//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Small Problems // Story: Spellbound Apples // by Silentpegasus //------------------------------// Chapter 3 Small Problems The next day started out as any other day on the farm, slowly. Macintosh was plowing the South field while Hex helped Applejack with apple bucking. The orange mare kept quite as she and the blue stallion worked. She caught herself several times staring at the blue stallion as he worked. The mare quickly shook her head and snapped back to reality. C’mon keep it together. He’s only a stallion. A stallion that’s smart, nice, cute and funny. She argued with herself. Ah know nothing about him. Only one way to solve that. Talk to him! Ah can’t! Just pretend yer talking to Dash or one of the gals. I’ll try. “Hey Hex.” She hollered. “Yeah?” As the blue stallion turned around Applejack’s new found strength had all but gone. She could feel her cheeks flare up as she stared into his light purple eyes. Her vision then fell upon a small bead of sweat from his forehead and traced down his neck muscle which seemed to be pressing against his coat making his vein bulge out. Oh what Ah’d give to feel- “My face?” Hex asked as the mare cringed back. “Huh?” “Is there something on my face? You were staring at it.” He said with a confused look on his face. “Oh um....yeah...ya got a speck of dirt on your....cheek.” She said with a nervous grin on her face. The stallion wiped his cheek as AJ pulled her hat over her face to hide her ever growing blush. The mare gulped and returned to her work. Well, that went smoothly. She thought in a sarcastic tone. Why can’t ah talk to him? Cause he’s cute and you like him! Ah still don’t know anything about him! “Hey AJ, can I ask you something?” The mare’s internal argument was put on hold as she saw the blue stallion approaching her. “S-sure.” The mare said as she tried to maintain her composure. “You, Mac and Granny Smith run the farm right?” He asked with a smile. “Yeah.” “And from your photo’s in your home you have a lot of family members right?” The mare nodded. “So where are your folks at?” The mare’s expression shifted from happy to sad in an instant. “Are they running another farm?” The stallion then noticed the mare’s saddened state. “They’re.....not around anymore.” Applejack said with a heavy sigh. Hex immediately connected the dots and face hoofed. “I’m so sorry Applejack.” He said in a sad tone. “It’s okay. You didn’t know. Besides, it ain’t a fresh wound and-” The mare was cut off as the blue stallion wrapped her in a hug. Applejack’s heart was working overtime as the blue stallion drew her in close. She could feel the stallion’s breath on her coat. He smells like the ground just after a rainstorm. Wait? Why the hay do ah care what he smells like? Just shut up and enjoy the hug. The mare set her mind at ease and smiled as she returned the gesture. As the stallion broke the hug the mare pulled her hat over her face to hide her bush. “Sorry if I startled you.” He said in a worried tone. “NO! Ah mean..... It was nice...of ya to do ah mean.” She said with a gulp. “S-so what about your parents?” “My mom is dead and I’m not talking to my father right now.” He said in a flat tone. “Oh....sorry to hear that.” She said as she held her head in shame. “It’s fine it happened a long time ago.” He said with a shrug. The two stopped working and made their way back to the farm house. As the two walked through the orchard they were joined by Dash and Storm. “Sup guys?” “Not much. We were just doing a flyby and we wanted to see if you two were free for lunch.” Dash said with a smile. “That’s where we’re going.” Applejack said as they continued towards the farmhouse. Dash trotted up to the orange mare who was walking behind the blue stallion who started to chat with Storm. “So AJ, what’s going on between you and Hex?” She said with a smug grin on her face. “Nothing.” She said with a gulp. “C’mon Applejack. You stink at lying.” She said with a sigh. The farmer tried to match the cyan mare’s gaze, but soon found it futile. “Fine, ah like him. He’s kind, funny, not to mention cute.” She said with a bright blush. “True, if I didn’t have Storm. Then I’d probably go after him too.” She said with a grin. Applejack then frowned at the mare. “Oh calm down AJ. Storm is WAY more awesome than Hex is.” The farmer narrowed her eyes further. “At least from where I’m standing anyway.” The four ponies entered the farmhouse and sat down at the table as the elderly green mare started serving. “Well, howdy there you two.” She said as she nodded at the Pegasi. “Hey Granny Smith. Hope you don’t mind us having lunch