//------------------------------//
// 54 Grave Knowledge 
// Story: Continuity Disrupted 
// by Doug Graves 
//------------------------------//

August 2nd, 1000 Domina Solaria

Just outside the Ponyville Schoolhouse, before school starts, sit five ponies: Diamond Tiara, Twist, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. While the group gathering together was not exactly an uncommon sight before - they used to play soccer together, quite frequently - it has been quite some time. Diamond Tiara, cutie mark proudly displayed, is sitting on the steps while the other four gather around.

"Alright, you four," Diamond Tiara says snidely, "with us being the last of the fillies in our year to get our cutie marks..." she glances over at the trio's blank flanks, her mouth curling to a smirk, "Well, with how hard you three are trying, it's going to happen really soon, right? So, I thought we would save Miss Cheerilee the trouble of pulling us each aside individually for that really awkward adult conversation. Unless you three aren't old enough? I mean, both of your younger sisters have heard it. And with the way your sire is, I bet you all could give the talk yourselves."

"Hey!" shouts Apple Bloom, leaping to her hooves. She stomps a hoof on the ground, angrily glaring at Diamond Tiara, "Just 'cause he walks around upright doesn't mean he goes about the house, fooling around with our dams when we're there." Apple Bloom smiles confidently, though it quickly fades when she doesn't hear anypony backing her assertion. She glances to her sisters, "Right, girls?"

Sweetie Belle nervously coughs as Scootaloo whistles, staring off in the distance.

"Seriously?" Apple Bloom says, her mouth gaping open. "Seriously?"

"Well, have you seen my dam?" Scootaloo says, pawing at the floor. "When it's her night to stay with Daddy? And other times when it isn't? Most nights when she comes home she doesn't even bother looking around, she just goes straight to him, especially if it's late and she thinks I've gone to bed already. And it's not like he's going to say 'no' to her, not when she's all pent up from pushing clouds and wants to blow off some steam."

One of Apple Bloom's eyes twitch as her brain slowly processes this.

"Rarity tries, but I'm pretty quiet," Sweetie Belle adds softly, slightly trailing off. "So, sometimes when I come downstairs for a snack, they're in the kitchen..." she taps her hooves together, the sound echoing off the school door. Silence reigns for a few seconds before she awkwardly continues, "And at first, I was curious what they were up to, because they were being quiet too, and then when I realized..."

Apple Bloom's mouth grows wider as Sweetie Belle's muzzle contorts to as neutral a face as she can manage.

Diamond Tiara and Twist lean in, eyes twinkling expectantly.

Scootaloo starts, filling the silence, "The first time it happened with me,"

"First?!" Apple Bloom exclaims, now gaping at Scootaloo.

"I think they forgot I was in the room. I was just reading through my homework, 'cause Daddy told me to go to bed once I finished. And then Rainbow comes in all quick-like, and..." Scootaloo bumps her hooves together awkwardly, mimicking Sweetie Belle. She clears her throat, "Then, once they were... done... they both noticed I was there." Her face curls to a smile, proud that her parents thought she was grown up enough, and trusted her with the knowledge she is about to dispense, and yet still embarrassed at how she came to know it. "And they're both speechless. They just look at me, then at each other, then back at me. And then Daddy says, 'Well, at least it's your kid,' and dam just kinda shrugs and says, 'Well, she's going to learn about it at some point.' And then they..."

Scootaloo trails off, looking at the three expectant faces around her, and then Apple Bloom's mortified expression. Scootaloo frowns as Diamond Tiara says, "And then what?"

"We had the talk." Scootaloo states flatly, sheepishly looking down, "It was just a little more... graphic."

"Nice!" Diamond Tiara exclaims, offering a hoof that Scootaloo embarrassingly bumps after a moment's hesitation. Diamond Tiara turns to Sweetie Belle, "How about you? Did they show you too?"

Sweetie Belle shakes her head, "I don't think they've noticed me yet. But sometimes dam glances over at where I'm hiding when I make a noise, so she might know." Sweetie Belle's head drops down, quietly saying, "And she'll turn so I can't see as well. But she hasn't said anything to me. If she noticed. I think she's waiting for me to come to her."

