Five years after the storm, and the wolves.... Big Macintosh is thinking on asking Fluttershy a little question....
Five years after the storm, and the wolves.... Big Macintosh is thinking on asking Fluttershy a little question....
PS : I know it's getting a bit long but PLEASE stick with it.... This is the first sequel I've done and it's hard enough to do with out any support from you
New friends are made, babies are born, relationships are put together etc...
It had been five years since the storm that made Apple Bloom's rival, Diamond Tiara live at Sweet Apple Acres for about four days. It had also been five years since Honey-Crisp, her horse, was born, and Big Mac and Fluttershy got that tiny bit closer to each other.
At the apple farm in Ponyville on the day this story starts, Applejack was with her sister teaching her the skills of horseback riding.
"That's it Bloom," Applejack said from Nutmeg, her chestnut colored mare. "Now flip the reins a bit to tell her to go a might faster..."
Apple Bloom did as she was told and she and Honey-Crisp started trotting down the track they use of hay cart rides at their family reunions.
"Now pull on them to make her slowdown again!" Applejack's voice said from the sidelines.
As Apple Bloom did however, she was thrown out of the saddle as Honey stopped a bit too quickly.
'OOMPH'...
"OOOWWW!!!" Apple Bloom cried holding her leg.
Applejack jumped off of Nutmeg and ran over to help her sister.
"Where's it hurt Bloom?" she asked not touching anything for the moment in case she made it worse.
"My leg," Apple Bloom said tears leaking from her eyes staring up at Applejack. "I think it's broken."
At that moment Big Macintosh, their brother and eldest of the three, ran up to his sisters.
"Who's hurt?" he asked looking from Applejack and Apple Bloom, slight bit of worry on his face.
"Bloom is Mac," Applejack said going over to Nutmeg to look in the saddle bag for the first aid kit. "Honey threw her and we think her leg's broken." she said coming back.
"Bit like you and Nutmeg then," Mac said smiling a bit but still trying to be serious holding Honey-Crisp back so she wouldn't interfere.
"Nooo..." Applejack said wrapping bandages around a splint to keep Apple Blooms leg straight until they could get help. "That was my arm. This is her leg."
"Same base line." Mac said "An older Apple teaching a younger one to ride, tells them to stop, they pull too hard, they get thrown, something's broken."
"So what did you break then Mac?" Apple Bloom asked her brother cocking her head.
"I broke a few ribs," Mac said. "Ma and Pa had to call a doctor to come to the farm because they couldn't move me."
"Yeah well, we can move Apple Bloom," Applejack said as she finished. "I'll take her to the hospital, can you put Nutmeg and Honey away please big brother." she said gently picking Apple Bloom up and walking her back to the house, Mac following with the horses.
After telling Granny Smith what happened, Applejack and Apple Bloom got in the truck and headed of to the hospital. And Mac put the horses back in the barn.
*
As they got there Appleseed, Mac's stallion, welcomed them by pacing around his stall.
"Hey boy," Mac said putting Nutmeg and Honey-Crisp back into their own stalls and giving them each a hay ball to eat. But Honey just ignored it and laid down at the back of her stall, looking upset.
"Oh don't be like that Honey..." Mac said starting to groom Appleseed. "Your parents did the same thing to me and 'Jack you know."
When that didn't help he said... "Can I tell you a secret?" smiling as Honey looked up at him. "You remember Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy, was the horses vet, who was also one of Applejack's friends and it was because of Honey that she and Mac got that bit closer as boy and girl friends five years ago.
Honey nodded getting up and walking to her door.
"Well, I'm thinking of marrying her."
Honey cocked her head a little as if saying 'What's that Mac?'
"Marrying means..." Mac said turning to Nutmeg to do her grooming, "When two people love each other, and want to be with each other forever, the man asks the woman if she will marry him, and then they have a fancy party, and they're together forever after that." he said saying in his words what 'Marry' is.
Honey reared for joy at hearing this and started pacing around showing off happily.
"Glad you're happy," Mac said. "I just need to work out a way to ask her."
"You could start with a ring youngin," an old voice said from the door.
Mac was caught by surprise but turned to see Granny coming into the barn smiling.
"Er... How much did you hear Granny?" Mac asked ears turning a bit pink.
"Exactly what I heard when your father was going though the same steps," she said walking up to see Honey-Crisp.
"So, you're alright with me asking her?" Mac asked.
"As long as you treat her right," Granny Smith said petting Honey.
"Thanks Granny," Mac said finishing on Nutmeg.
Down the road from the farm a bit, Fluttershy was working at the desk in her veterinary clinic looking over the files of the animals who would be coming to see her the next day, when the door opened.
"Hey Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash, her oldest and the most athletic of her friends said walking up to the desk.
"Oh, hello Rainbow." Fluttershy said putting the files to one side for a bit. "Did you win the game then?"
At school, Rainbow Dash was on the football team and was a star athlete. When she left one of the best football teams around, the Wonder-Bolts came to find her and asked her to be on their team. Rainbow had being a fan of the Wonder-Bolts since she was a child right away said 'Yes', and with her on the team, the Wonder-Bolts got their winning streak 20% higher than before.
"Course we did 'Shy," Rainbow said smiling ear to ear. "So what are you doing for your anniversary next week?" she asked looking at the calendar behind the desk.
"Oh... Um... Well..." Fluttershy said blushing "We haven't exactly decided anything yet." she said stroking her hair.
"Well whatever happens," Rainbow said putting her hand on Fluttershy's "I think he's a very good guy... And I say well done for finally getting with him."
"What?"
"'Shy we've been friends since I stood up for you in kindergarten." Rainbow said. "We moved here together remember. I saw, that as soon as you met Mac you liked him."
Fluttershy was speechless.
"But enough of the past..." Rainbow said. "You've got things to do, so I'll see you later." she said walking out the door.
At the hospital, Applejack carried Bloom inside and told Nurse Redheart what happened.
After a few x-rays and more questions later, Apple Bloom was told that she did have a broken leg.
"How... How long will it take to get better?" Apple Bloom asked holding her jeans up so the doctor could put a cast on her leg.
"Well it's a very small break," he said cheerfully "But it will still take up to four weeks. But hay at least you'll be the top girl in school..."
After the papers were signed, and Apple Bloom was given hospital crutches, the two sisters were back in the truck and on their way home.
"Awe come on sis," Applejack said. "I tell you what when we get home, you can have all the ice-cream you want ok?"
"What if something happens to Honey when my legs broken?" Apple Bloom said looking out the window. "What if she runs away again because she's not got me to play with."
"Ok first, she did not run away. The doors were not shut probably and being a curious new born filly like she was, she wanted to see what was outside the barn." Applejack said remembering back five years ago when Honey decided to take a little moonlight walk through the woods. "Secondly she's a big girl now, she can take care of herself, and if she can't then me and Mac will be there to help."
"But..." Apple Bloom said.
"It will be ok Sugarcube," Applejack said stopping at the traffic lights. "I promise as a big sister we'll keep her safe until you get back to her."
"And a Sister's Promise can't be broken," Apple Bloom said smiling for the first time since that morning.
When they got back, as promised, Applejack gave her sister some ice-cream, and being the caring sister she was, called Apple Bloom's friends over to keep her company.
Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara all came over to see if Apple Bloom was alright and try and make her better.
"So how long till your leg's fixed Bloom?" Scootaloo asked signing the cast happily.
"They said up to four weeks," Apple Bloom answered digging into her third pot of ice-cream.
"Do you believe Mac when he said it happened to him and AJ too?" Sweetie Belle asked over at Apple Bloom's desk making her a 'Get Well Soon' card.
"I don't know," Apple Bloom said looking over to her artistic friend "But seeing how they reacted with each other, I think so."
"How are you going to come on the field trip to Canterlot with us if your legs broken Apple Bloom?" Diamond Tiara asked brushing Apple Bloom's hair making everyone stop what they were doing.
"What do you mean Tiara?" Apple Bloom said spoon shaking in her hand.
"Well you said that the doctor said your leg would be better in four weeks right?" Diamond Tiara began.
"Yes..."
"Well, the field trip's in three weeks."
Eyes widening Apple Bloom got to the edge of her bed and reached for the crutches.
"Er... Where are you going Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked helping her friend get up.
"To find my sister, to ask her that question," Apple Bloom said hoppleing out of her room, carefully going down the stairs.
*
In the kitchen Applejack was baking that evening's apple pie when Apple Bloom came in.
"Apple Bloom," Applejack said "What are you doing down here? You're supposed to be resting."
"Tiara asked a question I need an answer to sis," Apple Bloom said making her way over to the table.
"Well ok..." Applejack said raising an eyebrow.
"Sis... How am I going to go on that field trip to Canterlot, in three weeks, if my legs broken for four weeks?"
"Er..." Applejack said half expecting that question but had not come up with an answer for it yet. "I hate telling you Sugarcube... But you won't be going."
"Wha... What do you mean?" Apple Bloom asked neither sister seeing Bloom's friends at the door.
"Well, field trips to Canterlot, normally have lots of walking in them," Applejack said "And there are lots of people in Canterlot, so you'd need to stay with the teacher and the group. And with your leg broken, I... I just don't think that's a good idea."
Without anything else to be said, or they could think of saying, Apple Bloom slowly made it back to her room locking her door and went to lay on her bed.
Applejack returned to her baking, disappointed in herself that she made her sister upset.
The next day Fluttershy came over to do her six month check-up on the horses.
"Howdy Fluttershy," Applejack said seeing her come up the path.
"Oh um hey Applejack." Fluttershy said smiling.
"They're all in the barn if you want to get started," Applejack said walking her friend over to the barn they kept the horses in.
"I'm sure they'll all be fine," Fluttershy said as they got there.
"Yeah. Oh I forgot to tell you," Applejack said as they walked in. "Apple Bloom and Honey had their first riding lesson yesterday." she said going over to Honey Crisp.
"Oh, I hope Apple Bloom's ok," Fluttershy said starting on Appleseed's hooves.
"What you mean?" Applejack asked.
"Oh... Um... Mac may have told me your family have some more er... traditions than finding 'opposites'," Fluttershy said not sure how to put it, listening to Appleseed's chest.
"Ohhh... I'm going to teach him a lesson," Applejack said a bit annoyed that her friend was being told things that, in her opinion didn't need to be told, by her brother. "What he say?"
"When a Apple has their first riding lesson, they pull too hard on the reins and get thrown off the horse, and um... usually break something." Fluttershy said turning to Appleseed's teeth.
"Yeah well it happened that way then. She's got a broken leg, and will be in a cast for four weeks." Applejack said telling the story."Bit sad by it too since it means she can't go on that field trip of hers to Canterlot."
"Oh, my," Fluttershy said now moving over to Nutmeg.
"Yeah," Applejack said sitting down on the straw bench watching Fluttershy do her work. "So... Got things planed for my brother next week?"
"Er..."
"Hey Applejack, I'd need some help with the trees if your free," Mac had just walked into the barn ears turning a bit pink and smiling, when he saw Fluttershy. "Hey, Shy."
All the sudden Honey Crisp began rearing up and prancing around her stall moving her head from Mac and Fluttershy.
Worried that she'd give something away Mac quickly went over to calm her down.
"Wonder what that was for..." Applejack said getting up so she could go help Mac.
"Probably because she doesn't see me that often." Mac said hoping the girls would go for it.
"I think that was an excited show, rather than a scared one," Fluttershy said going over to see if Honey was fine for the check up. But when she got there, it seemed that Honey wouldn't corroborate.
First she kept pulling her hooves out of Fluttershy's hands, then when Fluttershy was listening to her chest she would run away from the stethoscope, and then Applejack and Fluttershy spent five minutes trying to catch her so Fluttershy could check her teeth.
"She's never been like this before," Applejack said resting on the fence posts panting a bit, Honey still playing around.
"Why don't you try your song Fluttershy?" Mac asked trying not to laugh as he groomed Appleseed.
"That only works if their scared," Fluttershy said unsure of what to do. "Did something happen yesterday other than her throwing Bloom."
At those words Honey stopped playing around and bowed her head in guilt, getting down on the floor.
Seeing the change in emotion, Fluttershy quickly went over to the filly. "Oh, I'm sure it was an accident Honey," she said patting her gently.
"Well I was taking Bloom to the hospital," Applejack said "So you'd need to ask Mac."
The girls turned their eyes on Macintosh who quickly put down Appleseed's brush and said, "So how about those tree's AJ?" and walked out, a bit too fast, thought Applejack.
"Big Macintosh Apple you come back here right now!" Applejack said running after him.
After they left Fluttershy decided to sing an old almost lost to memory song to Honey to try and cheer her up a bit.
*Don't worry, my baby You have nothing to fear I promise I'll protect you And I will always be here - - just for you.
I love you my child And hope you can see That you can always - - count on me
You can trust in me And I hope that I you So that I will have Nothing to fear too.*
But Fluttershy realized when she was finished, that instead of cheering the filly up, she had fallen asleep.
"Humph, goodnight then Honey." Fluttershy said carefully getting up, collecting her things, saying goodbye to Nutmeg and Appleseed, and went out to find Applejack and Big Mac.
Outside, Applejack had caught up with Mac.
"Now you tell me brother," Applejack said looking into his eyes "What happened in that barn after I took Bloom to the hospital?"
Mac sighed, knowing he would have to tell his sister at some point.
"Well Honey seemed down, so I decided to tell her what I had planned for Fluttershy next week." he said rubbing the back of his neck.
"And that is?" Applejack asked.
At that moment Fluttershy could be seen coming up to them.
"Get me one of her rings sis and I'll tell you," he said slipping away when Applejack was confused with the request.
"What do you need one of her..."
"Um Applejack," Fluttershy said coming up "They all seem fine, but I'd like some catch-ups on Honey just in case her mood swings are something to worry about."
"Oh ok," Applejack said. "You want a ride back home?" she asked walking her friend to the gates.
"If you don't mind taking me," Fluttershy said smiling. "Thank you Applejack."
"Would you like some tea Applejack?" Fluttershy asked as she opened her door to her cottage. "You know, as a thank you for bringing me home."
"If you're willing to make some," Applejack said taking her hat off following Fluttershy inside.
It had never occurred to Applejack, that she had never been in Fluttershy's house before.
Small animals ran around free either making themselves comfortable in baskets or on the sofa. Bird houses hung from the ceiling and on the walls, pictures of the two and their friends hang on the walls, one of them was from their high school prom all wearing the dresses that Rarity made for them. All the while Applejack was looking for any sign that would say 'Rings in here'.
As she was looking around, a small white rabbit came up to her and twitched his nose, looking at her in a suspicious sort of way.
"What would you like in your tea Applejack?" Fluttershy called from the kitchen.
"Just some milk please Fluttershy," Applejack answered turning to the odd figurine on the mantle-piece.
It looked like it was suppose to be some sort of lamp, seeing it had a light bulb in it's hand. But what the animal holding it... That was what Applejack couldn't work out.
Gently picking it up, Applejack turned it over to try and find it's branding to work out where it came from. Except there wasn't one.
"Here you go Applejack," Fluttershy said coming in, nearly making Applejack drop the figurine.
"Oh er... Thank you Fluttershy," Applejack said putting the thing back on the mantle-piece going over to have her tea. "Er... if you don't mind me asking Fluttershy," Applejack said after a couple of sips of her tea "Where did you get that... That... thing?" Applejack asked looking over to the mantle-piece nodding to the creepy figurine.
"Oh a few years ago I went on holiday and found a travelling circus," Fluttershy began "They said that the night's show would have to be cancelled because Tia, the leading tiger, wasn't very well. After I said I was a vet and asked if I could try and help her, I found she was about to have her cubs."
"A bit like Nutmeg then?" Applejack asked remembering the day Honey-Crisp was born sounded like this story.
"After helping Tia with her cubs, and making sure that they were alright, the ring master came over and said thank you to me and gave me that lamp. He said the circus's magician, er... Discord, I think he was, in his spare time liked making abstract figurines and said he would like me to have that one for helping them." As Fluttershy finished her story Angel, her pet rabbit came up and hopped onto her lap eying Applejack a bit.
"It kind of scares the animals a bit though." Fluttershy said petting and scratching Angel behind the ears to make him feel better."Which is why I put it up there, so they can't see it, and keep them away from the fire place."
"Wow," Applejack said looking back at it. "But, what's it supposed to be?" she asked.
"It's supposed to be, he said, a legendary monster called a Draconequus." Fluttershy said. When that didn't help she said "That's a creature with the head of a pony, but the arms and legs and other things of all other sorts of animals. See it has a lion's paw, and a bat's wing..."
As Fluttershy went to refill the cups with more tea, Applejack called Angel over.
"Ok Angel," she began "I'm sure you know Fluttershy and Mac have their anniversary next week..." she paused getting a blink in response. "Well I don't know what Mac's planning, but he said he need's one of Fluttershy's rings to make it work..." After she thought about it she face-palmed herself. "I'm such an idiot. Now I know what he's planning."
Angel cocked his head to one side and twitched his ears folding his arms. He was not about to give his carer's jewellery to someone, even if that someone was one of her friends.
"That's what he must of told Honey yesterday," Applejack said putting it all together "No wonder she acted like that when he came in to the barn."
'You going to tell me or what?' Angels expression said amplified by him tapping his foot on the cushion.
"He want to ma..."
"I just found some biscuits in the cupboard Applejack," Fluttershy said coming back in.
Angel seemingly have gotten the message hopped off the sofa and ran upstairs to Fluttershy's room.
* Jumping up onto Fluttershy's bed he made it over to her bedside table and flipped the lid up on the jewellery box on it. Shuffling through the pieces of jewellery , which Angel had no idea why Fluttershy had since her job called her not to have anything on her fingers, he found a simple non-unmissable silver ring, closed the box and went downstairs again.
*
Downstairs Fluttershy was clearing away the biscuits and cups and went back into the kitchen again. Seeing his chance, Angel ran out in front of Applejack trying to get her attention.
Seeing the rabbit had the ring, Applejack took it and patted her thanks to Angel and got up.
"Well I best be getting back to the farm," Applejack said loudly so Fluttershy could hear her. "Thanks for the tea Fluttershy." she said putting her hat back on.
"You're welcome." Fluttershy came out and walked her friend to the door and seeing her off.
On the other side of town, Apple Blooms friends were inside Sugarcube Corner trying to work out what they could do for their friend to make her feel better.
"We can ask Miss Cheerilee to put the trip on hold until she's better," Sweetie Belle suggested.
"But then that would be unfair to the rest of the class," Diamond Tiara said. "Besides everything for this trip has been planned for months.... The tickets for the train, what we'll go and see, where we're going... They can't just move the date just like that."
"Well Rainbow Dash once told me, 'A good friend never leaves another behind. Even if that means giving up on some things.'" Scootaloo said sipping her milkshake.
"Isn't that saying 'A good solider never leaves a man behind' Scoots?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Same thing." Scootaloo said.
"So what are you saying?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"I'm saying, that on the day of the field trip... Instead of going and leaving Apple Bloom behind. We should stay with her and keep her company for the day." Scootaloo said.
"But then she'll feel guilty that we're not going because of her," Sweetie said.
"Well I think it's really nice of you giving up the trip to Canterlot to keep Apple Bloom company," Mrs Cake said coming over with their orders. "And I'm sure she will too."
"I can throw her a 'Get Well Soon Apple Bloom' party if it will make her better," Pinkie Pie, one of Applejack's, Rainbow's and Rarity's friends said coming to the counter looking at the table the girls were sat at.
Pinkie was always the one to go to if there was a party to be put together. Rarity had told Sweetie Belle once that Pinkie even had her own party cannon that could shoot out decorations all over the room.
"Er... Thanks Pinkie, but she seemed a bit up set when we left the farm yesterday," Scootaloo said carefully so's not to get Pinkie into thinking they won't need her.
"Yeah, besides a broken leg need as long as it needs before it's better." Diamond Tiara said starting on her cake. "No amount of wishing or 'Get Well Soon' stuff will change that."
Sighing they all paid for their orders and left the shop.
Back in her room at the farm, Apple Bloom was playing catch with herself, but when the beanbag got out of reach, she had to stop. Then she turned to the books on her bedside table Applejack was letting her borrow.
There were the first few books of 'Daring Do', a series of short stories called *'Equestrian Mystery's'* about four friends going on adventures around ancient Equestria solving each puzzle that comes their way. And her favourite, *'The Night Carnival'*. Even though it was a while since she had read it, Apple Bloom could vaguely remember what it was about.
Deciding that at least it was something to do, Apple Bloom picked the first book off of the pile and began reading.
*
When a knock came at her door Apple Bloom screamed in surprise.
"Aren't you coming for tea then Sugarcube?" Applejack's voice asked though the door after failing to open it.
"What do you mean sis?" Apple Bloom asked while getting up from her bed and going to the door. "It's only 2:30." then seeing the clock on the wall saw it said 6:45.
Opening the door Apple Bloom sheepishly grinned at Applejack saying she got distracted and didn't realize the time.
"That's alright Sugarcube." Applejack said letting Apple Bloom go first.
When they got into the kitchen Apple Bloom noticed someone was missing.
"Hey, where Mac?" she asked getting into a chair.
"He's out on an errand for the gift he's going to give Fluttershy next week." Applejack said dishing up the vegetables.
"What's he got her?" Bloom asked tucking in.
"At the moment nothing," Applejack said taking her hat off and sitting down.
"Then... Then how can be on an errand for it?"
"It's a return to collect me later errand, child" Granny Smith said enjoying her meal with her granddaughters.
Outside the jewellery shop in town, a truck had just pulled up.
Mac walked into the shop and rang the service bell at the bar waiting looking at the rings in the cases.
"May I help you sir?" a sweet voice asked making Mac turn around.
"I'm looking for a ring for my girlfriend," Mac said coming up and placing on the counter the silver ring and a picture of Fluttershy he kept in his wallet.
"It's our five year anniversary next week and I... Well..."
"I get the idea sir," the young lady said smiling. "So I take it that, that is one of her rings for size?" she said pointing at the ring.
"Yep." Mac said.
"Do you have any idea what kind of ring you would like to give her?"
"Something animal related I think," Mac said rubbing the back of his head. "She's a vet and a close friend to one of my sisters."
The young lady walked into a room behind the counter and came back with a book of pictures of rings for Mac to look at.
"If it's an engagement ring set for animals sir," she said turning to the right page "The most popular requests are butterflies, although we have had some dolphins, and once we had a request for a tiger." she said opening up the book and handing it to Mac.
"She did say she went to see the Monarch Butterfly Migration when she was a teenager." he said looking at those ones. "But she cares for endangered animals too. And Applejack told me when she came home, that Fluttershy had a past with a tiger in a travelling circus." Mac said massaging is head because of all the work it was doing.
"If you like we can try putting all those stories onto one ring, sir," the young lady replied smiling that Mac cared so much for this 'Fluttershy' to remember all that.
"How?" Mac asked.
Getting a notepad and pen that was kept by the register the young lady drew a circle and split it into three.
