To Be Cared For

Chapters

Strange Feelings
Realization
Assistance
Therapy Session
First Time Foal
Dreams Realized
Pleasant Dreams

Strange Feelings

“The Sheep goes ‘Baa, Baa!’ And the Frog goes ‘Ribbit! Ribbit!’”

The audience of foals all giggled and laughed at the silly noises Silverstream made as she read to them from the children’s book. Their favourite time of day was Story Time after-all, and they especially loved when the young Hippogriff read to them. It didn’t matter what they were doing at the time, all it took was for Silverstream to hold up a story book for them to see and every foal in the room would be all ears in moments.

The sight of all the foals so captivated by her story telling filled Silverstream with joy. Originally, she had started volunteering at the Ponyville Daycare in order to earn school credit, but had discovered very quickly that she had a natural talent when it came to caring for young ponies. The staff had been awestruck when she had managed to soothe a crying foal to sleep in mere moments, and were equally as sad when her original volunteering week had ended. Silverstream had been unable to stay away though, so she had practically begged Headmare Twilight to be allowed to continue volunteering at the daycare.

Of course Twilight had said yes, and so Silverstream now regularity volunteered at the daycare two to three times a week, typically whenever she had a free day from her friendship studies or hanging out with her friends. Some of the staff had already offered her a job once she graduated, but to Silverstream, seeing the smiling faces on the foals was reward enough for her.

Eventually though, Story Time came to an end, and a quick glance at the sleepy faces of the foals around her told her it was almost Nap Time. As Silverstream set the book she had been reading aside, she noticed a pungent scent in the air, once that she had become used to after volunteering at the daycare for so long. “Uh! Smells like somepony needs a diapee change! Which one of you is it?”

Walking around the foals, Silverstream quickly checked the state of the foal’s diapers. Most of them were still clean, having been changed recently, and a few were wet enough that they would needed to be changed before being put down for their nap, but one in-particular was in dire need of a change.

“I spy with my little eye somepony in need of a change… and it’s you!” Scooping up one of the Earth Pony foals, a quick check revealed that Silverstream’s nose had been right. “Someone’s a very stinky pony!” She cooed at the filly, tickling just under their chin and eliciting a happy giggle.

“Let me handle this one, Silverstream,” one of the Daycare mares said as she and a few others approached to begin setting up for Nap Time.

“Thank you, but I think I’ll be able to handle this one myself,” Silverstream replied with a smile.

“Are you sure? You’ve already done so much for us, asking you to change diapers as well feels a bit unfair…”

“I’m sure!” Silverstream replied with her usual bubbly enthusiasm. “I’ll be right back after I take care of this smelly foal.”

With that, Silverstream walked over to one of the nearby changing stations and set the foal down onto the cushioned table. The foal was already beginning to fall asleep, so she barely put up a fuss as Silverstream went to work. True, changing used diapers wasn’t Silverstream’s favourite part about volunteering, but she enjoyed the feeling of closeness it caused as she cared for the young foal, making sure they were all nice and comfy for their nap.

Disposing of the old diaper in the nearby pail, it wasn’t long before SIlverstream had changed the foal once more into a nice, fresh diaper. Smiling down at the still half asleep foal, she gently picked her up and cradled her in her arm as she carried her over to the crib room.

As she approached, her ears perked up at the sound of low singing. As she entered the room, her eyes settled on one of the caregivers sitting in a rocking chair while feeding one of the foals a before bed bottle. The foal was the very image of content as they drank heartily from the bottle of warm milk, slipping further into dreamland as the caregiver sang to them.

“Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleeping head… Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to go to bed…”

Silverstream was frozen in her tracks, utterly mesmerized as she watched the scene before her. As she stood there, unable to look away from such a carefree and loving moment between a caregiver and their charge, a strange feeling began to form in the pit of Silverstream’s stomach, one that made her feel… uneasy? She couldn’t quite describe it, but she just knew that something wasn’t right…

“There you are, Silverstream.”

Silverstream snapped out of her stupor at the sound of her own name, looking over to see another of the daycare staff approaching her. “I take it you didn’t have any trouble with this one?” The mare asked, looking down at the foal still cradled in Silverstream’s arm.

“N-No, they weren’t any trouble,” Silverstream muttered as she handed the foal over to the staff member, who carried the child over to one of the cots and tucked them in. The whole time Silverstream watched with that same feeling as before growing larger in the pit of her stomach. What is this feeling…? She wondered as she walked out of the room, still unable to shake the earlier scene of the one foal being bottle fed from her mind.

