The sun slowly rose over the eastern horizon, and helped to illuminate the town of Ponyville for another pristine day. Even though it was early in the morning, there were already ponies out and about to start their daily routines. Over in the market district, Macarena and Grampy Smith were setting up their display stand to sell apple products (including a bunch of freshly-fried apple fritters, which were huge sellers) to any hungry shoppers during the morning hours. Just a couple blocks away, Harpsy and Dan-Dan were getting their candy shop ready in anticipation for a large sale they had been promoting all week. And at Sugar Cube Corner, Bubble Berry was just about to head off and take advantage of the husbands’ candy sale for the bakery’s inventory, as well as his own personal stash of sugary goodness.
But even as Ponyville slowly arose from its slumber, there were many ponies who remained in their homes to savor the comfort of their beds. Two of those ponies just happened to be resting together inside of the Carousel Boutique, which had a sign over the front door to indicate the business was closed for the day. Because of that, the lavish space was peacefully silent with its kitchen freshly-cleaned, and Alexandrite dozing off on the back of a random fainting couch. Meanwhile upstairs, the shop’s owner was nestled deep within the comforts of his bedding, with his body lovingly intertwined with the stallion he was spooning.
This may have not been the first time Elusive and Rainbow Blitz were sleeping in the same bed, but it was certainly the first time they’ve done so without any confusion or denial about their feelings for one another. Instead, the two stallions were coddled together in sensual bliss with their forelegs wrapped around each other’s backs, and Elusive’s chin resting atop Blitz’s head. The pegasus’ nostrils kept flaring out as his breaths brushed against the tuft of Elusive’s chest fur, but the unicorn didn’t seem bothered in the slightest as judged by the weak smile he was maintaining in his sleep.
It hadn’t even been half a day since Elusive and Rainbow Blitz made amends, and their feelings were finally reciprocated both ways with affirming results. Even though the two may have tried their hardest to keep their relationship platonic for the sake of their friendship, neither of them could say they had any regrets about slipping off the precipice to form a deeper bond. Instead, the newly-confirmed couple took advantage of their feelings as they succumbed to their deepest desires, and made the most of their first night together as coltfriends. And as the two basked in the aftermath of their passionate evening, with the floor around Elusive’s bed littered with disrobed clothing and torn condom packets, neither of them were stirred too badly awake by the time the morning light began to peek through the thick curtains.
“Mmmmmmm…” Elusive was the first to groggily reopen his eyes, and his hooves grasped the nape of Rainbow’s back a little tighter in confirmation. Upon feeling the pegasus’ firm and slender muscles, a strong blush grew across Elusive’s cheeks as he sighed with a content smile. His half-lidded gaze peered down to admire Blitz’s sleeping form, which caused his heart to thump heavier within his chest. But instead of any feelings of nervousness or self-denial, all that Elusive felt was a wave of comforting relief to have somepony like Rainbow Blitz in his life. And while the pegasus snored softly against the unicorn’s chest, Elusive bent his head down to kiss his rainbow mane tenderly.
“Nnnnghhh…” Elusive may have not intended to stir his mate awake, but that peck seemed to do the trick when combined with the light coming into the bedroom. As he groaned to himself lazily, Rainbow’s hooves wrapped tighter around Elsusive’s back to hold him close. His eyes remained closed as he nuzzled the unicorn’s neck, which caused Elusive to giggle tiredly within his grasp. The sound of his voice caused Blitz’s eyes to slowly reopen, which was accompanied with a slightly confused expression on his face; fortunately for Elusive, that moment only lasted long enough for Rainbow to remember where he was, before he sighed with a smile and nestled in closer against his stallion.
Neither of them said anything for several minutes, and merely basked in each other’s warmth as they cuddled together in the plush bed. Rainbow may have not been the type to go for overly pampering bedding like Elusive’s, but he couldn’t deny how amazingly comfortable he felt while spooning his coltfriend. Heck, even when he heard that word in his thoughts, Blitz couldn’t feel much hesitancy or apprehension due to how contentedly he was able to rest with Elusive. And by the time he was finally able to lift his head back and gaze up at the unicorn, Rainbow’s tired smile showed just as much elation and solace as the one pointed right back at him.