"That way, all the things she wants, can be together." she said.
Thinking that was a great, idea, Mac went with it, after he said what he wanted, thanked the girl and paid half the price upfront so they could get started, he left being told to come back in three days.
As he got outside he looked up at the moon and said "I hope you'll like this Fluttershy."
The next day, Apple Bloom was given a ride to school and was escorted inside by Applejack, to make sure everything was alright.
To beat the rush, they got there a little late meaning everyone saw Apple Bloom with her broken leg. As quickly as she could Apple Bloom made it to her desk while Applejack told Miss Cheerilee what happened.
"... And the doctors say it will take four weeks to get better. So... I told her she can't go on that field trip to Canterlot." she finished.
"We'll look after her Applejack," Miss Cheerilee said smiling her 'you can trust me' smile.
"Thanks Miss Cheerilee," Applejack said heading for the door, slightly worried how the class would take Apple Blooms broken leg.
After Applejack left, Miss Cheerilee turned to see all eyes were on Apple Bloom who had her head down on her desk.
"How about you tell us how you did that to yourself Apple Bloom?" she said getting everyone's attention.
"It was a riding accident..." was all Apple Bloom said. "I'll be like this for four weeks."
"Bet the dumb horse bucked you off the moment you got into the saddle," Twinkle, one of the class room bullies said in a laughing voice.
"Like you'd of done any better with MY horse," Apple Bloom said scrunching up a ball of paper and throwing it at Twinkle to make her shut up.
Just as Twinkle was about to throw it back...
"Enough both of you," Miss Cheerilee said. "Twinkle, that was not a very nice thing to say, Apple Bloom you shouldn't have thrown that ball."
"But she insulted Honey-Crisp..." Apple Bloom said anger in her eye.
"I heard that," Miss Cheerilee said trying to calm Bloom down a bit "But you still shouldn't of thrown it. Now..." she said walking back up to the front of the class "Back to History."
Within five minutes most of the class were writing down notes or copying out of text books. Apple Bloom on the other hand was drawing doodles of her version of what she thought Twinkle should really look like, going through a series of pains.
On Mondays, Fluttershy met up with her friends round town. It was their 'get together day' as Sweetie Belle's sister Rarity, a very popular dress designer, normally called it.
Most of the time though everyone was too busy so it was normally just the two of them at the spa.
"Any plans for next week darling?" Rarity asked as they soaked in the hot tub together.
"Um... Why does everybody keep asking that?" Fluttershy asked looking away from her friend as her hair was toweled up.
"Why it's a very important day darling," Rarity said "Your five year anniversary of you and Mac. You simply have to do something about it."
"Well I think it will be just a ride though the forest, like the last few years." Fluttershy didn't really want to say anything about the 'secret grotto' Appleseed took her and Mac to all those years ago when they were still friends. It turned out, that Mac's parents used to go there. One of the trees even has their initials carved into it, inside a arrow struck heart.
"Oh but that must be simply boring," Rarity said as they went to the steam room.
Saying nothing Fluttershy just smiled. "It gets a bit exciting when the wolves come..." she said quietly thinking back to last year when a few wolves came into the grotto supposedly smelling the picnic.
"W... Wolves?" Rarity asked paying more attention.
"Uh huh..." Fluttershy said "But we don't see them much."
"Well I'm glad of that dear," Rarity said relived, as they now made for the massage beds.
"But you must have something more exotic planned for your five year anniversary."
"Nope" Fluttershy giggled as she used one of Mac's favourite words.
"A meal out, a movie, a trip to the beach, a night out?" Rarity listed somethings getting no responses. "Nothing?"
"We just go with it when the time comes, Rarity." Fluttershy said.
Sighing with defeat "Well whatever it will be, I hope you'll both like it."
Back at the farm...
"So how exactly are you gonna ask the question big brother?" Applejack asked helping Mac with the apple picking.
"I haven't gotten that far yet sis," Mac said placing the full baskets on the truck, and getting out more that were empty.
"So, you're getting the ring, and you know you want her," Applejack said "But you don't know how to ask her yet..."
"Nope." Mac said chewing on a hay strand."It was go to the grotto like always," he said "But then I remembered the tradition about the barn." According to Granny the barn was a popular place for Apples to confess their love to one another and ask the question to each other.
"If you ask me Mac, you began that five years ago remember," Applejack asked a smirk on her face. "That morning after Honey was born, and you were alone in the barn with Appleseed. You started talking about Fluttershy to him. Shame she stopped you isn't it?" Applejack replayed the scene in Mac's head making his ears go a bit pink.
"But that was to dad," Mac said sitting himself under one of the trees, "That was me asking if I could have a chance with her. Not 'I love you will you marry me?' to her. She just came back as I was going though all that." he said looking out over the farm sighing.
"Well whatever you were saying would be a good place to start." Applejack said sitting down too taking her hat off.
"I was saying what chance did someone like me have with a girl like her..." Mac said looking away from his sisters shocked face.
"But she said you were saying things about her..." Applejack said.
"I was saying 'She's so smart and beautiful and was so popular at school, one of your friends," Mac began saying his speech word for word as if it was yesterday "Why can't I just say what I'm thinking when she's around'.... Then as I was getting to 'Why can't I just say I love you?' she cut me off by hugging me and giving me a kiss." he said reliving that day rubbing his cheek still feeling the kiss.
"That's what took her so long then..." Applejack said to herself though Mac wasn't really listening if she was talking to him.
The siblings worked in silence the rest of the morning picking the apples and sorting them so Applejack could take them to market the next day.
As they were finishing up, the alarm of Applejack's watch went off saying it was time to pick up Apple Bloom from school.
Before she left she turned to Mac and said, "Well, I hope you work it out big brother."
"So do I sis..."
"So when are we gonna tell Bloom our plan then Scoots?" Sweetie Belle asked a few feet away from Apple Bloom who was waiting for Applejack to pick her up.
"Closer to the date so she doesn't have a choice on the matter," Scootaloo said back.
At the desks Diamond Tiara was braiding Apple Blooms hair having a conversation with her about that morning.
"I'm er... Sorry for what Twinkle said about Honey, Bloom..." Tiara said crossing the hair into a standard plat.
"Why should you?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Well, before I became friends with you I was with her remember..." she replied.
"So you still stick up and say sorry for her?" Apple Bloom said rubbing her eyes free of the tears forming.
"No... It's just..."
But before Diamond Tiara could say what it was, Applejack came in.
"Ready to go Sugarcube?" she asked nodding to Miss Cheerilee thanking her for letting Bloom stay behind and wait.
"Yes," Bloom said taking up the crutches and making her way over to her sister, waving goodbye to her friends.
Just as they were about to leave too Miss Cheerilee called them back.
"Oh girls," she said waiting until they were all back inside before she continued.
"I just want to say, I think it's very sweet that you'll give up going to Canterlot to keep Apple Bloom company on Field Trip Day."
Laughing on the inside at the shocked faces, she continued.
"This room's not very big girls, I could hear what you were saying. That and I was at Sugercube Corner yesterday and caught your plans in there." she said smiling.
Sweetie was the first to recover. "But we don't know how to tell her we want to do it. Or how she'll take it when we do."
"My suggestion dears," Miss Cheerilee said wiping the board clean "Is wait until the last minute then tell her. That way she won't have her say in it. But if you do that, I suggest a... er 'peace offering' of some kind. You know how Apples can be stubborn."
"Like what?" Scootaloo asked getting out a piece of paper and a pen.
"Cupcakes... cards... flowers..." their teacher listed "You know, something to show your doing this by yourselves because your her friend. Maybe something to do with Honey..."
After a few more minutes the girls left ideas going though their minds, smiles on their faces as they went to Sweet Apple Acres to see Apple Bloom again.
Being a good friend like she was, Rainbow Dash sometimes helped Fluttershy out at the clinic, normally either walking the dogs, or feeding them.
The two of them were tending to the animals feeding hours when the talk returned to Mac and Shy's anniversary that was coming up.
"So chosen what ya gonna do on your big day then Fluttershy?" she asked the way a sister would when mocking the other one.
"Not yet," Fluttershy responded, "Like I told Rarity this afternoon, we normally just go with it. It's normally a moonlight walk through the forest."
"But that's boring," Rainbow said exaggerating. "Last month Soarin and I went to a monster truck rally. Then after that we went over to the hockey ring and I beat him 5 - 0," she said her head a little bigger than before Fluttershy thought.
"Well... Um... I don't think either of us will like that Rainbow," Fluttershy said scratching a mothering cat behind the ear, checking over the kittens.
"But Shy," Rainbow said scooping out another cup of dried animal food mixing it with water and giving it to a very bouncy puppy. "No!" she said to it holding the bowl out of it's reach until it stopped bouncing. "That's better." she said give the pup his food. "Now Shy, you two can't just go into that forest every year. What's in there anyway for you to keep returning to? Why don't you go to a movie for once, or a restaurant, or something?"
"Memory's are in there Rainbow," Fluttershy said turning to her sibling-friend. "Past memory's of... Of his parents, and new ones of the two of us. "The first time we went in there together, Appleseed was showing us where Mac's parents used to have their dates." she paused her eyes starting to sting. "And I think him nearly going the same way his father did five years ago but surviving because of me and 'Jack is another good reason to keep going back, to thank the forest for not taking him. Don't you." she said shoving her half of the pet food into Rainbow's hands and running away to shut herself in her office to cry about how the thought of how she almost lost Mac five years ago to the descendents of the wolves that took the Apple siblings father.
Stunned Rainbow did the rest of the feeding in silence, marked it on the chart, left a note for Fluttershy, and left the clinic thinking to herself that a few hours of football practice would short herself out.
"So what are you getting Fluttershy, Big Mac?" Apple Bloom asked her brother that night at dinner, remembering why he wasn't there the night before.
"It's a surprise Apple Bloom," Mac answered as he served himself some mashed potatoes, ears turning pink.
"But if I know, I can help can't I?" Apple Bloom answered playing with her food looking upset. "You know since I won't be busy getting ready for the field trip."
Seeing how upset his little sister was, Mac sighed pushed his plate away and faced her. "I was getting a ring set up for her for our anniversary." he said smiling a bit.
"That's it?" Apple Bloom asked looking at her brother. "It's your five-year-adversary and you're getting her a ring?"
"Well it's a special ring Sugarcube," Applejack stepped in seeing how bright Mac's ears were getting.
"May I be excused Granny," Apple Bloom asked "I don't feel all that hungry tonight."
"Alright child," Granny Smith said "Would you like one of us to come and say goodnight to you?" she asked ask Apple Bloom got to the door.
"No thank you Granny." Apple Bloom said leaving the adults to have their dinner, as she went up to her room.
*
Back in the Dining-Room, Granny Smith had turned to Mac.
"I hear you're having problems deciding how to ask Fluttershy the question, youngin" she said.
Mac turned to Applejack who through a mouthful of vegetables had a slight evil smile on her face.
"I... I just don't know where to ask it," Mac said "Or what to say Granny." Mac said looking at his plate suddenly not feeling hungry anymore either. "I mean I want to ask her in the barn to carry on the tradition, but the forest is where we er... had our first date." he said ears going again.
"I suggest the barn Big Mac," Applejack said mouth now free. "You know so you can do it in front of Pa, and Honey seeing how excited she seems to be about it."
"Alright," Mac said agreeing with that idea "But I still don't know how to ask her."
"It's not until Friday isn't it?" Applejack said looking at the calendar. "I'm sure if you ask around or give it some time, you'll work it out."
"No offense Sis," Mac said getting ready to induce any pain he might get, "But I don't think you're friends would keep this secret."
But surprisingly nothing came.
"I wasn't talking about my friends Mac," Applejack said clearing her plate away. "I was talking about yours. I'm sure Fancy Pants would have some idea on how to start it off."
Fancy Pants was one of Mac's oldest friends, who now was living in Canterlot as a high aristocrat with his equally as rich wife Fleur de Lis.
"Or we can ask other Apple's for their ideas," Applejack continued. "I'm sure Braeburn would have some. I got an e-mail from him last week saying he just asked for the Chief of the Indians daughter's hand, in Appleloosa."
"I'll think about it." Mac said getting down and heading out for the barn to tend to the animals.
"You better hurry then." Granny said getting herself down and going over to Mac. "You only have until Friday youngin. And I want to see my Great Grandchildren before I go." she said going to her knitting room with a smile on her old worn face.
Sighing again, Mac shook his head and went out to the barn.
As he got to the barn Mac was greeted with the cries from Appleseed, Nutmeg and Honey-Crisp all wanting to know how far he had gotten with Fluttershy.
"Well, I just worked out to ask her in here," Mac said going over to calm them down a bit, getting their brushes out.
"Still don't know how to though."
As if by a joke Appleseed pulled away and bowed to him as if to say 'Like this'
"Yes dad I know how to do it," Mac said continuing as Appleseed got back up. "What I mean is I don't know what to say to her before I do." he said stopping sighing a bit. "I wish you were still here to guide me."
When Mac was about twelve years old and Applejack was around five, one night from coming home from a family reunion their father got attacked by wolves as the car they were in was being repaired. All anyone could find of him the next day was his hat that Mac let Applejack keep, since she had less memories of Appleseed.
"And I wish mum was here to help Apple Bloom through the dumps she's going through at the moment." he continued as he turned to Honey-Crisp seeing her pace around happily wanting to be groomed next.
A few months after the wolves the siblings mother died while having Apple Bloom. The doctors said it was because she was tired from grieving over Appleseed. So Apple Bloom never met either of her parents. All she had were the pictures in Granny's family photo album.
Mac continued the grooming in silence, thinking of his parents. After checking that everyone had what they needed for the night, he left the barn making doubly sure to lock it and went back inside the house and to bed.
The next morning, Apple Bloom tried to get up early so she could sneak out of the house to check up on Honey-Crisp, only to be stopped in the kitchen by Applejack who was getting the ingredients for pancakes out.
"Apple Bloom, what are you doing up this early?" AJ asked putting the frying pan on the side looking at her little sister at the door.
"I... er..." Apple Bloom began "I wanted to help my big sister get breakfast." she said putting on her best fake smile she could so early in the morning.
"Sweetie, nothing's going to happen to Honey." Applejack said bringing her sister up onto her knee to comfort her a bit.
"How do you know AJ?" Apple Bloom asked eyes starting to get wet with tears. "What if she can't remember me when my leg is better and is scared of me, what if the bond that was building up between us disappears because we're separated because of this stupid leg? What if..."
"What if everything will be fine and you got worked up over nothing?" Applejack cut her sister off.
"Me and Mac both know how you're feeling Bloom," Applejack said resting her head on top of Bloom's "We both felt it too when we were broken from our falls and had to be separated from the horses for them to heal."
"But can't I just see her?" Apple Bloom asked "She must be getting very lonely. All by herself, alone, in that cold barn, with nothing to do..." she broke out into the best puppy dog pout she could do, eyes wide glowing with how wet they were from her tears, her bottom lip moving, as she looked at her sister.
"Bloom you know that don't work on me." Applejack said giving her sister her hat to cheer her up. "But if you're that worried we might as well go and see her before you need to get ready for school then. Come on." she said picking Bloom up and walking to the door.
* As they got to the barn they could hear the horses as they approached, but something was wrong.
"Wh... Why do they sound scared AJ?" Apple Bloom asked hugging her sister's neck a bit tighter.
"I don't know Little Sis," Applejack said placing Apple Bloom down gently and opening the doors and after telling Bloom to wait for a minute went inside going over to the horses seeing something was definitely not right.
Suddenly a snake of some kind slithered out of the stall that had Honey-Crisp in it who was down on the ground her right fore hoof bleeding a bit, and Nutmeg and Appleseed scared that something was wrong with their little filly. After calming down the two adults and asking if she could go and check on Honey, Applejack went in to see her.
"Sis, what's wrong?" Apple Bloom asked moving into the doorway "Why was there a snake in here? Why are you in Honey's stall?" then after seeing Honey was down asked "What's wrong with her? You said nothing would happen to her! You gave a Sister's Promise!"
"Apple Bloom," Applejack said going over to her sister who because she couldn't runaway, just gave AJ the cold shoulder tears running down her cheeks.
"Ok you might not want to listen to me right now Bloom," Applejack began, "But I got the feeling you'd do this any way: Stay with her while I go back to the house and call Fluttershy." And with that Applejack ran out of the barn, into the kitchen into Mac, told him what was going on and called Fluttershy.
In the veterinary clinic, Fluttershy was already up and just finishing the morning feeding's when the phone rang.
"Who would be calling at 6:45 in the morning?" she asked herself picking up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Fluttershy, it's Applejack," the voice on the other end of the line said. "We need you over here right away."
"AJ"
"I was taking Bloom out to show her that Honey was alright, but when we got there, Seed and Nutmeg were screaming, and a snake came out of Honey's stall,"
"AJ,"
"And now she's down and her right fore hoof is bleeding."
"AJ calm down you're sounding like Pinkie." Fluttershy said feeling strange ordering one of the strongest of the friends around. "Just take in a deep breath, slowly let it out and tell me slowly what happened"
After hearing an exhale, Applejack's voice came back.
"I was taking Bloom to see Honey. When we got there Seed and Nutmeg were screaming. I went in to see what was wrong, and a snake came out of Honey's stall, and in there, Honey was down and her right fore hoof was bleeding. And Bloom's all up set and... And worried, and we need your help!"
"I'll be there as fast as I can." Fluttershy said hanging up the phone, and checking off that that morning's feeding's had been done, before getting her vet's bag and heading out the door and was on her way to the apple farm.
*
Back in the farm's kitchen, Applejack hung up the phone and turned to her brother.
"Mac..." she said tears in her eyes slightly. "I'm scared..."
"Why? I was the last one in there last night, I should have checked everything was alright before I came back here." Mac said hugging his sister like they did when they got the news of their dad as kids.
"I broke a Sister's Promise with Bloom," Applejack explained reaching for her hat to cry into only to remember that Apple Bloom had it. "I... I kept saying that nothing would happen to Honey, and now she's laying in the barn hoof bleeding and I didn't even get a good look at the snake so I couldn't tell what it was." she said burying her face into Mac's shirt "What if she doesn't make it and Bloom hates me for the rest of my life? What if Nutmeg wants to stop me riding her because Bloom tells her it's my fault Honey got snaked? What if..."
"Applejack Catharine Apple," Mac said pushing his sister away to look into her eyes that were now all red and blotchy from her tears. "Enough with the 'What if's' alright?" Mac asked hugging her again. "What we need to do now is to be out there with Bloom to make sure everything's alright until Fluttershy comes. Understand?" he pushed her away again to see if she was alright, seeing her nod in understanding, splashing water on her face and together they went out to the barn.
When Fluttershy pulled up to the apple farm and got out of her car, she went straight to the barn, seeing all three siblings with their horses all looking at Honey-Crisp hoof still bleeding, which meant the bite must of happened recently.
Knowing that Nutmeg and Appleseed trust her anyway, she slowly got into her stall and went over to the hoof in question inspecting it.
"Ok, first question," she said looking up at the Apple's before opening her bag. "Did you see what type of snake it was that came out of her stall?"
"All I remember was that it was plain brown, moving around a lot under the straw before it found it's way out and slithered away." Applejack said stroking Nutmeg to stay calm, almost hyper-ventilating with all the pressure she had on her.
"That sounds like a Ground Snake then," Fluttershy said finishing cleaning the wound and was now putting bandages over the filly's hoof. "Thankfully they aren't venomous."
"I'm hearing a 'But' coming..." Mac said next to Appleseed patting his back.
"Honey's lost a lot of blood, and is weak," Fluttershy said listening to the filly's chest. "We need to get her standing again, but she can't put any weight onto her hoof till at least tomorrow night."
Nodding in understatement Mac and Applejack set up a horses jacket to hold Honey up so she was standing, holding her slightly above the ground so her hoof wasn't touching it, a sad look on her face.
"Will she be ok Fluttershy?" Apple Bloom asked now in Mac's arms looking at Honey tears in her eyes.
Knowing this bite could go either way, but not wanting to get Apple Bloom's hopes up said...
"How about I sing a song my mother use to sing to me when I was little? I already sang it Honey, it might cheer her up a bit."
Waiting to get a nod from Apple Bloom, Fluttershy went over to the straw bench and held out her arms, welcoming the youngest Apple onto her lap.
"Ahem...
Don't worry, my baby You have nothing to fear I promise I'll protect you And I will always be here - - just for you.
I love you my child And hope you can see That you can always - - count on me
You can trust in me And I hope that I you So that I will have Nothing to fear too."
"I've never heard you sing that before Fluttershy," Mac said standing by Appleseed again staying strong, for his upset little sister.
"Well I don't get to sing it that often," Fluttershy said hiding behind her hair blushing. "There is more, but I don't remember it."
Not on speaking terms with Applejack, Apple Bloom turned to her brother and asked "Can I stay here all day and look after Honey, Mac?"
"No way Bloom," Applejack said turning to her sister in surprise "It's a school day, you need to go to school..."
"I wasn't asking you, you promise breaking liar." Apple Bloom said taking the hat off of her head and throwing it to the ground in anger, before turning back to Mac.
"Err... No Apple Bloom, you need to go to school. But..." Mac said before Bloom could say anything. "We can have Winona come here and watch over her and get us if need be. Will that be alright?"
Winona was Applejack's collie, she was very obedient, and very loyal Apple Bloom was happy someone like that would be watching Honey so she agreed, said good bye to the horses and left with Mac to get ready for school and bequest Winona with this task before she left for it.
*
In the barn Applejack was picking her hat off of the ground tears in her eyes again. Something that did not go unnoticed by Fluttershy or the horses Nutmeg nudging her slightly asking if she was alright.
"I'm fine you guys." Applejack said looking from the horses to Fluttershy. "I... I just don't know if Bloom will forgive me after this is all over."
"Of course she'll forgive you AJ," Fluttershy said going over to her friend. "That's what sisters do, they fight, they don't speak with each other for a while, they see their ways, and then they're best friends again. "Ask Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Last summer, remember, when Sweetie was staying with Rarity, she accidentally used all the sapphires Rarity had to use on a gown for a very important client. She got annoyed with Sweetie because of the messes she had been making and destroyed her inspiration room by rearranging everything, and shrinking her woolen jumper."
Applejack nodded smiling a bit. That had been the week leading up to the Sisterhood Social the Apple Family always put on every year, where pairs of sisters - one older one younger - came to the farm and had a day of bonding all ending with an obstacle course.
"I remember 'Shy" Applejack said smiling wiping tears away "That's when I taught Rarity sisters are like apple pie."
"And they've been better sister since then haven't they," Fluttershy said "Just give Bloom some time, she'll come around sisters always do."
Unfortunately Fluttershy didn't know how long Apples can hold grudges.
She was about to say this when a brown and white dog came bouncing in barking happily pleased to see Fluttershy and her mistress cocking her head at Applejack as if asking if everything was alright.
