• Published 14th Jan 2017
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Shut Up And Dance - TheVClaw



After accidentally injuring Elusive's dancing partner before a large competition, Rainbow Blitz swore that he would help him find a new partner and win. Unfortunately, Elusive seems to want Blitz to be his replacement.

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Chapter Thirty-One: Blitz and AJ's Discussion

Author's Note:

Okay, lemme just get this out of the way before everyone comments it:

In the years that passed since Rainbow Blitz was bound alongside his friends to be Elements of Harmony, he knew that his life had improved far beyond his wildest dreams. Heck, he even achieved the biggest dream he could’ve amassed, and became the Wonderbolt flier he knew he was destined to be. But even with all the different successes he and his friends made, both individually and as a group, Rainbow could recall several times where they screwed up horribly. One of the most notable times was the Royal Wedding fiasco, but he knew there were many others that could be mentioned if he had a clearer mind. Unfortunately, after what he just learned from his friend Elusive at the train station, it was hard to think of many other screwups that could compare to everything that transpired that weekend.

In retrospect, the blowout between Blitz and Elusive almost felt like the aftermath of an avalanche. He knew that the two of them were fairly drunk through a lot of it, but that didn’t change what ended up happening at the end. In fact, considering how close the two had come to that conclusion multiple times before that night, the fact that it actually happened seemed almost inevitable. But in the end, despite how long that moment may have been looming in the horizon over the past few days, it still struck the Wonderbolt hard enough to leave him reeling with a conflicted mind during the aftermath. And worst of all, even though he knew exactly what went wrong between himself and Elusive -- both before and after that kiss they shared the previous night -- Rainbow Blitz had absolutely no idea what he needed to do to rectify it.

Fortunately, by the time the group’s train to Ponyville was ready for departure, Blitz was able to board on by himself much conflict from anypony else. After Applejack found him in such a distressed state in the station’s restroom, the stallion was quick to help out Rainbow by keeping him out of sight from the others. Even though it was doubtful most of the group knew the gist of what happened between Blitz and Elusive, that didn’t mean AJ was willing to put the stuntpony through a billion unnecessary questions from them; especially when it was obvious just how badly Blitz needed some time to reflect on what he had just learned, as well as to wipe the tears from his eyes.

By the time the train for Ponyville was chugging along the tracks, the families of Apple Buck and Twinkle Toes were enjoying their personal passenger car, while most of the Elements lounged in their Royal traincar near the back. The moods may have been high for everypony due to both of the couples’ wins, but Elusive decided to keep to himself by sketching out some aimless costume ideas for the Canterlot Finals. Meanwhile, Rainbow Blitz kept himself completely away from everypony else, and sat at the rear deck of the train’s caboose. Fortunately for the cyan pony, Applejack was seated beside him as the two stared out at the tracks shooting from beneath their hooves.

Rainbow Blitz couldn’t look back at his friend while they sat side-by-side, and his face carried a skewed expression due to the awkwardness he felt beside him. Even though he was sure that Applejack wasn’t judging him for that breakdown he had in the bathroom, Blitz still hated that it happened nonetheless. Part of him wanted to at least thank AJ for his help, and for sticking by his side after the train left the station. But unfortunately, there was an obvious wall of apprehension braced up between the two stallions, most likely due to how masculine they usually acted alongside each other. They may have been close friends through and through, but it still took a long time before Applejack was prepared to deal with Blitz’s emotional side.

“So, uhhhh…” The orange stallion bit his lip uncomfortably after that pause, and looked away from Blitz to stare out at the Equestrian landscape. Rainbow Blitz was slightly tensed up, but he didn’t try to appear too hesitant to listen to whatever his friend had to say. After another moment, Applejack closed his eyes with a strong sigh, and decided to ask Rainbow bluntly, “Alright, should Ah ask what the buck happened between you and Elusive, or do Ah have to wait another hour for you to start talkin’?”