“Are you okay, Silverstream?” Another staff member asked as they walked up to her. “You look a little pale…”

“I’m… I’m fine, just a little hungry, I guess,” Silverstream said, forcing what she hoped was a reassuring smile onto her face.

“Well, all the foals will be asleep for a while, so now would be a good time to take a lunch break, if you want.”

“Yes, I think I’ll do that,” Silverstream replied as she walked off, making a beeline for the break room area. Some food was all she needed, and then the strange feeling in her tummy would surely go away.

***

That feeling did not end up going away. In fact, it persisted well into the next day. Silverstream found it difficult to focus on her notes in class, her mind continually drifting back to that moment in the daycare when she had walked in on the foal being fed from a bottle and sung a lullaby. Again and again it repeated on loop in her head, making the feeling in her stomach grow worse.

What was going on? She wondered. What were these strange feelings? Why couldn’t she get that image of the daycare staff and the foal out of her mind? What did it all mean?

“Yo! Equestria to Silverstream!”

“Huh?” The sound of Gallus snapping his talon in front of her face finally brought Silverstream back to reality. Looking around the table, she noticed that her friends were all staring at her. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Thought we’d lost you there for a minute,” Gallus remarked as he propped his elbow up on the table. “We’re supposed to be studying here, and yet you’ve still got your head in the clouds.”

“S-sorry!” Silverstream muttered, picking up her textbook and using it to hide her blushing face. “What page were we on again?”

“Is friend alright?” Yona asked. “Friend seemed distracted in class before, and now again during study session.”

“I’m alright, Yona,” Silverstream said in return. “I’ve just been… a bit tired lately. That’s all.”

Gallus scoffed as he closed his textbook. “Probably from dealing with all those screaming rugrats down at the Ponyville Daycare. I still don’t know how you can even stomach dealing with so many foals all the time!”

“Hey! Don’t say that!” Silverstream squawked at Gallus. “I enjoy caring for all the foals at the daycare. They’re so cute and adorable!”

“Yeah, when they’re not drooling everywhere, or spitting up their food, or smelling like a dumpster.” Pinching his nose, Gallus added, “Just the idea of changing even one used diaper is making me want to hurl… Yuck!”

“Leave her alone, Gallus,” Sandbar interjected, frowning at the griffon across from him. “I’ve looked after my little sis before, so I can tell you it’s nowhere near as bad as your making it out to be. If Silverstream likes volunteering at the daycare, who are we to judge?”

“Besides, I bet you were no better when you were a hatchling,” Smoulder said with a toothy grin directed at Gallus. “You were probably a drooling, stinky mess too when you were their age!”

“Hey!”

“Plus, it’s good for her school record,” Ocellus added. “How many volunteer hours have you clocked in so far, hmmmm?”

“I… uh… well… the thing is…” Gallus stuttered as he felt the full force of his friends’s attention suddenly shift onto him. “H-hey! We should get back to studying, should’t we?!” Gallus said as he grabbed his textbook and buried his face in it to hide himself the many watching eyes. The table had a good laugh at Gallus’s expense before going back to studying.

While Silverstream was finally able to focus on her schoolwork, the strange thoughts and feelings still remained at the back of her mind the whole time. She tried thinking back to her childhood, but found that what little she could remember was muddied and distant, like it had never happened at all.

Upon this realization, the strange feeling in her stomach grew a little bit more.

***

Later that night, Silverstream was writing her weekly letter to her parents, like she normally did. She told them all about how her schoolwork was going, about the fun times she had with her friends, and anything interesting she could think to say. As she pondered what else to write, she thought back to earlier with her friends, causing that same nagging feeling to return once more. On a whim, Silverstream began to write.

Hey, what was I like as a child? Like when I was super young and still crawling around? The topic came up among my friends earlier and it made me think back to the days before…

Silverstream paused, unsure of how to word her next thought. Before the Storm King invaded our home. Before we were forced to flee Mount Aris and go into hiding underwater. Before we lived in constant fear, worried that some day the Storm King would find us again and finish what he had started.

... Before we started living in Seaquestria. I remember what Terramar was like when he was a baby, but what was I like? Sorry if this is super random (even for me!) but I was curious and figured I’d ask.

After writing a little bit more and signing it, Silverstream sealed the letter into an envelope and set it aside for now. She’d deliver it first thing in the morning, but a quick glance at the alarm clock on her nightstand told her that she had stayed up later than normal. Stifling back a yawn as if to reinforce the point, Silverstream shut off her desk lamp and crawled into bed for the night.

As Silverstream slept, her dreams were filled with images of infants of all species having fun and laughing in a joyous wonderland. During this, Silverstream’s hand drifted closer and closer to her face until it was close enough for her to unconsciously pop one of her talons in her mouth and begin to suck on it, smiling in her sleep as she did so.