"I'm fine girl, just... Just worried for Honey here." Applejack said. Winona knew she was lying, but seeing how upset Applejack was didn't want to push her any further, and just went over to lay in the straw at Nutmeg's hooves her eyes on Honey-Crisp ears twitching analyzing her surroundings to make sure everything is ok as Applejack and Fluttershy left the barn after saying goodbye.
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.
At school everyone was gone except The Crusaders none of whom wanted to talk about Honey-Crisp for fear of jinxing something.
"I knew you girls were there when I was telling Miss Cheerilee about Honey earlier," Apple Bloom said letting Sweetie Belle place her mark on her cast.
"We didn't mean to listen in Bloom," Scootaloo said her jacket around her waist now the school day was over.
"It's ok," Apple Bloom said smiling at how great her friends were. "I mean you were going to find out at some point right?"
"So what was the song Fluttershy sang Apple Bloom?" Diamond Tiara asked once again braiding Apple Bloom's hair.
"Well I'm not sure I should sing it, I mean she said it was something her mother use to sing to her."
"I'm sure she won't mind Bloom," Tiara said smiling, keeping the news about the ring she got from her father, who got it from her Aunt Topaz at the jewellery shop in town.
"Well... Ok, err.. it went like..." but before Apple Bloom could get the first note out Big Mac was at the door of the class room.
"Ready to go Bloom?" he asked swinging his keys round his fingers.
"Yes." Bloom said getting up and hobbling as fast as she could to the door so she could get to see Honey all the sooner.
"Thanks for keeping her back Miss Cheerilee" Mac said holding the door open for his little sister laughing on the inside as to how determent she was, but then again she was an Apple.
"You're welcome Big Mac," Cheerilee said as she finished wiping the board clean.
Waiting a few minutes to be sure they were gone, the girls turned the other way as they left the school to go find Pinkie and Twilight.
The girls had just made it to Sugercube Corner where the twins, Pound and Pumpkin, now seven years old, turning eight the next day, were outside giving away free samples of that weeks weakest selling brands to get the people of Ponyville to remember how good they are.
"Hi guy's" Scootaloo called as she pushed her scooter along towards them.
"Hi!" they both replied.
"Would you like to try some free samples?" Pumpkin asked holding out the tray with gingerbread men on it, while Pound held one with chocolate chip cookies.
"I suppose we could try them," Sweetie Belle said thanking the two as she took one. "But we actually came here to see Pinkie."
"Auntie Pinkie's in the kitchen," Pound said smiling.
"Yeah," Pumpkin said "She thinks we don't know what's going on, but we had an idea since we came home and Mum and Dad gave us these trays, but we know she's planning something big for us tomorrow and wants it to be a surprise."
"Err... you two do know what 'Surprise' means right?" Diamond Tiara said grinning at how happy the twins were.
"Of course. Why?" they asked together.
"No reason..." she said as the girls went inside.
"Hello girls," Mrs. Cake said from the counter "The usual?" she said getting her pen and pad out.
"Not today thank you Mrs. Cake," Scootaloo said resting her scooter by the door. "We actually came to ask Pinkie if she could put together a party for Apple Bloom on Field Trip Day."
At that moment a 'BANG' came from the kitchen and they all went to the door to see what happened, seeing Mr. Cake, and Pinkie covered in flour.
"Whoops," Pinkie said grinning "Sorry Mr. Cake, I guess I added too much baking soda."
"That's alright Pinkie," Carrot Cake said cutting his burning torch off, brushing the flour off himself. "It was an accident."
"Are you two alright Mr. Cake?" Sweetie Belle asked, Tiara and Scootaloo holding back their laughs the best they could.
"We're fine Miss Belle," because Carrot was always in the kitchen, he wasn't that close to the customers as Cup Cake was.
"Would you like some help?" she continued.
"Why thank you girls," he said going into the broom cupboard to get some more brooms handing them and dust pans out.
After Mrs. Cake went back to the counter to oversee the shop, and a few minutes of clearing away the flour, Pinkie spoke up.
"So what kind of party do you want for Bloom then girls?" she said her pile of flour the biggest one of the others.
"We just learnt one of the things we would of gone and seen up there was a solar eclipse." Scootaloo said dumping her heap into the bin. "So we thought you can throw her a Solar Eclipse party so she wouldn't be left out."
"Sure I can do that," Pinkie said now dumping her own heap of flour to the bin.
"Err... Pinkie," Tiara asked carefully "Just asking here, but do you know what a solar eclipse is?"
A pause came as the girls watched Pinkie waiting for her answer.
"Nope." she said to sighs from the girls. "But we can go and ask Twilight. She'll know what it is." she said hanging her apron on the hooks by the kitchen door. "That is if we can go see her Mr. Cake?" she said turning to Carrot who was just bringing out a tray of brownies from the oven.
"Of course you can Pinkie." he said smiling "Would you take these to Cup Cake as you're going that way please?"
Without further delay, Pinkie and the Crusaders were off to the library to see Twilight.
*
When they got there, the first person they saw however was Fluttershy looking at the children's books.
"Hey Fluttershy." they all said.
"Eep..." she said jumping as she didn't hear them coming up behind her. "Oh er... hello everybody."
"Why are you here Fluttershy?" Scootaloo asked picking up the book Fluttershy had just dropped on the floor.
"Well the baby animals at the clinic and my house, were getting bored of the stories I kept reading over and over, so I decided to come and get some new ones."
"Are you alright Fluttershy?" a new voice called out as sofly as it could, seeing that it was a library.
"I'm ok Twilight," Fluttershy called back, as a late teenaged girl with purple hair with stripes of pink and violet going through it, stood at the door to see what happened.
"Oh hey girls, hi Pinkie," she said seeing the Crusaders and Pinkie Pie had just come in. "Anything I can help you with?"
And for the rest of the afternoon, the Crusaders were discussing their plans with Pinkie, Twilight, and Fluttershy, who after a while had to leave to tend to her animals.
At the farm, Apple Bloom spent all her time, since she got home after school in the barn to help Winona watch over Honey-Crisp, but had fallen asleep in the straw, but woke up as Mac came in to see if everyone was alright and say good night to them.
"Everything alright then Bloom?" he said coming over to sit next to her in the straw opposite Honey.
"Mac..." Bloom asked not looking up at him.
"Yep?"
"Will... Will Honey be alright." Apple Bloom asked "I... I told Miss Cheerilee about the snake at school, and said that Fluttershy said she would be fine. But then I remember she didn't say anything about Honey when I asked her."
"I'm sure she'll be fine Bloom." Mac said bringing his little sister into a hug "She's a big girl now remember? And we Apple's can get through anything. Granted sometimes we need help from our friends...." Mac said remembering AJ's first lone apple harvest when he hurt himself and was so determined to get it done as well as help all her friends, she made half of Ponyville sick and caused a stampede of baby bunnies to run though town. He also remembered that afternoon when he called Fancy Pants to help him work out how to ask Fluttershy the question.
"Mac..." Apple Bloom said bringing Mac back to the barn.
"Er... yep?" he asked.
"Can... Can you sing me Ma's lullaby? The one that Fluttershy sings to calm down her animals."
"I'm not much of a singer Bloom," Mac said ears turning pink.
"I don't mind Big Brother," she said getting comfy in Mac's arms, closing her eyes.
"Ok, but don't judge me." Mac said taking a deep breath.
Hush now quiet now, It's time to lay your sleepy head, Hush now quiet now, It's time to go to bed.
Drifting off to sleep, Leave this day behind you, Drifting off to sleep, May good dreams come to find you.
Hush now quiet now, It's time to lay your sleepy head, Hush now quiet now, It's time to go to bed.
As he finished he heard Apple Bloom's soft snores and smiled. Gently pulling out a pen and some paper he had in his pocket, Mac wrote a quick note to Granny and Applejack and gave it to Winona, telling them that they would be sleeping in the barn tonight.
*
Applejack was just finished playing cards with herself in the Living room, when Winona came in Mac's note in her mouth placing it at her mistress's feet and twirling with happiness that she had done her job right.
Applejack picked the note up and read:
Me and Bloom are sleeping in the barn tonight to watch over Honey.
Don't worry we'll be fine.
Mac.
A bit shocked that Mac would even think to write this Applejack ran out to the barn to tell him how foolish this was.
But changed her mind when she got there seeing Mac and Bloom both asleep in the straw. Sighing Applejack went up to the hay loft and fished out the Apple Reunion Quilt, came back down, and draped it over the two of them. Said goodnight to everyone, pushed the doors closed and went to bed.
The next morning, Mac was woken up by barking and a cold wet nose on his cheek.
"Morning girl." Mac said stretching seeing they were in the barn."Jack let us stay here then?"
"Only because you were both asleep when I came in." his sister said folding up the quilt standing over them.
"So what time is it?" Mac asked gently waking Bloom up and helping her to her feet.
"It's quarter-past seven, so I came to get you two for breakfast." Applejack said coming back down from the loft.
"I'm not hungry," Apple Bloom said going over to Honey to see if she was alright.
"Well then you can come in and get ready for school." Applejack said on deaf ears to her sister.
"I want to be here when Fluttershy comes over." she said hugging Honey with one arm as the other was holding her other crutch.
Knowing Bloom would tune out Applejack's voice Mac said. "She's not going to come until this evening Bloom, and either way you need to go to school on a full stomach to get you through the day."
Knowing Mac was right, Apple Bloom turned and raised her arms asking to be picked up.
"She'll be ok," Mac said hoisting Apple Bloom up and heading to the door after they said goodbye. "She's an Apple..." he began.
"...And Apples are strong." Bloom finished smiling.
* In the barn, Applejack sighed turning to Nutmeg and getting her brush out.
Once again sensing something was wrong, Nutmeg nudged Applejack to see if everything was alright.
"I'm just scared of losing Bloom, Nutmeg." Applejack said rubbing tears away from her eyes. "While we were coming back from the hospital the day her leg got broken, I gave a Sister's Promise that everything will be alright, and Honey would be safe." she said as she looked over at Honey.
That morning Mac took Apple Bloom to school, and knowing she'd want him with her and Honey in the barn that evening, went on to the jewellery store to collect Fluttershy's ring.
After ringing the bell, the young lady from before came out of the room behind the counter and smiled.
"Good to see you again Sir," she said smiling coming to the desk with a small box.
"I was just taking some pictures of the ring to add to the book, if that was alright. But I have it in here, and her ring you gave me." she said opening the box to revel a three section with a golden boarder ring reach part holding a different animal, Butterfly, Dolphin, and Tiger.
"I hope it all works out." she said handing it over to him when Mac paid for it.
"Thank you." Mac said taking the box and Fluttershy's simple silver ring with him as he left.
When he got back to the farm just as he was halfway up the stairs to put the ring in a safe place Granny Smith called from her knitting room.
"Got the ring then youngin?"
"Sure do Granny," Mac called coming back down and entering the room to talk to her better.
"Worked out what y'all going to say to her yet?" she asked counting stitches.
"Sort of," Mac said sitting down on the floor holding the box. "Fancy helped me what to say," he said getting the piece of paper from yesterday out of his pocket "But I don't know how to say it yet."
"Well you still have two more days youngin'." Granny said casting off the square she was working on and placed it on the pile on the table next to her that was beside a half completed blanket. "I'm sure you can work it out. You're father did."
"But did he have to deal with his two sisters not talking to one another because of someone getting hurt?" Mac asked picking up the blanket and wool needle attaching new squares onto it.
"Well no," Granny said starting a new square "But as you told Applejack yesterday, we are all living under one roof, so they'll have to start talking to one another again eventually."
Just then a knock came at the door showing Applejack looking worried.
"Granny, can I ask you for some advice?" she asked taking her hat off and getting down on the floor with Mac who gave her a needle and half the squares.
"Of course child." Granny said pausing her knitting so she could talk to Applejack.
"Well, Bloom was already slightly upset with me because I told her she couldn't go to Canterlot on her field trip," she began looking down to see if she was attaching the square right. "Then yesterday when she came down early to see Honey, I specifically said to her 'Nothing's going to happen to Honey.'" she said picking up another one. "Then after we got there, heard Seed and Meg calling out and saw Honey down, she... She got all upset at me." she said halting her work for a bit. "She said I broke my Sister's Promise that everything, more Honey than anything else, would be safe." she said continuing.
"Now whenever I try and talk to her, she gives me the cold shoulder, and acts like I'm not there. I... I'm scared of losing her for some reason."
"Child," Granny said gently turning to Applejack as if Mac wasn't there to help AJ a bit. "She's just scared that she might lose someone important to her. She's never had to go through this before remember." Granny said reaching out her hand to pet Applejack on the top of her head.
"And you didn't break your promise to her, because of Fluttershy, everything will be fine and everyone will be safe."
"But I broke it by letting Honey get hurt in the first place." Applejack said tears running down her cheeks.
"Dear no one would have known that this would happen," Granny said "The important thing is to remember that things can and could have been worse."
"Like..." she asked.
"Like if you didn't get out there as soon as you did, Honey could have been in worse a state as she was," Granny said returning to her knitting. "Or it could have been a venomous snake that bit her, but thankfully it wasn't."
"I guess." Applejack said returning to her share of the squares.
"And don't worry about her trip to Canterlot," Granny said smiling. "I have a feeling in my old bones that will be sorted out when the time comes."
With that the three of them continued to work on the blanket neither sibling going out to do their chores for the day listening happily to one of Granny's family stories.
That evening after the siblings had all finished the dinner and cleared their plates, they went out to the barn to wait for Fluttershy so she can see if Honey-Crisp was better.
"When will she get here?" Apple Bloom asked leaning on the fence of Honey's stall stroking her horses nose wishing things would be alright.
"She'll get here when she gets here Bloom." Mac said a piece of paper in his hand his lips moving as his eyes scanned it.
"Have you gone back and gotten her gift for Friday yet?" Apple Bloom asked still wondering why out of all the things he can get for Fluttershy he'd choose a ring.
"Yep," Mac said not looking up "It's up in my room safe till I need it."
"Still don't know why she'd want it." Bloom said trying to get some more information out of her brother.
All the while Applejack was with Nutmeg staying quiet remembering what Granny had said.
"As Applejack said Bloom, it's a special ring." Mac said putting the paper away and going over to his little sister.
"How?" Apple Bloom asked.
Mac was about to answer when...
"Hi Fluttershy," Applejack called warning him that he was about to blow the surprise, causing him to turn around smiling.
"Fluttershy!" Apple Bloom said forgetting about Mac and the ring and only thinking about Honey.
"Hi everybody," Fluttershy said smiling "Sorry I'm late Rainbow couldn't come and help me with the animals tonight."
"That's ok Shy," Applejack said smiling for the first time she was in there.
"Well if you're sure," Fluttershy said walking up to Honey getting her stethoscope out to listen to the filly's chest.
"Her breathing's fine and she looks determined to start walking again." Fluttershy said to everyone. "Mac, AJ can you lower her down please?"
Slowly Mac and Applejack untied the rope holding Honey up in the harness and lowered her down until she was on her hooves.
"Ok Honey," Fluttershy said gently, stroking the filly's nose to say it was alright. "Can you walk around a bit? Just so we can see if your hoof's better please?"
Slowly looking down at the ground Honey-Crisp nervously raised her hooves and was slowly moving them to the ground when she stopped.
"It's ok girl," Apple Bloom called from the straw bench watching her horse, silently wishing everything would be fine. "You can do it."
Honey looked at the ground again and finished placing her bandaged hoof down, then slowly she lifted her left hoof and placed it down and started slowly pacing along the fence.
"Ok girl," Fluttershy said bringing her back to her "Now I'm going to ask Mac and AJ to take your harness off so you'll be on your own ok?"
As though thinking it over Honey shook her head saying 'No!'
"Why?" Fluttershy asked cocking her head curious.
In answer, Honey-Crisp lifted her bitten hoof and whinnied shaking her head, backing away a bit.
"I know your scared Honey, but I need you to do this to see if you're ok. Ok?" Fluttershy asked gently.
Honey-Crisp thought about this then looked over at Nutmeg, Appleseed and Apple Bloom. Taking a deep breath in, Honey nodded and let Mac and Applejack take the harness off so she was now standing on her own.
Slowly Honey began walking again, pacing along the fence, then trotting, and then came back to Fluttershy.
"See, you're fine," Fluttershy said holding her hand out asking to see Honey's hoof to re-bandage it. After that was done and Honey was down in the straw asleep, Fluttershy turned to everyone.
"Her hoof's fine," she said putting her stuff away "But I'd think you should keep an eye on her just in case."
"Thank you Fluttershy," Apple Bloom said hopping over to hug her tightly.
"You're welcome," she said hugging her back "All of you." she said looking to Mac, and Applejack with Appleseed and Nutmeg.
*
After saying goodnight to the horses and shutting the doors they all left the barn, Bloom and Applejack going into the house as Mac walked Fluttershy home.
"Bloom's very protective over Honey, isn't she?" Fluttershy asked as they left the farm's gates.
"Granny says it's because she never had to go through this before, and she's scared of losing her." Mac said thinking about what Granny said to Applejack that day.
They walked in silence for a bit, both trying to think about what to say to the other.
"Um... Mac?" Fluttershy asked starting to play with her hair.
"Yep?"
"I was in the library yesterday, and Apple Bloom's friends came in with Pinkie and we got to talking about how she can't go to Canterlot," She said not looking at her boyfriend nervous. "They told us that they were planning to stay behind and keep her company on that day, and said they asked Pinkie to throw a Solar Eclipse party so she wouldn't miss out on seeing it up there."
She took in a breath.
"But Twilight said the apple farm isn't a good place to see it when it happens. So..." she said thinking how she was going to ask this question.
"So....?" Mac encouraged stopping for a bit.
"So I suggested the Grotto, and Twilight said that would be the perfect place to have it. But since it, well was found by your parents, sort of, we thought we should ask you if we could use it."
"Fluttershy," Mac said grabbing hold of her hand. "The Grotto doesn't belong to anyone. But I'd be happy to open it up to Bloom's friends to hold this party for her, if you are."
Smiling they both continued down the road.
"Do... Do we have anything planned for Friday?" Fluttershy asked blushing smile getting bigger as she saw Mac's ears turn pink.
"I... I have something," Mac said clearing his throat to break the silence. "But it's a surprise. Just come over to the farm, and meet me in the barn on Friday, and I'll tell you about it then."
"Hum... I hope it works out between 'Jack and Bloom." She said now they were at her cottage smiling dreamily. "Goodnight Mac." she said going in after kissing him goodbye.
"Goodnight Fluttershy." he said turning away after the door was shut, and started heading back to the farm.
All the next day Macintosh was in the barn rehearsing how he was going to ask for Fluttershy's hand.
But he was having trouble getting the words from his brain to his mouth...
"Ok thirty-seven's time the charm," he said trying not to think of the animals watching him, or how he messed up the last thirty-six attempts.
"Ok... Ahem...
'Fluttershy, I love you,"
Getting nods from everyone 'So far so good'.
"I want to spend every moment of my life with you,"
More nods 'Getting there'.
"I've met you from the first moment I loved you...
HORSE APPLES!" Mac cried falling backwards into the straw hands over his face in misery.
And there it goes. 'And so close too.' everyone shaking their heads.
"You almost had it youngin'" Granny's voice came out of the silence making Mac jump a bit.
"I don't think I'll ever get it right Granny," he said lowering his hands looking up at the ceiling.
"Why don't you take a break son?" Granny said walking over to him. "You've been in here all morning you know."
"That's because I can't get it right." Mac said getting up hugging his knees and looking away from Granny.
"Well why don't you give up then," Granny Smith said going the same way she did with her Appleseed when he was going though this.
"Because I'm an Apple," Mac said "Apples are stubborn."
"You sure that's the only reason son?" she asked.
Thinking Mac said "I... I'm doing it because I love her, and I want to spend every moment of my life with her, I... I've loved her since I first met her." Mac said not thinking about what he was saying. "And I want her to marry me."
"There you go sonny, you can to do!" Granny said smiling at the confused look on her grandson's face, just like the one Appleseed wore.
"Huh?" Mac asked.
"While telling me why you were doing this, son," Granny said "You said word for in-correct-order word, what you've been trying to say all morning."
Realizing she was right Mac smiled at his grandmother. "Thanks Granny. I... I think I'm going to take Seed out for a ride if that's alright?" he asked turning to his horse who nodded and started pacing his fence.
"Just be yourself tomorrow son," Granny said walking out the barn. "She likes you for you, and you don't need words to tell that. Oh and be careful while you're out. Don't want all this practice going to waste do we?"
*
A few minutes later Appleseed was outside the barn in his saddle, bags on his back filled with a small first aid kit, water canteens, pen and paper, and a small packed lunch. Mac had just shut the barn doors hoisted himself up, and was leading Appleseed to the forest to visit the grotto.
At Blooms school, to get back at Apple Bloom for the paper ball on Monday, Twinkle walked over to her desk at lunch that day and put on her best acting face.
"Apple Bloom, I just heard about what happened to Honey-Crisp," she started off Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, giving confused looks to each other while Diamond Tiara had her jaw clenched and hands into fists.
"I just came over to say I'm really sorry..."
But as Apple Bloom was about to say it was ok Twinkle added in her normal voice.
"Sorry it wasn't a snake with poison in its mouth. Ha Ha Ha Ha." she said walking away rejoining Golden Edge and Jewel who were also laughing.
Annoyed that she couldn't do anything Apple Bloom shot daggers at her as Twinkle turned away. But what happened next was a surprise to everyone.
After about five minutes of confusion and 'GO! GO! GO! GO!'s' from the class Miss Cheerilee stepped forward and separated the girls on the floor Twinkle and
"Diamond Tiara?" everyone asked shocked thinking the one who would of gone after Twinkle first would have been Scootaloo, but when everyone looked up to see her, she was being held back by Sweetie Belle both as shocked as the rest of the class.
Twinkle had a black eye, her perfect hair ripped out of the braided pony-tail and teeth marks on her arm.
Diamond Tiara had a bloody nose, her uniform ripped at the sleeves, and nail scratches down her legs.
"Everyone expect you five," Miss Cheerilee pointed to the girls and Twinkle "Please go outside. Now."
With no words or noise, the whole class left the class room, the last person closing the door.
"Now. One at a time. What happened?" Miss Cheerilee asked sitting at her desk.
"All I was doing Miss was saying sorry because how I heard about what happened to Honey-Crisp." Twinkle said rubbing the bite marks on her arm.
"She said she was sorry it wasn't a venomous snake that bit her Miss." Apple Bloom said still shooting daggers trying not to cry in front of Twinkle Star.
Sighing Miss Cheerilee asked a simple question
"What do you have against each other girls?"
"She's just a hot-head-bully.""She's always picking on us." "She's always making fun of me my family and my horse."
"You took our friend away!" Twinkle said looking at the girls Diamond Tiara standing next to them.