here.” Rainbow said with a smile. “Nonsense! Any friend of Applejack is welcome here.” She said as the red stallion nodded and took his seat. “By the way AJ. Braeburn needs some help in Appaloosa. Ah need you to go and give him a hoof with Granny and Applebloom.” The orange mare let out a groan. “Why?” She asked as she rubbed the sides of her head with her hooves. “He’s family.” He said with a sigh. “Ah know. But that stallion drives me insane. He never shut’s up!” “Ah’d go, but somepony has to stay here and-” “Hey, why don’t you go in AJ’s place and she stay’s here?” Dash suggested giving her colt friend a nudge on the shoulder. “Yeah, we can handle any work you have to do.” Storm said with a smile. The red stallion instantly felt panic take him as the thought of spending a week with the chattiest pony since Pinkie Pie creeped into his mind. “But....Three beams need to be replaced in the barn and ah doubt that even the three of you are strong enough to do that.” He said with a gulp. “Hex can help with that.” Storm said with a smile. “I’m skilled in levitation spells.” Hex said with a shrug. “Ah don’t know.” The red stallion said as he tried to think up another excuse. “Well, as I remember. Braeburn mentioned a barn raising and Applejack with all her strength would have a bit of trouble with it.” Granny Smith interjected. “No wait just a-” AJ was cut off as Dash covered the farmer’s mouth with her hoof. “Umm.....” “Oh quit bellyaching Mac. Yer going.” Granny said in a stern tone. The red stallion hung his head in defeat. The orange mare mouthed ‘thanks’ to her friends who gave her a simple nod. The ponies got to their hooves and cleaned their plates as the stallion slowly drudged upstairs and started packing. Hex and the two Pegasi walked outside leaving Applejack alone with the mare. “Thanks Granny. Braeburn is family and all but-” “That ain’t why ah did it honey bunch.” The orange mare looked at her in confusion. “You got a bigger challenge to tackle then some barn raising.” “Huh?” “Telling that stallion how you feel.” She said with a smug grin. The orange farmer instantly blushed bright red. “Oh calm down dear, he seems like a kind feller.” “Ah know Granny but ah can’t even say two words to him.” She said with a sigh. “Oh come on now. You’ll find a way, yer mah granddaughter ain’t ya?” The orange mare nodded and smiled. “That a girl.” Applejack made her way back outside to see Hex talking with Twilight. The orange mare trotted up to the two unicorns with a smile on her face. “Howdy Twilight.” The farmer said with a nod. “Hey Applejack.” “What brings ya here?” She asked with a smile. “I just wanted to talk to Hex for a bit about magic.” She said with a grin. “Actually Twilight, I need to get back to work. How about tomorrow around noon?” He said with a smile. “Sure, I have to leave for Canterlot around three so that should give us plenty of time. See ya then.” The lavender mare said with a smile. Hex gave her a friendly nod as she walked away. Hex then turned back to the orange mare who had a blank expression on her face. “Heh heh hope ya don’t mind if I take tomorrow afternoon off boss.” “It’s fine. You just have to pick up the extra slack for the rest of today and the day after tomorrow.” She said with an evil grin on her face. “Oh Luna help me.” He said with a gulp. The farmer giggled at the stallion’s worried face. “Let’s just get going sugar cutie.” The mare froze as the words left her lips. “What did you-” “Sugar cube! Ah said sugar cube.” She exclaimed trying to keep herself calm. “C’mon we got a whole lot of work to do!” She said as she galloped down the rows of apple tree’s leaving the blue stallion in the dust. Hex thought for a moment about the mare’s behavior, but quickly dismissed the thought as he chased after her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the work day came to a close Hex and Applejack were cleaning up the barn. The orange mare opted for the loft while Hex took the broom and started to sweep the hay into piles. Applejack kept quiet and kept sweeping. “Are ya all done down there?” She asked. “Just about.” Hex said with a smile. “Like wise I-” She was cut off as the mare tripped over her hooves and started to fall off the loft. The mare saw that she was rocketing towards the ground. She closed her eyes and braced for impact. She hit something firm yet soft. She cracked open her eyes and saw that the blue stallion had caught her in his hooves. Applejack’s face was bright red. She could feel Hex’s heart pounding. “You okay?” He asked as he breathed heavily. “Y-yeah ah’m fine.” She said as the stallion put her down. “Thanks to you anyway.” The mare then