ROLLER COASTER OF LOVE
The sun shining directly into my face is what finally wakes me up the next morning. I pat around myself looking for a friendly wing I can pull back over my face to block it out, but there’s nopony next to me on the couch. The spot where Azalea was sleeping has already cooled. I can still smell her scent on the fabric. Something stands out against the lingering mustiness and various food stains that cuts straight through all my defenses and just screams ‘her’ to my half-awake mind.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” says Azalea from somewhere nearby. I sit up and stretch, still groggy and out of it despite the fact that I must have slept for a solid twelve hours. Who knew that platonic cuddling could be so draining?
“Hey,” I respond before staggering over to the bathroom for relief. Once that’s out of the way and I’m feeling a touch more like a living pony I return to the kitchen, where a cup of blessed, steaming coffee is sitting on the table waiting for me. Not caring about the heat, I guzzle it down and wipe my mouth with a foreleg. “Do you want me to make us some breakfast?”
“Thanks, but I’m fine. I had a snack while you were still asleep,” she responds. She smiles gently and reaches across the table to place her hoof over mine. “I really enjoy spending time with you, Cloudy. I need to head home and start unpacking, but I hope we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.”
“I’d like that,” I say. This mare’s made quite an impression on me in just the one day I’ve known her. She’s definitely one I’ll be keeping an eye on. “I’m having some friends over in a couple days for a private party, if you’d be up for that.”
At that, she frowns and withdraws her hoof. “That sounds like a lot to take all at once.”
“Not if you stretch first.” She swats me gently as I hold up a leg to deflect it before continuing. “But seriously though, it’s not like I’m throwing an orgy. Just a couple friends I’d like you to meet. Sometimes stuff happens and sometimes it doesn’t, but we always end up having a good time.”
Continuing to eye me warily, she gives me a cautious nod. “I guess I wouldn’t mind getting to know them. You’re not going to try to push me off onto one of them, right? Some of the ponies last night told me you like to play matchmaker.”
“Azalea, hey. Look at me.” I walk around the table and sit down on the floor beside her chair, gently lifting her chin so she doesn’t have anywhere to look but into my eyes. “I know I tend to come across as kind of aggressive sometimes, and I don’t have the greatest track record for always thinking things through. But if I am ever, ever doing anything that makes you uncomfortable you just smack me on the head and tell me to stop being a jerk. Got it?”
She doesn’t say anything, but she does nod as best she can as I pull my hoof away. Her gaze isn’t going anywhere, though. We both stare at each other a great deal longer than necessary and then slowly, almost imperceptibly, she leans forward bringing her face closer to mine.
This would probably be a good time to mention that the chair she’s sitting on has never exactly been the most stable thing. I would have warned her, but at that particular moment I was slightly distracted.
The legs of the chair slide out from under her and she falls the rest of the way forwards, catching me by surprise and knocking me back. If I ever retell this story, I plan to tell anypony who asks that ‘I nobly dove to catch the falling maiden’ rather than ‘I couldn’t get out of the way in time.’
Either way, the end result is me pinned down on the floor underneath the sweet little mare who just tried to kiss me. She looks up, a bit dazed, and then seems to notice where she is and freezes. “Um...” I say to break the silence, “are you going to get off of me any time soon?”
“I’m seriously considering it,” she says with bashful smile. There’s that odd scent again, the one that seems to make everything that isn’t her fade into the background. When she doesn’t move after a few seconds longer, I run a hoof through her mane and lean up to meet her lips for a kiss. She ever so gently returns it, and when it breaks she nuzzles at my chest and mutters something that I can’t quite make out.
Whatever it was that she just said, it triggers a total one-eighty in her personality. She leaps off of me and covers her mouth while I look across the room at her, confused as all get out. “Azalea? What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean that. Oh, shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot why do I always do that? Can we just pretend I didn’t say that?”
“Say what?”
She chuckles. “Thanks. I’ve blown up more relationships by saying those three words too soon than I care to admit. I’m getting out of here before I screw this up anymore, but I’ll see you at the party.” With that she bolts for my front door and is out of my house before I can reply. My half-awake mind finally processes what ‘those three words’ would have to be.
Uh oh.
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“She said that she loved you?” asks Blossomforth as she gives the cloud next to the one I’m sitting on a good whack, sending pieces of it off in all directions. “And you, of all ponies, didn’t run away screaming?”
