A Pacified Kingdom

Chapters

1- The Assignment
2- The Kingdom
3- The 'Pwincess'
4- A Bit of History
5- Breakfast in the Morning
6- A Day at the Park
7- The Dream
8- Feeling Little
9- The Playroom
10- Innocence

1- The Assignment

Author's Note

New Moon Unit:

DuskShadow- Alicorn, male- Black body, gray mane with a lock of blue. Broken left wing. Serious personality. Main weapon: Magic (Leader, Attack)
C2- Changeling, male: White body, golden wings, blue eyes. Quiet personality. Main weapon: Halberd (Espionage)
Pure Heart- Unicorn. female: White, body, blonde mane, golden eyes. Motherly personality. Main weapon: Magic Barrier (Medic)
Swift Talon- Griffon, female: Brown and white body, green eyes. Impatient personality. Main weapon: Dual Crossbows (Scout)
Earth Shaker- Buffalo, male: Brown body, black eyes. Rough personality. Main weapon: Hooves (Tank)
Eclipse- ‘Batpony’, female: Gray body, yellow eyes, slender wings. Sarcastic personality. Main weapon: Dagger (Stealth)

1- The Assignment

Chapter 1- The Assignment

It had been almost ten years since Dusk Shadow had defeated his father, and taken back the throne. Luna had hoped that he would be happier after having defeated his father, but this did not seem to be the case. If anything, he seemed to be even quieter, keeping to himself more than before. He spent most of his time on his research, and any time that he didn’t, he was often on patrols for the Guard. She watched the small Alicorn toil away at his work from her bedroom window, her part of the tower across from his.

“If only there was some way to help him relax.” She sighed to herself, going back to her paperwork. Something caught her eye. It was a letter from a foreign kingdom, on rather childish-looking tie-dye paper. Luna reached over with her magic, the glow surrounding the paper, as she slid the other papers on top off. The various bits of parchment scattered the floor, but she didn’t mind. It was a mess as it was, a little more wouldn’t make a difference.

Luna unfolded the colorful paper, reading the scrawling inside- as if it was scribed by a foal just learning to write. However, the wording was not like a foal’s at all.

Hi there!

I’m looking for a friend from your kingdom, preferably one of Royal stature, to come visit our kingdom! We love making new friends, and want to extend our reach out to other kingdoms! Your kingdom of Equestria has always fascinated me with the power of friendship, and how it grew strong using that as a base! I would really love if one of your Royal Family members would come over! We promise that we’ll take good care of them, as if they were one of our own! I’ve included a map to help you find my kingdom, I hope it helps!

Wish to see you soon,
~Princess Glitter Star

“This would be a good chance for Dusk to get out,” she mused to herself. “And build on his public relations.” She looked once more at the tired pony, his potions bubbling behind him as his quill flew endlessly after piece and piece of parchment. Luna nodded to herself, pulling out a task sheet, assigning the job to Dusk Shadow, using her magic to attach the letter to the form. “Whether he wants to or not, a Prince has to have good public relations. This should help him.” She said to herself, folding it into an envelope and sending it off in a puff of magic.

***

I looked up as a letter appeared in front of me, floating down to my desk. My horn glowed, lighting up the dark room a bit more, as I examined it.

Assignment for you, Dusk. Do your best, as always! ~Luna

I gave a small smile at the note Luna left me, before slitting open the envelope, looking at the letter inside. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I groaned to my pet raven, New Moon. He cawed in response, fluttering up and landing on my shoulder. “Look at this.” I showed him the letter. “Luna knows I’m awful at public relations, why would she choose me?”

Moon cawed again, flapping his wings, obviously annoyed at my attitude.

“I know, I know, Royal duties and all.” I shook my head, folding the letter away. “It’s reasons like this I never wanted to be a Prince. And ponies still treat me so formally. I really hate it. But if I can use the power I have to protect others… I’m willing to deal with it.”
He gave yet another caw, this one of approval, before landing on his perch again. He wasn’t suited for long travels, so I usually left him in Canterlot. I stretched a bit as I stood, examining myself in the mirror. I was rather small for my age, slightly smaller than Princess Twilight Sparkle or one of her friends. My cloak, as usual, covered my wings, my bags hanging on top of the brown cloak. A lock of blue hair in my mane was the only thing that made me stand out from the rest of my darkened room.

Moon gave a rather insistent caw this time.

“I’m going, I’m going.” I assured him, picking up my two hoof-crafted swords, strapping them to my back. “See you around, Moon. Keep my research safe.”

***

“Sir.” The Pegasus Transport Unit member saluted me as I climbed into the carriage.

“Nova, you know you don’t have to call me that.” I sighed, shutting the door behind me, despite him making a motion to.

“And you know, we prefer that term, sir,” One of his friends, Blue Skies, trotted up, strapping himself in, as Nova did so, too. “There’s a long ride ahead, sir, food and drinks are in the left compartment.”

“All right. You guys take rests as needed.” I settled into the overly furnished cushion, closing my eyes. I had yet to conquer my fear of heights.

“Don’t look down, sir.” Nova advised, before the Pegasi galloped forward, soon taking to the sky.

“Don’t remind me.” I groaned, feeling the familiar jump in my chest whenever I was flying.

4 hours later…

The chariot descended as the Pegasi stopped to take a rest, landing in the clouds of a Rest Station, meant for the clients and workers of the PTU to unwind for a while during long trips. “Take as much time as you need.” I informed them as they detached themselves from the carriage. I chose to stay in the carriage, the fear of falling through a cloud had affected me for as long as my fear of heights.

“Sir, with all due respect, you’re an Alicorn. You can walk on clouds.” Nova seemed to read my mind. “And besides, if you fell, we would catch you.”

“Just…. Go…” I closed my eyes, pretending I was on solid ground. The gentle bobbing of the cloud did not help at all.

“All right, sir.” There was a note of amusement in his tone as he walked off with his friend into the rest station building.

Traveling by magic was not an option, as teleportation spells required three things. One, enough magic power to cast it, of course. Two, proper focus and concentration. Three, a clear picture in mind of where one was headed. As we had not heard of this kingdom before, and had no information, teleportation was out of the question. If I could have teleported, I would have done so long ago.

It seemed like ages before the Pegasi returned, reattaching themselves to the buckles. “Ready to go again, sir?” Blue asked.

I nodded, getting ready for the jolt again. “Luna, I’m never leaving solid ground again.” I thought to myself, as the cart left the cloud, soaring into the air.

2- The Kingdom

Chapter 2- The Kingdom

“We’re approaching our destination, sir.” Nova and Blue slowed down, preparing to descend past the cloud layer.

“Finally…” I sighed as magic encased us, allowing us to break through the clouds. A city came into view, a bit odd. It looked like everything was built with building blocks- the kind that foals would play with. “What odd architecture.” I mused, my interest temporarily overriding my fear of heights.

“Yeah, but it looks kind of funny.” Nova chuckled, heading to the largest building- the palace. I looked over the side, seeing many ponies roaming down below. One thing that struck me as a bit odd was that there were significantly more foals, colts, and fillies than stallions and mares.

The palace was towering, with a thick carpet leading up the stairs to the front doors. The carpet had yet another foalish design, with letters printed all over it. The carriage descended and landed to the side, Nova unbuckling himself and opening my door before I could protest. “Here we are, sir. So you’re staying here for a week?”

“That’s the plan, yes.” I answered, getting out and looking around. “Thanks for the ride, guys, I’ll make it up to you when I get back.”
“Have fun, sir.” Blue and Nova saluted, which I returned.

“Yeah, fun.” I muttered, rolling my eyes once they had taken to the skies again. I heard the sound of hoofsteps and turned to see two young Pegasi colts walking towards me, plastic shortswords sheathed in belts of their play-armor. Both were a very light grey with pale blue manes.

“Hi! You must be from Canterlot!” one said. “Equestria, right?”

“Right.” I answered, a little amused at the two colts playing dress-up. “Listen, I’m looking for Princess Glitter Star, I was sent here to meet her.”

“We’ll take you to her.” The other colt nodded.

“Er… Listen… boys, as much as I appreciate it, I’d prefer being escorted by her Guards.” I answered. I didn’t really have the time to play imagine with the colts.

“Excuse me,” the first colt sounded offended. “But we are her guards.”

I sighed. “Boys, I don’t have the time for games, please, I just need to know where her guards are.”

The second colt opened his mouth, looking angry, but stopped as I heard a voice behind me.

