A Place Called Home

by Mr Legoman

A Place with Good Food

Home Ch.2 A Place with Good Food

In the early morning dawn, Trixie began her training. It was nothing fanciful or really exciting, just a routine practice session, of trying to turn rusted and broken objects into fixed, quality versions of themselves. And like most of her training sessions, it had mixed results. Trixie glared at the ax laying on a tree stump in front of her that had the audacity to still be rusty and have a broken handle. It was a simple half-moon ax blade with a cracked wooden handle that was also beginning to rot. She sighed and forced herself to look away from her failure. Her hands were balled into fists and she had to keep herself from glaring at the stupid ax. "You can't force this Trixie," Trixie said to herself out loud. "You can't bash your head against something expecting it to work. She sighed again and took a calming breath.

She was currently behind her shack, practicing a few of her restoration spells. She had yet to even eat breakfast yet but here she was practicing her magic, still somewhat asleep and getting hungry. 'Not like she had anything good to eat,' Trixie thought bitterly. She sighed again and shook her head. This magic practice had become a daily routine for her yet she still wasn't used to it fully. She let out a yawn and briefly considered going back to bed for a quick rest. She did have work later today and that would be exhausting enough without wasting energy on this pointless training.

"This isn't pointless Trixie," she told herself. "I must improve, and practice is the best way to improve." She grumbled incoherently at herself before sighing. Magic was a wonderful amazing power that took an incredible amount of discipline to master effectively and Trixie also hated it. Perhaps hate would be too strong of a word after all she loved and could easily perform illusion magic. Most other forms of magic gave Trixie some form of trouble aside from levitation spells and light spells. And of all the disciplines restoration/repair magic frustrated Trixie to no end.

Restoration magic needed incredible focus on the part of the caster as well as some understanding of how the target worked.

She wouldn't bother if she didn't depend on it for a living. She glanced back at her shack and half wanted to glare at it too. She had stumbled across it when she escaped Ponyville. It, despite being a hovel, was a decent find. It kept the rain off her and managed to keep the outside out for the most part. There were the occasional leaks from the roof or a wall would start to break. And that had become her motivation to better understand restoration magic. Her shack could collapse at any moment and her repair magic ket it stable, for now. That was the problem with restoration magic, at least at the novel level. The magic was weak and the effect would only last for so long. It was a bandaid fix for now but that didn't bother Trixie that much as she had become a bit of a master at pushing her concerns and problems down the road for a while.

Trixie sighed yet again. She turned her musing to her house where at least one of her guests still slept, the green-haired teen Spike. The other one, Macintosh was somewhere Trixie didn't know. He had been gone when she had woken up this morning. At first, Trixie had been a bit worried about him wandering about but that worry slowly disappeared. He was a strange one for sure, especially since Trixie couldn't figure him out. Why was he silent around her? Did h just dislike her that much?

Trixie shook herself and turned back to the ax. She then went back to her training although she didn't make much headway. She tried clearing her mind but that only got her so far. After some thought, Trixie decided to pause her training temporarily. After all, this was just way too early for someone to wake up and be expected to focus on magic. She leaned against a nearby sturdy tree and took a calming breath.

The next thing Trixie knew, she was waking up with a yawn. She blinked and looked around still in a bit of a haze. She shook her head trying to clear it as she looked around. Despite her sore back and neck for how she slept, Trixie felt decent. Well, at least not tired. Trixie glanced back at the ax but decided against returning to practicing. It was still morning just getting warmer and the sun was a bit higher in the sky. She still had time before she needed to start heading into town. For now, Trixie sighed yet again and appreciated the pretty morning around her. That would just have to be future Trixie's problem.

Although she preferred to work at night, the young magician had to admit there was some beauty about the early morning that made it worth it. The night had the stars, wonderful gorgeous moon, and was perfect for any type of escape. Dawn however was calming, and felt like the world itself was slowly waking up and Trixie was privileged enough to watch it. She took a moment to appreciate the early morning sun as she took a small break. It wasn't the moon but it was still nice all the same.

"Beautiful ain't it," Came a voice from behind her. Trixie immediately jumped and was about to throw anything she could get her magic on until she saw who was standing there her one-night guest, Macintosh. He held his hands up and took a step back from her. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Didn't mean to disturb you, Miss Trixie." She visibly relaxed and her aura disappeared. "No need for sorry you just startled me. And stop calling me Miss, Trixie will do."

