By the time Sprout was following Hitch down the hall, fresh diaper crinkling around his waist, the oven timer was already going off.

"I'm sure it's not too overdone. You like crispy crusts, right pal?" Hitch asked as he grabbed the oven mitt and pulled the oven door open. Luckily, a crispy crust was all that had happened, and the rest of the toppings were perfectly bubbly and steamy. With one swift motion of his leg, he slid the pizza off of the piping hot baking pan onto the large wooden cutting board on the counter.

"Alright, I'll let that cool while I get this tea ready..." Hitch said, and Sprout's ears twitched when he heard that. So he was going to get another period of the effects of that stuff. He began to wonder what Hitch would think of a much more authentic foal. Sprout was doing his best to relive his younger days, but just something about the magic in that brew that sent him over the edge entirely.

There wasn't any high chair or anything set up at Hitch's dining table, so he took a seat in the same chair where he had eaten lunch earlier today, and watched as Hitch dropped one of the teabags into a glass of hot water from the kettle, mix it with a good amount of milk, and then pour it into a bottle, with a few squirts of chocolate sauce for good measure. He licked his lips in anticipation as the sheriff shook the bottle to get a good mix, then put it in the fridge while he went over to the cutting board to slice up the pizza.

"That's gonna be your after-dinner beverage. Izzy told me what it does, and I don't want you passing out in the middle of pizza," Hitch said, chuckling as he brought the cutting board of pizza and a sippy cup of apple juice over to the dining room table. After that, he brought a pair of plates, and set one in front of Sprout, and another in front of the chair next to him, as he sat down. With that, he served Sprout three slices of supreme pizza.

Hitch noticed the raised eyebrows immediately.

"And no, I'm not going to cut up your pizza this time. You are called an adult foal, yeah? So maybe a little more adulting before you down that bottle and foal out 100% for the rest of the evening," Hitch told him before starting into his pizza.

Sprout smiled as he also started into his pizza, knowing that Hitch had a point. While he had been over at his own house, in his bedroom, all the infantile furniture had put him into a far more infantile state of mind. But with his time in Bridlewood, and over here at Hitch's house, it was a tantalizing mixture of both. He didn't feel so much like a foal, as much as he felt younger, more care-free, and the diapers and occasional babying was a nice little bonus; the icing on top. Because sitting here, enjoying pizza by the slice with his best friend... He couldn't imagine being more care-free than this.

Both stallions had an extra slice, and finished the entire pizza in one sitting. After finishing off his apple juice, Hitch got up, grabbed the bottle of the chocolate milk-tea mixture, and gestured Sprout out to the living room, who got up from his spot at the table, and followed Hitch out to the living room, and found him on the couch. He patted the cushion next to him as he leaned on the left arm of the couch. Sprout came up, climbed up to the couch, and Hitch's left foreleg was there immediately to guide him into a laying position on his lap, with the bottle's nipple finding it's way in between his lips a moment later.

As the flavors of chocolate and tea danced across his tongue, the pizza and apple juice that had already had the opportunity to settle in his stomach, and even as he knew what the magic mixture would do to him in a few minutes, a post-dinner nap was going to be in the cards regardless. That pizza was delicious, and now it was time to sleep some of it off.

The bottle didn't take long to finish, and when the last drop had hit the red stallion's throat, Hitch pulled the bottle away, and gently slid his neck and head down to the cushions.

"Now you take a nap while I get the kitchen cleaned up," Hitch told him, getting up from the couch.

Sprout barely heard Hitch's hoofsteps go towards the kitchen before he was out like a light.

It took most of the day, but as the sun finished its descent behind the horizon, Sunny, Izzy, Pipp, and Zipp had finished putting together and furnishing their beds, and even had enough time to put Hitch's together, even though with a house of his own, he likely wouldn't be spending too many nights here. A sixth guest bed was also assembled and made, complete with pillows and comforter.

The four of them enjoyed their first homecooked meal from the kitchen by the time the last hints of dusk had disappeared from the darkening sky.

"Mmm, best carrot soup I think I've ever had, thanks Sunny," Zipp thanked, scooping the very last bite of soup from her bowl.

"And you didn't want to let the foal use the stove," Izzy teased.

"Yeah well, you have a point. Gotta sneak some adulting in there sometime, and not just with that wand of yours," Zipp said, chuckling as the comment got some blushes out of the padded pegasus and earth mare.

"I'm definitely going to sleep good tonight," Sunny commented, also finishing off the last of her soup. "It's not every day that I help put together a total of six beds."

After everypony was finished with their meal, the dishes were rinsed and place in the dishwasher. The four of them were headed back up to the bedroom when there was a knock at the door.

"Awfully late for visitors. Who could that be?" Zipp wondered. Sunny and Pipp continued up to the second floor, peeking over the railing but keeping their diapers hidden from the view of the front door as Zipp and Izzy went to see who the late evening visitor was.

"Evening, miss. I've got a big delivery for Sunny Starscout from CanterLogic," the delivery stallion announced.

Sunny risked leaning just a little farther over the railing to try and get a good look at what was in the wagon.

"I can sign for that," Zipp said, taking the pen and clipboard and putting her signature on the dotted line. "Just slide those in here."

Izzy lit her horn up, and a few moments later, in came six very large boxes, much taller than they were wide, which Izzy leaned against the wall just inside the door.

"Awfully late for a delivery," Zipp commented as she handed the pen and clipboard back.

"It was classified as a rush delivery. Guess Ms. Cloverleaf wanted these delivered tonight and not have to worry about them in the morning when traffic is heavier. Well, that's everything, goodnight!"

Zipp and Izzy waved goodbye to the delivery pony as he began to pull away with his empty wagon. The doors weren't even shut before Sunny and Pipp came back down the walkway to the foyer.

"Are those what I think they are?" She asked excitedly.

"Certainly looks big enough to be the cribs and changing table for the nursery downstairs," Zipp said, looking the boxes up and down.

"Eee, maybe we won't be getting a lot of sleep tonight. Come on!" Sunny said excitedly, going towards the boxes leaning against the wall.

An outstretched white foreleg stopped her.

"And just what kind of caretakers would we be if we let our foals stay up so late? As tired as we all are, you think we'd get even more furniture put together the right way?" Zipp chastised.

Sunny began to pout, but she knew that Zipp was right. They were full and exhausted. Anything they started to put together tonight would undoubtedly have mistakes that would need undoing tomorrow.

"I know you're excited Sunny, but Zipp's right. Let's all go get some rest, and we'll start putting that nursery together in the morning after breakfast!"

Author's Note

Glad you're all enjoying the new cover!

Thanks to Little Tigress for the crazy quick turnaround!