//------------------------------//
// Good Afternoon 
// Story: Love is In Bloom 
// by -Mazer 
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	Quicksilver’s father was true to his word: ThunderClap was indeed invited to visit the younger filly as many times as he wanted. At first he was taken aback by the larger city of Clydes Hill, having never really ventured outside of his own little town before. It was breathtaking to say the least. Whereas his town was built upon wood and straw, Clydes Hill was built with bricks and cement. They had real paved roads that were bustling with non-stop activity. It wasn’t nearly as large a city as New Pegasus, but it was still the largest city ThunderClap had ever seen. 
The first thing Quicksilver and her father did was show ThunderClap everything the city had to offer; from the bowling alleys to the theater, to the five-story library, to the numerous shops that sold everything from saddle bags to shiny new horseshoes. It was far too much for ThunderClap to take in during his first visit and from what Quicksilver said, it would take him several dozen visits just to see everything. It was amazing!
After sightseeing, the two fillies would spend their free time lounging about in Quicksilver’s new home. It was a small apartment that had been built above a pizza parlor. This meant that every time ThunderClap came over, he would leave smelling like cheese and peppers; not that he particularly minded. He thought it smelled great!
During the winter months Quicksilver would travel with her father back to Colton. He allowed her to spend the nights over at ThunderClap’s house provided that she sleeps in a separate bedroom. Luckily ThunderClap’s house had a guest room that, while smaller than any of the other rooms, was just the right size for a pint-sized filly like Quicksilver. They would hang out and play in the snow, making snow-ponies or having snowball fights between one another and their school pals. At night ThunderClap’s mother would make them hot soup and for dessert, a steaming cup of cocoa complete with marshmallows. 
Life was good…
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and their friendship was no different. As the weeks turned to months and the months into years, ThunderClap and Quicksilver slowly began to spend less and less time together. Quicksilver became very busy with school work and extracurricular activities while ThunderClap began to take spend time with the other lumberjack ponies. He began to take odd jobs from time to time, anything to help him attain his goal of following his legendary father’s hoofsteps. He made quick friends with several lumberjack ponies, from the unicorns who made sure that the trees stayed as still as magically possible as they were being cut down, to the Pegasus who used their strength to guide the trees down to the earth. He was very liked by the others and soon they were treating him as if he had been working alongside them for years. 
The leader of the pack was a gruff, mustached pony named Timberwood. He was a no-nonsense pony with a dry sense of humor and very old-world, traditional values. He was famous around the lumberyard for having a weakness towards strong, independent thinking mares; blonds and red-heads being his favorites. An intimidating pony indeed but under that rough exterior was a kind, caring stallion with a heart of gold. He just refused to let anypony know that.
Timberwood had also taken it upon himself to show ThunderClap the ropes. He explained in greater detail just how exactly the operations went. Originally ThunderClap had imagined that the ponies just did what they were told but it went a lot further than that. Before being an official member of the team, each Pegasus had to train a total of one hundred hours with a team leader. They had to coordinate their moves, moving in perfect sync with one another. “The smallest mistake can lead to disaster,” Maple Leaf – the Pegasus training ThunderClap - explained. “These are just not your co-workers, but your brothers, your sisters. You will have to move as one pony. Failure to do so can get not only you killed, but those around you killed as well.”
“I know,” ThunderClap, now twenty-two years old, replied. “I lost my father in a tree felling accident.” He shrugged his shoulders. “A unicorn messed up and it cost him his life.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Maple Leaf said while wincing.
“Don’t be.” ThunderClap waved his hoof in the air. “It was a long time ago, I’m over it.” He grinned. “That doesn’t mean, however, that I am about to let his memory go to waste. I want to be as good a lumberjack as he had been.”
Maple Leaf clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s what I like to hear!” she said. “Now remember, if you want to impress Timberwood, you’ll need to showcase some pretty tight moves. You cannot afford a single slip up. Things have been getting a little screwy lately so he is only accepting the strongest of fliers. Understood?”
“I do!” ThunderClap nodded. He blinked. “Wait, what do you mean, screwy?”
Maple Leaf frowned. “Forget it.”
“No tell me,”
“I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
ThunderClap groaned. “But you did; now you need to tell me!”
The purple-haired mare sighed. “Fine!” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure the other lumberjacks weren’t in earshot. “You didn’t hear this from me, but we’ve been having a lot more accidents than usual. Like, at least triple our usual numbers.”
ThunderClap’s ears flicked backwards. “What kind of accidents?”
“Ropes snapping, ponies getting lost in the woods, others are hearing strange noises which cause distractions. I mean, luckily no pony has gotten seriously hurt but it’s getting to be a serious problem.”
“Huh,” ThunderClap crinkled his nose. “Weird.” He considered what Maple Leaf had said for several seconds before shaking the thoughts out of his head. “Well, no matter. I promise that I’ll be the best student you have ever had. I’ll be on you like bark on a tree…” He blinked then blushed while stammering, “I-I mean, I’ll be right behind you every flap of the wing?”
She giggled. “I think I get what you are saying.” She glanced over her shoulder towards the rest of her crew. “I think I had better get back to work before they start getting ideas in their heads about us.” She turned around, paused, and then glanced over her shoulder. “Maybe you and I can meet up at Ruby’s Pub and grab a drink.” She flicked the end of her tail against ThunderClap’s throat which caused him to blush a second time. “How’s that sound?”
He cleared his throat. “Sounds fantastic! How’s eight?”
“It’s a date,” she replied with a smile and a wink.


