//------------------------------// // A Place for Shelter // Story: A Place Called Home // by Mr Legoman //------------------------------// Macintosh Apple, Big Mac, or some variant thereof to his friends and family, a tall, well-muscled young adult just out of his teens, jogged down a stretch of dirt road, a green-haired teen, much shorter than him, ran behind him, panting. They were attempting to reach the town they had just left, an hour ago, but as evening gave way to night and storm clouds gathering overhead. It seemed almost unlikely that they would reach their destination before the storm hit. Despite carrying more things than Spike, Big Mac continued down the road, unwinded. In one hand he led his family’s horse by her reins and the other he held a firm grip on multiple bags and sacks that they had brought with them on their business trip. Spike only had one bag, the lighter of any of them, however, his heavy breathing and slowing pace were not a result of his shorter stature or the weight he carried. No, Spike’s main problem at least in Big Mac’s estimation was that the young teen continued to complain. “We should have just stayed at that inn,” Spike complained as he huffed. “We would have a nice dinner, good beds, and wouldn’t be about to be rained on,” the young man continued. Big Mac just gave a nod for a reply, no need for anything else. Spike took a moment to stop complaining to finish catching his breath. And from how hard the teen was breathing Big Mac guessed he would need it. They hadn’t been running far but since Spike complained throughout the run, he was much more winded than Big Mac. Big Mac didn’t say this to his young friend however, his pride was already damaged enough. It was after all, partially his fault that they had crashed. Big Mac came to a stop letting his friend catch his breath. Seeing a group of trees nearby, Big Mac went to lean against one as Spike followed. As Big Mac leaned against the tree, he pet his family’s horse Bella and made sure she had no lasting injuries from the small crash. He thought briefly of the accident that happened down the road a ways. It had been a routine delivery for the most part. They had left the farm in the mourning, packed light just food and emergency blankets and the like. They arrived at the small town of Carropolis, a nice place aside from the carrots. Spike had been quite helpful with everything so far. The trouble began when they were returning, Spike had wanted to take the reigns for a while and Big Mac had let him. Then a few minutes down the road, Spike got too laxed and wasn’t paying attention. Bella got spooked and Spike didn’t have the reaction time nor the skill to get her under control. And before Big Mac could calm Bella down or grab the reigns, she went a bit crazy and the family’s delivery cart got damaged as a result. All in all the cart lost a wheel and parts of it were damaged, but it wasn’t so bad. Bella, Spike, and himself weren’t injured just shaken up a bit. There was also the added benefit that they had already made their delivery so there was no damage to any goods they sold. Big Mac, of course, didn’t blame Spike for anything. He had tried his best to calm Bella down and try to steer the cart once Bella got spooked. It had been a simple accident and they both knew that. Big Mac told him that in fact, not verbally of course but he had said it in his gestures which Big Mac knew Spike could read. So Big Mac had been fairly silent on their run back to the village while Spike complained enough for the both of them. Spike took several deep breaths and stood up straight again. “Ready?” He asked. Big Mac raised an eyebrow asking a wordless question. “Are you?” “Of course,” Spike said then paused and sighed. “Just give me another minute.” Big Mac nodded and continued his petting and examination of Bella. As he finished his examination and made sure Bella was uninjured for the third time, Big Mac looked into the trees they stood beside to better assess his surroundings. They were simply common oaks, good strong ones he noted. Then he noticed something between the trees, it almost looked like a building. He squinted and tried to make out whatever he was seeing clearly but the trees and the growing darkness made it difficult. Big Mac paused and placed a hand on Spike’s shoulder. He pointed into the trees in the direction of the possible house. “What is it? Hey is that a house?” Spike asked as he squinted. Big Mac simply shrugged. Spike seemed to become more upbeat and his smile returned “Well, let’s go check it out.” Spike stated but paused as Big Mac held a firm grip on his shoulder. “Carefully,” Spike amended and Big Mac released his grip and the two carefully walked into the thicket of trees. It wasn’t too dense so they navigated easily and soon stood in the center of the grove of trees staring at an odd building. In front of them was a small building that seemed out of place in the