Just a Phase

by HorseStories

Prologue - The Wedding of Cinnamon Star

'Mares and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today...'

Sweetie Belle sighed under her breath. Weddings were - in her opinion - drawn out to the point of being insufferable. Sweetie could not begin to fathom what Cinnamon Star saw in the groom. From her worldview, most colts were crude and abrasive, and she most certainly didn't rate any of them as marriage material. She had voiced this opinion to Rarity prior to the start of the wedding, but Rarity had just laughed her off.

'All fillies think that when they are your age, Sweetie Belle.' Rarity had said. 'Why, I felt the same way about colts when I was a filly'.

'Why did you change your mind, Rarity?' Sweetie Belle inquired.

'All mares do, Sweetie,' Rarity sighed. 'Just take it from me. You'll start to notice colts soon – don’t shake your head, I know you will - and when you do, you might just appreciate weddings the same way everyone else does'.

Sweetie Belle was thoroughly unconvinced she would ever look at a stallion with the same gooey, doe-eyed expression the bride was wearing, but her sister was much older than her, and Sweetie trusted her completely. Rarity's right, thought Sweetie Belle. I should give it more time.

Absentmindedly, Sweetie's gaze wandered round the room, sliding across the crowds of ponies in attendance, the architecture on the walls, and finally coming to rest on the bride herself.

Sweetie Belle only vaguely knew the bride - an old friend of Rarity's - but ever since the bride had walked up the aisle, Sweetie had been struck at how beautiful she was. Her mane was made in such a fashion that it seemed to move at the slightest impulse, more fluid than solid, and her dress, which shimmered in the summer sun, seemed to surround her in a glowing aura. Had Sweetie Belle not recognized the pony she was looking at, she would have sworn this pony was an angel.

'...If anypony here has any lawful reason why these two should not be pronounced mare and colt, speak now'.

A deafening silence followed, during which Sweetie Belle took in the features of the groom. He was handsome, yes, but possessed none of the mare’s raw beauty. What in Equestria did the bride see in him? As she turned this question over in her head, Sweetie Belle was only vaguely aware of the service resuming.

'...then I now pronounce you mare and colt. You may kiss the bride'.

And as the groom leaned in to kiss his wife, only one thought crossed Sweetie Belle's mind.

Ew.

---

'So, Sweetie Belle, did you enjoy yourself today?'

It was late in the evening. The wedding has wrapped up some hours ago.

'Huh?' Sweetie Belle looked up at her sister, who was wearing an expectant smile. 'Uh, yeah. It was really...umm...fancy?'.

'Hmm. Well, I for one thought that Cinnamon Star looked absolutely gorgeous in that dress. I only wish I could say the same for the lucky stallion. You know, I don't think he even combed his tail before the ceremony'.

Sweetie had not noticed the stallion had neglected to comb his tail, or that that he had spilled coffee on his jacket, or even the colour of the suit he was wearing, but still she nodded in agreement to what Rarity was saying.

In truth, Sweetie had been thinking about what Rarity had said just before the wedding. Other fillies in her class had already begun talking about crushes, even the tomboyish Scootaloo, who for weeks had spoken of little but a colt in the year above, and Sweetie Belle felt as if she was being left behind. At the same time, Sweetie had begun to look at the other fillies in her class in a new way, one that to her was both entrancing and confusing.

To Sweetie Belle, other fillies had become her object of desire. While other fillies were pinning up posters of colt bands or arguing over which colt at school was cuter, Sweetie Belle had struggled to deal with her new emotions alone, emotions that she had been experiencing for the last few months. While she had contemplated sharing her feelings with her close friends, she had not yet told them, for two reasons.

Firstly, Sweetie Belle knew that fillies were not supposed to like fillies the same way she did. If she told anyone, she feared they would tease her. Diamond Tiara, in particular, would be just awful, but she also did not know how her fellow Crusaders would react. Dealing with teasing from Diamond Tiara was one thing, but losing the Cutie Mark Crusaders would crush Sweetie Belle entirely.

