Operation: D-Dusk

by CrackedInkWell

Chapter 6: Reversal

Up in the trees of the apple orchard, Bubble Berry peeked through the leaves with a pair of binoculars. He scanned the sea of trees before hopping to another. “Oh, where are they?” he muttered in agitation. “You would think that they would be--”

“Hello, Berry? Over.” Came Elusive’s voice from his walkie-talkie. “I need to speak with you. Over.”

The pink stallion reached over to push the button. “Copy that, what’s up? Over.”

“Something has just happened. Macarena came by and told Dusk that she has feelings for him. Is this part of the plan? Over.”

He sighed in relief. “Yup! What super effective breaking up is going on? Over.”

“Well, Solaris just told him that he should go talk it out with her. They’ve left us and they said that they’re going to the barn.” He let out a sigh before adding. “Over.”

Berry gave a victorious hoofpump in the air. “Yes! Finally, something going right for once! Elusive, is Sunbutt with you? Over.”

“Yes, why? Over.”

“Wait about five minutes before you send him into the barn, too. He’ll be in for quite the surprise. Over.” Just then, he spotted something in the moonlight moving among the trees. Grabbing his binoculars, he peered through to see both Dusk and Macarena walking toward the direction of the barn. “Perfect,” he purred. Just then, a thought came to him. “Come to think of it, make that ten minutes. Over.”

With a skip and a bounce, Berry flung himself from branch to branch, heading towards the red barn. “Don’t worry, Dusky,” he squealed. “We’ll have you back in no time!”

_*_

A couple of minutes and an impossibly-long jump into the upper levels of the storage barn later, Berry slid through an open window where Rainbow, Scotch, and Spines were all waiting. “They’re coming! Is everything ready?”

The dragoness nodded. “All set and ready to go. We’re prepared for every scenario.”

“So, wait,” Butterscotch raised a hoof. “When you said ‘they’ are we talking about Solaris or Macarena?”

“AJ’s sis and Dusk are coming,” Berry answered as he walked over to the edge of the platform down to the romantic trap below. In the center of the storage, barn laid a red-and-pink checkered blanket on a pile of hay, surrounded by lit candles in the shape of a heart. While simple in design, it was the perfect set-up for what was about to come. “Just to be sure…” he turned back to his friends, “is everything on here for the big break up?”

They nodded as they displayed their tools, ranging from rope to sneezing powder, to chilis and buckets of ice water. They heard the barn doors suddenly open below. “Places everypony!” Berry said in a whisper.

While they scattered to their hiding places, the older Apple sister led Prince Dusk Shine further into the barn. “Ah know this is last minute,” she said, “but Ah really need to ask ya for a favor.”

“But right now?” the alicorn inquired. As he stepped through, he paused at the bed of straw laid out in the center of the barn. “Uh… what is this?”

The doors were closed by the scarlet mare behind him. “Dusk,” she said in a smooth drawl, lowering her eyes and walking toward him. “Ah know this is a little… forward, but Ah do hope that ya would please help me with somethin’ Ah wanna… experience.”

Dusk walked backward as the mare continued forward. “Uh… Y-You’re not suggesting that…” She nodded. “B-But I’m in a relationship!”

“So am Ah,” she replied. “Y’know, we’re both more alike than ya think. Ah’m bisexual, too, and mah marefriend encouraged me that Ah should, at least once, go out and experiment with a handsome, compatible, well-endowed stallion like yerself.”

“U-Uh…” The alicorn walked over the candles and tripped into the hay. “I don’t think we should--”

With a hoof, Macarena shushed him. “Now now,” she said softly, “Y'all don’t have ta worry about none of that. Ya just lay back and let me--” Before she could finish her sentence, the barn doors opened once again to a familiar shadow.

“There you are! Have you talked it over with…” Solaris walked into the barn and paused at what he saw. “Uh… Dusk Shine? What are you doing?”

“S-Solaris!” the bookworm cried out. “This isn’t what it--” He was cut off when the mare on top of him kissed him. For one horrifying moment, nopony in the barn made a sound.

“He’s mine now,” Macarena purred.

Silence again. For one tense moment, nopony said a word. Solaris held a look of shock for a very long time. Up in the upper levels, Berry was about to take the victory, until the Solar Prince did something that nopony in the sabotaging party could have predicted.

“Go on…” the Sun Prince said with intrigue.

Solaris slowly trotted over to the pair, giving his coltfriend a kiss. “I wanna watch.” Solaris gave him a wink. Bubble Berry nearly passed out at the sight. His accomplices stood ready with tools, though they weren’t sure what to do.

