”
I cocked an eyebrow, “I have to pick?”
Rainbow snorted. “Good point.”
“So what do you wanna do today?”
“Hmm,” she put a hoof to her muzzle and looked like she was thinking about it. “How about we just relax for a while longer, maybe play catch later on. I know I shouldn’t be thinking of anything too one-sided cause I’m the really athletic one.”
Not to mention that you can fly, I silently added. “Thanks for the consideration, but aren’t you always trying to prove you’re the best Dashie?”
She gave me a contented smile as she leaned against my shoulder. “Not with you Al. If we were on a bit more even ground then I might wanna give it a shot, but not when there’s just too much of a gap. I’ve still got my dignity and I know you’d want me to play fairer. So, you and Twilight would try and outsmart each other right?”
“That’d never end. Besides, I think she’s trying to research romance-”
“What’s she using as her research? Trashy books? Rarity? Trashy books she got from Rarity?”
I wrapped an arm around her. “Why are you so concerned Dashie? I mean if she doesn’t do well then I can pay more attention towards you.”
“Al, I want a good, clean, mostly nonviolent fight. Besides, asking Rarity for help’s just asking for trouble. She’ll be all about the drama and just say stuff that works for her, it’s just not fair for anypony to deal with that.”
“So, got a ball or something for catch?”
Rainbow looked up from my shoulder. “We’re under one of Pinkie’s ball cache trees. So, how about we just, ya know, have some fun and watch the sunset together?” She hit her hoof against the tree trunk hard, knocking a ball out of some little holding place higher in the tree.
“Sounds great Dashie,” I got up and smirked, “go long.”
*****
“You’ve got quite the arm Al,” Rainbow told me after we returned to under the tree near sundown.
“Well,” I leaned my head back against the tree and took in a deep breath, “you only nearly missed that one toss.”
“Yeah, only cause you threw it so low. I mean I just barely made it before it hit the ground. Really got you good with those bucking tosses though didn’t I?”
“The ones I caught really made my hands sting,” I told her as I wrapped my arm around her.
“Oh, come on, if you’re gonna do that then do it right down below my wings.”
I had been reading Twilight’s book about Equestria, not to mention a few about race behaviors. “Not just yet Dashie, we aren’t that close yet.”
“Aw come on, we’ve shared a bed. We’ve kissed. I’d say we’re close enough.”
“Lemmie rephrase then, we aren’t intimate just yet.”
She nudged into my lap and wrapped her forelegs around my neck. “So, there’s hope for that then?”
My arms loosened a little, letting them drift enough to be just above her wing joint. “I won’t confirm or deny that just yet.”
“So we’re close enough for this, just not close enough for something completely intimate?”
“Exactly,” I replied with a sly grin. I was fine with a deeply affectionate pose, she is one of the mares that has a firm grip on my heart after all.