//------------------------------//
// Chapter Thirty-Two: Rainbow's Big Moment 
// Story: Shut Up And Dance 
// by TheVClaw 
//------------------------------//

Throughout the long and uneventful train ride back to Ponyville, not much actually happened while Applejack and Rainbow Blitz were conversing on the caboose deck. In the passenger cars that housed the families of Apple Buck and Twinkle Toes, their moods were in tremendously high spirits due to their successful run in Manehattan. Back in the Royal car reserved for Dusk Shine and the Elements, the Prince tried not to feel too wary about where half of his group went. While Dusk was left alone with Bubble Berry and Butterscotch (with the former enjoying his probation restraints being removed), and Applejack was outside with Blitz, Elusive holed himself up in a private room to draw some design sketches as an alternative to “stress sewing.”

Fortunately for the tailor, his alone time really helped to keep him from snapping while he was in such an overwhelming emotional state. After everything that transpired between himself and Rainbow Blitz, Elusive wanted nothing more than to receive some closure following his confession to the pegasus. Of course, considering how sudden and unexpected it must have been to receive an admission of love from a best friend, Elusive knew better than to expect an immediate response from Blitz. So instead, the unicorn had himself huddled in seclusion as he sketched like a madpony, and tried to use his creative muse as a proper conductor for his emotions.

By the time Ponyville was less than half an hour away, someone finally went to the sleeper cars to try and find Elusive. Despite how conflicted and confused she may have felt about all that had transpired, Barb kept an optimistic smile on her face as she walked between the rows of curtained-off bunks that went along the car’s walls. Since nopony else was sleeping in the car at that time, the little dragon was able to overhear Elusive’s furious scratchings as he jotted down his ideas with a quill and ink. Barb hoped that her presence wouldn’t be met with any animosity, and she cleared her throat while standing outside his bunk. “Ummm… Elusive?” she asked clearly enough to make the scribbling noises stop through the curtain. “We’re gonna be back in Ponyville soon.”

“Oh! Alright then.” Barb could hear some papers rustling behind the closed curtain, before an aura of Elusive’s blue magic grabbed the cloth and pulled it across the rack. The unicorn was sitting peacefully atop the clean mattress, and smiled with a polite nod while holding a binder full of papers. “I was just about to check how long it’s been since I began my musings, so thank you, Barbara.”

Barb would’ve grown a flat stare if anypony else called her by that name, but her cheeks blushed with a smile as she nodded back at Elusive. “N-No problem!” she replied while trying not to stammer her words flusteredly. “Dusk just wanted me to make sure you were okay, that’s all.”

“Well, you can tell him that I’m perfectly alright.” To emphasize that point, Elusive opened his binder his magic to pull out several sheets of paper, and hovered them before Barb to display his most recent sketches. Barb’s eyes widened in shock when she saw the flawless artistry in his drawings, even though it was mostly just concept art for future outfit designs. Her eyes were particularly drawn to a stunning black gown that Elusive had drawn for a blank mare’s figure, which had bright yellow and orange flame patterns traveling across the hems and dancing across the fabric. From the way Elusive designed the flames and the overall flow of the dress, Barb couldn’t help but see the outfit like the mare wearing it was rising up from the flames like a reborn phoenix. Meanwhile, Elusive carried a prideful grin upon seeing the dragon’s stunned reaction, and asked her, “See? If I wasn’t left to my own devices during this trip, I likely wouldn’t have made this design with the same fortitude I would’ve had if I waited until reaching home.”

“Hey, I totally get it,” nodded Barb assuredly as she shot him an understanding smirk. “I remember Blitz telling me he got those ‘artistic inspirations’ a few times while writing out his novel thing.”

Upon hearing that stallion’s name, Elusive’s smile became more strained in an attempt to keep his expression unchanging. But alas, Barb’s lips pursed uncomfortably when she saw how quickly Elusive’s ears drooped downward. Even though she knew that the two stallions were dealing with some unexplained tensions since last night, she had hoped that her reminder of Blitz’s fanfiction-writing hobby would cheer Elusive up. Unfortunately, all that it did was remind the unicorn of why he went into his temporary isolation in the first place. 

“Well, I’m glad to hear he hasn’t given up on that Dashing Dare plotline,” replied Elusive as he shrugged his head meekly. “From what he mentioned about it, the story doesn’t sound too over-the-top.” After giving that brief response to Barb’s point, Elusive was quick to shake his head clear and add, “But anyway, what matters is that I sated my own creative endeavours for the time being.”