Rainbow huffed with a flatter expression, and leaned forward to rest the bottom of his chin against the caboose’s rear ledge. He looked like he wanted to respond to his friend’s remark, but his lips barely moved while he kept his muzzle tightly shut. Applejack waited another moment before he rolled his eyes, and leaned forward to get in the same position as Blitz. While his hind-legs remained standing against the wooden floor of the deck, Applejack rested against the back of the caboose alongside Rainbow before speaking again. “Listen, Ah… Ah ain’t gonna judge ya, alright? Ah mean… Ah didn’t say anything back in that bathroom, right? And, like… you know I already told ya back in that elevator--”

“Y-Yeah, I know,” blurted Blitz as he interrupted his friend’s words with a wave of his hoof. Even though he didn’t look too keen on starting that conversation, he wasn’t above turning down his friend’s generosity in that moment. Especially when it was clear that Blitz needed to talk with somepony about all the crap he and his partner had to endure from each other. “I get it, dude. Seriously. I just…”

Rainbow’s head sunk down a bit as he took a breath for himself, and he kept his eyes closed to focus on his thoughts. Applejack didn’t say anything, but he kept his eyes on the pegasus while waiting patiently. When Blitz finally pulled his head back up, he let out a shakier exhale before he started to speak again. “... I… I really do not want to tell all of this to anypony else. So… If I’m going to say anything, I need to know that you won--”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Applejack gave that Bubble Berry promise like it was absolutely nothing, and did the motions of his hoof alongside the chant to quickly shut his friend up. “Ah promise you, whatever you say will stay between us,” he said with the utmost assurance towards the stuntpony, not showing a smidge of dishonesty in his expression.

Fortunately for the Element of Honesty, his promise seemed to be more than enough for Rainbow to nod back at him with a weak smile. The stallion then looked around the caboose for a moment, making sure that the two weren’t being eavesdropped on. “Okay, ummm… So, here’s the deal…” After bracing himself for the inevitable response, Rainbow Blitz looked back at Applejack to say with the firmest, and most genuine tone of voice, “I almost kissed Elusive a couple times this weekend. And… last night it happened for real.”

About thirty seconds passed between the two ponies while they hung against the rear of the train, with neither of them able to say much after that admission. Rainbow Blitz kept his sights away from his friend while blushing with a deeply embarrassed pout, not wanting to react too negatively to how he may have looked. Meanwhile, Applejack just blinked continuously while staring back at his prismatic friend, his green eyes as wide as frisbees. Blitz wasn’t sure how long it may have taken for his buddy to let that reveal sink in, or whether or not he was able to actually believe it was true. But after that pregnant bout of silence finally passed, Applejack opened his muzzle briefly before he was able to respond with, “Okay, uhhh… Ah’m gonna need a little more than that, dude.”

“Ugh…” Rainbow rolled his eyes in annoyance, but was quick to respond with another sigh, “You know what? I can’t blame you there…”

After that, Rainbow Blitz spent the next half hour or so to explain everything that happened as best as he could. Even though he left out some of the more personal details that happened between himself and Elusive (most notably the things involving his Father, which he still wasn’t ready to talk about with AJ), he tried to mention as much as he could for the sake of hearing the farmpony’s input. Fortunately for the Wonderbolt, Applejack kept himself silent throughout most of Blitz’s recollections, only interrupting a couple times to clarify certain details. Rainbow was blushing hard by the time he got to the events that transpired the previous night, but was grateful that AJ refrained from even smirking at him during that moment. However, even though Blitz decided not to mention Elusive’s confession of love that happened mere hours ago, Applejack was still fairly wide-eyed by the time everything else was summarized to him.

“... So, ummmm… Yeah…” Rainbow Blitz tried not to wince after making that closing remark, and looked away from AJ’s gaze while resting against the caboose’s wooden ledge. “I… I really screwed things up between Elusive and me. And I… I really need your help in getting things fixed between us.”

Applejack took a moment as he looked back out at the view the two had, taking notice of the late afternoon son reaching closer to the western horizon. He definitely needed to take a breath before saying anything, since it took a lot to process everything that Rainbow Blitz just told him. However, since it was clear how badly Rainbow needed his help, Applejack wasn’t one to go back on his earlier promise. So after taking a second to think everything over, AJ looked back at him and decided to say, “Okay, uhhhh… Well… Ah ain’t gonna lie, it sounds like you really need to talk with Elusive more than anypony else.”

“Dude!” Rainbow knew that AJ was right, but he still groaned in exasperation while pulling his head back. “I already told you, Elusive won’t talk to me right now! He wanted me to think things over first, but I… I really don’t know what to say to him! I mean… what the buck can I say?!”

Applejack’s muzzle tensed up as he skewed his head awkwardly, clearly unsure how to answer such a question to his friend. However, the farmpony tried his hardest to assist Blitz by asking him, “Well, uhhh… Listen, it’s pretty obvious that things have gotten a bit, errrr… close b‘tween you two, right?”