gave the magician a quick peck on the cheek. Hex felt his mind lurch and his right eye started to twitch. The orange mare quickly realized what she just did and pulled her hat over her head in shame. “So um....ah gotta go...and...clean my room.” “Y-yeah and I’ve got some research to do. See you tomorrow.” Hex said as his horn flared and he vanished in a puff of smoke. The stallion arrived inside his carriage and hurried over to the sink and splashed a hoof full of cold water in his face. What was that? Why did she just kiss me? Are you complaining? No. He thought in a defeated tone. It was probably a thank you for saving her. No, a thank you is a nod and a hoof bump. THAT was more than a thank you. Ah! I don’t have time for this! He thought as he trotted over to a desk that had several different beakers and test tubes on it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The orange mare was sitting in her room staring up at the ceiling. The farm house that was usually bustling with conversation was dead silent. Applejack would miss her family but it did give her a quiet moment to think. Why in the name of Celestia did ah just do that? You like him, duh. Ah probably scared him off with that little stunt. Ah’m doomed! The mare’s thoughts were set aside as she laid down on her bed to rest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Calling the next day awkward would be an understatement. The orange mare kept away from the stallion and made her answers short and to the point. The stallion was off on his own kicking the apple tree’s making the red fruit fall into baskets. Hex felt the sun beating down against his dark blue coat. The stallion’s mind was plagued by the actions from yesterday. “Hey AJ, I need to check something in my trailer real quick okay?” “S-sure. Go ahead.” She said in a stuttering tone. The stallion nodded and walked back to his carriage. The stallion walked inside and looked in the mirror to see the same shadowy figure that plagued his dreams. It’ll never work. Shut up. They’ll run like all the rest once it’s revealed to them. I said- A nightmare like you has no right to live. "I SAID SHUT UP!" He yelled in frustration. The stallion splashed water in his face and calmed down as he heard a knock on the door. The unicorn wiped his face off and trotted over to the doorway to see Twilight with a smile on her face. “Hey Hex, ready to go?” She asked. “Sure, let me just tell AJ.” He said with a smile. The mare nodded and stepped aside as the stallion got out of his carriage. The two Unicorns walked down the rows to see the orange mare kicking tree trunks. “Hey Applejack, I’m going into town with Twilight okay?” “S-sure, have a good time.” She said with a nervous grin and a wave. The two gave her a nod and ventured off into the town leaving the farmer alone in the apple grove with nothing but her thoughts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two ponies made their way through town and into the library. Hex saw the small purple dragon with a number of books in his claws. He gave him a friendly nod as he saw Twilight levitate a number of books over to her desk. The lavender mare smiled as she and the blue stallion took a seat. “So what did you want to talk about?” Hex asked. “I wanted to ask you how you’re able to perform illusions so easily. I’ve tried a few of those but they always fall apart at the end.” She said in a flat tone. “Well, it’s my special talent.” He said as he pointed to his Cutie Mark which depicted an odd triangle. “Even when I was a colt I learned how to trick ponies with my magic.” He said with a grin. “I see. So what do your parents do?” The stallion gritted his teeth at the question. “My mother, unfortunately is no longer with us and my father and I aren’t speaking to one another.” The lavender mare cringed back at the answer. “Oh....I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” “It’s fine. It happened a long time ago.” “What did your mom do?” She asked. “She was performer like me.” He said with a smile. “Really?” “Yeah, ever heard of Smokey Mirrors?” Twilight’s jaw dropped as she recalled the name. “THE Smokey Mirrors? As in the most famous illusionist ever to come out of Canterlot?” She said with a surprised and excited look on her face. “That’s mom.” He said with a smile. “I owe all my talent to her.” He said with a smile. “Oh my gosh! She was only the greatest illusionist ever! She managed to hypnotize a manticore to tap dance! I was a huge fan when I was a filly.” She said with a smile. “Yup, she was always a nice mare.” He said with a laugh. The lavender mare suddenly lowered her head in realization. “What’s