The stallions’ blue and magenta eyes locked onto each other as they remained soundlessly rested on the bed, with neither of them feeling much discomfort following the events of last night. Instead, the two looked at each other for a long moment of silence to process their confirmed feelings, before Elusive spoke up first. “Well… Good morning, Rainbow~” he said with a sensual purr and a weak smirk of his muzzle.
“Heh~” Rainbow Blitz smiled right back at the stallion, and replied cheekily, “I take it you had a nice night?”
“Oh, I certainly did~” Elusive then leaned in towards his coltfriend’s waiting muzzle, and closed his eyes slowly as he added, “And I have you to thank for that…”
Rainbow huffed with a confident smirk of his own, and didn’t show any reluctance when he leaned his head in and closed his eyes. The stallions’ lips softly pressed together as they wrapped their hooves tighter around each other, and locked themselves in a loving embrace. The two hummed sweetly in unison by the time their muzzles opened up, and their kiss deepened with passion burning in their hearts. Unfortunately, due to how clouded both of their mindsets had gotten through rose-tinted lenses, their deep kiss only lasted for a split-second before they froze up at the same time. Both of their eyes shot wide-open, and their muzzles instantly wrinkled up in distaste before they pulled away from each other.
“GAHHH!!” “P’too! P’too!” “UGH!!”
Elusive and Rainbow Blitz may have went through a lot together as friends, but neither of them could handle the taste of their combined morning breath. Because of that, the stallions had to try their hardest not to gag as they coughed and winced away from one another. “Good heavens!” exclaimed Elusive with absolute disgust while gasping with his muzzle agape. “Rainbow, what in Equestria did you eat?!”
“Ugh, dude!” groaned Rainbow Blitz with an equally grossed-out sneer as his friend. After using his hoof to rub his tongue like a scrubber, he cringed from the taste of his unwashed mouth before reeling back at his friend. “You’re gonna say that about my breath?! You tasted like you just gave a skunk a friggin’ rimjob!”
“OH, EWW!!” Elusive may have had a long night, but he immediately threw his hooves up and grimaced the moment he heard Blitz’s comparison. The unicorn hopped off the bed to storm off to the bathroom, but his gait was noticeably wider-stanced as he shouted back at Rainbow, “How in Solaris’ name can you give me a mental image that vile! Ugh!”
Even though he couldn’t exactly refute Elusive’s irritation, Blitz could only roll his eyes while his coltfriend went to the restroom. He could hear the sink running the moment the door closed, which he hoped was from Elusive brushing his teeth. Of course, as he sat by himself at the edge of the lavish bed, it didn’t take long for Rainbow to wince when he caught how rancid his own breath tasted. But before he could pull himself out of the bed to join Elusive in the bathroom, his brows rose up when he felt the slightest press of a tiny paw against his leg.
Rainbow Blitz looked down at his side, and huffed with a bitter scowl the instant he saw Alexandrite sitting atop the bedding. The overly-pampered feline didn’t say anything, and just shot a flat glare up at Rainbow like he was expecting something. Blitz was sure that due to how long his and Elusive’s tryst lasted, there was probably some part of the cat’s routine that his owner may have missed this morning. But since Elusive was preoccupied in the washroom, Rainbow was the one to deal with the cat’s attitude as he let out an annoyed, “MROWWW!!”
“Ugh…” Since he didn’t want to deal with Alexandrite’s bitching, Rainbow turned towards the bathroom door and shouted, “LUCY! Alex is whining about something!”
“Oh! Right, right…” Elusive made sure to spit into the sink before he reopened the bathroom door, and poked his head out to address his cat. “Alexandrite?~” he said sweetly while his smile was spackled with toothpaste. “I know it’s a little late, but I’ll give you your cream when I’m finished in here, alright?”
“MROWRRR!!” Alex didn’t seem to like that compromise one bit, and shot his owner a bitter hiss due to his impatience.