Rainbow closed his eyes with a sharper exhale, and he needed a second before giving an apprehensive nod away from AJ’s direction. “Mnnghhh… Y-Yeah,” he muttered under his breath, his muzzle tightly pursed in an attempt to hide how hard it was for him to say that.

Applejack nodded silently in understanding, and refrained from pressing Blitz any further for clarification. Instead, the stallion looked back outward before he decided to ask, “Okay then… So, ummm… Listen, you know what Ah’m gonna ask next, right?”

“UGH!” Blitz didn’t try to ask what the question was, and just threw his head back to shout in frustration, “Dude, I don’t know, okay!?! I don’t know how I feel about Elusive! I don’t know if this is something that can actually work, or if we can go back to how things were before! A-And even though I know I need to talk with him back in Ponyville, I… I don’t bucking know what I should say!! I mean, I… I don’t even know if I can feel that way about him! He’s one of my best friends!”

“Okay, okay!” Applejack reached out to place a hoof on his friend’s shoulder, and said reassuringly, “Listen, Ah ain’t givin’ ya any horse-apples for what you two did, alright? And believe me, I do not want y’all’s relationship to be screwed up because of this! Ah mean, kissin’ or not, we’re all gonna be Elements of Harmony no matter what!”

“And that’s another thing!” Rainbow quickly turned back to his friend with a more distressed look in his eyes, and said in a panicked tone, “Like… they say that sex screws up a friendship, right?! Like… how do we know that we didn’t accidentally break our bonds or something?! I mean, I’m freaking out over what happened, but I don’t want to lose him either!”

“What, and you think Ah do?!” Applejack stared back at his friend with a more peeved look on his face, and said, “Blitz, there ain’t no way any of us are gonna break apart from our Elements! After everything we’ve done for each other and for Equestria, Ah’m pretty sure a buckin’ orgy wouldn’t keep us all from bein’ friends afterward!”

Of all the off-color statements that Applejack could’ve made, that one definitely made Rainbow Blitz pause for a moment in surprise. However, given how many times the group had their bonds tested from various foes and each other, Blitz couldn’t say that AJ’s remark was particularly wrong either. So after a couple seconds of silence, the pegasus shrugged his shoulders before saying back to him, “Uhhhh… Kind of a weird mental image to give me there, but… touchè.”

Applejack tried not to cringe while nodding to that first part of Blitz’s response. “Yeah, uhhh… Ah’m just makin’ a point here,” he said with a slightly apologetic tone, even though he wasn’t sure if Rainbow was able to register it. AJ then decided to say after a sharp huff, “But seriously though, do you really think kissin’ Elusive like that’ll change things between you two that badly?”

“Uhhh, yeah?!” blurted the Wonderbolt as he gawked back at his friend with a befuddled look. “I mean, shit’s been changing pretty badly already! Elusive won’t even look at me right now, and I’m still trying to figure out things on my own end! And to top it all off, we have a huge bucking competition to finish up in Canterlot, and I don’t want us to lose after we came so far!”

Applejack narrowed his eyes on him while growing an immensely annoyed look. “Rainbow, are ya seriously still thinkin’ about the dancin’ competition during all this?!”

“Well, considering how Elusive and I got this close because of our dancing, I think that’s a fair bucking detail to address!” Rainbow groaned while slumping against the caboose’s railing again, and took a second to pinch the bridge of his snout in frustration. “Guh… I’m still trying not to cringe at how clichèd this all feels,” he muttered with a more morose look on his face. “Like… bucking look at me! I tried so hard not to make this whole ‘Dancing Partners’ thing get weird or anything, and I ended up doing exactly that…”

Applejack nodded as he leaned beside him on the ledge, and kept himself silent on that particular matter. Even though he knew he gave Rainbow some flack for agreeing to being Elusive’s dancing partner, he never meant to make the pegasus feel bad about it. But now, after learning of the massive fallout that occurred from the two hooking up impulsively, AJ tried not to look too shameful about adding any unnecessary tension on Rainbow’s end. Unfortunately, before the stallion could think to open his muzzle and apologize, he heard Blitz sigh to himself before he continued speaking.