Next to enter the barn of awkwardness was Applejack and Elusive. They swiftly went over to the haystack and slipped in next to Solaris. “Why don’t we make this interesting, gentlecolts?” Elusive purred, walking over to Dusk and running his hoof down his back while staring at Applejack seductively.

Blitz and Butterscotch gagged and quickly withdrew, swiftly making their way over to their speechless leader. Blitz quickly pulled back a slightly-confused, slightly-interested Spines and covered her eyes.

Meanwhile, Solaris slinked up to Applejack, staring at Dusk and Elusive whilst getting quite comfortable at his sid--

”STOP! EVERYPONY! JUST! STOP…!” thundered a voice that could be heard from the rafters of the barn. Bubble Berry completely lost the ability to speak, so Blitz did it for him. Butterscotch sat at the back of the barn, his hooves tightly squeezed over his eyes while he held a still slightly-curious Spines.

“You leave a couple of gay stallions alone for an HOUR and they decide to get frisky?! What the buck just happened?” Blitz angrily shouted.

Solaris blinked. “What? I find it hot.”

With a scarlet-red face, Butterscotch got up. “I’m going to go over there…” he said awkwardly as he carefully walked out of sight behind a stack of crates.

Dusk craned his neck from underneath Applejack’s sister. “Spines? What are you doing here?”

“Um…” She folded her arms behind her back and smiled sheepishly. “Nothing…”

“Come to think of it,” the Prince of Friendship crawled out from underneath Macareina until he was free, “what are you guys doing here?”

Berry’s veins could almost be seen from how much he was tensing up. “We were… playing poker in the rafters!”

“Poker? In the rafters?” Applejack asked.

“Well, ya know… the air is so nice up here, and the timber…” Berry trailed off.

“Right… the timber.” Dusk began until Solaris stepped forward with a grin.

“You guys wanna join in?” Solaris asked jubilantly.

In the span of a couple of seconds, Butterscotch shuffled the box along to a nearby window and flew off so quickly that it could be considered borderline transportation. Bubble Berry hit the deck, out like a lightbulb. Without Butterscotch to hold her back, Spines stepped out from behind the box and started to walk to the edge of the rafters before being scooped up by Blitz with a cry of ‘NOPE!’ as he dashed off as quickly as his yellow comrade.

The room was filled with cheers and hoof bumps by the four stallions and mare. The stallions wrapped Berry in a blanket and placed him in the spare bedroom in the Apple’s farmhouse. Macarena promised to look after him until he came to. But for the time being, the group had a double date to finish.

_*_

“I must commend your sister,” Solaris told Applejack. “The fact that she was able to think that quickly on her hooves is very impressive. Perhaps I could pull some strings to get her into the theater?”

The farmer snorted. “Nah, Sir, she’s got plenty of things ta worry about than bein’ on stage actin’.” Applejack leaned in close. “An’ between you an’ me, she’s terrible as soon as a stage is involved.” Applejack gave him a smirk.

By now, the group had settled by the creek where Applejack had promised to show them. Stars hung over their heads like flickering candles above the calm water at their hooves. The moon was the only source of light as it cast a cool glow over the clearing. Dusk leaned against the Sun Prince who had a wing over him, while Elusive wrapped a foreleg around Applejack.

“Still,” Elusive said, “I’m rather surprised at how well that actually worked.”

Solaris chuckled. “You’d be amazed at how fast a pony is able to dart out of a room when it looks like things are about to get… personal. Still, you two were great!”

“There is one thing that I do want to ask.” Dusk began, getting their attention. “Are you two actually in love, or was that part of that hair brain Berry’s scheme?”

A strange look came over Elusive, a blend of awkwardness, nervousness, and a large blush. Applejack’s face looked about the same.

“I… well, it started like that. This big lug had an enormous crush on me, though. After a while, he sort of grew on me as well.” Elusive wrapped a hoof around Applejack and gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing Applejack to blush harder. “I don’t know, I guess we will see where we go. Besides, he is a sweetheart.” Elusive winked.

Dusk decided to melt silently at the scene, yet his date wasn’t as discrete. “Pardon my Equestrian, but you two… are bucking… adorable… This is only partly for my personal amusement, but, by royal decree, I order the both of you to kiss each other on the lips before this date ends.”

Exceeding everypony’s expectations, Applejack quickly leaned in and kissed Elusive on the lips. They didn’t part. Dusk looked at Solaris with a concerned expression while the Prince looked on with a stupid grin on his face. Solaris looked back at Dusk and pulled him close, wrapping a hoof around him.