“Nimbus? Cirrus? What are you two doing?” a Pegasi mare, with a light blue body and darker blue mane trotted up. Her voice was gentle and sweet, and she had an odd, calming aura around her. “Why are you bothering the nice stallion?”

“Sorry, Mom. But he said he wanted to talk to the Princess’s Guards.” I now noticed his name on his guard cloak, Nimbus. He gave me an odd smirk as he and his brother trotted to the mare. I swore I could have seen a sly smile on her face, but it was gone so fast, I could have imagined it.

“Oh, I can take you there, dear.” She gave me a gentle smile. “My name is Frost Wind, by the way.” She extended her hoof.
“Dusk Shadow. Nice to meet you.” I said politely, taking her hoof and shaking it. I did not enjoy social interactions, but I had a substantial amount of social skills gained strictly through observation.

“Oh, aren’t you polite.” She kept her friendly smile up. “Come with me.” She turned and headed up the stairs. I followed close behind her as she looked back at me. “May I ask what happened to your wing, dear?”

“Er… just call me Dusk.” I answered awkwardly. “And… it’s a long story.” I realized too late that I had forgotten to put my cloak back on, and had left it in the carriage. I had taken it off momentarily at the rest stop, and hadn’t bothered to wear it again.

“Oh, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s all right.” She reached the doors and knocked.

“So you can just walk in? Are you a friend of the Princess?” I asked, walking up by her side.

“You could say that. I’m a member of her Council.” Frost answered, as I heard hoofsteps. The doors opened quietly, two stallions in guard armor opening the doors with their Unicorn magic. They bowed us in politely as Frost led me past them. More groups of colts in guard armor with the same play-swords walked around, some groups of fillies, too. A few even giggled amongst themselves as they saw me. I brushed off this oddity, not thinking much of it.

The hallway was lined with unusual art that looked like hoof-painting and crayon scribbles. There was even a giant statue of a mother and foal adorning a central fountain, which distracted me for some time. There was something strange about that fountain for sure.

“Dear? Dusk?” I turned to see Frost looking over at me with worry. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing.” I glanced back at the fountain one last time as I hurried after her to catch up.

“How do you like the castle?” she asked as I fell into line behind her two colts. “The décor? Design?”

“It’s interesting, that’s for sure.” I answered, looking at the colorful bricks. I looked over at a sculpture of a pacifier. My instincts were screaming at me, but it wasn’t a dangerous feel. It just felt… off.

“Hmm, that’s a common thing our visitors say.” Frost and her colts giggled, as we turned down another hallway. This one had a carpet with teddy bears as a pattern, and felt rather nice and soft beneath my hooves.

“Morning, Frost.” A brown Earth Pony with a short white mane saluted Frost. His armor was metal, and his blade genuine. “Who’s this?” he looked over at me.

“This is Dusk Shadow. The Princess’s special Guest.” Frost answered.

“Ah.” He gave the same odd smile that the colts gave me. “I’m sure he’ll have fun here.”

“Of course, the Princess will make sure of that.” She chuckled. “Nimbus, Cirrus, you two go run off and play now, I’ll take Dusk from here.”

“Okay, Mom.” They galloped off back down the hallway.

“See you.” The guard pony saluted Frost once again before going back to his patrolling.

We walked in silence for some time down the hallway, before coming to a set of doors. The bright pink doors felt like they belonged in a nursery, but at any rate, worked well with the rest of the castle’s foalish design. “Here we are, sweetie.” She smiled at me, pushing open the doors.

I blinked a little in surprise at the name, feeling a little embarrassed at it. I brushed a bit of my mane back to cover my embarrassment, following her through the doors.

“Princess, I’ve brought your guest.” She bowed down, as I looked up at the throne. I did not expect to see what I did.

Author's Note

The plot is soooo predictable.... But so is every other Age Regression story.... ever....

3- The 'Pwincess'

Chapter 3- The ‘Pwincess’

“Wh-wha?” I managed to say. There was an Alicorn filly in a jewel-encrusted highchair with two mares, one Pegasus, one Unicorn, on either side of her. The filly was light, bubble-gum pink, with a cotton-candy blue mane. A glistening opal tiara was on her head.

“Oh, hewwo.” She giggled. She had to be no more than three, judging by her size and lisp. “Yoo must be Dusk Shadow.”
Despite her lisp, there was an oddly mature way to the way she spoke.

“Y-yes.” I bowed my head, remembering my manners. This had to be some sort of joke. What kind of mothers just let their children run around the castle like this?

“Oh, you just look adorable.” One of the mares said to the filly’s side, the Unicorn. I blushed a little, something that I hardly ever did.

“Erm… I was told to come here to talk to Princess Glitter Star.” I shook the embarrassment off.

“Dat’s me.” She gave another happy smile. “I’m Pwincess Gwittew Staw. Nice to meet yoo.”
I sighed. “Listen… little filly, I really don’t have the time to play around. I’m sorry. If somepony could actually guide me to the Princess-“

“No, weally, I’m da Pwincess.” She said in a dead serious tone, quite an accomplishment for a filly. “I’m da one who wote and sent da wettew to Cantewot.”

I took a while to process this, before my eyes fell on the Kingdom’s Flag behind her.

“What did you get yourself into, now, DuskShadow?” I thought to myself as I stared at the foalish design.

“Oh, you wike da fwag?” she noticed where I was looking. “It’s vewy nice, isn’t it?”

“It’s…” I struggled to find the right word. “…Unique.”

This only made her giggle. “I’ww take dat as a compwiment.” She nodded at the Pegasus mare, who lifted her out and onto her back, trotting over to me. “Want a touw of da castle? Pwease?”
I initially thought of declining, but the eyes she gave me even reached my iron heart. “Okay, okay.” I said with a small smile. “You got me.”

“Yay!” she cheered, as the mare led on.

“You’ll have to pardon the Princess’s enthusiasm.” The Pegasus gave me a gentle smile. She had a light brown body and darker brown mane. It was odd, every single time one of the mares around here smiled, I felt something warm inside of me. “She’s just a filly, after all.”

“It’s all right, Miss…”

“Cocoa Puff. Or Just Cocoa for short.” She kept up that warm smile. “There’s no need for such formalities.”

“Hey, wook out dewe.” Glitter pointed out an open window. I trotted out to see a group of foals playing in a lush green meadow. The flowers were vibrant, the trees thick and strong. It was calming to see such scenery. “Nice, isn’t it?” I turned back to see Glitter giving me a grin.

“Yeah. It is. It reminds me of Canterlot Gardens back home.” I answered as we walked onwards.

“Wewe they just as pwetty?” Glitter asked me, as I glanced at the carpet. Another foalish design, this time, colorful blocks being used as a pattern.

“Yeah. And a lot bigger.” I responded. “We even have a maze in the gardens.”

“Oh, dat sounds wike fun. Did yoo get wost in it?”

“The first time, yes.” I admitted, making her giggle again. I blushed once more. It’s odd, ever since I came here, my emotions came out a lot easier. I was usually stoic, emotionless, and kept my feelings hidden well. Here, they just slipped out much easier.

“Oh, wight. Befowe we go any fuwthew… we should show yoo whewe you’we gonna sleep untiwl tomowwow.” Glitter looked back at me. “We’we neaw it, anyway, so might as well.”

“Thank you.” I nodded, as Cocoa lead us down a short hallway to a single door. This one was light blue with letter print on it.

“Here we are.” She opened the door to a nursery. “Oops!” she giggled, closing the door before I could get a good look inside. “Wrong room, this way.” She headed down the opposing hallway, making me raise an eyebrow at this odd behavior. We reached a normal-looking brown oak door. How Cocoa could have mistook the nursery for my guest bedroom was beyond me. “For real, this time.” She pushed the door open to a lavishly furnished bedroom.

The walls were hung with silk tapestries of various mythical beasts. The bed was a towering canopy with thick and rich sheets. The bathroom was made of marble and gold, a waterfall next to the balcony, built out over a cliff. The floors were made of some odd crystal I had never seen before, the ceilings having magically animated colorful swirls that looked like wind blowing.

“I hope it’s comfortable enough for you, Dusky.” I jumped a bit at the nickname, turning to look at Cocoa. “Oh, I’m sorry, Dusk Shadow, I’m used to talking to little ones.”

“It’s very nice.” I answered. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Siwwy, you don’t need ta be so fowmal.” Glitter laughed as I bowed my head. “Come on, I wanna show you mowe of the castle.”
I allowed Cocoa to lead me out of the room, closing the door behind me.