“Well, she did take it back before it even registered with me what she said,” I reply as I flop down on my back. “You’re okay with talking to me about this, right? I mean, it isn’t going to dredge anything up for you?”
Blossomforth lands on my cloud and leans down to boop my nose with hers, a gesture that’s never failed to brighten my mood. “Don’t flatter yourself, Cloud. I got over my crush on you a long time ago. Besides, I have Davenport now.”
There’s a reason Blossom is my go-to for serious relationship advice, besides being my best friend. “So what do I say to her at the party tonight to let her down gently without freaking her out?”
“Are you sure you want to let her down?”
“What are you suggesting?”
Blossomforth shrugs. “It’s just that this mare is obviously getting to you. Have you considered the possibility that you might actually be interested in her beyond wanting to take her to bed? That she’s actually a possible candidate for a real relationship?”
I sit back up and glare at her. “Have you been talking to my mother again?”
She sighs. “See, this is what you do. Whenever anypony so much as suggests you try to be flexible about these things you get all defensive.” She covers my mouth before I can reply. “Oh, and if you try to change the subject by jumping on the word ‘flexible’ I will kick this cloud right out from under you.”
With my planned retort anticipated and thwarted, I’m left stewing in silence while Blossom continues her work around me. Even the clear blue sky above the layer of clouds Dash asked us to clear away isn’t enough to cheer me up. Flapping my wings a couple times half-heartedly kicks up a breeze, but it’s clear that my mind isn’t on my job. “You’re coming to my party, right? Maybe you could sort of feel her out for me?” Must... resist... innuendo...
“Maybe you could pony up and ask her on a date instead,” grumbles Blossom. When she glances over at me I give her my best pleading look and she sighs. “Fine, I’ll talk to her at the party tonight. Stow the hurt puppy eyes.”
“You’re the best, Blossom. Hey, if you ever need any new tricks to spice things up between you and Davenport, I picked up some juicy ones.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” says Blossom in a tone that suggests she’s actually trying to force her mind to discard the idea as quickly as possible. Poor ponies don’t know what they’re missing. If I owned that many couches, I’d put them to way better use.
After we finish clearing away the clouds I make a detour on the way back to the the weather office. I'm in no hurry to face the stack of paperwork that I know is waiting for me. Flying over the market, I glance down at Azalea’s stall. It’s set up right next to Applejack’s, and the two of them are each talking to a small crowd of customers, haggling away. I don’t linger to watch them or anything; that would be creepy. Turning over what Blossomforth suggested to me in my head, I wonder if she might be onto something. I do like Azalea, although I don’t know that I like her that much. I’ve barely seen her since the morning after she stayed over. Sure, we hit it off and I wouldn’t mind banging her, but that’s hardly like saying I’m desperately in love with her. I’m not even sure if I know what that would feel like. On the other hoof, it’s not like if I ask her on one date we’re suddenly engaged or anything and why can’t I get this stupid idea out of my head?
I land by the roof entrance to the weather office, where the other pegasi on the roof are milling around not paying attention to me. With a huff, I decide to drown my worries about tonight in leave forms and requisitions. No point running myself ragged trying to figure all this out right now, I’ll just wing it at the party and see what happens.
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“Hey Lyra! Thanks for coming. Is Bon Bon with you?” I ask the unicorn standing at my door. Behind me, my friends are laughing and chatting away with one another, and Blossomforth has just started her friendly little interrogation of Azalea. I’m trying to steer clear of that for now, at least until Blossom signals me that she’s found something out. It isn't easy; Azalea wore a little yellow sundress that keeps pulling my eyes towards her flank.
Lyra steps inside. “She had a big order come in at the last minute, I think she’s swamped. She said she’d try to get away and at least swing by later if she could, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
I nod, completely getting it. Running a shop like that would leave you with a whole lot less free time than being assistant manager of the weather team. Bon Bon being able to meet up with us is always a little iffy, but we take it in stride. “You want a drink?”
“I’ll take some white wine, if you’ve got any open.” I nod and move over to pour her some. My parties tend to draw a slightly different crowd than Pinkie’s events, a crowd that prefers something a little stronger than punch. The gang’s all here now, and Blossomforth is smiling at Azalea which I take to be a positive sign. I only hope she isn’t giving the mare any expectations.