"I chose to leave you!" Diamond Tiara said stepping forward halting when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "I found that I rather have friends who like me for me and who I like in return, rather than be a... A hot-headed-always-picking-on-people-and-making-fun-of-them-bully for the rest of my life!"
Tears forming in her eyes Twinkle rushed to the door opening it making the class fall to the floor and ran to the girls bathroom to cry.
"Sweetie Belle can you go with Diamond Tiara to the nurse please." Miss Cheerilee asked not caring her class was eavesdropping. "Scootaloo can you help Apple Bloom outside to get some air."
Both girls nodding in understanding leading the other two out as the class came back in to finish their lunches in silence.
In town Fluttershy was in Sugarcube Corner with Twilight and Pinkie saying Mac gave the ok's to using the grotto for the party.
"Yay!" Pinkie said setting the place up for the twins birthday party that afternoon when they came home from school.
"Are you sure Mac's ok with it?" Twilight asked sipping at her milkshake. "It's just the way you told us about it the other day, it sounded like it was important to him."
"It is," Fluttershy said, "And he said he was alright with it if I am. And I'd like to take part in this if it will make Apple Bloom happy."
Suddenly Fluttershy's phone rang.
"Hello?" she asked answering it.
"Is Mac with ya Fluttershy?" a worried sounding Applejack asked.
"AJ? What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked making Twilight and Pinkie stop and listen.
"Mac's missing, Granny said he went out to ride Seed around 11o'clock but it's now 4:30 and Appleseed came back alone all scared like, like the time with the wolves."
"Oh no." Fluttershy said tears in her eyes. "You don't think..."
"Don't even make me think of it Fluttershy!" Applejack screamed down the phone. "Just tell me if he's with you!"
"No sorry." Fluttershy said fishing out some money to pay for her snack waving goodbye and running out the door still listening to Applejack.
"Well where are you?"
"I was at Sugarcube Corner and I'm coming as fast as I can to the farm." Fluttershy said running down he street and up the dirt path to the farm hoping Mac's alright.
When she got there she saw Applejack was pacing around eyes shifting side to side muttering to herself, Appleseed doing the same thing.
It would have been funny if the situation hadn't been as bad as it is.
Seeing Fluttershy Applejack stopped and ran up to her tears in her eyes.
"Oh Shy, where can he be?" she asked pulling away.
Appleseed called to Fluttershy and pointed to his back.
Understanding, Fluttershy got on and said to Applejack "You stay here in case he comes back. Keep your phone on. Me and Appleseed will go and try and find him in the woods." and with that Fluttershy put her riding lessons she had been having for the past few years to the test, as she set off to the forest.
In the woods Mac was lying on the ground in a pain he hadn't felt since the first and suppose-to-be-last time Seed threw him off.
Breathing heavily trying to keep his eyes open he listened for the sound of Appleseed coming back hopefully with help.
It was getting dark now, and even though his fear of the forest at night was less than it was, he was still scared.
Then he heard it. The sound of galloping hooves coming towards him turning his head he saw Appleseed and
"Fl... Fluttershy?" he asked weakly, trying not to move too much to keep the pain down.
"MAC!" Fluttershy said getting down and running over to him. "What happened?"
"Something spooked Seed and I was thrown off." Mac said inhaling loudly. "Hurts exactly where it did last time, guess that's a new 'tradition' eh?"
"Mac stop trying to be funny this is serious." Fluttershy said dialling Applejack with her phone, going over to comfort an upset Appleseed.
"Hello?"
"I found him AJ" Fluttershy said happily.
"Is he alright?" she asked worried.
"Sort of." Fluttershy said "He says Seed threw him and he thinks he broke his ribs again. But he's trying to be funny about the pain so I think he's alright."
"Do you know where you are so we can call for help?" Applejack asked.
"Not really," Fluttershy said looking around wishing she had been paying attention on the way in. "And I don't have enough supplies to fix him up to get him back to the farm."
Applejack started to hyperventilate in panic.
"AJ calm down everything's fine."
"Let me speak to her Shy," Mac said.
Putting her phone on speaker but staying quiet Fluttershy let the two speak to one another.
"AJ? It's Mac," he said looking up to the sky. "You've learnt where the Grotto is by now right?" he asked.
"Yeah but what's that got to do...
"We were taking that path when this happened. Call the doctor like Ma and Pa did last time and lead them into the forest on that path." he explained not trying to scare his sister by showing pain in his voice. "Just keep following it and eventually you'll come to us. Understand?"
"Aye, aye Big Brother. Be there as soon as we can." Applejack said hanging up to call the doctors.
"Why were you going to the Grotto Mac?" Fluttershy asked now seeing where she was smiling as she hung up as well.
"I needed some fresh air after been stuck in the barn all morning." he said being careful on what he said.
"Why were you in the barn all morning?" Fluttershy asked
"Granny's planning a family reunion soon and wanted to make sure everything in the hayloft was still there and in tip top shape." he said closing his eyes.
Since all they could do was wait for Applejack and help to arrive Fluttershy and Appleseed got themselves comfy on the ground, dried leaves crunching as they sat down.
After a few minutes, Fluttershy's phone buzzed saying she got a text.
Fluttershy, Doc's are here about to lead them into the forest.
Watch over Mac till get there please
AJ
"What it say?" Mac asked waiting a few seconds after the phone buzzed.
"Applejack says they're just coming in to the forest." Fluttershy said happily. "Just hang in there." she said seeing how much pain Mac was in.
"Anything... For you." Mac said though his teeth hoping AJ would be here soon.
"Urm... how about a game till she gets here?" Fluttershy asked knowing she had to keep Mac awake.
"Kay," Mac said "What game?"
"20 Questions." Fluttershy said after a minute.
"Kay you first." Mac said.
"Got something." she said.
"Is it a person?" Mac began.
"No."
"Is it a plant?"
"No."
"Is a animal?"
"Yes."
"Is it a small animal?" Mac asked thinking of all the animals Fluttershy knew and thinking to himself he'd need way more than the remaining 16 questions to get the answer.
"No."
"Ok, er..." that puts Angel out then. "Is it a animal you can have as a pet?"
"Yes."
After thinking for a bit. "Is it a loud animal?"
Thinking of the right answer to give Fluttershy went with "No."
"Ok, it's an animal you can have as a pet, it's not a small animal, and it's not all that loud either." Mac said to himself getting everything together. "Do we have them at the farm?"
"Yes."
"It's a horse." Mac said smiling.
"Yes!" Fluttershy answered. "Ok your turn."
Thinking of the perfect thing, Mac nodded.
"Got it."
"Is it..."
Suddenly a twig snapped. "Mac, Shy where are you?" Applejack called out.
"Over here Applejack!" Fluttershy called getting up to welcome everyone.
"Thanks Shy," Applejack said as the doctors went over to Mac.
"What for Applejack?" Fluttershy asked.
"If... If you hadn't stopped me, I'd still be pacing around and muttering to myself." Applejack said tears in her eyes.
Not knowing what to say, Fluttershy hugged her friend and said. "You're welcome."
Back at the farm, Mac was all wrapped up and was in his room lying on the bed trying to sleep when a knock came to the door.
"Yep?" he asked wondering who it was.
Applejack came in with a tray of apple fritters and some juice for him.
"Feeling better?" they both said smiling a little.
"Still hurts a bit but Apples get bruises every now and then don't we?" Mac said slowly propping himself up, retrieving the tray.
"Well, now you're home I'm better." Applejack said getting Mac's desk chair to sit by the bed. "But I'm still a bit shook up."
"And Fluttershy?" Mac asked. They were given the news that he had to stay in bed for five days. Meaning they'll miss their anniversary the next day.
"She says she cares more about you and your safety than a date that will come every year." Applejack said reaching for a box on the bedside table.
"Shame when you think about it," she said looking at the ring for the first time. "She didn't even know what you were getting for her did she?"
"Nope..." Mac said sighing.
"And now all that rehearsing will be for nothing."
"It will not!" Mac exclaimed wincing at the pain. "I'll ask her when I'm better. It might not make it special, but she will get that ring."
"I was joking Mac." Applejack said putting the box back. "But seriously how many tries did it take for you to get it right?"
"38" he whispered looking away from his sister ears turning pink.
"Sorry?" she said a hand cupping her ear. "Didn't quite catch that."
"38. The last one was helped by Granny." he said sighing.
"It took you 38 tries to get it word perfect?" Applejack asked scoffing a bit.
"I was nervous alright?" Mac said finishing the last fritter. "Bet you couldn't do any better."
"Ok, ok." Applejack said holding up her hands. "She's still downstairs if you want her to see you."
Giving his sister a 'What do you think?' look Applejack took the tray and left as he hid the ring box in the draw in the bedside table.
A bit later Fluttershy was at the door tear streaks down her face but smiling nonetheless.
"You ok Shy?" Mac asked seeing this.
"I'm fine." she said. "These are tears of joy that you're alright." she lied slightly.
"I'm sorry I hurt myself the day before our anniversary." he said looking away from her ashamed.
"It's alright," Fluttershy said taking the seat Applejack was just in. "What matters is that you're back and fine."
Thinking it would be the only thing to cheer her up Mac got the box out of the bedside table.
"What's that?" she asked remembering seeing it when they got back.
"My 20 Questions something. I was going to give it to you in the barn tomorrow but I guess I can't now, so...." Mac trailed of smiling clearing his throat.
"Fluttershy I love you, I want to spend every moment of our lives together, I've loved you since the first moment I met you..." he paused to open the box. "Will you marry me?"
Stunned that this was coming towards her so soon Fluttershy just looked from Mac to the ring and back, eyes gleaming with fresh tears.
"Yes. Yes of coarse I will!" she said holding out her hand for him to place the ring on it for her to see it better.
"Oh Mac I love it." she said seeing the animals in the three sections.
"That was why I was in the barn all morning." Mac said smiling. "I was practicing getting it right so I could ask you tomorrow."
"It don't care when you were going to ask me Mac," she said moving forward to kiss him. "Even if it took another five years I would still say yes."
Apple Bloom's friends were visiting her at the farm that afternoon, and they were all in the barn with Applejack and an upset Appleseed.
"What's wrong with Appleseed, Applejack?" Sweetie Belle asked slowly walking up to him her hand out.
"Um, Mac went out for a ride and got hurt." she said not trying to say how he did. "I just think Seed's scared for Mac. The doctor says he's to stay in bed for five days."
"But... isn't their anniversary tomorrow?" Apple Bloom asked over with Honey-Crisp.
"It is," a voice said from the door making everyone turn to see a very happy Fluttershy.
"So why are you happy that he's hurt?" Scootaloo asked looking up from her homework.
"Oh I'm not happy about that girls," Fluttershy said as bouncy as Pinkie Pie. "Here look!" she said showing them all her left hand a new ring on her fingers.
"Did it in his room then?" Applejack asked smiling after she pulled away from a hug she gave Fluttershy.
"Yep" she answered giggling.
"What?" three girls asked. Diamond Tiara smiling silently grooming Honey for Apple Bloom.
"Mac asked me to marry him!" Fluttershy said a big smile on her face.
"OH MY GOSH!" the girls cried making the horses back up a bit scared by the noise.
"So when's it happening Shy?" Applejack asked calming down Nutmeg.
"We don't know yet. But we'd like all you girls to be there with us." she said to Applejack.
"Not... Not yet," Fluttershy said suddenly going quiet and hiding behind her hair.
"Why?" the girls asked shocked.
"I... I don't know how to tell them yet that's all." she said blushing playing with her hair.
"You can tell them at..." Sweetie Belle started to say but cut herself off before she reveled what they were planning.
"At the library." Scootaloo finished for her not trying to act suspicious.
"I want to stay here with Honey," Apple Bloom said moving away so Diamond Tiara could get out of the stall, not noticing how strange her friends were acting.
"Ok," Applejack said a slightly sad look on her face as she and everyone else walked out.
That evening, Pinkie Pie had a emergency 'Congratulations On Finally Tying The Knot' slumber party at the library since Sugercube Corner was having the twins birthday inside, (Spike had gone to spend the night over at Thunder Lane and Rumble's house so he could get some sleep).
"Oh this is way better than a trip through the forest Fluttershy." Rarity said looking at the beautiful ring on her friends finger wishing she had one of her own.
"Meh, just looks like another ordinary ring to me." Rainbow Dash said shrugging practicing her keepie-uppies.
"'Another ordinary ring'" Rarity asked shocked "Can you not see how much hard work went into...." she stopped when everyone was laughing at her reaction.
"Very funny." she said.
"Now we just need to sort out Apple Bloom's trip to Canterlot problem." Applejack said hugging her knees away from the group a bit.
"The girls haven't told you their plan yet?" Twilight asked coming in from the kitchen with the snacks.
"What y'all talking about Twi?" Applejack asked halfway bringing a chocolate bar to her mouth.
"Oh... Oh can I tell her Twilight!" Pinkie asked raising her hand like a student in a class room, waving it around to get the teacher's attention.
"Ok Pinkie." Twilight said smiling a bit.
"Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara are going to stay here, well not 'here' but at your farm, on Field Trip Day to keep Apple Bloom company when everyone else is going to Canterlot. And we're going to have a 'Solar Eclipse Party' party at Mac and Fluttershy's Grotto in the woods so we can see it so she won't miss out on anything."
Everyone was silent Rainbow and Rarity proud of their sisters for choosing their friend over a visit to Canterlot, Applejack happy that Bloom would be able to do something on that day after all, and Fluttershy had gone bright red in the cheeks, and fled from the group to get some fresh air.
"What's wrong with Fluttershy?" Twilight asked starting on the snacks.
"I'll go find out," Applejack said getting up stopping at the door. "Thanks Pinkie for putting it together."
"What are friends for?" Pinkie said ribbing into a bag of cotton candy.
Outside the library, Fluttershy was feeling the cool autumn breeze on her face as she was leaning against the wall looking up at the stars.
"You alright out here Sugarcube?" Applejack asked coming around the corner.
"I... Ummm.... I'm fine AJ." Fluttershy said sinking to the ground.
"You sure?" Applejack asked joining her. "Cause you seemed to be in quite a hurry to get out after Pinkie had finished what she was saying."
After a moment of silence Fluttershy said.
"It was the way she called the Grotto, mine and Mac's." she said head down. "It... It just doesn't sound right. Because it was your parents grotto not ours. We just found and have kept going to it." she explained.
"Which in a way does make it Mac's Shy," Applejack said not trying to bumm out her friend anymore than she already was.
"What?" Fluttershy asked looking up.
"Well if it was Ma and Pa's that means it belongs to us Apples." Applejack said looking up to find her parents stars in the sky. "And since Mac's er... 'Next in line' and all that, it's now his."
"But it's not mine AJ," Fluttershy said looking up to find her own parents stars wishing that they would help guide her out of this problem. "In fact some of it belongs to Filthy Rich. He told us that it was he and your dad that found the place in the first place."
"Sugercube, I'm sure Mac's already said this," Applejack said smiling looking at her friend "But places like secret grottoes in the woods don't belong to anyone. Pinkie just called it yours and Mac's because out of all of us, you two are the ones using it more."
"Only because no one else knows where it is."
"Scootaloo knows where it is." Applejack said reminding her shy friend that when Honey went for her midnight walk five years ago, Scootaloo went with Mac into the woods and was told to wait in the grotto till he came back for her.
"I know where it is. How do you think I was able to find you today?" Applejack asked.
"I guess you're right." Fluttershy said smiling at her soon to be sister-in-law her face back to normal.
"Good." Applejack said getting up and helping up her friend. "Now come on, it's your party after all."
And together they both went back into the library to join their friends in celebration.
After saying goodbye to everyone who was awake at 6:45 in the morning the next day, Applejack and Fluttershy made it back to Fluttershy's clinic to feed her animals, before they would spend a whole day at the farm.
"Feel better this morning Shy?" Applejack asked breathing in the morning air.
"Yep." Fluttershy said "Sorry I... Acted like I did." she said rubbing sleep out of her eyes
"That's alright Shy." Applejack said, taking her hat off as they entered the clinic.
They did the feeding in silence, checked everyone was happy, signed the sheet and went off to the farm.
As they got there, Granny Smith was just giving Apple Bloom her breakfast waffles and syrup putting aside two plates on a bed tray.
"Why hello girls," she said seeing Applejack and Fluttershy coming in seeing the ring on Fluttershy's finger.
"He asked yesterday then?" she said smiling.
"Yes." Fluttershy said sitting down happily.
"I take it you'd like to be with him today sweetie?" Granny continued handing out waffles onto the trayed plates placing a pitcher of syrup on there as well along with some juice and cups.
"Um..." Fluttershy said hiding behind her hair.
"Something wrong dear?" Granny Smith asked not looking at Fluttershy as she continued to set up the tray.
"Will it be alright to?" Fluttershy asked "I mean, this ring only says we're together, it..."
"Honey," Granny said turning around to look Fluttershy in the eye. "Jewellery don't say anything. It's only there to make us girls look pretty to get a boys attention. Besides it's your... What was it Apple Bloom?
"Their five-year-adversary, Granny." Apple Bloom said after swallowing her waffles.
"And in my day, when its a two's anniversary," Granny said going over to get the tray "They were giving the day off, sun up to down, to be with each other all day."
"Is he awake?" Fluttershy asked getting up and taking the tray.
"I heard his feet moving around up there a moment ago." Granny said smiling pushing her new granddaughter out the door and to the stairs "But knock just in case."
In his room Mac was just getting himself back onto his bed as carefully as he could when a light tapping came to the door.
'Tap' 'Tap' Tap'
"Come in." he said smiling knowing it was Fluttershy, only she knocks like that.
"Happy anniversary Mac." She said blushing slightly as she closed the door.
"And to you." he replied. "You mad I gave you your gift a day early?" he asked propping himself up with pillows.
"Not really," she said placing the tray on the bed over him and getting his desk chair.
"Your friends know yet?" Mac said starting his waffles.
"That's where me and AJ were last night." Fluttershy said starting her set of waffles after pouring syrup on them.
She told him about Pinkie's slumber party and how they all reacted as they saw the ring and congratulated the two of them.
All morning the two of them played games to keep them entertained seeing as Mac was under strict orders to stay in bed for five days.
At school, Apple Bloom was as cheerful as she was before she broke her leg. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Miss Cheerilee.
"Happy today Apple Bloom?" she asked at break when everyone was outside.
"Sure am Miss Cheerilee!" she said happily playing cards with her friends not looking up at the teacher as she answered.
"May I ask why?" Miss Cheerilee asked setting the board up for the next lesson.
"Mac's asked Fluttershy to marry him." Scootaloo said for Apple Bloom as she picked up the four of spades to add to her hand and putting down the queen of hearts.
"Well congrats for them."
"He asked her yesterday," Sweetie Belle continued picking up the next card and placing it down "After he came back from the forest on a doctors stretcher with his chest all bandaged up."
"Excuse me?" Miss Cheerilee asked not understanding her student.
"Mac, after practicing asking for Fluttershy's hand all morning, went riding with Appleseed into the forest," Diamond Tiara explained placing down the three of diamonds "And apparently Seed threw him and he broke the ribs he broke when he was a kid."
"And because of that he has to miss his and Shy's five-year-adversary today, kind of, she's spending the day at the farm, but he's stuck in bed for five days." Apple Bloom concluded showing her hand reveling she won.
"Well I'm very happy," Miss Cheerilee said "For both the two of them and that Mac's alright."
At that moment the bell rang and everyone came back in returning to their desks for the next lesson.
That evening Mac and Fluttershy joined the others for dinner coming down the stairs hand in hand not caring what the family would think.
As they entered the Dining Room...
"MAC!" a voice cried.
Looking up, they saw a very smart looking man with his hair combed back and a blue mustache fiddling with a monocle. On his arm a beautiful looking woman with long pink hair in a simple but equally beautiful dress.
"Fancy Pants?" Mac asked smiling squeezing Fluttershy's hand a little telling her it was alright. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't a *blood-brother* visit his sibling now and then?" Fancy asked getting up to give Mac a brotherly hug. "We also came down to make sure you were doing alright." he added pulling away obviously talking about the ribs.
"I'm fine Fancy." Mac said smiling and pulling Fluttershy out a bit. "Fancy, Fleur, this is Fluttershy. Fluttershy this is my opposite Fancy Pants and his wife Fleur de Lis."
"Pleased to meet you." Fluttershy said smiling giving a slight curtsey.
"And to you dear." Fleur said back to holding onto Fancy's arm. "Congrats by the way. Oh and hope you get better soon Mac."
"Thank you." Mac and Fluttershy said together.
"Time for dinner I'd say." Granny Smith said. "Would you two like to stay?" she asked Fleur and Fancy. "It may not be as good as Canterlot food but its steamed vegetables, and chicken completing with a Apple apple pie for dessert."
"Why thank you Granny Smith," Fancy said pulling out a chair for Fleur and going to help Granny bring the food to the table.
"There ain't no need for that son," Granny said happily "I can manage. Go sit down."
Following orders Fancy Pants said. "It's been... Quite a while since I was last here. Ahh the memories." he said thinking.
"Like what?" Apple Bloom asked speaking up wanting to learn about Fancy some more.
"You don't want to hear it Bloom." Mac said a bit too quickly.
"Sure I do." she said "Yours is the only opposite I don't know anything about." then turning back to Fancy asked "What memories?"
"Well there was the time Mac and I challenged each other to see who could climb the apple trees higher."
"I remember that." Applejack said. "Didn't you both get stuck up there and Pa had to get the fire department to get you down or something?"
"Yes AJ..." Mac said sighing trying to block out the giggling from Apple Bloom and Fluttershy.
"Another was when we got stuck on top of the barn's roof, Mac had his leg stuck though it and the ladder had fallen down. Then we got lost in the woods while trying to find your parents secret grotto to find out why they liked it so much. Then there was the time when we were playing matador with filly Seed and Anna wasn't very happy about that."
"Didn't Pa have to push you two out of the way and take some bucks to the chest to stop you two from getting run over?"
"Yes AJ..."
"And wasn't there some point when you tumbleweeds went swimming right after you had lunch and both got cramps as soon as you started a race across the pond or something?"
"Yes! Yes AJ we did a lot of stupid things, we were young stupid idiots that like competitions can we stop with the memories now and just have dinner!" Mac asked stuffing his face with his meal.
"So like Applejack and Rainbow Dash and their Iron Princess competitions?" Apple Bloom asked cocking her head.
"Sounds like it Apple Bloom," Fluttershy said remembering Applejack's and Rainbow's first Iron Princess competition, ending with the annual Running of the Leaves race where because they both wanted first place, they tied for last.
"There was a time when one of you competitions saved the farm youngin." Granny Smith said trying to cheer Mac up a bit.
"There was?" everyone asked curious.
"There was." Granny said nodding "It was when you two challenged each other to who could get up the highest hay stack the quickest."
"I remember Granny." Mac said a bit more happy "We both got to the top and could see smoke coming out of the kitchen window. So we dropped the competition and jumped back down and went to find Pa in the field to tell him what was happening."
