The Padded Star

Chapters

A Delicate Relationship
The Treatment Begins
An Unexpected Visitor
Coming to Terms

A Delicate Relationship

Author's Note

Disclaimer: Make NO mistake, this is indeed a padded pony fic, and as such it will contain content that some readers may find disturbing. If the idea of grown ponies in diapers is at all outside your comfort zone, then please click elsewhere and DO NOT READ!

For those who choose to stay, expect to see the following

Diapers - Medium
Diaper Useage (Wet) - Light
AB/DL Themes - Light

Well, the votes were tallied and this is the idea that won. Right now I only intend to do four chapters, and I don't intend to go too deeply into some of the more "fetishy" parts of diaper fics. The focus is mostly going to be on Starlight's growing frustration with her lack of independence and constant babying at Firelight's hooves.

If you have suggestions about some of the things they could do (aside from anything that would involve Firelight taking Starlight out in public or otherwise intentionally exposing her), feel free to suggest them. But remember, despite the rating, the content of this fic is mostly PG/PG-13, so try to keep your suggestions within that level.

A Delicate Relationship

For Starlight it all began with the letter from Sires' Hollow, a letter delivered to her shared residence at the most importune time. One of the downsides for the unicorn in not having a place of her own in which to dwell, was that mail addressed to her had to be dropped off at the front doorstep of the castle. And that meant if she wasn't there when it was delivered or wasn't fast enough, at least one set of prying eyes would pick it up and bring it to her. Often with either Spike or Twilight at least wondering what the letter said.

And as luck would have it, the letter was one of many Starlight had been receiving from her dad after she'd addressed her complicated relationship with him (and promised to visit more often). If the energetic horn writing wasn't a dead giveaway, the tone of the letter definitely was. It read as follows:

To my precious little princess, Starlight Glimmer

How are you? I know we've been keeping in touch through letters, but Stellar Flare's been helping me with scheduling lately and I noticed that it's been weeks since you came back to Sires' Hollow for a visit.

Could you please come and stay for the week? I've got a very special surprise waiting for you, and I think you're very much going to like it.

Plus, you'll be amazed at how much things have changed since you last visited. And don't worry, your old room's still just like you left it, Punky Wunk.

Here's to seeing you soon, hopefully,

Your loving father,

Firelight

Twilight and Spike knew only a little about Firelight, but they nevertheless had some suggestions for Starlight once she'd finished reading the letter and had set it aside.

"You don't have to visit him if you don't want to," Spike suggested. "I don't think Sunburst is available for another trip back to home. And I'm guessing you still haven't told Trixie about your dad yet."

Starlight shuddered internally at the very thought of Trixie learning of her childhood home, especially if she were to meet her dad (who would no doubt share many of the embarrassing nicknames and memories). She firmly shook her head.

"All the same, he is your father," Twilight pointed out. "You could at least go for the day, and then come back by nightfall. It would leave you more open in case a friendship problem arose somewhere. Plus there's your guidance counselor position that would be need to filled. And after you managed so well with Cozy Glow, it's clear you have an approach that can't be duplicated to any extent. I'm sure your father will understand, now that he's not treating you like a filly."

But the unicorn mare with a light purplish-grey coat merely sighed and flatly protested. "I made a promise to visit more often if he agreed to treat me like a friend and not a filly. I may not care for his overly embarrassing nature, but a promise is a promise. And he's right that it's been a long time since I visited. I managed an entire childhood with him, I can survive a whole week on my own," She was quick to add. "But I can always teleport back to Ponyville in an instant if I'm needed. I doubt anything will come up, but you just never know."

"Are you sure you don't want either of us to come with you?" Twilight offered to her former student. "Spike and I wouldn't get in the way, but it would be nice to get to meet your father face to face."

"No thank you, Twilight," Starlight rejected the offer, even though a part of her found comfort in the idea of traveling with company. "Whatever this 'surprise' my dad has in store for me for the week, it can't be any worse than facing down Queen Chrysalis or trying to solve a friendship problem between the royal sisters."

Twilight reluctantly nodded her head. "Very well. Just know that you can write me or any of our friends at any time if you need someone you trust to talk to. We're not going anywhere."

Starlight was back in Sires' Hollow the very next day. And although the massive gate was still there to greet her, she was quite relieved that Stellar Flare had removed the voice that repeated "Welcome to Sire's Hollow!" whenever it was opened. That was one change she was glad had been made.

As she trotted down the road leading towards her home, saddlebags in tow, the mare couldn't help but marvel at what had become of the town in her absence. The essence stand had now turned into its own shop, and between it and the fruit smoothie shop, was a grocery store. Sire's Hollow had only had a market place before. And the store itself easily dwarfed all other buildings in the area from sheer size alone.

Even Sunburst's childhood home had undergone a renovation, no doubt at Stellar Flare's insistence. It seemed like a few rooms had been added, and the color of the bricks were now much more vibrant and welcoming.

But just by glancing along the horizon, Starlight could tell that her home hadn't changed. And when she came trotting up to the front door, who should come running to embrace her but Firelight himself?

"Starlight! So glad you could make it!" He happily exclaimed, pinching her cheeks out of habit. "My oh my, just look how big you're getting!"

Starlight let out a groan of frustration. "Dad, remember the talk we had about me being a grown mare?" She reminded him with a glare in her eyes.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry, old habits die hard," Firelight apologized and lessened his grip ever so slightly. "I've just missed you so much!"

The unicorn mare muttered under her breath. "I can tell." But Firelight, thankfully, didn't hear.

With a gleam in his brown eyes, the stallion with a coat a darker shade of grayish-purple than his daughter finally ended his hug. "I think you're going to like your surprise, Starlight," He spoke in a tone that sounded not unlike a coo. "I've been planning this for quite some time."

Reluctantly, Starlight followed her dad inside as he took hold of her saddle bags with the brilliant gamboge glow of his horn and held them high over his wavy mane and tail of moderate and pale, light-grayish aquamarine. All the while, she kept thinking to herself. "Please don't let it be anything too embarrassing! Please don't let it be anything too embarrassing! Please don't let it be anything too embarrassing!"

Firelight took the liberty of depositing his daughter's saddle bags in the living room once both were inside. Starlight hoped to at least make some small talk with him for a bit, maybe catch up on what her old stallion had been up to. Truth be told, she wasn't really looking forward to her surprise. Whatever it was, she had a feeling it was going to be something she wouldn't forget for all the wrong reasons.

Alas, as if fate itself were working against the unicorn mare, Firelight simply ushered her down the hall and to her old bedroom. When the door was pushed open, Starlight could see that it was indeed still like it was the day she'd left town. Bat pony plushies, guitars, anything to do with darkness, and even a few well worn kites littered the walls and floor. Her bed sheets even remained un-tucked in.

But what really caught the mare's wandering blue eyes, was what lay at the far end of the room. What she saw filled her with dread. A couple of her foalhood toys and dolls rested in their own little corner, next to a bright purple pacifier that was clearly intended for a sized up foal. But most telling of all, was a great big package of unopened Silly Filly brand diapers in all their infantile glory, complete with the necessary supplies one might need to care for a big foal.