grove. It looked to be made of several materials one side stone the other part wood. And it looked old as well, not exactly decrepit but it looked older than a normal house. Well since when where normal houses built off to the side of the road in a grove of trees Big Mac thought to himself as he and Spike stopped in front of the cottage or it could be considered a shack Big Mac realized. From what he could see, the roof was also a mix of parts, partly thatched while another section looked almost like tin. And he could definitely see a chimney although that too looked odd. “Hey, look at that,” Spike said pointing toward a smaller structure a bit away from the cabin. “I think that’s a stable.” Big Mac squinted then nodded. He would have to get closer but it did indeed look like a stable. “Eeyup,” he said as he looked at it further. It would be a small stable but it would be enough for Bella for a night. They were about to approach the small cottage but Big Mac paused as he looked about the area. The area around the cottage looked a mess. The ground looked to be torn up to the side of the building while there seemed to be a random pile of junk on the other side of the cottage. Spike began walking but nearly tripped on something on the ground. “Careful,” Big Mac reminded him as he grabbed the teen before he could fall. Spike got his balance and looked at the ground more carefully. “Be careful Big Mac, there’s rocks placed here for some reason.” Give me a second,” Spike held out his hand and a small green fire appeared in his palm. He held it aloft and it grew a bit brighter illuminating the ground. Rocks were placed leading toward the cabin in odd places. “That’s weird,” Spike said. Big Mac gave a nod in reply as he looked over the rest of the illuminated area. He couldn’t fully make out the pile of junk but thanks to Spike’s light he could see other junk piles near them. “Hey, anyone home!” Spike yelled. No response. He then turned to Big Mac with some skepticism in his look and voice.“Uh, you sure about this?” Spike asked as they took better stock of their surroundings. “This place seems…” “Odd,” Big Mac supplied. “And creepy,” Spike added. The young teen took an involuntary step toward Big Mac before shaking himself. He placed a hand to his side where a short dagger was strapped, a gift Spike had explained from his older brother Shining Armour, and gaining some comfort, stood a bit taller. “I think we should at least see if someone’s home.” Big Mac answered. “Or see if we can at least sleep here for a night.” Then looking more at Spike, Big Mac continued. “I can go ahead if you want me to.” “I’ll go first,” Spike said and walked toward the cabin, avoiding the rocks the best he could. Big Mac followed after, guiding Bella so she wouldn’t hurt herself or walk wrong on the weird rocks. As they walked closer Big Mac noticed how old and abandoned the cabin looked. It was small, maybe one or two rooms. It seemed well built but suffered from age. Even at the slow pace, Spike had them at, they reached the front door in mere seconds. They paused at the door looking at one another. “So uh, now what?” Spike asked. Big Mac answered by knocking on the wooden door. Three solid knocks. Then silence. He looked at Spike who just shrugged. “Anyone home?!” Spike yelled again. Then he tried knocking as well getting the same response of silence. “I guess its empty,” Spike stated. That made sense but something felt off. This place felt lived in for some reason. He knocked once more and this time the door creakily opened. As it slowly creaked open, both Big Mac and Spike took a few steps back from the door. No monster or serial killer emerged from the doorway and the two relaxed. Big Mac was the first to take a step forward, he pushed the door a bit more until it was fully open. The room beyond was bathed in darkness, even squinting Big Mac had trouble piercing the shadows around the place. Spike hurried up, his small flame still in his hand. “Are you sure about this Big Mac?” Spike asked as he peered in, his small flame illuminating bits of the room. “This is like the beginning of a horror story,” Spike stated. Big Mac hated to admit it but his friend was right creepy cabin isolated from any nearby help, and bad weather incoming all they needed were extra friends and the story would start. Big Mac shook himself and tried to look more confident for his friend. “It’ll be okay,” Big Mac said his voice a little shaky. “I’ll look around.” He tried to hand the reigns over to Spike but Spike refused to take them. “I’ll look around,” Spike said. “I mean I do have a light.” He gestured to the flame in his hand and Big Mac nodded and stepped aside for Spike. The flame wielding teen took a bit of a hesitant step forward peeking into the room. One hand held his flame for a makeshift light and the other was firmly held on his dagger. As he breathed in and out, the small fire grew in his palm and turned