Eight o’clock couldn’t come fast enough and when it finally did arrive, ThunderClap wished it hadn’t. He was standing in front of Pub Pony, a small juice and cider bar owned and operated by a blazing red-haired mare named Ruby. She was quick-witted with a sassy, smart mouth that could put even the toughest of lumberjacks to shame. She also sold the best spiced cider and chilled grape-juice in town so it was to no pony’s surprise that her tavern became a quick hotspot once the sun set. 
Maple Leaf arrived right on time though ThunderClap didn’t recognize her at first. During the day her mane was a mess; full of twigs, dust, and leaves from working in the lumber fields. She also wore over-alls to keep the sharp branches from cutting into her flesh. Tonight, however, she was wearing a flowing dress, her mane was in an up-do, and she was wearing makeup. ThunderClap suddenly felt as if his mouth was full of cotton balls as he tried to keep from staring at her as she approached.
“I hope you weren’t waiting long,” she said with a smile.
“N-No Ma’am,” he stammered, then winced. Had he really called her Ma’am?
She didn’t seem to notice the slip-up, or if she had, she didn’t care. “Good.” With a fiendish grin, she twirled in front of him. “How do I look?”
“Uhm,” he swallowed. “Amazing, actually.”
She beamed. “That’s exactly what I was going for.” She looked at the doors leading into the tavern. “Ready for some fun?”
“After you!” He exclaimed while opening the tavern doors.

It turned out that no matter what she was wearing; whether it be make-up or a dress, Maple Leaf was still the same mare whom he trained with on a daily basis. “So I told Timberwood that if he didn’t like how I was flying he could just spout a pair and show me how it’s done!” She took a sip of her chilled grape juice then licked her lips. “How’s your cider?”
ThunderClap glanced down to his mug. The cider wasn’t the sweet kind his mother would serve him when he was a filly. This was made of stronger stuff and it had a slight kick to it. He wasn’t sure that he could finish the whole thing. “Not bad,” he admitted sheepishly. “Just not used to it.”
“It’s an acquired taste.” She cocked her head. “If you hadn’t drunk it before, why did you order it?”
He shrugged while glancing towards the other ponies in the pub. They were all lumberjack ponies, a mixture of Pegasus, unicorns, and earth ponies. They were a rowdy bunch, laughing and guffawing over whatever. 
And they were all drinking from large frothy mugs full of spiced cider.
Maple Leaf caught his glance. “You know, you don’t need to act like them to become one of them. Not all of us are a bunch of smart-mouthed troublemakers you know.”
“Yeah,” he bit his lower lip. “I know, it’s just that…”
“You want to fit in.”
“I do,” He sighed. “I have big horseshoes to fill.”
“So you keep saying.” She took another sip of her juice. “But having a dirty mouth and being as loud as a manticore isn’t going to make you any better of a flyer.” She tapped her hoof against his chest. “It’s what’s in here that counts, not what comes out of here,” she tapped her hoof against his lips, conjuring a blush upon his cheeks as she did so.
“She’s right, son.” A familiar voice said from just behind ThunderClap’s shoulder. He looked behind himself to see the towering form of Timberwood. “A lumberjack is based on how well he or she performs, not on how much cider they can drink in a single evening.” He nodded to the two ponies. “Maple Leaf. I see you have dolled yourself up quite nicely though I must say that I figured I would be long dead before I caught you wearing a dress.”
She grinned. “You have ThunderClap to thank for that. We’re on a date.”
“Are you now?”
“I guess you could call it that,” she smirked while winking over to ThunderClap. “We’re also discussing the upcoming Flight Exam.”
Timberwood waved his hoof towards the table and ThunderClap was quick to scoot closer to Maple Leaf so that he future boss could have a place to sit. “I won’t be long, I promise.” Timberwood said as he made himself comfortable. “Look, Thunder, I knew your father back when he was just starting out and if you are even a percentage as good as he was, you’ll do fine.”
ThunderClap sat up a bit straighter in his chair. “You really think so, sir?”
“I do. All you need to remember is this; remain focused on those around you and do not let anything, and I mean anything, distract you.” He patted ThunderClap on the shoulder with his hoof. “You remember that, and you’ll pass with flying colors.”
“I really appreciate the vote of confidence sir.”
“Good.” Timberwood bowed his head. “I have taken up enough of your time. Please, excuse me and carry on with your date.” He stood up from the table and vanished back into the crowd of other ponies.
“See?” Maple Leaf said while poking ThunderClap with her hoof. “You’ll do fine.”
ThunderClap shrugged with a smile. “I hope so…”


