Author's Note

I had some trouble with this, but it went well.

Enjoy.

Entry Four: The Mix Up

The first time she came, it was an accident. A mistake.

She was supposed to be going next door. It was a barely opened shop, ran out of a home, that sold sports equipment. She told me later on that she was going there to get some supplies. She wanted some new weights to lift, some sweatbands, and some magically expanding and shrinking contraption that was designed to stimulate the muscles in wings that apparently wasn’t on the mainstream market yet. She couldn’t get those things in Ponyville, she said. They only sold them here in Canterlot, and she thought she could get it cheaper in a new place.

I live in a somewhat less traveled part of Canterlot. I know now from what she told me that she hadn’t been there before. So when I opened my door, I assumed rather stupidly, that she was my first customer since I put the word out. I smiled at her, and she smiled back.

“Hey there! Name’s Rainbow Dash.”

“Platinum Sparkle. Are you my first customer?”

“Guess so. Hey, any relation to Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville?”

I shook my head. “Sorry, no. Please, come in.” I said. She came inside, and I shut the door. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“No thanks, I’m good.” She said. I nodded.

“Please, come with me.” I said, and she followed.

I happened to look over to her when I opened the door. Her eyes went wide, and at first, for maybe a quarter of a second, I thought it was in wonder. But then, I realized it was in surprise.

“Um…” She looked stunned. Her mouth hung open.

I took that as my cue. “I take it you might have gotten the wrong place?”

She nodded, her mouth slack. In that one second, I swear I felt my heart go into my stomach. I put on a good face for her anyways.

“I… Sorry.” She said.

I smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. It happens. Can I walk you out?”

She nodded, picking her jaw up from the floor. For a moment when I glanced at her, I saw her looking pensive, like there was something on her mind. We were about four feet from the front door when she asked.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

I nodded. “Sure.”

“What was all that stuff?” I explained to her about the nursery, the things adult foals did. Then, a follow up question: “Why did you make this place?”

For a few seconds I contemplated brushing off the rest of the story, but I decided somepony might as well know the truth.

“I miscarried a foal. I tried for years to fix my body, to have another one, but it didn’t work. And for a long time, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was in the library one day, and I saw an article about Adult Foals. I thought maybe… Maybe I could help give somepony what my foal didn’t have. A fillyhood.”

She looked kind of nervous after that, then guilty, then pensive. “So, it was a girl, huh?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

She sighed. “I feel bad for the mistake. I didn’t mean to get your hopes up.”

I smiled. “It’s okay. It happens. It’s life.”

She started to go toward the door, but she seemed hesitant. She was reaching out to open the door when suddenly she stopped. She put her hoof back down to the ground. She seemed to be struggling with something.

“Are you okay?” I asked her.

She turned to me. “I didn’t have much of a fillyhood myself. Spent most of my time racing, trying to be the best. I didn’t really do much else.” I nodded. I was sure she was going somewhere with this, and I didn’t want to interrupt. “At the time, I didn’t really think I missed anything. But maybe… Maybe I was wrong.” The words seemed to be pulled out of her, very slowly.

At that point I took a few steps to her. “I think a lot of ponies would relate to that. I think a lot of them never really grow up. They just learn how to behave publicly. But there’s nothing wrong with missing it. That’s why I made this place. So you don’t have to miss it. And for those who didn’t have a good foalhood, they could make better memories here.”

She looked surprised. At my words? My attempted wisdom? My plight? I didn’t know. But she nodded. She was quiet for a long time, and so was I. The silence was comfortable. It wasn’t forced or awkward. She needed time to think, and I understood that.

Finally, after a minute or two that seemed to stretch into hours, she spoke again. “Is this place private? Like, no pony knows what goes on here?”

“Only the ponies who will come here will know what happens. And I wouldn’t talk about other clients to anypony. I made a contract talking about that type of confidentiality for myself and clients to sign.”

She went quiet again, and put on what I would later on refer to as her thinking face. Then: “If I stayed here, would I have to wear… Y’know… Those?”

I almost laughed at the look on her face. It was slightly horrified, curious, and fearful. I shook my head. “No. It’s my job to make you feel comfortable. Consent is very important to me, in this place especially. I would never force you to do anything you weren’t comfortable with.”

She looked relieved. The silence blanketed the room again, but finally, it was broken.

“I think I’ll give this a try. On a few conditions.” She said, and I nodded. “No… diapers.” She spat out the word like venom. I nodded. I had expected that. “No frilly outfits either. Rainbow Dash doesn’t do girly. And no pictures. I don’t want anypony even accidentally knowing that I’ve been here. Deal?”

I smiled and nodded. “Deal. Now, come with me.” I said, and she nodded, and followed me.

It was the first real step onto the journey that changed my life.