//------------------------------//
// The Other Side 
// Story: The Many Lives of a Dead Moth 
// by BCS 
//------------------------------//

"So let me get this straight. You kissed her?"

"Yes."

Trixie just let that hang in the air, and he felt like she was judging him. Hard.

"Alright. Not your smartest decision. And you said that she was going to visit Sunburst, but without telling me?"

"That's right."

Trixie fumed briefly, then looked resigned.

"I thought you would be madder."

"No, I know her pretty well. I kind of expected something like this to happen, it was just a matter of when, not if."

He sighed at the same time as Trixie.

"So what do we do now?"

She just tapped her hoof on the table looking bored. "Nothing. We do nothing."

Cryptic was really surprised. "Nothing at all?"

"Nope. Whatever I do, I'll be wrong for doing it or interfering. She's like a bird... if you love it, you let it fly. I've been through this many, many times over the years. The Great and Powerful Trixie has the art of not giving a shit anymore down to a fine science."

He blinked at this revelation. "Geez, just how long have you two been together?"

"Long enough."

"No, really."

"Mmm, I'd say about eight years now. Some time has definitely passed. Let's just say I know every curve and inch of her body and how she reacts like the back of my hoof."

Cryptic blushed bright red. "That's very... very specific. Very."

It was like he was a robot that could only repeat the word 'very' to explain it.

Trixie smiled mischievously at him, her lavender eyes twinkling. "Is it now?"

He looked at her coyly. "Are you hitting on me, Miss Trixie Lulamoon?"

"Well, it's not fair that you kissed my girlfriend and I don't get to sample the goods too. Plus, she did just run off to go throw herself wantonly at an old flame. You have to admit that in this situation, getting even is a good way to get petty revenge."

"Ma'am, you don't need to justify yourself to me."

Despite his brave words, he felt enormously nervous. He had butterflies in his stomach, and his whole gut was clenched like a fist. Sweat beaded on his forehead, the hairs stood up on the back of his neck, and another bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.

Trixie stared at him. "You okay? For a moment there, it looked like you wanted it but now you kind of look like you're going  to puke."

"That's because I am."

Cryptic rushed out of the wagon to crouch down with his ass in the air and his head to the grass and basically vomited up the watery red dredges of the tea from earlier. How fitting.

He came back in, wiping his mouth with his hoof. "I think it was that horrible hibiscus tea Starlight Glimmer ordered me."

"Nah, just nerves. Perfectly normal." Trixie shrugged one blue shoulder and then took off her cape saucily, dropping it to the ground with a flaunting swoop. "Oops! Clumsy me."

"Well, you're not going to want to kiss me now."

"You don't know my fetishes very well then," Trixie said dryly. Cryptic's eyebrows went up to his hairline in surprise.

"... Kinky."

Trixie smirked, her dimples showing. "I've got something better than that yucky hibiscus tea. She has the worst taste, doesn't she? I've got a vintage sweet red that will turn your purple hair red in joy."

"I don't think wine does that."

Her horn lit up a pinkish purple as she levitated the bottle out of a chest, uncorked it, got two wine glasses, and filled them. She hovered one in front of him. Cryptic reached out to take it gingerly. 

It did look tasty. And he could use something to get the taste of bile out of his mouth... He poured the wine down his throat while barely tasting it.

"Looks like you were a bit of a lush in your past life," Trixie observed. "I wanted you to savor that."

"I'm planning on savoring something else."

"Oh?"

"Those delicious lips."

Trixie blushed delicately. As Cryptic advanced on her, her cheeks turned even redder. "W-what would Starlight think...?"

"She'd probably say, 'Go for it, Cryptic!'"

Cryptic kissed her and his heart exploded in joy. She had her face tilted up chastely. They did not make out. He just met his nuzzle to hers, one press of the lips, a nuzzle, and it was done. He watched her face the whole time.

Trixie's eyes flipped open in indignation. "That's it?"

"That's all you get. For now."

"Oh~"

He blew on her lips softly,  teasingly. Trixie gave a big pout, still blushing. She attacked him, clinging to him and kissing aggressively. Cryptic pushed her away.

"Patience, dollface. Everything comes in time."

"Dollface?" Trixie looked offended.

"Moppet?"

"No."

"Sugar?"

"Sure," she said. 

"Fine, you need to wait your turn, sugar."

Trixie batted her eyelashes, pursed her lips, leaned forward, closed her eyes, and waited. She made a humming noise of impatience and wiggled back and forth.

Cryptic touched her lips with his hoof.

"Oh, come on!" she exploded.

"That is the opposite of patience. That is brattiness."

Her face change dramatically. "You're calling me a brat? You're the brat."

Cryptic took a step back. He looked up her up and down with a quick flick of his eyes.

"This isn't really going as I'd planned..."

"Then stop teasing me, and really kiss me!"

"No, I don't think that I will."

Cryptic opened the door of her stagecoach and stepped outside to get some fresh air. Trixie stared at him through the curtains of her little window, then shut the curtains angrily. He inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled again through his mouth. Breathe in the flowers, blow out the candles. Where did that saying come from?

He could almost hear the voice telling him that, but couldn't bring the face to his mind. It deeply troubled him.

Maybe it would be better if he found some new friends for a while. Ones with less... complicated issues.

Cryptic went for a walk.