“Oh, goodness, where are our manners?” Cocoa stopped suddenly, almost causing me to crash into her. “Are you hungry, Dusk Shadow? Thirsty?”

“Yeah. I am.” I hadn’t realized it until she pointed it out, but despite the food and drink in the cart, I had not eaten or drank since I left Canterlot. That happened a lot. When my mind was elsewhere, I tuned out everything else.

“Den we can go to da kitchen.” Glitter nodded. “We can make it pawt of da touw.”

I followed them once more. Glitter really did have a mature, yet still foalish nature around her. The manner of her words was very much like an adult, but her tone, lisp, and general…well…giggliness made her seem more like a foal.

We reached the dining hall, where many sets of highchairs were set up. Other than that, it was fairly empty, aside from the foalish décor, which I had gotten used to seeing by now. We went through a set of swinging doors. Well, rather, Cocoa and Glitter did. The doors swung back at me when I was looking back at the highchairs, smacking me rather hard in the face.

“Oh! My goodness!” Cocoa rushed over. “Are you all right?” She gently lifted my face up with her hoof while I was still stunned by the heavy wood blow.

“Oh no. We’we sowwy.” Glitter looked upset.

“It’s… it’s all right.” I winced as I felt my muzzle, gently pushing Cocoa’s hoof away. I had usually been very good with pain, but for some reason, it really hurt, despite being nothing even close to what I encountered in combat.

“Oh, you poor thing.” Cocoa spoke in a gentle tone, as she brought over some ice, holding it to my injury. I felt comforted by her, even allowing her to stroke my mane a little. I had no idea why I was letting her do this, I had even been upset when Luna touched me.

“Hey, a kiss makes things awl bettew.” Glitter giggled, watching us.

“No, I-“ I wasn’t able to finish before Cocoa planted a kiss on my muzzle, not unlike what a mother would do to her foal. I blushed once more. “Y-you didn’t need to do that.” I mumbled, looking down.

“Sorry, dear, like I said, I’m used to handling fillies and foals. It’s instinct.” She answered. “Now come on, let’s get you some dinner. And Dusk, please try not to let the mean old doors hit you again.”

Glitter broke out in laughter once more at her final statement. It even got a small smile out of me, as we walked into the kitchen.

Author's Note

Did you know in Wisconsin, it's perfectly legal to carry a katana on your back as long as it's sheathed and in plain sight?

Just a fun fact, thought you might want to know. No? Okay.

4- A Bit of History

Chapter 4- A Bit of History

“Here.” A fresh fruit salad and a cup of vegetable juice was set in front of me. Cocoa smiled at me. “How’s that bruise?”

“It’s fine.” I assured her. “It’s just a bruise, I’ll get over it.”

“You suwe? We have doctows hewe.” Glitter still seemed concerned.

“I’ve gotten a lot worse injuries than this, seriously.” I rolled my eyes, setting down the ice pack to taste the fruit salad. It was sweet, fresh, and juicy. “Hey, this is really good.”

“I’m glad you like it. I’m not entirely used to cooking for ponies your age. To be honest, I almost made a mash for you.” She took a seat across from me, holding a bottle for Glitter in her magic.

“I’m a little curious about your Kingdom.” I looked over at Glitter. She pushed the bottle away with a hoof, wiping at her mouth.

“Yeah?” she asked. “What do you wanna know?”

“Well… I’ve been to kingdoms run by strange rulers before but…. Never a foal. No offense, it just isn’t really… normal.”

“Oh, none taken.” She giggled. “We have a wot of ponies asking dat. They nevew ask it at da end, though.”

“We can tell you more after we eat.” Cocoa slipped the bottle back into Glitter’s mouth, and I went back to my salad. “Our library is also open for you whenever you want.”

“Ah, that would be wonderful. Thank you.” I nodded. Reading had always been one of my passions, especially history books.

“Oh, we just want to make you feel at home here.” Cocoa wiped a little of the dribble away from Glitter’s mouth. “If there’s anything you need, just ask.”

“I appreciate it.” I say. “I’d like some quills and parchment. I prefer staying in contact with Princess Luna. That usually includes daily reports.” To be honest, I was interested in the kingdom. It couldn’t honestly be run by only foals, right? There had to be something deeper to it that I couldn’t see.

The rest of the meal went fine, Cocoa leading us to the library next. “Hold up, the Princess needs a change.” She said, stopping outside the doors, heading down another hall. “Just wait there.”

I took a seat outside the doors, examining them. They were made of some high-quality wood, painted with foalish designs, which ceased to surprise me at this point. The doors had to be a few times as tall as me, even Luna herself. Their library had to be massive.

A few minutes later, Cocoa returned with Glitter on her back. “Come on in, dear.” She opened the doors, allowing me to step in first. I was amazed at the huge expanse of shelves, enough to even rival Canterlot’s Central Library, even if it was all children’s books.

“Here, the grown-up section is this way.” Cocoa led me off to the corner, a much smaller collection of books, only a few shelves, holding various titles. “Now… you want to hear more about our kingdom?”

“Yes, I do.” I took a seat on one of the chairs, Cocoa setting Glitter down as she sat across from me.

“What do you want to know about, again?” she asked, watching me look over the shelves.

“Well… why foals? Do foals really run the kingdom?”

“For the most part, yes, they do. The reason why is because most adults…. Well…. They’re just mean and power-hungry.”

Glitter spoke up at this. “Ouw wast king was King Emewald. He was a big meanie, and fowced evewypony to do what he wanted. He didn’t cawe fow da kingdom at all, Emewald just wanted powew and money.”

“I see.” I frowned slightly. “And… all your adult rulers were like this?

“Yes. They were.” Cocoa answered sadly. “That’s why we have foals to run things. They’re kind and wouldn’t think of hurting anypony.”

“How old are you?” I asked Glitter. For some reason, she found this funny, and giggled for almost a full minute.

“Secwet.” She smiled at me, raising her hooves up to Cocoa. Cocoa picked her up onto her lap.

“The books here would probably be of more use to you. They date fairly far back, the history section is that shelf there. You’re free to move them back to your room to read. It’s getting late, after all.”

“Thank you.” I took a few volumes down, Cocoa waiting for me to finish before trotting back to the entrance.

“Need help with those, dear? They look a bit heavy.” She looked back at me, levitating the books in my magic.

“No, it’s fine, but thanks. My magic can handle it.” I answered, as we walked out the doors. Cocoa started to lead me back to where my room was.

“Need anything before you turn in? I find that even as an adult, a glass of warm milk helps me sleep.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” I answered, politely lowering my head.

“All right, then. Don’t stay up too late. Good night.” She smiled gently at me as I walked in.

“I won’t.” I lied. I had not planned to get any sleep at all, there was still so much to know and research. There was no way I’d be able to sleep like that. “Good night, Cocoa, Glitter.”

“Bye!” Glitter waved, before Cocoa closed the door. I immediately went to my desk, pushing aside the quills and paper, opening the first volume.

The first Queen of the Kingdom, the one who founded it, started out fine, but became a terrible tyrant, demanding everypony serve her or be banished. Eventually, her filly daughter overthrew her by gathering support. Apparently this filly was only about seven years old when this happened. The kingdom began running with very young rulers ever since, and there was a rather interesting as well as somewhat disturbing fact that all the rulers were highly intelligent, despite their ages. Any other adult rulers, as Cocoa and Glitter told me, were like the First Queen, if not worse. There were several divisions formed, although it told me to go to Volume II for an explanation. I decided to work my way through the first volume before starting on another. It would be more organized that way.

I read for hours on end, before finding myself getting oddly tired. That was strange, normally I could go days without sleep. I shook my head, continuing to read, eventually falling asleep on the book.

Author's Note

I wrote chapters 4-5 on no sleep for over 48 hours. Sorry if it's sub-par, I just hated being idle for so long.

5- Breakfast in the Morning

Chapter 5- Breakfast in the Morning

I stirred in bed, slowly opening my eyes. Wait- in bed? I sat up, the covers sliding off me. The book I was reading was closed with a bookmark, and my cloak was hung on the bedpost. I slid onto my hooves, quickly making my bed and putting my cloak back on. Exposing my wings just made me uncomfortable. Moving to the curtains, yawning, I allowed some sunlight to enter the room, before exiting, unsure where to head next.

“Morning!” Cocoa walked down the hall, smiling at me. “You fell asleep when I went to check on you, so I tucked you into bed. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Uh… no. I don’t mind. Thanks.” My mind felt a bit fuzzy, but that was probably due to the fact that I just woke up.