"Ah can't believe you never told me!" Apple Bloom exclaims, glaring at Scootaloo. "Ah would've told you!"

"Really?" says Scootaloo, her voice dripping with disbelief. "I mean, it's awkward enough when dam does it, but when she convinces Fluttershy to have a go at it too, to show you how 'different pegasi like different things'?" Scootaloo sticks a hoof in front of her mouth and gags, "I mean, come on, dam! Seriously?"

"Girl, that's amazing!" Diamond Tiara says, clapping Scootaloo on the back. "Sometimes I wish my dam was like that! But no, she's all, like, 'you'll learn about this stuff when you're older' or 'it can be sexy to learn that stuff together with your stallion', or 'nostallion wants a mare who's been around the block'."

"So, um," Apple Bloom asks, slowly getting more used to the topic, "Have you ever thought about asking, um, a colt, uh, about this stuff?"

"Pff!" exclaims Diamond Tiara, immediately quieting down. "Please. I'm not some whorse, parading around to whatever colt asks. Or asking any colt about it, for that matter. I'm waiting until I'm lead mare, and you should do the same." She drops down, whispering, "Trust me, you do not want to get that kind of reputation, that you'd lift your tail for just anypony. Especially not in Ponyville, where everypony knows everypony. Maybe you could get away with it in Manehatten, but not here."

"O-of course not!" says Apple Bloom shakily, backing up slightly. "Ah'd never want ponies looking at me, thinking that!"

"Good!" Diamond Tiara says, "But, I mean, it still wouldn't hurt to know a bit about it before it happens, you know? So-" 

Whatever Diamond Tiara was going to say next is interrupted by Miss Cheerilee opening the door and looking sternly at them. "Girls, unless you would like to be late, class is starting." She looks at the trio, "And don't think you can get by with 'our dams need us' any longer! Big Mac already came over and told me how long you would be out." She opens the door further, ushering the fillies in. The two young mares and three fillies enter the schoolhouse, bracing themselves for a long day of awkward glances at each other.

*

After school ends, Miss Cheerilee walks up to Snips and Snails, saying, "Excuse me, you two? I need you two to stay after class, in order to continue our discussion."

Snails merely says, "Okay!" in that slow drawl he has.

Snips pouts, "Aww, but I wanted to go get ice cream!"

Miss Cheerilee smiles, "You'll still be able to go get ice cream. Now, I'll be right back with some... help." She disappears out the front door, leaving the two colts with Diamond Tiara, Twist, and the trio.

Diamond Tiara walks up to Snips, "You know, I don't think Miss Cheerilee will mind at all if you go get that ice cream. I'm sure she can talk to you at another time."

Snips' drool splashes out of his mouth, Diamond Tiara taking a disgusted step back, as he says, "Mm! Come on, Snails! Let's go get us some ice cream!"

"But, Miss Cheerilee said to wait here." Snails stands his ground, shaking his head from side to side. "And we don't have any money for ice cream."

"Don't worry, Snails. As school pony president, I'll cover for you." Diamond Tiara pulls out a few bits from her saddlebags, passing them over. "I'm sure Miss Cheerilee won't mind."

It takes Snails about three seconds to consider his options before saying, "Okay!" and leaving with Snips.

Miss Cheerilee returns shortly after the two colts leave. She opens the door, briefly taken aback at seeing Diamond Tiara, Twist, and the Apple trio sitting in their desks looking at her expectantly. Her mind whirs as the door closes behind her; she clears her throat, "Um, girls? Don't you have to get home? And where are Snips and Snails?"

"Yeah," Diamond Tiara says with her ever present smirk, "after all, you three aren't old enough for this, right?"

Miss Cheerilee shakes her head, "No, it's-"

"We're mature enough!" Apple Bloom yells, her sisters joining in with vigorous nods. "We can hoof it! We're not too young!"