And secondly, there was Apple Bloom. Despite the fact the two were close friends (which made Sweetie Belle's emotions even more complex) Sweetie Belle had become inadvertently closely attracted to Apple Bloom in a manner she could not understand. While the two were close friends, Sweetie pined for Apple Bloom's affection, as well as her friendship.

But that couldn't be right. Only fillies and colts had crushes on each other, Sweetie Belle knew that. And Apple Bloom certainly didn't feel that way about her.

So what was this new emotion towards Apple Bloom?

Perhaps it was time to call in an expert.

'Rarity?'

'Yes, Sweetie Belle?'

'Can I ask you a question?'

'Of course, darling'. Rarity looked up at Sweetie Belle, noticing the worry in her voice, preparing herself to forgive the filly for whatever she had broken.

'You know how you said I would eventually start to notice other colts my age?'

Quick as a flash, Rarity replied: 'Who is he, Sweetie? He's not that Button Mash you invited over yesterday, is he?'

Sweetie Belle flushed red. 'NO!' she yelped. 'I-I mean, Button is really nice and everything, but just - no, he's not-'.

'Sweetie Belle' Rarity cut in. 'Who is he?'

'Rarity, will you promise not to discuss this with anyone?' Sweetie begged.

'Of course, Sweetie'.

'Okay'. Sweetie took a deep breath. 'It's not a colt, anyway. It's another filly'.

The moment Sweetie Belle felt the words leave her lips, she felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. All of her fear over telling other ponies seemed foalish now - it was such a minor thing.

At the other end of the room, Rarity froze.

After a few seconds of silence, Sweetie Belle spoke up. 'Uhh - Rarity?'

'Sweetie Belle...'

Rarity looked up.

'Sweetie Belle, that is such a ridiculous thing to say. You can't have a... "crush" on another filly'.

'Oh.' Sweetie visibly shrank in stature, the bubble of optimism in her chest deflating rapidly. 'Well, I thought I liked Apple Bloom'.

Apple Bloom... Sweet Celestia, why do you do this?

'Of course you like her. You're best friends, after all'.

'Yeah but Rarity... it's different to being friends. I mean, she's really pretty, too, and she's always so kind to me...'

'Sweetie Belle, be quiet now'. Rarity didn't raise her voice, but Sweetie immediately shut up.

'Sweetie, I want you to listen to me very carefully'. Rarity poured as much threat into the words as possible, each word dripping with venom. 'I love you, and nothing will even change that, but you must stop this ridiculous game right now. Fillies don't have "crushes" on fillies. It's not natural, and it's not right'.

'This is just a silly phase you're going through. You are not to talk to anyone about these silly feelings, and you are most certainly not to talk to Apple Bloom about them. You will grow out of this, Sweetie'.

'B-But Rarity, I-'

'No buts, Sweetie. Now go to your room'.

---

Sweetie Belle laid on her bed, thinking back on what Rarity had told her. If Rarity was right, and these emotions would all go away by themselves, then Sweetie Belle surely had nothing to worry about.

Rarity, she was certain, would not lie to her.

But could Rarity be wrong? Possibly. Surely, it would make more sense to ask someone else. Sweetie Belle sat up. Twilight, of course. Twilight knew everything. Tomorrow, she would go down to the library and...

Then Sweetie remembered.

..You are not to talk to anyone about these silly feelings...

Rarity, surely, was looking out for her best interests. How would Twilight react if Sweetie asked her about liking fillies? Rarity had said liking fillies was... bad. Unnatural. Twilight might not believe her, or even worse, tease her about it.

Sweetie Belle whimpered. Perhaps I'll wait, she decided. Maybe it will go away, like Rarity says it will.

---

Rarity sighed, and laid her head in her hooves.