“R-Right, right!” blurted Barb as she quickly nodded her head, and tried to maintain a cheerful smile of her own. However, by the time Elusive pulled himself out of the bunk, he didn’t seem to notice Barb’s expression changing as he glossed over his finished sketches. The dragoness looked away from him while rubbing her arm with a claw, and struggled not to wince awkwardly. Despite knowing how inappropriate it would be to meddle in her friend’s affairs, she couldn’t ignore how uncomfortable things were getting after that breakfast at Elusive’s apartment. So after closing her eyes in anticipation, Barb took a cautious breath before saying, “Ummm… J-Just so you know, I…”

Elusive turned his attention back to Barb, even as he held a highly-detailed sketch of a floral pantsuit in his aura. Meanwhile, Barb had her uneasy expression pointed away from the stallion as she tried to keep speaking sheepishly. “... I know that Applejack and Rainbow Blitz were talking for a while outside the train, and… a-and it might be a good idea to find AJ before doing anything else.”

The unicorn’s brows raised up in surprise, and he tilted his head slightly while trying not to look alarmed. “Did they now?” he asked with a tone of voice that was bordering between curiosity and worry. He had no idea what may have been discussed between Blitz and AJ, but the possibilities were starting to worry Elusive when he asked, “And… Do you know where Rainbow is?”

Barb gave another timid shrug before looking up at Elusive and shaking her head. “No idea. I think he went out to fly a bit, but I haven’t seen him anywhere in the train. But ummm… Yeah, it might be good to ask Applejack what’s up.”

“Alright, I might just do that then…” Even as he nodded his head to the dragon, Elusive didn’t seem too keen about what he said he would do. While he certainly didn’t want to avoid Applejack, he was also wary about what may have been said between the farmer and Rainbow Blitz. Not to mention, considering what he was able to admit to Rainbow before departing from Manehattan, the stallion really didn’t want to find out the hard way if AJ was aware of what was said. Nevertheless, Elusive tried to keep a thankful smile by the time he placed his sketches back in his binder, and petted the top of Barb’s head with a hoof. “But before I go…”

During his pause, Barb looked up to see Elusive smiling more sincerely at her. And even with how conflicted he may have felt about other things, the unicorn was able to speak from the heart when he said, “I just want to thank you for how much you’ve been helping me recently, Barbara. I know that things have been rather hectic with all this traveling and competition, but it really means a lot to have someone like you around for support.”

Barb’s eyes widened immensely, and she had to take a moment to process Elusive’s words before growing a wide and trembling smile. The little drake didn’t hesitate to lunge into Elusive’s chest, and hugged him tightly to show her appreciation. Elusive smiled and hugged her back, closing his eyes as the bottom of his chin rested atop her head. Barb’s cheeks blushed heavily as she savored his warm embrace, and she had to keep herself from crying when she spoke with a feeble creak. “Th… Th-Thank you, Elusive…”

That response was too adorable to leave unreciprocated, which prompted Elusive to hug her even tighter for another long moment. By the time the two finally pulled away, even Elusive had to wipe his eyes with a hoof to keep himself from tearing up. Meanwhile, Barb was able to quickly recompose herself with an audible sniffle, and a split-second wiping of her cheeks. She then took a deep breath, and tried not to stumble when saying, “A-And, ummm… Just so you know…”

Barb was looking down at her bare feet when she started to speak, and had to wait a couple seconds to take another breath. Elusive kept his attention on her, but his smile lessened a little when he heard the hesitance in her voice. Luckily, the dragoness was able to look up at him with a more reassuring smile, and exhaled softly before saying, “I… I know that you’re probably worried about a lot of stuff right now. And… A-And I’m not gonna try and ask anything that’s too personal, alright? I just want you to know right now that no matter what happens, I’ll always have your back. And I… I won’t stop being your friend, no matter what you choose.”

Elusive’s brows rose up when he heard that last line from Barb, and blinked a couple times while standing in stunned silence. Meanwhile, Barb closed her eyes to let out another brief sigh, even though she was smiling to herself rather contentedly following her assurance. She didn’t try to clarify what she meant with her words, but it seemed clear to both of them that she didn’t need to. Instead, all that the dragoness did was look up at her friend with a reassuring nod of her head, and added sincerely, “and… and I have a feeling that Applejack would tell you the same.”