“Ahh, love,” Solaris sighed. “Such a beautiful emotion, and one I hope our friends won’t soon try to tamper with again.”

Dusk chuckled. “After what we did, I doubt that they would try anything like that again.”

“I don’t know…” the white alicorn mused. “Your number one assistant seemed interested.”

Dusk playfully punch the other prince. “Solaris!”

“Oh, tell me I’m wrong,” he teased.

The sound of Applejack clearing his throat caught their attention. “Say, since you two are here, could Ah ask the both of ya somethin’ personal? Ah was hopin’ that maybe you could settle somethin’ once and for all.”

“Oh?” Solaris asked, tilting his head. “And what would that be?”

“Ah know it’s only been a couple months since you two became an item an’ all…” the farmer started. “But, until tonight, Ah wasn’t exactly sure given what Ah’ve heard so… Did, uh… Have you two… you know… done it?”

Dusk Shine was mortified as his coltfriend laughed. “If you mean that we’ve cuddled, then yes, we’re doing it right now. But if you’re talking about more intimate things, then I’m afraid that I have to disappoint you.” He looked down at his lilac coltfriend who had a thick blush over his face. “Uh, Dusk? Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” he nodded, rubbing a hoof over his foreleg. “Sol, would… n-nevermind.”

The Solar Prince paused as he read his consort’s body language. “Dusk Shine?” He craned his neck down. “You have been thinking about this… haven’t you?”

“I-I, uh…”

“Oh, I get it,” Elusive chuckled. “You don’t really know how to ask it, do you?”

“Well… yeah…” Dusk admitted, nearly impersonating Butterscotch’s shyness. “Just… not with you guys around.”

“My Dearest Dusk,” Solaris nuzzled him. “You know that I won’t force you. I can wait as long as you need to be ready. I’ll wait forever if you want me to. Otherwise, if you’re down, as they say, we have a barn for doing it.”

The smaller Prince put his hoof around his coltfriend. “Solaris! M-maybe… Can we?”

“You see?” Elusive smirked. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

Applejack glared daggers at him. “In MAH barn?” Applejack cried. “Y’all can use the storage shed and then SLEEP in the barn on trundles, but y’all ain’t messin’ up my barn with that kind of activity!”

Solaris rolled his eyes. “You’re no fun.”

Elusive was next to be involved. “So, Solaris, being over a century old--”

“Please don’t remind me,” Solaris interrupted, rolling his eyes. “Sorry, go on.” He rested his cheek in his hoof in annoyance.

“How many ponies have you slept with in that time?” Elusive finished. Dusk began to blush again, however, Solaris almost expected the question.

“Well, if we’re being honest regarding my total of… sexual partners… I think I lost count after fifty.”

Everypony’s eyes bulged. “Woah! You were certainly busy, weren’t you?” Elusive exclaimed.

“Excuse me, mister average life span! Fifteen hundred years is a long damn time! And that was before I came out, mind you.”

Applejack gave a low whistle. “Point taken.”

“Y-You know, Solaris,” Dusk spoke up. “M-Maybe after this date is over, there’s always my castle…”

“Do you want to end our date already?” his coltfriend asked.

He looked over to his friends. “Perhaps just a little longer. I don’t think we’re finished with our date yet.”

The tall alicorn hummed. “Fair enough. But, to answer your earlier question,” Solaris winked, “I suppose that I can stay the night. And probably teach you a few things.” Dusk blushed so much that his head turned into a red lantern. He then added with a chuckle, “After all, you don’t get fifty plus satisfied ‘customers’ by just looking at them.”

“Okay, date’s over!” Dusk shouted awkwardly, grabbing Solaris’s hoof and leading him away. “Goodnight guys, I’ll take this thing home now,” Dusk shouted to the other couple before turning back to his date. “This is the last time I let you drink the sugary wine,” he huffed.

Applejack and Elusive blinked, then looked at one another. “So… AJ… what do you want to do now?”

“W-Well, we could walk a bit more… or talk. We could make a fire and have a couple of drinks.” Applejack replied hopefully.

Elusive thought for a moment. “Hmmm, one night we should have a fire in one of these fields to drink and have fun. But for tonight, there is a free barn with nopony in it. Let’s fill it with a hunky stallion and his date.” Elusive fluttered his eyes and brushed against Applejack.

“T-th-that’s good, too… Uh, AH guess.” Applejack stuttered, barely keeping his composure. “Jus’ remember, this is mah first--”

“Come on, lover colt,” Elusive interrupted, leading Applejack away from the creek back to the barn with a wink.

Applejack didn’t hesitate to follow.

Comments

[Zyrian]

Oh yes