“... And… And I have absolutely no idea what this says about me, okay? I mean… I know I can’t say what I did wasn’t gay or anything. I know that it was, but I… I’m really not wanting to say anything when I’m still unsure of it myself…”

Applejack nodded again silently, not needing any clarification as to what Blitz meant by that. However, considering how conflicted Rainbow was looking about his dilemma, AJ gave an honest shrug before saying, “Well, uhhhh… Ah know that kissin’ a guy one time doesn’t make ya gay, but… From what Ah’ve been hearin’ from ya, it definitely don’t sound straight neither.”

Rainbow gritted his teeth with an especially peeved-sounding groan, and pulled his head up from the wooden ledge before shouting, “Yeah I know! I bucking KNOW that, alright?! And I’m trying as hard as I can not to freak out about that, so I’d rather not deal with any stupid jokes from YOU about it!”

“Excuse me?!” shouted Applejack as he stared at him with a very offended look on his face.

“Oh, come on, dude!” griped Blitz as he rolled his eyes back at him. “Ever since I agreed to be his dancing partner, I’ve been hearing stupid-ass jokes about it from you, Bubble Berry, and everypony else all the bucking time! ‘Ooh, how will you two look in a slow dance?~’ ‘Will Elusive have a rose in his mouth?~’ ‘Are y’all going out to dinner first?~’ It’s hard enough dealing with that shit without all of the drama I’m dealing with right now! So yeah, forgive me if I’m not in the mood to hear any more names or accusations right now--”

“HOW THE BUCK DARE YOU!!!”

Applejack’s outburst caught Rainbow completely off-guard, and he jolted away from the stallion after he made that exclamation. While the pegasus stood at the edge of the caboose with a frazzled look on his face, Applejack looked downright hurt by that accusation while glaring back at him. After blinking a couple times, AJ gawked at his friend before he said, “You… you really think Ah’d give you shit for bein’ gay, Rainbow Blitz?! Is that really what ya think of me?!”

“Whoa, WHOA!” Rainbow had to take a step back from his friend, since it looked like AJ was upset enough to try and hit him. Luckily, the pegasus was able to keep Applejack at bay while retorting with, “Dude, do I have to remind you of that stupid photoshoot thing you and Bubble Berry did?! Or all the dumb little jokes you guys have been making since I started?!”

“That don’t mean I’m a buckin’ homophobe, you dick!” spat Applejack, whose furious glare only intensified back at Rainbow Blitz. Since the pegasus’ eyes were widened in shock from AJ’s rare usage of profanity, the stallion had enough time to add without interruption, “And for your information, Ah ain’t never called you any names! Yeah, Ah may have made a joke or two, but that ain’t the same as usin’ a buckin’ slur on somepony! Seriously, you… you’ve met Twinkle Toes’ Dads, haven’t ya!? Have you heard me sayin’ shit ‘bout either of them?! Or Scootaroll’s Uncles?!”

“Okay, NO! No, I haven’t!” Rainbow Blitz may have had some rightfully strong feelings about the homophobia he had to deal with over the past month, but he was quick to put up his hooves to try and make amends with Applejack. “Dude, I’m not saying you’re a homophobe! I’m just saying I didn’t want to deal with that kind of bullshit right now!”

“Well, it’s still mighty instultin’ to hear you accuse me of bein’ like that!” snapped AJ angrily, before he prodded Rainbow’s chest with a hoof for added emphasis. “‘Cause lemme tell ya somethin’, Ah would never, EVER do anything like that to anypony! And especially not one of my closest friends!”

With the way Applejack leaned in to emphasize his glare on Rainbow, it didn’t take long for Blitz’s head to lower sheepishly in guilt. Even though he couldn’t say Applejack treated his sessions with Elusive as maturely as some of the other guys in their group, Rainbow couldn’t recall him ever being openly against it either. Some of AJ’s antics with Bubble Berry certainly rubbed him the wrong way, but Blitz never felt like he or Elusive were being openly antagonized by them either. If anything, most of Applejack’s teasing remarks were fairly tame in comparison to the quips Rainbow would’ve conjured up if the tables were switched. And after only a moment of uncomfortable silence, the Wonderbolt’s eyes closed as he sighed softly in remorse. “... Dude, I… I’m sorry…”

Fortunately, Applejack could catch the honesty in Blitz’s voice almost instantly, and was quick to pull back while growing a guilty expression of his own. “Well, uhhhh… Ah’m sorry too,” he replied with a weak shrug of his shoulders while avoiding eye-contact with Rainbow. “Ah mean… Ah know you guys had a lot of jokes thrown at ya, but… Ah really don’t wanna be lumped-in with those jerks, alright? Ah might be a country stallion, but Ah ain’t a bigot. And the same goes for Bubble Berry.”

