Kinks and Fetishes 101

Gallus knew he had done a pretty poor job of hiding how uncertain and worried he felt. It was a far cry from how cocky and brash he had appeared on his first day at the School of Friendship. He wished he could at least appear more confident when it came to discussing Sandbar with his family. Then again, maybe it was a good thing he appeared concerned, as they had immediately welcomed him in and had him take a seat in the den while they very quickly made a pot of tea. A few minutes later, they returned, and offered the griffon a hot cup of peppermint tea before sitting down next to each other on the sofa across from him in the armchair. The beverage's aroma made him relax just a bit.

"I'm sorry if I seem overly worried or concerned. It's just... Before I came to Ponyville, I didn't have anyone that really cared about me. Now that I do have creatures that care, I know that you don't normally go behind the backs of creatures you care about, but with how quickly he left, I didn't see any other way." Gallus began, taking a sip from the teacup he held.

"Gallus, we know how much you care about Sandbar, and if this is something you feel we need to know, then we're all ears, with open minds." High Tide told him, Beachcomber nodding in agreement.

"That's just it. I'm not absolutely certain that you need to know this, and Sandbar is absolutely less than certain. Just... What I'm about to tell you... I'm begging you, please, don't hold it against him. I'm afraid he'd never forgive me. But right now I don't see any other way that he's not going to torture himself for two years.

"I'm afraid you've lost us, Gallus. Maybe back up." Beachcomber calmly told him.

"Yeah, maybe let me start at the beginning." Gallus said, taking another drink of tea followed by a deep breath.

"I know it's no secret how taken aback I was with how accepting you were when Sandbar introduced me. With everything he's done for me these past few months, I think the time has finally come for me to do something significant for him. So, as you know, we've been participating in an, um... elective class this summer."

Gallus got nods from both parents. Trixie had required permission slips from each student's household detailing the content her class would be responsibly and safely delving into. Sandbar's parents had signed for both of them, as they were the closest thing Gallus had to legal guardians in Ponyville.

"So, this past week, the demonstration was on something called 'ageplay', and I think it's affected Sandbar to a degree that he's kind of shocked how much his mind got into it. Maybe a part of him has wanted something like that all along, and he's only now realizing it. A couple nights ago, we tried some of it, and... And seeing how happy it made him... I'm afraid he might be embarrassed to let that side of him out, even in private. The local store in town that markets to that particular kink won't let him see their stock because he's not legally an adult yet. I think part of the reason why he headed up to Canterlot this weekend was because he wants to try to get his mind off of all this. But I don't want him to turn away from something that makes him so happy. Not after everything he's done for me. I'm really afraid that if he's forced to wait until he's a legal adult, that it would slowly eat away at the pony I love."

Gallus cleared his throat and twiddled his front claws on his teacup as he waited for Sandbar's mom and dad to respond.

"So, by 'ageplay' you mean, acting like he's younger? Like..." Beachcomber trailed off, glancing at High Tide.

"Like a foal." Gallus continued. "Bottles, pacifiers... Diapers."

"I see. And it's common enough that a store sells those items for adult ponies?" High Tide asked.

Gallus nodded.

"Counselor Trixie brought in somepony local who was into the scene. It's Silly Filly down by the main market."

"Really? We've been buying all of Coral's foal care supplies there. There's an adult section?" Beachcomber asked surprisingly.

"I imagine they've got it in the back, for privacy's sake. Sandbar said he asked Soothing Care about bigger sizes, but was told he couldn't go in the back without an adult because he was legally a minor. Look, I don't know if he's scared of being embarrassed, or shunned, or disowned. I don't know how families work through tough situations because I've never had a family. I just don't want him to turn away from discovering another part of himself."

Beachcomber and High Tide nodded in understanding.

"Well Gallus, we know you love our son very much, and that you have his happiness at heart, and we absolutely appreciate you coming to us with this. To be honest, I'm a little disheartened at the moment, knowing that he's so incredibly frightened of coming to us with this. Everypony has their own little quirks. So, what did you have in mind? What do you think we should do?"

In Sandbar's personal opinion, the entrance to the Canterlot Aquarium was one of the most stunning works of architecture in the entire city. Aquarium guests passed through an arched glass tunnel, through a gargantuan salt water tank, in which swam all manner of ocean life. For fifty meters, it was like you were walking on the ocean floor.

Sandbar remembered his first visit here. Immediately after, he and his parents had gone to one of the most reputable pet shops in Canterlot and gotten him his two turtles, Tipper and Tupper. When he got home with them, he had gotten his cutie mark. He had taken excellent care of them every day since. He had always dreamed of working in the field of oceanography when he was older, or at the very least, getting a job in a place like this. Maybe he could even manage to get an aquarium built in Ponyville. For as close as the small town was, and how nationally significant it had become in recent years, there were a fair amount of residents that had never gotten the opportunity to get up to the Equestrian capitol and saw what the city had to offer. He had been planning this trip for a few weeks now, and managed to get a get a good deal on a hotel room for the weekend.

Now, he was hoping that if he spent the weekend seeing how his life could go forward, it would be a bit easier to resist the desires to go back.