“Come with me, we can have breakfast. The Princess is already in her private dining area, she’s invited you.”

I allowed her to take the lead, the hallways rather empty, as it was probably early morning.

“You came! Yay!” Glitter cheered from her highchair as she saw me.

“Now, what would you like for breakfast, darlings?” Cocoa asked us.

“Fwuit mash!” Glitter answered brightly.

“I… uh… dunno.” I answered. “I don’t really eat breakfast… I usually get by on one meal a day.”

“That’s not very healthy. Tell you what, I’ll make you some pancakes.” Cocoa moved to the stove.

“Thank you.” I took a seat at the small table.

“Cocoa towld me you fewl asweep when weading.” Glitter smiled.

“Yeah… it happens a lot.” I rubbed the back of my head, a little embarrassed at the thought of Cocoa tucking me into bed.

“I was thinking we could spend some time in the park today.” Cocoa glanced back at us. “Ah, hold that thought. I’m missing an important ingredient in my special pancakes.” She trotted out of the kitchen. “Dusk, please watch over the Princess.”

“Yeah, sure.” I watched her leave.

“She’s nice, wight?” Glitter asked me.

“She’s really nice.” I answered. “She kind of reminds me of Luna.”

“So Wuna took cawe of you?” Glitter sucked on her hoof, watching me.

“Well… she tried, but most of the time, I handled myself… it’s what I’m used to.”

“Thanks for watching her.” Cocoa trotted back in, interrupting us, pouring what looked like syrup over the pancakes, setting the plate in front of me, before beginning to feed Glitter her mash. I started to eat. It was delicious, sweet, and full of flavor.

“This is really good cooking.” I smiled at Cocoa.

“I’m glad you like it, dear. Oh…” she moved forward and used a napkin to wipe some syrup from my chin. “Whoops, sorry! Used to feeding foals!” she caught herself. For some reason, this time, I didn’t mind.

“No, it’s fine.” I answered, going back to eating. “Thanks.”

“So, what about it? The park today?” Cocoa asked us.

“Yes! Pawk!” Glitter squealed, causing her to spill some food. Cocoa smiled as she wiped it up.

“I don’t have any objections, sure.” I answered. I felt a little odd, a strange trace of giddiness in me. It was like the excitement I felt when I discovered something new in my research… only different, somehow.

“Good, good. It’s a really nice day out, would be a waste to spend it indoors, anyway.” Cocoa finished feeding Glitter, wiping her face off.

I had also finished my pancakes. “I’m going to take the Princess for her morning change, then I’ll meet up with you outside your room. You know the way now, right?”

“Yeah, I got it.” I got up, sliding my chair back in.

“All right, anything you need?” she asked. “To prepare for going out?”

“I don’t think so.” I answered. “I think I’ll just take a book or two.”

“Egghead.” Glitter giggled, making me smile a little.

“Yeah, I’m an egghead. But I’m happy about it.” I answered. “I prefer the term well-read.” This made Glitter laugh some more.

We exited the room together, parting ways in the hallway. It then occurred to me that I had been so caught in in reading, I had forgotten to write a report to Luna. I decided that I would write one to her later tonight. I entered my bedroom, going over to the history books. There was no way I’d get through both volumes, so I just picked up the first two, putting on my saddlebags and putting the books in. I glanced at my swords. It didn’t seem appropriate to carry it around, but still, it was dangerous, in my opinion, to go around unarmed. After much consideration, I left my swords, but took a dagger with me, sliding it under my cloak. I had never gone anywhere willingly without my swords, but for some odd reason, I just felt safer here. Glitter and Cocoa weren’t back yet, so I took out Volume I of the history books, continuing on where I left off. I had read a few chapters in before I heard hoofbeats outside my door. Turning around and closing the book, I saw Cocoa with Glitter on her back. “All ready, dear?” she asked sweetly.

“Yeah.” I put the book away again. It was odd, I had to adjust the straps of my bags somewhat. The straps probably slipped, making the loop larger than it normally would need to be to fit me.

“Wonderful. Come on, let’s head out.” She draped a wing over my back, using it to guide me out of the room.

“Um…” I looked over at her wing.

“Oh, I didn’t think you would mind, sorry.” She withdrew her wing, folding it to her side again.

“N-no, it’s all right.” It was odd, I hated pony to pony contact of any sort, but I felt an odd security when her wing was over me. Cocoa smiled, putting her wing over me again.

“It’s going to be a good day.” she said happily.

Author's Note

It's true, I actually do only eat about one meal a day. And I feel fine doing that, too.

6- A Day at the Park

Chapter 6- A Day at the Park

“So it’s another nice day out.” Cocoa commented. “What do you guys want to do?”

“I don’t really mind.” I answered. “I’m not…. Used to this.”

“What do you mean?” Glitter asked, looking over at me.

“I usually spend most of my time inside I’m just… used to… well… working. It keeps my mind off things.”

“What? Don’t you have friends to spend time with?” Cocoa asked, giving me a soft look.

“… I… Let’s just say that sometimes…. It’s just easier to be alone…” I avoided eye contact with them.

“Don’t you have any fwiends?” Glitter questioned.

“I have allies.” I managed to dodge the question. “With my personal unit and Luna.”

“But don’t you have friends who you spend time with?” Cocoa questioned. “I mean, you don’t honestly spend all day in your room?”

“Well, no, I go on patrols, too. And missions. I use that time out of my research room.”

“Don’t you evew west?”

“I can’t stand being idle, I have to do something productive, you know? And plus… I’m not that good with other ponies. I was assigned this task, so I took it. I’ve gained enough skills from third-hoof experience to hide it. I just have to apply the social skills.”

“Aww.” Cocoa nuzzled me. “You just need to relax a little more. Why not have some fun with us today? Just… forget about your problems for the day and enjoy yourself.”

My head felt fuzzy again, and I slowly nodded. “Okay… Thank you.”

“Here, it’s still some time to the park.” Before I could protest, she swept me onto her back with her wing, next to Glitter.

“Hey.” Glitter giggled at me, hugging me.

“Er… Hi…” I returned the hug. “You know, Cocoa, I can walk on my own.”

“I just want you to rest for today, let me take care of things.” Cocoa gave another one of her gentle smiles. “Okay?”

“Erm…. Okay.” I nodded as Cocoa trotted along a dirt path. “That sounds good.”

It took about ten minutes, but we reached the park, filled with mostly foals.

“There you go.” Cocoa set me down with Glitter. “Now run off and play, you two.”

“So… what do you want to do?” I asked Glitter, walking alongside her as she crawled.

“Hide and seek! I’ww hide fiwst!” she giggled.

“Sure, why not?” Hide and seek was actually often used as a stealth and discovery exercise in the Royal Guard. I had top marks for discovery, but due to my recklessness, had failed almost all my stealth tests. “I’ll count to thirty, okay?”

“Okay! No cheating!” she crawled off as I blindfolded myself with a simple spell. I waited until half a minute had passed, before looking around. A group of foals ran past me, chasing after a ball. Finding Glitter would be easy with a Detection spell, but that would be boring. My eyes swept the area. She couldn’t even walk, so hiding in a tree was out of the question, as was most other high areas. That meant that she had to be in one of the lower areas. I continued analyzing the possibilities, until my eyes reached a play tunnel. Yes…. In the thirty seconds of allotted time, that was a definite area that she could be in. The other lower areas were too far away, or not a likely hiding spot for a foal. The highest probability was the play tunnel. I reached the tunnel, looking down the twisting plastic path. I wondered if I could even fit inside. I figured it was worth a shot, and got down on my knees. To my surprise, I fit easily inside.

“Glitter?” I called out, crawling through the colorful pipe. There was no answer, only my echoing voice. “Hmm.” I muttered to myself, heading further in. I heard a giggle, and recognized it as Glitter’s. I crawled a little faster, and saw her turn a corner.

“Nuh-uh, not gonna catch me!” she taunted playfully.

“Wanna bet?” I chuckled, moving faster, starting to catch up.

“Oh no!” she tried to fake going one direction at a fork, but I saw it, diving and tagging her. “Aww.” She smiled. “You got me.”

“Come on, I’m thiwsty.” She motioned for me to turn around. I did so, and we started heading out.

I was the first to get out, stretching my body, both of us headed to Cocoa. “Hello, dears.” She smiled at us.

“I’m thiwsty, Cocoa.” Glitter said.

“I’m a bit thirsty, too.” I added. “Could I please have something to drink?”