"I don't remember that day?" Applejack said trying to remember.
"You and Honey-Crisp were in the town looking for things for Baby-Bloom that day, child." Granny Smith said.
"So what caused the fire, was it put out, was that when you two became friends, was..." Apple Bloom asked rapidly
"Whoa slow down Bloom." Mac said putting his drink down.
"The fire was caused by some cookies that were in the oven too long, yes it was put out and the house was saved, and yes that was when we became friends."
"And we agreed our friendship by becoming Blood-Brothers." Fancy Pants finished smiling.
"But you said you became friends that day with the bullies at school." Apple Bloom said remembering the story she heard when asked about Apple Opposites before.
"Well that helped bind us Bloom." Mac said getting up to clear the table.
"Humph, I guess competition is a Apple tradition as well then Granny." Fluttershy asked helping with the plates and bringing out the pie.
"Well I'm not sure about 'tradition' sweetie," Granny Smith said cutting up the pie. "But it has definitely meant something to those two tumbleweeds your sitting next to."
At this Mac's ears turned slightly pink while Applejack looked away in shame.
"My mum use to say there's no harm in competition as long as its fun for everyone." Fluttershy said linking her arms through her friends' arms smiling.
"Quite right dear," Granny said agreeing handing Fluttershy the first slice of pie.
* After they had all finished, Apple Bloom invited Fancy Pants and Fleur to meet the horses and show them Honey-Crisp.
"Not so little anymore are you Seed?" was the first thing Fancy Pants said as he saw Appleseed as they all entered the barn. "Remember me senor?" he said with a smile reaching out his hand slowly.
"You're really good with animals Fancy Pants." Fluttershy noted.
"Thank you," Fancy said now stroking Appleseed's nose. "In fact I actually spent some years with a travelling circus, helping to look after the animals."
"Was that the one you went to Fluttershy?" Apple Bloom spoke up hugging Honey to stand up properly.
"I don't know," Fluttershy said thinking "But there can't be that many can there. The ring master was called Jumbo, and the magician was called Discord. I didn't meet anyone else. Unless you count Tia and her cubs I helped her with." she said looking at her ring smiling.
"Then it was the same one my dear." Fancy said going over to introduce himself to Nutmeg. "Were you there when the names for the cubs were said?" he asked.
"No, I had to leave the next morning, I was only there for one night."
"Well one of the girls was named after you. I always wondered where it came from."
Suddenly Apple Bloom let out a yawn rubbing her eyes.
"I think it's time y'all went to bed my dear." Granny Smith said.
"But I'm not sleepy Granny." Apple Bloom said in a tired voice eyelids drooping.
"You need to be up early so Applejack can take you to the doctors so they can see if your legs mending right." Granny said trying to get Apple Bloom to go to bed with this bribe. "The earlier you go to bed the earlier you'll wake up."
"Why can't I stay in here like last time."
"Mac's note said you were in here to watch over Honey because of her bite deary." Granny said smiling at how determined Apple Bloom was to stay with Honey-Crisp. "And she's all better now if you'd ask me."
"Alright..." Apple Bloom said goodbye to everyone then left the barn with Granny Smith to go to bed.
"Well we should be going too," Fancy said as everyone else left after saying goodnight to the horses. "Thank you again for having us."
"Do you have a place to stay for the night Fancy?" Mac asked holding Fluttershy's hand. "You could stay here if you don't. I'm sure Granny wont mind. Will she AJ?"
"She's always happy to open the house up to anyone." Applejack said smiling. "Ain't that how Bloom found Diamond Tiara."
"If I remember sis you invited them over first." Mac said.
"Did you say 'Diamond Tiara'?" Fleur asked.
"Yeah, why? Do you know her?" Applejack said curious.
"She's my niece." she said "Her mother was my sister."
"I didn't know that." Applejack said. "She... She doesn't normally talk about her ma."
"So you guys going to stay or what?" Mac said stopping the two before it carried on further.
With that the five of them went back into the house Fancy Pants and Fleur spending the night in Appleseed's and Honey-Crisp's old room, Fluttershy sleeping with Applejack.
The next morning, after everyone had breakfast and Fancy and Fleur left and Fluttershy left to tend her animals, Apple Bloom and Applejack set off to the hospital for a check up on her leg.
"Good morning you two," Nurse Redheart said as they entered and came up to the desk.
"Howdy Nurse Redheart." Applejack said taking her hat off "Bought Bloom for a check up."
"Ok, please take a seat, the doctor will call you in when he's ready." she said as she continued sorting out the files of the hospitals patients.
The sisters took their seats in the waiting area and patiently waited for the doctor.
After five minutes.
"Apple Bloom?" a voice called out from the other end of the room.
"Here." Apple Bloom said getting up and making her way over to the doctor Applejack following.
Inside the room the doctor asked Bloom to lie down on the bed and asked how she was doing as he cut the cast off her leg.
"I'm fine." she said in a sad voice.
"You don't sound like it dear, not that it's any of my business." he said positioning the x-ray machine over her leg.
"She's a bit bummed out by how long her leg needs to heal." Applejack said for her sister from the back of the room.
"Why? May I ask?" he asked the room not minding who the answer came from.
"Cause it means I can't go on the field trip to Canterlot!" Apple Bloom said crossing her arms and looking away as the x-rays were being taking.
"Oh," he said moving the machine away when it was done pressing the 'print' button to get the scans. "I'm sorry. But you know Miss Apple a bro..."
"Yeah yeah 'A broken leg takes as long as it takes to heal'." Apple Bloom said sighing still looking away.
"Yes well..." the doctor said pinning up the x-ray next to the one taken before.
"It seems to be closing itself up very well." he said showing them. "We'll just put on a new cast, and then you can go home." he said happily.
Ten minutes later Applejack and Apple Bloom were on their way back to the farm.
At the veterinary clinic, Fluttershy was surprised to see Rainbow coming out of it looking a bit tired.
"What are you doing here Rainbow?" she asked.
"Feeding you're animals for ya." she said "Did them last night too. I came over and saw it wasn't done so I did it for ya." Rainbow said. "So where were you last night to not do them?" she asked being invited into the cottage so Fluttershy could thank her with a cup of tea.
"I... I was at the farm with Mac and AJ." she said. "I met Mac's opposite Fancy Pants. He told me and Bloom some memories of when they were at the farm together. And discovered they're like you and Applejack."
"Such as?" Rainbow said a little more awake now.
"They both like competition. All the memories, and problems coming with them, were of competitions." Fluttershy said coming to the sofa being greeted by Angel happy to see his carer was alright.
"Can I hear some?" Rainbow asked a grin coming to her face.
"Well...." Fluttershy said looking away a bit wondering if she should say anything. "They challenged each other who could climb a tree higher... And both got stuck up there."
"Well Mac is an Apple Shy." Rainbow said laughing a bit.
"They got stuck on the barn roof, one of them with his leg stuck through it. They got lost in the woods while trying to find the Grotto. They had a swimming competition right after they ate at one point and both got cramps. And the one I think was the sweetest," Fluttershy said grinning "They were playing mature with filly-Seed and his mother wasn't too happy about it."
"Wow. They are like me and AJ." Rainbow said returning to her tea. "But... But we're not that bad.... Are we?" she asked hoping.
"Granny said there was one time when they saved the farm by a competition." Fluttershy said trying to get Rainbow's mind off of her thoughts. "They were climbing hay stacks and spotted smoke coming from the kitchen."
After a few minutes of silence for the two to have their tea...
"So how did yesterday go since you couldn't go into the forest?" Rainbow asked in a sister like way.
"It was... Ok." Fluttershy said happily scratching Angel behind the ears.
"Well, as I said last week Shy. I'm proud of you." Rainbow said putting down her cup and getting off the sofa. "I got to go. Spitfire wants me there with the rest of the team to meet some new recruits this afternoon. See ya Shy."
"Bye."
In the forest Scootaloo was leading everyone to the Grotto, so Pinkie and Twilight could get a better idea what they would be working with on field trip day.
"Just a bit further guys." she said.
"You said that five minutes ago Scoots." Sweetie Belle said getting a bit annoyed.
"Well last time I was in here, I was with Appleseed so I didn't pay that much attention to where every thing was." Scootaloo fired back not wanting to reveal she use to be afraid of horses.
They all walked in silence a bit more and then the top of the trees opened up and Scootaloo heard cries of wonder as they all saw the Grotto.
The trees were all around and a small stream was flowing through. The grass was green with all kinds of flowers growing all around, with bees and butterflies flying amongst them.
"Now I understand why they come here every year," Rarity said eyes as big as they could get trying to take it all in. "This place is beautiful."
"And over on that tree," Scootaloo said pointing to one of the trees on the other side of the Grotto "Appleseed and Honey-Crisp have their initials. Go on look." She said as she took off her shoes to feel the coolness of the stream on her feet.
Everyone went over to the tree in question.
In the bark there was two sets of initials within a arrow struck heart. ASA, and HC. And below that in a very new heart were two more. BMA and FSC - Big Macintosh Apple and Fluttershy Cloud.
"This place must have really meant something to them." Twilight said looking around again getting nods in return.
"Yeah well, we didn't come here just to look at it did we?" Scootaloo said proud to be the leader for once. "So you think it will do Pinkie, Twilight?"
"Asaposealoutely" Pinkie said her party planning planner appearing out of no where as she took notes and measurements on everything, eyes sparking with ideas.
"I agree," Twilight said looking up at the wide open sky. "Wish they had places like this back in Canterlot." she said Spike nodding by her side.
"Yeah. And if they did, at night you couldn't see anything because of all the lights from the city." he said sitting down on the grass with the Crusaders. Being the only boy among lots of girls in a secret grotto like this made him feel strange for some reason.
All day the seven of them stayed in the forest thinking on how to place the party on Field Trip Day, and how they were going to get Apple Bloom to come to it.
The next few days, Apple Bloom thought her friends were acting strange and avoiding her.
Every time she asked if they wanted to come over, they said they had stuff to do. But before she could ask what this 'stuff' was they had ran away.
On Tuesday the doctor came to the farm to see how Mac and his ribs were broken.
"They seem to be mending fine." he said bringing the stethoscope away and unwrapping the bandages around his chest. "Does it still hurt as bad or worse than it did?" he asked.
"Nope." Mac said glad that he was better.
"Ok," the doctor said as he was done. "Even though you're unwrapped Mr Apple, you still need some time to heal a bit more. No extreme stunts, fighting, racing, lifting heavy object, or horseback riding for at least a week." he said writing it down and giving the slip to Mac.
"You heard him AJ." Mac said as the doctor left to his sister who had just came back from picking up Apple Bloom. "'No extreme stunts, fighting, racing, lifting heavy object, or horseback riding for at least a week'. Seems as if I can't do my farming chores."
"Yeah..." she said coming to the table. "Apart from the 'lifting heavy objects' do any of them have to do with your farming chores Mac?" she asked. "We'll just tone down the work you do until you're better."
At that point Apple Bloom came in throwing her bag into a seat sitting down at the table sighing her face down on it in misery.
"Something wrong Bloom?" Mac asked getting some tubs of ice-cream out the freezer.
"My friends are avoiding me." she said accepting one of the tubs "I think they finally caught up with the news about my leg." she said.
"Well what do you mean avoiding you Sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
"Their always a few desks away from me when I'm waiting to be picked up from school, whispering in hushed voices, and when I ask them what their talking about, they all say 'Nothing' with terrible fake smiles. Then after they did that just now, I invited them over here but they said that they were too busy and had 'Stuff to do'." she quoted taking a big spoonful of ice-cream not caring about the brain freeze she got with it.
"Bloom these are your friends." Mac said enjoying a tub himself placing it to one side for the moment. Trying not to spoil anything he carried on "Maybe their acting like this because they want to do something for you." he said.
"How is avoiding me, and making me feel bad doing anything for me Mac?" Apple Bloom said tears in her eyes.
"I don't know Bloom," he lied hugging her "We'll just have to wait and see."
Just then door bell rang so Applejack went to answer it.
*
"Hey AJ," Pinkie said her bouncy self "Just came over to go through some stuff with you..." Applejack stopped her and pushed her back out the door closing it.
"Not here Pink's Bloom's in the house and has been getting ears about this because of her friends." she said leading them both to the old well.
"Well I just came over to see what snacks you'd and Bloom would like for the party." Pinkie said lying on the grass.
"It's a week away Pinkie." Applejack said joining her. "Why are you asking us so early?"
"So that I know what you'd want and I can make them. Duh..." Pinkie said getting a pen and paper out of no where, turning onto her stomach.
"Well any Apple loves Apple Fritters," Applejack began. "Bloom's been craving for Ice-cream a lot since she broke her leg..."
"Vanilla more than the others." Applejack said thinking. "Just the usual party snacks I think. You know cupcakes, brownies, jam tarts...."
"Ok." Pinkie said. "Oh and Twilight also said something about Solar Eclipse sunglasses, so we can see the eclipse with our eyes." she said remembering.
"I don't think we have any Pinkie," Applejack said after a moment of thinking. "But if Twilight has some and is happy for us to share them..."
"She does and is." Pinkie said "Just making sure."
"So what was that about Bloom has been getting ears about this because of her friends?" Pinkie said now facing the sky again.
"It's like how you felt when we were planing you a surprise birthday a few years ago. She thinks her friends are avoiding her and is mighty upset about it, because she doesn't know why their doing it." Applejack said sitting up and taking her hat off. "She thinks it's something to do with her leg."
"Well in a way it is." Pinkie said in a serious tone not normally heard by her friends. "It's cause of her leg that they're doing this for her."
"I know. But she doesn't." Applejack said tightening her grip on her hat. Applejack was never very good at keeping secrets and lying especially to her friends and family.
"It will work out in the end AJ," Pinkie said "It's only one more week."
"I don't know if either of us can last that long Pink's." Applejack said looking up to the sky sighing. "Still don't know how to get her in there either or if she'll do it when the time come cause of how upset she'll be."
"HEADS UP!" a voice cried a warning as a football came shooting at the two of them.
"RAINBOW!" Applejack said after getting back up. "Just why in the world would you shoot a ball at us when you could see we were talking."
"I came over to see you to help with the party." Rainbow said the ball under her arm. "But Mac said you were up here so Bloom couldn't hear you."
"What are you going to do for it RD?" Applejack asked calming down a bit.
"I got an idea on how to bring her into the forest." Rainbow said sitting down. "It might sound and/or seem mean but... what if we use Honey-Crisp?" she had heard from Fluttershy how protective Apple Bloom was to her horse.
"No, nuh uh!" Applejack said understanding where this was going. "We are not going to use Honey as bait just to get Bloom to go into the forest."
"Well how else is she going to go in there?" Rainbow asked.
"I don't know. But we're Not using Honey!" she said getting up and leaving her friends at the well to visit the horses to cheer herself up.
The next day at school, all those who were going to Canterlot the following week were given 'You will need' lists so they could start packing so that they would be ready to leave first thing on the morning in question.
"Alright students," Miss Cheerilee said as she returned to the front of the glass. "These lists are a guide line to what you'll need to bring with you next Wednesday. The maximum amount of money you can bring will be £10, you can bring a camera if you wish, we will be having lunch up there so remember to have one packed, something quiet to entertain yourself on the train, and most important... Bring your manners. We will be going to the capital of Equestria and use their observatory to watch the eclipse. Thank you. Now please put those lists in your bags so we can begin today's lessons."
All through the speech, Apple Bloom had her head on her arms not caring what the others thought. All she cared about was Honey-Crisp and her slow mending leg.
* At break Miss Cheerilee asked what was wrong.
"Nothings wrong Miss." Apple Bloom said still not rising up.
"Apple Bloom, I've been a teacher for fifteen years. I think I can tell when one of my students is upset about something."
Giving Apple Bloom some space Cheerilee smiled her 'you can trust me' smile letting Apple Bloom know that what ever was going to be said would stay between the two of them.
"My friends are avoiding me." Apple Bloom finally said.
"Well how are you sure?" Cheerilee asked carefully.
"They don't come round no more, they're always off whispering about something - and when I ask what they say it was nothing. And next week their going to leave me here!" Apple Bloom almost screamed tears rolling down her cheeks.
Seeing how upset Apple Bloom, Cheerilee tried as hard as she could not to give anything away.
"Bloom do you know that old saying 'A good solider never leaves a man behind'?"
"Yeah..." Apple Bloom said rubbing her eyes.
"Well friends can be called soldiers as well. How they stand up for what they think is right and for their friends." Cheerilee said not getting anywhere. "What i mean is good friends never leave others behind."
"So why are they doing that right now? And have been for the last few days then Miss?" Apple Bloom asked not taking in the message.
"I'll ask them after school." Cheerilee said as the bell rang.
After school Apple Bloom as usual was waiting to be picked up today drawing horrible deaths to her doodles to express her anger at her friends who were all around the front desk with Miss Cheerilee.
"Girls, not that I think you doing this is wrong," she began "But I think you're putting a bit too much time into it. I had a talk with Apple Bloom earlier, and she said she thinks you're avoiding her. "May be tune down the planning when she's around, and visit her at the farm every now and again?" she suggested.
"But we have to be like this or she'll work out what we're doing." Scootaloo said.
"Is that worse than loosing a friend due to a miss understanding?" Miss Cheerilee asked.
The girls all looked at each other and then together said "No."
Sweetie Belle pulled herself away and went over to Apple Bloom who looked up.
"Bloom we're all really sorry for acting like we have the last few days." she began.
"Talking to me again are you?" Apple Bloom said not trying to show how happy she was at this.
"Bloom the reason why we were like this was because..."
"Ready to go Bloom?" Applejack said at the door.
"Yes." Bloom said and left without looking back.
"Well that failed." Scootaloo said as they left.
"We can go and try to see her at the farm." Tiara said trying to stay positive.
With that they headed off to the apple farm, and hopefully their friend.
As soon as Apple Bloom got into the house she went up to her room shut the door and cried into her pillow to sleep about loosing her friends.
'I'll just have to make new friends...' she thought looking up and around her room when a knock came at the door.
"Bloom? It's Mac." her brother said gently. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah..." she answered sniffing, not knowing her friends were with him or that he left the door open a crack so they could hear.
"Still upset?" Mac asked when he saw how red Apple Bloom's face was as he went over to the bed.
"I'm not upset." Apple Bloom said "Why should I be upset that all my friends are avoiding me and going to leave me here next week, while they go have fun up in Canterlot?" she asked "Besides I have loads of new friends in here." she said looking around her room.
Looking around Mac remembered how Applejack had told him about Pinkie and her inanimate object friends she made herself when she thought she was being avoided.
"Bloom, you can't have inanimate object friends." Mac said pulling her closer to him. "And even though you have Honey instead, you need more than one friend who can talk back to you." he said in a father like speech pattern.
"Why?" Apple Bloom asked hugging her teddy bear so hard it's head was about to come off.
"So you have someone to talk to about these things when none of us are around for you." Mac said.
Thinking he was right, Apple Bloom asked "Can you sing me Fluttershy's new song please Mac?"
"If it will make you feel better," Mac said "But like before don't judge me..."
"Ahem...
Don't worry, my baby You have nothing to fear I promise I'll protect you And I will always be here - - just for you.
I love you my child And hope you can see That you can always - - count on me
You can trust in me And I hope that I you So that I will have Nothing to fear too."
*
Out in the hall all the girls had guilty looks on their faces on how upset they were making their friend, who was upset enough already.
Suddenly Sweetie's phone rang.
"Quick!" Scootaloo said in a hushed whisper telling Sweetie to shut it off.
"WHO'S THERE!" Apple Blooms cry came out the door, as the girls were fumbling over the phone.
They had just shut it off and sighed with relief when the door opened and a angry looking red with tears faced Apple Bloom was looking at all of them.
"What are you all doing here?" she asked. "Why are you eavesdropping in on a private confiscation I'm having with my brother? WHY ARE YOU AVOIDING ME!" she cried picking up a pillow by the door and throwing it at them in anger making a photo fall to the floor.
"We came over to see if you're alright." Scootaloo said avoiding another pillow.
"LAIR!" Apple Bloom said stepping forward making the others back up until they were against the wall. "I bet you just came over to laugh at me that I can't go to Canterlot like you can you traitors." lifting one of her crutches to swing it at her friends.
"APPLE BLOOM!" Mac said pulling her back and lifting her up away from the others.
"PUT ME DOWN! LET ME GO!" Apple Bloom screamed kicking her her legs and trying to get out of Mac's arms.
"Girls get out of here." Mac said keeping hold of his little sister the best he could.
Without any objections, the girls ran down the stairs and left the farm.
Waiting a few minutes for Apple Bloom to calm down, Mac put her back down and looked at her with a look of disappointment. The kind of look fathers gave their children when they did something bad.
"What?" Apple Bloom asked sniffing and going back into her room.
"Bloom," Mac said. "Just because you're hurt by what your friends are doing, doesn't me you can hurt them back." he said rubbing his side a bit. "Or anyone else."
"I didn't hurt them." Apple Bloom said sitting back on her bed her arms crossed and looking away from Mac.
"You were awfully close to doing it." Mac said coming over to be with her.
"It's their fault for avoiding me dad..." Apple Bloom said not registering what she was saying lying down on Mac's lap crying again.
This took Mac a bit by surprise. But he just went with it sighing as he rubbed her head slightly. Looking up when he heard the door open seeing Applejack.
'Everything alright' she mouthed.
'What do you think?' he replied looking down at a still crying Bloom on his lap.
"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.
At school the bell had just rung for lunch when Cheerilee called back the Crusaders.
"Now, what happened this morning?" she asked looking at all of them.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle not on speaking terms with each other, Diamond Tiara said "We were having a debit on if we should lift the surprise from Apple Bloom's party."
"If we did it wouldn't be a surprise anymore!" Scootaloo said first.
"But it being a surprise nearly got us hurt yesterday! And is breaking us apart from her." countered Sweetie Belle.
"What do you mean by 'Got you hurt yesterday'?" Miss Cheerilee asked shocked.
"After you told us what Apple Bloom told you," Tiara explained, the others facing away from the other again, "We went over to her house to see if she was alright. Mac took us up to her room and went in leaving the door open so we could hear what Bloom said to him. Then... Then she caught us, she got mad, and nearly hit us with one of her crutches." she finished.
"Which is why I think we she let her know whats going on," Sweetie said.
"Sweetie the point of a 'Surprise Party'..." Scootaloo said "Is that it's a surprise!"
"Girls, we get what each of you are saying," Cheerilee said pausing the fight. "But if you do either it will ruin it." Turning to Sweetie first, "If you tell her what's going on, it will spoil the surprise." Scootaloo "But if you keep it you might lose a friend. You see where I'm going?" she asked.
"Then how are we suppose to keep this a secret and keep our friend?" Tiara asked.
"I don't know, but what I do know, is you need to let it up a bit," Cheerilee said placing the next lesson's tests on the desks. "Go try and see her again today and see if there's any difference. That's all I can say."