“Yeah, no doubt, no doubt…” Rainbow Blitz nodded while looking away from the stallion with a shameful skew of his muzzle. The pegasus needed a few seconds to recollect himself, but his voice sounded a lot less distressed by the time he finally breathed out calmly. “Ugh… I just… I don’t know how to process everything that’s been going on…”

Applejack’s muzzle pursed tightly closed while nodding to his friend’s statement. “Well, Ah… Ah can’t say Ah know how to fix that,” he admitted with an apologetic shrug, before he pointed a hoof at Blitz and added, “but Ah do think that what happened between you two ain’t just some… physical attraction thing, alright? It really seems like you and Elusive might be kinda, errrr…”

The farmpony looked a little conflicted for a second, since he could tell that Rainbow was still on edge about how to reflect on things. However, Applejack’s honesty shone though as he sighed reluctantly, and looked away from Rainbow while saying, “... you two might have a lot goin’ on, uhhh… emotionally too.”

Rainbow Blitz covered his face with a hoof to keep from seething from that opinion AJ gave him. Of course, considering how sharply he was sucking back his bottom lip, it could be argued that he was more upset about his friend’s accuracy on the matter. But regardless, the pegasus couldn’t help retorting defensively with, “Dude, for the last friggin’ time, we were drunk.”

Applejack wasn’t buying that answer, and raised a brow while staring back at him flatly. “Every time y’all almost kissed?”

Despite how vehemently Blitz glared back at him, AJ added with a raise of his other brow, “And yer tellin’ me that you were too drunk to think last night, but just before that you were flyin’ across Manehattan without any issue? ‘Cause that don’t sound like somethin’ a ‘drunk’ pegasus would be able to do. Not even a Wonderbolt.”

Nnnngggg…” Rainbow Blitz turned himself around to keep from biting his friend’s head off. Unfortunately, since the rear deck of the caboose was barely big enough to hold three ponies, Blitz couldn’t really stand far enough away from Applejack to avoid his words.

“Dude, Ah’m just pointin’ out things as Ah see it,” said AJ with an honestly stern tone of voice. However, the stallion still carried a compassionate look on his face as he leaned towards his friend, and placed a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Listen… Ah ain’t judgin’ one bit if things between you two are really that deep, okay? Ah’m just makin’ sure that you don’t react like a moron and hurt Elusive any more than you already did.”

That statement hurt Blitz. A lot. He wanted to pull Applejack’s hoof off of him, but Rainbow could only keep his face covered in an attempt to conceal his pained wince following that remark. He didn’t say anything to try and counteract what AJ was saying, but his silence was proving to be equally as unsettling for the farmpony to see. After a couple seconds with nothing being said, Applejack strengthened his grip on the pegasus’ shoulder before leaning in closer. “Rainbow… Rainbow please, Ah… Ah just wanna help, alright?”

Rainbow let out a heavy sigh while his head remained pointed away from the orange pony. “Y… Yeah, I know,” he muttered in a voice just barely more audible than a whisper. Fortunately, that answer was more than enough for Applejack to nod optimistically.

“Alright then,” he said more confidently back at Blitz. “So… how about this? If yer willin’ to be honest with me, Ah wanna ask ya some questions. That’s all Ah wanna do, and Ah’ll try my hardest not to offend ya. Is that good?”

Even though he was already less than enthusiastic, Rainbow Blitz exhaled through his nostrils before giving a faint nod of his head.

“Thank ya,” said Applejack while giving a brief smile out of respect. However, as soon as he took a breath to prepare for his first question, AJ’s face carried a mix of seriousness and trepidation when he opened his muzzle. “Alright, now… When you said that the two of ya kissed, was… was it only him doin’ it?”

Rainbow’s eyes clenched shut, and his muzzle wrinkled up like he just bit down on a lemon. He dragged his hoof down his face while sighing to himself, and kept his face pointed away from Applejack when he said meekly, “... n… n-no, it… it wasn’t just him…”

“... Yeah…” Applejack gave a faint nod while letting that answer from Blitz simmer for a moment. “You kissed him back. And… And you didn’t stop him neither, did ya?”