“Oh, don’t be such a drama queen!” replied Elusive, who responded to his cat’s tantrum with only an eyeroll before slipping back into the bathroom. As soon as the door closed again, the cat’s irritated stare went back to Rainbow Blitz in wait. Unfortunately for Alex, Rainbow clearly didn’t give two shits as he crossed his forelegs over his chest.
“Forget it, dude,” said Blitz firmly, not seeming to care that he was trying to talk with a cat like Butterscotch would. “I’m not getting up to coddle your picky ass.”
It wasn’t clear whether or not the cat could actually understand what Rainbow said, but Alex still let out a menacing growl with his eyes narrowing on the pegasus. Alexandrite lifted himself up to turn around, and crawled over to the edge of the bed to hop off. But just before he could leap down, the feline made sure to give a snide stare back at Blitz as he bent himself over and flagged up his tail.
“Eww, come on!” Rainbow reeled away from the unwelcome view of his boyfriend’s cat, and shouted towards the bathroom, “Elusive, your cat’s showing me his butthole!!”
“He’s a cat, Rainbow!” shouted the unicorn through the door. “They always do that!”
“Yeah, but he did it on purpose!”
“Oh, no he did not!”
“What, you want me to record it on video or something?!”
“Just leave him be, Blitz! He’s just a little grumpy that his cream is late.”
Rainbow pouted in annoyance before glancing back at Alex, who was continuing to present himself while sporting a shit-eating grin. But before the pegasus could think to smack him off the bed, the cat hopped down on his own accord to exit the bedroom. Of course, that turned out to be the moment Elusive finally finished cleaning his teeth, and he opened the door to see nothing but a miffed-looking pegasus seated on the bed. “Oh, quit being such a sour grape,” chided Elusive as he shot Blitz a dismissive scoff. “The sink is all yours if you want to brush your teeth as well.”
Despite how upset Rainbow may have looked, Elusive still showed enough compassion to go up to him for another light kiss. After giving the stallion a loving peck on the cheek, the unicorn lit up his horn to pick up a length of floss from the bathroom. He then left the bedroom as well, and flossed his teeth while heading downstairs for Alex’s cream. Meanwhile, Blitz’s grumpy mood was lightened the slightest bit as he touched the spot on his cheek his boyfriend kissed, which caused him to sigh and smile to himself. “Heh~”
Of course, since his hoof was already up against his face, Rainbow brought it to the front of his muzzle before exhaling sharply. The moment he took a whiff of his morning breath, Blitz reeled back with a revolted sneer and groaned under his breath. “Ughhhh… Okay, yeah. I really need to brush my teeth…”
In less than fifteen minutes, both stallions were refreshed enough to prepare a quick breakfast for themselves downstairs. Both of their coats were matted in places from the remnants of sweat that exuded from last night’s activities, but neither of them seemed to mind the smell of their unwashed musk (at least, not in comparison to their morning breath). The two were enjoying a small arrangement of pancakes and diced fruit, which helped to occupy their attention and to keep any silence from feeling awkward. But alas, even with how content the two may have been with how things turned out, that didn’t keep their muzzles from skewing the tiniest bit by the time their plates were nearly cleaned.
Alexandrite was happily lapping up his cream from the tiny ornate bowl on the floor, so he wasn’t paying any attention to the stallions above his head. Meanwhile, Elusive was the first to look uncomfortable when he floated his dishes towards the sink. He did the same with Blitz’s plate, which caused the pegasus to give him a thankful nod of his head. But much like Elusive, it was hard to ignore the contemplative wince that Rainbow was struggling to conceal in his blank expression.
“So, ummmm…” From the way Elusive’s words paused so soon after he opened his mouth, his fretful expression made it look like he was going to announce a pregnancy. But fortunately, the unicorn was able to compose himself enough to take a quick breath, and meagerly say to Rainbow Blitz, “We… We should probably try to discuss what we need to do...”
Despite knowing that his friend was right, Rainbow couldn’t help clenching his muzzle a little while averting his eyes from him. The Wonderbolt squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, and took a moment before looking back at Elusive to clarify, “Do you mean, like… with the competition? Or, uhhh… O-Or with us?”