"But what if she shuts us out again?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Well you don't know unless you try do you?" Cheerilee asked. "And how are you going to get her back if you don't?"
This put a end to the arguing as the girls looked at each other and nodded in agreement as the bell rang and everyone came back in.
A few hours later, the girls were once again at Sweet Apple Acres about to go and try and see Apple Bloom again.
"Howdy girls," a voice called out behind them.
"Hi Mac," they said turning to him wondering where he might of been to come up behind them at the gate.
"Going to try and see Bloom again?" Mac asked letting them into the house and leading them into the kitchen.
"Yeah, we er... Had a debit on if we should lighten the secrecy of what we are doing at school today." Scootaloo said.
"And Miss Cheerilee said we should let it up a bit, and suggested we come over too." Sweetie Belle continued.
"Well she's in the barn if you do then." Applejack said just coming in from the back door. "Been in there for a while, I hope she's only fallen asleep."
"I'm sure she's fine AJ." Mac said.
After the girls ran out Mac got out two bottles of cider from the fridge.
"So she got any news out of you while I was helping Fluttershy all afternoon?" Mac said sitting at the table.
"No, thankfully." Applejack said taking the spare cider from him and also sitting down. "But I don't think I'll be able to keep it back for long. You all know how bad at lying and keeping secrets I am. The best way I can think of is avoiding her." she said having some cider. "But if she was that mad at her friends..." she cut herself off and looked away.
"Once she finds out why AJ, she'll understand," Mac said reaching across the table.
"But what if on the day she doesn't want to go?" Applejack asked.
"We'll worry about t when it comes." Mac said smiling.
Outside, the girls had just made it to the barn, and went in when they found Apple Bloom asleep in the straw next to Honey-Crisp.
"Well that put that idea out," Scootaloo said going over to Appleseed greeting him.
"We 'could' wake her up you know," Sweetie Belle said going over to calm Nutmeg down.
"Well yeah," Scootaloo said turning to her. "But then she'll be all cranky at us and kick us out again."
"So are we staying or going?" Diamond Tiara asked watching over Bloom and Honey.
Scootaloo was about to say to leave when Appleseed nudged her gently.
"Hey what was that for?" she said backing away a bit palms starting to get sweaty.
"You ok Scoots?" Sweetie Belle said looking up from grooming Nutmeg for Applejack. "That was a bit sudden there."
"I'm... I'm fine," Scootaloo said rubbing her arm "I... I just got a bruse there and Seed hit it." she said. Even though her fear of horses had died a bit, she still didn't like to be around them for too long.
"But he hit your other arm..." Tiara said leaving Bloom and Honey, seeing Scootaloo shift her eyes back and forth, as though she were trying to think of something to say. Then...
"Scoots... Are... Are you afraid of horses?" Sweetie Belle said a grin on her face.
"NO!" Scootaloo said a bit too fast and loud making Appleseed and Nutmeg jump and rear up a bit, causing Scoots to fall over and trying to get away from them.
"Sure looks like it to me," Sweetie said.
"Look I said No alright," Scootaloo said getting up but staying back a bit anyway.
"So why don't you come back over and groom Seed for Mac?"
"Be...cause... I have to go and meet Rainbow to see how the entertainment's coming on for..."
"For what?" a new annoyed voice said. Apple Bloom had just woken up and was crossing her arms and glaring at the girls.
"For... her next football congratulations party," Scootaloo said thinking fast. "Well see ya." she said running out of the barn.
"You know it wasn't very nice you teasing her Sweetie," Apple Bloom said thanking Tiara for helping her up and coming out of the stall.
"Yeah..." Sweetie said guilt in her voice "I know. I should go say 'sorry' shouldn't I?" With that Sweetie ran out after Scootaloo.
"So what you come over for?" Apple Bloom asked going over to the straw bench while Tiara was still on the fence.
"Well you weren't in school today, so we came over to see if you were alright." Tiara said.
"Of course I'm alright." Bloom said a bit fast.
"Bloom. I know I haven't know you as long as Scoots and Sweetie have," Tiara began "But I've learnt how to tell when you're lying."
Sighing Apple Bloom Bloom said "I... I locked and barricaded myself in my room this morning."
"Because..." Tiara said trying not to laugh.
"Because I thought 'If you didn't want me, you wont have me'." Bloom said "Or care that I'm missing since you've been avoiding me."
"Bloom," Tiara said coming over "No one ever said we didn't want you. And... We're not trying to avoid you." she said carefully.
"Then why do you always go off on your own into the forest and with the others?" Apple Bloom asked getting up and hopping over to Appleseed hugging him a bit to stay up.
"I cant say anything at the moment Bloom..." Tiara said getting up and standing behind her going to reach for her, but stopping. "Just... Just know it's something for you."
And with that and before Apple Bloom could ask anything Diamond Tiara ran out of the barn and back home.
The next morning, Apple Bloom was in the dining room just finishing her waffles with everyone else when the phone rang and Mac went to answered it.
"Yep?" he said listening. "Ok. AJ?" he said handing the phone over "Here she is,"
"Hello?" Applejack asked. "Oh hey Rainbow. What? Rainbow I already said we're not doing that..." she said as she took the phone to her room for privacy.
"What was that about Mac?" Apple Bloom asked turning back to her brother.
"Just something AJ and the girls are putting together Bloom," he answered rinsing his and her plate off before helping her down and picking up the truck's keys.
"Bye Granny," Bloom said leading Mac outside and into the truck and buckling herself in.
"But what are they 'putting together' that caused AJ to say that as the first thing to Rainbow?" she asked once Mac got into the other side and were on their way to Bloom's school.
"I don't know sis," he lied eyes on the road so she wouldn't see his infamous I'm-lying-eye-twitch.
"Did you know Scootaloo was afraid of horses?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.
Mac didn't have anything to say to this. In truth he did know, but he had promised the tomb-boy he wouldn't say anything.
"Well...?"
"Yes I did Bloom," he said sighing a a little.
"It's just, I woke up to see that they came into the barn yesterday, and Scoots and Sweetie were arguing over if Scoots was afraid or not. I was asleep for the start so I don't know how it got there, but I think it had something to do with Seed." she explained.
"Not again..." Mac said to himself quietly rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Just then they pulled up into the school's car park and Mac escorted Bloom inside.
There were nearly at the class room's door when Apple Bloom stopped and moved to the side a bit.
"Bloom?" Mac asked getting down to look his sister in the eye.
"What... What if they heard about what happened yesterday and... And they..." Apple Bloom said trying not to let tears shed.
"I'm sure the only ones who knew what happened are Miss Cheerilee and your friends Bloom." Mac said hugging her gently and pulling some tissues out of his pockets to give to Bloom.
"But what if they stare... Or... or ask questions Or..."
"Then you ignore them and tell them it's none of their business." Mac said drying her face for her. When this didn't work or encourage her to continue down the corridor, Mac played his Ace in the Hole.
"I'll tell you what sis," Mac said smiling gently "If you go in there, and stay here all day," he said "Then I'll talk Granny into letting us have a camping weekend in the grotto. What do you say?"
After thinking this over Bloom sniffed and nodded smiling a little too.
"Ok," Mac said getting up "But you'll need to do your half first." he said holding his hand out for her.
After Mac dropped Bloom off he went straight home to tell Granny and AJ who just got off the phone what he promised.
"You can't do that Mac," Applejack said once he finished.
"Why not?"
"Because neither of you are fit to spend the weekend in the middle of the forest." she retorted throwing her hands up.
"If she can spend an afternoon in a barn, she can spend a few nights in the woods AJ," Mac said.
"And how do you plan on getting there youngin?" Granny asked as if the argument didn't happen.
"Well since I can't ride but she can't walk, we'll need at least one of the horses," Mac said thinking it out.
"You're not seriously going with this are you Granny?" Applejack said.
"Applejack," Granny said turning her attention to her. "Do you remember how boring it was when you were broken?"
"Sorta..." Applejack said in a questioning voice.
"Well Bloom has it worse dear," Granny said "At least you could get around by yourself and could still do your day to day stuff. But because of that busted leg her whole life's been flipped."
After a while...
"So what do you need Mac?"
* That afternoon as soon as Bloom was home and said 'Hi' to Granny and AJ, she was on top of Honey while Mac was walking beside her guiding her and Appleseed to the grotto hoping this will cheer her up a bit while still keeping the surprise.
Ten minutes after entering the forest they got to where they wanted to go and Mac helped Bloom down.
"Now remember Bloom," he said going over to unpack the camping things from Appleseed, "You're suppose to be at the hospital tomorrow morning so we'll need to get up early, but then we can come back ok?"
"Ok Mac," Apple Bloom said playing with Honey-Crisp the best she could while sitting down by their parents tree.
Shaking his head smiling, Mac just started pitching up the tent and gathering sticks for that nights fire.
A few hours later, the siblings were having the pre-cooked dinner and roasting marshmallows.
"Hey Mac," Apple Bloom asked twirling her stick slowly thinking about something. "Are you sure my leg will get better?"
"I'm sure Bloom," Mac said biting the head off of his most resent sausage "Me and AJ made it though when we got hurt."
"But what if I'm different," Apple Bloom said "What if my bones don't mend like yours do..." she said not caring her marshmallow just caught fire.
"Bloom. You are just like us, and all the other apples," Mac began "You're.... Sweet, innocent, loving, joyful," he said counting his fingers off grinning slightly "Stubborn, a pain in the neck in the mornings, record holding grudge master, and a pie's worst nightmare." he said flinching as Apple Bloom threw a punch at him with the change of tune he was singing to her.
"I am not stubborn, or a pain in the neck," she said folding her arms and turning away from him.
"And low and behold Madame Stubb-Orn," Mac said chuckling a bit.
"AJ's Madame Stubb-Orn Mac," Apple Bloom said joining in now. "I'm Lady Love-Ing"
"Well then My Lady," Mac said getting up and bowing to her to show respect smirking "Will you forgive me for mixing you up with the evil Queen of Apple Acres?"
Thinking for a while for a name for Mac Apple Bloom said "You are forgiven Sir Pie's W. Nightmare. And will be even more so if you sing to me Late Queen Joy-Full's lullaby."
"As you wish My Lady," Mac said sitting down again wrapping his arm around her.
Hush now quiet now, It's time to lay your sleepy head, Hush now quiet now, It's time to go to bed.
Drifting off to sleep, Leave this day behind you, Drifting off to sleep, May good dreams come to find you.
Hush now quiet now, It's time to lay your sleepy head, Hush now quiet now, It's time to go to bed.
"And tell me a story," Apple Bloom said rubbing her eyes yawning slightly.
"Any in mind you request My Lady?" Mac said collecting water from the river to pour onto the fire when they were done.
"Your side of what happened with the wolves that night." she said.
Pausing Mac looked up. "I'm afraid I do not know that one My Lady," he said checking the bags were done back up.
"You know when Honey went for that walk and you and Scoots went to find her..."
"Bloom!" Mac said cutting the act "I'm already freaked out enough out here. I don't want to rethink that night right now. Pick another story."
Seeing and hearing the fear coming from Mac, Apple Bloom nodded and rethought.
"The day the evil Queen came home." Bloom said shifting into a more comfortable position.
"I was hiding in the barn's hay loft," Mac said poking the fire a bit. "That was my secret moping place. Whenever I got upset or mad at something or I just wanted to be alone, I'd go up there.
Fancy Pants was the only one who knew where I was and all morning, he was trying to get me to come out and be in the house when Ma and Pa came home with Applejack."
"Was AJ the same when I came home?" Apple Bloom asked timidly wondering.
"Yes, but it wasn't for you," Mac said sticking a new marshmallow over the fire. "She... was still a tad upset over losing Pa. Anyway...
***
'Come on Mac' Fancy Pants said looking up into the hay loft from the ground. 'You can't stay hidden for the rest of your life just because you're getting a new sister.'
'Say's who?' Mac's voice replied. 'I live here, so I can be wherever I want for as long as I please.' he said crossing his arms.
'What's so wrong about getting a new sister? I'd love to have one.' Fancy said getting comfy on the ground seeing this will take a while, leaning against the wall.
Silence.
'It's because of a girl isn't it?' Fancy said hitting the nail on the head.
'What?' Mac said moving over and looking down to his friend. 'No... Come on Fancy seriously? Me with a girl?'
'What's her name?'
'I don't know,'
'That's a strange name,' Fancy said laughing a bit at his joke, hearing sighs coming from above him. 'Ok ok I'm sorry.' he said calming down 'So what's she like?'
'I... Haven't talked to her that much yet,' Mac said rolling over and looking to the ceiling.
'When did you see her?'
'Last week,' Mac said his voice getting all dream like. 'She said she and her friend were coming from Cloudsdale.'
'I don't remember any new kids coming to school,' Fancy said with a questioning voice.
'They said they were going to a different school, but didn't say where they'll be going.'
'Have you seen her since?'
'No...' Mac said sighing.
'So she's keeping you up there and not your sister then?' Fancy asked.
'Why do you care so much?' Mac said reaching for the sky shaking his head.
'Because that baby has been in your mam for nine months and has just been born and is experiencing the world around her. And the first thing she would want to see is her section of family, which includes one stubborn big brother.' Fancy Pants explained never taking his eyes off of the hay loft. 'But you know, if you don't want to see her and continue moping about that new girl... See you later Mac,' Fancy said getting up and going back to the house and the welcome party.
It hadn't even been ten minutes before someone else came in. Hearing them coming up the ladder Mac dove into the bales of hay stored next to him.
'I know you're there son,' his father's voice said 'One of the few Apple Traditions is that when a Apple's upset they go to the highest concealed place they can find to be alone and mope.'
Slowly Mac got out and joined his dad leaning on the barrier swinging his legs a bit.
'So, is it that girl or AJ you're up here for?'
'AJ' Mac said not bothering to ask how her found out about the girl.
'What for?' Appleseed said giving Mac his hat to cheer him up a bit.
'Why did you have to have her?' Mac asked taking no note of the hat. 'Didn't you like us being only us Ma and Granny?'
'Son, with each year an apple-tree grows new flowers on their branches,' Appleseed said 'Give those tree's time and those flowers turn into apples, and then next year more come.'
'But why did she have to join this tree Pa?' Mac asked a bit loud scaring the animals below a bit.
Knowing he won't get anywhere, Appleseed just asked. 'Will you at least come and see her? If you're not happy you can come right back here and we'll leave you alone.'
'Fine,' Mac said after thinking this over. 'But I won't like her.' he said letting his father go down first.
'We'll see...' Appleseed said snatching his hat back as Mac came down.
^*^
Inside Honey-Crisp was in the living room sitting down a small bundle in her arms, baby presents, family and friends all around her.
Slowly Mac made his way to the front with Appleseed and tried to get a better look at his new sister.
The baby was small but had big green eyes and freckles all over her face and was sucking on a dummy that was shaped as half of an apple. Slowly tiny arms with grabbing hands came out of the blanket and she giggled nearly letting the dummy fall out. Mac leaned closer to see what she wanted when she pulled on his hair making him cry in pain.
'Ow!' he said backing away and rubbing where it hurt, just making her laugh and clap more.
'I think that's her way of saying "hello" sweetie,' Honey said bouncing Applejack slightly.
'And I was just beginning to like you...' Mac said leaning in nose to nose with the baby.
Seeing this new toy she had just played with not look like the other toys made Applejack upset and she cried because she wanted her toy back.
'Mac!' almost everyone said disappointed that Mac caused his sister to cry and went to see if she was alright which only made her cry more.
'You're only making it worse!' Mac said trying to pull everyone away or at least get back to Applejack. After five minutes he just gave up. 'Fine, fine... See if I care, but don't blame me when you're all deaf!' he said turning and running back to the hay loft.
***
"And that's all I remember," Mac said getting snores in return. Shocked he looked around to see everyone, even the fire was asleep. "Well how'd ya like that? Spill a bottom of the heart story and everyone falls asleep." Then he checked his watch 11:05pm.
After pouring the water over the fire just in case Mac gently lifted Bloom up and carried her into the tent and put her to bed before closing the tent up and falling asleep himself.
The next morning, Mac packed up the used stuff and food from the night before, leaving the tent since he promised a camping WEEKEND.
After Apple Bloom was on top of Honey-Crisp, and Mac was done, they started their way back to the farm.
After ten minutes of walking though the forest the brother and sister were welcomed back to the farm by the smell of pancakes and a bouncy Winona happy that they were back.
Mac patted Applejack's dog on the head and then led the horses to the barn so they could rest a bit.
After they were in there, Mac, Bloom, and Winona made their way back to the house to have breakfast.
"Made it back in one whole unbroken piece this time then," was the first thing Applejack said after they both came into the kitchen.
"Five years and you still don't know how to 'Good morning' nicely," Mac said receiving his share of pancakes.
"I know how to say it nicely," Applejack said sitting down passing Apple Bloom the syrup. "But your my brother."
"What's that gotta do with anything?" he asked after swallowing his mouthful of pancakes.
"No fighting at the table you two," Granny said just walking in a smile on her face.
"I was just asking why she can't say a nice 'Good morning' to me Granny" Mac said in his defense.
"Not everyone is as nice as Fluttershy youngin." Granny said making Mac's ears turn pink and him shut up.
"DONE!" Apple Bloom cried, pushing her plate away and getting down. "Come on AJ lets go so me and Mac can get back to the forest..." she said pulling on Applejack's sleeve with all her might.
"My aren't we high spirited today?" Granny said laughing a bit.
"Alright Bloom," Applejack said clearing her place. "Just let me get my hat," she said going back up stairs.
"So, what did you do last night dears?" Granny asked.
"Mac told me about the day AJ came home," Apple Bloom answered first.
"Though you were asleep when I finished it," Mac said clearing his place now.
"I was sleepy from mum's lullaby, Sir Pie's W. Nightmare," Apple Bloom said using his name from last night.
"I'm afraid that name's already taken dear," Granny said understanding. "That was your dad's name. Every family reunion he'd win every pie eating contest. Must be where you lot get it from." she said thinking.
"So what was mum's name?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Her mid-evil name was, Lady Joy-Full," Granny said.
"THAT'S WHAT I CALLED HER!" Apple Bloom said with excitement. "Didn't I Mac?"
"Yep," Mac said checking his ears still worked smiling.
"Ok ready to Sugarcube?" Applejack asked coming back in swirling the truck's keys around her finger.
Nodding Apple Bloom left the kitchen and was on her way to the hospital with Applejack.
In the kitchen Mac was still hearing ringing in his ears when Granny spoke.
"Both girls came round last night to plan about Wednesday youngin," she said pausing for a response from Mac.
"And?" he said slight worry slight happiness on his face.
"They passed the responsibility of getting her in there on to you," Granny said "Since er..." she said thinking "Ah... Since she's seeming to like you more than any of them at the moment."
"But... But how am I going to do that?" Mac asked.
"You made her go in there last night." Granny pointed out.
"This was a reward for going to school." Mac argued "It won't work again."
"How do you know son?" Granny asked.
"I... Well..." Mac said thinking.
"See. You don't know." Granny said "Anyway son, that was all I had to say. The girls have got everything else." she said getting up and going to her knitting room, patting Mac on the shoulder as she left.
"Great..."
At the hospital, Apple Bloom was just sitting back up from having her leg x-rayed and a new cast on her leg.
"Just one more week Apple Bloom and you should be all better," the doctor said as he helped her get down off the table and handed her the crutches.
"Thank you," Apple Bloom said happily hoping over to Applejack who was propping herself up against the wall. "Come on sis, we have to get back home, so Mac and I can continue our camping trip."
"I'm a'coming Apple Bloom," Applejack said rolling her eyes slightly. "Thanks again Doc," she said and then left with her sister.
"You're welcome." the doctor called out the door smiling.
***
When they got home, as was said, Mac and Bloom went straight back to the grotto, to continue with their camping trip.
"What's on today's agenda then My Lady?" Mac asked after he lifted Bloom off of Honey and they both went to sit under the shade of the trees while letting Seed and Honey graze around.
"Something fun..." Apple Bloom said in a thinking tone then... "Can you tell me that story now since it's not dark?" she asked.
"It was 'My side of the night with the Wolves' wasn't it?" Mac said lying down looking up at the sky at it's white clouds.
"We got in, I said 'Stay here with Seed' to Scoots and went off to look for Honey. After a while howls began ringing around me and three wolves came out and started attacking me. Eventually one of them bit my wrist making me scream in pain." at this he rubbed his wrist with his other hand at the memory. "Then just when I was down for the count Appleseed came and scared them off. I thanked him, and told him to 'Take Scoots back and get help'. The End." Mac said.
"If it was that quick to do, why didn't you do it last night?" Apple Bloom asked digging through the newly restocked picnic basket.
"Thanks for the support, tears and I hope you were alright's, sis." Mac said leaving her to the basket.
"You're welcome big bro," Apple Bloom said sitting back with a ham and cheese sandwich.
Rolling his eyes, Mac suddenly felt every tired all the sudden. Keeping his little sister happy was hard work.
"Would it be alright with Her Majesty if I have a afternoon snooze?" he asked looking over to Apple Bloom now some how next to the river making daisy chains.
"As long as you don't snore so you don't scare the animals away." she said not even looking at him.
"Those 'Animals' include the wolves you know," Mac said after checking his watch seeing it was 1:15 getting comfy and not caring Bloom didn't have anything to say fell asleep.
Back at the farm, right after Mac and Apple Bloom had entered the forest, Applejack rang up her friends and said the coast was clear for them to come over so that they could continue with the planning, and get baking on those party treats Pinkie went around asking about earlier that week.
Ten minutes after the calls were sent out, everyone was at the farm with their share of things needed for the baking and party.
Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Spike being the ones with better skills at baking than the others had the ingredients with them and went to the kitchen with Granny to get started.
While Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, the CMC and Applejack went into the living room and after clearing the floor laid out the decorations and checklists and written plans for the day.
"I just thought of something guys," Rainbow said as she was adding some (in her opinion) much needed color to the banner they would be using.
"We are NOT using..." Applejack began annoyance in her voice.
"Not that, ya grump. Sheesh," Rainbow said rolling her eyes and sitting back on her heals to address everyone. "Ok so, we're doing this for Bloom, because she can't go on that trip to Canterlot on 'Wednesday' right?" Rainbow asked making sure she understood getting nods. "And hopefully, Mac will keep her in the forest until tomorrow night at least..." she carried on now getting confused looks from everyone in the room. "Well what about Monday and Tuesday? Where will we stash all this on those days that we can get to them on Wednesday morning, or Tuesday evening might be better... But either way, where will they be held so Bloom doesn't see them and spoil her own surprise?"
That's a good question. Everyone thought blinking together only just thinking this over.
"Who lives closest to the forest other than you Applejack?" Twilight asked after a while.
"Well Fluttershy's just down the road a bit," Applejack said thinking "Let me just ask her if she'll be alright with it." with that she began to head for the kitchen when a loud 'BANG' sounded and what looked like smoke was coming out of the door.
Scared everyone dropped what they were doing and rushed for the kitchen.
