The 'Glow' of Friendship

Cozy felt quite… little for lack of a better term as she lay down on the floor of Starlight’s office. She only vaguely remembered her diaper years, especially since her parents had pushed so hard to get her potty trained (and had ultimately prevailed). So to go through the entire process again for the first time in years was equal parts exciting and troubling for her. Exciting because she’d be able to remember what it felt like this time, troubling because she had no idea what to expect.

Starlight took a deep breath as she lit up her horn, surrounding one of the diapers with her magic. She always felt more comfortable using it instead of hooves (she didn’t even want to think of ponies using their mouths for the job). Carefully she unfolded the undergarment and floated it towards Cozy. “Okay, spread your legs for me. It’ll make it easier to put the diaper on.” She instructed.

Cozy obeyed, and her moderate scarlet eyes became fixated on the diaper as it was slowly slid underneath her. Starlight put it on her with practiced precision, even managing to thread Cozy’s tail through the hole in the back.

But before the filly could stand up, Starlight floated over the bottle of foal powder and used her magic to pull back the diaper and pour a small helping of powder in. “Just to make sure you don’t get a rash. Trust me, they hurt a lot.”

The soothing scents of cornstarch and lavender soon reached Cozy’s nostrils as she inhaled. It definitely felt better than the few memories she had of the talcum foal powder her parents had used (Cozy remembered that she wasn’t allowed to inhale it because the talcum was harmful to the lungs). A small cloud billowed out from the leg holes as she sat up.

Starlight blushed. “Oops! I guess I used a little too much,” And she apologized to Cozy in an instant. “Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve had to do this. Usually the students just ask for diapers and put them on themselves.”

“It’s okay, you did great,” Cozy commented as she looked down at the diaper, curiously giving it a poke with one of her hooves. “Golly, I forgot how comfy they are. They’re as soft as a pillow.”

“That’s why they’re such a good stress reliever,” Starlight told Cozy. “Of course you have to promise not to tell anyone about it. Many of the students who end up in diapers are very self-conscious about it. And I can’t name names.”

“What would you do if I did tell?” Cozy innocently inquired. Maybe the old her would’ve felt tempted to do so but the new her would never dream of it.

The unicorn gave a knowing wink. “I might have to spank you for being a naughty filly. And probably put you in the time out corner too.”

At that Cozy tensed up and swished her tail. “You wouldn’t really do that to me, would you Counselor Starlight? My parents would spank me all the time as a foal, even if I didn’t do anything particularly bad. Their style of parenting was tough love, with an emphasis on the tough part.”

Starlight immediately trotted toward the filly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I promise, unless you do something really dangerous I won’t ever spank you. Just make sure you don’t tell any of the other students about this.” Then she ushered the filly towards the door.

But as Cozy got near the door she hesitated. Even though it would just be a short dash down the hall to her bedroom, and it wouldn’t take much time to store the diapers out of sight, she didn’t want to leave.

A fact that did not go unnoticed by Starlight. “What’s the matter?” She innocently asked of her young charge.

The little pegasus fought back a gulp. “I can’t go out in a diaper. Somepony might see me. They’ll make fun of me for sure.”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t if you told them the reason why you needed them,” Starlight reassured the filly. “And you could always come to me or Twilight for help. We’d make sure the teasing stopped.”

“Still, can’t you cast some kind of spell or something that will keep my diaper hidden? Or maybe you could put a dress on me?” Cozy questioned. She didn’t consider the fact that a dress might attract even more attention than a diaper.

The unicorn contemplated the proposal, putting a hoof to her chin. But she soon settled on a solution. “Actually, since Twilight isn’t back yet, why don’t I take you to her castle and take care of you for a bit? You know, as an actual foal? You must be pretty stressed out from yesterday.”

“But what about my classes?” Cozy questioned further.

Starlight smiled. “Don’t worry, I can contact your professors and tell them you won’t be in class today. I’ll help you with your homework later. And if you behave, I might even make you something special.”

The idea did sound appealing to Cozy, ever so slightly. But there was one thing that stopped her from outright considering it. “Uh… would I have to…” She trailed off, unable to bring herself to say what was on her mind. But if one watched her body language and took notice of where her gaze was fixated most they probably would’ve deduced what the filly was thinking about.

Starlight appeared to correctly deduce it as well, for she replied. “Oh, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You just have to make sure you let know when you have to go, Twilight’s castle is very easy to get lost in.” In her mind she was thinking. “I should know. It took me forever not to keep opening broom closets by mistake. How did Twilight ever not get lost in the castle?”

The filly was most relieved at that statement and her relaxed posture indicated just how much of a weight was lifted by that reassurance. “Oh, good. I don’t want to give up my potty training. My parents wouldn’t be happy about that.”

Starlight simply replied to the filly. “Well, you don’t have to worry about them or about anypony else. You can just take a break from all those worries and let Mommy Starlight take good care of you. Okay?”