into a small ball of fire. Carefully Spike’s fireball floated into the room illuminating it and pushing the shadows back. Spike stepped further in and created more of his fireballs, creating five in total. He then moved them each to a separate corner of the room while the fifth floated in the center. “Looks safe,” he stated slowly as he walked about. The room was rather large, looked like a living room combined with a den and a part of a kitchen, Big Mac noted. There was a corridor off to the right but Spike didn’t move toward it. The room was sparsely decorated, the only furniture he noted was a straw mattress by what looked like a fireplace. “Looks safe enough for the night,” Spike said as he continued his inspection. “I can investigate while you go check out the stables. “You sure?” Big Mac verbally asked. Spike nodded actually looking a bit more confident. “Yea, I look here then go check that corridor in a bit.” He gestured toward a hallway that Big Mac could barely see from his position in the doorway. Big Mac nodded after giving the room another once over for danger. “Yell if you need anything,” Big Mac stated as he moved away from the front door. He made his way toward the smaller building, his progress slowed slightly by not having Spike’s fire to illuminate a way through the mess. A handy trick that fire, Big Mac thought to himself. He very well needed something that useful on the farm or when he was out on the road without a source of heat. As Big Mac marveled at his young friend’s talent, he reached the small stable. Like the cottage, it was small and looked almost too old to be functioning. Big Mac ran his hand along the walls and although he was by no means an expert carpenter or anything of the sort, he felt strength from the walls of the stable, and as he entered he saw that there was room enough for Bella and only one other stall was available. He pet Bella again, relaxing her as he led her to a stable. “Alright, girl just stay here for a night.” She whinnied and stamped her feet as if in protest. “I know, I know.” Big Mac said trying to calm her down. “I’ll get you as many sugar cubes as you want when we get back. Promise.” Another huff. “And the good hay.” A satisfied whinny? Bella didn’t protest further and so Big Mac did his best to settle her in the stall for the night. As he worked he was surprised by how well kept these stables were maintained. Another indication of someone living here at least recently. When he was done, he pet Bella again, promising her she would be safe. He didn’t have Fluttershy’s gift with all animals but Big Mac prided himself at least to be able to communicate with his farm animals. He wished Bella another goodnight and walked outside. The clouds had gathered completely, combined with night having completely fallen, it was almost too dark to see. He had to carefully move back toward the cottage. Even taking it slow and watching the ground, Big Mac tripped a few times as he maneuvered through the junk covered yard. Even if we had Spike’s light, we would have trouble going back to town, Big Mac realized. Guess sleeping here would be the best bet for tonight. It hopefully wouldn’t be that bad Big Mac thought as he walked inside the cottage. Spike was sitting by the fireplace, trying to get the thing to light. As Big Mac walked in, Spike turned from his work. “Well, I don’t think this place is haunted,” Spike stated with a small smile. “Well that’s good,” Big Mac said loosening up a bit. He came into the room further looking around. Spike had detracted his flames and now there were only two. One in the center of the room towards them and the other in the small fireplace. It still cast plenty of shadows but it was enough to remove the creepy vibe of the place. The cottage was looking more and more like a shack as he walked around the single room. There was only a hallway off to the right of the entrance that ended with a door with some weird patterns on it. “What’s down there?” Big Mac asked gesturing down that hallway. “A door,” Spike answered with a snicker. Big Mac just sighed and rolled his eyes. “Sorry,” Spike said with a small chuckle. “It’s locked and I never got around to reading that lock picking book. Oh, it also has some wards on it.” Big Mac quirked an eyebrow. “Wards? That’s magic ain’t it.” “Yup,” Spike answered. “Although they are rather weaker wards. Twilight could do much better.” Big Mac was about to ask more but then the rain began, not the tiny sprinkle they had been hoping for but a downpour. Both Spike and Big Mac jumped as the rain fell outside without warning. They shared a look and laugh at how jumpy they both were. Big Mac looked up inspecting the roof, hoping that there wouldn’t be too many leaks. “Man that came out of nowhere,” Spike commented. Big Mac gave a nod as he continued with his inspection. The roof despite looking aged and almost cracked should hold up for the night at least. It was weird