Starlight blinked and rubbed her eyes, hoping beyond hope that she had imagined things. But when she took another look she saw clear as day that the foalish items were still there. She cursed under her breath. "So this is my surprise?" The unicorn guessed, turning to face her father. When he confirmed her worst fears with a nod, she let out a groan of frustration. "Dad, I thought I told you that I'm a grown mare!"

"Oh of course you are, Pumpky Wumpkin! But you'll also always be your daddy's little star," Firelight cooed and pinched Starlight's cheeks. "You had it rough when you were a foal. After your mom died while you were still in diapers, I was never around. I was always busy working just to support you, and left you in the care of Sunburst's parents. So I figured: 'Since I can't turn back time or turn you back into a foal, this is the next best option.' I even sized up your old diapers and pacifier just for you."

Starlight put her hooves to her face. "I appreciate the thought, Dad, but I'm not interested in being a foal again. I had one childhood, and it was unpleasant enough as it was. I've no interest in going all the way back and pretending to be a foal."

"You sure?" Firelight asked, reluctant to let the idea go. "It'd only be for the week. I'll even let you wear your favorite blankie if that'll make you feel better about all this." He proceeded to hold up the same kite patterned blanket his daughter had worn when she was little.

Despite feeling an extremely strong nostalgic attachment to the soft object, Starlight still wasn't willing to let herself be tempted into doing what her father wanted. "I didn't agree to this, and I never would've come here if I'd known this is the surprise he had in store for me. This is exactly why I've been dreading coming back to see him again." The mare thought to herself and started to trot towards the bedroom door to leave.

However, just before she reached the door, another thought entered the unicorn's mind. "Then again, I did promise to stay for the week. And Dad hasn't exactly been the kind of stallion who takes no for an answer. At least if I agree, it'll be on my terms and not his," Even as she moved a hoof to the door and prepared to trot through it, she found herself slowly and reluctantly turning around to face back towards her father. "I'm probably going to regret this by the time the week is over." She thought, and mentally prayed that wouldn't be the case.

With a sigh, Starlight accepted the blanket and finally gave her response. "I suppose if you really wanna do this, then as long as it's just for the week I guess I won't mind it too much."

Firelight let out a cry of joy, hugging his daughter tightly. "Oh thank you, Chipmunk Cheeks!"

Throwing up a hoof to stop her father from pinching her cheeks, the mare with a light grayish-purple coat protested. "But I have a few conditions that you have to respect, or else I'm throwing off my diapers and booking the first train back to Ponyville. Got it?"

"Oh of course, of course. I want you to be comfortable after all." Firelight nodded with a smile.

Starlight proceeded to immediately lay out her terms. "First and foremost, I am NOT using my diapers at all!"

"Does that mean you're going to use the potty?" Firelight cooed, using the rather foalish term.

Starlight blushed and groaned. "The bathroom," She corrected. "And yes, I will. All by myself too, I don't need help. So don't get any ideas."

"Fair enough," Firelight conceded. "Now, shall we get you all nice and padded up?"

"Not yet, you didn't let me finish!" Starlight firmly protested, struggling to control her blush. "I'm also not making foal talk, or babbling, or cooing, or anything like that! And if I'm going to do this, you have to promise me that this stays between the two of us! That means no taking me out in public while I'm in diapers!"

"Wouldn't dream of it, honey bun," Firelight agreed, then added in a cooing tone. "Though I think Stellar Flare wouldn't mind seeing her favorite little filly again."

"Dad!" Starlight half groaned/half whined, her blush raging out of control and spreading to her cheeks.

Realizing his mistake, Firelight quickly apologized. "Oh relax, Pumpky Wumpkin, of course I'm not gonna let Stellar see you in your diapees. You have my word, this will just be our little secret."

"And that brings me to my final term," Starlight firmly spoke up, her blush slowly dying down. "I'll put up with everything else in the treatment, but you better not take any pictures or tell anypony about this. If you do, I will never forgive you and never come to see you again. Are we clear on that?"

"Crystal," Firelight happily nodded, and then he instructed. "Now lay down for me and hold still, little star. Daddy will get you all nice and padded up."

"What have I gotten myself into?" Starlight thought, as she reluctantly obeyed her father's commands. This was going to be a long week.

The Treatment Begins

Author's Note

Inhibitor rings are a concept that has cropped up in quite a few diaper fics, and I find them to be quite interesting. However, I feel like the implication behind them is kind of disturbing. It's not like tying hair back. It's actively restricting a child's natural abilities simply because the parents can't control them otherwise.

And for someone like Starlight, who takes great pride in her magic, I can imagine she would despise the idea of having to wear an inhibitor ring for any length of time.

I know a lot of the stuff here is mostly implied, but with a fic genre like this I find it to be a case of better safe than sorry, hence the Mature rating. But this is about as far as we're gonna get into the foalish themes.

If any of you have any suggestions about some things Firelight could do around the house with his little one, feel free to post them in the comments section. You never know, inspiration can come from the most unexpected of places.

The Treatment Begins

Delighted that his daughter had agreed to be diapered, Firelight quickly set to work on preparing a suitable changing location. He soon decided that the bed was the best option, and motioned for Starlight to lay down on it. She reluctantly obeyed.

"Okay, Pumpky Wumpkin," Firelight cooed, as he took up a diaper and some foal powder with his magic and held them in front of Starlight. "Can you do Daddy a favor and spread your legs, please? It'll be easier to put the diaper on that way."

Starlight muttered something in reply and reluctantly obliged. She felt every moment of the embarrassing process, as her blush returned with a vengeance. Slowly but surely the poofy undergarment was slid up her legs and under her rump, her tail poking its way out of the hole in the back. The tapes were fastened one at a time, while the diaper crinkled loudly as it pushed her legs further apart. Then the front was opened up, as tufts of foal powder were added and a strong smell of cornstarch filled the air. A scent that the mare had only faintly experienced with the Cake Twins and Flurry Heart.

The unicorn with a coat of light grayish-purple coughed. "Dad, you overdid it on the powder!" She whined, her tone sounding more like a cranky foal who'd just woken up from a nap, rather than an embarrassed adult.

"Sorry, Honey Bun. Just making sure you're protected against rashes," Firelight apologized. And the stallion then floated over a small metal ring. "Now to complete the look. Your trusty inhibitor ring." He smiled.

But Starlight took one look at the ring and immediately her eyes started to widen and her breathing started to accelerate rapidly. "No, no, no! Celestia, please, anything but that!" She pleaded desperately with her dad. "I always hated wearing that stupid thing as a foal! It was so heavy, and it gave me headaches! I don't wanna wear it again, Daddy!" The mare didn't have time to be bothered by the childish term that had slipped out.

Firelight seemed to oblige his diapered daughter's demand, he pulled the ring back and set it down where his daughter could no longer see it. He then approached Starlight, gingerly stroking her mane with a hoof. "It's okay, we don't need to put the ring on. You have much more control over your horn now. Daddy's sorry if he gave you a scare, that wasn't very nice of him." After a moment of calming down his daughter, the stallion then got an idea. Using his hooves, he carefully styled her mane and inserted two hair bands in the back.

Starlight looked at herself in the mirror, surprised to see that her dad had styled her mane into the twin pigtails she'd worn as a filly. It was a look she hadn't worn in years (aside from that one instance where she'd briefly turned herself and Sunburst into foals). "Dad! Seriously?!" She protested and moved a hoof up to undo the pigtails.