"Alright, Mi- Trixie," he said. There was a slightly awkward pause in which neither one of them spoke, Trixie was just about to turn back around to watch the sun slowly rise. 'Had he been watching her sleep?' Trixie wondered to herself. 'And where had he come from?' Before she could ask those questions, Macintosh spoke up again. "I uhh I'm sorry about last night-"

But before he could say anything more Trixie waved her hand dismissing the statement. "You don't have to apologize Macintosh. You said nothing that wasn't true." He cringed at that but Trixie felt nothing. She was past getting empty words, she just shook her head to try and dispel any negative thoughts brewing. She looked back at Macintosh with curiosity and in an attempt to get her mind off the subject she asked him a question. "Why are you up so early? And where were you?"

"I'm a farmer," was his simple answer.

Trixie nodded, of course, a farmer would have to wake up early.

The farmer then pointed a finger behind him, "I was just checking on Bella in the stables then I went to check on my cart." He moved his thumb to indicate down the road. "I tried fixing it but.." He trailed off and shook his head.

Trixie just nodded and the conversation died back down. That didn't answer if he was spying on her but it did answer the questions she asked. After that, there wasn't much Trixie had to say and apparently neither did her guest. He simply looked away at anything except for her. Trixie watched him out of the corner of her eye, trying to figure him out. Sure he was pleasant enough but all their conversations had been short almost curt. And he would rarely look her in the eyes, looking away whenever Trixie noticed him. She could stand Spike's heckling, any performer worth their salt could filter out heckler's comments. Macintosh seemed different though, was he judging her, silently mocking her, or was that contempt in his eyes. His politeness could all just be for show, a way to fool her into trusting him. Something about that felt off to her, for some reason. She had tried to figure him out last night but ultimately couldn't and with him standing there she still couldn't.

They stood around in silence for a long moment after their conversation once again fell apart. Trixie waited for him to leave but he didn't choose to leave. Instead, he approached the small tree trunk. He paused and looked over the rusted ax with the broken handle then seemed to notice the other scrap metal and other miscellaneous objects around them. He raised an eyebrow as if in question. Or was that a mockery? Trixie looked at Macintosh but still couldn't tell what was going on in his head. Was he belittling her in that mind of his? As the silence increased, Trixie didn't know what to say to him. His silence was annoying and infuriating in how little it told her. A skill Trixie had learned and developed through her travels was being able to read people. She prided herself on being able to read and understand people and yet… this farmer confused her. That had been true when they had first met as well. He was a seemingly honest person who felt off to her. He was handsome and charming but his silence bothered her.

As they stood in silence like that, the awkwardness seemed to keep on growing. Then the silence was broken, not by her or Macintosh but by Spike coming around the corner with a loud yawn. He was stretching as he finished his yawn still apparently sleepy. He looked around at all of her junk then frowned. "What's with all this junk?"

"It's training," Trixie explained. Again another eyebrow raise from Macintosh while Spike vocalized his thoughts. "Training? What you trying to become a hoarder or something. Macintosh just shook his head at Spike while Trixie glared at Spike before answering. "I am practicing restoration magic," Trixie explained with a huff. Macintosh nodded while Spike just seemed to roll his eyes. He muttered something to himself when he's done with his muttering, Spike turns to Macintosh. "So are we going to have breakfast now or we heading back to that village to eat?"

"Neither," Macintosh said simply shaking his head as if to clear it. He then walked off, heading for the stables, whether he noticed Spike's outraged and confused expression and said nothing or just didn't see it, Trixie couldn't tell. He simply walked toward the stables without a word. "I'll get Bella ready," he said. You get our bags packed. Spike groaned softly rubbing his stomach. He muttered something about food and starving and hurried back around to the front. Trixie watched them go but ultimately turned back to the ax.

She looked it over, her feeling of annoyance and hatred returning as she did. It had yet to change in the brief time she had looked away from it. Of course, it wouldn't but it still annoyed Trixie all the same. Trixie attempted to breathe out all her frustrations and other negative emotions that would hamper her magic.

For the restoration of an inanimate object to work, the caster would need to have a basic understanding of the object's original state as well as a basic understanding of the object's property. Trixie visualized the ax whole and complete, no rust, and the handle that was rot free. She focused and she felt her aura ignite. A light blue aura wrapped around the ax and slowly the object began to change. The rot peeled away, slowly and the rust seemed to flake away as well. She allowed herself a smile as more of the half-moon ax began to change. Then her aura flared up and Trixie closed her eyes and turned away right as the brightness reached its peak. When she turned back around, the ax still lay there but thankfully it looked in better condition. Trixie picked it up with her magic to better inspect it. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing it as it did look in great condition. She couldn't detect any rust or see any chips in the metal. The handle was properly neat and rejoined.