“Okay.” Cozy reluctantly agreed. As appealing as the idea sounded she was still ever so slightly uneasy about agreeing to it. A part of her mind told her it was wrong, it was childish and immature. And that part of her mind just wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Alright,” The unicorn mare gently called as she trotted closer to Cozy. “Hold my hoof, please. This won’t take more than a second.”

Cozy obeyed, and that was when Starlight lit up her horn. With a pop and a poof of magic the two of them disappeared. Outside the office, a note appeared around the door that read “Out to Lunch: Please see Spike”.

Mare and filly reappeared in a secluded part of Twilight’s castle. A room that had been seen by only a select few since its remodeling.

Cozy looked all around and could hardly believe her eyes. She seemed to be staring at a giant nursery. It had everything you would expect to find in one: A changing table that was fully stocked, a crib with pillows all nice and fluffed, a playpen with several toys and stuffed animals, and even a highchair with a latchable bar. All sized up to fit ponies her age, possibly even bigger.

Starlight smiled as she waved a hoof. “This is something I built with my magic. It’s actually a projection of the nursery I had as a little filly, only bigger.”

“Golly, you had this all set up with just your magic?” Cozy pondered while looking around.

Starlight nodded. “It was originally just going to be an experiment, to see if I could pull it off. But after I succeeded it looked so nice that I didn’t want it to go away,” Then she added. “Sometimes Twilight uses it when Flurry Heart stays over or Pinkie brings the twins over for a playdate, even though they’re not really in diapers anymore.”

Cozy remembered briefly seeing Pound and Pumpkin Cake before. They were an unmistakable presence at Sugarcube Corner even if they were never seen without somepony watching them. But the name “Flurry Heart” was a mystery to her. “Who’s Flurry Heart?” She asked Starlight.

The mare flashed a warm smile. “Twilight’s adorable niece. She’s actually almost two years old now,” She wiped a lone tear from her eye. “I can remember when she was still an infant. They really grow up fast these days.”

“Are you alright, Counselor Starlight?” Cozy asked.

Starlight nodded her head. “I’m fine, Cozy. Just getting a bit sentimental,” She quickly regained her composure. “Anyway, since Flurry Heart doesn’t visit too often this room is usually sealed off. But I figured it’s the perfect place to take care of big little ones like you. So go ahead, feel free to explore. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”

And that was all the encouragement Cozy needed. If it were somepony else she might not have felt so assured. But despite her limited experiences she knew that Starlight was a pony who could be trusted. So she let go of Starlight’s hoof and began exploring, taking the opportunity to get used to the diaper and the waddle it gave to her movements (a waddle that Starlight found oh so adorable).

The pegasus soon reached the playpen and her eyes locked onto a giant teddy bear. It reminded her a lot of the one she’d slept with until her parents had taken it away from her at the age of five, telling her she was too old to be sleeping with stuffed animals. “Why did my parents have to be such poopy heads?” Cozy thought to herself. “They never let me enjoy my childhood. They forced me to grow up before I ever got a say. The next time I see them, I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!” And she immediately fluttered over to the teddy, hugging it tightly.

The giant teddy bear wasn’t the only object of interest in the playpen. There were several other stuffed animals to play with as well, not to mention several toys that ranged from rattles and squeaky tools to alphabet blocks and even a playset with little dolls.

Starlight sat on the floor, watching Cozy play without saying a word. It really warmed her heart to see the filly so calm and carefree. To think that this same filly had come to her office just yesterday and in tears had confessed to sharing letters with Tirek. It was amazing how much of a difference a day could make. And hopefully, that would convince Twilight not to be too harsh on Cozy. Whenever Twilight came back from Canterlot anyway.

A short time later though, Cozy was floated out of the playpen and placed gently in the highchair as a bib was tied around her neck. “You must be getting hungry by now,” Starlight told the filly. “So what do you say to some lunch?”

“Oh boy!” Cozy eagerly licked her lips in anticipation. “What’s on the menu? Pizza? Hayburgers? Cupcakes?”

Starlight shook her head. “I’m afraid not, Cozy. A growing filly like you needs her nutrition,” She floated over several jars of flavored foal food. “What would you like? I’ve got Cream of Carrot, Strawberry Surprise, and Squashed Pumpkin. No Mashed Peas though, I know nopony likes them.”

Cozy frowned as she looked at the different jars, pushing them away. “Can’t I have something else? Something yummy?”

“Oh but Cozy, foal food is yummy. And it’s good for you too,” Starlight insisted in a motherly tone of voice, tapping a spoon against one of the jars. “You’re not leaving this chair until you’ve been fed properly. And don’t forget, I promised to make you something special if you behaved. So, are you going to cooperate? Or are you going to make it difficult for both of us?”

"Ha, what are you going to do? Force me to eat it?" Cozy asked and giggled

"Yes," Starlight answered. "If you don't hurry and pick I'll pick for you, little missy!"

Any will Cozy might have had to resist faded upon hearing Starlight talk in such a way. It sounded so much like her own mother, a mare who tolerated no foolishness or bad behavior and punished quite sternly. Without speaking a word she opened her mouth as wide as she possibly could.