My train of thought is derailed when there’s another knock on the door. That’s odd, I thought everypony was already here. I wander back to the door wondering if I forgot I had invited somepony, or maybe Bon Bon decided to come to the party after all.
I open the door, and it turns out it’s neither of those things. Instead it’s a mare with a dirty white coat and a perpetually-oily blue mane who holds the rare distinction of a spot on my ‘would not bang with a ten foot pole’ list.
Well, actually I wouldn’t bang most ponies with a ten foot pole. It’s uncomfortable and the logistics are tough to work out in a normal-sized bedroom. You know what I mean.
The other mare and I stare at each other for several second before I decide to make the first move. “I don’t remember inviting you to my home, Algae Bloom.”
At first I hope against hope that she’ll just turn around and walk away, but those hopes are dashed when she puts on a cocky grin. “Minuette told me she’d be here, said that I should stop by for a while and pick her up when I got off work at the pet shop.”
I’m halfway into planning the menacing rant I’ll be delivering to Minuette in the near future about who she’s allowed to invite to my house when I pause. “Wait, isn’t Minuette still going steady with Thunderlane? Did they break up?”
Algae Bloom shrugs. “No idea. Maybe. Maybe they just decided to do the open relationship thing, or maybe Minuette decided she wanted a little something on the side. That’s her problem, not mine. Now can I come in or not?”
“...Fine. Just don’t do anything to piss me off.” I step aside and regretfully allow her inside. The worst part about being in the same room with her is that ponies see us together and assume we’re anything alike, when she’s about the last pony in Equestria I’d care to be associated with.
“Who’s the new mare?”
I bite down hard to suppress a growl. Algae would narrow in on the one pony who doesn’t realize she’s bad news. “She just moved into town last week. As far as you’re concerned, her name is Off Limits.”
“Relax, Kicks. It was a perfectly innocent question. I’m here for Minuette tonight.”
“There’s no such thing as an innocent question coming from you,” I snarl. Oh, no, Azalea and Blossom are coming over to us.
Before they get to us, Algae Bloom gives me a grin. “Like I said, calm down. I’m happy to let you and flavor-of-the-week here run your course before I put any moves on her.”
“Hi Cloudy, great party. Want to introduce me to your friend here?” asks Azalea. My nostrils flare as I catch her unusual scent, a perfume I don’t recognize.
“No need,” says Algae as she steps between us. Blossomforth gives me a quizzical look from behind Azalea and I just roll my eyes. “My name is Algae Bloom.” She holds a hoof out to Azalea.
Azalea is quick to bump it. “I’m Azalea. Just moved here from Trottingham.”
“That’s a nice dress, Azalea. It’s very pretty on you.”
“Why, thank you!” says Azalea, her smile brightening.
“It’ll look even prettier on my bedroom floor tomorrow morning.”
Azalea’s smile vanishes. Quick as a flash, I’ve got a foreleg around Algae’s neck and I yank her off her hooves. She goes limp and cackles as I drag her across the now-silent room to where Minuette is talking to Cloudchaser. “I believe that this-” I let go of Algae and she drops to the floor “-belongs to you. Take it and get out.” For a moment Minuette looks like she’s going to protest, but then she wilts under my glare.
“C’mon Algae, let’s get going.”
She helps Algae Bloom back onto her hooves and they begin to trot towards the door, the last little shred of their dignity the only thing keeping them from galloping away. Minuette opens the door in her magic and lets Algae walk out first. Before she can follow I call out to her. “Hey, Minuette? Say hi to your coltfriend for me.” She stiffens and wrinkles up her nose before turning and wordlessly marching out after Algae. It’s only when they’re gone and the door shuts behind them that I give myself permission to start relaxing. My other guests are still subdued and quiet and all their attention is on me as I walk back to where I started.
Azalea looks around, and when she realizes that almost every pony in the room is looking in her direction she shudders. “I should... I have kind of an early morning tomorrow, so maybe I should-”
“Want to go on a date?” I ask. She spins back towards me, and Blossomforth’s jaw drops open. Flavor of the week, my plot. I’m going to prove to everypony, not least of all myself, that I’ve got it in me to be in a real relationship. Maybe with Azalea, maybe with somepony else, but it’s time to get started.