With that, Barb made her leave after giving Elusive one last hug to one of his forelegs, and then walking off to exit the train car. For a long while, Elusive could only stand with a stunned expression by himself, needing every second he had to process what Barb had just told him. The drake may have been young, but her words carried enough truth and wisdom to throw the tailor completely off-guard. And while he felt deeply compelled to flag Barb down and ask what she may have known, it was doubtful that any answer she gave would do much to ease his tensions. 

As the young dragoness walked back through the cars to reach Dusk Shine in the Royal suite, she had to control her breathing in an attempt to keep her emotions in check. Even with how honest and caring her words may have been, it was obvious from her quivering lips that it took a lot for her to actually say them to Elusive out-loud. She was sure that the moment she and Dusk Shine got home, she would need to dive into her hidden stash of junk food to gorge on gummy bears and keep herself from crying. But for right now, her smile remained genuine as she savored the closure she was able to give Elusive, and she felt hopeful that he wouldn’t forget what she had told him. 





Due to how many ponies and articles of luggage there were for that weekend trip, the deck of the Ponyville train station was fairly crowded when everypony was collecting their things. Rainbow Blitz’s early departure from the train may have raised a few brows from his friends (or at least, the friends who were still unaware of all the details regarding him and Elusive); however, by the time most of the ponies were stuck waiting for the train staff to unload their luggage, there were definitely a few among them who wished they were able to do the same. 

Twinkle Toes and Apple Buck looked bored out of their minds while sitting on top of their briefcases, and were waiting by the station building with Silver and Scoots while their families were bickering with a couple of baggage ponies. Macarena and Toffee were seated on one of the benches by the wall, and were watching the chaos with content smiles while nestled closely together. Dusk Shine was looking through a detailed list of his and Barb’s items, and had his suitcase wide-open to scan through and double-check his listed belongings. Bubble Berry and Butterscotch were exchanging movie topics while waiting for their bags to be pulled from the train, and Barb was seated between the two to listen and add to their discussions. Meanwhile, over at the side of the train station away from the open deck, two of the other Elements of Harmony were standing by themselves and having a private talk of their own. 

“So… That’s all he mentioned?” After asking that question, Elusive had to clench his muzzle shut in an attempt to hide how uneasy he may have looked. Despite everything that Applejack was able to tell him, the unicorn looked worried that there was still a lot that wasn’t being addressed. Meanwhile, Applejack had to sigh while rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof, not seeming as keen about having this personal chat as Elusive did. But alas, the farmer didn’t try to bullshit his friend when he nodded his head in response to that question. 

“Yeah, pretty much,” AJ said with an awkward shrug of his shoulders, and his eyes veering away from Elusive slightly. “But, uhhh… Ah’m fairly sure that he didn’t tell me everything that went down between y’all. Just, ummmm… He just told me some of the bigger stuff that was puttin’ so much pressure on you guys.”

Elusive nodded at AJ in understanding, and kept himself stone-faced to keep from looking too upset. Even though he wasn’t too thrilled to learn that Rainbow talked with one of the others about their issues, Elusive had to remind himself that he had already done the same thing by confiding in Butterscotch. But even with how much he felt like a hypocrite for being upset, the unicorn needed to bite his tongue before taking a deep breath, and exhaling softly to speak without any malice in his voice. “Ummm… W-Well, I… I appreciate the fact that you’re handling all of this so well.”

Applejack may have felt equally as awkward as his friend, but he was quick to scoff with a playful smirk and reply, “Oh, come on now! Do Ah just have a look or somethin’? Ah don’t wanna think Ah’m givin’ off some vibe of ignorance or nuthin’.”

“N-No, it’s not that!” Elusive shook his head insistently while giving a reassuring smile to AJ. “Seriously, I never made any assumptions about your character, Applejack. All I’m trying to say is that I’m grateful for your understanding on the matter.”

“Well, Ah wouldn’t go that far right now,” admitted AJ with another uncomfortable shrug of his head. “Ah mean, Ah’m happy to listen and give y’all advice and everything. But Ah’m still tryin’ to wrap my head around all of this, y’know?”

Elusive couldn’t help nodding with an apprehensive skew of his muzzle, mostly since he couldn’t blame his friend for feeling that way. In the ten minutes the two stallions spent talking about what happened between AJ and Blitz, Elusive was able to learn just how much Applejack had been told about that weekend. Even though the unicorn was grateful AJ wasn’t told everything (particularly that confession of love that Elusive gave earlier that day), he tried not to feel too exposed after hearing what Rainbow said. Fortunately, since Applejack wasn’t hassling the unicorn for what Blitz told him, Elusive could only assume that he was trying his best with the information he was given. 