wrong?” “I remember when she died. I was pretty upset. I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through.” “It’s fine Twilight. Like I said, it was a long time ago.” He said with a sigh. “Now I trust that you want to perform an illusion better?” The mare nodded. “It’s all about building up enough magic to make it last. To do that you need to call on a massive amount of magic at will.” “Can you show me something?” She asked. The stallion’s horn flared and his body started to shift. The stallion’s back started to shift, his coat became white as the snow and his body started to shift and grow. A pair of wings sprouted from his back and his mane became long and seemed to blow in the breeze with a variety of colors. Twilight’s jaw dropped as a full copy of her mentor stood before her. “No way.” She said in shock. The illusion then vanished revealing the dark blue stallion. “Yup, you need to learn how to stretch your spells for a long period of time before you can cast illusions like that.” “How do you do that?” “Simple, levitate an object for as long as you can and then take it to the next level.” He said with a grin. The mare’s horn flared and she levitated a book in front of her. “Good now keep it going for as long as you can.” He said with a smile. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back across town at Sweet Apple Acres Applejack was finishing up her daily chores when she saw a familiar white unicorn mare trotting towards her. “Howdy Rarity, what brings ya here?” “Oh I was just in the neighborhood and I thought that I’d pop in and say hello.” She said in an innocent sounding voice. “Well, that’s nice of ya. Now why are you really here?” The farmer asked in a flat tone. “I saw the rest of your family getting on the train.” “They’re going to help Braeburn with a barn raising down in Appaloosa.” The white mare’s face had an instant smile on it. “So it’s just you and Hex then?” She cooed. The farmer felt her face flare up at the stallion’s name. “Y-yeah, so?” The white mare glared at her friend for a moment and threw on a sly grin. “What happened?” “N-nothing!” Applejack said as she tried to lie. “What have I told you about lying?” The orange mare pulled her hat over her head in shame. “I’m trying to help you dear. I can only do that if you let me.” “Fine ah give in.” Applejack said with a sigh. “Yesterday while were sweeping up the barn ah fell off the loft and Hex caught me.” “What else?” Rarity asked with a smile. “After ah got to my hooves I...” The mare tried to find the words. “You what?” “I kissed him okay!” The white mare’s jaw dropped. “Ah don’t know why ah did it! It just happened!” The mare said as she slumped to the ground and lowered her head. “Nothing is making any sense anymore!” She said as she covered her head with her hooves. The white mare put a hoof on her back. “There, there. There’s nothing to be ashamed of dear. You only acted on your heart’s desires. Who can blame you for that?” The mare then took a moment to look around. “By the way where is Hex anyway? I didn’t see him when I came up the road.” “He’s with Twi down at the library doing some magic stuff.” She said in a flat tone. “I see.” She said as she started to walk away. “Wait Rarity, what do ah do?” The farmer asked in a pleading tone. “Tell him how you feel before it’s too late.” “Ah’m scared.” The farmer said in a nervous tone. “Ah’ve never felt this way before and ah don’t know what to do.” “Just do what you do best dear.” “What’s that?” “Tell the truth.” Rarity said with a wink. “Thanks Rarity. You may be fussy sometimes but, you sure are a good friend.” She said as the fashionista walked away from the farm. Applejack made her way back towards the house to see that Hex’s carriage door was open. The mare weighed her options and went inside. She made her way through the large interior and eyed the stallion’s bed. The mare walked over to it and laid on it just for a second. “Wow, no wonder he likes this thing so much.” She said with a yawn. The mare felt the day’s activities take it’s toll and she felt her eye lids become heavy. As the mare slipped into sleep she didn’t notice the bright blue crystal levitating beside her. The gem started to glow red and the door to the carriage closed shut. