A few days earlier...

Applejack looked expactantly and a bit sceptic at Dusk. "So, what’s the plan?"

Dusk smiled. "Have you ever heard 'know your enemies and know yourself', Applejack?"

"Yeah, ain't it that Sun sea guy who said that? We read about him in agriculture school, when we talked about how to make good business."

"Sun Tzu. But still, excellent, Applejack! Then you will understand me. Now, what is your biggest weakness? "

Applejack began to move uncomfortably. "Now, ah know what yer after, and ah don’t like to call it a weakness... but ah guess yer talkin' 'bout me being a terribly liar. Blitz always nags me about that."

"Trust me Applejack, this time it will work. The thing about a prank is that it has to involve some kind of lie, some kind of decievement. What is Elusive's biggest weakness?"

Applejack thought about it for a while. "Mud on his clothes. "

"...ehm... yes... sorry, let me rephrase that. What is his worst trait?"

"Hmmm... oh, he always thinks he knows best."

"Exactly! So, if you should try and prank him, what would he do?"

"Ah wouldn’t prank him."

Dusk looked blankly at Applejack. "'Kay, ah'm goin' to do it NOW, but...it ain't the... ah haven’t done it before."

"Alright, but doesn’t Blitz rope you in on his schemes from time to time? And he has pranked Elusive a couple of times ?"

"Yeah, but he never does include me in those anymore. Because Lucy always get suspicious and always manage to make me spill the beans. What can ah say? Ah hate to lie."

"Well, then you are going to like this. You are going to fool Elusive with the absolute truth!"

Applejack stared at Dusk. "You can't fool anyone with the truth."

In that moment, Barbara arrived with the coffee. "Here you go... black and hot as usual. Milk for you and black for Dusk."

Dusk grabbed the cup with his magic and took a sip. "Thanks Barb. I needed that. And yes you can. Because he can only expose you if you try to hide something. But what you shall do is to just open his drawers, look through his stuff, walk in to his study... act suspicious, but that’s all you do. And so, when he asks what you're doing you can honestly say 'nothing'. You see? You'll decieve him with the absolute truth."

Applejack looked thoughtful. "Hmm... yeah, ah like the idea of that... and that’s something ah definitely can do. But ah dunno... will it work?"

Here, Barbara spoke. "Totally. It works on Dusk. Two weeks ago he asked me If I took ten bits from his wallet."

"Yes, and you said you didn’t. "

"And it was true. Because I didn’t take ten bits. I took twenty."

"Yes! So you see, Applejack! To lie with the truth will work perfectly! Because... wait a moment, BARBARA!"

But the young dragoness was already out the door. Dusk sighed, and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll deal with her later. Still, It will work. Because if you can make Elusive to believe that you are planning something..."

"...Yeah... He gets suspicious if ah so much as touched the door to his study... so if ah just go around and... He will go out of his mind! And ah don’t have to say one dishonest word!"

"Well, Maybe one or two. He knows you as a bad liar, so throw in one ore two small ones, that he will easily see through. "

"Ah, yeah! And then he will be so smug and full of his own smartness that he won't believe me when ah tell the honest truth. Dusk, this is..."

***

present

"...A masterpiece. It's brilliant. It has 'Dusk Shine' written all over it. 'I just read it in a book and followed the instructions'. And it worked. It worked..."

Elusive stared blankly at the teacup. He was angry at Applejack, yes. But to be honest... He had fooled himself the most. Sure, Applejack did set him up but... most of it was himself being so sure to outsmart his coltfriend. Perhaps Applejack was a simple soul at times, but he wasn't dumb. And the worst part..

"Sorry for doing this but... Now we're even."

...He was always the bigger pony. Always the first to apologize. Even if he had the right to get even... he still felt bad. And he still apologized. Because that was who he was. Honest. And the best pony anyone could find.

"Yes we are. Applejack? "

"Yeah?"

"Come here."

Applejack laid down on the bed next to his coltfriend, spooned him, and put his arms around him. Elusive sighed. He burrowed himself closer to Applejack and he felt his coltfriend burrying his muzzle in his mane.
The best part of a relationship. Cuddling.

"Applejack?"

"Uhu?"

" I'm sorry if I treat you like you’re dumb at times. You are smarter than ponies credit you for."

Applejack began to stroke Elusive mane. "Nah. Ah ain't smart. Not like yer and Dusk."

"But you are! Most ponies would have tried to do something themselves. They think they're better than they are. You? You recognized you limits and took help from a friend. That’s smart. I'm really lucky to have you." Elusive turned his head around and gave Applejack a kiss. A long kiss, where their tongues met and danced an intricate and sensualism dance. He felt Applejack pulling him closer. He felt every muscle in his coltfriends strong embrace. He was perfectly safe, and happy.

"Applejack?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Ah love yer to, babe."

"And you are sleeping on the couch tonight."

"...Horseapples."

Author's Note

No, this is not the end. But can you imagine Elusive being like, 'oh, you just made a fool out of me. Lets fuck!' ?

Me neither.