Applejack paused to lift her Stetson from her head and run one hoof through her mane, straightening a few of the tangles. It had been a full but productive day and now all of her chores were done. Applejack put her hat back on and headed towards the farm house, it was definitely time for a little C&C...or cider and company for the longer version.
Applejack was looking forward to relaxing with a mug of the Apple family finest and catching up with Rainbow Dash, who seemed to be dropping by Sweet Apple Acres much more often recently. Not that Applejack minded of course, she welcomed the chance to see her friend and engage in banter, perhaps even a little smack talk about the upcoming Running of the Leaves later that year.
Her route back to the house took Applejack close to the old clubhouse and she couldn't resist the chance to drop by and check on her sister and her friends. Applejack always got a little bit of a kick hearing what crazy schemes they were brewing up for getting their cutie marks. As she walked up to the tree where the Crusader's headquarters was perched, Applejack heard Apple Bloom and Scootaloo talking inside. Not wanting to disturb them, she tilted her head and listened in to overhear the latest plan.
"We're never going to figure out about the birds and the bees like this," Apple Bloom grumped.
"Yeah, I can't believe Fluttershy wouldn't talk to me about it. I mean, she's like the perfect mare for that but she just froze up when I asked her," Scootaloo grumbled. "How did you and Twilight make out?"
Applejack froze, her face registering her shock. Surely she hadn't heard that right?
"Well, you know her, everthin' was by the book and all. It was kinda dry at first an' she was usin' too many big words. The drawin's were pretty odd though," Apple Bloom replied. Her features broke into a large grin. "But in the end, it was worth it. I just didn't learn anything we can use."
"Oh well, maybe Sweetie Belle had better luck with Rarity," Scootaloo said with a shrug. "I bet she learned a few things she can teach us."
"Yep, I reckon so. I prolly shoulda gone to see Applejack first, but she was out buckin' the south fields," Apple Bloom agreed. "Were ya able to ever find Rainbow Dash?"
"Finally, but it wasn't easy. It was cool and all talking to her but she just seemed to want to crack jokes. Although, I think she might have a special somepony now," Scootaloo smirked.
"Oh yeah? Who is it?" Apple Bloom asked, wide-eyed.
"Well...I can't be sure, but she was asking if I'd seen Applejack snooping around the barn while she was working out with Big Mac. I can't imagine what they're training for together but she kinda had a look in her eye talking about him," Scootaloo answered.
"Oooh, Rainbow Dash an' my big brother? Now that would be somethin'! An' after all that effort we put into tryin' to get him and Miss Cheerilee together fer Hearts an' Hooves Day." Apple Bloom gushed.
Applejack blinked. That would explain all the noises coming from the barn earlier...
"Well, we have Cheerilee to thank for this mess to begin with," Scootaloo added. "Let's just hope Sweetie Belle got something useful or Cheerilee's going to be pretty disappointed in us."
The sound of approaching hooves snapped Applejack back to the here and now. From her vantage point under the clubhouse, Applejack could see Sweetie Belle trotting up the ramp, a huge smile on her face.
"Hey girls!" Sweetie Belle called out cheerfully as she walked into the clubhouse. "We are so on for earning our cutie marks this afternoon after all!"
"Awesome!" Scootaloo burst out. "So Rarity was able to give you some good stuff on the birds and the bees?"
Sweetie Belle just scoffed. "Hardly! All she could do was give me one of her books from her private collection. It was...special."
Applejack gulped, she knew exactly what tastes Rarity had in that kind of literature.
"But then I went to see Pinkie Pie and she was amazing! She took me to the edge of the Everfree Forest and showed me EVERYTHING! Now we can write up a great report for Miss Cheerilee!" Sweetie Belle beamed.
Applejack's jaw dropped open but she quickly clamped it shut. How could Pinkie do such a thing? Wasting no more time, Applejack dashed from under the clubhouse and up the ramp, barging in through the door much to the surprise of the Crusaders gathered inside.
Gathering her resolve, Applejack tried to put on the most calm expression she could muster and said, "I, ah, I was passing by outside an' couldn't help overhearin'. What was this about Pinkie Pie an' the birds an' the bees?"