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the library Hex stood at the top of the stairs with an impatient look on his face. “C’mon Twilight, I told you that I’d be fine.” “But what if I can’t-” “You have my full confidence.” He said with a smile. The lavender mare took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “Okay. I’m ready.” The mare’s horn glowed and she levitated the stallion off the stairs and over the center of the room. Beads of sweat were starting to form on the mare’s forehead as she concentrated. “C’mon Twilight. You can do it!” Hex said encouraging her. The mare’s horn glowed brighter to keep him suspended. The door suddenly opened to reveal the white Unicorn mare. “Hello, everypony~” She said in a sing song voice. The sudden outburst mad the lavender mare lose her concentration and Hex fell on top of Twilight. Twilight opened her eyes to see that the stallion was right above looking down at her. The lavender mare felt a blush creep across her face. “Sorry about that Twilight.” Hex said as he got to his hooves and helped the blushing mare up. “It’s fine.” She said with a gulp. “Am I interrupting something?” Rarity asked. “Just some magic practice.” Twilight answered. The mare then looked at the clock and her eyes shrank. “Oh my gosh! I’m gonna be late for my train and I don’t have a thing packed yet!” She panicked. “Um Twilight.” The dragon said as he lifted up her saddle bags fully packed. “Thanks Spike. Let’s get going.” She then turned towards the blue stallion. “Sorry Hex but I gotta go.” “Don’t sweat it.” Hex said with a grin. “I’ll show you more when you come back okay?” “Sounds good. C’mon Spike.” She said as she trotted out the door. “We’ll walk you to the train station.” Rarity said with a smile. “Okay.” Twilight said with a smile. Hex left the library along with the two mares and headed towards the train station. Hex and Spike hung back while the mares whispered to one another. “So Twilight, what was Hex teaching you?” “Oh, he was giving me some pointers on illusions.” She said with a smile. “What about when I walked in?” She asked as she cocked an eyebrow. The lavender mare’s cheeks turned crimson. “I lost my concentration and he fell on top of me.” She said as she tried to hide the blush. “Twilight, be honest with me. Do you like Hex?” Rarity said praying that she’d say no. “No....yes....I don’t know!” The mare said as her cheeks grew redder. “He’s nice, funny and very skilled in magic.” Twilight said with a sigh. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?” The white mare gulped as the thought of a heart broken Applejack ran through her mind. “O-of course dear.” Rarity said as she made the Pinkie Promise movements. “Thanks. I just need to figure some things out. I’ll know for sure once I come back in a few days.” She said as she and the dragon got on the train car. The other two Unicorns waved goodbye as the train pulled out of the station. Once the train was out of eye sight the fashionista and illusionist mad their way back into town. “So Hex, how do you like working with Applejack?” The mare’s name made the blue stallion blush. “It’s okay for the most part.” “Your face says otherwise.” Rarity commented with a giggle. “What’s your over all opinion of Applejack?” “Why do you want to know?” “Just humor me.” Rarity said with a sigh. “Well, I consider her a super hard worker, nice, a little head strong and not to mention ho-” He shut his mouth before the words left his lips. “What was that last one?” “N-nothing.” “Out with it!” She yelled. “Promise not to tell her?” Rarity made the lip sealing movement across her lips. “I..I like her okay.” He said with a gulp. The white mare giggled in delight. “Oh that’s just wonderful!” She squealed. “Yeah, but I’m nervous. My last relationship ended in disaster and I don’t want to go through that again.” “How long ago did this happen?” Rarity asked. “What day is today?” “Today is Tuesday.” “Oh, then it happened fourteen months ago.” “WHAT? Over a year?” Rarity exclaimed. “Yup. I needed a break away from the dating life and focus on my magic.” He said in a flat tone. “I see. Well, if you don’t mind me asking what went wrong?” Rarity asked. The dark blue stallion let out a sigh. “Aside from her constant boasting, I caught her in bed with another stallion.” The white mare put a hoof to her lip in shock. “Oh I’m so sorry dear.” She said in a low tone. “Not your fault. I just.....She hurt me and I don’t want to get hurt like that again.” Rarity gulped as the mare entered her boutique. The walk back to orchard went fairly quickly after Rarity had left. As the stallion trotted up to his carriage he noticed that the lights were on inside. Hex raised an eyebrow as he entered his mobile home. He flicked the lights on and entered his room. His eyes shrank as he saw a familiar brown Stetson laying on his bed. As he drew closer he saw the hat starting to move. His jaw dropped as he saw a small orange filly, no bigger than Applebloom with a golden mane and tail sleeping soundly on his bed. “Uh oh.”