A grayish-purple hoof stopped her. Firelight looked his daughter square in her blue eyes and calmly told her. "Ah-ah-ah, Chipmunk Cheeks. No playing with your mane. You look so cute in your precious little pigtails," Firelight cooed. "Come on, at least wear it for Daddy Waddy. If you're gonna be a foal again, at least look the part."

"Why do I feel like I don't have a choice in the matter?" The mare thought to herself, though she was relieved to at least have control of her horn. "I guess it's better than inhibitor ring. I'd sooner die than wear that again!" She pondered and shuddered at the very thought.

Satisfied with his daughter's state and apparent contemptness, the stallion rose from his spot on the bed. Then he floated over the purple colored pacifier and popped it into her mouth, before helping his little filly to stand. "There we go. Oh, just look how cute you are! You're Daddy's little star!"

Starlight tried to whine, but the pacifier muffled her voice. "Dad, dish is soh embawashing!" She lisped, her cheeks raging out of control at the sound of her own voice sounding so foalish. And it didn't help that trying to move caused the bulky padding to crinkle, while her legs wobbled and wiggled. She was not used to moving with such added weight to her hind quarters. But she didn't want to crawl.

"You just tell Daddy if you have to go potty, okay Sugar Plum?" Firelight cooingly asked of his daughter. "And if you have an accident, that's okay. Daddy doesn't mind changing your diapees."

Annoyed and frustrated beyond all belief, Starlight spat out her pacifier (though she quickly used her magic to hold it in place. She didn't want it touching the floor. If it did, she was NOT putting it back in her mouth). "If you're gonna keep this up, I'm ripping off this diaper and leaving!" She firmly protested and stomped her hoof down. "I may have agreed to let you treat me like a foal, but I draw the line at foal talk. I'm not a two year old, I can say bathroom and diaper just fine. And I most certainly don't need your help to use the bathroom or take off my diapers."

"Are you sure?" Firelight asked with the most ridiculous grin on his face.

"Yes, I am one hundred percent sure," Starlight firmly insisted as her blush finally started to die down again. "If I want your help, I will say so. Do you understand?"

Her dad nodded in confirmation. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry if I went overboard. But you just look so cutesy-wootsy like this. It's like I stepped back in time!"

Starlight just groaned. Something told her that was the best she was going to get out of her father, she would just have to grin and bear it as best she could.

Leaving her bedroom and following her father to the living room was quite the difficult task for Starlight, thanks in no small part to the poofy diaper that always reminded her of its presence with audible crinkles every time she took a step. On more than one occasion, the padding pushed her legs apart so much that she couldn't maintain her balance and stumbled to the ground.

And every time that happened her dad was right there to lift her back up and check her for "owies". On one occasion, he even opted to give the diaper an inspectory pat. Which caused Starlight to let out an eep and swish her tail. "Dad, don't!" She protested in vain.

"Well how else am I to know if you need a change?" Firelight playfully inquired. "You can never be too careful with foals, even big ones like you."

"Celestia help me! This is gonna be an even longer week than I thought!" Starlight thought, as her still squeaky clean diaper crinkled anew and a few tufts of foal powder spilled out. She wouldn't put it past her dad to intentionally go overboard with the powder. He was enjoying this WAY too much.

Fortunately, once in the living room Starlight was able to occupy herself more or less with the few foal toys she'd reluctantly taken from her room. It helped that playing helped to take her mind off her troubles and make her forget that she was in diapers and her dad was watching her with every step she took. The unicorn was just glad that there was nopony else to see this. If Sunburst, or Trixie, or Maud, or even Spike or Twilight were to see her like this she was certain she'd never live down the embarrassment (and maybe even die from it).

So engrossed was she in "play time" that the mare almost didn't notice the passage of time. But sooner than she would've liked, she was snapped out of her carefree state by audible rumbles in her stomach. That meant it was time for dinner, and given her current state the unicorn was not looking forward to what would be on the menu (or where she'd have to eat).

Starlight's worst fears seemed to be confirmed when her dad led her along with a hoof, and deposited her onto a chair at the far end of the dining room table. As she moved to sit down, her padding compressed and elected a cacophony of crisp crinkles. Firelight let out an aw, while Starlight wished nothing more than to be able to turn invisible.

Firelight then tied a bib around Starlight's neck, it was baby pink in color and had cute little hearts and stars printed all over it. "Don't want you to make a mess, my little star," He cooed. "You're always such a messy eater."

"I am NOT!" Starlight whined, kicking her legs in protest.

Firelight only giggled. "You always said that, Honey Bun. And yet you always ended up with food all over your face." He gave a wink as he teleported into the kitchen and returned a second later with several jars of different flavored foal food which he placed on the dining room table. Not to mention a red plastic spoon.

"Foal food? Seriously?" Starlight remarked as her eyebrows narrowed and she stuck out her tongue in protest.

The stallion giggled at the face his daughter was making. For someone who didn't think they were a foal, they sure acted like one when presented with food they found "yucky". "Of course, little star."

"But I'm a grown pony!" The mare firmly protested, turning her head.

"Yes, but even grown ponies need their nutrition. You want to grow up to be big and strong, don't you?" Her dad half cooed/half teased. Of course he knew his daughter wouldn't respond, not with the face she was making. But he wasn't deterred even the slightest. "Come on, Pumpky Wumpkin," He cooed as he dipped the plastic spoon into the jar of Cream of Carrot and carefully held it out in the brilliant gamboge glow of his magic. "You won't get any dessert unless you cooperate and eat your num-nums. I made sure to only get the best flavors for you, no Mashed Peas or Pureed Banana. Stellar always said how much you hated them."

"He's right, I absolutely despised those flavors! How could anypony like something so disgusting?!" Starlight thought to herself. Then a faint memory from long ago came flooding back to the forefront of her mind. "Though, there was one time where I gave Stellar Flare a face full of Mashed Peas. That was totally hilarious, even if I ended up in time out for that. I guess they were good for something."

Starlight's mental contemplation was interrupted as she felt the plastic spoon be nudged up against her left cheek. "Open for the aeroplane." She heard her dad coo in the most embarrassing fashion possible.

"Can't I just have some normal food? Like maybe hay fries or a peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwich?" Starlight pleaded with her father.

Firelight only laughed and shook his head. "You're not getting anything else tonight, my little pony. So it's either foal food, or you can go hungry." A rare hint of stern authority could be heard creeping into his tone of voice.

Starlight didn't really remember any times her dad had ever punished or disciplined her as a foal, but she wasn't sure how far he was willing to go on the whole "foal" treatment. "He wouldn't actually punish me like a foal if I didn't cooperate, would he?" She thought, shuddering at the possibility. "I don't think I want to find out. The embarrassment would be too much to handle." Taking a deep breath, the unicorn with a coat of light grayish-purple reluctantly opened her mouth as wide as she could.

Seeing an opening, Firelight swiftly moved the spoon towards his daughter's mouth and deposited its contents onto her tongue.

It took every ounce of will power she had not to spit up the foal food! Starlight nearly gagged at the overwhelmingly strong taste! "Ugh." She groaned, which proved to be a mistake on her part. Her protest was rewarded with another spoonful of the goop. And the process soon repeated itself over and over again with jar after jar. In reality it probably only lasted a moment or two, but to the big foal it felt like an eternity of suffering.