Even though the answer was fairly obvious, Elusive kept his muzzle pursed shut when he exhaled through his nostrils. He then raised his brows as he said with a shrug, “Well, obviously I was referring to us. I mean… Considering how close we are to the finals, I really don’t think we should change anything or hold back now, right?~”
Elusive may have still carried some internal conflict, but he didn’t hesitate to shoot Blitz a confident smirk alongside that statement. Luckily for the unicorn, Rainbow was able to huff before smiling right back at him. “Yeah, that’s definitely true,” he admitted with a shrug of his own. “Not to mention, we’re probably gonna have to bust our butts to nail down multiple dance routines.”
“Oh, absolutely,” replied Elusive, who had to reel his head back with a heavy exhale. “Ugh… It’s going to be a nightmare figuring out which songs to work with. Especially for the fusion round.”
“Okay, how does that work again?” asked the pegasus, whose eyes narrowed on Elusive confusedly. “I remember you saying it was some big deal for the finals or whatever.”
“Well, it’s something that they recently included in the ENDC competition,” said Elusive as he looked up to the ceiling in thought. “From what I read in the rulebooks, it’s basically where a duo’s top-scoring routines are combined as one fusion dance. Apple Buck and Twinkle Toes will likely have to do a dance involving the Jive and Foxtrot, while our own would combine Contemporary and Disco.”
“Oh, buuuuuuuck…” The moment he heard that dreadful ‘D’ word, Rainbow clenched his eyes with a strong cringe in his expression. “Seriously!? We have to do Disco again?!”
“Well, we did wonderfully the last time we performed the style,” noted Elusive as he tried to lighten his coltfriend’s mood. “Not to mention, it doesn’t have to be a disco song. We did it well enough with a glam-rock song last time, so I’m sure we can find something more modern this time around.”
“Yeah, hopefully…” Rainbow looked like he wanted to complain further, but he kept his muzzle shut as he leaned back with a foreleg perched over the back of his chair. Even though the stallions understood how important it was to be on the same page as dance partners, both of them were aware that the topic was merely a distraction from the elephant in the room. And while he would’ve loved to keep their discussion on the upcoming finals, Blitz learned enough from his exploits back in Manehattan to keep from repeating any past mistakes. So instead of bringing up anything dance-related, Rainbow sighed as he pointed his muzzle down to the table between them. “So, uhhhh… We’re not gonna, like… tell ponies right now, are we?”
“Oh, of course not!” assured Elusive with a wave of his hoof, not even needing to ask for context in reference to Blitz’s question. “Darling, we just got everything settled between us. If anything, we should focus on ourselves before thinking about what others may say. I’d prefer to keep things drama-free until after the competition has ended, thank you very much.”
If he wasn’t feeling so self-conscious about his own worries, Rainbow would’ve likely blushed a bit from being called “Darling” by his boyfriend. But instead, the pegasus could only sigh in relief to Elusive’s comment, and nodded his head without saying much else. However, Blitz then covered his face with a hoof as he leaned into his foreleg on the table, and he said with an exasperated groan, “Oh, man… The guys are gonna flip when they find out about this.”
Elusive grew an uncomfortable wince due to how direly Rainbow said that remark; but at the same time, the unicorn couldn’t exactly refute that claim either, which prompted him to shrug his head silently. “Well… I’m sure that none of them are going to judge us. I mean, after everything we’ve been though, do you really think any of them are gonna be bigoted about us being together?”
That question prompted Blitz’s jagged brows to rise up immensely. He thought back to his chat with Applejack the other day, which nearly earned Blitz a black eye due to assuming his friend would be homophobic. Sure, there may have been some teasing here and there, but Rainbow couldn’t imagine any of his friends harassing him or Elusive for being gay. So after a couple seconds of thought, the Wonderbolt was quick to reply, “Nah… Honestly, I couldn’t see that happening either. Although, I’m pretty sure Barb is gonna hate me for a while.”
