At school that day, all Apple Bloom could do was worry about Honey-Crisp. She didn't even pay attention to her friends, or what was going on in the class.
"Apple Bloom," Miss Cheerilee called bringing her round to some laughter from Twinkle, Golden Edge and Jewel.
"Err... Yes Miss Cheerilee?" Apple Bloom asked trying to ignore the laughter.
"I asked if you could tell me how a solar eclipse was formed," Miss Cheerilee repeated noting that something was definitely upsetting Apple Bloom.
"Err... It's when the moon passes in between us and the sun until it blocks it's light from reaching us." Apple Bloom said trying not to show the whole class that something was wrong.
"Correct," Miss Cheerilee said nodding with pride that at least one of her students knew the answer. "One of the thing's we will be going to see on our trip to Canterlot would be a solar eclipse..."
But Apple Bloom wasn't paying attention anymore.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, not having heard about Honey yet thought that the trip was the thing upsetting Bloom so Scootaloo wrote a note and passed it to Sweetie.
I just had the bestest idea ever on what to do on field trip day for Bloom
SC.
After reading the note and scribbling a reply Sweetie handed it back.
The eclipse? You think Pinkie can though a solar eclipse party?
SB.
Knowing it would be dangerous to keep passing the notes, and that Tiara needed to be in on this as well, Scootaloo wrote just one more before turning back to the board.
We'll talk later
SC.
That morning at break Apple Bloom asked to be left alone and told her friends to go and have fun. The Crusaders followed Blooms wishes and were now talking about Scootaloo's plan for field trip day.
"So you really think Pinkie can throw a solar eclipse party Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked sitting on the swing set.
"Pinkie's the pink haired party person of Ponyville Sweetie." Scootaloo said hanging upside-down from the monkey bars "You want a party, tell her what you'd like and need, and BAM she'll do it."
"But has she ever thrown one before, I mean you heard Cheerilee, they only happen once between every 360 to 410 years."
"Yeah and no offense to her or anything, but does she even know what a solar eclipse is?" Diamond Tiara asked on the other swing, remembering that Pinkie once thought that genealogy - the study of family trees - had something to do with the wish granting genie's.
"Maybe Twilight could help her," Sweetie said pleased that she had some ideas to put into the pot.
Twilight Sparkle and her little brother Spike, came to Ponyville just as the around ten years ago, and she instantly became friends with the girls sister's and their friends, and because of this Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo knew how smart she was and knew that if anyone could help Pinkie to learn what an eclipse was it would be her.
Agreeing to go see Twilight after school after seeing Apple Bloom off the girls decided to have some fun before the bell rang calling them back.
*
In the class room Cheerilee was asking Apple Bloom what was wrong, experienced with stuff like this, getting a box of tissues out.
"It's Honey-Crisp, Miss Cheerilee," Apple Bloom answered taking the first tissue out and wiping her eyes.
"Somehow a snake got into the barn and bit her on the hoof," she continued "Fluttershy says she's going to be fine but that's what AJ said when she said nothing would happen to her giving a Sister's Promise the day I broke my leg."
"Apple Bloom, I know you care about Honey a lot," Cheerilee said putting a hand on the young girls shoulder trying to comfort her "But if you hold onto the bad things keeping you in the dark, you'll never see the light holding the good side."
"Such as?" Apple Bloom asked head now on her desk.
"Such as as you said Fluttershy said that Honey will be alright, such as you have friends to help you get through this until Honey's better," Cheerilee said telling the girls at the door who just heard what happened to stay quiet.
"But what if she doesn't get better Miss Cheerilee?" Apple Bloom asked "What if that's another family member *Hotaru* takes away from us?"
"Apple Bloom," Cheerilee said eyes on her upset student "You may not know this, but I was a good friend of your parents..."
Apple Bloom didn't show any reaction to this news.
"And I know for a fact, that they would both want you to stay positive and be happy that Honey's fine. What sort of snake was it anyway?"
