It wasn’t for a few days that Rainbow Blitz even decided on the first stage of his plan to help Applejack. After a few days of rather uncomfortable weather, Blitz chose a day where the sun was shining and headed out to Sweet Apple Acres. The wind under his wings felt cool and pleasant as he glided along over Ponyville until he came to the expanse of apple trees, angling himself downward until he was gliding just above the dirt path that led to the main farmhouse.

Blitz touched down at the front door and knocked. For a moment, the Acres were quiet with afternoon heat and the low buzzing of bees investigating the flowers. A pony in a beekeeper’s suit watched them, but he did no more than stare and chew at a piece of straw, occasionally spraying the tree the bees were on with a tiny amount of smoke. After a few minutes of watching this, there came a careful stepping of hooves on the wood floor. The door creaked to show a smaller though strongly-build red mare at the door. She smiled at Blitz.

“Hey there, Rainbow,” Red Gala said.

“Red Gala.” Blitz bowed his head respectfully. “Is Applejack home at all?”

“He’s in his room. Do you need to speak with him?”

“Tell him it’s about our arrangement. He’ll understand.”

Red Gala laughed sweetly. “Of course. Come in and sit down.”

Rainbow Blitz nodded and walked inside the Apple family house. He entered into a living room with a small, hoofmade bookshelf and chairs, plus a small sofa. He sat down on one of the chairs as Gala shut the door quietly.

“Grandpa Smith’s in his room for his afternoon nap,” Red Gala said. “Just keep quiet so as not to wake him up and I’ll go get Applejack for you.”

Red Gala tiptoed quietly up the stairs as Rainbow Blitz said and waited. He pulled out a nearby book on apple trees and read the weather part to pass the time. The inside of the house became as quiet as the outside, with the only sound being Blitz’s occasional turning of a page.

Suddenly, there came the sounds of shouting from upstairs. Rainbow Blitz only heard one voice and knew from the louder tone who it was. This was followed a few seconds later by a rather loud scrambling of hooves and the sound of rushing water. Rainbow Blitz looked up and closed the book, putting it down on the coffee table as the sound of water became muffled by the slam of a door before Red Gala slowly made her way back down the stairs.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said. “I caught him in the middle of some private time. He’ll be down in a minute. He just needs to clean up.”

Rainbow Blitz nodded.

Red Gala came down the stairs and trotted over to Rainbow Blitz. “Do you need anythin’ to drink?”

“Just a glass of water, if you don’t mind. Gotta keep myself hydrated to help fly and regulate temperature.”

Gala laughed. “Sure thing. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Blitz didn’t pick the book back up as Red Gala trotted behind him into the kitchen. There was the shuffling of cups and the sound of running water before Red Gala came back with a small glass of water. Rainbow Blitz took it in his hooves and sipped it, finding it to be ice cold without any actual ice in it.

“Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome.” Red Gala sat down on the couch. “So, what are you and Applejack supposed to be doing this afternoon?”

Blitz sipped his water. “I’m taking him over to Elusive’s.”

“Oh? Jackie never was one for suits or vests. He wears nothin’ but his Stetson for shade and occasionally a bandana to keep the sweat off his neck. Why would he need one?”

“I’m trying to help him impress Dusk Shine.” Blitz sipped his water, and when Red Gala didn’t respond, he added “You know about his crush, don’t you?”

Red Gala nodded. “He talked about Dusk all the first day he was ever here, the day you all became friends and vanquished Nightmare Moon. He keeps mentionin’ all the things that Dusk Shine’s ever done for him, and how he tried but just can’t spit it out.”

Blitz took a rather large gulp of water. “Do you think it could work?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, I’m just curious what your thoughts on the whole thing are.”

Red Gala lay out on the couch, head towards where Blitz was sitting. “It isn’t usual for an Apple to fall in love with the same gender,” she admitted. “But he’s my little brother. I don’t care who he likes; I’ll support him all the way.” She motioned with a hoof to the closed door behind her. “Grandpa Smith would, though, if he ever found out early.”

“By early, what do you mean?”

“If he knew about it at this stage, he’d attempt to stamp it out before it got any farther. If they fell in love, then I don’t think he’d have any problems if he saw it when they’ve dated for a while.”

Blitz finished his water and fiddled with the empty glass in his hooves.

“What about you?”

Blitz looked up at Red Gala. “Hmm?”

“What do you think?”

Blitz sighed and went back to staring at the empty glass. “I’m dubious. I don’t get how a stallion can fall in love with another stallion. And, given what I know of Dusk Shine – which isn’t much more than anypony else in this town, I might add – I don’t know if he’d be receptive to it.”

“Then why are you doin’ it?”

Blitz stopped fiddling with the glass. The sound of running water from above stopped. “I… I don’t know. I mean, I know why. It’s payback for making him drunk and spilling his secret about it to me. I just don’t know why I agreed to go through with that instead of making him change it to something else.”

