> A Place Called Home
>  by Mr Legoman
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: A Place with Regrets
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trixie Lulamoon moved onward. Her wagon lurched forward and Trixie kept her eyes ahead of her. Occasionally, she glanced behind herself to check the road leading back to Ponyville. It had been a nice town, a little small for Trixie's taste but it had an adequate size for her to entertain. Before everything went wrong, Trixie had found herself enjoying her time in her downtime between performances. Excluding the annoyances, Trixie found herself enjoying the townspeople's company. They praised her and her magic for the show and had showered her with both praise, bits, and various food items. As her wagon rolled onward, Trixie smirked to herself at her minor successes.

However, what was surreal about the situation was that Trixie didn't only care about how much the people loved her, but she was starting to warm up to the townspeople as well. Before she had to flee, Trixie found herself genuinely enjoying herself in that small town.

Ponyville had been a nice little community with relatively friendly faces as well a great place to be. It would be a nice place to return to Trixie thought or perhaps to retire to once she had her fill of wanderlust and time in the spotlight. Of course, it had been ruined for her. Trixie smirk fell into a frown as she remembered how much she was humiliated by those upstarts. Then that Ursa Minor had shown up and well things went south from there. She ground her teeth and felt like throwing something in frustration. She felt an object in her pocket and pull it out meaning to throw it as hard and as far as she could to vent some of her frustration.

She didn't however as she realized what exactly she held. It was an apple, one of the last she had from that farmer. She smiled as she held onto it. Sure, it was a simple fruit and Trixie had grander meals, but these apples had some type of magic to them. She sighed and took a bite of the delicious fruit and a genuine smile formed on her face. The apple contained the right amount of sweetness to it that Trixie just loved. She smiled as she took a second bite, then a third. As her wagon moved on, Trixie continued to eat, satisfying her stomach as well as her mind. Although he seemed a bit standoffish, he had not been outright rude to her. He had at least helped repair parts of her wagon and gave her a deal on these wonderful apples. Anyone who gave Trixie a deal on food and did manual labor for free was okay in her book.

Trixie smiled to herself as her cart continued along into the night. A nice place to live and a kind, muscular, friendly stranger to take care of her and give her delicious food. She sighed at the thought. Like the apple, it wasn't her grandest dream nor was it that remarkable, but it made Trixie smile all the same. A place where she could go to after her performances and where she could relax. It was a simple dream, and it would be unfamiliar to her. Trixie never had a home like that. It was a truly silly dream but a lovely one all the same.

Trixie stood in her small cramped inn room, compilating a monumentally important decision. She held the amulet out in front of her with some hesitation. She had been chasing the ghost of rumors for so long but here it was a relic of power that could help her achieve her dreams. And yet… She was a bit hesitant. She could have it all her revenge and a nice quiet place to live where people loved, admired, and respected her. She could have it all and it only required wearing some jewelry. Trixie imagined how nice it would be and smiled to herself. She would show up, Twilight and she get the respect she deserved. There would be those apples as well and a friendly smiling farmer as well. The amulet went around her neck and then Trixie felt power flood her whole being. She grinned as her aura enveloped her. She would make Twilight pay and then she would take her new domain where she could live and be loved. She laughed at her own superior brilliance.

A week later, Trixie found herself fleeing from Ponyville once again. Her head hurt and she was on foot, marching through the night. Her memory was hazy but what came in crystal clarity was the fact that she had failed once again. Technically she had lost twice this go around, once to that stupid amulet and again to Twilight. As she walked Trixie kept her eyes on the road ahead of her and her senses open for any sign of someone coming from behind. She didn't want to step off the path and get lost in the countryside or have some vengeful soul from Ponyville come back to attack her. Although Trixie doubted that someone from a lovely town would be so harsh to do something like that. She sighed. A lovely little community a bit rustic but genuine and she had probably just killed her chance of ever returning. Trixie cursed Sparkle, that terrible amulet, and mostly her stupidity and pride.

Trixie kept walking as she tried not to think about failing with everything she had set out to accomplish. She just kept walking and tried not to think of her failures or her empty stomach. She should have tried grabbing some food before she left. Another failure, Trixie thought bitterly. As she followed the road with no clear goal in mind. To distract herself from everything, Trixie created a small sphere of light that floated into her hand. That was a good enough goal Trixie thought to herself. She could start with her magic and then… She could improve the old fashion way of hard work.

She had to just keep moving that was really her only plan at the moment. She had nothing to do but walk. Maybe one day she could return and find Then… then something find a place to live for the moment. Trixie walked onward the small light offering a comforting glow. She stepped forward following the road, looking back and regretting.

Big Mac watched Luna's moonrise, too many thoughts on his mind for a single one for him to think about a single one. He was out in the orchard simply watching the moon as it glowed brilliantly in the night's sky. Most of the town was celebrating Twilight's liberation of the town, but not being the best at social gatherings, Big Mac decided to head back home. However, his thoughts kept him from sleeping so he decided to take a walk into the orchard for a spell. It wasn't helping his thoughts but it was lovely all the same. He quietly walked about the orchard taking comfort in the familiarity of the place. As he continued his quiet walk, Big Mac heard Applejack approaching him. He turned and acknowledged her presence with a head nod then went back to his walk. She fell in step behind him a small look of worry on her face. "Everything alright?" Applejack asked. "That witch didn't hurt you any, did she?" Big Mac shook his head in answer. She had been actually kind to him, relatively speaking that is. He frowned but didn't say anything aloud. It wasn't necessary. Applejack paused, studying her brother for a minute. "She didn't curse ya or something?"

"Nope," Big Mac said. He put a hand on his sister's shoulder and made sure to tell her with his expression that he was fine. She nodded. There was a silence as the two walked together. After a moment Applejack excused herself and headed for bed. Leaving Big Mac once again alone with his thoughts. Trixie he thought to himself. She had run off as soon as Twilight had explained her ploy. The party pretty much started right after that. Some people of the town had been probably right talking negative about her and Big Mac didn't say a word to truly stop them. He didn't say anything to stop Trixie from leaving either. He didn't know what he wanted to think much less what he wanted to say but he continued on his nightly walk, his thoughts still a jumble, they would stay that way for a long time to come.
> A Place for Shelter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.”
> 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.'