“Dude!” Rainbow Blitz turned his head around to shoot a peeved glare back at Applejack, but the farmpony just stood his ground with his expression unchanged. The tension between them was beyond uncomfortable, but it was also short-lived when Rainbow looked away from him again. Since AJ was continuing to stand in wait, Blitz eventually relented with another breath before giving his answer. “No. I… I didn’t…

“... and that wasn’t because of the booze, was it?”

“Excuse me?!” Rainbow turned himself back around, and stood before Applejack with a gawked stare on him. But much like before, the other stallion remained firm in his resolve, and merely looked back at Rainbow with patience in his unemotional stare. It was obvious that Applejack wasn’t going to let up from that question, but Blitz still looked at him with his eyes wide-open and continuously blinking.

After a long, pregnant bout of silence between them, Applejack sighed while his hoof remained on his friend’s shoulder. “Seriously, Ah need you to think about that,” he clarified with a firmer voice than before. “If… If the two of you were in that exact situation as it was, but neither of you had a drop of alcohol that night, would you… would you have stopped it?”

Rainbow’s expression softened quite a bit, and he pulled away from Applejack’s grip as he looked out at the horizon shown from their vantage point. The cyan stallion didn’t say anything, but his hesitant-looking wince was enough for Applejack to see clear as day. The gears in Rainbow’s head could practically be seen spinning as he leaned against the caboose’s ledge again, and he slumped down with a conflicted look on his face. The pegasus stayed silent for over a minute while he processed that question, and his expression became more visibly distressed with each second that passed. By the time he was able to open his mouth again, all that came out was a hoarse-sounding breath while he covered his eyes with a hoof.

“Rainbow…” Applejack slowly leaned back against the ledge alongside Rainbow, and kept his eyes pinned on the Wonderbolt’s perturbed look. He didn’t try to reach out and touch Blitz again, but his voice became much more sympathetic as he tried to get through to him. “Seriously, Ah ain’t gonna tell a soul. Not even if Solaris himself ordered me to! Ah just wanna make sure that y’all didn’t--”

“N-No…”

Applejack’s head reeled back a little after hearing that faint, meager attempt at an interruption Blitz made. Meanwhile, the pegasus’ head sunk down even lower while he hung against the wooden ledge, and kept his face covered with a hoof. The only feature Applejack was able to see in his friend’s expression was how tightly Rainbow’s lips were shut; he was also able to see Blitz’s muzzle quiver a little bit, before he took a shaky breath through his nostrils and confirmed his statement.

“... N… No, I… I know I would’ve done it anyway…”

With that, Rainbow’s composure finally broke enough for a fresh tear to roll down his cheek. Applejack instantly pulled the pegasus in with both hooves, and hugged him tightly without saying a word. It took a couple seconds before Rainbow’s hooves raised up to hug AJ back, but his breaths were already hiccuping from the incoming strain he had just placed on his conscious. Since those words were said out-loud, Blitz didn’t have anything to fall back on anymore. He knew that the truth was already laid out, and he had nothing else to do but hold onto his friend while struggling not to cry. “Nnnnnghhhh… Mmmmfffff…”


Sssshhhhhh…” Applejack kept a strong hold on his compromised friend, and closed his eyes while Blitz’s chin rested against his shoulder. “It’s alright, Blitz. It’s alright… Ah promise this is stayin’ between us…”

Rainbow’s lips trembled even more after hearing that comforting whisper, and his clenched eyes weren’t able to hold back the additional tears that stemmed from the corners. Luckily for the stallions, due to how quickly the train was chugging along the tracks, the rushing winds and thundering engines provided more than enough noise to cover up Rainbow Blitz’s choked sobs. And even when the floodgates finally broke for the distressed stuntpony, Applejack refused to let him go during that much-needed moment of release.

Much like when he first opened up to Elusive about his Dad, Rainbow Blitz couldn’t hold it in as he hugged Applejack with all of his might, and cried intensely from the avalanche of emotions rushing through his system. Even though he wasn’t a bawling wreck this time around, the usually confident pegasus certainly let his weakened state show while sobbing hard against his friend’s shoulder. The moment lasted for only a few minutes, but it still provided enough tears from Blitz’s end to leave the fur on AJ’s shoulder thoroughly matted. Nevertheless, the farmpony didn’t mind one bit while he clung tightly against his friend, and tried his hardest not to tear up himself.

