"Good going Sweetie!" Scootaloo said sarcastically as she pushed her scooter along as the girls left the farm and started heading into town.
"It's not my fault Rarity chose to call me," Sweetie said back.
"No but it was your fault that your phone was on, at maximum volume for all the world to hear!" Scootaloo said in a annoyed way.
"What was she calling you for anyway?" Diamond Tiara asked trying to cut the argument off.
"Beats me," Sweetie said stuffing her hand in her coat pocket fishing out her phone.
"How about we go see her and find out..." Tiara said questioningly.
Seeing that they had nowhere else to go they all agreed and set a course for the Carousel Boutique.
The bell above the door rang as the girls entered the shop where Rarity and Sweetie Belle lived.
"Rarity?" Sweetie called out after placing her bag at the bottom of the stairs.
"We're in the kitchen Sweetie," Rarity's voice called back.
In the kitchen, Rarity was with Pinkie, designs all over the table.
"So what you call me for sis?" Sweetie said going to the fridge and getting her and her friends a drink.
"Pinkie wanted to know what you thought about her party ideas, and wanting to know if you'd think Apple Bloom would like them, seeing how close friends you are." Rarity said seeing Pinkie had her face full of cake.
"We're not that close at the moment..." Scootaloo said getting looks from Sweetie and Tiara.
"By whatever do you mean by that Scootaloo?" Rarity asked showing the others the suppose to be decorations.
"She thinks we're avoiding her," Scootaloo began. "And just now, we went to see if she was alright, and she started yelling at us and nearly hit us with one of her crutches." she said not saying it was the call that made them found out.
"You can try and fix things up with her tomorrow," Pinkie said mouth now empty of cake and smiling at the girls.
"She seemed to be real mad at us Pinkie," Sweetie said.
"Just give her time to cool off dears," Rarity said "Now what do you think..."
The next few hours everyone was talking about the party decorations and how great they would be. It was only as the clock chimed 8:00 that Scootaloo, Pinkie, and Diamond Tiara said they had to go.
The next day Scootaloo, Sweetie and Tiara were thinking of a way to get Apple Bloom to talk to them again.
"We can try that 'peace offering' that Miss Cheerily said before this all started," Diamond Tiara said.
"And just what will it be?" Scootaloo said her head on her arms, she being the most upset that this is happening seeing it all started with her idea.
"Maybe if we tell her why we're doing this..." Sweetie Belle said.
"Do you know what 'Surprise' means Sweetie?" Scootaloo asked testing the same question they did on the Cake twins last week.
"Well if it's because of this surprise, that making her think we're avoiding her, then we have to get rid of it." Sweetie said back strongly.
"I am NOT going to abandon one of my friends Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo said standing up attracting attention from the class now, some seeing tears in the tom-boy's eyes.
"And you think I do?" Sweetie said back. "I still think we should go with your idea Scoots. But if hiding it is the reason Bloom nearly hit us yesterday, don't you think we should let her in?"
"It is a surprise Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo said breathing heavily.
"That is tearing our friendship apart!" Sweetie said back. the class all acting like it was a tennis match switching between Scoots and Sweetie where it was needed, Diamond Tiara staying out of this until.
"What do you think Tiara?" both girls said together, everyone now looking at her. She was about to say something when the bell rang and Cheerilee came in telling everyone to take their seats.
A few minutes later a messenger from the office gave a note to Cheerilee who nodded and just started the lesson.
Surprisingly to silence from the class. She turned to see what was wrong to see everyone looking over at Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara.
"Eye's to the board class," she said snapping everyone back and making sure they were all taking notes before turning her back to them again.
At first everything was going alright until...
"So... Where's Bloom then Miss?" someone spoke up.
Turning around to see who it was Miss Cheerilee just said "She's not coming in today. That's all I'm saying."
At the farm, Apple Bloom was in her room her door locked and barricaded the best it could be.
She decided 'If no one out there wants to be with her, then she wont go out there ever again'.
"Bloom come on. This is ridiculousness" Applejack's voice said though the door and the furniture and toys blocking it.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Apple Bloom screamed at the door, throwing a pillow on a string, so she can pull it back, at it.
*
On the other side of the door Applejack turned to Mac.
"Any ideas?" she asked as they headed downstairs.
"I have a few..." Mac said.
"But..?" Applejack said.
"Someone might call it one an 'Extreme Stunt'," Mac said "And the other is placing this on someonelse's shoulders."
"Just tell me what they are... Please..." AJ begged.
"One, getting the ladder and going to her window,"
"No," Applejack said straight away.
"Or... We try Fluttershy." he said thinking how convincing she can be when it's needed.
After a while Applejack pulled out a coin.
"Heads or Tails?" she said, knowing which option he'd go for.
"Tails," Mac said.
After flipping it and slamming onto her other hand, Applejack looked at it and said "Heads." showing Mac.
"Two out of three," Mac said not wanting to get Fluttershy in on this.
Two more flips and a few minutes later Fluttershy was outside Apple Bloom's bedroom door with a rundown on what's going on, knocking it gently.
"I SAID 'LEAVE ME ALONE'!" Apple Bloom said throwing her pillow again.
"Bloom?" Fluttershy said trying to be calm about this. "It's Fluttershy... Do you think I can come in and we can talk this out?"
A few minutes later, Fluttershy was about to knock again when scraping could be heard from behind the door and it was opened for her.
"They're taking their time up there aren't they?" Applejack said looking up to the ceiling as she Mac and Granny were all in Granny's knitting room again continuing with the blanket.
"I told you we should have gone with the ladder," Mac said to himself.
Just then two sets of footsteps could be heard on the stairs and heading for the room.
Fluttershy came in first with a not-wanting-to-look-anyone-in-the-eye Apple Bloom behind her holding her hand.
"Feeling better child?" Granny Smith said to Apple Bloom halting her knitting.
"A... A bit Granny," she said still hiding behind Fluttershy ashamed on how she was acting.
"How about I make some Fritters," Mac said getting up after finishing attaching his square. "You want to help me Bloom?"
Apple Bloom looked up a bit and silently nodded. Now taking Mac's hand and being lead into the kitchen.
"So how did it go Shy?" Applejack said.
"Most of the time she was just repeating that her friends were avoiding her and abandoned her," Fluttershy said taking up Mac's place and continuing his work.
"There were also dashes of 'Not going to Canterlot's', and..." she said pausing for a bit.
"And.." Applejack said.
"And a sprinkle of you not keeping your promise about Honey, AJ,"
"So how did you handle a recipe like that dear?" Granny Smith asked.
"I told her the story of when we tried a surprise party for Pinkie and said she's going in the same direction Pinkie was going," Fluttershy said counting off her fingers. "I said, as nicely and sensitively as possible there will be other field trips to Canterlot. And saying how upset AJ was about not keeping her promise and that keeping this grudge was making it worse." she finished, starting a new square.
"Seems like you're a good cook Fluttershy," Granny said smiling at her joke.
"ABOUT TO PUT THE FRITTERS ON!" Mac called from the kitchen and they all stopped what they were doing and headed for it.
*
After lunch Mac was walking Fluttershy back home as thanks for helping out.
"You're welcome Mac," Fluttershy said blushing a bit as she opened the clinic's door.
"Sorry for bringing you into this," Mac said rubbing the back of his neck.
"I don't mind," Fluttershy said "I like helping my friends," she said gently picking up a cat who managed to get out of his cage again.
"Do you need help around here?" Mac asked. "You know, as a thank you?"
"You can walk some of the dogs for me," Fluttershy said putting Whiskers back in his cage and walking down a bit to the dogs.
"Ok," Mac said smiling.