“You’re asking me out?”
“Yeah. Something casual, why don’t I take you to lunch sometime in the next couple days?”
Azalea blinks a few more times, then smiles. “Sure, that sounds like a lot of fun.” She looks down at her empty cup. “Excuse me, I’m going to get a refill.” She disappears into my kitchen as Blossomforth steps up to me.
“Well, having just talked to her for fifteen minutes the way you insisted you needed me to, I’m reasonably confident that if you ask her out she’ll say yes,” Blossom deadpans. Then she breaks into a grin. “Seriously though, way to step up. We just might make a grown-up pony out of you yet.”
“Don’t you dare,” I reply with a grin of my own. Still, the full impact of what I’ve just done is starting to dawn on me. I’m going to need to cancel on a lot of ponies who I was planning to be with over the next couple weeks, unless Azalea is open to multiple partners.
Not going to start worrying about that right now. This could be good for me, a change of pace. A couple weeks... or months... or longer... of relative celibacy.
Sweet Celestia, I’m gonna die.
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“Are you sure you don’t want to go somewhere fancier than a deli? I’m buying,” I ask as we walk down the street side-by-side on a final approach to our destination.
Azalea shakes her head. “Nope. It’s not the food that matters to me, it’s the company. Besides, I have to get back to work this afternoon. The deli’s perfect.” We step into the the open storefront of Reuben’s Deli, a local institution. The walls are covered in framed pictures of famous ponies who have eaten here during its thirty year history. The place of honor goes to a slightly faded shot of the then-young proprietor posing with a dazed grin next to Princess Celestia herself. If you look closely, you can just make out a little dab of mustard on one of her cheeks. Dried vegetables hang in loose netting from the ceiling, and you can hardly walk past the store without catching a whiff of the spices and oils from back in the kitchen. We’re here ahead of the lunch rush so there aren’t many ponies inside. Azalea steps right over to the counter and taps the little silver bell with the tip of her wing.
“I heard ya’ come in, Az, be with ya’ in a second,” calls a voice from the back.
“They know you here?” I ask.
Azalea nods. “I’ve kinda had lunch here three of the last four days. I think I’m already an honorary regular. All the customers seem to just love the food.”
“I could show you a couple other good places, if you ever want a break from sandwiches every day,” I offer.
“And just what’s wrong with sandwiches?” asks the imposing purple earth pony stallion who steps out from the kitchen at just that moment. A bit of his graying mane sticks out from underneath the discolored chef’s hat he wears, a victim of several decades worth of accumulated sauce stains and grease spatters.
I grin mischievously at him. “Nothing, Reuben. Not the way you make them.”
“That’s more like it. What can I get for you two? Same as last time?”
Wow, I know Reuben prides himself on solid customer service but I haven’t been here for a meal in weeks. Even I don’t remember what I had last time I was here. I’m just about to ask when Azalea lowers a wing onto my back and practically beams up at him. “We’re on a date!”
“Well, dang! You move faster than I suspected, Az,” he winks at her. “Watch out for this one though. She’s a wild one, and I wouldn’t want a sweet, innocent little filly like yourself to be corrupted.”
“Oh, I’m not quite as sweet and innocent as you might think, but thanks for the warning anyway.”
I can’t help but smirk at that. I’ve been taking it easy on the banter around her, but maybe I don’t need to bother. “Got any culinary tricks left that we haven’t seen, or did you run out of new ideas years ago?” I ask.
“Ha! I’ve forgotten more about making sandwiches than you’ll ever know, filly,” he boasts.
I nod solemnly and turn my head towards Azalea, then lean in to stage-whisper into her ear. “The memory is the first thing to go, at that age.” She doesn’t try very hard to hide her giggling.
“Alright, alright, no more picking on your elders, ya whippersnappers. Go grab a table, I know exactly what I’m bringing you two to eat.” He disappears into the back again, and a moment later I hear something beginning to sizzle.
We wander out onto the patio and I pull a chair out for Azalea to sit down in. I’m not completely without tact or manners. “So, not so sweet and innocent, huh?” I ask as I sit down across from her.
She flinches a little, but then tries to cover it with a nervous laugh. “I really just said that, didn’t I? Not sure what came over me there.”