“Yes, I… I can understand how this can all be a lot to process…” After recomposing himself well enough to sigh without much of a falter, Elusive smiled back at his friend and added, “But I will say, I deeply appreciate how maturely you’re handling everything. And while I do apologize for you being thrusted into all of this unprepared, it really means a lot that you’re not joking about it like before.”

Even with Elusive’s sincere and gracious smile, Applejack cringed hard the moment he was reminded of his past behavior. Not wanting to keep that blemish of his character unresolved, the stallion was quick to say, “Well, uhhh… Thanks for tellin’ me that,” he began with a grateful nod of his own, “but Ah just gotta tell ya, Ah’m really sorry for how much Bubble and Ah were teasin’ ya two. We never meant to do or say anything that’d make us look like bigots or nuthin’, but… But Ah know that ain’t a fair excuse for how much we pissed ya guys off.”

Elusive may have still been miffed about some of the things AJ and Bubble Berry did during their practice sessions, but he knew deep-down that neither of them meant any major harm with their immature pranks or remarks. Heck, after everything the Elements went through over the years, the unicorn would’ve been crazy to assume any of his brethren could treat him and Blitz so ignorantly if they became a real couple. Nevertheless, even with his assurances about his friendships in mind, Elusive still accepted the farmer’s apology with a caring nod as he replied, “It’s perfectly alright, Applejack. I know that certain moments between myself and Rainbow could be seen as looking… amusing from an outside perspective. However, I still appreciate your apology, and I wholeheartedly accept it as a friend.”

Applejack grew a touched-looking smile, and went in to pull Elusive into a strong and thankful hug. Elusive’s eyes widened as he groaned from the tight squeeze of AJ’s brutish forelegs locking around his back, but the strain wasn’t enough to make his muzzle tremble with a smile of his own. After closing his eyes in contentment, Elusive hugged Applejack in return while they shared such a personal and serene moment. Even though there was still a lot for both of them to do individually, it was clear that any animosity between them was thoroughly erased before it even had the chance to surface. 

After the two pulled away, Applejack took a split-second to look away from Elusive and wipe his face with his foreleg. “Y-Yeah, uhhh…” AJ’s voice was slightly hoarse due to his emotional state, but Elusive kept himself silent out of politeness. “Just so you know, Rainbow Blitz wanted me to let you know that he wanted to talk to ya about somethin’. Ah didn’t ask what, but Ah do know that he’s waitin’ for ya back at your place.”

“Wait, what?!” shouted Elusive as he had to do a double-take following that last detail. “What do you mean he’s at my home?! Why didn’t you tell me that when you first asked to talk!?”

Despite the unicorn’s fair question, AJ quickly stated with a shrug, “Well, Ah’m pretty sure the two of us wouldn’t have gotten everything out in the open if Ah started with that, now wouldn’t Ah?” 

Elusive scowled with a strong roll of his eyes in annoyance. “Well, considering how the Carousel Boutique is my home and my business, I’d prefer to know if ponies are there without me present!”

Before Applejack could get the chance to give a retort, Elusive was quick to add, “Buuuuut, I will say that I’m grateful for our discussion, Applejack. You’ve truly been helpful about all of this, and I’m not going to forget how much you helped me.”

With that, Elusive gave his friend another hug, and then lit up his horn to collect his bags sitting nearby. Despite how slender the stallion may have appeared, his magical abilities were strong enough to lift up the plethora of overstuffed luggage bags without any issue. And as Applejack stood in awe of his friend’s casually freakish strength, Elusive frantically galloped off to make a beeline for the Carousel Boutique. “But for right now, I need to make sure my house isn’t on fire! I’ll talk with you later!”

Applejack stood awkwardly by himself for a long moment, and could only watch as his friend rushed off and disappeared among the Ponyville streets. He wasn’t sure how long he waited there with his duffel to his side, but it wasn’t until hearing some hoofsteps behind him that he turned around. That was when Applejack saw his little brother peeking around the corner of the building, and staring at him with a puzzled look. “Uhhhh, what the heck are ya doin’ over there?” asked Apple Buck while one of his brows were raised. “The rest of us got our luggage already.”

“Oh! Alright then…” Applejack quickly picked his duffle bag, and walked back towards the deck of the station while smiling at his brother. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he said as he readjusted the Stetson on his head. “Ah was just talkin’ with Elusive about somethin’ private, that’s all.”