She nodded at her work but then jumped when she heard clapping. Macintosh and Spike had returned, Macintosh leading his horse by its reins while Spike held their bags. Macintosh seemed genuinely impressed by her act while Spike was looking at the ax skeptically. Trixie was ready to counter whatever Spike would say but Macintosh spoke up first. "Uhh, sorry for disturbing ya Mi- Trixie, but we're gonna be leaving now." He looked like he wanted to say more but he simply turned away. Spike shrugged and followed him. Trixie turned back to her practice and tried to look over the items around her to pick her next practice item. However, something began to nag at her and her attention went back to the two leaving. She quickly hurried to the front of her shack.

When she made it, she spotted the two just at the edge of the treeline. Macintosh looked back at her and nodded. Again he looked conflicted as if something was on his mind, an insult perhaps. But then he gave her an awkward smile. "Thanks again for the roof for the night, uh Trixie." He said looking away from her. Trixie just nodded watching to see any sign that the two had somehow stolen from her. They didn't seem suspicious in that regard, Macintosh still seemed strange though.

Spike still seemed hesitant to leave, probably because he didn't want to start walking. He then smiled and started speaking in an overly loud voice. "If only there was someone with some basic level magic skills that could repair our cart, Big Mac. We could easily get back home then." Anyone could tell what the loudmouth was hinting at Trixie thought with the roll of her eyes. 'He could stand to be a bit more subtle' Trixie noted as Macintosh paused in his step. He scratched the back of his head as he turned around. "I don't know, Spike," he said slowly. "I don't think we should impose on Mi- er Trixie any more than we already have." Spike immediately deflated a little and turned to glance at Trixie to see if she would take his bait.

Trixie simply ignored him and instead looked over at Macintosh. She tried to judge what was going on in his head but his handsome face gave nothing away. He looked away from her staring at him, but Trixie caught a glimpse of his green eyes. Was that pity? She tried to study him but he turned away from her and started moving again. Pity was there any worse emotion people could have for you? Hate and anger could be dealt with but pity was terrible. She continued to watch Macintosh to see if that would explain his awkwardness and to Trixie it did. Was his silence entirely made out of his pity for her? If it was she would have to do something about it.

At that thought, Trixie felt a small spark inside her ignite. She could dismantle Macintosh's pity and implode Spike's smug attitude, hopefully. She cleared her throat loudly getting both of their attention. "Trixie will take your challenge and prove your smugness wrong!" she announced. They both looked back at her with some form of skepticism. Spike had that smug grin of his while Macintosh looked at her with something like doubt and worry. 'Did he think she would blow up his cart, was all he said last night empty words?'

Again, he looked like he was debating something with himself. "Miss Trixie," he said slowly as if testing out speaking. "Ya' don't have to do this. We're fine walking," he said still with that awkward smile on his face. Trixie wouldn't let herself be swayed by those words however no matter how handsome the person speaking was. She forced herself to stand up straighter and forced a confident smile on her face. "I'll take care of it," She stated projecting her voice to sound more confident." The two shared a look before Macintosh nodded at her. "Alright then," Macintosh said. "I'll take you to where we left the cart."

Trixie held up a finger before he could move however and hurriedly grabbed her small carrying bag with her magic. She quickly inspected the bag to make sure it had all its proper contents. She nodded to herself and headed back outside. When she was ready, she nodded at Macintosh. With that he headed out of the clearing, Spike following behind while Trixie came after, bringing up the rear. Trixie kept a slight distance from the other two as they seemed to be having a rather intense whispered conversation. She only picked up pieces of the conversation, it sounded as if the two were arguing over her. From the sound of it, Macintosh was defending her or at the very least disagreeing with Spike about her failing. As they walked on, Trixie again found herself trying to understand him. Was he really pitying her? Was that the reason for his continuous silence and his glances at her. By the time they reached the broken cart, Trixie still didn't have an answer to her question.

Macintosh passed off the reigns to Spike and approached the cart. From the bed of the cart, he grabbed a broken wheel and showed it to Trixie. As she walked closer Trixie noticed the crack along the rim as well as the broken spokes. She then turned to inspect the cart itself. There were only some minor damages, that at least to Trixie didn't seem too terrible. As she continued her inspection, a bit of worry grew in her. Could she really do this? She then remembered the smug look of Spike as well as the brief look of pity from Macintosh. She sighed then stood up straighter. "I'll do it," She said again.

