The lights in Cheerilee’s classroom were all dim, the faces of the students illuminated by the projector screen in front of them. Today, those faces’ expressions were a mixture of confusion, apprehension, disgust, and occasionally a stifled giggle.
‘It’s the male’s testes where the sperm cells originate from.’ The voice from the film exlained as a cross-section of a stallion’s penis and testicles appeared on the screen, with various labels naming certain areas of the reproductive system. ‘It’s the sperm that fertilizes a mare’s egg which is, in a similar fashion, created by the ovaries.’ The film cut to a similar cross-section, this one of a female.
‘The process wherein an egg buds off from the ovaries and travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus is known as “Ovulation”, which on average happens once every month for a female. It’s at this point the uterine lining thickens to prepare the egg for fertilization.’
The class’s mixed reactions to the film were polarized as the film cut to a cross-section of a stallion and mare together and kissing, the stallion’s penis inserted in the mare’s vagina.
‘When a stallion courts with a female, as shown here, the male’s sperm travels through his urethra and out his penis in a milky substance known as “semen”, which travels through the vagina and into the uterus where a single sperm cell may fertilize the egg. Should the egg not be fertilized, the uterine lining sheds blood, a condition referred to as “Menstruation”. But should the egg be fertilized, the egg will develop into an embryo.’
The film cut to an animation of a sperm cell entering an egg, which began to grow into a soft ball of flesh until it developed arms and legs. It continued to grow into a more pony-remeniscient shape as the animation zoomed outward, where the mare's outline was visible, a bulge forming in the mare's abdomen as the fetus developed within.
'It's over the period of nine months that the child grows within its mother, in the process developing extremities and organs. Once the fetus is fully developed, the mare enters the birthing process.'
Glancing at her watch, Cheerilee sighed as she realized that class was nearing its end. She got up from her seat and turned the projector off, bathing the room in darkness before switching the main lights back on.
“Alright, class, that’s all the time we have for today. We’ll get back to this on Tuesday, but I wish you all a wonderful weekend!”
The class went into a clatter of soft yes!’s and backpacks being zipped as they prepared to leave class, all excited for the upcoming three-day weekend. A few “Buy, Ms. Cheerilee!”s peppered their chatter as they all left the class room and headed outside.
As all the kids either left with their parents or played in the yard outside, three fillies gathered at the gate to the school, each known locally as the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Man, that class was weird!” The pegasus Scootaloo exclaimed as they left the school grounds.
“Yeah! Don’t know why we needed to get permission slips for it, though…” Sweetie Belle, the unicorn, replied.
“…but who cares? We don’t have school for three days!” Scootaloo said excitedly. “What kinda things should we do to find our cutie marks!?”
“Ah can’t do any crusadin’, remember?” Apple bloom, the young farmpony added. “Ah’m goin’ to the fillin’ festival in Dodge Junction for the whole weekend, remember?”
“Oh, right…” Scootaloo replied dejectedly. “Sure you can’t do any crusading right now?”
“Sorry, but mah sis wants me to get all mah homework done tonight b’fore mah cousin Braeburn gets here ta pick us up!”
“Aw, that’s lame!”
“Ah’m sorry, guys. Sure wish ah could do some crusadin’ with y’all, but ah’d been waiting all year fer this!”
“Eh, ’s no biggie. See you ‘round, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo bid as she grabbed her scooter and hopped on, buzzing off down the path with Sweetie Belle in her wake.
“Bye, Apple Bloom! See you when you get back!”
“See ya, guys!” Apple Bloom called back before walking towards her home.
As Applebloom passed the gates to Sweet Apple Acres, she was met with the sight of an orange earth pony mare sitting at the front porch, who left her seat to meet her sister with a smile.
“Howdy, Apple Bloom! How’d school go?”
“Hi, Sis! It was alright.”
“Get all your work done for the weekend?”
“Yup. Still got a little math to do, but I’m gonna get it done right now.”
“Attagirl!”
As Apple Bloom trotted into the farmhouse, she was surprised to see Fluttershy, one of Applejack’s friends seated at the dining table.
“Howdy, Ms. Fluttershy!”
“Hello, Apple Bloom! I hear you’ve been excited about going to Dodge Junction?”