In the kitchen it was surprisingly, a complete mess...
Not counting the flour that was still raining down, or the huge amount of cake batter spilling out of the oven, there were eggs on the floor, milk cartons tipped over and spilling on the counter and dripping off, and in the middle Pinkie was there giggling her head off after getting the worst of the blast, while Spike, Fluttershy and Granny Smith were all backed against the wall the teenagers wearing scared looks on the faces, while Granny acted as if this happened everyday and just went straight to the broom cupboard and handing out brooms and pans to some of the group, while Applejack escorted Pinkie outside to get her cleaned off with the hose, and others started to help tidy up a bit.
"Too mush baking soda again?" Scootaloo asked remembering that day in Sugarcube Corner where the results looked just the same.
"You could say that dear," Granny Smith said smiling an understanding look on her face. "We were making the cupcakes and Pinkie strangely got the idea that we could save time and such by doing the whole lot in one turn."
"I just think she put a little too much sugar on her cereal this morning," Spike said over at the sink handing Sweetie Belle a newly washed plate for her to dry off.
"So getting back to why we were going to come in here anyway," Diamond Tiara said disposing of her heap of flour into the bin. "Rainbow Dash brought up the fact that Bloom will be here on Monday and Tuesday, so where will we keep all the stuff until it's needed?"
"Well, where are the places Apple Bloom would be least likely to visit on those days?" Granny asked spreading the question wide open for everyone in the room, as she started on some bread rolls.
"Anywhere that's not here or the barn I think," Scootaloo said turning to place some egg shells into the bin being careful not to step into the eggs themselves.
"That narrows it down..." Spike mumbled as he continued washing up.
"But we also need it in a place big enough to hold everything, and closeish enough to the forest so it wouldn't take too long to get things there, and set it up." Twilight added stating the problems wiping down the counter tops.
"So we were kinda thinking about you Fluttershy," Applejack said coming back in with a batterless but slightly damp Pinkie a towel around her hair.
"Sorry for the mess Granny," she said her smile slacking a bit blushing a bit as she looked around seeing just how smart her idea was.
"It's alright dear," Granny said smiling her kind smile "One of the best ways we learn something is through mistakes you know."
"Like how not to pull too hard on a horses reigns to tell them to stop, making them stop too fast, meaning you get flung out of the saddle and break something?" Pinkie asked bouncing around a bit.
"Yes." she replied "But getting back to where we were before... So can we hoard all this stuff with you Fluttershy?" she asked.
"Um... You can but..." Fluttershy said playing with her broom a bit "I don't really know how 'safe' everything will be with all my animals around everything and such. How about the hayloft instead." she suggested. "That way we will all know where everything is, it's reasonably safe and Apple Bloom wont be able to find them up there because of her leg... I sorry," she gasped hearing what she said "I shouldn't of said that should I?" she asked hiding behind her hair looking away from everyone.
"Honey, honey," Granny Smith said pausing in her baking to look over at Fluttershy and rest her hand on the shy girls shoulder. "I have a feeling Macintosh has told you this already, but we're farmers. And farmers get hurt every now and again. So does everyone else. "It's sweet that you think that you're upsetting us if you say that, but I can tell ya, ya not." she finished smiling.
"You... You sure?" Fluttershy asked peeking out from her hair a worried look on her face.
"I'm sure." Granny replied getting back to the rolls.
"How about we stash it in the grotto?" Spike asked. "I mean, if we're going to be needing it there anyway, wouldn't it be the best spot?"
"Spike's got a point there Twilight," Sweetie Belle said backing him up smiling. "What if we keep the decorations there and then the food in the barn's hay loft? That way there won't be so much to carry when the time comes cause half of it would already be there. And the forest animals won't get to the food cause it will stay here right?"
There were murmurers of agreement and nodding heads at that.
"I think that's a wonderful idea you two," Rarity said sure she's able to see the two blush at each other when they were just backing the other up like that.
"Yeah," Scootaloo said finally placing the broom she was using down "But that only works if we're sure Bloom wont be going in there between when we put everything there, and Tuesday night / Wednesday morning. And because of this 'camping weekend' thing Mac's giving her that only gives us Monday to get everything there."
"Yeah," Diamond agreed "And what about the tables and other bigish heavy stuff? We'll need to get them there too."
After about half an hour or so more of discussing when everything will be done and where it will be kept, everyone agreed that the food, once it's cooled will be packed in boxes to lower the scents, will be placed in the hayloft. While the banner, party games, tables,and other non-foody stuff will be taken to the grotto Monday morning after Bloom went to school, on Sunday evening it will stay with Fluttershy.
At the end of the day everything was put to one-side to either dry-off or cool down before they were packed to head off to their destinations of waiting.
"Phew," Rainbow said leaning back on her chair a mug of cider in her hand. "I didn't think doing something like this would be so hard. How do you do it Pinks?" she asked not moving but shifting her eyes to a curled up asleep with the biscuit tin Pinkie making her eyes grow wide (she didn't think Pinkie ever needed sleep with all that sugar).
Looking over to the clock on the wall Rainbow saw it was 9:45, and seeing that suddenly felt very sleepy.
"Hey AJ, Granny," she said getting their attentions as they finished clearing away the dinner plates "Will it be alright if we slept over tonight?"
"It's fine with me dear," Granny said smiling stepping over Pinkie taking the phone off the wall "Though you might want to call ya folks and say that's what's going on. I'll call Scootaloo's and Tiara's when you're all done."
With that she went into the living room and placed some of the blankets over the girls already asleep in there after taking away anything that might put them in danger while they slept.
It had been a long fun afternoon in the grotto. Apple Bloom, after granting Mac's request of letting him sleep, had spent all day making daisy chains and flower reef's slipping one reef, with the help of Honey, onto a dead as a log big brother making him look like one of those eternally alseep princesses in her story books.
And making one for herself and the horses, who instinctively ate them as soon as she gave them over.
It was around two hours before sunset when Mac finally woke up.
"So am I the King or the Prince of the Flower Fairies sis?" he asked taking the reef off his head to look at it better smiling to a doing her homework Apple Bloom by the river.
"You're Prince Pansy," Apple Bloom said speaking as though she had rehearsed this, not looking up from the book she was meant to be reading for school to do a report on next week. "And I am Queen Apple Blossom. And am bored and hungry...." she said marking her page and spinning over and sitting up to look to her brother.
"Well did you leave anything for us to have for tea?" Mac asked pleasing her by placing the reef back on his head and going over to help her to the tent and basket.
"Sure I did," Apple Bloom said smiling.
Unsure how to feel about this smile, Mac set her down and retrieved the basket, opening it to revel...
"Bread and jam and jam and bread..." Mac said looking up to his sister "No sausages or marsh mellow or anything like that? Because I'm sure I made sure to pack some of those in there this morning."
"You did..." Bloom said "And I've been having them all afternoon. There's not a lot to do here if your brother is asleep and all you can do is make daisy chains and flower reefs, and homework."
So the siblings had jam sandwiches and agreed to go back to the house in the morning to re-refill the basket for Sunday's day of this camping weekend.
Thinking he should call the house to warn them they'd be coming back, as soon as Apple Bloom was in her sleeping bag, plus ten minutes to be sure, Mac got out his phone and began calling.
~~*~~
Rainbow Dash had just finished calling her and Pinkie Pie's parents (since she was asleep) to say they would be staying over at Applejack's, and was about to hand it to Granny Smith when it started ringing.
"Hello?" Granny said in her cheerful voice.
"Hey Granny, sorry if this is waking you up or anything." Mac's voice came out of the receiver.
"Oh no problem dear, we were all just getting ready for bed. The girls and Spike have been working all day on those decorations for Wednesday you know. And hows Bloom doing?"
"Fine, but that's kinda the reason I'm calling.
How much stuff exactly is there for this plan is out and how quick can you pack it away some where?"
"Enough that it's not too little but not too much dear, why?" Granny answered now getting attentions from everyone.
"We're going to be paying the house another visit in the morning to refill this basket Bloom emptied today. So just want to give y'all a heads up and stuff in case something's out and junk." Mac gave as a reply.
"Ok dear I'll tell the girls," Granny said calmly "Goodnight oh and say goodnight to Bloom for me."
With that Granny Smith hang up and looked to see all those who were still awake, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack were watching her with questioning looks.
"You girls may want to get that stuff packed away tonight," she said fishing out some biscuit tins for the food and heading for the kitchen and the food that had finally all cooled down.
"Err... why Granny?" Applejack asked but helped her none the less.
"Mac says Bloom cleared out their basket today, so they'll need to come by in the morning to restock," Granny said smiling.
Understanding the four girls after checking that everything was dry, rolled everything up and stashed decorations into boxes.
Once they were done and they were in a safe place, somewhere out of the eyes of Bloom when she came back, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack each took a kid and somehow, took them to the guest room, so they'd be out of sight as well.
After writing a note, saying don't come down until 9:00 not that they thought any of them would be wake before then anyway, the girls made it back down to the living room where the unscheduled sleepover was being set up, Twilight and Pinkie already asleep on the floor under their blankets.
"Goodnight girls," Granny Smith said poking her head in as she passed the living room before going up to bed.
"Night Granny," all who were awake sleepily said yawning, before closing their eyes and falling asleep.
The next morning, as early as possible while still being in a suitable time for Apple Bloom, Mac woke her up so they could once again head back to the farm to refill the basket, and this time collect some games and fun things to do so Queen Apple Blossom would be pleased.
They got into the house at 8:25, saying 'Hi' to everyone who was sitting around the breakfast table enjoying piles of pancakes.
"Good morning you two," Granny said by the stove pouring the batter into the pan.
"Morning Granny," Apple Bloom said cheerfully coming to sit next to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.
"Nice accessory Mac," Rainbow said snorting slightly nodding to his head at the flower ring on it he didn't realize he was still wearing.
"Thanks," he said smiling "But you really have Bloom here to thank for it. You can have it if you want, but it comes with a title. That is if that's alright sis..." he said to Apple Bloom as he re-refilled the basket.
"I can always make another one for you," Apple Bloom said "So it's fine with me Prince Pansy..." The reactions that came off the girls made Mac's ears grow the brightest pink he thinks they had ever gone.
Applejack and Rainbow letting out loud hollers, after nearly choking on their food and drink because it went down the wrong way out of surprise, whereas Pinkie, Twilight and Rarity were lightly giggling behind their hands smirking.
Fluttershy was just smiling and twirling her hair around her finger, blushing slightly.
"Thank you Queen Apple Blossom for embarrassing in front of the rivaling kingdom's court like that," Mac said dully taking the crown off and walking over to Fluttershy and carried on the act.
"Thank you for not joining in, in my humiliation with your sisters dear Princess," he said crowning Fluttershy and pecking her on the cheek earning some 'Ooh...'s and even more giggles.
With that, a new fully stocked basket and some board-games and a couple of packs of cards. Mac and Apple Bloom were off again.
"So what would Her Majesty like to do first today since we now have games to play?" Mac asked lifting Bloom down carefully and taking the basket over to the tent out of the way of her sneaky hands.
"We would like to go exploring through the magical forest of Applaland and discover and observe Unicorns," Bloom stated using the Royal 'We' and her poshest of posh voice.
"Well it's a good thing I bought binoculars then," Mac said waving around imaginary binoculars handing a pair to Apple Bloom who took seat by the river by the trees, followed by Mac.
After a bit Mac asked "See anything yet?"
"Not yet..." Bloom said moping the binoculars up to her eyes sweeping the area suddenly stopping on Appleseed and Honey Crisp. "Wait I've found them," she said in a hushed whisper.
"Where?" Mac asked gasping holding up his binoculars and pointing them in the way Apple Bloom had hers.
"Right there," she said "See the little filly Unicorn and her father watching over her in the shade of the trees directly opposite us..." she said describing where to look.
"You mean those two ordinary horses right there?" Mac asked confused.
"There not horses," Bloom said "Can't you see their beautiful horns and shiny white coats?" Bloom asked.
"Nope," Mac said.
Then there came a rustling from the entrance to the clearing.
"Who dears enter the magical forest of Applaland without the Queen of the Forest's permission?" Apple Bloom called out from where she sat when Fluttershy came into view.
"Tis I, Your Highness, Princess *Maraposia*" she said curtsying smiling gently. "The good Queen of my kingdom asked of me to bring you some of her cookies to show apologies for my sisters laughing at your Price earlier today." she explained holding up a small bag of cookies.
"You may then, join us on our journey to observe Unicorns," Apple Bloom said holding out an imaginary pair of binoculars as Fluttershy came over. "And tell Prince Pansy that there are indeed two right there." she said holding hers up again nodding to the horses.
"Oh my," Fluttershy said playing along "Such lovely, magnificent creatures these beings are." she said smiling "I just love the way the sun shines on their white coats like that. Oh look the filly's coming over to us..."
Honey was indeed coming over to them, most likely either because Fluttershy was here now too, or she smelt the cookies.
"Meh just a plain old young horse to me," Mac said shrugging.
"Then you need your eyes testing Prince Pansy," Apple Bloom said slowly raising her hand to meet Honey's nose.
"If I may My Lady," Fluttershy said greeting Honey too. "I believe it's because the Prince is a boy. Boys can not see these magnificent creatures that like us girls better than them."
"My eyes work just fine Queen Apple Blossom," Mac said "For example I am at this very moment, witnessing the most beautiful thing on this planet right here before me," he said nodding to Fluttershy making her blush.
After a bit more time in Appaland, the three of them went over to the tent to have their lunch.
"So a came of 'Guess Who' after this the Bloom?" Mac asked handing his sister and fiancée sandwiches before pulling out some for himself.
"But you always win at that..." Bloom wined her mouth full.
"I can play with you if you'd like Bloom," Fluttershy suggested smiling sweetly.
"Ok..." Bloom said.
10 minutes later
"Yay we win again," Apple Bloom and Fluttershy called out together hugging each other.
"I propose we play something else," Mac said packing up the game.
"Just because you lost on every round," Bloom said proudly.
"It was not every round ok?" Mac said placing the lid on the box.
"Yes it was."
"No it wasn't, Fluttershy you were keeping score right?" Mac asked "Please tell us what it was."
"The scores were..." she said pausing for effect "Out of the 15 rounds, Me and Bloom 15 you 0. Sorry." she said.
"Ha! Told ya," Bloom said as she started making a new flower crown for Mac.
While she was busy with that Mac took Fluttershy aside.
"So hows everything coming?" he whispered, he found out a few years ago that Apple Bloom had very good ears.
"Last night we decided that after Bloom goes to school on Monday, the decorations will be brought here. But before that I shall look after the stuff at my cottage tonight," Fluttershy began. "And all the food will be stored in the hay loft cause..." she paused to see if Bloom was listening but lowered her voice anyway "Because of her leg."
"What about the tables and stuff to lift the stuff off the ground and ladders and stuff for the banners?" Mac asked nodding in understanding.
"That's where you come in Your Highness," Fluttershy said curtsying and smiling a bit "We will need a big strong prince like you to bring the Objects of Necessity in to the place of question."
"And I am blessed that you fair madin think that I, Prince Pansy, can be such a prince," Mac carried on bowing to his princess "However my royal doctors said to me I can not do any heavy lifting of things until at least Tuesday. And even then I doubt they will let me do things like that."
"Does the trail for thy royal carriage come through here?" Fluttershy asked looking over to Appleseed getting an idea.
"It used to," Mac said getting to where Fluttershy was heading "But it stopped being used after we lost the king and queen. So I'm not sure how good it is now."
"What you guys talking about?" Apple Bloom asked by Mac's elbow a new crown in her hand for him.
"We were just talking about a few slightly forgotten carriage trails Bloom," Mac said smiling kneeling down for her to place the new crown on his head. Then getting an idea since if they're going to be using it, they needed to see how it is said "Would you two want to come and help me find it?"
"Like a treasure hunt?" Bloom asked a spark of adventure in her eye.
"Not quite," Mac answered balancing the answers in his hands "More a go and observe and see if it's still useable."
"Why?" Bloom asked confused "Why does it need to be found all the sudden?"
"Granny said the next family reunion, after the mess AJ got everyone into at her try, will be given to me," Mac said helping Bloom onto Honey while Fluttershy hoisted herself onto Appleseed. "And I'm thinking, that one of the things she did right was try and change the route for the hay-cart ride. So I'm thinking on bringing them here," Mac said stepping back and throwing his arms out "But to do that, we need to see if the track's still useable."
"There wont be any fruit bats or anything will there?" Apple Bloom asked, getting Honey to back up a bit, a nervous look on her face.
"I'm not sure about 'Anythings'," Mac said going over to the tent and packing a sack of first aid stuff, water, and some other 'just-in-case' things "But I doubt we'll come across the fruit bats. They stay to themselves over in the west orchard. So ready?" he asked coming over after placing the basket and games in the tent and zipping it up.
Getting nods, Mac began to lead the two horses down the trail that would hopefully connect to the hay-cart trails back at the farm.
With Mac in the lead and the two girls following on the horses, the group slowly and carefully made it down the path that was said was used for hay cart rides for family reunions.
But the further they went, the less sure Mac was of it.
The path and dents for the wheels had been covered by grass, meaning that unless you knew it was there, you couldn't see it. Brambles and tree roots were edging their way in nearly blocking the way. And it was way more quiet than Mac remembered it was, making him not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Mac..." Apple Bloom asked in a shaky voice making Honey stop "Can... Can we turn around? I don't think I want to do this anymore..."
"Ok, you and Fluttershy turn back," Mac said after thinking for a bit "I'll continue to see if this path can be restored. If I'm not back in..." he said looking to his watch "One hour? Or you hear me scream. Go get help."
"We will," Fluttershy said smiling "Just promise you wont make us do that. Me and AJ both nearly lost you twice in here already... I don't think either of us will be able to take any more."
Nodding and kissing her on the cheek and ruffling Apple Blooms hair, Mac waited until they started heading back before he turned around and continued on his way.
Back at the farm everyone was checking that everything was still alright and was ready to go off to their destinations.
At the moment Applejack, Rainbow and Scoots were in the barn stashing the food in the loft.
"This the last one?" Applejack asked as she pulled the box onto the ledge backing up to turn around to set it with the others.
"Unless Twi put something in the wrong place while sorting all this out," Rainbow said by the ladder and hay-hook they were using with one of AJ's ropes to lift the boxes up. "Why you ask?"
"Cause there's about fifteen boxes and almost no more room up here." Applejack said coming down.
Scootaloo wasn't paying attention. She was over by Nutmeg's fence trying to get to like horses again.
Reaching out her hand slowly, Scoots fixed her eyes on the mare and tried to control her breathing trying not to be nervous.
Slowly Nutmeg came over to the young girl and sniffed her hand and looked over the purple haired one who helped find her daughter a few years ago wondering why she was so nervous.
Looking to the girls hand to her eyes and back, Nutmeg slowly pressed her nose into the palm of it and let the girl pet her.
Scootaloo smiled when Nutmeg pressed her nose into her hand feeling all her resurfaced fears of horses die back down.
"Hey Scoots," she heard Rainbow call to her making her turn around "If you don't move we'll be leaving you here... Come on."
"I gotta go Nutmeg sorry," Scootaloo said quietly stepping off of the fence and running to the door.
As they went back to the house Rainbow crouched down to let Scootaloo have a piggy back ride, as she and Applejack began to talk about this plan again.
"You really think this will work AJ?"
"Us keeping this secret or the whole thing?" Applejack asked "I mean all of y'all know how bad I am at keeping secrets what with me earning the nickname 'Honest Applejack' at school."
"You've kept it secret so far," Scootaloo said smiling from on top of Rainbow's back.
"Well yeah Squirt," Rainbow said bouncing her makeshift sister a bit smirking "But there's still two days left... What's to say she wont blow it at the last second?"
"Thanks for emphasizing what I was talking about Dashie..." Applejack said as they came to the house.
"Just remember Applejack," Rainbow said setting Scoots down "This is for your sister. You're doing this to make her happy and all that junk. Somehow, someway, you'll manage to do it."
"Thanks 'Bow" Applejack said smiling and hugging her friend gently before they went inside to see what else they had to do.
Back in the forest Mac was still on the path coming to a stop as a tree was lying across it, and brambles and other vegetation twirling around it so much that there was no way they'll be able to clear it in time for Wednesday.
"Well that's blown it then," Mac said sighing wondering what to do now.
Coming up with nothing, Mac shook his head and was about to turn around and head back, when a noise caught his ear, almost like a whine and shuffling.
Turning back to the shrubs, Mac slowly crept closer to see if he could find what it was.
"Now what we got here then?" he asked out loud as he saw a puppy buried under the bushes, one of it's fronts paws looking like it was hurt.
"How'd you get like that baby?" he asked getting down to the ground to look the puppy in the eyes a smile on his face, not making any sudden moves to show he was a friend, slowly reaching out his hand for it to inspect.
Slowly, the puppy limped forward and sniffed this things paw to see if it was safe, smelling apples, flowers, and the scent of some meat this thing must of had a bit of time ago.
Liking the smells the cub began to lick the things paw joyfully. But when it reached forward to touch her the pup backed up and began to growl at this thing.
"Hey I'm trying to help you baby," Mac said calmly remembering what Fluttershy always said a bout kindness. "I mean no harm. Look I'll show ya..." At this he backed up a bit, still on the ground and still having a smile. "Trust me now?" he asked.
Slowly the puppy moved forward again and looked around to see if any dangers were there to be found.
When she couldn't find any, the puppy came out from under the thorns and came to inspect this thing before her some more.
"Hum..." Mac hummed a he slowly got into a sitting position "That paw must really be hurting you mustn't it baby?" he asked holding out his hand asking to look at it surprised to see the puppy place her injured paw into it. "I know someone who can help if you can trust me to take you to her..." he said still smiling slowly and gently setting a hand onto the cubs head and running it down her back.
If it meant staying with this new plaything a bit longer, whatever it is he just said, she'd do it. Yapping happily and licking it's paws again.
"Ok, lets go then," Mac said slowly picking up the puppy the way Fluttershy showed him to pick up small animals - an arm under the tummy and wrap the other to support their butt, and bring them into the body.
Getting up Mac took one last look around to see if they could be able to do anything to the path, or find what made this puppy hide under the bushes in the first place.
Finding an answer to neither question, Mac began to make his way back to the grotto.
In the grotto, because Bloom couldn't pace, she had spent the time since they got back picking the petals off of her flowers of her crown.
"Bloom," Fluttershy said looking just as nervous but not showing it as much. "I'm sure you know, even more than I do, that Mac is capable of handling himself out there in the woods."
"He hadn't been that capable of it the last few times he went off alone into them," Apple Bloom said quietly accepting Honey's request for a hug.
"You know neither of those times it was his fault he got hurt Bloom," Fluttershy said defending Mac.
"I know..." the girl said sighing "Is it time to go and get help yet?" she asked.