"You will?" Macintosh questioned. Trixie answered with a nod. "Just lay the wheel over there," She said indicating a patch of grass a bit away from the cart. Macintosh complied laying the wheel down then backing up to stand with Spike on the road behind her. 'Good' Trixie thought as she went to stand between the wheel and wagon. 'Hopefully, both of them would just stand there and not try to distract her.' Trixie sighed again and tried to clear her mind of any and all distracting thoughts, something easier said than done. Her mind kept drifting to the two watching her or just continually thinking about how many ways she could screw up. She then started to circle the cart to get a better view of the damage.

Trixie gulped growing a bit more nervous, a simple restoration spell could do. Just a simple one, nothing fancy just cast it on the wheel then reattach it to the cart. It would just need to get them to town that was it, if it broke down then Macintosh would just have to find someone better to repair the cart. Trixie sighed once again as she completed her third rotation of the broken cart. She pretended to inspect the damages to waste more time. "Any time now," Spike said cocky smile on his face. She glared at him and then had to suppress a chuckle as Macintosh shook his head at the young teen. Spike again just rolled his eyes, and when Macintosh looked away from him, Spike stuck his tongue out at her. 'What a child,' Trixie thought with outrage. She was about to stick her tongue out right back at him but Macintosh was looking at her now. "Can ya do it, Miss Trixie?" He asked. "No shame if you can't."

He had lapsed back to calling her Miss it seemed, but Trixie ignored that for now. "I said I would and the new Trixie is a woman of her word." She said trying to project confidence. Spike looked like he was going to comment but a look from Macintosh silenced him. Trixie just smirked. Then her attention went to Macintosh and she remembered she had a job to complete. She looked back and tried to keep her confident smirk but it slowly slipped from her face. She sighed. 'Let the show begin,' Trixie thought as she reached a hand out toward the wheel then her other hand toward the wagon. Her light blue aura slowly enveloped both and Trixie took another calming breath. Then her aura around the objects began to glow faintly brighter. She forced her thoughts to remain on the task at hand and not drift away. However, despite her genuine concentration, nothing happened she couldn't even perform the proper spell in her head. She sighed and released the wagon from her magic aura. 'One part at a time,' she told herself as she focused her efforts entirely on the broken wheel. 'Just the basics,' she reminded herself. 'Keep it simple, and work up.'

This time an image formed in her mind, the wheel completed and whole once again although it was hazy and nondescript. Her aura turned slightly brighter forcing Big Mac and Spike to look away from the wheel. Trixie wasn't affected by her magic, this time, and continued to hold the hazy image of the wheel in her mind but it slowly began to fade. She focused harder but nothing she did kept the wheel in her mind. All too quickly, the wheel faded from her mind, and with it, her aura winked out.

Trixie let out a small curse as she glared at the offending wheel. It remained unfixed and broken, mocking her. She felt Macintosh and Spike approach her but Trixie kept her back to them. She was readying herself for the mockery she would receive at her latest failure. However it didn't come, both Big Mac and Spike were inspecting the wheel with interest, so carefully Trixie looked as well, careful in case this was some sort of trap into mocking her. To Trixie there was no change in the wheel, it was simply a wheel. When Macintosh noticed he moved the wheel closer to her for her to inspect. "Ya, repaired some of the spokes, Miss Trixie," Macintosh said matter-of-factly. "You also got rid of the cracks." He sounded genuine in his praise but Trixie was waiting for Spike's comment but again it never came. Spike said nothing just looked at the wheel with minor interest. What did Macintosh say to him to get him quiet? She looked back at Macintosh and tried to see if she could spot that pity in his eyes again. There wasn't any pity in his eyes, he looked genuine in his expression of encouragement, there wasn't any hate or resentment either Trixie noted.

"Uhh, Miss Trixie?" Macintosh spoke up getting Trixie's attention.

She shook herself. 'Had she just been looking at him for the last few seconds?' "Yes?" she asked when she snapped out of her thoughts. 'Would he now point out her flaws and mistakes?'

"I just wanted to show you what to do next?" Macintosh said in that quiet way of his. "That is if you care to continue."