Starlight proceeded to deposit a spoonful of yellow colored foal food onto Cozy’s tongue and watched as the filly swallowed it without hesitation. “See, it’s totally yummy isn’t it?” She spoke in what sounded like a coo. “Such a good filly for cooperating. Yes you are, oh yes you are.”

The spoon feeding continued for several more portions, each one bringing a different flavor to Cozy’s tongue. And the filly accepted without any sort of protesting. Just as Starlight had said the food was yummy, better than anything Cozy had ever tasted before in her life.

Cozy was still careful not to make too much of a mess though. Her parents had raised her to be better than that. Thus, when meal time ended, there was not a trace of foal food anywhere on her cheeks or on her bib.

Starlight was surprised, but not ungrateful as she helped her young charge out of the high chair and removed the bib. She then opted to give the filly a gentle pat on her diapered rump to encourage her. “Go ahead and play more, Cozy. You deserve it for being such a good little filly.”

So Cozy resumed her play time, gathering up several of the stuffed animals and hosting a pretend tea party with them.

The filly hadn’t been playing for long though when she felt her stomach growl again. At first she thought she was just hungry again and thought nothing of it. But a second rumbling snapped her out of her state of ignorance. She groaned, putting a hoof to her stomach.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Starlight asked as she approached the playpen, having noticed the troubled expression on Cozy’s face.

Without bothering to reply to Starlight, Cozy flapped her wings and fluttered out of the playpen, which only made the pressure building up inside her even worse. Thus she stopped flying sooner than she might have liked, opting to go back to her hooves just to give her tummy a bit of relief. Her previous slow crawl was replaced by a dash to the door of the nursery! “I really need to find a bathroom!” She thought to herself.

Starlight immediately chased after the filly, having deduced what the likely problem was. “Cozy, wait! I told you it’s easy to get lost!” She shouted at the filly. “Let me help you!”

But alas Cozy was too far away to hear, she was too fixated on finding the nearest bathroom (or anything that could serve as a make-shift one if possible)! She was a big filly, she wasn’t going to have an accident!

Unfortunately, Cozy’s lack of familiarity with the castle layout meant that she was perplexed and confused by the many look alike doors in the hallway immediately connected to the nursery. She opened door after door, but found nothing to indicate a bathroom. Lots of broom closets, a couple of bedrooms, but no bathrooms! There had to be one in the castle though, there had to be!

Suddenly though, Cozy’s search came to an abrupt and unfortunate end. Try as it might her body could hold back no longer. She froze in place in the middle of a hallway and her tail hiked upward. Tears of shame began to well up inside her as her body operated entirely on auto-pilot, and a powerful stench began to permeate the surrounding area. The good news was that it was very brief, within a minute the deed was done. But the smell of Cozy’s shame lingered, and the tears streamed down her cheeks unopposed.

Such was the scene that Starlight came upon, a very stinky Cozy Glow sobbing to herself over what she had done. The smell hit Starlight square in the muzzle and she had to resist the urge to plug her nose with a hoof (it had been a long time since she’d last had to change a dirty diaper). She approached Cozy very slowly even though she knew what had happened. “There there, Cozy. Everypony has accidents from time to time.”

“But… but… I’m a big filly. Big fillies don’t have accidents.” Cozy sniffled and sobbed.

“Sure they do, it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Starlight reassured the stinky filly. “Nopony’s around but you and I. Nopony will ever have to know. But we need to get you cleaned up before you stink up the whole castle.”

Cozy just continued to sob. No amount of kind words or comforting gestures seemed able to get her to calm down.

So the unicorn with a grayish-purple coat decided then and there to resort to “extreme measures”. She’d studied a couple of books on foal care and how best to calm foals down. She’d discovered a couple of spells that unicorn parents used in situations like these to get their child under control. One of them could work wonders, if she cast it properly.

Building up a great deal of magic in her horn, Starlight’s concentration was unfortunately hindered by the smell that continued to bombard her nostrils. As such she cast the spell as soon as she felt it was ready. A flash lit the surrounding hallway, momentarily blinding Starlight!

When the flash had faded Starlight opened her eyes. Cozy had stopped crying, which was a good sign. But she didn’t seem to be moving.

Starlight nervously waved a hoof in front of the filly to try and get her attention. “Hello, Cozy?”

Cozy’s eyes blinked for a second. And then she opened her mouth. “Mommy?” She spoke.

“No, I’m Starlight. Starlight Glimmer?” Starlight corrected.

Cozy shook her head. “No. Mommy.” It appeared that she believed the mare standing before her to be her mother. Cozy promptly reached her hooves out ,expecting a hug from her "Mommy". When Starlight didn't hug her she simply had tears begin to fall.

“Oh no! What did I do?!” Starlight thought in horror! Mentally regressing Cozy was most certainly not her intention. "Shh, shh! Cozy Glow, it's okay... Don't cry!" Starlight said, while rocking the filly back and forth. It was all she could think to do in the moment.