“Oh, but of course.” She went into her bags, taking out a bottle and sippy cup, both full of juicy. “Now, I’m sorry, Dusk but there were no other cups I could find in the kitchen. We can take off the lid but…” she struggled with it. “It seems to be stuck. Maybe you could get it off?”

I attempted to use my magic to remove it, but she was right, it really was stuck tight. “Wow…” I muttered, tugging some more.

“Well, dear, come on, I suppose you could just drink it as it is? It’s juice, either way.”

“Yeah, come on, just dwink.” Glitter began suckling on her bottle, with the assistance of Cocoa. I hesitated, but thirst took over. I started to drink, feeling rather embarrassed. The juice had a smooth, sweet taste to it, so the flavor wasn’t bad at all. It didn’t take long before it felt natural.

“Ah, so what are you two going to do afterwards?” Cocoa asked when Glitter finished, burping her.

“Ooh, I wanna go thwough da tunnewls again!” Glitter said excitedly. “Wots of fun!”

“Okay.” I answered, setting the rather foalish cup down. “We can do that if you want.”

“Wace you!” she crawled off quickly. I got to my hooves, tripping and falling over clumsily.

“Oops!” Cocoa giggled, helping me up. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just lost my balance for a bit.” I allowed her to pick me up.

“Go on, then.” She nodded, letting me head after Glitter.

“What took you?” Glitter had an odd smile on her face, as if she was hiding something. I didn’t really have time to answer, as she crawled into the tunnel first.
Maybe it was just me, but I found that I fit inside the tunnel easier than before, not having to crawl low. We navigated the expanse of tunnels, soon reaching another end, on the other side of the massive playground.

“Wow... this place is really… big…” I glanced over at where we came from. The playground was the size of two hoofball fields, if not more. “Is it really okay if you’re this far away from Cocoa?”

“Oh, you’we wight.” Glitter agreed. “Just thought you might wanna take a wook awound.”

“I just want to make sure you’re safe. That’s all.” I answered.

“But you’we a Woyal Guawd, wight? You can pwotect me!” she giggled.

“Yeah, I suppose I can. If you’re in any real danger.” I nodded.

“I wanna heaw mowe about youw job.” She laid down on the grass, motioning for me to do the same.

“Well…. Okay, but I can’t tell you too much. One, a lot of it is classified, two, some of it isn’t fit for a foal.” I settled down next to her and started telling tales of my expedition and exploration missions I had done for my research.
I didn’t realize it getting dark until I heard Cocoa calling us. “Dusk! Glitter! Where are you two? It’s time to head back to the castle, dears!”

“Here, I can do this.” My horn glowed as I teleported us next to Cocoa, falling over again. The issue with my teleportation spells was that although they were almost three times as fast as a standard spell, it always dazed me for some time.

“Goodness, dear, are you okay?” Cocoa helped me to my hooves.

“Ow… yeah. Just overcompensated the magic energy that I would need.”

“Here.” She set me on her back with Glitter. “Just rest, and I’ll carry you back. You should be more careful using your magic. You’re a bit young, after, all.”

“Huh?” I looked over at Cocoa, feeling my mind fog up again. Maybe she was right, a teleportation spell was pretty advanced. I shouldn’t have done it.

“That’s all right, dear. Just relax.”

I settled on her back, the group of us staying quietly calm as we headed to the castle. We passed by the odd fountain again, of the mother and foal. Like before, I felt the odd aura around it, making my head fog up once more.

“Oh, poor thing, you must be exhausted.” Cocoa cooed at me, watching my eyes close. “Just sleep, you’ve had a long day.”
My eyes closed the rest of the way, and I felt myself drift into a peaceful slumber.

Author's Note

I wrote this when sick, dunno how good it is. In case you didn't notice, this is where the regression really starts to happen.

I really need to make my chapters longer, don't I?

7- The Dream

Chapter 7- The Dream

I opened my eyes to find myself in my Dream Realm, a place that I went whenever I slept. Not everypony had a Dream Realm, but each one had something very unique about it. My Realm was filled with a gray haze, ash falling from the sky and coating the ground. Ruined and burned trees, as well as charred rocks speckled the area. The sky, what little could be seen, was a fiery red, as if it was burning. It had gotten better than before, where the entire Realm was just burning in general. My Realm, over time, seemed to be healing. I settled on a flat rock, when I heard a voice. Somepony was trying to communicate, but the voice sounded faded and muffled.

“Hello?” I called out, standing up.

“Dusk…” I heard my name called, but I could barely comprehend it. There was something interfering with the communication.

“I can’t hear you!” I looked around. “Luna, is that you?”

There was no reply, so I settled down again. Although Luna had the ability to Dreamwalk, sometimes, depending on many factors, including mental state and magic levels, it was difficult for her to enter some dreams. Reaching another pony’s Dream Realm was difficult enough as it was, even for a Dreamwalker. She would probably be able to reach my Realm at another time. That reminded me. I still needed to report to her. I would write up a report at another time. Reporting to her was rather unnecessary, considering my rank, but I had done it for so long, it was just something I was used to.

I closed my eyes, retreating from my Realm, allowing a dream to form, to pass the time. I felt my Realm melt away. I looked around, and was a little surprised at my surroundings. I was in some kind of nursery, the walls a soft blue, toys scattered around, a crib, changing table, and other foalish items and furniture lining the area.

However, the shocking part was that I found myself in a thick diaper, with teddy bear print on the front. “Wh-what?” I tried to use my magic, but it wasn’t working. I resorted to tugging at the tapes with my hooves.

“Ah, ah, ah, you know you’re not supposed to do that.” A giant teddy walked over on its hind legs. He looked down at me, making me feel tiny. He gently pushed my hooves away from my diaper, picking me up and cradling me. I squirmed around, but he pushed the tip of a bottle into my mouth, holding in place. “Drink up, little foal.” I tried to spit it out, but couldn’t. The teddy kept the bottle in my mouth. “Come on, don’t be fussy.”

Having not much other choice, I started to suckle, drinking the liquid down. It had a sweet, creamy taste to it, making me suckle faster. The teddy smiled down at me, causing me to smile back.

“Good foal.” He cooed, rocking me as I drank. I closed my eyes, feeling peaceful in the soft grip of the teddy. There was a smell around him… it was like foal powder. For some reason, I felt happy and safe with him.

It didn’t take long for me to finish the bottle. The teddy gently patted my back, burping me. I blushed as I spit up a little, squirming again.
“Aww.” He wiped me up, before setting me down. “Come on, time to play!” He took out a bag of blocks, dumping it out in front of me. I watched the foam, colorful blocks scatter around. I picked one up in a hoof, rather clumsily, not used to using my hooves. Even so, my hooves felt clumsy. The teddy smiled as I started stacking some blocks in a rough tower shape. I felt an internal joy from doing so, even giggling as I played. The teddy patted me on the head, watching me play.

It took some time, but I built a very crooked castle, the structure wobbling precariously, colors completely random and mismatched. “Yay!” I clapped my hooves, feeling a little pride at what I had done, despite it looking a bit sloppy.

“That’s wonderful.” The teddy hugged me with its soft, plush arms, a warm aura around me as it did so. “You’re such a creative little foal.” I stayed in his hug for some time, closing my eyes contently. He suddenly slipped a pacifier in my mouth. To my surprise, I suckled, despite initially wanting to spit it out. It calmed me down even more, causing me to smile again. “That’s right, little foal, just be happy. You don’t need to worry about anything but having fun and relaxing. You’re just a foal, after all.” He whispered softly, petting my mane. “Let the grown-ups worry about the other things. Shhh.”

I found myself growing sleepy in his arms, as he gently laid me back on his stomach, cradling me close. The pacifier prevented me from talking, although I didn’t really feel like doing so, anyway. It was so soft and comfortable. I felt a warm aura all around, feeling at complete harmony. The teddy hummed softly, draping a blanket over my already warm body. Maybe it was my imagination, but he seemed bigger than before.

“Rest now, little foal. Sleep, and relax.” He whispered gently, rubbing my back. I felt my diaper start to warm up as I wet it, squirming in shock at it. “It’s all right, little foals don’t know how to control it. Just rest, and we’ll get you all cleaned up.” The teddy patted my diaper, making me blush again. “Let it all out, no need to hold it… not that a foal like you could do so, anyway.” His voice was still soft and calming, and I felt myself slipping off to sleep again after my initial shock. I yawned, the pacifier falling out of my mouth. The teddy cleaned it off on his paw before popping it back in. I suckled, smiling once more, drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

Author's Note

Fun fact: This is actually adapted from a one-shot I was writing.