though, the cabin didn’t look like it should be able to support anything. Much like the stable they had put Bella in, it somehow stood despite looking as if it could keel over any minute. Big Mac’s musings were cut off when the front door opened with a mild slam, once again causing both Big Mac and Spike to jump and look up at the sound. Oddly the fire sprung to life as the figure, their head down and obscured by their cloak, walked further in and threw a bag down to the right of the door. The newcomer then waved their hand around themself and a light blue aura surrounded them and in the next second the water came off the person, forming into a small bubble encased in that same light blue aura. The cloaked person then flung the bubble of water outside, closing the door once it left. Big Mac just looked at Spike, who simply looked back at him. They were both too startled to say anything and get the new person’s attention. As the person still had their back to Big Mac, he tried making a noise to get their attention, with little success. Apparently whoever it was wasn’t very observant, as they turned around, grabbed their bag, and were still complaining, all without paying attention to either Big Mac, Spike, or the raging fire in the fireplace. “Blasted weather!” The newcomer complained. “I pay for the forecast and they still lie to me. Why do I pay-“ The newcomer, a woman judging from the voice, paused and took several steps back. “Who are you, people!?” She shrieked. That voice sounded familiar, Big Mac realized. He tried to get a better look at the woman but she stayed in the shadows of the room. Big Mac tried looking friendly and non-threatening and tried to speak but the woman spoke before he could even think up something to say. “Trixie orders you to leave her and her cottage in peace before she throws you out!” The woman shouted and as if to emphasize her threat, the woman’s hands started to glow with a light blue aura. Trixie that name tickled something in the back of his mind. Why? Spike provided the answer before Big Mac could reach it himself. “Trixie?” Spike questioned. “That weird magician?” Oh, that would be it then. That young pretty and loud magician that had come to town and had run away twice. The first it was debatable if she deserved her fate, the second well… Then the full realization hit Big Mac on what this could mean, as the tension in the room instantly skyrocketed. There was a brief and awkward pause in which the rain was the only sound as the three just stared at one another. Big Mac had some small hope that things would pass without incident however just like the pocket of silence, it was gone in an instant. There was a curse from both Trixie and Spike and the two flew into action, leaving Big Mac to stand there in confusion. Spike drew that dagger from its metal sheath while also reaching for the flames in the fireplace to shape a fireball. Trixie on the other hand had retreated to the nearest corner and had a small light blue shield raised. Trixie’s light blue aura grew in intensity and with it, the house started to shake. However, both the shaking and Trixie’s bright aura stopped only a few seconds after they started, leaving the magician only the pitiful light blue shield in front of her. “What are you doing here Trixie?” Spike questioned as he tried to stand up a bit taller, which didn’t look very impressive. “Come to take your revenge on Twilight by attacking her number one assistant?” “This is Trixie’s cottage, child you and your friend are trespassing,” Trixie stated. She also stood up taller but her voice changed into a booming fearsome roar that made even Big Mac shake a little. “Leave!” She snapped. He would gladly leave if it weren’t for the rain and seeing as nature itself seemed to be preventing their leaving that meant they needed to share this cabin, somehow or at the very least the stables. Big Mac looked to Spike, hoping he would at least be able to explain the situation, but the young teen still had his eyes locked on Trixie. He looked to Trixie and found a similar action in her. He sighed. Both of them were trembling yet still wanted to fight for some reason. Big Mac looked between the two of them he was the only one who saw any danger in fighting in this rundown cabin. It seemed it was up to him to deescalate things, unfortunately. Big Mac looked to Trixie and tried to look as innocent as possible and forced what he hoped was a friendly smile that just made her glare at him as well. Well, that didn’t work, Big Mac noted to himself. He was thinking up a million different ways to try and calm everyone down when Spike took a hesitant step toward Trixie who likewise raised her hands something forming in her aura. Before anything else could happen, Big Mac simply raised his hands and stepped between the two. He hoped his now toned down smile and posture would put Trixie at ease. “Big Mac,” Spike complained. “What are you doing?” Big