"My goodness, what a mess you've made, Pumpky Wumpkin!" Firelight chuckled once dinner time had ended, wiping down his daughter's face with a rag as he removed all traces of foal food from her.

Starlight wanted to protest and complain, but she couldn't. She felt too full and bloated from the foal food, to say nothing of the strong taste that lingered on her tongue. As a result, she almost didn't notice when she was floated out of her chair and found herself over her father's lap. "What is he doing now?!" She thought.

The big foal soon found out. Firelight moved a hoof down to her back and gave her a few gentle but firm pats. All of a sudden, Starlight opened her mouth. "Urp!" She belched quite audibly, and her cheeks flushed red for the umpteenth time that day (though she did feel less bloated now).

Firelight fanned a hoof across his nose in dramatic (and exaggerated) fashion. "Whoa, that was a big one!" He exclaimed and then with a flip of his mane he laughed. "Thanks for playing along, sweetie. I gotta say, for somepony who doesn't like being treated like a foal, you sure don't seem to have trouble acting the part."

"What?!" Starlight gasped, realizing what her dad was not so subtly implying. ".... I-I didn't mean to do that! It just slipped out, I swear!"

"Sure, Honey Bun, whatever you say." Firelight winked.

The mare turned big foal could only groan yet again in protest. And then she felt an ominous rumbling in her stomach, despite the fact that she'd just eaten. Fortunately, she knew what that meant. "Be right back!" She burst out and teleported away before her dad even had a chance to ask what was wrong.

Starlight reappeared moments later, her cheeks only slightly less red than before. "That was close." She sighed in relief, giving her diaper a tug with her magic and finding the tabs as strong as they had been before.

"Oh, did you..." Firelight began.

Starlight threw up a hoof and silenced him. "-Yes, and I did it all by myself, thank you. You don't need to check." She insisted. Her father took her word for it and said nothing more.

After that, the rest of the day passed in relative silence for parent and child. Firelight was quite content to just sit on a sofa in the living room, watching his diapered daughter play alternatively with her blocks, her dolls, and (very reluctantly) her rattle. Aside from the occasional diaper check, he said and did nothing else.

Starlight was most thankful for that, playing helped her to forget about her current situation and pass the time. At least this part of being a big foal wasn't so bad. Even the diaper was starting to become tolerable (though Starlight still hated how thick and poofy it was. She suspected her dad had sized it up too much).

Eventually though, it became night time. And that meant it was time for bed. It was then that Firelight got an idea. "Would you like a nice, warm bottle of milk to help you sleep?" He inquired.

"You're going to give me one even if I say no, aren't you?" Starlight asked with a groan.

"Now what would give you that idea, sweetie?" The stallion sincerely replied. "I simply thought I'd offer you the choice. But if you'd rather go without one, that's perfectly fine by me. After all, I sure you have no trouble sleeping in your own bed in your own bedroom."

"Of course I don't have trouble sleeping in my bed! I'm not a little foal who needs her parents!" Starlight mentally groaned, annoyed at the suggestion. Then again, she was starting to feel ever so thirsty. Not having anything to drink for dinner certainly hadn't helped. And she was desperate for anything that could wash out the lingering taste of the foal food on her tongue. So she reluctantly looked her dad in the eyes and said to him. "I guess a bottle of milk would be nice."

Firelight beamed. "Excellent! I'll get started on it right away!"

"But it's only for tonight!" Starlight firmly insisted. "And after that, I want my drinks in a glass or a cup. And I mean a big pony cup, not a sippy cup. Got it?!"

The big foal's father nodded happily in confirmation. "Oh of course, Honey Bun. Now just sit tight, Daddy will be back shortly."

And indeed he was, in a matter of moments Firelight popped back into the living room holding a freshly prepared foal bottle in his magic. Holding it aloft, he motioned for his daughter to come over and lay in his lap.

Starlight did so, desperate for the refreshing taste of milk. She didn't even care that she had to crawl in order to reach her dad, or that he had her lay down while he gently lowered the bottle towards her. The unicorn was just glad to have a drink. The moment her hooves grasped the bottle, she pressed her mouth up to the bottle's rubber nipple and started to suckle. It took a great deal of effort on her part, but soon she had a steady rhythm going and the milk was slowly but surely drained. Just as she'd hoped, its cool, refreshing, creamy taste removed any trace of foal food taste from her mouth.

When it was finally emptied, Starlight gave out a belch that would've made Spike and Smolder jealous. But her cheeks wouldn't go any redder, she'd been embarrassed so much today already that it was starting to become a norm for the unicorn. Besides, she was too sleepy to think properly. She started yawning the moment she leaped down from the couch. "Did you put something in my bottle, Dad?" She questioned, as her eyes started to droop.

Firelight only giggled at his daughter's silly question. "Why would I do that, my little pony? Daddy knows warm milk always makes you sleepy. Let's get you to bed, Pumpky Wumpkin."

Starlight was too tired to complain about the embarrassing name. A good night's sleep was all she could think about. So she just accepted her father's hoof and let him lead her down the hall to her old bedroom. By the time the door was opened, the mare turned big foal was all but nodding off. She barely even noticed her purple pacifier being inserted into her mouth again, as she was floated through the air in the soft glow of her father's magic and deposited ever so delicately on her bed. Her favorite blanket enlarged to cover her whole body, with a noticeable bulge beneath the sheet due to her diaper.

The last thing the unicorn remembered before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, was her father kissing her gingerly on the forehead and whispering. "Sweet dreams, Pumpky Wumpkin."

For how long Starlight slept, she had no clue. All the unicorn knew that was for whatever reason she awoke the next morning feeling strangely refreshed. That had been the best night's sleep she'd had since... well, she couldn't remember when. But it had certainly been a long time.

Even with the curtains drawn shut, the mare could still see the rays of Celestia's sun shining through. So it was already morning, perhaps even almost noon. Oh well, the longer she slept in the less time she'd have to spend being treated like a foal by her dad.

Unfortunately for Starlight, before she could even think of going back to sleep the door knob turned, and who should come trotting in but her dad? "Wakey wakey, Little Star." He lovingly called, opening the curtains with his magic.

Instinctively throwing up a hoof to block the bright rays of sunshine, Starlight groaned. "Dad!" She lisped through her pacifier, before she noticed she still had the object in her mouth and spit it out onto her bed. She was too lazy right now to magically pick it up.

"Come on, Chipmunk Cheeks. It's almost eleven o'clock," Firelight declared in a cooing fashion. "You can't stay asleep all day. Not when there's so many fun things for us to do."

With a reluctant groan, the big foal slowly sat up in her bed. That was when she first noticed that something was not right, something felt wrong. A strong stench hit her nostrils, and was it her imagination or did her rump feel unpleasantly cold and damp?

Her dad seemed to be aware of the problem, or at least the smell. He instinctively threw back the covers with his hooves, exposing his daughter's diaper. One look at the padding told him all he needed to know. The fluffy little clouds that had been printed on the front had faded, replaced by storm clouds. "Oh, did my wittle foal have an accident?" He cooed in exaggerated fashion, hoping to make his daughter feel better.