She contemplated telling Applejack about Sweetie's attraction to her sister, but quickly decided against it. If Applejack knew, she would stop Apple Bloom from ever seeing Sweetie Belle again, which Rarity knew would tear Sweetie Belle's world in half.

It will go away, Rarity thought. It's just a phase, and it will go away.

And if it didn't?

Then we can deal with it at a more appropriate time.

Rarity loved her sister, and wanted more than anything for her to be... normal. But Rarity could not tolerate having one of them for a sister.

Sweetie Belle the fillyfooler. Rarity could hear the schoolyard chants now. More than that, she could see it printed on a criminal record.

Not only did the law of Equestria enforce standards of morality, society would too. Rarity fully understood that if this issue was not stamped out in childhood, Sweetie Belle would be dealing with a major handicap for the rest of her life, both legally and socially.

On the other hoof, this could be nothing, just the rambling of an easily-excitable filly. To contact some kind of therapist would attract attention - word spreads fast in a small town like Ponyville. The ponies of this town were not stupid. If Rarity set Sweetie Belle up with a conversion therapist, she might as well announce the news from a megaphone.

Perhaps she could ask Twilight? No. Twilight was Rarity's good friend, but this was strictly a family matter. Besides, Twilight was the personal student of Princess Celestia. If the Princess heard about this, she might arrange for Sweetie to be taken away by Foal Protective Services. As unfair as it might sound, parents in Equestria were expected to produce well rounded individuals, and being a fillyfooler or a coltcuddler was about as far away from well rounded as you could get.

Leave it, Rarity. She had come to a decision. Rarity would, for now, ignore the issue. Given time, Sweetie would change her mind about this whole silly business.

After all, every foal goes through phases.

Author's Note:

Please keep criticism constructive, and tell me if I misspelled anything below.

Since this is the first story I have written on this site, I would especially appreciate any input on my writing style.

This prologue is set early on in the show's run. The universe diverges at this point into the show canon (where the above issue is not addressed) and our storyline.

Obligatory Disclaimer: I am not at all homophobic, and I oppose homophobia and discrimination in all it's forms.

Comments

[Crescent Minor]

Well ... this is quite chilling. All the more so because there was a time when my own country was like this; it's scary to think that this could be your life, if only you were born a few decades earlier.
I'll track this. I don't know if I'll be able to keep reading if conversion therapy comes up; I have a bit of an anxiety issue about that subject, and I often find I can't emotionally handle stories about it. I will at least attempt to do so; you've got a very realistically done story going here.

[Rye Snoot]

It's pretty well done for a first fiction here. Grade so far is at least 7/10

[HorseStories]

7267915
Thanks!
7267908
Conversion therapy is scheduled to be a part of the story, so I will include a warning at the start of any relevant chapters.

[Crescent Minor]

7267933 Thank you, that's very considerate.

[Ice Star]

Why is the dialogue in single quotes?

[-DELETED ACCOUNT-]

This is really intriguing, I will definitely track and fav this!

[Maytime58]

7275678 They seem to be interchangable in terms of which are used as long as they are consistent within the same document. I think a lot of books use single quotes. Garry Kilworth (published author) uses single. See this article.

[Maytime58]

When the ethics of a society become the opposite (unethical).

[mycutiemarkisagun]

We're so accustomed to everypony being cool with polyamorous herd marriages. After 5 years of shipping, homophobic pones ironically feel quaint and weird. This is as extreme an example of anti-gay Equestria that I can remember tho, so I'm eager to see where this goes. I always thought Rarity would make a fine bigot. We already have conversion 'therapy' confirmed and the implication that the gov't will doom a fillyfooler to even worse. Fav'd

[jack the blu-jay]

When i read thi i imeadietly thought of

[CrossoverFanficReader]

Hoo, boy. Orwell society sucks huh Sweetie Bell?

[Rubae]

Am I the only one thinking most couples in Equestria are "fillyfoolers". OctaviaxVinyl, BonBonxLyra, etc.