Mac didn’t verbally answer instead simply gestured for both of them to relax and for Spike to put his dagger away. Spike did so with great reluctance, sheathing his dagger and lowering, not diminishing his fireball. Big Mac then turned to Trixie who hadn’t relaxed at all. “Miss Trixie,” Big Mac began slowly, he hated talking but considering the situation, he would just have to accept it. “What!” The ex-stage magician demanded. “Has Twilight sent you here to kill me! Or is this an unsanctioned attack.” “Neither!” Spike shouted back. “Twilight doesn’t even care about you. Heck no one probably cares-“ Big Mac gestured for Spike to stop and thankfully he did. This situation didn’t need more fuel to be added to the fire. “We mean you no harm,” Big Mac stated plainly. “We just want some shelter for the night.” Trixie paused then looked at them closely. “Why here?” “Unfortunately, this is the only place we came across,” Spike said crossing his arms. Big Mac nodded thankful Spike could at least be somewhat helpful in this conversation. Trixie seemed to genuinely be considering it, which was some relief. Her shield had not dropped, and her aura stayed the same but she did seem to be considering letting them stay. She looked between them considering something. “So, can we stay for the night?” Big Mac asked hopefully. “You’ll get no trouble out of us. You have my word as a gentleman we don’t mean ya any harm.” There was another pregnant pause then thankfully, Trixie nodded. “Alright,” Trixie said a small smile growing on her lips. “You can stay the night if you can pay for it.” “What?” Spike shouted. “You two can stay. But Trixie demands compensation for her trouble.” “Her trouble?” Spike protested but Big Mac signaled him to stop. He was expecting something along those lines, could be worse. “That’s alright, we have some money to spare.” Big Mac stated plainly. Big Mac paused before reaching for where the money pouch was. “How much?” he asked calmly. He was prepared to haggle but was spared that fate as Trixie gave out a reasonable price. “Six copper bits,” Trixie stated. Big Mac agreed and pulled out six copper coins and he carefully tossed them to her. She caught them in her magic and stored them in her pouch. With that settled, Big Mac breathed a sigh of relief, they at least had a decent roof to sleep under, for now. He then felt Spike pulling at his pant’s leg, motioning for him to bend down to talk. He did so squatting down to eye level for his friend who quickly began to talk in a slightly too loud whisper. “Are you crazy?” Spike demanded, looking Big Mac in the eyes. “This is Trixie we’re talking about. Trixie! That girl who took over the town! Remember? Are you sure this is a good idea?” “Eeyup,” was his simple answer. From Big Mac’s memory, he knew that Trixie wasn’t that powerful of a magic-user. That power she wielded came from that amulet she held at the time. Now that she had lost it, there wasn’t any danger of her mind-controlling them or harming them in any real way. That was Big Mac’s hope at least. She also hadn’t attacked them yet, she had simply created a shield to defend herself, not proof of anything really, but Big Mac hoped that it meant she wouldn’t attack them. Besides, he felt that he could trust her. He glanced back over at the young woman who still watched them suspiciously. She didn’t seem to be that threatening or very dangerous. Although it sounded weird to admit, he trusted her. He just hoped that it was his head doing the thinking and not his heart. As he stood back up, he looked meaningfully at Spike’s fireball and then back at Spike who just sighed and the fireball poofed into nothing. “If you’re wrong and she tries something just know I was right,” Spike whispered getting a smile from Big Mac. Trixie carefully observed them as she approached enabling Big Mac to get a better look at her. Trixie’s eyes seemed to be a bit more calculating while she seemed to be slouching slightly, although she tried to straighten up when he looked at her. Her long silvery hair looked a bit unkempt, not as elegant as how she first appeared and it seemed to shine less than before. Still, she tried to look dignified as she approached. Big Mac had to look down at her to meet her eyes and he tried to look friendly as she stood before him. He nodded to her and did his best to make introductions. “I’m Macintosh and this is Spike, uhh we have a horse in your stables.” Trixie simply gave a nod in reply. “You can have the left side of this room,” Trixie noted. “Just leave Trixie’s mattress and pillow alone.” Big Mac gave a nod then Trixie turned and headed down the hallway. “Trixie will be in her room, it is warded so don’t try anything foolish.” She called after herself. Big Mac just gave a nod, that she couldn’t see, and heard the door slam a second later. Big Mac looked and noticed the small wards on the door, that Spike had mentioned, were glowing and moving. Spike glanced down the hallway as well and shook his head. “Twilight could break down those wards if she wanted.” Not really having a reply to that, Big Mac decided to move on. “Well let’s get set up I suppose.” Big Macintosh noted as he looked away from the tiny wards dancing across the door. Spike grumbled something under his breath but did start to pull out the three blankets they carried. “Man, I wish we thought to bring pillows.