Red Gala chuckled. “Element of Loyalty, indeed. Don’t even know why you’re doin’ it but you’re still helpin’ him.”

Blitz smiled. “I guess so.”

Red Gala smiled at Blitz. “He’s always been a little shy about his feelings,” she said warmly. “Just make sure you take things slow. One step at a time is all he needs before you know the whole story. Maybe that will be what Dusk Shine takes to notice.”

Blitz didn’t respond.

Red Gala got up from the couch and walked over to Blitz. “I’ll take that off your hooves,” she said, motioning to the glass. “I’m sure he’ll be down in a minute. For now, I have to start setting buckets around the trees for later.”

Blitz gave Red Gala the empty glass. “Thanks.”

“No problem, sugarcube.” She waved at him then walked away.

Blitz was silent for a few moments longer as he waited for Applejack to come down the stairs. When he finally arrived at the top of the stairs, his mane and tail were still damp and his Stetson looked almost brand new. He came down the stairs panting.

“I am so sorry about that, Blitz!” he said. “I got your letter about you comin’ over but when you didn’t come here on time I decided I’d have a little time to myself and I must have not heard or seen you comin’, I am so sorry if you heard any of that.”

Blitz shook his head. “I didn’t hear a thing. And I’ll pretend I didn’t know.”

Applejack nodded. “Mighty thankful of ya. Now, you said you had a way to start getting’ myself ready for Dusk?”

“Yes. Are you… opposed to getting a suit?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Did you tell Elusive about this?”

“Not a word, I promise. I told him I wished to get it for you as a gift for an upcoming formal event that I was thinking of bringing you to.”

“And he fell for that?”

“Apparently so. He said he’d come up with three simple designs by today.”

Applejack didn’t look convinced yet again. “How is this gonna help get Dusk Shine to notice me?”

“Remember the Grand Galloping Gala?”

“…yes…”

“Did you ever note how, whenever we got together either to prepare to go or getting ready to leave, that Dusk Shine was always looking at you?”

“Now that you mention it, yes.”

“It’s likely he thinks you look good cleaned up. I mean, I’m sure he appreciates you for the hard-working farmpony that you are, but cleaning yourself up a little might make you look more attractive to Dusk Shine.”

Applejack put a hoof to his chin. “It ain’t gonna be anything fancy, is it?”

“One of the designs Elusive made was a simple black collared-coat with white hoofcuffs and gold fabric buttons. Very simple. You could save it and use it another time in case we get called to Canterlot.”

“Well, I do appreciate some sort of function…”

“You enlisted me to help attract Dusk Shine’s attention. I don’t know if it’s a surefire way, but we’ve at least got to try it. And besides, I’m doing most of the grunt work for all this.”

“Alright, alright, no need to get fired up. I suppose it is worth a shot.”

“Alright, then. Shall we?”

* * *

A short while later found Rainbow Blitz and Applejack inside the main showroom of Elusive’s boutique. The unicorn was currently holding a measuring tape in his blue aura, lining it up along parts of Applejack’s body and staring at it intently before scrawling down numbers on a small sheet of paper nearby. Neither Applejack nor Rainbow Blitz knew what the numbers meant, but Applejack sat patiently and Blitz watched as Elusive did his work.

“Hmm…” Elusive muttered thoughtfully. “I’m going to have to make a few adjustments to the original designs to accommodate your muscle, but otherwise I shouldn’t have a problem. I’m figuring two days tops.”

“I thought you told Rainbow Blitz the designs were simple?” Applejack commented.

“A little bit of modern, minimalist touches here and there,” Elusive said, still examining the farmpony with the tape. “Nothing too complicated, I assure you. There is still the need of checking the fabric, making sure I have enough, drawing out the right pattern, cutting the pattern without mistake, deciding on the right stitch, and making sure that all the pieces come together without excess fabric or distracting placement. We need the suit to complement your figure, not to cover it.”

“But six suits for the Grand Galloping Gala took you maybe two days at most,” Blitz put in. “How come one suit is going to take you two days?”

Elusive sighed dramatically. “My schedule is not the same now as it was back then. On top of a few other orders, I also have Silver Bell to deal with. Competent colt, but I can’t control his sometimes excessive energy and enthusiasm. It’s as though he’s been taking lessons from Bubble Berry.”

“How dreadful,” Blitz said in monotone as Elusive pulled away from Applejack a final time.

“Exactly!” Elusive agreed, not quite paying attention to the sarcasm as he examined the numbers. “I mean, having Berry around isn’t entirely horrible, but one must learn self-restraint.”

“Let’s hope you have some o’ that self-restraint in ya makin’ that suit,” Applejack said.

“I assure you I won’t overdo it. We can’t have you looking over dressed, now can we? But we also mustn’t have you underdressed either. Form must fit function in your case, after all.”

Applejack nodded.