“Oh, don’t say that!” Despite how understandable Blitz’s point may have been, Elusive promptly dismissed the notion as he said firmly, “Barbara might be young, and… Okay yeah, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice her feelings towards me… B-But that doesn’t mean she’s unable to accept me being in a relationship with somepony else.”
Even though that middle part carried a lot of apprehension on Elusive’s end, Rainbow caught enough of the unicorn’s sincerity to give an understanding nod. Not to mention, after Elusive’s brief chat with Barb back on the train, the unicorn was willing to trust her maturity when it came to his new relationship. But before he could get any second thoughts, Elusive took a breath to recompose himself before adding, “If anything, the biggest issue we might have is from the tabloids once the word is out about us. Of course, that’s just another reason to justify not saying anything until the finals are over.”
“Yeah, I totally agree with you there,” said Blitz with an equally insistent look as Elusive’s. But at the same time, the pegasus had to look away from his coltfriend while scratching the back of his unkempt mane. “Although, uhhhh… Hypothetically speaking…”
Elusive narrowed his eyes on Rainbow, since any sentence that started off with “Hypothetically speaking” was likely to end with something bad. Meanwhile, Blitz was trying his hardest not to cringe when he asked, “Ummm… Do you think any of the guys actually, like… know about us already?”
That question caused the unicorn’s eyes to widen immensely, but it was the accompanying blush across his cheeks that made Rainbow’s eyes bulge out as well. Neither of them said anything for several seconds, which was just enough time for the two to come to the same realization. When Alexandrite finally finished his morning treat, he licked his lips while peering up to see the ponies’ shocked stares on one another. The stallions brought up their hooves at the same time as they pointed at each other and shouted in unison, “Who did you talk to?!”
Neither of them said anything to respond to the other, which caused another bout of silence before they shouted, “No, YOU tell ME!!”
Elusive groaned with his hooves over his face, while Blitz slumped back in his seat with an equally distraught grimace of his own. “Nnnghhh… Well, that’s bucking awkward.”
“Well, in my defense,” Elusive said in an effort to point out his innocence, “I came to realize certain things a little sooner than you, Rainbow. Can you really blame me for confiding with a friend for help?”
Rainbow Blitz held up a hoof to make a retort, but nothing came out of his open muzzle. Instead, the pegasus paused for a couple seconds before closing his mouth, and then putting his hoof back down with an uncomfortable glance away from Elusive. “Well, uhhh… Alright yeah, you got a point there.”
“And I’m certain that you have your own reasons for confiding in sompony as well.” Elusive may have been miffed that he wasn’t the only pony between them to spill the beans, but he wasn’t one to chastise Blitz without understanding how absurdly hypocritical he would’ve been. So instead, the tailor closed his eyes with a soft sigh before he shrugged his head, and added meekly, “Plus, I… I can’t necessarily blame you after everything that happened back in Manehattan.”
Rainbow Blitz nodded with a bitten lip, and breathed out before looking back at Elusive with hesitance. “Yeah, I… I was kinda thrown-off after what you told me in the bathroom…”
Elusive may have been aware that his confession back at the train station would be enough to make Rainbow seek out some assistance; however, as soon as he heard that detail, Elusive’s eyes widened on him before asking, “Wait a minute. Did… Did you talk to one of them on the train back home yesterday?”
“Well, why do you think I came straight here to try and bake you that cake?” asked Blitz as he pointed back to the nearby stove, which had taken the pegasus almost an hour to scrub down to Elusive’s liking. “I mean, I wanted to do something to make up for yesterday.”
“Yeah, I can understand that,” replied Elusive with a roll of his eyes. “I’m just surprised that you talked with one of the guys so recently about us, that’s all.”
“Well, apparently you talked with somepony sooner than me.” With that point, Rainbow Blitz was only met with an uneasy wince from his coltfriend across the table. “And I’m not judging you for that,” he added in clarification, which was just enough to keep the unicorn from getting too upset, “but still, like… Can you at least tell me who you talked to?”
Elusive knew that Blitz had every right to know, but his muzzle skewed in trepidation when he said, “Well, ummm… he may have shared some details with me that are meant to be secret, so… it might be for the best that I stay silent on that matter. A-At least for now, I mean.”