"Fluttershy said the description AJ gave her made it sound like a Ground Snake," Apple Bloom said getting herself a dry tissue.
"So there's another positive, Ground Snakes aren't venomous so all that Honey's got is a bad hoof, just like you have a bad leg. And once you're both better I can see you riding and playing around the farm together showing each other the love you have for each other." Cheerilee said hugging Apple Bloom to give her more comfort "Trust me baby, you have nothing to fear."
"Humph," Apple Bloom said smiling a little. "That sounds like the song Fluttershy sang after she was finished with Honey."
At that point the timed bell rang saying the end of break and all the students came back in ready to start on Maths.
Back at Sweet Apple Acres, after Mac had done his chores around the farm and checked up on Honey-Crisp, he went inside, asked Granny if he could steal the phone for a bit and was now shut in his room hearing the line connect to his best friend - Fancy Pants.
"Hello?" the voice on the other end said.
"Fancy? It's Big Mac." Mac said hoping this would work.
"Big Mac, this is nice," Fancy said cheerfully "How are things on the apple farm?"
"There good, but that's not why I'm calling."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, you see," Mac began "Friday's the five year anniversary of me and Fluttershy coming together, and I thought of asking her to marry me."
"Well congratulations," Fancy said "I'm with you all the way. I actually met her when Miss Rarity came over here once with her friends to help her with Sapphire Sore's concert once."
"Yeah well... The thing is, I'm getting the ring, I know the place where I'm going to ask her, I know 'how' to ask her..."
"But?"
"But I don't know what to say to her leading up to the question." Mac said running his free hand though his messy orange hair "And Applejack suggested I ask for your advice."
"Well what do you like about her? How long have you liked her?" Fancy Pants was listing off possible things to say while Mac noted them down.
"Just say how you feel about and around her. You know stuff like that. And when you come to the end of your speech, get down on your right knee and ask the question."
"But I feel too many things when I'm around her," Mac said "It used to be every time I was around her I felt my ears turn pink, although it's happening less now, it still happens. I would have thought it would have gotten worse actually."
"Why?"
"Well," Mac said remembering the night with the wolves.
"Five years ago, when I was in the forest one night looking for my sister's new filly, I was ambushed by wolves one biting my wrist. The next thing I remember, I was back home and AJ was telling me Fluttershy fixed me up and pointed to a sleeping bag at the end of my bed that had Fluttershy in it. She actually asked to spend the night in my room to watch over me."
"That just shows she love you too Mac, nothing to worry about." Fancy Pants said chuckling at how Mac was acting.
"Yeah well..." Mac said trailing off.
"Look Mac," Fancy said getting Mac to pay attention. "You love this girl yes?"
"Yep."
"You want to spend every moment of your life with her?"
"Yep."
"You've known you've loved her since you first met her?"
"Yep."
"Well there you go," Fancy said breaking the spell and leaving a confused Mac playing with the pen in his hand "So just change to 'You's' to 'I's' and the 'her's' to 'you's' and voila."
Mac was writing down what was just said so he could practice it and be sure he could say it to Fluttershy on Friday.
"Thanks Fancy," Mac said when he was done "I'll put aside an extra five jars of jam from this years harvest for you."
And with that done and goodbyes said, Mac let himself out of his room to go to the barn to start rehearsing.
But before her even got outside Applejack met him at the door.
"Err.. Hey Mac," Applejack said taking her hat off and not looking her brother in the eye.
"Something wrong sis?" Mac asked folding the note up and putting it in his pocket to have his full attention on Applejack.
"Not really," she said playing with her pony tail "It's just... Can you go pick Apple Bloom up from school today? After this morning, I don't think she'll want to see me that much."
"Sure I can do that," Mac said checking the clock and getting the keys to the truck. "But you know you two would have to start talking at some point. Although she may want to stay with Honey, we all live under one roof." he said heading out the door.