"I knew I was forgetting something last night! Can't believe I didn't use the bathroom before bed!" Starlight mentally complained, cursing her luck.

Firelight motioned a hoof up to his daughter's forehead, lightly patting her as he reassured her. "It's okay, my little star. Even big ponies have accidents, you know. Better your diapee than the bed," He carefully lifted her from the bed and set her down on the floor, instructing. "Now just relax and hold still. Daddy will get you all nice and clean."

Reluctantly, Starlight obliged for the whole changing process. Opting to stare at the ceiling so as not to see what was taking place. Of course she still felt every single step. First her old, soaked diaper was removed. It was quickly balled up and tossed into the wastebasket for disposal later. Next, several wet wipes cleaned her soggy rump until there was no trace of her accident. Then a fresh diaper was taken out of the package, unfolded, and slid under her. The tabs were taped up one by one with practiced precision. After that the diaper was pulled back as tufts of foal powder were poured in, the smell of cornstarch became so overwhelming that Starlight sneezed.

"Bless you." Firelight commented, setting the foal supplies back down as he helped his daughter to stand.

Starlight finally looked back down at herself. The new diaper felt surprisingly good, even if it was just as thick (if not thicker) than the one before it. She was still frustrated by the wetness indicators printed on the front, something she hadn't noticed on her old diaper. "It's like I was meant to be embarrassed all week long! Why did I ever agree to this?!" The mare thought to herself, all the while mentally praying for the end of the week to come fast.

An Unexpected Visitor

Author's Note

Yeah yeah, the "Fear of being caught" conflict isn't something new even for me. But I think Starlight more than any other mane eight member would be terrified of being discovered, considering her brief zoning out in "The Crystalling, Part 1".

Thanks to Zubric for the suggestions on what Firelight could do with Starlight.

There's only one more chapter left, and I'm gonna come out and say this now, I don't have plans to do a sequel to this. I think the conflict is workable enough for one fic, considering how it will ultimately play out next chapter.

An Unexpected Visitor

Starlight didn't say anything after the change, not even as her dad picked up the wastebasket with her old diaper inside and left to dispose of it. She was still in a state of complete and total embarrassment. "I can't believe I actually did that. I haven't had an accident for years, a fact I was very proud of. Why didn't my body wake me up in the middle of the night?" The mare thought in contemplation.

At last, Firelight returned. But he made no comment about his daughter's accident, he treated it as if this wasn't the first time she'd done such a thing. "You sure you don't any help using the pot... er the bathroom," He corrected himself as he coughed into a grayish-purple hoof. "It's totally okay if you do, I won't judge you."

"You're treating me like I'm two years old again just because I had an accident!" Starlight bitterly whined. "I'm still a full grown pony despite... that! And I wish to be treated as such!"

"Okay, okay, I just thought I'd offer," Firelight insisted. "You had no problems using the bathroom after dinner yesterday. I trust you. But you let Daddy know if you change your mind."

Yet again, Starlight groaned. It seemed like for every step forward she was making in convincing her dad, he took two steps backward in the way he treated her. If not for the fact that she had just been diapered and didn't want to waste the padding, the mare would've ripped it off, washed off the powder, and teleported away right then and there.

Firelight just turned and trotted toward the bedroom door as the stallion declared. "You must be starving, Honey Bun. Lucky for you, Daddy kept breakfast nice and warm for you."

"It's not foal food again, is it?" Starlight hopefully pleaded.

"It's something even better!" The stallion said with a wink. "You'll soon see. Now come on, it's not gonna stay warm for much longer."

Very reluctantly, Starlight embarrassingly waddled out of her bedroom and followed her dad to the dining room table. Though relieved that she had an actual chair to sit in (she thought for sure her father would've gotten her a high chair, or made one to fit her), she was still beyond annoyed at how noisy the padding was when she sat down. Her rump seemed to sink into the rear with very little effort, crinkling audibly as it did so and prompting several teasing coos and aws from Firelight.

Her wandering blue eyes then looked down at the table itself, and the unicorn saw a bowl of warm oatmeal (but also an embarrassing plastic spoon). "Well, it beats cold cereal. But I was hoping for pancakes." The unicorn thought, as she recalled how Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and even Twilight always made the best pancakes whenever it was their turn to host the pancake breakfasts.

But oatmeal was oatmeal, and a rumbling in her stomach informed the mare with a coat of light grayish-purple that she couldn't exactly afford to be picky about her meal options. They always said breakfast was the most important meal of the day after all.

Hope welling up inside her, the big foal eagerly reached out a hoof to grab the plastic spoon. Only to have be snatched away by the brilliant gamboge glow of her father's magic, and held aloft. It stayed that way, despite her best efforts to grab it with her own magic.

"Now now, Pumpky Wumpkin, you know the rules. Only Daddy's allowed to feed you." Firelight cooed, as he continued to hold the spoon with his magic while his hooves delicately tied a pink bib around Starlight's neck.

"Are you gonna do this every single time you feed me?!" Starlight whined and protested.

Firelight nodded. "At least until I know I can trust you not to make a mess. And you certainly didn't go a long way toward proving your case last night."

"Because you kept making all those weird spoon gestures! How was I supposed to keep it all down when you kept bombarding me with it?!" Starlight angrily complained with narrowed eyes.

But she might as well have been speaking with the pacifier in her mouth because her dad paid no attention to her statement (or if he did he chose not to respond). He just inserted the first spoonful of oatmeal into his little filly's mouth with a coo of. "Here comes the Canterlot Express! Open the tunnel!"

Perhaps it was because she was so hungry or perhaps it was because the last thing she'd eaten before had been foal food, but the big foal found the oatmeal to be delicious. She just barely resisted the urge to beg for more, begging was beneath her even in this state.

Fortunately, Firelight seemed to know what his daughter wanted without her needing to ask. He just dipped the spoon back into the oatmeal, pulled it up, and inserted it into his daughter's mouth. Then he repeated the process over and over again, 'til the bowl was empty and his daughter's tummy was nice and full.

Starlight was quite surprised that she felt only slightly less full than she had after consuming the foal food. She'd never felt this way at any point before, no matter how much she ate (and she tended to eat a lot). "Why do I keep feeling this way every time my dad feeds me? Is he somehow giving me more than what I need to be full? But how could he know that?" She wondered and pondered. But that was a thought process for another time, a more pressing urge soon occupied her every thought.

Just like before, Firelight carefully levitated his daughter over to him and gingerly patted her back a few times with a hoof. As if on command, and against her better instincts, his daughter obeyed with a hearty "Urp!". "Now what do you say after burping, Chipmunk Cheeks?" He asked.

"Excuse me." Starlight quickly replied, as her cheeks flushed anew. But even on this they did not grow as red as they had before, which served only to further frustrate the unicorn. How could she possibly be getting used to this kind of embarrassing treatment when it annoyed her so much? It didn't even begin to make sense.

After burping and having her face cleaned of stray flakes of oatmeal, Starlight slowly, carefully, and reluctantly waddled her way to the living room. She swore that no actual baby ponies she'd ever seen walked around the way she currently was, their diaper were probably nowhere near as thick.