Again, Trixie thought about quitting. 'Could she complete this, sure she said she could but that was just overconfidence and bragging. She barely could handle a wheel, she was used to wheel repair, for the most part, having to deal with that on her trips. Yet a wagon was different. She only had minor repairs on her wagon and they rarely lasted for long. That was the flaw of restoration magic at the novice level, it was a bandaid fix for the most part. The magic would slip apart and fail sooner or later, and with her magic, it would defiantly be later. That's not even considering if she failed again. And she would just fail again.' Trixie was about to say just that when she made the mistake of looking at Macintosh's eyes. There was a genuine glimmer and warmth in those eyes. They looked assured that she could accomplish the feat without any doubt. There was no pity, malice, or any type of mockery in those eyes or his expression. 'Who was this guy?' Trixie asked. 'Was he being genuine?'

He managed a smile and Trixie had to look away from that brightness or else she would make the mistake of believing in herself. "I'll do my best," Trixie said slowly. Macintosh nodded at her but this time he didn't step away. He held up the wheel and talked her through what needed to be repaired on the wheel. It was still slow going with how poor her magic was and how distractingly soothing Macintosh's voice was. She still tried to judge Macintosh based on his words but it seemed impossible. He spoke like always in short almost choppy sentences yet they seemed helpful and helped direct her with her magic. Eventually despite her skills and how flustered she became the wheel was complete. She breathed a sigh of relief as her task came to an end. Big Max inspected the wheel and nodded at Trixie. "Thank you, Miss Trixie."

Trixie found herself smiling as well. "Your welcome, she said feeling herself standing up straighter. But then Spike chose that moment to speak up. "Now all you need to do is attach the wheel," He said rather smugly. And repair the cart." Macintosh frowned down at his friend but before he could say or do anything in response, Spike continued. "You might want to hurry, Big Mac, said he would treat you to breakfast in town if you did a good job."

Trixie stared wide-eyed and looked back at Macintosh who looked both embarrassed and annoyed. "Is that true, Big Macintosh?" Trixie asked. He seemed to be a bit confused as well but was trying to form words to speak but like before, Spike spoke first. "Of course, he told me so himself, he might try to deny it but that's because he wanted to keep it a secret." Macintosh frowned at Spike who just played it off with a chuckle. Big Mac looked away from her and rubbed the back of his head. "I suppose, if you finish the cart we would have time to head into town for some sort of breakfast. "Yes!" Spike cheered with excitement which turned into sheepish embarrassment when both Trixie and Macintosh looked at him.

Macintosh just shook his head at his friend while Trixie just rolled her eyes. However, Trixie's smile returned as she thought of actually having a good breakfast. She gently picked up the wheel in her aura. "Well let's get moving then." The prospect of a good meal gave Trixie a burst of energy that she forwarded into her actions. She quickly approached the wagon the wheel following behind her. "Well here goes," Trixie muttered to herself.

"Just remember I get- we get to eat if you can complete this," Spike commented, Trixie again rolled her eyes at the comment. "Don't push ya' self to hard now, Miss Trixie," Big Mac stated. "Do your best." He gave her another awkward smile which calmed her if only a little.

"I can do this," Trixie began. She maneuvered so that the cart and the wheel would be in front of her and began to fall into her breathing exercise. Slow steady breaths as her aura surrounded the wheel and wagon again. This time Trixie imagined them joining together, united as a completely fixed cart. She kept that image in her mind's eye as she closed her eyes and tried to ignore all the noises around her, some managed to slip through her concertation but she did her best to ignore them. Risking a peek, Trixie opened her eyes a crack and looked at her progress. Her aura was growing brighter around both objects. She concentrated harder and gestured with her hands to raise both objects. They did so slowly and only about a foot off the ground, still, that was some progress. She carefully moved the wagon to float above the road, facing in the direction of town, then the wheel came next to float in place. She continued her deep breathing as her magic brought, the objects closer together. For a brief moment, it looked like her magic was going to fail and the spell would backfire as both objects began to slump to the ground while starting to shake. But Trixie steadied herself and her magic and kept her vision clear and her aura only grew stronger and more powerful as she was forced to close her eyes at the intensity. There was a small pop, and the bright aura faded.

Trixie hesitantly opened her eyes and breathed a huge sigh at the sight before her. The wagon stood with all four wheels in place looking decent. Some of the small damages were gone and the wheels looked stable again. She glanced over at the two others and had to hold back a laugh as she saw Spike smug grin fade into shock. "Ta-da," Trixie said with a small bow. Big Mac too looked stunned but he recovered swiftly and gave her a small around of applause for her effort, even Spike gave her a small clap, although it could have been sarcastic. Still, Trixie appreciated the applause as meager as it was.

