“Just a teeny bit more… And, I think that will do it, dear.” Elusive put the last of the pins he had been holding into the hem of the dress as he stood back for a moment to admire his latest work, “I must admit, Applejack, you are much better at modeling for a fit than Rainbow or Dusk.”
“Wait, Dusk? As in, Dusk Shine? You mean..?” Applejack stood, as she had for some time, stock still on the little dias in the center of Carousel Boutique. She wore a fairly streamlined, very green affair ending in the longest skirt she could remember wearing, or seeing outside a wedding, for that matter.
Elusive grinned impishly, “Suits, darling… mostly, at least. IN ANY CASE, a true gentleman never tells secrets, and neither does a lady, so remember that.” He chuckled slightly as he made a few more chalk marks on the dress to show small edits he had left to do on the fit of the dress. “I do appreciate you coming in here on such short notice, though, dear. It’s a wonderfully kind gesture, what with the work I know you would rather be doing back on the farm.”
Applejack cleared her throat slightly, “Naw, it’s no trouble. Besides, I just happened to be around, and what kinda friend would just say no to somethin as simple as standin around for a few…” She looked up at the clock wearily, “Hours… Anywho, Big Mac and Apple Bloom can take care of themselves for at least one day, right?” She gave a mostly convincing smile to the tailor.
Elusive chuckled as he began removing pins and darkening chalk lines, “Alright, dear, I’m finished with this one now. You may disrobe in the changing room, if you like.” He walked quickly back to his diagrams and sketches to make a few notes and wait for his friend’s return, mumbling to himself.
The farmer rolled her eyes at the implication, but went to the door, regardless. Her hat was in there, after all. She emerged from the booth slowly, carefully folding the dress as though it had been forged out of the most precious gold before draping it over the back of one of the ponicans that scattered the room, “Whelp, if that’s all ya needed, I suppose I should… get outta yer mane.”
Elusive looked up at the seemingly disappointed earth pony and frowned, “Now, Applejack, you know I would normally love to chat, but I have this order that must be filled, and I cannot let it sit too long. A rain check, perhaps.”
“Right, I’ll hold ya to it…” She opened the door, and put one hoof on the threshhold. She took a deep breath, and let it out with a pair of words.
“Farewell, Apple-” Elusive stopped dead, eyes wide. Applejack had said something when he had, and it had sounded remarkably like… “One more time, dear, I think I may have misheard you.”
“N... nope, nothing, not a word,” the farmer stuttered out before attempting to bolt, only for her tail to be caught in a blue aura. She gulped, gathered her nerve again, and, at the slight encouragement of the firm magical grip on her tail, turned back into the shop, closing the door again, “I said… I said, ‘Love ya’. Not that big a deal… Didn’t really mean nothin by it.” It would have been believable, too, had her voice not raised itself five octaves on the phrase in question.
Ellusive took his glasses from his face and placed them on his work desk, “Well, I believe I’ve done enough on this order for now, I can afford an extended break for a serious talk. What exactly constitutes that NOT being ‘that big a deal’ as you have so succinctly put it?”
Applejack scuffed her hoof against the floor a bit, “Well, I mean, it can mean a lotta things, ya know, like… things and… stuff…”
The tailor blinked, entirely unconvinced, “Yes, and what kind of things and stuff did YOU mean through this PARTICULAR use of it, if you’ll excuse my lack of understanding from your ever so eloquent explanation, no offence, dear.”
Applejack licked her lips slightly, “Well, it was just kind of… Didn’t you have work you had to do? I thought it was real important. Time is of the essence, no dilly dally, early bird gettin the worm, and all that.”
Elusive grinned like a cheshire cat, “I’m self-employed, dear, I’ll just be up all night. But you, you sound like you’ve spent some time up all night already, no?” He walked slowly accross the room to the now noticeably redder apple farmer.
“Now, see here, I didn’t say anythin of the sort, just didn’t wanna take up your time discussin silly things like deffinitions. Seems like more Dusk’s area of expertise.” She attempted to keep her eyes on the taylor as he made a single circuit around her, grin ever widening.
“Well, I’m not so sure it would be SILLY. After all, this is potentially a very potentially important or unimportant bit of discrepency on what exactly this widely used phrase could have meant. Who knows what might happen if I had misenterpreted it. Maybe I could have done something drastic based on a misunderstanding.” White nose was practically touching formerly orange nose, causing the redening farmer to continue her impression of her brother, “This, for instance.” He leaned forward the last few inches, putting his lips to hers, and was rewarded with a slight squeak from the normally more masculine mare. She froze up for all of half a second before his kiss was returned with double force, surprising him into taking a half step back. Applejack had none of it as she took that same half step forward, leaning into the kiss almost in a hypnotic trance.
They pulled apart slowly, both breathing a little heavier before the farmer spoke, her voice cracking a bit, “That’s what I meant, by the way.”