"...and then Twilight said she was impressed with Trixie's improvements in magic!"
"Yeah, Ah ain't forgotten, sugarcube."
"And Rarity said she'd repair Trixie's hat and cape!"
"Yup, that she did."
"And Fluttershy said that she knows where Trixie can get a rabbit for her show!"
"You do remember that Ah was there, right?"
Trixie had been nattering happily all the way back to Sweet Apple Acres and continued to do so as the two ate supper together, her tail swishing merrily side to side and her cheeks stuffed to bursting with apple crumble.
"Uh... Trixie can Ah ask you something?" said AJ, pushing her food around her plate. She had yet to take even one bite.
The two had been out till late. Big Mac, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith had already eaten and set off to bed so Trixie and Applejack were finally alone together. A single candle sat in between them on the table, casting long shadows onto the dining room floor.
"Mhmhmph-" mumbled Trixie through a mouthful of food and nodded.
AJ took a deep breath, "Why are ya still wearing that darn moustache?"
Trixie swallowed hard. After downing her food she uncomfortably fidgeted on her stool.
"Trixie likes the moustache. It gives her a certain je ne se quoi."
Applejack's Trixie-Translator whirred and spat out its estimation of an honest response.
"Ya can't get it off, can ya?" giggled AJ, "Ah was wonderin' why you and Pinkie were wearin' them for the whole afternoon."
"It's glued to Trixie's face!" wailed the blue unicorn, "Your pink friend is like twenty different kinds of crazy!"
Applejack couldn't help but laugh. She'd been lost in a turmoil of emotions for the whole afternoon. Mulling over what she'd been told, what she planned to do, what she would say once the two of them were alone. She'd even had to scold herself for feeling jealous. As much as she had wanted Trixie to get some new friends and to make amends she had also taking pleasure in keeping the magician to herself.
"Wipe the crumbs of yer face and come here. We'll see what we can do. Have ya tried pullin' it off with magic?"
Trixie reluctantly put down her spoon and hopped off the stool.
"Using magic requires concentration and when Trixie pulls at the moustache it hurts and then she can't concentrate anymore," said Trixie, offering her face to Applejack.
AJ reached out and touched Trixie's cheek without thinking. The moment she did however her heart nearly leapt right out of her mouth. She felt herself draw a sharp breath.
Dang it all! Get a hold of yerself, gal! She's wearin' a goofy moustache for goodness sake! What're you gettin' all hot in the head fer?
Getting a grip on the thing with her hooves was proving difficult. As she scraped at it her hoof touched Trixie's lip. Applejack barely suppressed a squeak.
"Applejack are you okay? Your face is really red." said Trixie, her violet eyes locked with AJ's.
"Uh... well... it seems awful hot in here all of a sudden."
The farmhouse groaned and creaked suddenly as the frozen winter wind buffeted it from the outside. Applejack laughed nervously. Their faces were extremely close now. Her heart was pounding achingly hard in her chest. She felt Trixie's breath tickling her nose.
"M-m-m-muh-muh-maybe if Ah used mah teeth ah could... Ah could get a better grip on it..." Applejack's voice trembled. Her hooves were shaking.
"Sure! Give it a try," said Trixie, innocently. She leaned closer still.
Applejack felt like she was about to explode. Her face was hot. Her ears were burning. A lump had formed in her throat that wouldn't go away no matter how many times she gulped. She squeezed her eyes shut in a desperate effort to calm herself. It didn't work. She leaned in as well. Her lips touched Trixie cheek a mere inch from her lips. Applejack felt like she'd just kissed a lightning bolt. A jolt ran through her body.
You ain't kissin' her, dagnabbit. Yer tryin' to get that darn thing off. Now jus' grip it with yer teeth. Jus'... do it... before it gets too awkward.
"Applejack? Tell Trixie when you're going to pull on it. This is probably going to hurt."
Her voice sent vibrations through her cheek and into AJ. She still smelt of pine needles despite having just helped herself to two servings of Apple Family baked goods. It must just be her natural scent. Applejack took in a deep breath of it. As it rushed into her nostrils she felt herself growing dizzy. Drunk on Trixie.
"Applejack?"
AJ lurched violently back into reality. She jerked away at last.
"Uh... now that Ah think about it, we should prob'ly jus' soak it in some warm water so it don't hurt too bad when we take it off. How 'bout ya take a nice warm bath first and then we'll see about takin' it off."
Trixie smiled with relief and took a few steps back.
"Maybe that would work better. Although the Great and Powerful Trixie could certainly handle the pain that doesn't mean she wants to. Will you be joining Trixie in the tub?"
Applejack gasped and accidentally swallowed some of her own saliva. She coughed hard and stared at Trixie through watering eyes.
"Whut?" she asked hoarsely.
"Your bathtub is like three times the size of the one in Trixie's caravan. There's easily room for two," she grinned unabashedly.
Yes. Say yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yesyesyesyesyes!
"No... uh... you go first and Ah'll bath afterwards," that reply had taken a legendarily large amount of restraint.
"But the water might get cold..." Trixie pouted.
"That's jus' fine. Ah could use a cold bath right now," she wasn't lying. If things got any hotter she might literally burst into flame.
Trixie turned and began climbing the stairs to the second story bathroom when suddenly she paused. For the first time that evening she started to look legitimately embarrassed. She glanced over her shoulder as she spoke.
"Not that Trixie particularly minds either way but you did say that we could share a bed. You were the one that said it not Trixie so..." she seemed to be measuring how much she needed to obscure her own desires and needs, "Trixie simply wouldn't want to disappoint you after you asked her. She's not worried about bad dreams or anything like that."
"Yeah, no problem."
Trixie turned and trotted off but AJ could tell she was smiling. Her tail wagging and her ears pricked up.
This is gonna be tough. This is gonna be really tough.
Applejack pressed her face against the cool of the dinner table.
Maybe Ah could jus'... ask... No! No, dang it! Rarity doesn't know what the heck she's talkin' about. Ah jus' gotta regain control of mahself. It ain't love, it's jus' a dumb crush. And Ah ain't gonna let some stupid crush put an end to this friendship jus' as its startin'. But maybe... maybe a little bit of a cuddle would help me get these thoughts out of mah head... maybe...