The rest of the evening went rather well. They spent another two hours at the pub before taking a quiet walk through Colton’s main dirt road. The summer evening was quite warm yet not so much so that it was uncomfortable. ThunderClap couldn’t help but noticing, however, that the evening was unusually silent. He kept getting distracted as he stared into the dark, shadowy forests that surrounded Colton as memories of Quicksilver quickly dashed throughout his mind and even though Maple Leaf was great company, he couldn’t help but wishing for Quicksilver to be at his side right now so she could enjoy the stillness of this evening.
“Well this is my place,” Maple Leaf said as they walked up to a single-story house. “I had a fantastic time, really I did.” She nuzzled her cheek against ThunderClap’s and for that briefest of moments, all thoughts of Quicksilver vanished from his mind. “We should do this again sometime.”
He nodded vigorously. “Sure! I’d love too.”
“See you in the clearing tomorrow?”
“Same time, same place,” he agreed.
“Well,” She stole a quick glance up and down his body as the teensiest of smirks crossed her features. “Sleep well.”
He flushed. “You too.” He waited until he heard the door lock before returning to the street towards his mother’s house. As he walked, his mind wandered back and forth between Quicksilver with her silky soft blond mane and sapphire blue eyes to Maple Leaf’s purple rough-and-tough attitude and tomboyish good looks. It was a rather confusing feeling, sure, but a pleasant one.
He unlocked the front door to his mother’s house and tip-toed his way up the stairs to his bedroom. As his mother got up there in years, he went from son to care-taker. Oh, she was still in excellent health but that didn’t mean she didn’t need some help from time to time. Besides, it gave him a roof over his head and three square meals a day. How could any pony refuse such an offer!
Upon opening his bedroom door, ThunderClap immediately knew that something was wrong. The tempature in the room was like ice despite the fact that the air outside was quite comfortable. He looked around his room, squinting against the darkness for any signs of the chill’s source. All he could see was the fact that the window besides his bed was wide open. Frowning, he took a step forward only to hear the sound of crunching glass beneath his hoof.
Looking down he saw with dismay that he had stepped on a frame with he and Quicksilver’s photo inside. He carefully swept the broken glass off the floor and picked up the photograph. It had been taken almost three years ago when he was nineteen and Quicksilver seventeen. She was leaning her shoulder up against his, a goofy smile upon her face. He looked as if he had swallowed a lemon; lips pursed and eyes crossed. It was a cute, albeit silly photo but on he cherished for it was the last time the two of them had spent any time together.
He set the photo on his nightstand; bit down upon the pull rope attached to his windows and closed them. To his surprise, the room remained chilly. Too tired to give it any more thought, he climbed into bed, burying his entire body underneath the blankets and fell asleep.


“You know,” his mother grumbled over breakfast. “Just because you help me out around the house, doesn’t mean you can make such a racket when I am trying to sleep.”
He blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“I heard you tromping in your bedroom last night. These walls are solid but not enough to mute every sound that comes from your room.”
“But mother,” he argued. “I was out all night. I didn’t get home until late.” Then he remembered the open window and the knocked over frame. Suddenly everything made sense. “Oh! What you must have heard is my window opening and the sound of my picture frame falling off my dresser.”
“What now?”
“I must have forgotten to lock the window last night. When I got home it was open and that photo of Quicksilver and me had been knocked off the dresser. That’s probably what you heard.”
“Maybe,” she frowned but didn’t bring the subject up again. “Is your big exam tomorrow?”
“It is.” He replied. “I really wish you could come see me.”
“You know I would if I could, but there is just no way that I can make it through those woods in the shape I’m in.”
He smiled and wrapped one leg around her shoulder in a hug. “It’s okay, trust me. I’ll do my best to make you and dad proud.”
She kissed his cheek. “You’ve already have.” Her bright eyes sparkled with pride. “Now go out there and pass that test!”


“Alright you foals!” Timberwood shouted. “This is the time to prove yourself as stallions instead of fillies. You will each be assigned to a teacher and you’ll have to follow their every move as they go about their routine. Deviate from the path in any way and you’ll have to take the test next month. No excuses.”
His steely gaze moved down the line of Pegasus that had shown up. Besides ThunderClap, four other Pegasus were awaiting their exam. Timberwood called each Pegasus by name and teamed them up with a professional member of his crew. As expected, ThunderClap got paired up with Maple Leaf.
Things went flawlessly at first. ThunderClap mirrored her every dip, every turn, every barrel roll as if he was an extension of her body. Together they soared through the trees, twirled through the clouds, and dove towards the ground only to pull up at the last second. Everything was going according to plan…
And then she showed up.
It was as if Princess Celestia had caused a ray of sunlight to beam through the trees to encompass the sheer beauty that was his friend Quicksilver. She steeped out from between two large evergreens and the moment ThunderClap heard her cheering his name, he looked over his shoulder to where she was standing…
“Thunder!” Timderwood shouted but it was too late. That split-second in which he had taken his eyes off Maple Leaf was all he needed to lose track of where he was going. He crashed chest-first into the trunk of a might evergreen. He felt his ribs crack on impact. The Pegasus below all groaned as if they shared his pain. Timberwood’s crew darted up into the sky to catch ThunderClap before he hit the earth. 
The last thing he saw before blacking out were the beautiful sapphire eyes of his childhood friend as she stared down at him in worry…