Miss Cheerilee glances at the door she just came through, slightly shaking her head as an internal debate rages inside her, "It's not that so much as-"

"And we already know most of it!" adds Scootaloo, standing up eagerly next to Apple Bloom.

"So this is really just a formality, you know?" says Sweetie Belle, joining her sisters.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait just a little longer?" Miss Cheerilee asks, rubbing one hoof along her foreleg. She probably wouldn't get in too much trouble, if any. "It's just that-"

"We don't want to wait!"

"We're old enough!"

"Just get on with it!"

Miss Cheerilee sighs, "Okay girls, don't say I didn't warn you." At their resolute faces Miss Cheerilee walks out the door. The fillies are barely able to hear the exchange taking place, a muffled Miss Cheerilee saying, "Look, you agreed to this."

"Nnope."

"You want me to go tell Applejack? Have her tan your hide for going back on a promise, then have you do this?"

A pause.

A resigned, "Nnope."

Miss Cheerilee walks back into the classroom, beaming as she calls, "Okay, you can come in."

The door to the schoolhouse opens, a very red faced Big Mac walking in. He glances down at the fillies, trying to not focus on Apple Bloom. The filly is instantly mortified, her jaw dropping before she hides her face in her hooves, looking like she could die of embarrassment.

"Now, Big Mac agreed to help with the next 'talk' I was giving, as a way of making up for pulling you three out of class early during Applebuck season. I thought he'd be helping with a few of the colts in your class, but apparently Diamond Tiara wants me to give the talk to you all a little early." Miss Cheerilee looks at the Apple trio, adding, "This isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

Sweetie Belle shakes her head while Scootaloo says, "I mean, it's not like we've never heard about it before."

Apple Bloom moans, "Come on, Scoots! This is Big Mac we're talking about!"

Scootaloo glances over at Big Mac, opening her eyes as if seeing him for the first time. "Oh my gosh, you're right! Hi, Big Mac! Have you come here to help give us" - she makes little air quotes with her hooves as her voice drops - "the talk?"

Quite possibly the quietest, "Eeyup" Big Mac has ever uttered escapes his lips.

Miss Cheerilee walks over to her desk, one of the drawers sliding open. She digs down in the back, pulling out a book hidden underneath everything else. "Now, it's one thing to look at a picture of something." At Big Mac and Apple Bloom's gasp she appends, "And that's all you're going to be doing today." She glances at Big Mac, "After all, Big Mac is giving the talk, not the demonstration. Got it?" Her stony expression barely breaks, a hint of a smile before immediately returning.

At the round of slightly embarrassed nods Miss Cheerilee ends with, "Then, I hope you all have a very productive discussion." Miss Cheerilee hides the smile that is begging to burst forth; she sure is glad to not have to give the 'talk' to those three! Even if it means having to give the talk to Snips and Snails. And it will, sadly, likely take more than one time before those two get over themselves enough to figure out what they need to know.

Big Mac's sighs as Miss Cheerilee sets the book on the desk and leaves the schoolhouse. Big Mac clears his throat, taking the book and placing it gently on the floor. He flips through the pages, settling on the center, a very detailed, blown up image of internal mare physiology now on display. He turns, looking each of the young mares and fillies in the eye, though he has to clear his throat to get Apple Bloom to look up at him. 

His deep voice echoes in the room, "During this talk here, we'll be using a lot of 'adult' terms. Y'all might as well get the snickering out of the way early, especially during the stallion section." Big Mac focuses on Diamond Tiara, then each pony in turn, "There'll be no laughing at each other, or putting down for asking a 'silly' or 'obvious' question. Y'all got that?"

Four ponies nod back at him.

Apple Bloom mutters, "Ah want mah innocence back."

Big Mac clears his throat again before he starts, pointing a hoof at the picture, "Now, a mare's reproductive organs are nearly all located inside of her. We're going to go over each of them, and what their use is on most days, like going to the bathroom," some snickering, "during intercourse," lots more snickering, "during pregnancy," much less snickering, "and foaling." 

Silence.