"Oh hey, Sis!" Apple Bloom piped up. "I was gonna try an' find ya later, but looks like I don't have to. We're workin' on some homework fer school, we have a report to write about the birds an' the bees an' Sweetie Belle's found out everythin' we need!"
Applejack tried to maintain her composure. "Yep, I heard that. You all want to tell me what's goin' on here?" she asked a little sternly.
"We have to do a report for school tomorrow," Sweetie Belle started.
"And it has to be about nature, so we decided to write it on birds and bees," Apple Bloom added.
"So we figured it would go faster if we asked everypony we knew! And you wouldn't believe some of the answers we've gotten," Scootaloo finished.
Applejack stood there dumbfounded for several moments as it finally dawned on her. Then she started to chuckle. The chuckle grew to a full-blown laugh and before long Applejack was nearly rolling on the floor unable to hold in the guffaws.
"Oh my stars, I shoulda known," Applejack finally said, pulling herself together. "So who all didja ask for help on this here report?"
"I asked Rarity and Pinkie Pie, Apple Bloom talked to Twilight, and Scootaloo asked Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash." Sweetie Belle answered. "So far, only Pinkie was really any help."
"Yeah, we really need to get this written so we can go try and earn our cutie marks," Scootaloo urged. "We're going to be Cutie Mark Crusader Hot Air Balloonists!"
Applejack chuckled again, wiping a tear from her eye with one hoof. "Ya know what? I'll help y'all out with finishin' up your homework an' then I'll see about making a controlled fire so y'all can get access to some actual hot air," Applejack smiled.
"YAY!" Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom chorused, grabbing Applejack in a huge hug. Applejack grinned as she hugged her sister and her friends back. A slightly wicked idea had occurred to her and she needed to drop by Fluttershy's cottage that evening.
The next day, the six friends gathered for their usual weekly picnic. Applejack and Fluttershy had arrived early and set out the picnic blanket and food. Seeing the rest of their friends walking up, Applejack gave Fluttershy a little wink, to which Fluttershy giggled in return.
"Howdy, everypony!" Applejack called out as Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash gathered around the spread that they had laid out.
"Hey AJ, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash greeted in return. "That looks amazing, I'm starving!"
"I reckon ya would be, what with all the training yer doin' out at the farm," Applejack noted. "I'm a mite hungry too, after workin' on fixin' all the holes in the barn. Ya can see clear into it from jus' about anywhere. Sure glad Apple Bloom pointed that out." Applejack picked up a fritter and took a bite. "You an' Mac get all the kinks worked out in yer routine this mornin?" Applejack inquired, glancing at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash's cheeks burned furiously, and she stammered, "Uh, yeah, heh...you could say that. How did you know?"
"Oh, a lil bird told me," Applejack replied. "T'aint none of my beesness anyhow. You were sayin' my sister an' her friends came over last night, Fluttershy?"
"Oh, yes...they did, we had quite an interesting visit," Fluttershy said quietly. "They had so many questions about the birds and the bees. I wasn't sure about it at first, but we had a long talk and I told them everything I could. They really are the quick learners."
Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight each looked up with wide-eyes in surprise.
"But really, the credit should go to Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy added, sipping her tea. "After all, she was the one that took them to the forest and showed them everything."
Three heads swiveled in shock over to look at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie giggled, catching on quickly. "It was super duper! I showed them everything that Granny Pie had taught me."
Rarity started to swoon, reaching for her fainting couch. Twilight gaped with a look of horror, while Rainbow Dash was looking down at her hooves, blushing brightly.
"Well, all's well that ends well," Applejack chimed in. "I ran into 'em at the clubhouse an' helped them get it all written up for sharin' with their classmates. I'd have asked ya to proofread it Twilight, but they were eager to get out crusadin' afterwards." Applejack took another bite of her fritter and gave Fluttershy a subtle little hoof-bump. She'd set her friends straight eventually but it was too much fun letting them stew. For now, Applejack was content to share a giggle with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and finish her fritter as her friends fretted.