Wait a minute! Why was she getting jealous of baby ponies? It's not like a diaper was anymore comfortable regardless of thickness, it was still a diaper and it was still just as obvious in its presence. The important thing was, it served as a reminder to the unicorn that she was slowly losing what free will she had. And she was anything but happy with that.

Sensing his daughter's growing unhappiness, Firelight quickly formed an idea in his head. One that, to him at least, would help to break up the uncomfortable atmosphere and give his daughter something besides her foalish contemplations to focus on. "Say, Little Star, would you like to play a game with Daddy?" He offered.

Starlight examined the tone of voice and body language, looking for any hint of ulterior motive. She found none, her father's request appeared to be sincere. And a game DID sound like the perfect "distraction" from all that was going on. So the unicorn accepted. "Can we play Dragon Pit?" She asked with her eyes all aglow. "I LOVE that game! Sunburst and I used to play it all the time at his place!"

Firelight shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't have a copy, Pumpky Wumpkin. And I can't just ask Stellar Flare if she still owns one. That is, unless you want her to find out about your diapees... I mean diapers."

Starlight froze in place and her body started to shudder at the very thought of Sunburst's mom (and the closest Starlight herself had to a mother growing up) seeing her in this state. Forget her friends and mentor. If Stellar Flare saw her like this, THAT would be the, worst, possible, thing (as her friend Rarity would not so elegantly put it)! She would surely start coming up with "plans" on how Starlight could make the most of her foalish state, which would end with her showing off her padded rear to all of Sires' Hollow and everypony laughing at her!

"....light? Starlight?" Firelight's voice slowly snapped the panic stricken unicorn out of her visualization. "Is everything okay, Honey Bun?"

"Oh, yeah, everything's great!" Starlight nervously insisted with a smile! "Just please don't even joke about Stellar Flare seeing me like this! She is the absolute last pony I'd want to have see me in diapers. I think she got enough of that when I was an actual foal."

Her father laughed and nodded. "You're probably right, my little pony. I forgot how much Stellar imprinted on you, you even used to call her 'Mommy'. Oh it was so adorable!"

"Dad! Stop it!" The unicorn turned big foal whined yet again. "What game are we gonna play?" Then she started thinking to herself. "Please don't make it something foalish like 'Got your nose' or 'Peek-a-boo'!"

With a wink in his eyes, Firelight teleported away and returned a few seconds later with a huge cardboard box in tow. "I remember playing this with you when you were really little," He told his daughter. "It's not Dragon Pit, but I think you'll like it, Chipmunk Cheeks."

Starlight was far too relieved at the knowledge that she would be playing a real game (even if it was one intended for foals) to care that her dad was still keeping up the embarrassing nicknames. Speaking of relief, a pressing urge started to present itself to the mare. And despite her accident this morning, she was NOT about to do the other thing in her diapers if she could help it. She quickly teleported to the bathroom to take care of business, and came back feeling incredibly relieved. "That was close." The mare thought to herself, barely noticing as she subconsciously checked her diaper's tabs to make sure they were secure.

The board game lasted quite a while, definitely longer than any game of Dragon Pit Starlight could remember. But in this case the longer period of play was a blessing to the padded unicorn, for it allowed her to keep her mind off her foalish state and just concentrate on playing the game.

Eventually it came down to who would be the first to draw a colored card for the square they needed to land on to reach the end. Several turns passed with neither unicorn getting what they needed. But at last, Starlight drew the necessary card, advanced her piece to the final square, and won the game. "I won!" She excitedly cheered as she rose from her spot at the table, having momentarily forgotten about her diaper. She was soon reminded though, as her energetic movements made the padding crinkle anew. But although she wanted to blush, the sound had become so familiar to her in the brief time she'd already been back in diapers, that her body failed to produce the reaction.

And just when the big foal was convinced things couldn't possibly get any worse, they did. For there came a knock at the door. A gentle but firm one, but a knock all the same.

"Better go see who it is," Firelight declared, his tone of voice sounding surprisingly calm for the situation. "You should probably go hide somewhere, Little Star. Unless you've changed your mind about being seen."

Starlight didn't reply, her mind was in full blown panic mode at this point! All she could think about was finding a nice, out of the way place in the house to hide! Somewhere that no one would ever think to look, and somewhere that she could be ensured her secret would stay a secret! Then she got an idea, a destination popped into her mind, and a glow of her horn she vanished completely!

Undeterred by the events that had just unfolded, Firelight trotted over to the door and opened it. And who should greet his eyes, but the familiar form of Stellar Flare?

"Hope this isn't a bad time, Firelight," Stellar Flare politely greeted as she trotted inside. "Just wanted to return these scrolls, and consult with you on the schedule for the next meeting of the Sires' Hollow Bettering Committee. It's about what to do with the old library."

Firelight let Stellar in without any hesitation, confident that his little star was well hidden and out of sight.

"So, how does next Tuesday at noon sound to you, Firelight?" Stellar asked her host, setting the scrolls down on the table. She then noticed the board game that hadn't been put away yet, particularly the fact that there were two game pieces on it. "What's this? Did you have company over?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah... yeah, but they left." Firelight innocently replied.

Stellar arched an eyebrow. "How come Starlight's not here? I thought you said she'd be here for the week?"

"Oh, she is," Firelight began, but struggled to think of a convincing cover story. "She's... just.... out buying groceries. Yeah, that's it. She just left to buy groceries before you arrived, you must've just missed her."

"Really? I didn't see anything." Stellar pondered.

Firelight tried to keep a straight face as he answered as convincingly as possible. "You know Starlight, never walks anywhere if she can use her magic to get there faster. She teleported there."

"Should I go to find her? I was hoping to get a chance to see her again, and hear how Sunburst's been doing." Stellar suggested, a hint of longing creeping into the mare's tone of voice.

The stallion shook his head. "I'll let her know you stopped by. She's probably gonna be a while. After all, she's never been in the grocery store before, and you know how big it is."

Stellar sighed, a slight frown forming on her face. "I see. Well, you seem... occupied. I'll just come back some other time," But as she turned to leave, the unicorn paused and happened to sniff. A strange scent creeped into her nostrils. "What's that smell? It smells like... cornstarch."

Firelight froze and tried not to look guilty! "Darn it, how could I forget that?!" He mentally kicked himself. "Come on, Firelight, play it cool!" "Oh, it's just Starlight's old foal supplies. I must've forgotten I had them lying out earlier."

For a moment or two, Stellar continued to sniff and said nothing. Firelight didn't either. But the moment soon passed, and the mare appeared none the wiser. "Well you'd better get that cleaned up before the next meeting," She advised Firelight. "I'll be on my way now, sorry to bother you. When Starlight comes back, you tell her I said hi."

"Oh don't worry, I'll make sure she gets the message," Firelight firmly nodded, and waved until Stellar was out the door. Then he shut said door. "It's okay, Honey Bun. She's gone. You can come out now." He gingerly called, as though he were playing a game of hide and go seek.

His daughter re-emerged in the living room but a second later in a flash of light turquoise magic, furiously tossing aside a broom that had been on top of her. "Celestia as my witness, I am NEVER doing that again!" She firmly protested. Firelight could only giggle.

"You must be tired after that unexpected visit from Stellar Flare," Firelight suggested to his daughter as he slowly approached her. "I think a nap would do wonders for you. And you know how cranky you can get if you don't get enough sleep. I've heard plenty of stories from Stellar."