“Oh, okay then.” Apple Buck smiled as his sibling came up to him, but his eyes veered behind the stallion to try and guess where Elusive had run off to. He could only guess that the unicorn went back to his boutique, but his head tilted to the side as he pondered what actually happened. By the time Applejack walked past him, Buck quickly trotted alongside his brother and tried to ask, “So, uhhh... was the talk about how weird he and Blitz have been actin’ back in Manehattan?”

Applejack nearly gave himself whiplash from how quickly he turned his head to gawk at his brother. Fortunately, despite how wide-eyed the farmer looked for a second or two, he was able to recompose himself before answering Buck’s question. “Ummm… Technically, yeah,” he confessed with a shrug, “b-but that ain’t important right now.”

Before Buck could try and ask anything else about the two stallions, AJ gave his sibling a cheeky smirk and said, “Besides, considerin’ how you and Twinkle have that Canterlot show comin’ up, you should be more focused on your own work than the competition’s~”

Even though that was a painfully obvious deflection, it was enough to make Apple Buck smile eagerly in response. “Ohhhhh don’cha worry about that,” he said with a devilish grin that caught his brother by surprise. “Twinkle Toes’ Dads got us some routines prepared, so we’re covered like honey on a biscuit!”

Applejack chuckled from that rustic wordplay, and reached out to ruffle Buck’s mane with his hoof. “Well, that’s good to hear! Now c’mon, let’s get back before Grampy starts tellin’ jokes to those two agai--”

“Hey Curtain Call!” called out Grampy’s voice from the distance. “Which side of the chicken has more feathers on it?”

“Ummmm… which one?”

“The outside!”

Even though he could hear Twinkle’s Dads laughing at that lame joke, Applejack still groaned with a hoof over his face. Meanwhile, Apple Buck just shrugged with a smile and pointed out, “Hey, at least he stopped tellin’ gay jokes.”





While the rest of the groups were getting themselves ready to leave the station, Elusive was galloping at top-speed through the cobblestone streets of Ponyville. He could hear a lot of the townsponies trying to call out his name or ask about the competition, but he refused to stop and make any chit-chat. After learning that Rainbow Blitz was waiting for him back at the Carousel Boutique, Elusive was determined to get back home as quickly as possible. Of course, the reason for his frantic rush wasn’t as much to do with his feelings for Rainbow, but more due to how worried he felt about the pegasus being left alone in his house. 

As soon as he rounded the last corner to return to his street, Elusive froze in terror and gasped at what he saw. There were already several ponies standing outside the Carousel Boutique, and were murmuring to one another worriedly while staring at the house. Even though the business wasn’t visibly on fire, a thick plume of black smoke was spewing out from the open window of the kitchen. And even from a couple houses away, Elusive could hear the distinct sounds of his smoke alarm beeping like crazy, his cat Alexandrite shrieking like a banshee, and Rainbow Blitz’s frustrated yelps bellowing out from the window.

“GAH! Oh, for crying out loud!!” shouted Blitz furiously. “Nnnnghhhh!! STUPID MAGIC-BASED OVENS!!”

Elusive plowed past the crowd of spectators with his plethora of luggage still hovering in his aura, and he threw open the front doors to rush inside. Very fortunately, Elusive was happy to see that the business front of his home looked just as immaculate as it did when he left. However, the sounds of the smoke alarm and the cat’s piercing cries were now loud enough to reverberate off the walls like a movie theater. And with a small trickle of smoke beginning to seep out from under the closed kitchen door, Elusive threw his luggage all across the floor and ran across the showroom.

“RAINBOW!!” Elusive tried to open the door, but gasped upon realizing it was locked shut. After fiddling with the knob with his hooves, and then unsuccessfully trying to use his magic to turn the lock on the other side, the unicorn pounded on the door with his hoof and shouted, “RAINBOW BLITZ, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY KITCHEN UNSUPERVISED?!?”

“GAHHH!!” The sound of Blitz’s jolted shriek could be heard through the door, as well as a brief “Oomf!” that was followed by a crashing thud. Elusive could also hear Alexandrite letting out a very pissed-off murr, and hissing at Blitz for something that couldn’t be seen on his owner’s end. Luckily, after only a couple seconds, Rainbow shouted out, “D-DON’T COME IN HERE! Seriously, everything’s fine, don’t worry!”

“DON’T WORRY?!” yelled Elusive with an especially baffled tone. “Rainbow, there’s a CROWD of ponies outside thinking you’re setting my kitchen on fire, and I can hear poor Alexandrite sounding extremely distressed! How in Equestria am I NOT supposed to worry?!”