When the two finished clapping, they approached the wagon to inspect it further. After a few minutes, Big Mac turned to her and smiled. "Thank ya again Miss Trixie," he said as he shook her hand. His hands were calloused yet gentle. "It looks great," he said with a smile. Trixie nodded and returned his smile. Trixie nodded, accepting the thanks with an overly large smile on her face. She then noticed how wet the cart was and decided to go one step further and draw the water out of the wood. It went faster than the repairs and soon she had a bubble of water floating beside her. She was nearly tempted to dump it on Spike but she simply let it drop off to the side of the road.

"Now that, that's taken care of I'll take you up on that offer of yours for breakfast," Trixie said with a small wink. This flustered the youth snd he looked away "Uh sure,"

"Alright," Spike cheered. He then quickly began to hook Bella to the cart. It was the fastest she had seen him move, Trixie thought as she watched him rapidly went through the motions of getting the horse hitched. Macintosh shook his head and chuckled softly and helped him take care of the horse. Trixie watched the two quickly finish hitching their horse and do a quick inspection of the cart. Once they were finished, Macintosh helped her into the cart and Spike climbed up after her. Macintosh climbed up into the coach's position and then they were off. Slow going thanks to the muddy roads but they were steadily moving closer and closer back to town. Trixie kept herself from salivating, which was more than Spike could say, as they drew closer to town. Trixie still couldn't determine whether or not there was pity motivating Macintosh but she decided to ignore the question for now. A free meal would be worth that pity, Trixie thought as her stomach began to growl.

An hour later, the trio were at a small eatery having a small breakfast, well Macintosh had a small breakfast, Spike and Trixie were having a rather large meal of pancakes. Trixie would have felt some small thing of guilt but Macintosh had assured her that she could order the large stack of pancakes. She had thanked him but he just told her it was repayment for fixing his cart.

As she ate, Trixie paid attention to the two and their conversation. Although the conversation may be too strong a word as Spike was the only one talking. He chatted, sometimes with his mouth, full about someone named Rarity, some trouble he got into with the group called the CMC, or most insufferably he would brag about Sparkle. Trixie did her best to tune that part of Spike's ramblings her annoyance soothed at least partially by the delicious pancakes. Surprisingly Spike wasn't as annoying though, he talked about Sparkle but he never mocked Trixie, or when he did he steered away from the point before too long. 'Was that just because of food? Or did he grow some manners in the brief ride here? As she pondered this, Spike let out a loud groan and dropped his fork of pancakes. He clutched at his stomach as he let out another groan.

"Bathroom," he groaned out and rushed toward said room. Macintosh watched him go a look on his face seeming a mix between concern and amusement. He was about to go and follow after his friend but Trixie spoke up first. "I'm sure he'll be fine, probably just stomach cramps from all he ate." He slowly slid back into his seat, still watching where Spike ran off to. Soon enough he nodded and turned his attention back to his meal. A quietness filled their table again and Trixie went back to her meal while stealing glances at Macintosh. His worry slowly melted away and his face was back to that unreadable expression of his.

'That didn't take long,' Trixie noted. He had a look of what seemed to be indifference on his face. When he wasn't smiling at her or looking incredibly awkward this had been the expression on his face. Does he just stay with that expression the whole time? He would also glance occasionally at her as well although Trixie couldn't determine for what reason. At first, she considered maybe he was judging her or silently criticizing her with those glances but as she ate she thought and she began to realize that couldn't be the case. He had been rather kind to her for the morning and last night. None of his actions either painted him as secretly being rude or critic. He had constantly been trying to stop Spike from mocking her. And he had been nothing but polite to her if a bit silent at times.

It was at that moment Trixie slowly began to realize that she may have been judging Macintosh a bit too harshly. She let out a low sigh and shook her head. Well, there's only one way to alleviate that, Trixie cleared her throat to get Macintosh's attention. And when he looked over at her, she smiled and looked him in his eyes. "So, tell me about yourself, Macintosh?" It was a good thing that he had no food or drink in his mouth because he would likely choke on anything as he simply stared at her for a few seconds. He looked at her then rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "Not much to tell," he said sheepishly.

"But I'm sure there is," Trixie said as she continued to look at him. "Trixie has an eye for these sorts of things."

