The Forgemaster sat at the dining table for hours after the 6 had left. He thought about what had happened in the last couple of days. He thought about how his fun had almost been stopped by a crazy, paranoid mare and her friends. All he wanted to do was see how the 'Elements' operated on a daily basis, and to do that in his human form would be impossible. He figured that Zecora would have a solution for his body switching: she'd been in the Everfree for many years and had probably encountered that strange blue flower before. But then things took a turn for the worst when Rainbow Dash had reacted over a song… A SONG!

'Clearly, she has no taste in music.' He thought, cheering himself up.

He thought about what he was going to do in the future. He would visit Zecora in the morning to see about a cure for that dastardly flower. Then, he would have to find a job somewhere. His 10000 bits a year stipend wouldn't do him any good if he wasn't… well… him. He wasn't sure where he would go for the job, he could ask around, but, some problems occur. He could ask Applejack, but she obviously didn't trust him. I mean, she had flat out told him that! He could ask Rainbow for a spot on the weather patrol, but she had caused him quite a bit of trouble. He didn't fancy making clothes, so Rarity was out. Twilight had all the help she needed, so she was a no-go. Fluttershy seemed to be either deathly afraid of him, or completely normal towards him, he couldn't quite tell, so she was out. He doesn't enjoy baking, though he was decent enough at it, and he prefers keeping out of the spotlight, and with all the parties Pinkie throws, she was out of the equation. Come to think of it, farm work is also unappealing to him. The only thing that he truly felt he could do was work on the weather patrol, and that comes with awkward working conditions under a boss that simultaneously distrusted him and had sex with him.

He sighed, 'Confound these ponies, they drive me to melancholy.'

He would ask Rainbow Dash in the morning for a job, it seemed like the only possible course of action. He could have looked elsewhere for a job, but he was feeling exceptionally lazy at the moment. Birdsong came through his window so he looked, and then sighed. It was already morning; he had stayed up all night thinking. He stood up from the table; sandwich from last night untouched, and walked out the door.

He took to the air and went to Rainbow's house, not 50 feet from his front door. He landed at the base of her home, in front of the door, and reached out to knock. However, his hoof never reached its destination. The door opened just as he reached out his front leg, and Rainbow dash stood there, surprised to see him. As an awkward silence filled the air, Crimson let his hoof fall to the cloud underneath him.

He spoke, without preamble, "Rainbow Dash, I request a job."

She was still slightly surprised over his being there, but managed to say, "You wanna be on the weather team?"

He frowned, "Was I unclear?"

"No, no, it's not that. It's just, why do you wanna be on the team?"

"I need a job. Money."

She facehoofed, "I got that, but, why me?"

"I have given considerable thought to who I should go to for a job. You were the only option I could feasible attain."

She sighed, but said, "Alright, but there are some tests you gotta pass first."

The tests were varied but simple. Cloud manipulation, speed, agility, quick thinking, reflexes, etc, they were all tested. Thanks to Celestia's memories, he passed them all easily. He was somewhat shocked to find that Celestia had a very in depth knowledge of weather manipulation. But apparently, when you rule a nation for millennia, you pick up a few things.

Rainbow Dash even commented on his skill, saying, "It looks like you've done this before, Crimson."

He assured her that he hadn't, but she didn't seem to believe him.

He was hired as one of Ponyville's weather ponies, and his first shift was next week. He, however, was upset that he couldn't work sooner. There was no way he could last an entire week with the boredom that plagued him. He ached for his forge; he could feel it in his bones.

After the tests, Rainbow was kind enough to treat him to lunch. Over a pair of hay and cheese sandwiches, the 2 conversed. Well, it was more like her asking questions about him, and him giving evasive answers or half-truths. By the end of the short meal, Rainbow was incredibly frustrated. While he assured her that he had yet to lie to her, she had yet to believe him. The two of them were eventually asked to leave by the manager, as Rainbow had been getting quite loud. However, neither cared since they had both finished eating.

Though they had left the restaurant, their conversation didn't end. They wandered through Ponyville as they talked, Rainbow Dash getting increasingly annoyed as they went. Eventually, the conversation turned to The Forgemaster.

"So do you know what happened to The Forgemaster? You mentioned him earlier, but I didn't understand."

"Yes, I know."

Silence… then, "Aren't you going to tell me?"

He paused to consider it, "What, exactly, do I get in return?"

She grinned a lecherous grin at him, and then said, "How 'bout a midnight rendezvous?"

His stony face met her sultry smile, "What are you implying?"

"I think you know…"

"I've had 'midnight rendezvous' before, though they mostly involved getting out of someplace quickly."

Her smile wavered, "What?"

"I'm sure you won't understand." He said.

She puffed out her chest, "Try me, tough guy."

"I've had experiences where me and my friends had to get to a specific point so that our pick-up could get us. If we were late; we died, if we were early; we might have died, if our pick-up was late; we died."

"Just what in the hay are you talking about?" she yelled.

He smiled, "Told you."

"Ugh. You're impossible! But seriously, The Forgemaster is kind of important to me and my friends, anything you say will help us and him."

"How important? Is he one off your… special friends?"

Rainbow Dash immediately blushed and stammered out, "I-it's not like that, we-we're just friends!"

He scoffed, "Clearly, you love him. Why don't you tell him your true feelings?"

She sniffled, "Is it really that obvious?"

Crimson Hammer froze. He had just been teasing her; he had no idea how to respond to this. A teasing or an insult he could handle, but an unknowing admission of love? That's almost too much for him to handle. Unfortunately, Rainbow had noticed his reaction, and demanded an answer.

"No, it's not obvious at all. But," He said with a fake crack in his voice, messing with her once more, "I... I just thought you loved me!"

She started giggling, "Dude, I was just joking. I don't really love him."

"Oh, thank all the gods, especially Aphrodite." He said under his breath, he took a deep breath and continued, "For the record, I was also teasing you. I was just worried about the state of his mind when he figures out your feelings. False alarm, apparently."

She laughed once more, "Sure you were, bub."

He scowled at her, "If you were a bug, I'd squash you."

"Ooo, big stallion, threatening the helpless mare. Wow, chivalry is so dead." She said, dramatically.

"And mares killed it. And you're far from helpless. More like, mildly irritating."

"Ugh, you're gonna get it now!" she did the pony equivalent of balling your fist.

"First one to the end of the street and back wins!" he said as fast as Pinkie Pie on sugar, and then took off.