"Well since you've been asking that every fine minutes since we got back, and you've asked it five time meaning it's been.... twenty five minutes," Fluttershy said looking at her phone "No... not yet."
Seeing disappointment on her soon-to-be-sister-in-law's face, Fluttershy went over to the tent and pulled out the basket.
"How about we have something to eat while we wait for Prince Pansy to come back from his quest My Queen," she said smile coming to sit next to Bloom.
"Oh no ya don't," a voice they both wanted to hear said turning around to see Mac and a puppy in his arms "You're not making it so that all we'll have tonight is bread and jam, and jam and bread again Bloom."
"Mac you're back," Fluttershy said getting up and slowly but quickly, because she could see the puppy was a bit shaking by this, to her fiancee. "Now where did this little cute ball of fur come from?" she asked slowly reaching out to the pup smiling.
Leaning forward a bit the puppy began to sniff this new thing's paw, smelling all kinds of different animals on her, the same flowers and the thing holding her had but stronger - this thing must be where the other got it from, and the smell of some of that stuff those noisy pests, that always sting her, make.
"Found her under some brambles when I got to the fallen tree blocking the path," Mac explained shifting his eyes to Bloom. Getting the hint Fluttershy nodded showing she understood "And I think she hurt her paw too."
"Aw... you poor thing," Fluttershy said taking the puppy from Mac and kneeling down to the ground, setting her down too to see if anything else was wrong.
"Please, can I look at your paw?" she said pointing to her eyes then to the paw in question as she spoke.
After a bit of hesitation, the puppy lifted her paw up and gently placed it into Fluttershy's hand trying not to whine when her gentle fingers softly pressed against it to see what was wrong.
"So what wrong Fluttershy?" Apple Bloom asked coming over with the help of Honey Crisp seeing the puppy.
"Well something is definitely wrong," she said scratching the puppy behind the ears a bit "But I'm not sure how bad it is. So I'll need to take her to the clinic to run some tests. Just to be sure she's alright."
"So see you later then?" Mac asked rubbing the back of the neck as they got back up, the puppy now with Fluttershy.
"Yeah," she said smiling "And don't worry I'll take good care of this sweet little thing here, and tell the others the path's a no go."
But as Fluttershy turned and began to walk away from Mac the puppy began to whine and fidget in the girls arms making her stop to see what was wrong.
Looking to where the puppy was staring and trying to get to she saw Mac, looking confused.
"Hey baby what's wrong?" he asked coming over this calming the puppy a bit.
"Um... I don't think she wants to be separated from you Mac," is all Fluttershy said.
"How you going to take her to the clinic then?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I guess you'll need to come too." Mac said taking the pup back, that calming her down. "You might want to give the others a heads up though 'Shy," he whispered shifting his eyes to Bloom again who had somehow managed to get back on to Honey all by herself.
Nodding in agreement, Fluttershy took out her phone and called the others at the farm.
"Right that's the last thing to be taken to Fluttershy's," Twilight said checking over the list she had made, everyone around her smiling that all they had to do now, was to get it there.
"Ok then everyone lets get this into the truck and heal it off to Shy's place so she could keep it safe for Wednesday," Applejack said picking up the banner and about to walk out the door when the phone started going off.
"Hello?" Spike, the closet one to the phone asked. "Oh hi Fluttershy. What?" he continued getting everyone to give him curious looks "No not yet. In fact we were just about to pack everything in the truck to do so." that giving him even more looks.
Not being able to take it any longer, Applejack asked for the phone.
" 'Shy? it's AJ," she said whats wrong with if we've taking the stuff to your place yet?"
'It's just Mac's found a lost pup in the woods and she's hurt herself,' Fluttershy answered 'So I want to take her to the clinic to see if she's alright or if anything else is wrong, but for some reason she doesn't want to leave Mac. Meaning he needs to come too, meaning Bloom does too. Unless you think leaving her in the woods with no adult's a good idea.'
"Mac..." Applejack groaned rubbing her bridge of her nose. "Why does have to show the world that big fat heart of his now?"
'I'll call you when their gone and you can come round then,' Fluttershy said seeming to of ignored AJ's remark. 'Bye.'
"Yeah bye."
With that Applejack hung the phone up and turned to the room all eyes, full of questions on her.
"Run down's Mac's found a puppy who doesn't want to leave him, but she's hurt her paw so they all have to go to the clinic of 'Shy's meaning we need to wait for her to call back, to say it's safe."
"But... But that will mess up the whole schedule I've made," Twilight said waving the piece of paper around stepping forward.
"Too bad Twi," Applejack said picking up the banner again - just because they can't go yet doesn't mean that they can't be ready to go when they need to. "Unless you can find some way to go back in time and stop Mac from finding the thing, I can't help you."
"I hope they're not too upset about that," Fluttershy said hanging up and began to pack her things so they can go.
"Upset about what?" Bloom asked cocking her head "And why did you need to call someone just so we can go to your place?"
"Upset that I asked for them to wait until later for them to come," Fluttershy said deciding to walk as they left "And I needed to call first, to let them know they can't come over yet because I'll be busy with a patient."
"Then lets get going and get there so we wont need to hold them up any longer than we need to," Mac said the pup almost asleep in his arms loving the fact she was getting all this attention, and the sound of the big thing's heart.
With that the three of them and the animals left the grotto and headed to Fluttershy's.
"Ok here we are..." Fluttershy said unlocking the veterinary and walking in, nearly tripping over Angel who was right in front of the door, his fore legs crossed and thumping his foot a scowl on his cute little face.
"Err... mind telling us why that fuzz ball looks so annoyed at you Flutters?" Mac asked helping his sister off Honey Crisp.
Taking a moment to think Fluttershy gasped and looked to the feeding chart and saw that last night, and this morning were unsigned.
"Oh Angel I'm so sorry," She said getting onto her knees and reaching out to scratch her favorite bunny behind the ears. "I was busy last night, and got distracted this morning," she said using her eyes to point to Mac, a blush coming to her cheeks. "I hope no one else is upset. Would you two mind helping me feed the animals while I tend to this little pup here please?" she asked getting up and showing the two Apples the animals and what to do.
"We'll try," Mac said shrugging, as Apple Bloom who was now holding the pup, now asleep, nodded along giving it to Fluttershy and went straight to measuring out the food.
~~*~~
After ten minutes the siblings agreed that Bloom should measure out the food and mix it up, while Mac took them to the animals since that needed more walking.
"Hey Mac," Bloom spoke up at last.
"Yes Bloom..." Mac said in the same tone of voice she gave him.
"What are we going to do with that puppy when she's all better?" she asked "I mean we can't 'put her back where we found her' can we? And as Fluttershy said she seems to like you a lot, so it would be mean if we give her to someone she doesn't like wont it?" she said her voice full of hinting tones that Mac was picking up on.
"Sis, is this your way of saying you want a puppy?" he asked setting a bowl of food in front of a mothering cat scratching her behind the ear to calm her down seeing she thought him a threat to her kittens.
"May... be..." she said avoiding her brothers eyes kicking her legs a bit.
"Ok. We'll see what Granny and AJ have to say first," Mac said coming over "And check if she already belongs to someone. I mean you wouldn't want the owner to loose their pet would you?" he asked getting a shake of the head. "But then... I suppose... If no one clams her, I don't see why you can't have a puppy, as long as you take care of it."
"Yay!" Apple Bloom said smiling hugging her big brother smiling.
Just then Fluttershy came in the pup in her arms, still asleep, and gently placed her in a medium sized cadge so she could rest and get better.
"She has a broken wrist," Fluttershy said before anyone could ask her, "So I've bandaged it up to set it going to fix itself but it will take a while, good thing you found her when you did Mac, my guess, any longer and we wouldn't of been able to do it.
'Sadly though, she doesn't have a collar, and when I ran the scanner over her to see if she was chipped instead, nothing came up." she carried on "Meaning the only thing we can do is wait and see if someone comes looking for her."
"So why's she still asleep?" Bloom asked coming over and gently patting the pup on it's head.
"Puppies need to sleep more than grown up dogs do," Fluttershy said smiling. "Sort of like human babies and their sleeping habits."
"Yeah asleep all day, then crying all night." Mac said smirking "I tell you that line 'Sleep like a baby' is all wrong. And anyone who says it obviously does not have one."
"Yeah well, I took some pictures of her before I came in here," Fluttershy said "Later I'll print them off and stick them up around town. See if anything comes back. Thanks again for the great afternoon guys oh and for feeding my animals for me."
"Your welcome Fluttershy," the siblings said together, smiling as they left after saying goodbye to the unnamed pup.
After Bloom was back on top of Honey, and everyone was heading back to the forest for their last night of camping, Fluttershy whipped out her phone and called the others to tell them the coast was now clear.
"So where's this little ball of fur that set us back one hour, according to Twilight, then Shy?" was Rainbow's first question when she and Applejack rolled up in the truck outside the clinic fifteen minutes later.
"Come on, but you need to be quiet," Fluttershy said lowering her voice "She's sleeping."
Getting nods of understanding Fluttershy led Rainbow and AJ to the lost pup and opened the door so they could see her better.
"All this fuss over that?" Rainbow asked trying to not go Aww... at the cute sight of the puppy in a blanket, using a teddy bear as a pillow.
"What it's name? Where's she from?" Applejack asked reaching in and setting the blanket back right.
"We don't know her name," Fluttershy said quietly "Or where she's from. She doesn't have a collar of a chip so we can't find out."
"How'd you know if the owner made sure of that?" Rainbow asked a bit behind them her arms crossed looking angry for some reason.
"What you talking about Sugarcube?" AJ asked shutting the door again as quietly as she could.
"I'm talking about the possibility that this pup might of been abandoned," Rainbow replied. "It adds up... more or less... Lost pup, no known name, no way to get her back to her family, lost in the woods, gets attached to the first thing that shows it kindness AKA Mac... You see where I'm getting at here?"
"Yes but who would do such a thing?" Fluttershy asked going back outside and began to unload the truck.
"Yeah and 'aint she a bit too healthy looking to be abandoned?" Applejack asked raising an eyebrow, shouldering the banner and taking it to the cottage next door.
"Hey it's just a possibility..." Rainbow Dash said carrying a box of party plates and napkins.
"Well in case she wasn't," Fluttershy said going over to her computer and hitting 'print' the pups photo coming out a few times "I've made these. But if nothing comes back," she said looking to AJ smirking a bit "You might be getting a new dog AJ."
"Wait what?" Applejack asked pausing in unloading the truck for a bit, blinking slightly.
Giggling at the reaction Fluttershy repeated what she heard the other two Apples talk about earlier.
In the grotto, Mac was just about to have a bit of a snooze, Apple Bloom playing a game of solitaire by the river, when his phone went off.
Confused, Mac got up and saw it was Applejack calling. He had just accepted the call, and placed the phone to his ear, when he had to hold it at arms length, AJ's voice screaming down the phone
"HOW CAN YOU TELL BLOOM SHE CAN HAVE A PUPPY?"
"Err... mind repeating that a bit quieter sis?" Mac asked returning the phone to his other ear his right one not working anymore.
"I asked Big Brother..." Applejack said annoyance on her vocal cords, "How can you tell Bloom she can have a puppy?"
"I didn't say she can have a puppy," Mac said getting up and walking into the forest a bit to talk about this. "I said 'I suppose if no one clams her, I don't see why you can't have a puppy, as long as you take care of it.' And I also said that we need to ask you and Granny first so back off will ya?"
"I'm sorry," Applejack said groaning "It's just... Well I don't know what it is. I think it's got something to do with she went to you, before she came to me."
"Well I was the one there for her to ask the question to," Mac said smirking slightly "But come on AJ, Blooms not something like a prize to be won and set as a competition to see who she goes to for advice and or requests," he carried on.
"I know, I know," Applejack said coming around "And I s'pose it wouldn't be too bad... I mean we already have Winnona, the horses and the other live stock right?"
"Exactly," Mac said smile and surprised it was so easy "So... how's everything going?"
"All the food's in the hay loft, and now all the decorations and other stuff's here," Applejack answered "All that's need is the tables, chairs etc and those speical glasses Twilight's been talking about."
"And a way to get it all here," Mac said.
"Yeah..." AJ said in reply.
"Well you can rip off the old hay cart ride path, that's how I found the pup," Mac said "I'm sure Shy said this but it's blocked and there's too much there to get it sorted out in time."
"So what we going to do?"
"I don't know," Mac said sighing "But we will get this done, for Bloom."
"For Bloom," Applejack replied "Well bye then, see you when you come home tomorrow."
Finally she hung up and Mac went back seeing a slightly confused slightly angry Bloom before him when he got there.
"Who was that then big brother?" she asked "Why all the secrecy?"
"That was AJ," Mac said returning to his place he was in before "Wanted to shout at me for saying you might be allowed that pup we found."
"Took a bit long for it to be just that?" Bloom said eyes still on her brother.
"Well you know how long AJ can go when she starts ranting..." he replied smirking, ears picking up a bit of stifled laughter.
"So am I getting her or am I not getting her?" Bloom asked, her voice returning to normal.
"We'll find out, when the times come Bloom." Mac said not wanting to get her spirits up too much.
"We need a name for her," Apple Bloom carried on getting Mac to open his eye a bit "I mean we can't just keep calling her 'Her', or 'The Pup', or 'It'..."
"How's about you think up some names then," Mac said getting up and fishishing out some pens and paper for her, "And I'll judge them when I wake back up."
"Ok," Bloom said as she got to her tummy and began to think, and Mac finally began his nap.
After Applejack had got off the phone she went back to helping unload the truck and set it in Fluttershy's room, the girls agreeing that that seemed the safest place for all this until it was needed.
"So... How did it go?" Rainbow Dash asked smirking.
"Fine," AJ returned placing the last box with the others.
"Well as long as this wont be all for nothing," Rainbow said pointing around the room. "I don't really mind. And I'll help place those posters around town and ask my football team if you'd like Shy," she said switching to her other friend in the room.
"Oh thank you Rainbow I hope we do find that pup's real family, not that I don't think Bloom wont do a good job," she said timidly looking to Applejack, "Just it will seem right wont it?"
With that Fluttershy gave Rainbow a few of the posters and each girl went their separate ways, Applejack returning with a poster herself to the farm.
In the kitchen, the friends had just finished packing up so it looked like nothing happened over the coarse of the weekend, and were now in the kitchen with Granny Smith, all enjoying some well deserved apple pie and ice cream.
"I'm back!" Applejack called from the front door coming into the kitchen.
"So dear how's that little pup then?" Granny Smith said smiling.
"Fine but she's doesn't have a collar or a chip, so Shy printed off a few of these posters so if anyone knows her..." Applejack said placing the poster on the table, after a few seconds it being snatched by Diamond Tiara who was studying it up and down.
"I know who she is," she said a scowl on her face for some reason "And who the owner is."
"But that's good right?" Spike asked confused.
"Depends how you look at it," Tiara said whipping out her phone and pressing a speed dial number she hadn't pressed in five years.
By her family's pool Twinkle was reading a fashion magazine, when her phone started ringing.
Sighing since she had been reading a very important article about the right color nail varnish to wear on which occasion, Twinkle picked up her phone surprised to see it was Diamond Tiara calling her.
"Hello?" she said in a 'couldn't care less voice'.
"So how's your new puppy?" was the first thing Tiara asked.
"Oh that ball of fur?" Twinkle asked "Well... As much as it so totally pains me to say this," she said acting all devastated "The rat ran away. Can't tell why."
~~*~~
"Could it be because you treated it like you teat me and my friends?" Tiara putting the phone on speaker telling everyone to be quiet and asking someone to record all this.
"Yeah right," Twinkle said "I treat that thing with love and affection. Unlike those losers you now hang out with. I get Lidia to feed it, I get Jones to take it for walks, I tell Taylor to play with it. See I care for it just fine."
"So why was she found in the middle of the forest, all alone and scared?" Tiara asked reading the poster out.
"Er... she ran away," Twinkle said "Didn't I just say this?"
"So if I ask if you want it back?" Tiara asked getting to the point she wanted "What will you say?"
"Yeah right want that bouncing ball of fluff again? Twinkle asked rhetorically "No thanks, whoever found it, the things their problem now."
And with that the line went dead.
"So why did you want us to record that Tiara?" Sweetie Belle asked as her friend shut off her phone.
"Just in case she'll change her mind when she sees Bloom with the pup," was the answer she got.
That night in the grotto, Apple Bloom was just finishing up her sausages, while Mac was looking over the list of names she had written for the pup, should they not be able to find the real one.
"Humm..." he said looking over the paper "Well, they're all good names sis. But the ones that get my vote are either Anna, Alice, or maybe Diana," he said giving the list back, and getting started on his burger that had now grown cold.
"That doesn't really help choose a name big brother," Bloom said placing her plate back in the basket, rubbing her eyes slightly.
"Well we'll just have to wait to see what everyone else thinks too and pick from there." Mac said smiling. "It'll be just like Honey-Crisp all over again."
"But... but she wont run into the forest will she?" Bloom asked "And then you'll go in after her and get hurt. Right?"
That put a stop to Mac's fun and games as he looked towards his baby sister.
"I promise sis," he said "I will try and not let that happen. Now..." he said finishing his dinner "What would her majesty want to help her get to sleep tonight?"
"Stories of Mama and Papa," Bloom said yawning and getting down on the ground.
The next morning, Mac got up extra early, to rouse Bloom enough to get her to come out of the tent so he can put it down and pack up.
"Do I have to go to school today Mac?" Bloom asked yawning as she was now up on Honey who was being nice and slow for her friend letting her lean against her neck. "I'm tired."
"Well if perhaps you went to sleep like you were suppose to Bloom, instead of ordering and ordering more and more stories," Mac said with a kind smile but checking back every now and then to make sure his baby sister wont fall off her horse "Maybe you wont be so tired. Besides I bet the minute you get some food into you you'll be right as rain again."
"Do I have to go to school today Mac?" Bloom asked again as if she didn't hear anything, but Mac thought there was something else.
Pulling the horses to a stop he helped Bloom down and got her to face him. "All right what's wrong Bloom?" he asked kindly yet orderly "Out with it."
"Yell... What's the point of going to a building to learn stuff, that you'll probably never ever use again for the rest of you're life," Apple Bloom said.
"I got a feeling that's not what this is about Bloom," Mac said shifting them so they were now sitting down on a fallen tree. "Now come on what's really wrong? You used to love school."
Not sure how to explain Bloom asked if she could tell Mac a story who agreed as long as it were quick.
'One upon a time, there was this sweet apple blossom who had three friends, a caterpillar...' Bloom said slowly trying to place her friends to the right beings 'A... A bird. And her newest friend a bee. They lived together in the apple tree forever and kept saying nothing will split them apart. But then one day, the apple blossom was... harmed by a cat who got into the tree. Then her friends began to ignore her... The blossom not knowing what she did wrong... but knowing that she didn't want to see her friends again until she was all better. Even if that means hiding from the rest of the world.'
"Bloom your friends are Not trying to ignore you..." Mac said sighing gently gripping the girls hands in his own. "They're just... busy with something. Everything will get to the better side of things after your leg's all fine and dandy again. Trust me."
"The last time I trusted some one brother," Bloom began muttering adding a couple of sniffs "Honey got hurt."
"Ok I didn't want to play this card, but you leave me no choice," Mac said getting Bloom to pay attention "You remember how I said you could possibly have the pup is you take care of it?" he asked getting a nod "Well taking care of it means you need to be responsible right?" another nod "And does not going to school sound like being responsible?" shake. "No, it doesn't. Bloom, you may not like it there, especially at the moment and you can hardly do anything, but going to school even when you don't want to, is the first sign to being responsible. And the more responsible you are, the more alright me AJ and Granny will be with you having a small animal. Understand?"
"I... I think so," Bloom said but not looking into her brother's eyes.
Getting an idea on how to get his sister to go to school and back to the cove on Wednesday Mac said "How about this then... You continue going to school, that includes today, tomorrow, and the rest of the time your legs broken and all after that," he said just making himself clear "And On Wednesday, I'll see if Granny will let me have a day off farming and we can come back the cove to watch the eclipse there instead."
That catching the little girls attention, Apple Bloom went over the deal in her head to try and find any loopholes and nodded smiling when she didn't find any.
With that they continued they way out of the forest.
In the kitchen of Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack and Granny were having their breakfast, pancakes and syrup leaving aside two plates for Bloom and Mac.
"Mac better be getting back home soon with Bloom or she'll be late for school," Applejack said finishing up her meal.
"Oh I'm sure they're fine dear," Granny said smiling finishing her as well. "Why I wager they will be through that door in the next thirty seconds."
Shrugging, AJ just began counting and looked to the door not believing her.
29 seconds later
"We're back!" Apple Bloom cried opening the door and rushing over, as quick as she could to the table to have her breakfast, Mac following her.
Pouting slightly and rolling her eyes AJ just got up and went to go get the trucks keys so Bloom could get straight to school when she was done, even going to her sister's room and getting her rucksack.
"So how was your camping trip Sweetie?" Granny said laughing a bit at her elder granddaughters reaction of loosing the bet.
"It was ok, we found a puppy and Mac says if I'm responsible by going to school and no one claims her I can have it."
"I'm not sure I used those words Bloom," Mac said pouring syrup onto his pancakes.
"Well that's what I heard big brother," Bloom said her mouth stuffed with pancakes, getting a look from Granny and AJ. Gulping them down Bloom continued "By the way we need your opinions on names for her..." Bloom said pulling out the name sheet.
"We'll think about it when we have some more time dear," Granny said smiling "Right now you need to be going to school."
"Ok," Bloom said getting down and over to the door as fast as she could go never so eager to go to school. "Come on AJ! I'm going to be late!" she said to her sister confusing her, but allowed herself to be pulled out of the door anyway.
Once they were gone, Granny turned to Mac and asked "I presume that was your doing son?"
"I told her, after she told me a story of how she was feeling," Mac explained "That if she went to school and there fore showed us she was responsible, she was, the more alright me AJ and you will be with her having a small animal."
"Trying to bribe her with something cute and fuzzy," Granny said smirking a bit nodding "I have taught you well my boy."
Rolling his eyes slightly Mac remembered the second half of the deal he made with his sister.
"I also got an idea on how to get her back there on Wednesday," he said waiting for Granny to signal to carry on. "I said that on that day I'll see if you'll let me have a day off farming and we could go back the cove to watch the eclipse there instead. So technically I didn't spill the surprise since she'll think it's just me and her right?" he asked just making sure.
"That sounds right to me," Granny said nodding smiling too. "Just don't hurt yourself moving everything into the woods, we don't want her to have to loose her trust to another one of us because you're too badly hurt to fulfill it. No do we?"
"I'll call the girls and guys over to see if they'll help out later Granny," Mac said nodding. "The trouble is, we'll need to walk the tables and chairs in because the old hay-cart track's blocked."
"Do what you must son," Granny said getting up and leaving. "Just don't get hurt, or burn the grotto down." With one last smile she left, leaving Mac to enjoy his breakfast.