“Nothing’s on fire, I swear!” shouted Rainbow through the door. “I mean… some of the stuff was on fire, but I got them in the sink on time to stop the flames.”

“THAT IS NOT A HELPFUL THING TO SAY, RAINBOW BLITZ!”

Meanwhile through the other side of the kitchen door, Rainbow was cringing painfully hard while braced up against it. Both of his forelegs were riddled with thin scratches from the wrists to the shoulders, courtesy of the white cat perched on top of an overturned chair. The kitchen counter was packed with nearly half of Elusive’s bowls and kitchen tools, all of which were dusted in flour or splattered in batter remnants. The faucet was running at full-blast, but smoke was still spewing from the two charred cake tins that were smoldering inside of the sink. And while there was something baking in the oven, the fact that white smoke was already seeping through the door was not an optimistic sight.

Nevertheless, Rainbow sighed with his eyes closed as he tried to keep himself calm, and spoke over the blaring ringing of that stupid smoke alarm. “Dude, all I was trying to do was bake a cake, alright! I was originally gonna get one from Sugar Cube Corner, but that felt like a really weak apology gift after everything that happened. So I tried baking it myself instead, and… yeah.”

In retrospect, Blitz should’ve realized a lot sooner that his baking skills weren’t up to par for what he was trying to do. Even though he didn’t want to say he was the worst baker ever, he also knew that the other Elements (including Barb) were all way better around an oven than he was. And even after reading through the recipe book as carefully as he could, Rainbow’s attempts to bake a simple cake were about as effective as Bubble Berry’s musical skills on the vovidaphone.

Through the door, Blitz could hear Elusive ask baffledly, “Rainbow, how in Equestria can you be that bad at baking?! I’ve seen you cook for my family, remember?!”

“Well, deep-frying is a lot simpler than baking for me!” retorted Rainbow sharply from his side of the door. “It’s not my fault those stupid recipes have everything so friggin’ precise! Besides, that cake recipe book you have has a bunch of spelling errors!”

“What?! No it doesn’t!”

“Yeah it did!” Blitz said insistently. “The recipes kept switching between the lowercase and uppercase ‘T’ when it was labeling the spoons!”

Elusive had to take a moment to realize what Rainbow was referring to, and groaned very deeply while dragging his hoof down his face. “Ughhhh… How could you have worked in a restaurant for years, and never once realized there’s a difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon?!”

Back in the kitchen, Rainbow leaned against the door and stared up at the ceiling for several seconds. His eyes were wide open while he carried a look that bordered between realization, and a lot of regret in regards to his idiocy. He eventually looked back at the last mixing bowl he was using at the countertop, which still had half of the cake batter inside. That bowl also had a regular spoon somewhere in the mix, which he had been using for all of his measurements up to that point. Part of him wanted to ask how the heck he overlooked such a misstep, but all he could do was clench his eyes shut and mutter, “Shiiiiiiiiittttttt…”

Elusive could hear that profane groan through the door, which caused him to hang his head with another painful sigh. “Ughhh… You know what?” he said while pinching the bridge of his snout with a hoof. “As long as you clean up whatever you did in there, I’ll show my appreciation for you trying to make a nice gesture, okay?”

“...”

“... Rainbow?”

“... You mean all of it?”

“YES, I mean all of it! What, did you think I was going to help clean your mess?!”

“...”

“Well?!?” asked Elusive in exasperation. 

“... DAMMIT!”

Judging by how upset Blitz sounded, Elusive could only imagine how much of a disaster his friend created in the kitchen to warrant such a strong reaction. Nevertheless, the unicorn made a calming huff to himself before settling down, and asking, “Rainbow, can you at least come out of the kitchen? I’d rather not talk to you through this door.”

Rainbow tried not to cringe as he looked down at himself, mostly because he didn’t want Elusive to see him all scratched-up as a result of that demon-spawn the unicorn had the gall to call a “Pet.” Of course, given how badly he handled things that morning back in Manehattan, Blitz would’ve still been wary about facing Elusive regardless of his appearance. Even though he couldn’t say that he was the only one who made stupid decisions that weekend, the Wonderbolt couldn’t deny that he was the one who legitimately hurt the other. And no matter what he tried to say or do, Rainbow Blitz knew that he needed to face the music if he wanted things to move forward. 