“Hey, I’m not complaining,” I say as I pour a glass of iced tea and push it over to her. “In fact, if you want I’ve got a regular thing with the spa twins, have you met Aloe and Lotus yet? If you wanted to go together, they have some stress relief techniques that are very hooves on.”
Rather than chuckle or say anything flirty back, Azalea just stays stock still and the atmosphere takes a turn for the distinctly uncomfortable. “Cloudy... remember how you said I should tell you if you’re being a pushy jerk? You’re being a pushy jerk.” Damn it. Guard training taught me fifteen different ways to take down a target with my bare hooves, but that pales in comparison to the number of ways I’ve discovered to kill a moment. “I get that you’re... experienced in this particular area, but I’m looking for something deeper than just a fling. At the very least, I want the first time to feel special.” I must be gaping at her because her eyes go wide. “With you! First time with you! Not... noooooo no no, trust me, that ship has sailed.”
Okay, phew, that’s a bullet dodged. I’m bad enough at this without having to worry about bridging a gulf in relative experience that’s quite that wide. “I’ll give it a shot, but I have to tell you upfront that stable, monogamous relationships aren’t my strong suit. There’s a lot that I’m probably going to feather up along the way.”
Azalea gives me a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Then it sounds like we have plenty that we’ll each learn from one another.”
“Order up!” shouts Reuben, louder than necessary since he’s walked over to our table and set down a tray holding two plates. “You’re going to love this. Eggplant on rye, covered in melted bleu cheese and topped with a shredded cabbage and caper slaw. Take a bite of that and tell me it’s not the best thing you’ve ever tasted, I dare you.”
We each take a big bite of our sandwiches, and I can’t deny that he’s completely correct. This might be the tastiest sandwich I’ve ever had. “Sweet Celestia, that’s delicious,” says Azalea from across the table, holding a hoof in front of her face as she talks with her mouth full.
“You’re damn right it is. You kids enjoy.” He walks away, leaving us to our meals as I wonder if I could ever recreate something half this tasty back in my kitchen.
“Cloudy, you want my pickle?” asks Azalea as she picks at the potato chips on the plate, but I shake my head no. The sandwich has all of my attention. This place was a good call. It’ll be a tall order to top this if there’s a second date maybe this weekend I can-
I cough and nearly choke on a stray bit of eggplant. This weekend. It completely slipped my mind until just now. Azalea looks over at me, concerned. “Are you feeling okay, Cloudy?”
“Yeah, I just remembered something I need to do this weekend. It’s the first weekend of the month, right?”
“I think so, why?”
“I completely forgot, I have to catch a train to a guard camp outside Manehatten.”
“I thought you said that you weren’t in the guard.”
“I’m in the reserves. It’s... complicated,” I say as I desperately hope she won’t press me for details. Luckily, she seems content to let it go.
“So what’s the big deal? There are trains running that way all the time.”
“The big deal is that I promised Rainbow Dash I’d help her out with a major project this weekend. Carrot Top put in a special request for some extra localized precipitation over her farm, and Dash is already swamped trying to get everything ready for her vacation next week. Last thing she needs is for me to disappear for an entire day.”
“What vacation?” Azalea asks, her ears suddenly perking up.
“Oh, she and her friends are heading to Canterlot for a couple days, I guess Twilight Sparkle’s gone ahead of them to work on some crazy magic project or whatever, and they’re going to meet her there and hang around the city for a few days.” I give a reluctant sigh. “I guess I can call up a special inspector from the guard and have them come here to recertify me. They won’t be happy about it, but at least it’ll get done.”
“No,” says Azalea. “I think I know someone who can cover for you. Worst comes to worst, I’ll do it myself. I can handle a few rain showers. You go to your thing.”
She’d do that for me? Just on the spur of the moment like? “Really? I don’t want to put you out if you already have plans.”
“This way will be better for everypony,” she says. I’m skeptical, and it shows. “Cloudy look at me.” I turn to stare directly into her eyes, and suddenly my neck locks up and I can’t look anywhere else but at her. “Trust me, Cloud Kicker. Trust. Me.”
I’m not quite sure if I sit there staring into eyes for a few seconds or a few hours, but I’m shaken out of it when something hot and sticky falls into my lap. Not the good kind of hot and sticky, either. “Ah!” I shout, leaping up from my seat and trying to wipe melted cheese out of my coat, which only smears it in further.