That answer was dissatisfying for Rainbow to scoff with an eyeroll, but he paused briefly as he tried to process what Elusive actually said. Considering what he learned from his own private conversations with a particular friend, his brows slowly rose up upon realizing there may have been a connection. By the time Elusive finally took notice of his mate’s peculiar stare on him, he wasn’t able to ask what was up before Blitz asked, “Wait a minute. Did… Did he tell you about sleeping with one of the other guys or something?”
Elusive nearly shot out of his chair from how strongly he jolted back from Rainbow wide-eyed. “Wait, WHAT?!” he asked with a gawking stare back at the Wonderbolt. “J-Just who were you talking to?!”
“You first, dude!” belted Blitz with an insistent stare back at him. “And don’t try telling me you didn’t hear anything about that stuff, because that look you just gave me is all the proof I need that you did!”
“Ugh!” Elusive scoffed with a bitter scowl while looking away from the pegasus, and tightly crossed his forelegs over his chest to emphasize his response. “Rainbow, I do not feel comfortable about telling you personal details regarding our friends! I know you’re paranoid right now, but that doesn’t mean that we should expose others in an attempt to make ourselves feel safer.”
Rainbow may have understood Elusive’s point, but that didn’t stop him from huffing with a strong roll of his eyes. “Hey, I’m just making sure we were talking about the same guy, that’s all! Because he, uhhh…”
Upon realizing what he was about to say, Blitz ended up biting his bottom lip for a moment with a look of contemplation. But despite knowing how risky it’d be to discuss somepony else’s private matters, Rainbow also wanted to maintain a trustworthy bond with the stallion he was comfortable enough to call his coltfriend. So even with his apprehensions, the Wonderbolt tried to finish his response with as little risk of outing Applejack as he possibly could. “... He, uhh… He may have mentioned having a similar situation to the two of us…”
Elusive didn’t say anything following Blitz’s remark, but his skewed muzzle made it clear that he didn’t need any further context. Instead, the unicorn kept his eyes pointed away from Rainbow before sighing softly, and replying with, “I, err… I may have heard something similar…”
Several seconds passed between the two stallions, with neither of them saying much after that establishment was made. Both of them looked a little uncomfortable, and their cheeks were blushed from the realization of what they were now mutually aware of. Even though it didn’t need to be said verbally, Rainbow Blitz was the first to readjust himself in his chair and ask, “So, uhhhh… We’re not the only Elements who banged, huh?”
Elusive exhaled sharply with an unamused glare, but his muzzle remained tightly shut while skewing awkwardly. “Hmph… Well, I… I suppose not…”
Another uneasy bout of silence swept between the ponies, which was only broken from the faint scrape of Elusive’s hoof against his table. The stallions tried to collect their thoughts, but it was obvious from their silent stares that both of them were pondering the same thing. They may have been aware of how dickish it’d be to reveal anything to each other, and were likely expecting Bubble Berry to storm into the Boutique with a battering ram if they did. But at the same time, such a reveal about their friends made it nearly impossible to ignore the big question looming over their heads. Not to mention, it wasn’t like their friends wouldn’t have been just as curious if the sides were switched around…
By the time Elusive put his fork back down, his face was just as blushed as Rainbow’s when they finally looked back at one another. After the briefest moment of hesitation, the stallions blurted out at the same time: “I’ll tell if you tell.”
The fact that they said that in unison caused both of them to turn away with shameful scowls, most likely due to their shared guilt for buckling so easily. But at the same time, their responses proved to be surprisingly in-sync when they turned back to each other a second later.
“At the same time?” asked Elusive cautiously while carrying a stern stare.
Rainbow Blitz nodded his head, his expression looking equally as firm as the unicorn’s. “Yeah, we’ll just say the name on three.”
Elusive nodded affirmatively, and took a breath before saying, “Okay then… Three… Two… One!”
They pointed hooves at each other before shouting out at the same time:
“Applejack!” “Butterscotch!”
…
“WAIT, WHAT?!?”