But before he could face the unicorn directly for their much-needed talk, Blitz placed his hoof against the kitchen door to keep it tightly closed. The sink was still running to extinguish the tins inside, but the smoke wafted away well enough to temporarily silence the smoke alarm. And with that brief window of silence, Rainbow felt more comfortable talking through the door at a normal tone of voice. “Listen, I… I know that I screwed up big-time. And… And it’s not just because I left the apartment this morning…”

On the other side of the door, Elusive was standing worriedly by himself while keeping his muzzle pursed shut. The shop was vacant of any ponies aside from himself, which helped him to process Blitz’s words without worrying who may see his reactions. And even with that thick door blocking their views of each other, Elusive could hear the emotion stemming from Rainbow’s raspy voice as it grew more strained.

“I… I know that when we first started this whole ‘dancing’ thing, that… well, things could easily get awkward as heck.” Blitz huffed to himself with a brief shake of his head, an amused smirk creeping across his face for a moment or so. “But… But despite how weird your plan was, it really worked out for us! Like… We are going to the Canterlot Finals, so it’s not like we completely screwed up.”

Rainbow may have been right about their shared dancing abilities, but Elusive still rolled his eyes with a scoff from Blitz’s deflection of the topic at hoof. Fortunately, he could hear Rainbow continuing to talk through the door more insistently.

“B-But I know that’s not the point! I’m just saying that… Well... I’m just saying that we really do work well together. And I… I don’t want to lose that right now…”

Elusive’s brows raised a little bit, and he carefully stepped up closer to the kitchen door to better listen to his friend. Meanwhile, Rainbow had his head hung low while he braced his hooves against the other side of the door, and closed his eyes so he could focus on his words. However, his muzzle was still wrinkling up due to the emotion that was creeping through his clenched expression. 

“Elusive, you… You have no idea how much you’ve been helping me over the past couple months. And… And it really meant so much that you were willing to stay by my side throughout everything. Even after all that Las Pegasus bullshit, you… you never gave up on me… Just like how I don’t want to give up on you.”

With that last part, Rainbow sighed painfully while a tear could be seen trailing down his cheek. But after letting out a shaky breath, Blitz continued to speak from the heart as his words turned more choked-up. “I… I’ve been able to tell you a lot about myself… Things that I never told anypony aside from Scotch… And I like to think that I learned a lot about you too. But… B-But I know that I should’ve showed that same trust in you that you did for me…”

Another tear escaped from the corners of Blitz’s clenched eyes, not that he seemed to notice as the first dripped down to the floor. Instead, all he could do was take another quivering breath before adding, “I’m supposed to be the Element of Loyalty, but I know that didn’t show when I left you this morning. And… And you weren’t wrong about what you said back in that restroom…”

Rainbow could hear the faint tap of Elusive’s hooves inching closer to the door, but he couldn’t bear to open it from his end right now. Due to how overwhelmed he felt from what he knew he had to say, Rainbow’s hooves bore down hard enough against the door to turn his keratin a strained shade of white. Nevertheless, his composure was still diligent enough to allow for Blitz to speak without much interruption or pause. 

“When you were yelling at me about how hurt you were, you… you said that were feeling the same things that I did. A-And… And you’re not wrong about that, Elusive. I know that you’ve been just as freaked out about things as I was. But… B-But I’ve been thinking a lot of the same things you have too…”

Elusive had a hoof pressed up against his side of the door, and his eyes widened immensely after hearing Blitz saying that last part. And as he stood by himself in stunned silence, the unicorn refrained from wiping away the tears that were stemming at the corners of his eyes. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Rainbow finally stepped back from the door while his eyes were shut, and he took a breath before blurting out his admission:

“W-When the two of us were dancing back in Manehattan, I… I never felt as close to anypony than I did with you! A-And even with how weird it felt at first, I seriously don’t want to lose you right now! You mean so much to me, and it’s not just because you’re my friend, Elusive! You were able to see me in a way no other pony ever has, and… a-and so have I! I never would’ve expected to grow so close to a stallion, but…”

Rainbow’s lips quivered for a moment, and his muzzle skewed in conflict while gritting his teeth with a frustrated groan. The last thing he wanted to do was stop what he needed to say, but his heart was already racing from how badly his words were getting to him. But even with how worried he may have felt, or how paranoid he was about all the hypotheticals racing through his head, Rainbow Blitz pulled his head back up to stare at the door with his eyes glistening with fresh tears. 

“But I can honestly say that you mean way more to me than any friend ever could, Elusive. And I don’t care at all what ponies may say, or what genders either of us may be! I still want to be with you, and not just for dancing! B-Because… When we kissed back in Manehattan, it… it was the best kiss I ever experienced in my life!”