Azalea gets up and walks over to my side. “Leave it. Come on back to my place and I’ll help you get it out.”
“It’s fine, I’ll just head to the restroom and-”
She leans in so I can smell the capers on her breath and feel the heat on my cheek. “Help you get it out. With my tongue.”
Wow. How did I miss that? Get back on your game, Kicker! “But don’t you have work?” I ask her. Why is part of me fighting this? The mare is practically throwing herself at me.
“Everything will work out fine. Don’t you trust me, Cloudy?”
“Of course I trust you,” I answer automatically. Something in my head settles, and I flash her a flirty grin. “Let’s go. Do you want to wrap up the other half of your sandwich?”
“Nah, I’m not really hungry,” she says with a shrug. “I’m headed back to my house to get ready. Go pay Reuben, but don’t take too long. I don’t like to be kept waiting.” With that, she takes off into the air, she does a quick half spin to look back at me, and when she catches me staring she gives me a little wink. I gallop inside with indecent haste and barely look at the check before I drop the appropriate number of bits on the counter.
“Thanks, Reuben,” I call out behind me as I chase after the pony who’s waiting for me.
-----------------------------------
What happened next? What do you think happened next?
Even a few days later, the memories of that afternoon, along with the associated ones from later that night and again the following morning, still linger in my mind as the train to Manehatten makes its final approach to the station that services the little fort at the edge of the city limits.
I’ve been lost in thought for most of the trip. The last few days have been very confusing ones. Every time I’m around Azalea, I feel all goofy and lightheaded. Could I actually be falling in love with her? Like, fairy-tale love? I’ve never been shy about telling ponies I loved them, and until now I never believed it wasn’t the absolute truth. I always thought the whole ‘one true love’ thing was silly. Who cares if I feel that way about more than one pony? That just makes me lucky, right?
Now this goofy little mare is throwing it all into question. Love is supposed to feel good, but this? This feels more scary than good. But is it just scary because it’s unfamiliar and intense? It feels so good so much of the time, but now that I look at it from the outside...
The train comes to a stop and I grab my bag from the rack above, more confused than ever. A few other ponies hop off with me, of all ages. Must be other reservists. Every couple months we have to drop in and let the officers run us through a little PT to make sure we’re up to guard standards. From the look of some of the other ponies getting off the train, not everypony is going to pass muster. It’s not exactly an auspicious crew, but it’s a few extra bits in the bank every month and, more importantly, it beats being thrown in a cell for deserting after I had... second thoughts about finishing at West Hoof.
The fort itself is a lot closer to an office complex with an obstacle course out back than a proper military base. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed, as well. No reason to believe Equestria’s in any kind of danger as far as I know, most of the work being done here is just precautionary. We all file into a large auditorium and get handed a packet of information; unimportant updates to unimportant regulations and boilerplate legal stuff, ninety percent of which is irrelevant to anything any of us will ever do. Then there’s a lecture on the importance of the reserves and blah blah blah sweet Princesses this is dull. My mind drifts back to my troubles at home, if they can really be called troubles at all. I don’t want to lose it, but at the same time I can’t shake the nagging sense that something about it is just wrong, that it’s all too much too fast and it’s only going to end with Azalea getting hurt when I change my mind. If I do change my mind. What if I don’t though? What if we settle down and get married and I make Alula an aunt and-
“Cloud Kicker? Would you care to share with the rest of us exactly why the revised uniform standards are making you shudder like that?” asks the presenter, glaring daggers at me. Busted.
“It’s...” I look up at the picture of the new uniforms being projected onto the screen behind him. “It’s just that I’m worried about all the buttons I’m going to have to sew back on after the mares back home tear it off of me. I tend to drive them a little wild when I put it on.”
The others laugh, and I think they bought it. “Pay more attention, or the only thing you’ll have to be worried about is where I’m going to shove this pointer,” he says.
“Promise?” I ask under my breath, just loud enough for the reservists around me to hear, which wins me another snort of amusement.
He glares at me, but then carries on with the presentation nopony actually give a damn about. Then it’s off to the physical fitness portion of afternoon. My assessment of the others on the train is proven mostly correct: a bunch of the other pegasi barely remember how to properly hold a quarterstaff, much less proper form and technique. For me, though, it’s still second nature. My mother and father started drilling me with the things when I was six years old, that’s not the sort of knowledge that slips away quickly. Plus I’m still plenty fit. Regular cardiovascular workouts are a big part of my lifestyle.