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed readily. They had only brought three emergency blankets with them today which was better than the zero that Big Mac normally brought with him. They were at least fairly sized so they could use one as a cover for the both of them while the other two could work as makeshift pillows. Big Mac explained this idea to Spike who agreed with the idea with no fuss or complaining. It didn’t take long to set up there sleeping space which wasn’t much but would have to be tolerated for the night. As they finished, Spike's stomach let out a low growl, making the teen blush slightly. “So uh what’s for dinner?” Spike asked with a small smile. Big Mac just shared his smile and shook his head. “I take it, you’re hungry? Well, we should have some food left. Pass me that bag over there.” Spike did so and Big Mac rummaged through it for the food. “We got some jerky, some traveling biscuits, and o’course we got apples.” Big Mac informed. He started setting some of the food out for themselves, making sure they would have enough for the trip back. As they ate, Trixie didn’t come out of that room, at all. As he munched on his biscuit and listened to Spike talk about his latest comic or about Rarity, Big Mac kept an eye on that door to see if she was going to come out at all. She didn’t not while they were eating at least. Eventually, Spike got tired of talking about his exploits and asked Big Mac to start talking. He did so a bit reluctantly, at just relating facts about the latest harvest. Then when Spike complained about that, he switched to talking about exciting deliveries he had done which got a better reaction from the teen. Finally, after finishing their meals and swapping more stories, Big Mac heard that back door open and heard footsteps approaching them. Trixie walked back into the room, a slightly nervous smile morphing into one of confidence as she came closer. “Trixie has a few questions for you,” Trixie began. She held something to her side that Big Mac couldn’t see but whatever it was she kept glancing at it. “Uhh, shoot,” Big Mac said. “Answer Trixie this,” Trixie began. “Why are you here?” “Our cart broke, we were headed to town and spotted this place. We knew the rain would be falling soon so we decided to see if we could stay here for a night.” “Yeah, trust me no one would want to stay here by choice,” Spike added. If Trixie was offended by Spike’s remarks she didn’t show it. She simply moved on with her next question. “Did Twilight or her friends or anyone from Ponyville send you after Trixie?” “Ehnope,” Big Mac answered, gesturing so Spike would stop before he could say anything. Trixie nodded again checking whatever was at her side. She looked like she wanted to ask another question but before she could Big Mac decided to speak up, to try and put her at ease. “We mean you no harm,” Big Mac stated. “But we will defend ourselves if we need too,” Spike interrupted. “We just need a place to stay for the night. Like I said earlier.” Big Mac finished. She glanced back down and nodded then breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s, that then.” She left and returned to that room only to return this time with a book in hand, along with that small object. She sat down on her mat placing the book beside her and the object she was holding on top of the book. It was a clear sphere about the size of a fist. As Big Mac wondered what that object was, Trixie got relaxed on her mattress. When she was comfortable, she noticed Big Mac staring and picked up the sphere. “This is Trixie’s truth seeker.” The magician said. “I saw the truth in your statements with this. My skills have improved since I last visited Ponyville.” She bragged. Suddenly a light blue barrier bisected the room in half, leaving Trixie on her side with the closed-off room and most of the space. “Not that I don’t trust you, but a lady such as myself needs to take precautions.” Big Mac nodded while Spike simply rolled his eyes, still munching on an apple. Trixie simply curled up on her mattress, her blanket draped around her, watching the fire. Spike had his back against a wall and was watching her, while Big Mac kept glancing between the fire and Trixie. A slow smile crossed Big Mac’s face as he felt that they finally reached a type of peace. The rain had let up slightly and it was soothing rather than the unnerving downpour from earlier. As he relaxed, Big Mac felt Spike prodding him so he turned to face his friend. “I’ll keep an