“Mm-hmm! I’ve been waitin’ since last year ta go again!”
“Well, I'm sure you’ll have a wonderful time!”
“Thanks, Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom replied as she headed up the stairs to her bedroom.
Once inside, she tossed her backpack onto her bed and climbed on, zipping open her pack and pulling out her math textbook and a blue notebook. Flipping through her notes, she landed on the final page she’d written on, where an assignment was half-finished.
Pages 59-62. #3-5, #16-28 evens.
She opened her book to a page where a bookmark jutted out, which was the last page of her assignment. Only two problems remained.
Solve the following for X. Show your work.
24) 9X+2 = 29
26) 3X-12 = 14+19
28) 3(X-8)+5 = 10
Clipping a pencil by the eraser with her teeth, she copied down the first problem.
24) 9X+2 = 29
On the lines beneath, she changed the equation by subtracting two from each.
9x+2-2 = 29-2
9x = 27
The line beneath, she divided both by nine.
9X / 9 = 27/9
X = 3
With that problem down, she copied down question 26.
26) 3X-12 = 14 + 19
Apple Bloom hesitated a few moments as she calculated the other end in her head before writing down the next part.
3X-12 = 33.
Like before, she respectively added and divided to isolate X.
3X-12+12 = 33+12
3X = 45
3X/3 = 45/3
X = 15
Dangit, ah hate parantheses…Apple Bloom thought as she copied down the last question.
28) 3(X-8)-5 = 10
With a brief hesitation, she added five to both sides.
3(X-8)-5+5 = 10+5
3(X-8) = 15
The answer became clearer as she divided both by three.
3(X-8)/3 = 15/3
X-8 = 5
It was clear as she added eight to five.
X = 13
Apple Bloom smiled at her finished work, which she carefully folded up and slid into her backpack before zipping it shut again. She dragged the bag off the bed and next to her bedroom door, which she stuck her head through.
“APPLEJACK, AH’M DONE WITH MAH HOMEWORK!!!” She called down.
“NICE GOIN’, APPLE BLOOM!” Applejack called back.
Happy to have some free time for herself, Apple Bloom pulled a book from a nearby bookcase and climbed back onto her bed. Laying her head on the pillow, she opened the book and read silently.
“Apple Bloom?” Applejack called from the bottom of the steps. It’d been an hour since Apple Bloom had completed her work. “Ah made some fritters for the festival. Want one?”
Confused by a lack of response upstairs, Applejack trotted up the steps and up to Apple Bloom’s door, which she gently knocked.
“Apple Bloom?” Slowly opening the door, she was met with the sight of her sister sleeping on the bed, a book laid on her chest.
Applejack couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Quietly she tiptoed to the bed and took the book off, which she closed and placed on the nightstand. She gently patted Apple Bloom on the head before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her, heading back down to the dining room.
“Heh, she’s takin’ a nap.” She chuckled as she sat back down.
“Oh, that’s sweet!”
“Mm-hmm. She’d been bouncin’ all over the walls for months since she’d found out we’d been going. Makes me so happy she’s spendin’ her childhood so happy...”
Applejack spoke with a smile, but Fluttershy didn’t miss a somewhat mellow tone to her voice, along with a soft sigh as she averted her gaze.
“Is everything alright, Applejack?”
“Yeah, everything’s okay. Why?”
“You seem like something’s bothering you. Is there?”
Applejack gave a pause before answering, one long enough that Fluttershy could tell that whatever it was had been on her mind for a while.
“Well…” Applejack continued. “…’s just moments like these ah worry about Apple Bloom.”
“Really? What do you mean?”
“Ah just…ah really hope I’m raisin’ her right.”
“Applejack, you’re a wonderful sister for Apple Bloom!” Fluttershy replied, surprised to hear Applejack doubt herself like this. “You’re responsible, caring, why wouldn’t you think that?”
“T’aint that. ’s that most fillies her age’d be cryin’ themselves to sleep if they found out they were goin’ ta some farmin’ festival in the middle o’ nowhere, but Apple Bloom…she’s packin’ her own bags.”
“What’s wrong with that? It’s normal for foals to have different interests than others.”
Applejack sighed.