The drill sergeant signs off on my performance and hands me the slip of paper to take over to a desk on the edge of the field where we’re exercising. A desk with a familiar face seated behind it.
“Glint!” I call out to him and wave as I get close.
“Excuse me, that’s First Lieutenant Glinting Steel to you, ma’am,” he says with a stern glare. Then the facade cracks and he gestures me over to give him a hug.
“Promoted, huh? That’s fantastic! So I guess this means nopony ever found out about the time when we-”
“Finish that sentence, and I’ll have you doing wingups until the sun rises tomorrow morning. How’ve you been?”
My smile fades a little bit. Glinting Steel and I have been good friends ever since we were classmates at West Hoof, and if things had gone a little differently we could easily have been commanding side-by-side for the rest of our careers. Fate had other ideas, though, and every time we see one another the conversation eventually drifts back to the same thing. “I’m good. Weather management fills the time and pays the bills, and Ponyville’s still the same old Ponyville.” I sigh. “So can we skip the lecture?”
“It’s not a lecture, Cloud Kicker, it’s an open invitation. You know the guard would take you back in a heartbeat. You’re wasted on this reservist crap. Sure, you’d start a few years behind the rest of the old gang, but you’d catch up.”
“You’re just hoping I’ll join your unit and try to sleep my way to the top, aren’t you? Not that I would mind...” I catch myself and wince. Old habits die hard. “Sorry. I’m actually kinda-sorta in a relationship right now, that was inappropriate.”
He gasps and presses a wing to his forehead in mock horror. “Cloud Kicker? Inappropriate? Inconceivable! Still, congratulations. I’m glad to hear that you finally got over all that wild child stuff and joined the rest of us in adult land. So, what did it finally take for the lucky mare or stallion to get you to shape up?”
I bristle a little bit. Glinting Steel is a good guy, except when he’s being a judgemental prick. Still, it’s hardly like I’m not used to getting that from all kinds of ponies. “She’s just...” my words trail off as I try to verbalize my feelings about Azalea for the first time. I know I like her, so why is it so hard to put my hoof down on why? “She’s just really cool.”
Okay, that’s it. When the best I can do to describe her is a phrase that would make Rainbow Dash look eloquent, something is off. I guess I just had to take a step back to get a better view of the big picture. “Well, you’ll have to have her come by sometime so I can meet her,” he says, not picking up on my discomfort. “Maybe she can give me some pointers on how to land a mare of my own.”
Another pony standing behind me loudly and rudely clears her throat. “It was great seeing you again, Glint. When I get a chance, how about I come down for a couple of days and we catch up properly? I’d stay tonight, but my boss is leaving town tomorrow so I have to get back. Weather’s not going to run itself.”
“Anytime, Kicker. Just give me a heads up and I’ll round up as much of the old crew as I can. Anyway, you’re recertified and good to go for a few more months.” Glint presses his hoof onto and ink pad, then stamps his mark onto the paper I brought him. “Take care!”
Rather than hang around, I decide to head for the train station. I’ve got enough on my mind right now without running into any more old acquaintances. Rainbow’s trip is a convenient excuse.
One thing, above all, is clear: I need to break things off with Azalea. Maybe it’s the change of scenery, or maybe it’s just the fact that I finally got a workout that didn’t involve being pressed up against her hot, sweaty body. Either way, I’ve remembered to trust my gut in these matters, and my gut says that if I don’t slam on the brakes right now, somepony’s going to get hurt.
I mope on the station platform, staring down looking for patterns in the gravel as my mind churns. A tiny, shrinking part of it is rebelling against the idea of dumping her, but with each breath of the slightly-smoky-tasting Manehatten air it fades a little bit more. That doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to it, though. I’d like to stay friends with her, at least. Maybe even leave the door open to dating her again when I’ve got a better handle on what this feeling is, but that’ll take a light touch when I break things off. So I’m looking at breaking up with my fillyfriend in the morning, then going straight to the office and finding out just how much neglected paperwork Rainbow Dash has left me as she catches the train to Canterlot.
I don’t think tomorrow is going to be a very good day.