eye on her,” Spike said with a yawn. “You can just relax and sleep.” Big Mac chuckled and nodded. He got comfortable waiting for his friend to fall asleep. An hour or so later, Spike was snoring softly, curled into a ball with the blanket they were meant to share wrapped around him. He did his best to stay awake, Big Mac watched him fight his sleepiness but eventually, he lost. He curled one of the blankets around him and used a second one as a pillow. The teen had also scooted closer to Big Mac before he ultimately fell asleep, so the teen was right beside Big Mac as he watched the fire. Big Mac had the last blanket around although he didn’t need it. The fire seemed to rise and fall when needed and Trixie currently had it at a comfortably toasty temperature. Occasionally, Big Mac would look over at Trixie who always seemed to be focused on either the fire or that book. She had yet to explain what the book was about, but Big Mac didn’t mind. It was her business after all. Neither one of them spoke, so the only sounds were the continual rainfall, crack of the fire, and Spike’s soft snores. The relative quiet put Big Mac at ease. It was calm and peaceful, creating a nice peaceful atmosphere. That combined with the fire and Big Mac’s overall tiredness from the day started to get to him, and he let out a small yawn. That did get Trixie’s attention she looked over at him and let out a chuckle. “Getting sleepy, eh?” Big Mac rubbed the back of his head and chuckled softly. “Eeyup.” He then let out another yawn. Then Trixie let out a yawn herself. “Even Trixie needs her rest it seems.” They shared a small chuckle before lapsing back into silence. Oddly however Big Mac wasn’t completely satisfied with the quiet around him. He felt like he needed to speak to the room’s other occupant. There was of course the matter of that small crush he had on her, but there was more to it. He wanted to know what had happened to her. Why was she living here of all places? And most importantly what was her story? He didn’t want to come across as rude or nosey but his curiosity demanded he try and ask his questions. He had an overwhelming sense just to talk, but despite that fact, Big Mac kept silent. The silence had finally gotten comfortable, he wouldn’t ruin it with his poor attempts at talking with people. Big Macintosh liked the silence, preferred it actually. If there was silence he would be less likely to say something stupid. As Big Mac wrestled with his concerns, Trixie spoke breaking the silence and getting Big Mac’s attention. “So do you make a habit of traveling the back roads to bother beautiful recluses.” “Ehnope,” Big Mac replied simply. He glanced at Trixie who didn’t seem satisfied with that answer. “I was just making a delivery to the town up the road. Our cart broke and we needed to take shelter somewhere.” Trixie nodded. She went back to her book at first then looked back over at Big Mac. She looked at him closer then gasped. “You're that apple farmer,” Trixie said excitedly. “That’s where I recognize you. The one Trixie met when she first came to Ponyville.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac replied with a nod. “You’re apples were the best I had,” Trixie said with a smile. “Well thank ya’ Miss Trixie.” Big Mac replied with a grin. “Its always good to see people enjoy our apple products.” Trixie seemed to brighten a little There was a small moment’s pause then Trixie broke the silence again. “I don’t suppose you have any of those apples on you right now?” Trixie asked sheepishly. “Or perhaps any food that you can spare?” Big Mac raised an eyebrow at this but checked anyway. There were four biscuits left as well, a couple of apples, and a few pieces of jerky, but that was mostly for the next day, and considering how often Spike got hungry and the next day’s march would be a lot more bearable if he preserved their supply. Big Mac made the mistake of looking back at Trixie. She tried to look confident, but something was off. Her eyes gave her away Big Mac realized. She looked vulnerable and hungry and exhausted. We’ll just tighten our belts for a day, Big Mac thought. He carefully pulled out a bit of the food, grabbing two apples, a biscuit and a piece of jerky. He made to walk over but he remembered the barrier and paused. Before Big Mac could say anything, Trixie levitated the small meal over to herself. She tried to eat the meager meal slowly at first but quickly turned to devour the meal before too long. Big Mac turned away to gaze closely at the fire, feeling embarrassed at watching her eat. They lapsed into silence again until Big Mac finally worked up his meager courage. “Pardon me, Miss Trixie, but what exactly are ya’ reading?” Not the most important question but it was a start. Trixie paused in her eating to look at him. “Oh, its nothing interesting,” Trixie said with a shrug. “It’s a spellbook for repair and strengthening items.” She paused thinking