By the time Rainbow Blitz was able to stop crying, his eyes were a deep shade of red above the matted fur smeared across his cheeks. His breaths remained faint and choppy for a while after the last of his tears stopped flowing, but he was able to appear slightly less overwhelmed after everything was said and done. Of course, due to how impactful that moment was for him to deal with, Rainbow had to sit down on the deck of the train to regain his strength. Fortunately, Applejack sat right beside him on the wooden floor without hesitation, and kept holding him tightly with a hoof around his back.

The two ended up looking out from the back of the caboose for a long while, admiring the serene landscapes passing before them without a word needing to be spoken. Rainbow looked absolutely drained after that moment he and AJ shared, and could only wipe his face with a hoof while thinking about everything he confessed. Meanwhile, Applejack kept himself close to the pegasus as he waited patiently, not wanting to agitate Blitz in the midst of such an emotional aftermath. Neither of them knew how long that bout of silence lasted between them, but the blue skies above their heads were beginning to darken along the horizon by the time Applejack finally spoke.

“Hey, uhhhhh… you gonna be alright?” he asked Blitz with a soft-spoken, but undoubtedly caring tone of voice. “Ah mean… Are ya gonna be alright by yourself?”

Yeah, I… I think so…” Rainbow’s voice may have been raspier than usual due to his emotional state, but the nod he gave back to Applejack helped to emphasize the sincerity in his answer. When he looked back at him, the pegasus’ eyes were looking a lot clearer as he added, “but, uhhhh… thanks a lot for talking with me, dude.”

Upon seeing the small smile Blitz managed to give him, Applejack smiled back twice as wide before pulling him in for a brief hug. “Hey, it’s alright, man,” he said assuredly, not sounding the least bit inconvenienced by the time they spent by themselves at the back of the train. However, when AJ finally pulled back, he grew a more inquisitive look while eyeing Rainbow firmly. “Although, ummm… If you don’t mind me askin’ so soon, did you… did any of this help ya out? Like… You know, with how to think about all this?”

That question caused Rainbow to wince a little while turning his muzzle away from the stallion. Fortunately, before Applejack could get the chance to grow annoyed at that response, Blitz closed his eyes with a sigh and nodded his head. “I mean… I can’t say I’m completely over all of this, but ummmm… but I do have a better grasp on what I need to do.”

“You do?” asked AJ with his brows raised in surprise. He wanted to feel happy for the pony, but he couldn’t help asking in clarification, “Soooo… Does this mean yer gonna talk to Elusive now?”

Mmhmm,” nodded the pegasus, before he clenched his eyes shut and gave a quick wave of his hoof. “Wait, wait, wait, uhhh… I might need to wait until we get back to Ponyville first?”

“How come?” asked Applejack with a befuddled stare on him. “Ah mean, it seems like he wants to hear from ya, don’t he? Why wait ‘till later?”

“Because I’d rather not get into that kind of discussion with him in the middle of a speeding metal box, okay?” After huffing to himself in frustration, Rainbow Blitz got back onto his hooves while continuing his answer to AJ. “Besides, I… I think I need to do this right…”

Before Applejack could ask what his friend meant by that, a familiar-looking billboard caught his attention as it zoomed past his line of sight. It was a cheesy-looking advertisement for some brand of cereal Apple Buck really liked, and was something AJ took notice of after the countless train rides he had taken to and from Ponyville. Due to its familiarity, his brows rose up in surprise before saying to himself, “Dang… Ah must’ve been out here for a while. Ponyville’s less than an hour away!”

“That’s what I needed to hear!” chirped Rainbow Blitz, who threw caution to the wind as he hopped over the ledge of the caboose. His wings furled out as he laid midair behind the train, using its backdraft to coast along the winds without needing to actually fly. When Applejack got himself back up to check on him, Blitz shouted out, “Hey, listen! I’m gonna get my duffle bag and fly the rest of the way home! When the train stops at the station, tell Elusive to meet me at Carousel Boutique!”

Rainbow then zoomed off into the skies, leaving Applejack to stand at the caboose by himself without the chance to say anything. He had no idea what Rainbow may have been planning, or even what the pegasus came to terms with following that discussion they shared. However, considering how quickly the Wonderbolt soared upward to leave a rainbow trail from the back of the train, Applejack didn’t seem too worried about what may happen next. Instead, the farmpony shook his head with a playful scoff, and readjusted his Stetson before making his way back inside the train.

“You know what?” as he exited the caboose’s rear deck to find his friends, Applejack carried a casually neutral tone as he said to himself, “As long as he don’t act like a nincompoop again, Ah think them two’ll be just fine…”

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