“Now, the designs I have laid out will need a few minor adjustments for your measurements,” Elusive said as he wandered off into an adjacent room, “but I have no doubt that they’ll be to your satisfaction.” He wandered back into the room with three sheets of paper with him.

Applejack and Rainbow Blitz perused the designs. The first was the simple black coat with hoofcuffs that Blitz had mentioned earlier. A second design had longer coat-tails but didn’t include the cuffs and was going to be a more earthen brown. A third design didn’t even reach his flank but had a much more prominent collar and was supposed to be in a dark red.

“Well, first of all, what do you think?” Elusive asked. “Are they appropriate?”

Applejack looked over. “They are not too fancy, I’ll give you that.”

“Canterlot worthy, Ponyville approved,” Elusive said proudly. “Designed to flatter or stun any who look at your dapper figure yet you won’t stand out in a crowd.”

Applejack gave Elusive a long, hard stare before slowly returning to the suit ideas. “I think I’ll take this one but in black,” Applejack said as he pushed the second drawing towards Elusive.

“I had thought of brown to fit with your ranch and western lineage,” Elusive said. “However, black is a modest color and will still fit.”

“Alright. How much am I payin’ you?”

“Not a bit. Rainbow Blitz agreed to pay for it beforehand, if I remember correctly.”

Applejack nodded. “Fair enough.” He held out a hoof.

Elusive shook hooves with Applejack, though Blitz noted he was remarkably calm. “Good luck with your little soiree. I wish I had been invited, but little Blitzy here decided not to.”

“Don’t call me ‘Blitzy’,” Rainbow Blitz said quickly. “I don’t allow anyone to call me Blitzy unless you’re Berry, and that’s only because I can’t stop him from doing so.”

“Fine,” Elusive said, dramatically irritated. “If you insist, I shan’t call you that anymore.” He turned back to Applejack. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Thank you again, Elusive. Blitz, you want to come back to the farmhouse?”

“I can’t,” Blitz said. “I have to do a little more groundwork here in Ponyville for the weather team, so I’ll meet up with you later.”

“Alright. I’ll see you two later.” Applejack waved and walked out of the boutique.

Blitz watched Applejack walk down the road from inside the boutique until he was out of sight. As soon as he was gone, Blitz heaved a sigh of relief as he turned back to Elusive. “Thank you so much.”

“It really is no trouble at all, dear,” Elusive said. “Also, I might have lied to him.”

Blitz cocked his head. “About what?”

“About other orders. I believe you are the only one on my list besides him. He didn’t catch it because of the grain of truth.”

“I feel bad though,” Rainbow Blitz said as he walked up onto the podium and Elusive pulled out the tape again and began circling it gently around his neck. “I mean, I don’t like going through all this hiding your involvement in it.”

“Darling,” Elusive said softly in his ear, moving the tape down to cover the length of his neck. “I promised you I would help you out with this and not tell Applejack a thing. I mean to keep that promise. Much like you I don’t want to betray his trust either, but if it means helping a friend, I am more than willing.”

“Thank you, Elusive.”

“It’s no trouble at all, dear. Now just relax and hold still for me, would you? Good boy.”

Elusive’s voice was still rather quiet for them being alone, but Blitz figured it was just him being focused as he normally was. And the gentle prodding and poking from Elusive as the tape moved all over his body with the sound of skritching of quill on paper was quite relaxing.

“Elusive?”

Blitz was treated to a rather quick response from the designer. “Hmm?”

“If it’s not too much to ask, can I please not have you come to the dinner with Applejack and Dusk Shine?”

Elusive’s voice was patient, as opposed to irritated or accusing. “I thought you wished it to be a friendly event. A simple meeting, nothing more.”

“It would cue in to Applejack that you know,” Blitz said. “So please, if only for the once?”

Blitz could see Elusive nod out of the corner of his eye. “I shall. For you.”

Blitz waited a few moments longer before Elusive spoke again. “Alright, darling, I’ve finished with the measurements. I have an hour or two before Silver Bell comes home, so would you like to join me for tea again while we discuss designs?”

Blitz turned but didn’t speak. He was staring at a near-profile view of Elusive except for the fact that the unicorn’s head was pointed towards him. Blitz wanted to speak but he couldn’t; he wanted to stop staring, but he couldn’t do that either.

He was too busy looking at Elusive’s eyes, a deep and glittering blue that reminded him of the open sky. From there, his eyes trailed down the soft white coat of the unicorn, following the curls of his deep purple mane down his neck and along his back, noticing the way the stallion had seemingly positioned his body to look like he was flowing yet completely natural. And finally he moved down to the spiraling tail, lightly swaying to the point he barely noticed it.

Wha… why can’t I stop?

“Are you alright, darling?” Elusive asked, sounding concerned.

Blitz shook his head to clear his thoughts, then nodded. “I suppose that couldn’t hurt.”

Elusive nodded with a soft smile and motioned to the staircase. “I believe you know the way…”

Author's Note

I think Elusive's kind of hot...