Zubric gave me some inspiration on this.

8- Feeling Little

Author's Note

I felt that this hadn't been updated in a while, so I whipped this up.

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8- Feeling Little

Chapter 8- Feeling Little

I opened my eyes, to find myself back in my guest room. I felt warm underneath the covers and… wet. I gasped as I saw a wet spot on my sheets. This was impossible. I hadn’t wet the bed since… well, as long as I could remember. I wasn’t able to think about what to do before my door opened, Cocoa bringing in breakfast on a tray.

“Morning-“ she stopped, sniffing the air and looking over at me. “Oh, dear, did you wet the bed?”

I stuttered an unintelligible reply, starting to tear up with humiliation. I also had not actually cried over anything in a long time, either.
“Oh, dear…” She moved over, stroking my mane. “It’s all right, you’ll get it some day.”

“But…” My head felt foggy again, but felt calmed down as she pet my mane.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up before breakfast.” She lifted me up in her hooves, setting me down next to her. “Follow me, dear.”

“But the sheets-“

“The castle workers will get that. Okay?” she smiled at me, patting me on the head, making me blush. She draped her wing over me again, walking with me to the bathroom, opening the door, allowing me to walk in first before following, closing the door behind us.

“Erm, I can take care of myself…” I turned around.

“No, no, let me help.” She insisted. “There are some special soaps I want you to try.” Cocoa turned on the taps, slowly filling the tub. “I just want you to relax, okay? You’ve taken care of yourself all this time, try and let somepony else help, even if it’s this simple.”

“Well…” This was something Luna told me very often. “All right, then.” I found myself trusting her.

“After all,” she added. “You’re still so little, and have time to grow up.”

I glanced at myself in the mirror, smaller than a schoolcolt. How old was I? I felt confusion as I tried to remember my age. I was snapped out of my thoughts as she spoke up again.

“Bath is ready, dear.” She lifted me up without warning, setting me in the warm water, filled with bubbles. “Now, hold still.” Cocoa began gently scrubbing at me with a soft sponge. “Goodness, you’ve got dirt deep in your fur, when’s the last time you took a bath?”

“I rarely took baths ever since I joined the Royal Guard…” I answered.

“Silly, you’re way too young to be in the Royal Guard. You’re only a few years old.” She giggled. “But it’s all right to use your imagination sometimes.”

I nodded. I had always idolized the Royal Guard, wanting to be in it for as long as I could remember. Cocoa moved onto my mane, shampooing it and cleaning it out. She hummed softly as she cleaned me off, making me smile a little. I felt her pour water over my head to rinse out the shampoo, lifting me out of the tub.

“Finished, dear.” She set me on a towel, using another one to dry me off. “Now, wait here for a moment, please.”

“Okay.” I wrapped the towel around myself, watching her leave. The towel was soft, fluffy, and had an odd smell to it, although not an unpleasant one.

“Back.” The door opened again, and I saw her holding some light blue undergarment, meant for foals in toilet training.

“Wh-what is that?” I stammered.

“Dear, I just want to make sure you’re protected against accidents.” She answered softly. “You wet the bed last night, I don’t want it to happen during the day.”

“It won’t!” I protested. “I’m not a foal!”

“I know you aren’t. So let’s make a deal, okay? If you can stay dry all day, then you only have to wear at night. And when you stop having nighttime accidents, then you can be a big colt.” She smiled at me. “Please, I just don’t want you to make a mess on the floor, that wouldn’t be nice.”

I looked down at the ground, sighing. “Fine…” I agreed reluctantly.

“Now do you need help getting it on?” she asked sweetly.

“I’m fine.” I blushed, taking the training pants from her and putting them on.

“Maybe you’re growing up faster than I expected.” Cocoa led me out the door. “Now, ready for breakfast?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty hungry.” I trotted after her, feeling a little uncoordinated. Cocoa noticed this, setting me on her back.

“Let’s get to the dining area then.” Once again, we passed by the odd fountain.

“Um, Cocoa?” I asked. “What’s that fountain?”

“Oh…” she hesitated. “Just a fountain, dear.” However, I could tell she was concealing something. Before I could give it much more though, she distracted me by suddenly tickling me with her wing.

“Eep! Stop! That tickles!” I squirmed around on her back, giggling.

“I know it does!” she laughed, continuing to do so. “You’re so ticklish!”

“S-stop!” I protested, giggling some more. She kept it up for a while, before stopping.

“What do you want for breakfast?” she asked. “Does oatmeal sound good?”

“Yeah.” I answered, feeling my stomach growl.

“Good. How’s your magic training coming along?” she tapped my horn gently.

“It’s going well. I still can’t keep spells going on for long, though.”

“Oh, so your stamina needs work, then.” She entered the dining room, where Glitter was being fed by another mare.

“Hi, Dusky!” she waved at me, some mush on her muzzle.

“Hi, Glitter.” I answered with a smile. “Good morning.” I blushed as I remembered I was wearing my training pants, clearly visible to all.

“Oh, awe yoo finawly leawning to use da potty?” she asked, returning the smile.

“I already know how to…” I felt embarrassed at her words, feeling smaller inside than I did before.

“Whatevew you say.” She had playful tone as Cocoa went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

I took a seat at the table, my training pants giving a quiet crinkle. It felt a little odd to be wearing them, but I knew it was for the best. Cocoa soon returned with the warm oatmeal, setting it down in front of me. “Thanks.” I tried to take the spoon up in my magic, but for some reason, my magic felt off, my horn fizzling, and the spoon wobbling.

“Is your magic acting up again, sweetie?” Cocoa asked with a note of concern.

“Y-yeah.” I winced, putting the spoon back down, holding my head. Using my hooves was out of the question, I had been using magic for so long, I was rather clumsy with hooves alone.

“Want me to help?” Cocoa asked softly, taking a seat next to me. “I promise I won’t poke fun.”

“That would be nice.” I say, shaking my head to clear the buzz of unstable magic.

Cocoa grinned, taking up the spoon handle tip in her mouth, spooning up some oatmeal and holding it out to me. Glitter giggled. “Aww, lookit the Mommy feeding the foal!”

“Now, now, don’t make fun of him, his magic isn’t working.” The mare feeding Glitter chided softly.

I opened my mouth and let Cocoa spoon the food in. As promised, she didn’t make any comments, smiling reassuringly at me, before scooping up another spoonful. A little dribbled out of my mouth this time, and onto my chin.

“Oh, sorry.” Cocoa spoke around the spoon. “We’ll clean you up, after.”

She continued to feed me, making a bit more of a mess as I ate, Cocoa wiping it off with a wet towel when I was done.

“Thanks, Cocoa.” I allowed her to clean my muzzle and front off.

“Of course, always happy to help the little ones, Dusky.” She smiled at me. I blushed a little at the nickname, once again, the nickname making me feel small.

“You finished, too, Princess Glitter?”

“Yup!” she piped happily. “Pwaytime!”

“That’s right. There’s a really nice place in the castle you have to see, Dusky. It’s the Princess’s private playroom, and you’re invited! Right, Princess?”

“It’s awlays mowe fun with a fwiend!” she nodded vigorously.

“Then let’s go!” Cocoa placed us on her back, trotting at a quick, bouncing pace off. “It’s time for fun!”

9- The Playroom

Chapter 9- The Playroom

“Wow.” I was stunned as I looked out at the massive playroom. It was as big as Canterlot’s garden. Well, maybe not exactly, but it was certainly close.

“Isn’t it nice?” Cocoa asked. “When Glitter wanted a playroom built, we had quite the funds for it. After all, in the entire history of our kingdom, there has never been a single war or conflict. Any money we make is spend in improving the city, and what we have left, well… I won’t deny spoiling Glitter.”

“Hehe, come on, wet’s pway.” Glitter tugged on my hoof after we were set down.

“Okay, where do you want to play?” I asked, letting her lead me.

“Just come on!” she giggled, going over to a spiral slide. Calling the slide tall would be an understatement. “It’s wots of fun!”

“I don’t know…” I frowned, my fear of heights getting to me as I looked up the steps to the top. “It’s really high up… I don’t like high places…”

“Aww, how about if we go togethew? I’ww howd youw hoof.” She offered me her hoof, climbing onto the first step.

It would certainly make me feel safer to go with somepony else. I took her hoof, letting her help me climb up the stairs. It wasn’t like big pony stairs, it was made for ponies our size. It took almost a full minute to get to the top, and I couldn’t help but hug into Glitter the moment I looked down.