Surprisingly, Starlight eagerly agreed. "A nap means more time to sleep, and less time to spend stuck like this." She thought to herself.

"Well, before I tuck you in for beddy-byes, I have an extra special surprise for you, Chipmunk Cheeks." Firelight eagerly cooed. Then he led his daughter down the hall to her bedroom.

When Starlight's eyes fell upon on her bed, she saw that her pacifier was still where she had left it earlier, resting on her bed sheets. But even after Firelight popped it in (much to his daughter's protests), Starlight found that her dad wasn't done. Rather than lift her onto the bed and tuck her in, he bent down beneath it and pulled out a big baby blue onesie with little stars stitched all over it. "I had this especially ordered just for you, Honey Bun," He told her. "I was gonna give it to you last night, but you were too tired."

"Seriously? First the pacifier and now this?" Starlight complained and rolled her eyes.

The stallion only laughed. "Don't act like you don't like it. I know you will once you get used to it. Now stretch out those hooves, and let Daddy dress you up all nice and pretty."

Despite her best efforts to resist, Starlight found herself unable (or perhaps unwilling) to keep her dad from dressing her in the onesie and zipping up the hatch. It only served to give her rear an even bigger and bulkier object, and made the subsequent bulge beneath her sheets all the more obvious. "The things I do for the sake of making my father happy. I can't believe I'm still putting up with this," She thought to herself, as her father kissed her on the forehead. "But then again, he did cover for me when Stellar Flare arrived. And he still hasn't taken away my bathroom privileges. So, maybe he's not all bad?" Reluctantly, the troubled mare decided to sleep on those thoughts. And that's just what she did.

The mare slept even more soundly than she had the previous night. The onesie was a big help as it much it pained her to admit it. With the castle being so drafty, the unicorn often spent a lot of nights with the sheets tightly curled up around her, and it felt nice to not have to do that here. Perhaps she could convince her father to let her take the onesie back to the castle when the week was up?

Rising from her sleep, the unicorn stretched and spit out her pacifier. She then instinctively moved a hoof down to her diaper and reluctantly patted it. She felt nothing, and that made her feel incredibly relieved. "Good, no accidents this time. That'll be a big help with Dad." Starlight thought to herself.

And a moment later, who should come trotting into the bedroom but Firelight himself? "Did my wittle Pumpky Wumpkin just wake up from her nap?" He cooed, pinching her cheeks.

"Come on, Dad, please stop doing this! It's embarrassing!" Starlight complained only for her words to fall on deaf ears as her father inspected her diaper. "I already checked," She told him. "I'm dry! I swear!"

"Daddy has to make sure, you can never be too careful with a foal," The stallion simply cooed again, then he led Starlight out of the bedroom. "Now, I'll start dinner shortly, and I think you're going to like what I have to offer. In the meantime, perhaps my precious Chipmunk Cheeks would like to make some art? Maybe paint a pretty picture for me with her hooves?"

Immediately, Starlight protested quite loudly! "No!" She realized that her tone of voice sounded a bit too forceful, and quickly toned it down as she corrected. "I mean... no thank you. I'll just draw with some crayons."

Firelight was more than happy to oblige the request, doing so with a smile on his face as he floated over the box of different colored crayons and some paper. Before he left, he looked at his daughter and playfully warned her. "No coloring on the walls now, Honey Bun, or you'll have to sit in the time out corner."

"I never drew on the walls as a foal." Starlight complained.

"Oh really? I think Stellar Flare would say otherwise." Firelight said with a wink, before he trotted out of the living room and to the kitchen to start work on dinner.

"It was Sunburst, not me! I only got in trouble because he blamed me for it." Starlight mentally whined. Then the unicorn turned big foal occupied herself with the crayons and the paper, and payed no more attention to such thoughts.

Inspiration came easily to the mare with a coat of light grayish-purple, and she prided herself on being a pretty good artist despite her sloppy horn writing. It helped that concentrating on her art took her mind off of... other things. When her dad eventually returned to announce dinner time, she actually felt tempted to show off her masterpiece to him. And the adult part of her mind just barely resisted the urge to do so.

It didn't matter though, the big foal's father was more than willing to reward his little artist anyway. "Who wants a visit from the tickle monster?" He playfully cooed, promptly rolling his diapered daughter onto her back and throwing off her onesie.

"Dad, please, no!" Starlight whined, but her protests came too late to stop the inevitable. Her father took a deep breath, then lowered his snout to her exposed stomach and blew a raspberry as he tickled her sides. Poor Starlight could only kick about helplessly, the tickles making it impossible for her to concentrate long enough to do any sort of magic.

Fortunately, Firelight ceased the tickle torture after only a moment. But for Starlight it had felt like an eternity as she slowly waddled into the dining room, and carefully plopped her padded rear back into the same chair she'd occupied for breakfast, and dinner the previous evening.

To her relief, Starlight saw that the food offered to her was a peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwich. But she was anything but thrilled to see them cut up into small slices. "Oh come on, this is ridiculous!" She complained aloud.

"Now now, it's no use being a picky eater, Pumpky Wumpkin," Firelight declared as he sat down across from his daughter. "You're still too young to eat by yourself, and have the whole sandwich. Now come on, you know the drill, open wide."

Reluctantly, Starlight decided it was best to just cooperate with her father's wishes. After all that she'd already been through today, she was in no mood for arguing. But she felt embarrassed all over again when, immediately after finishing the last slice she let out a loud burp. And this time, she hadn't even been patted by her father. It was something she'd done all by herself. "Life, why do you hate me so?!" She thought in frustration, too ashamed to look at her father's face to judge his reaction.

She was glad to be put to bed a short time later with another bottle of milk. This time, however, she made sure to remember to use the bathroom. She was not about to chance having an accident two nights in a row. As she nodded off, the unicorn could only hope that this was as far as the embarrassment would go. Because if it got any worse she wasn't sure she'd survive to the end of the week.

Coming to Terms

The rest of the week passed more or less the same for Starlight, every morning she would wake up and be subjected to a most embarrassing diaper inspection by her dad. If she was clean he'd just pat the padding and coo, if she was wet he would simply change her effortlessly, and on the one occasion where she ended up doing the other thing, Firelight reacted as if it were no big deal. He just changed her, discarded the used diaper, and made a "reassuring" comment about how it was natural for a foal like her to do such a thing.

After that she would be led to the dining room and seated at the table for breakfast. Each day it was oatmeal, even after the big foal had gotten sick of it. She was grateful though that on the fourth day her dad finally let her eat without a bib. "At least I still have some independence in all of this." The unicorn thought, as she was frustrated that her dad still didn't trust her enough to eat by herself.

Then, aside from breaks for lunch, dinner, nap, and bed, the big foal was mostly left to her own devices. But there was at least one activity each day that her father insisted on picking out for her. The most embarrassing of all was hoof painting on the third day.

"You were such a good little artist with the crayons, but Daddy wants to see how good your hoof painting is," Firelight encouraged, as he set out an easel and several different colors of paint. Then he tied a smock around his daughter. "Don't want any paint getting on your coat or diaper." He cooed, patting his little artist on the head.