Back on Sweet Apple Acres, the very two stallions being acknowledged by their friends were hanging out together by sheer coencidence. Applejack had just finished feeding all the livestock, and was sitting on top of the wooden fence while wiping some sweat from beneath his Stetson. Meanwhile, Butterscotch was perched against the post of the fence, and was looking away from the farmpony with a heavy blush on his face. The pegasus looked fairly guilty in comparison to his friend, but Applejack’s expression was rather neutral as he looked off into nothing. The orange stallion chewed on a bit of straw that was peeking out from his lips, but kept himself silent as he casually spat out into the grass.
“Ummm…” Butterscotch couldn’t bear to look back at AJ, and kept his shameful gaze down to his hooves while muttering meekly. “I… I’m really sorry, Applejack.”
Even though the stallion was a little upset, AJ refrained from letting that be seen by Butterscotch when he looked so guilty. Instead, he merely sighed before taking the straw out from his mouth, and said in response, “Ehhh… Well, you ain’t the only one who talked with ‘em,” he admitted with a small skew of his head, “so it ain’t like Ah have much room to talk.”
Butterscotch nodded his head silently, but he still looked remorseful despite Applejack’s assurance. But before the farmpony could say anything else, Scotch made sure to add insistently, “B-But just so you know, I didn’t tell Elusive who it was, so… M-Maybe Blitz doesn’t know yet?”
Even with Butterscotch’s optimism, it was only met by a strong sigh by AJ as he replied, “Sugar, if them two actually got together, and Ah’m pretty sure they did, then there’s no doubt that they’ve been talkin’. And Ah’m willin’ to bet good money that they figured out ‘bout us by now too.”
Applejack tried not to sound too snippy when he gave that answer, but the bluntness of his words was still notable enough to make Butterscotch lower his head. Fortunately for the pegasus, his shameful reaction wasn’t enough to keep AJ from resting a hoof on his shoulder. When he looked up at the farmpony, his brows rose up when he saw the reassuring smirk Applejack was carrying on his face. “Hey, c’mon now,” he said with a more cheerful tone to lift Butterscotch’s spirits, “if anything, Ah should be feelin’ bad for bringin’ up more than you. Ah mean, at least you only hinted at me with Elusive. That’s less than what I mentioned to Blitz back in Manehattan.”
That reminder caused Butterscotch’s cheeks to blush deeply, and was accompanied with a worrisome pout on his muzzle. Applejack’s ears lowered with guilt as well, but it was hard to tell while he was wearing his Stetson atop his head. Nevertheless, the orange pony felt compelled to add with a shrug, “A-Although, uhhhh… Ah’m probably not gonna mention anything more than that to Blitz. That is, unless he tried bringin’ up that stupid bet we had.”
The pegasus groaned with a flatter expression on his face, and looked back up at AJ to say, “Seriously, I cannot believe you actually did that.”
“What?” asked AJ with his hooves raised in innocence. “Ah meant for that bet to be between Blitz and that Hoofington mare! It ain’t my fault Ah didn’t think to specify it!”
Since that statement was self-contradictory, all that Applejack was met with was a firm and unamused stare by the yellow pegasus. Butterscotch may have been told about his friend’s stupid wager earlier on, and could even believe AJ’s insistence that he never meant for it to be taken seriously; but considering how Rainbow Blitz most likely did sleep with one of the dancers, that meant that the bet was technically fulfilled on the Wonderbolt’s end. And given how adamant Blitz could be about cashing in bets, Applejack tried his hardest to avoid the unwavering glare that Butterscotch was giving him in that moment.
“Well, you better hope that he doesn’t try asking who else is involved,” stated Butterscotch sternly towards the farmpony, “because I’m certainly not going to say anything. And unless you want to try lying, I doubt that Zicoro will appreciate being outed as well.”
Butterscotch then walked away from the fence, and trotted towards the pig-pen to check up on Applejack’s livestock. Meanwhile, the orange stallion closed his eyes with a shameful sigh while still seated on the fence, and waited until the pegasus was out of earshot to mutter under his breath. “Yeah, don’t remind me…”