“It’s otay, if you faww, da magic in dis woom will stop you.” Glitter reassured me, easing us over to the slide. “It gonna be otay.” She sat down at the top of the slide, and motioned for me to do the same. I took a moment or two to calm myself, before taking a seat next to her. “On thwee, otay? One… two… thwee!” she giggled. “Dat’s as high as I can count!”

We slid down together, shooting down the spiraling slide. It didn’t take long for me to get dizzy, and by the time we hit the bottom, I felt like I couldn’t stand on my own. We came tumbling out into a ball pit at the foot of the slide, Glitter clapping her hooves in excitement.

“Oooh, I’m like… really dizzy.” I tried to get to my hooves. A combination of the slippery, colorful spheres, and my dizziness caused me to fall over again.

“Siwwy. Just crawl, wike you awlways do.”

“Huh? Like I always did?” I tried to sit up, only for her to boop me.

“Uh-huh, wemembew? I had to hewp you up the staiws? And to the slide?” she booped me again, making me giggle. She was right, she did have to help. I remembered that for sure. After a few more boops, she let me roll back onto my tummy to crawl out of the pit, following after me. “Fowwow me, I know whewe to pway next.” She hurried ahead of me, heading to a see-saw, getting onto it.

“Need help?” Cocoa, who was just watching before, trotted over, not bothering to wait for an answer, before lifting me up onto the higher end. “There you go, dearie.”

“Thanks.” I gave Cocoa a small smile to show my gratitude. I let Glitter push off the ground, doing the same once my hind hooves found purchase. Cocoa monitored our safety, smiling at us while we played. Time passed, I wasn’t sure how much, but the rhythmic thumping and creaking of the see-saw made me lose track.

“Wanna do something ewse?” she asked after a while.

“Okay, like what?” I asked, getting off the see-saw with Glitter. As Glitter was bigger than me, I had to let Cocoa lift me off, first, before Glitter could get off.

“Hold on, now, Glitter.” Cocoa patted my training pants. “Good, still dry. Do you need to go, Dusky?”
I hadn’t realized it the entire time we were playing, but now that she pointed it out, I realized that I did need to go, and really badly. I nodded, squirming as I tried to hold it in.

“Uh-oh, good ting we gots a potty woom next to dis one.” Glitter commented.

“Wait here while I take him to the potty. Will you be okay on your own for a few moments?” Cocoa asked.

“Uh-huh.” Glitter picked up one of the plastic balls to play with. “Dun wowwy bout me.”

While they talked, it became only harder to hold it. I squirmed some more, getting Cocoa’s attention.

“Oh, sorry, dear, we’re going.” She picked me up and set me on her back, hurrying to a colorful door, opening it up. Inside was an foal’s bathroom, a combination of soft and bright colors all over, and a small potty with a lowered sink in the back. “Now, I know you need help, so I’ll be right here, okay?” she carried me over to it. “Do you want to try getting your training pants off on your own?”

I nodded, tugging on them. But they didn’t want to get off! I was pulling up on them, why didn’t they get off? The urge to relieve myself was only building as I struggled.

“Dear, if you need help, just ask. There’s no shame in accepting help.”

I was about to agree, when suddenly, I couldn’t hold it anymore. I started wetting my training pants, the designs on it rapidly fading, the garment growing heavy and soggy. I whimpered, trying and failing to stop the flow.

“Oh no, you were so close.” She hurriedly put another of the soft and odd-smelling towels under me, a good intuition, as my training pants were only made to hold small little accidents, not a full bladder like I had. They leaked, obviously, much to my extreme embarrassment. “I’m sorry, dear, I should have asked sooner.”

“It’s… not your fault…” I mumbled, looking down in defeat. I let Cocoa remove the soggy garment, cleaning me up.

“Sweetie… listen.” She stroked my mane as she cleaned me. “I don’t want another big accident like this to cause a mess. We were prepared this time, but if it happens again and we aren’t… Sweetie, I think it’s time for diapers.”

“B-but only foals have to wear diapers!” I protested.

“Not true, some big ponies have to wear.” She answered. “And besides, little Dusky. You are a foal. I know you’re trying to be a big pony, and it’s super-adorable, but we can’t have you making messes. Okay?”

I nodded. Well, it was fun while it lasted. I kind of felt bad about making a mess, though. My guilty face must have shown, because Cocoa gave me a tight hug.

“It’s all right, dear, now lay down.” She spread out a clean towel, patting it. I moved over to the fluff of it, the smell now recognizable to me. Foal powder. How could I forget such a familiar smell? Cocoa hummed as she took a speckled blue diaper out of a package, decorated with cute shapes such as letters and teddy bears. “You like thick diapers, right?”

I nodded. The thicker, the poofier, and the poofier, the softer!

“Good. Extra protection against such a heavy wetter like you.” She tickled me with her wing, making me giggle as she slid the diaper under me. She powdered liberally, singing a soft nursery rhyme. I felt sleepy as she did, even more so as she taped the diaper off, the soft, plush, comfort of it hugging my flanks. “Sleepy, dear? Go on, take a nap. I’ll wake you up later if you’re hungry, or want to play with Glitter again.” She picked me up and held me close, resuming her song. Her body was so soft, so warm, and her gentle swaying comforting me. I closed my eyes, letting the blanket of sleep cover my mind.

Author's Note

The funny thing is that I made Cocoa Puff before Coco Pommel existed, and their names are pretty much the same.

Weird, eh?

10- Innocence

Chapter 10- Innocence

I opened my eyes. I was in a… nursery of some sort? Everything was gray, devoid of color. It was completely silent, not a single sound in the air aside from myself. “Hello?” I called out, looking around. There was no reply, and I felt something that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Fear. There was nopony here… just me… I was all alone… It was chilling, it reminded me too much of my normal Dream Realm.

This caused another feeling that I didn’t experience since ages ago. I wanted to cry. I tried not to, but I felt lost and abandoned… I started to whimper, before getting even more upset over my own lack of control over my emotions, and burst into tears, crying.

“Hey, shh, it’s all right.” I opened my eyes again. It was just a dream. I felt myself being picked up and rocked. As I woke up, it took me only a few moments to recognize the voice. It was Cocoa. “Shh, I’m here, don’t cry, little one.”

I calmed down quickly, hugging onto her. The sweet scent of her mane, the soft fur of her body, her gentle voice… all of it was so comforting.

“Is Dusky otay?” I looked over as Glitter spoke.

“Yes, he’s fine now, right?” she asked, nuzzling me.

“Uh-huh.” I answered, nuzzling her back. “Thanks, Cocoa, Glitter.”

“Good. Now hold still, please.” She pulled back the waistband of my diaper. “Looks like somepony needs a change.” She spoke in a sing-song voice. “But do you think you can wait until after dinner? If you make some more wetties, I don’t want to waste a diaper.”

I nodded, not even noticing that I had wet. Well, not that I could, anyway, I was just a foal. But the wet squishing that came from my diaper was only noticeable once she pointed it out. “Okay, Cocoa.” I answered.

“Here, if you’re still a little scared, this will help.” She pushed a pacifier into my mouth, holding it in place until I started to suckle. “Good boy. Glitter, while I get dinner, be a dear and play together with him? He looks like he could use more cheering up.”

“Uh-huh!” Glitter tackled me over easily, her size alone enough. “Gotcha!”

“Eep! Nuh!” I tried to escape, but she started tickling. The pacifier forced a lisp, but I didn’t mind. Suckling on it made me feel happy and safe.

“No escape!” she laughed. “Gotya good!”

I giggled, squirming underneath her, before lifting one of my own little wings to tickle her back. “Ha!” I chuckled, as she drew back. However, this was just an act, as when I tried to sit up, she grabbed a plush toy in her hooves, tossing it at me. “Oof!” I tried to catch it, but it was too big! I fell over once again, landing on the soft carpet.

“I win!” Glitter pranced happily around. “Gotya down twice!”

I sat up again, a little dazed. “Wow, you’we stwong.”

“Hehe, nuh, you’we just wittle.” She booped me playfully. “You’we a tiny wittle foaw who can bawely speak. Hehe, can you say ‘My name is Dusky and I’m a widdle foaw?’”

My head felt fuzzy for a moment, but I shook it off, trying to do as she said. “Me… n-name Dusky, imma widdle... foaw!” It took me a few tries, but I managed.