Despite hating the very idea of hoof painting, Starlight realized she had nothing else she could really do in such a situation. It was either paint, or just stare at the walls and wait for the hours to tick by agonizingly slow. So, after dipping her hooves into the yellow and blue paints (and taking care not to mix them), the big foal started to slowly paint a rather sloppy picture. She had no real idea of what to paint, she just wanted to make something her dad would be satisfied with, and move on.

Eventually the painting was finished, Starlight opting to paint herself and Sunburst under a clear blue sky, just enjoying each other's company as adults (and not foals).

If the big foal hoped her father would get the message with her painting, he sadly didn't seem to do so when he took a look at it. "Oh that's so beautiful, Pumpky Wumpkin. This is going right on the refrigerator!" He cooed, proudly pinning the hoof painting to said object moments later with a pin.

On the last night under her dad's care, Starlight was most surprised when he opted to give her a bath (thankfully it was a bubble bath). "You're getting awfully dirty, Chipmunk Cheeks," Firelight told his daughter, as he turned the knob and adjusted the temperature as the tub slowly began to fill up. "I don't want you going back to Ponyville all grimy and yucky."

"But I'm a grown mare, I am perfectly capable of bathing myself!" Starlight complained.

Firelight only laughed. "Even under your back hooves and behind your ears? You know you always had trouble reaching those spots."

"When I was five!" Starlight angrily muttered under her breath, Firelight paid no attention.

The tub filled up moments later, and with practiced precision the stallion removed his daughter's diaper and carefully set it aside. Then he lowered her into the tub, taking care not to make her entrance splash water over the side.

The big foal did have to admit that as much as she hated how her father was treating her, the bath itself felt pretty nice (even if the tub was a little small for her). It helped that there was plenty of hot water just for her, whereas back in Ponyville she'd be lucky if Spike didn't use up all the hot water with his seven hour bubble baths (why he needed to take them, she had no idea).

After a great deal of scrubbing and rinsing, Firelight allowed his daughter to play with some bath toys he'd provided for her. He had only one rule. "No splashing, Honey Bun." As long as that rule was followed the stallion was perfectly content to just watch while his daughter played alternatively with rubber ducks, toy ships, and whatever else caught her eye.

All good things must come to an end eventually though, and the bath was no exception. Fortunately Firelight was quick to lift his daughter out of the tub and surround her with a warm towel to dry her soaking body. "There we go, all nice and clean," He cooed yet again. "Now, before Daddy puts your diapee back on, do you need to use the potty?"

Starlight blushed anew at the foal talk, despite the fact that her dad had been saying such things all week long. Moreso because this was the first time he was asking her, instead of her just teleporting to the bathroom to do her business. "Y-yeah, I... kind of do," She sheepishly admitted as she eyed the toilet. "But do you mind waiting outside until I'm done? I like my privacy."

Surprisingly, Firelight obeyed even though his daughter had expected him not to do so. "Oh of course, sweetie. Daddy knows you're old enough to go potty by yourself. But if you need any help, just call. I'll be right outside." He cooed, patting his daughter on the forehead before he left the bathroom and used his magic to close the door behind him.

The mare wasted no time in taking care of her nightly visit to the bathroom. She probably didn't need to do it but after her accident the night before she was taking no chances.

Once she was finished, Starlight flushed, washed her hooves, and exited the bathroom. After a brief cooing remark from her dad, the diaper and onesie were slipped on, and she was carried to her bedroom. She didn't even bother to put up a fight as the purple pacifier was inserted into her mouth. It was only for tonight, and then she wouldn't need to sleep with it anymore.

However, rather than leave and turn out the light like he had done every night before, Firelight had one last surprise for his daughter turned big foal. He sat at the foot of her bed and looking deep into her blue eyes he expressed to her. "How about I sing you a lullaby to help you fall asleep?"

"You're going to sing even if I say no, aren't you?" Starlight muttered through her pacifier, before she sighed and threw her head back upon her pillow. "Just get it over with."

Firelight beamed. "Thanks a bunch, Pumpky Wumpkin!" He happily declared, then the stallion cleared his throat and began to sing a tune he remembered from when his daughter was very little and had trouble sleeping.

Hush now, quiet now,

It's time to lay your sleepy head.

Hush now, quiet now,

It's time to go to bed.

Drifting off to sleep,

The exciting day behind you.

Drifting off to sleep,

Let the door of dreamland find you.

Hush now, quiet now,

Time to lay your sleepy head.

Hush now, quiet now,

Time to go to bed.

By the time he was done, Firelight looked down at his daughter and saw her eyes had closed and her pacifier was bobbing up and down in her mouth. Still, he gingerly kissed her on the forehead and whispered. "Sweet dreams, my little star. Daddy loves you very much." Then he got up, turned off the light, and left the room.

Despite knowing that morning would mean freedom from the treatment, Starlight found it surprisingly difficult to wake up the next morning. Almost as if a part of her didn't want things to end.

Still, the big foal eventually woke up, yawning as she stretched her hooves and spat out her pacifier. "Won't be needing that anymore." She mentally told herself. Then her attention turned to the crinkly undergarment still taped to her rump, hidden only slightly by her onesie. Without fanfare, she unzipped the onesie and dropped the diaper to her legs. Then she tossed it into the trash, checking her rump to ensure no traces of foal powder still clung to it. There were none, no evidence remained of her padded week with her dad.

And so it was that, after a quick breakfast of oatmeal (in which the unicorn was FINALLY allowed to eat by herself, much to her great satisfaction), it was time for Starlight to leave. She did give her dad a hug, more as a way of saying goodbye than anything else. "Well, not that this week hasn't been... different," The unicorn coughed into a hoof. "But from now on, unless I say otherwise, don't even think about putting me back in diapers. Got it?"

"If you're sure that's what you want, Honey Bun," Firelight commented as a hint of noticeable sadness creeped into his voice. "Still, you're a grown mare now, and you can make your own decisions. But if you ever change your mind, just say so."

"And I hope to Celestia I never do. Being a foal again was... interesting, but I quite like my independence," Starlight thought to herself. "Besides, I don't wanna risk anypony seeing me in diapers. I'll never live down the embarrassment!" Then, lighting up her horn (and with saddle bags firmly in tow), the unicorn disappeared.

However, she came back just seconds later. "Almost forgot," She commented, quickly rushing to her room and snatching up not the diapers or the pacifier, but the onesie still unbuttoned. "Now I won't shiver myself to sleep in that drafty castle so often." She declared, and then left without saying another word.

Firelight, for his part, didn't say anything either. He just stood there with the most unusual grin on his face. "Guess my little Pumpky Wumpkin isn't entirely grown up after all," He thought. "Part of her must still cling to that period before Sunburst left, and I don't blame her."

Author's Note

I know I'm mostly glancing over things in this final chapter, but I feel like going into details would be redundant. I also wanted to change things up from the usual ending of a character being forced into diapers and growing to like it. Considering how much she hated being treated like a little filly by her dad, I think this sort of reaction is in character for Starlight.

On the subject of possible sequels, I'm officially ruling out any plans for such. If anyone wants to do their own unofficial sequels though, I won't stop you. In the meantime, keep an eye out for my next fic.

And if you think you're gonna have to wait until the Fall for my next padded pony work, without spoiling too much I can safely say you're in for a surprise.