... “Look, I go to church every Sunday. I have friends there, important contacts, and even family. I need the church for moral guidance and counseling in my hour of need. I simply can’t be seen talking about such nonsense as a pastor making a... a teeny mistake. If I were to start throwing around allegations, nopony would want to be around an argumentative pony like me anymore. The community would turn me out, and then where would I be? For Celestia’s sake Sweetie, they own the lease on the boutique!” “So don’t!” Sweetie said in exasperation. “Don’t argue or bother anypony or anything. Just don’t just believe them, but find out for yourself what is true. Don’t let them scare you, because they’re probably just trying to trick you then, and that means you go to the library, and find out the truth. And then you don’t get scared, and then you won’t try to hurt your sister!” “Sweetie, you’ve really lost your faith in Celestia?” “Um... what?” “You don’t believe in the love and grace of our princess Celestia anymore?” “No, I do,” Sweetie protested. She scrunched her muzzle in thought. “I do believe that Princess Celestia loves every one of us, and can guide us through our dark hours. But that doesn’t mean I can’t check to see if that’s true!” Rarity really wasn’t an authority to argue against this sort of thing. She was sure Sweetie was gravely mistaken, but couldn’t put her hoof on as to why. Her own faith was shaken though, when Sweetie then went and said, “If it is true, then trying to find out will just help prove it. I really want Celestia’s love to be upon us all, so why wouldn’t I want to prove it’s true?” “What... what if you prove it’s not then, Sweetie?” Rarity said reachingly. “What then, when you prove Celestia doesn’t love us, and she can’t help us or guide us in anything?” Sweetie’s pupils shrank and she shivered, but she still said clearly, “T-then I’d be s-sad and scared. But... if it was true, t-then it’d be like a demon, instead of Princess Celestia, and I’d rather be scared of a demon than... than think it really was Princess Celestia and just go and hug it like I wasn’t scared at all.” Rarity found herself getting queasy at the very thought of hugging a demon. “I’d find where the real princess was,” Sweetie asserted, “A-and I’d prove that she loved me then, and that she was the best princess in the whole world. I wouldn’t just... let the demon win because I was afraid to check if he was a fake princess or not.” “Sweetie, I...” Rarity chewed on her hoof. “I really think you should talk with pastor Tightbottom. You have some frightening notions that librarian has put in your head and I’m not... not a good authority to address such claims. I wish I could tell you why questioning Princess Celestia is wrong, but I... it just seems so silly when I say it that way. How could I possibly be right if even the princess is wrong?” “You were right once, Rarity,” Sweetie said softly. Rarity blinked. “Come again?” she asked uncertainly. “You were right, and the princess was wrong,” Sweetie said. “And you made the princess right, and you saved her. It just wasn’t princess Celestia, it was her s-sister.” “And you were right,” Sweetie repeated. “So even... princesses can be wrong, sometimes. A-and it’s good to check if they are, because then your faith is even stronger.” “T-talk with pastor Tightbottom,” Rarity said faintly. “I just don’t know... I need some time to think about this. I’m quite sure I... just give me some time, please. I’m sorry Sweetie Belle.” ... “Ah caint believe you’re pregnant!” “Well, believe it missy! Ah think you’d have been happy for me!” “Happy for you? Happy?! How’re you gonna buck with with a big fat belly? You think ah cain instead? Ah’m a little filly! You were gonna make me work all year next year, ‘cause we didn’t have any choice! An’ now you’re gonna have another foal?!” “Apple Bloom you don’t unnerstand! Ah caint just say no! You are just a lil’ filly you don’t even feel it as much as ah do!” “Ah don’t feel it—do ya even know one teeny bit of what ah feel?! Mah whole class is humiliatin’ me, because you had to give me the estrus from Tartarus!” “Don’t you use that language in this household, missy!” “We caint take on another foal now! We caint!” “You think ah don’t know? You think ah didn’t try so hard to stay pure, to stay away from all the stallions all day every bucking day just wanting one?” “You have any idear how hard ah had to work to stay unpreggered? Ah was gonna get so preggered it weren’t funny! But ah stopped it!” “Well not all of us cain be a prissy primpy proper pony. Some of us are mares, who have needs. Ah had to do it Apple Bloom!” “You coulda been more careful! Ah didn’t even know you were hurtin’ so bad! You cain’t do this sis, you caint have a foal until we stop gettin’ past due notices. Ah seen em in the mail don’t even think you cain hide it from me!” “What’s so wrong with me wanting a good hard stallion, huh? You’re so high and mighty, wait until the estrus really hits you. You’ll see a stallion and you’ll be like ah don’t wanna do it. And then you’ll do it anyway, and come crawlin’ to me. And ah’ll say see? You know how ah feel? You know what it’s like to feel your whole future fallin’ apart while a stallion makes you feel so good for doin’ it?” “Yes! What? How d’you know, ah ain’t told” “Ah’m gonna be with stallions, Apple Bloom, and ah’m gonna get mahself preggers. Ah cain’t wait no longer! Our farm cain’t keep that away from me. Ah’m not a bad mare for wanting to do it, even though you seem to think ah’m just some scummy whore who had any choice about it.” “You had a choice! You coulda just—” “Not raised mah tail? Ah tried. And you know what ah don’t care what you think or anypony thinks. It’s not wrong for me to do! Ah’m gonna raise mah tail, and ah’m gonna get so preggered, and y-you caint tell me it’s dirty or wrong.” “Dirty or wrong? But that’s what everypony’s tellin’ me!” “Well stop listenin’ to them! A mare’s body is a beautiful place, and she ain’t a bad pony when she uses it, even if it gets her preggers. Please Apple Bloom, ah just want you to treat me like a pony not some sorta thing who don’t even have sex. Ah j-just wanna be with a stallion, and you caint be ashamed of me because I did so. Ah couldn’t hold back!” “Ah know what you’re talking about. But you just need to get an IU” “Ah ain’t gettin’ no IOU. The banks ain’t gonna invest one drop in this here farm no more. We’ll just hafta... hafta find a place, a w-way ah cain work and raise mah foal. Ah’m so sorry Apple Bloom, ah didn’t mean it. You must hate me so bad for doin’ this to mahself!” “Ah don’t hate you sis. Ah could never hate you!” “He was so nice to me, Apple Bloom. He came to me. Ah tried to run but he just followed along, and ah didn’t even want to run. Ah just stood there and it felt so incredible. Ah hope you feel such a thing one day when you’re making foals of your very own, because it was a beautiful thing. I know you think that stuff is gross and dirty, but it’s not. It’s really not. You caint just be some prissy prude pony forever and let yourself be chaste and untouched until you’re an old mare.” “Ah caint believe we’re havin’ this conversation...”