on something then smiled. “This little shack is actually partially my doing.” Big Mac raised an eyebrow at that and after taking a bite of her apple, Trixie obliged him. “This place is strengthened by magic.” She said with her smile growing bigger. “I found it after… uh leaving Ponyville and I’ve been using magic to keep it from crumbling. I even have the fireplace linked with my magic.” Trixie said gesturing to said object. Big Mac nodded as he looked at the fireplace as the fire began to rise and fall in odd ways. “This place isn’t much but it keeps the rain off,” Trixie said. “That’s impressive,” Big Mac stated Then he looked up and pointed at the roof too?” Big Mac asked. Trixie nodded. “It's not that impressive,” she admitted. “My spells are still really weak a more accomplished spell crafter can do much more than I could.” “Well that’s true,” Big Mac said then bit his tongue when he realized what he said. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I meant that what you say may be true, but it don’t matter.” She looked at him confused at what he was trying to say but Big Mac clammed up. She looked at him expecting an answer but Big Mac couldn’t think of anything else to say or to explain what he was thinking. True this was a bit of a run-down shack, but thanks to Trixie’s magic it was better and actually livable. She had taught herself these spells and no matter how long it took that was nothing to scoff at. Comparatively, her skills may be considered weak but that was only if you compared them. He wanted to say that he just couldn’t get it into proper words. Trixie seemed to lose interest in the conversation as well and so the two lapsed into silence yet again. They remained that way until Trixie finished her meal. “Thank you for the food,” Trixie said with a soft smile. Big Mac nodded at her. “Thank you for the roof. We both appreciate it.” “Your friend has a unique way of showing it,” Trixie said with a look at Spike who had curled up near Big Mac. “Eeyup,” Big Mac replied with a smile. Then he felt like adding more on to his simple answer. “Spike means well, he’s a just a little on edge.” Big Mac explained. “Because … of well…” Big Mac paused, realizing that he should probably stop. Trixie seemed to tremble at that. “Everyone must hate me,” Trixie said in a whisper. Big Mac froze and gulped. “It's not like…” He paused not knowing what to say. Ponyville was filled with vindictive people who definitely would hold a grudge. But that wasn’t the whole town. Certainly, the apple family wouldn’t. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Both Applejack and himself could hold a grudge if they wanted too, thanks to their Apple-family stubbornness. As he tried to come up with a proper answer, Trixie watched him a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes. That small glimmer faded as Big Mac tried and failed to form a comforting true sentence. She just sighed and she moved her mattress closer to the wall, away from him, while inching a bit closer to the fire. She then went to lay on her side, her back to him. “I don’t need to hear it,” She said sadly causing Big Mac to inwardly kick himself. “No need to lie on my account. Goodnight,” she said, barely above the noise of the rain. Big Mac sighed. He looked at the fire, hoping he could find something to say but nothing came. Sure, people rightfully resented her but that would fade with time. Ponyville forgave that was the kind of people that lived there. That’s what Big Mac wanted to say but he didn’t have the proper words or the voice to say it. So instead, he checked the fire it was still blazing steadily. It was a comfort to know that, the fire would be under some kind of control. He let out a larger yawn and folded his blanket for use as a pillow. He lay on his back, his head resting on his makeshift pillow, staring up at the old ceiling. His thoughts swirled around him as he stared up at the ceiling. He tried to keep his thoughts from drifting from his terrible communication skills, focusing on the bits of magic he saw Trixie demonstrate. It was almost enough to keep him from replaying the mistakes in his mind, almost. Still, he was managing to drift off to sleep, his mind circled topics again and again. From his poor attempts at talking, to what he needed to do tomorrow, and again back to his failure at talking. He let out a small sigh before closing his eyes. He thought briefly of asking Trixie in the morning if she would attempt to fix their cart. It would be nice to have that problem but Big Mac didn’t think he could ask. He imposed enough as is, and he didn’t want to take advantage of someone like that. With a small sigh, the thought left his mind. Thankfully his years working on the farm helped him fall asleep quickly and easily so pretty quickly he was able to fall asleep, despite his troubled mind. “Goodnight, Miss Trixie,” he whispered softly. “I hope you sleep better than me.”