“Yeah, but ah’d been just like her when she was her age. Ah loved workin’ on the farm, did everything ah could ta help around the house, got all giddied up for the country fair, ah’d always wanted ta live as a farmpony like everypony else in mah family.
“Ah remember how scared ah was when ah was gonna live with auntie Orange in Manehattan, and how scary and cold life felt outside the farm. It felt like farmin’ was the only thing ah’d wanted to do with my life…but then ah met you guys.”
“You five showed me the world and how big and new it can be. All the thing we’d done tagether really helped me see what amazing things ‘re outside the farm gates, and now ah know how much is really out there! Ah mean, ah still love this farm and would fight ta defend it till mah legs go out, but…ah just hope someday, Apple Bloom finds all that out, to.”
“She’s still twelve, though.” Fluttershy added. “I’m sure she’ll find all that out!”
“Maybe. Ah want her to remember her roots, but most’ve all ah just want her to grow up to be her own pony.”
The two were silent for a few moments as their words seeped in. That silence was interrupted, however, as a knocking sound rapped against the front door.
"Hello? Anypony home?" A familiar-sounding male voice called in. Applejack quickly got up from her seat and opened it to reveal a yellow stallion clad in a stetson and leather vest standing behind.
"Howdy, Braeburn! How's the ride here?"
"Eh, pretty busy. Sorry ah couldn't get here any sooner, train had ta stop for another ta pass."
"Well, all that matters 's your here. Make yourself at home."
As Braeburn stepped into the kitchen, he gave a polite nod to FLuttershy upon sight.
"Howdy, miss Fluttershy! Life treatin' ya well?"
"Hello, Braeburn! Everything's fine, thank you for asking."
"Well, 's nice to see ya again after so long."
"It's nice seeing you, too!" But it was then that Fluttershy glanced to a clock on the wall nearby, gasping softly. "Oh, my! I've got to go!"
"What's the matter?" Applejack.
"I've promised Pinkie Pie to help her get things ready for Pumpkin and Pound Cake's surprise party! I'm so sorry, but I have to go if I'll make it in time."
"Ah, 's no problem, Fluttershy. See ya round!"
"Yeah, see ya round, Fluttershy!" Braeburn added.
"Bye, Applejack! Bye, Braeburn!" Fluttershy beckoned before flying out through the front door, leaving the two of them alone.
"So, where's everypony else?" Braeburn asked.
"Mac n' Granny 're already there. They took the train last night to help 'er get settled in, but Apple Bloom's upstair's takin' a nap."
"Heh, how's she holding' up for the festival?"
"'bout excited as she can be. She'd been doin' everything she can about it fer months!"
"Just like me when ah was her age, huh?" Braeburn chuckled, but the two suddenly heard Apple Bloom walking in the room above.
"…ah got an idea, hide b'hind the curtains there!"
"How come?"
"Let's play a trick Apple Bloom for a moment, hurry!"
As Braeburn hid behind the curtain nearby, Applejack put on as dramatically sad a face she could and sat slack at the table, just in time as Apple Bloom entered the room.
"Hey, sis. Braeburn here yet?"
"Sis, ah…ah got some bad news for ya." Applejack sighed. "…Festival's cancelled."
"Wh…what?"
"Festival's cancelled. All o' Dodge Junction's under ten feet o' snow!"
"B-But they're in the middle o' the desert!"
"Sorry, Apple Bloom. Crazy how things happen, but they do."
"B-But that's not fair!" Apple Bloom retorted, utterly devastated. "Ah'd been waiting' all year fer this!"
"Not much ah can do, sis. Sorry."
Apple Bloom was on the verge of crying as she looked to the ground, but let out a yelp of surprise as Braeburn planted his hat over her brow. Lifting the hat from her eyes, she gasped in surprise as she turned around to see him.
"Braeburn!" She exclaimed as she gave him a hug, more relieved then she'd felt in years. Braeburn laughed at her reaction and returned the embrace.
Applejack smiled at the sight, but was met with a glare from her sister as she caught her sight.
"That was not funny!"
"Had ya goin' there for a moment, didn't we?"
"…but we're still goin, right?"
"Yep!" Braeburn announced. "Let's go!"
Once Apple Bloom headed upstairs and grabbed her suitcase, the three of them headed to the train station for a nice and fruitful weekend.
THE END