Elusive gasped with his eyes wide open, and finally started to tear up while a hoof was cupped over his mouth. The unicorn then heard a distinct metallic click from the knob, even though the door itself remained firmly closed. Before the two stallions could actually face one another, Rainbow said one last thing for his friend to hear through the thin door blocking their views. 

“And… And I don’t want that to be the only kiss we’ve had, Elusive… I don’t want this to end before it has the chance to even begin. Be… Because you’re right… I… I feel the same as you…”

Elusive’s pupils shrank, and his breathing grew faint as he grabbed the doorknob with both hooves. He threw open the door with a force strong enough to make it bang against the adjacent wall, and allowed the two stallions to finally see each other. Both of them had wide-eyed and teary stares as they stood across from one another, with only the running sink nearby attempting to quell the palpable silence. Rainbow was briefly frozen with a fretful look on his face, mostly likely because of how he and the kitchen looked combined. But fortunately, Elusive’s stunned stare remained solely on the pegasus’ beautiful magenta eyes. 

Elusive slowly stepped forward, completely ignoring the destroyed kitchen while eyeing the stallion intensely. As he loomed in closer, his breaths became more faint before he asked in a shaky whisper, “You… You mean that… Y-You…”

Elusive couldn’t even finish his question, and closed his eyes to struggle not to wince in trepidation. But as the unicorn tried taking a couple of calming breaths, Rainbow finally broke from his stunned state to give a proper response. The pegasus lunged in without warning, and caught Elusive completely off-guard as he wrapped his hooves around the back of his friend’s head. And before Elusive could even gasp or reopen his eyes, he found himself caught in Rainbow’s embrace as their muzzles locked together tightly. 

Blitz clenched his eyes shut while holding Elusive close to his chest, and giving him the kiss he knew he deserved. Their lips remained locked for a long moment, and gave the unicorn more than enough time to settle within Rainbow’s grasp. Elusive’s eyes were bulging open at first, but eventually turned to a half-lidded stare of elation as he sighed blissfully in Blitz’s hooves. And by the time his own hooves wrapped around the pegasus’ back, Elusive returned the kiss with just as much passion and care as the Wonderbolt he was holding.

After all the restless nights spent pondering such a sensation, Elusive felt the purest sense of clarity and relief upon feeling those lips against his own once more. The warmth and taste of Blitz’s soft muzzle made the unicorn’s heart swell in elation, and caused him to hold onto the stallion like he never wanted to let go. Rainbow may have not been some alluring Princess, or a traveling writer with a thing for farmponies, but Elusive didn’t feel the slightest twinge of regret about who he found himself with. Of all the ponies he could’ve fallen for, the Element of Generosity felt infinitely blessed that his love came in the form of another bearer like himself.

With their bodies still tightly connected, Rainbow was the first to slowly pull their lips away following their deep and sensual kiss. His eyes reopened just enough to see the euphoric gaze in Elusive’s shimmering blue eyes, which caused him to smile weakly in return. And before the unicorn could think to say anything, Rainbow Blitz nodded his head and said, “Yeah, I… I love you too, Elusive…”

Even as more tears came down from Elusive’s cheeks, his smile showed nothing but the purest contentment before he pulled Blitz back in. Both of the stallions’ grips tightened as they held onto one another passionately, and shared another deep kiss without any shame. Rainbow’s wings were fluttering wildly in response to his thundering heartbeat, but it was likely able to match with Elusive’s heart-rate as judged by his quivering legs. And for that brief moment the two spent in amorous rhapsody, nothing could’ve dampened their spirits as they basked in the love the two knew they had for one another. 

That was, until Elusive finally pulled his lips away from Blitz’s, and his blissful smile quickly morphed to a mortified drop of his jaw upon looking around the room. “AAAAAHHHHH!! Rainbow Blitz, just what in Equestria did you do to my kitchen?!”

Rainbow may have not felt any regrets in regards to him and Elusive, but he still cringed pretty damn hard as he backed away from him with a nervous chuckle. “Uhhh… Heh heh heh… W-Well, the thought should count a little, right?”

If looks could kill, Rainbow Blitz’s body would’ve been unrecognizable when he caught sight of Elusive’s extremely furious glare. But despite knowing he was on thin ice, Blitz tried to widen his sheepish smile and ask, “Uhhh… Would it help if I asked you to be my coltfriend?”

Even though that was a sweet gesture, Elusive’s glare remained as flat as the kitchen floor. “Clean my kitchen, and then I’ll accept that.”