He rubbed the back of his head and seemed to be looking for an escape route, but he didn't run. He paused took a deep breath and began to speak. His first words were a garbled incoherent mess. Trixie blinked trying to understand what exactly he was saying. He paused and Trixie waited for him to try again. Slowly he did so, this time it was more coherent as he slowly began to talk about his family. He talked about his lovely grandmother and his two younger siblings. Trixie watched as Macintosh's eyes lit up as he talked about his family. His speech as well improved over his talk as he stopped making pauses or speaking over himself. He relaxed as he talked about each of them, and Trixie marveled at the change in him. Even if this Applejack was one of the annoying girls who ruined her original show, listening to Macintosh's talk made her sound tolerable. As he continued his talk, Trixie noted he hadn't mentioned his parent s at all. She wasn't about to interrupt him however, for one it was lovely to hear him talk, and for the other, she could understand not wanting to talk about one's parents.

As he began to wind down, he looked a bit embarrassed about talking for so long even though it was only a few minutes. "Sorry for talkin' your ear off," he said.

Trixie shook her head. "No need for apologies," she said with a shake of her head. "Hearing you talk was wonderful." A small blush appeared as did a small smile. He rubbed the back of his head and went back to eating, and Trixie did the same. After another silent minute, Macintosh spoke next. "So uhh how about yourself?" He asked.

Trixie shook her head. "Sorry, Macintosh but I don't want to talk about my family," She said. Before Macintosh's spirits could fall, Trixie continued. "But I will talk about some of my travels." This seemed to lift his spirits a bit and so Trixie started talking about one of her travels which held Macintosh's attention. Even the more mundane aspects of her story kept his attention. It was rather short but Macintosh seemed to hold on every word of her story. As she wrapped up her story, Spike returned toward the end of her story. He came back looking a bit better than before and a bit more relaxed. "Better?" Macintosh asked as Spike sat down.

"Much," Spike said with a relieved sigh. He smiled and then continued where he left off and started to eat his pancakes again. Trixie paused looking at him wondering how his stomach worked. The three lapsed back into silence and just focused on enjoying their meals. It was a less awkward silence this time around and Trixie found it nice. Soon enough they each finished their respective meals and they each let out a contented sigh.

Macintosh was the first to move as he stretched and stood up, pushing in his seat as he did so. "Well Miss Trixie we should be going," Macintosh said as he nodded to her. Spike almost seemed to roll out of his chair and stretched as well. He pushed in his chair and stood beside Macintosh. "Uhh, do you need a ride back to your cottage?" Macintosh asked.

Trixie shook her head. "No, sadly I have to work later." There was a snort from Spike. "You have a job?"

Trixie managed to control her annoyance at Spike. "Yes, I have a job, I work at the tavern." Spike snickered at this but Macintosh spoke before he did. "Well, that's good to here," he said simply. "Honest work is good work." Trixie just nodded. She wouldn't classify any work as good work but she didn't bring that up. Macintosh paid for their meal and the trio headed outside the small diner. The small town had yet to fully get busy so there were only a few people outside. Macintosh and Spike headed to where they had hitched Bella and not having anything else to do, Trixie followed. They quickly got Bella hitched to the cart and got ready to leave. Trixie watched them, not sure what to say next. Then a thought struck her. They were headed back to Ponyville, the sight of her greatest defeat. Trixie's eyes grew wide at the implications of what that meant for her.

They both climbed into their positions, Macintosh in the coach position and Spike in the back. "Macintosh," she called to him as he got settled. He looked up curiously. "Trixie would appreciate," she began. "If you don't tell your sister, her friends, or anyone from Ponyville Trixie is here," Trixie said growing worried. She could imagine it already Twilight and her circle of friends coming to ruin Trixie's life yet again. Or someone from Ponyville coming for revenge. She looked down at the ground avoiding eye contact.

"I won't lie to my family, Miss Trixie," Macintosh said simply. "Yea," Spike added. "I won't lie for you either." Trixie frowned at that but she tried to think of something else. "You don't have to lie," She stated. "Just don't reveal Trixie is here. Please." Macintosh seemed to be considering and even Spike had paused in making a snide remark. "All do my best not to talk about you," Macintosh said slowly. He was obviously choosing his words carefully as to not lie to her or to promise lie to his family. Spike sighed and nodded his head as if in agreement.

Trixie breathed a relieved sigh. 'It wasn't much but it would have to be enough.' There was a small sober silence before Macintosh spoke again. "Well then, goodbye then Trixie." He gave a small nod of his head. He finally remembered at least.' "Goodbye to you too Macintosh," Trixie said mimicking his small head bow. "Call me, Big Mac," he said simply as the wagon got moving. Trixie smiled and nodded. The cart started moving down the street and Trixie watched it go. While Big Mac was distracted looking ahead of them, Spike turned around and blew a raspberry at her. Trixie glared at him and blew one back at him. She watched them until the cart disappeared around a corner. She breathed a contented sigh and stood in place for a second. "Safe travels, Big Mac," Trixie whispered to herself. She stood there for a moment longer then decided to get moving. She, unfortunately, did have a job to get too after all.

