//------------------------------// // It's Only Natural // Story: The Birds and the Bees // by Scantrel //------------------------------// The afternoon promised to be glorious. The sun shone brilliantly in the sky, unfettered in its radiance by any clouds. The air was crisp and clean, the breeze a gentle breath of freshness that gave voice to the rustling of the leaves. Birds sang merrily as they tended their nests. It was the perfect day for communing with all of nature's marvels. But better still, it was the perfect day for CRUSADING! Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were huddled in one corner of the schoolyard during recess, scheming their latest ideas for earning their cutie marks. "Are ya sure ya don' wanna try bein' Cutie Mark Crusader Pearl Divers?" Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo. "No way, I hate swimming!" Scootaloo replied emphatically. "What about Cutie Mark Crusader Fire Walkers?" "I promised Rarity we wouldn't play with matches after we tried being Cutie Mark Crusader Candle Makers," Sweetie Belle sighed. "Besides, it took like a week to get all of that wax out of everything." "Hmmm..." Apple Bloom pondered, thinking of what she had easy access to back at Sweet Apple Acres. "What can we do with two apple buckets, some extra rope, an' the old rain tarp that was coverin' the hole in the barn roof before we fixed it?" Scootaloo's eyes lit up. "Maybe we can make a hot air balloon!" "That's a great idea!" Apple Bloom gushed. "Yeah!" Sweetie Belle beamed and threw up a hoof into the air, prompting Scootaloo and Apple Bloom to slap their hooves together overhead with her in their trademark celebration as they all yelled, "Cutie Mark Crusader Hot Air Balloonists, yay!" Their reverie was cut short by Cheerilee. "Alright my little ponies! Recess is over, it's time to come back to class." A collective groan rose from all of the colts and fillies as they started to file back into the schoolhouse. Once Cheerilee had everypony back at their desks, she turned to face the class. "Today, I have a very special surprise for all of you. You will be getting out of class two hours early this afternoon," Cheerilee announced. The classroom erupted in a chorus of cheers. "During that time, I will expect you to spend your time outdoors, so that you can write a two page essay on nature. I'll expect your reports first thing on my desk tomorrow morning," Cheerilee added. The sudden celebration fizzled out, as the students realized they were being given extra homework. The remainder of class was devoted to a lecture on the various species of flowers that grew near Ponyville and the differences between perennial, biennial, and annual plants. Eventually Cheerilee put away her lesson materials and said, "That's all for class today, you're dismissed so you can start working on your essays. Have a good day, everypony!" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle wasted no time making a beeline out of the classroom. Once outside, they gathered under one of the trees by the schoolhouse. "I can't believe we have to write a stupid essay!" Scootaloo grumped. "Today is perfect weather for balloon flying." "Maybe if we worked together on our papers we'll get done quicker," Sweetie Belle suggested. "What about nature can we write about?" She cocked her head and looked over at Apple Bloom. "You're the Earth pony, what do you think?" Apple Bloom shrugged. "How should I know?" After a moment's thought, Apple Bloom's face lit up and she said "Hold on y'all, I have an idea. I heard Big Mac tellin' Applejack once she was gonna have to talk to me 'bout the birds an' the bees. Why don't we do our nature report on that? An' we can ask our sisters an' their friends fer help." "Awesome!" Scootaloo chipped in. "I bet with their help we can get our essays done in no time, and we can still go crusading today." Sweetie Belle nodded her head in eager agreement. "We should split up so we can find as many of them as fast as possible. I'm sure Rarity's working at the Boutique, Apple Bloom can head back to the farm for Applejack and I bet you can find Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo." "That's a good idea, then we can meet up at the clubhouse an' work together on our papers," Apple Bloom suggested. "OK, I'll run by Fluttershy's place too. She'll be like the ultimate source for us," Scootaloo said. "Whoa now, I want ta go talk to Fluttershy," Apple Bloom insisted. "You can go talk to Pinkie Pie." "Oh no, I called Fluttershy first," Scootaloo shot back. "Arrgh! You two need to stop fighting so we can get on with it," Sweetie Belle moaned. "Here, we'll settle this fair and square." Sweetie Belle took a piece of paper and tore it into three strips of different lengths. "You two close your eyes and draw. Long piece gets to pick first, short piece gets whoever's left over." Scootaloo and Apple Bloom closed their eyes and Sweetie Belle shuffled the strips in her hooves, then held them out with just a little piece showing. "OK, ready, you both draw at the same time," Sweetie Belle instructed. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo opened their eyes and looked at each other with a competitive smirk, then each of them drew a slip of paper from between Sweetie Belle's hooves. "Alright! I got the long piece, Fluttershy is mine!" Scootaloo cheered, waving her strip of paper in Apple Bloom's face. "Well, it's not so bad, I got the middle piece," Apple Bloom sighed. "I'll take Twilight." "Wait, what?" Sweetie Belle said. Sure enough, only the shortest strip of paper remained in her grip. "This is SO not fair!" she whined. Scootaloo snickered. "Have a good visit with Pinkie Pie, Sweetie." Sweetie Belle groaned heavily. "Fine. Whatever it takes I guess to get this done." "I'm gonna head inta town an' talk to Twilight then find Applejack. I'll see y'all back at the clubhouse," Apple Bloom said. Scootaloo was already reaching for her helmet and scooter. "OK, I'm going to go find Rainbow Dash. See you two later!" With a buzz of wings, Scootaloo zipped down the road in search of her idol. Apple Bloom trotted off right behind her in the direction of the Golden Oaks library. Sweetie Belle glared once again at the piece of paper in her hoof, then crumpled it up and tossed it away. "I'll start with Rarity I guess," she mumbled to nopony in particular before heading back into Ponyville and the Carousel Boutique.