“Good!” she praised, clapping her hooves. Her praise pleased me, making me feel all warm inside. “Oh, wook, we get babas!” she pointed at Cocoa as the mare entered, carrying two full bottles. “I was teaching Dusky to say his name!” she told her.

“Oh?” Cocoa smiled, passing a bottle to Glitter. “Dusky, can you say, ‘I love my diapees?’”

“Uh… Me… wuv… diapees…” I stated after a couple attempts.

“Such a smart little foal.” She picked me up, cradling me, removing my pacifier as Glitter drank. “Open up, dearie.”

I obliged, letting her slip the tip of the bottle in my mouth, starting to suckle. The formula inside was warm and wonderful, filling my hungry tummy.

“Slow down, Dusky.” She giggled, tilting the bottle to adjust. “We don’t want you to get a tummyache.”

I did as she asked. After all, the big ponies knew best. As I suckled, I felt my diaper warm up as I wet it again. It was a nice feeling, adding extra warmth and comfort to my body.

“Good boy.” Cocoa gave a knowing smile as she patted my diaper. “Using your diaper just like the little foal you are. Don’t worry, I’ll change you when you’re done, just like I promised.”

“Hehe, heavy wetter.” Glitter lightly teased, having already finished her bottle.

“That’s right, he needs extra padding. I think one thick diaper isn’t enough, maybe two?” Cocoa suggested.

“Nuh-uh, thwee!” Glitter answered. “It’s gotta be supew soft!”

“Okay, three, is that okay, Dusky?” Cocoa nuzzled me as I finished up. I couldn’t answer, due to a pressure in my tummy. “Oh, hold on.” She patted my back, making me burp. I spit up, but she quickly wiped it off with a wet wipe, without second thought. “Is that okay, Dusky? Three diapees?” she asked again, as she laid me on the changing table.

I nodded. “Uh-huh!” One of those thick diapers was already so soft, three had to make it even softer!

“You’re such an obedient foal.” She smiled at me. “Can you say ‘obedient foal?’” she held my pacifier up above me, distracting me for a moment. “Oh-be-dee-ent.” She enunciated.

“Ob… obee… o-bee-dent foaw.” I lisped.

“Hehe, close enough. Here you go.” She set my pacifier back in, beginning the change. Cocoa hummed lightly as she wiped, taking out three thick blue diapers. “Can you reach these?” she suddenly pulled out a set of colorful toy keys. I tried to get them, reaching my hooves up. “Gotta try harder than that.” She smiled, jangling them above my head.

I reached out further, taking a few moments, but finally managing to grasp on once she lowered them down. It was then I noticed she had already diapered me. That was fast! I tried to sit up on my own, but couldn’t, the bulk of the diapers preventing me.

“No need to worry, I got you.” Cocoa helped me onto her back, setting Glitter next to me. “Tomorrow’s your last day before you go home, do you want to do anything special?”

“One week passed awlweady?” Glitter sounded disappointed.

“Yes, well, time flies when you have fun.” Cocoa replied, bouncing us on her back. “And we’ve had a lot of fun, haven’t we?”

“Yeah! Fun!” I agreed, nodding.

“When he's weady, wet's teww him da kingdom's stowy.” Glitter smiled at me.

“Of course. Now do you two want to play outside?"

“Otay.” Glitter and I answered together.

“Oh, and Dusky, I found your teddy.” Cocoa lifted a soft Ursa Minor teddy bear into my hooves. “You forgot all about him until now, didn’t you?”

I blinked and nodded, hugging the teddy tightly. How could I have forgotten about my friend? He was so soft, so snuggly, and he smelled like the familiar calming scent of foal powder. Everything about this was so calming, the paci, my teddy, and the cushy feeling hugging my flanks. We passed by the fountain again, and for a while, I was entranced by the glittering water and shiny metal the fountain was made of. Cocoa nuzzled me, pausing by the fountain.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Cocoa cooed at me. “Little foals like you are so easily distracted by shiny things.”

She was right, it was hard for me to turn my attention away. I barely registered what Glitter said to me.

“Hehe, you’we so innocent.” Glitter patted my head. “Thinking too hawd isn’t fow innocent wittle foaws wike you.”

I felt any little worries and complex thoughts fade from my mind, to be replaced by a happy and blissful desire to just play and have fun. I giggled, drooling past my pacifier as I looked over at Glitter and Cocoa. Glitter was a friend, and Cocoa was just like Mommy.
“Aww.” Cocoa wiped up the drool. “You’re so cute like that, Dusky.”

I gazed blankly at her, before smiling. I had no idea what she just said, but it sounded really nice. I just snuggled with my teddy while I rode on her back.

“I tink he’s too wittle fow books now.” Glitter booped me, making me squeak in surprise.

“You’re right, how about something simple for him, then?” she changed directions. “I think blocks should be easy enough.”

In a few minutes, we arrived back at the playroom, which was even bigger than I had remembered. Glitter hopped down from Cocoa, as I was set gently down on the ground. I smiled as I sunk into the soft padding of my diapers. I watched Cocoa bring over a colorful bag of foam blocks, dumping them out onto the ground. I didn’t understand what they were for, but I wondered what they tasted like. I took my pacifier out, beginning to chew on the corner of one of the blocks.

“Aww, so cute.” Cocoa nuzzled me. “That’s right, foals chew on things. Good foal.” She encouraged me. “Foals always need to be near their caretaker, otherwise, it can get scary. Mommy is best, but other loving big ponies can do, too.”

She kept talking in big pony words, which I didn’t understand. I continued to chew on the block, hiding under Cocoa’s legs. I felt safe there, there were probably monsters or something that would scare me if I left the safety of her.

Glitter laughed, starting to stack the blocks. I didn’t care to imitate her, because Cocoa had laid down, draping a wing over me. I felt at ease, every part of me relaxed. My diapers warmed up as I rested against her. I had no idea why they were getting warm, but it felt good.
“I think he’s done.” Cocoa said to Glitter. “I think it’s time he heard the history of the kingdom.” She picked me up and cradled me, looking with her soft eyes into mine. “Long ago, the kingdom was in turmoil. There was constant fighting, over almost anything. The king wasn’t doing so well himself, in conflict, and ready to go to war with a neighboring kingdom. However, as he ventured into the cave for meditation, he discovered a mysterious spring of water. It seemed so fresh, so delightful to him, that he drank from it. In a matter of time, he had shrunk down to a foal. He had no idea of how he was before, instead, just drooling, giggling, and playing. By the time anypony had noticed his transformation, many other citizens had drank from the same spring and experienced identical results. It seemed that the more they were treated like a foal, the faster the regression happened. Simply suggesting a foalish idea would cause it to stick. When the neighboring kingdom had found out what happened, they called off the attack, and came to good terms with our kingdom. They didn’t want to risk hurting so many foals. Instead, we merged our kingdoms into one, and became friends. After all, if the two ponies who were arguing over wares yesterday were such giggly best friends the next day, why couldn’t we, two kingdoms, put our differences aside and become friends? Ever since, any criminals we have are brought to the Fountain of Youth, to be regressed back into a little newborn, their memories a clean slate. They could start over, and be given another chance. And because big ponies just fought over silly things, it was decreed that only foals could be a leader. Those in the Royal Family had their bodies turned back, and their memories partially regressed. They would be as playful and happy as a foal, but still retain enough maturity to rule. We have never had a single conflict in our kingdom ever since.” Cocoa blinked, stroking my mane. “Ah… he’s asleep. Come on, Glitter, let’s get you both to bed.”

The following morning…

“I hope you’re not upset with us.” Cocoa was talking to Luna while Glitter and I played.

“Upset? Oh, far from it.” Luna looked over at me, smiling. “He works so hard, you know. To protect others. That’s all he’s ever wanted to do in his life. It’s why he joined the Royal Guard, trained vigorously every day, and researched so extensively. It’s time he had a break, and had someone take care of him.”

“Then you’ll keep him this way?” Cocoa smiled at Luna.

“Of course. All his friends and allies will make sure he grows up with love this time. I will personally overseer it. Thank you, Cocoa and Glitter.” She shook hooves with Cocoa, patting Glitter on the head. “Let’s go, Dusky. It’s time to go home. Everything is going to be okay.”
She lifted me up, nuzzling me before setting me on her back, trotting out to the carriage.

“Bye!” Glitter waved at us, me waving back.

“One more thing.” Cocoa called out to Luna. “If you ever want somepony else to visit… our kingdom is always open.”

Luna chuckled. “I’ll think about it. But I’m sure we won’t be the last of your visitors.”