On the road, Big Mac and Spike rode on in silence. It was oddly tranquil as the cart moved down the road. They had been out of town for roughly two hours and Spike was unusually quiet. Macintosh glanced over at him, he seemed to be thinking on something, just staring off into the distance with no comments. Big Mac was content to keep it like that but Spike finally spoke up suddenly. "What was that all about?" He blurted out.

"What was what?" Big Mac asked.

"You being nice to Trixie," Spike answered. "And don't give me that gentleman stuff either. She doesn't deserve to be kind too. Shining Armour told me that being a gentleman to lady ends when that lady attacks you or your friends." Big Mac gave the question some thought. He kept his eyes on the road ahead but he began to try and find the answer for Spike. Why did he act kindly to her? It wasn't just because she was a woman or just his small crush. And sure being rude to someone your asking for a favor isn't the brightest idea and fighting a mage even one on the less skilled side wasn't ideal. But was that its simple practicality. No Big Mac thought it was more. He opened his mouth to say more but couldn't find the right words. They rode on in silence for a long moment before Big Mac came up with an answer. "She didn't seem dangerous," Big Mac finally said. "And she just needed help." Big Mac turned slightly to get a better look at Spike who seemed to be in some deep thought. "Yea, well, I bet this wagon won't make it all the way home," Spike stated completely changing the subject. Big Mac chuckled at his friend's behavior. And then they rode on in a peaceful silence, Big Mac at the reigns and Spike lazing in the back of the wagon, they steadily made their way home.

Surprisingly the wagon and wheels did last till they got home. They rolled up to the farm with the darkness of night around them but the cart managed to survive. Spike didn't say much about it but Big Mac did enjoy a good chuckle to himself about the situation. As they began to unpack from their journey, mainly unhooking Bella and storing the cart away, the Apple family and Twilight came out to greet them and help. Apparently, they arrived right at the perfect time since the Apples had just finished making dinner. Spike and Big Mac shared smiles at this revelation and had all but rushed in to eat. As they ate, they dealt with the concerns of their respective family members. This meant that over dinner Big Mac and Spike explained their misadventure only explaining that they had to take shelter with a helpful young woman. They kept their description of Trixie brief but true. Big Mac didn't like the lie as it upset his stomach but Spike kept the story going. There was some skepticism from Applejack but everyone seemed satisfied with the story. Big Mac smiled as he sat with his family and family friends at the dinner table. It was toward the end of dinner when the rain finally hit. Giving the excuse for Twilight and Spike to stay a bit longer.

They shared dessert together and started listening to the misadventure Twilight and her friends had during their time at the crystal empire. Big Mac paid attention through the story, but something nagged at him. He looked out the window to see the downpour that was coming down out there. Would Trixie be alright? He wondered to himself. Would she be okay in that small cottage, alone? Sure, if her spells were active she would be safe but something still bothered him. "Hey Big Mac," Spike whispered to him getting Big Mac out of his daze. "Huh?" Big Macintosh asked. "You seem distracted. Are you okay?"
Big Mac nodded wordlessly was his simple answer. In his mind, the answer wasn't settled as firmly. He forced himself to focus back on the ladies' story, but that nagging concern continued to worry him. "I hope your okay, Miss Trixie,"

Trixie sighed as she entered her shack. The fireplace sprung to life as she entered and Trixie made sure to check to see if she had more uninvited guests. She was alone, she breathed a small sigh. She shut the door behind her and sat beside the fireplace. It was nice and warm, set at the perfect temperature. For a small moment, she sat there not exactly content but okay. This place was a bit lonely but Trixie endured worse. She reached into her bag and pulled out a red apple. She was glad she at least she had bought one before they sold out. The sweet juice of the apple dribbled down her chin and Trixie wiped it away with a sleeve from her worn shirt. She sighed again and stared into the fire. Several thoughts and problems plagued her mind but one small thought that she continued to think about was simple. 'I hope Big Mac and Spike made it back safely.'

Author's Note:

A/N: Not much to say about this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and the next chapter will probably be about November or maybe October if I can get back into the flow of writing. Anyways thank you for reading and leave a comment, feedback, or some criticism if you feel so inclined. Have a great day/night. And see you in the next one.