Realization

Several days passed before Silverstream received a response back from her family. To her surprise, the usual letter came accompanied with a decently sized package wrapped in brown wrapping paper. She almost tore into the package the moment she brought it back to her room, but showed some self control by opening the letter first, assuming it might give a clue to the package’s contents. She recognized her dad’s writing style right away as she began to read through the letter.

The first half was the usual bits about how proud her parents were about how her studies were going, how they and Terramar were doing back on Mount Aris and Seaquestria respectively, and anything interesting that had happened back home since her last letter. While she enjoyed reading about how her family were doing back home, the second half of the letter was what really drew her attention.

What were you like as a baby, huh? Well, I remember fondly how you were just as easily excitable and curious back then as you are now, always getting into stuff no matter how much we tried to stop you. Bathing you was almost a daily thing with how many times you ended up making a mess of yourself, not that your mom and I minded one bit.

After Terramar was born, we were both surprised how quickly you took to the role of big sister to your new baby brother. The days where you got into trouble quickly grew fewer and farther between, almost like you were in a rush to grow up now. I’ll admit we were actually a little worried at first, afraid that rushing through your childhood like you were might cause issues later in life, a worry that only grew after we moved to Seaquestria. What happened that day was something that no child should have to experience, and you became listless for many weeks afterwards. Your only small reprieve seemed to be when you helped care for Terramar, seemingly forgetting everything that happened while you were focused on losing after your little brother.

That might explain why you’re so good with kids to this day, and we were beyond relieved when you seemed to return to your usual smiling self. Thankfully we managed to take a few photo albums with us to Seaquestria on that day, so your mother suggested sending you one if were still feeling a bit nostalgic about your childhood. Let us know if it helps, and we eagerly awaiting hearing back from you soon.

Love, Dad, Mom, and Terramar.

Setting the letter aside, Silverstream began to tear into the package with her talons, though with very little of the previous excitement she had shown prior to finishing the letter. As the brown paper fell away, she focused on the photo album now in her hands for a few moments before setting it down on her desk and flipping it open.

The first few pages were filled with photos of her Mom and Dad smiling on Mount Aris, likely before she was even born. Her suspicion was confirmed when several photos later showed her parents smiling with a newly hatched egg nestled between them. As she turned the page, her eyes widened as she saw that the next two pages were filled with nothing but photos of her. She flipped through the more pages just to be sure, and indeed she saw that the next six pages or so were also filled with nothing but photos of her.

Photos of her taking her first steps, of her learning how to fly, many photos of her being covered in food or mud while smiling at the camera, the epitome of carefree. It was like a record of her entire childhood now lay at her fingertips.

That same nagging feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach as she looked through more and more photos of her childhood. The more this feeling appeared, the closer and closer she felt she got to figuring out what it meant, and now it felt like the answer was almost within her grasp. It almost felt like… like…

“Silverstream?”

Silverstream nearly jumped out of her skin as something touched her shoulder. With a loud shriek, Silverstream whipped around to face the sudden intruder, startling them as well in the process. “O—Ocellus?”

“S-Sorry!’ Ocellus apologized once she had managed to get over her brief fear. “I… I knocked on your door several times and you didn’t answer, and it was unlocked so I figured I’d check see if you were in here…” Walking up to the desk, Ocellus glanced down at the album still open on the desk. “Are these your baby pictures?”

Blushing, Silverstream quickly slammed the album shut. “M—Maybe! Not that I was looking at them or anything like that!”

“Aww, don’t be embarrassed, Silverstream,” Ocellus replied with a warm smile. “I wish I had baby photos to look over like you do, but… well, cameras weren’t really a thing in the hive back then and even if they were…” Ocellus looked away as she became silent.

A pang of guilt hit Silverstream like a bag of rocks. Here she was reminiscing about her childhood, when Ocellus didn’t even have a childhood she could look back at fondly. “Do… Do you wanna look through them with me?”

Ocellus looked at Silverstream with a mix of surprise and joy. “Wha… Really? You’re sure?”

Nodding, Silverstream opened the album back up as the pair began to scroll through the photos. Time seemed to fly by as the pair awed over how cute Silverstream was and giggled at the silly antics the hippogriff had somehow managed to get herself into.

“Hey… Ocellus?” Silverstream suddenly said, interrupting their bonding moment.

“Hmm? Yeah?”

“Do you ever…” SIlverstream wondered why she was even thinking of asking such a silly question, but she had to know. “Do you ever wish you could… go back? Just… be a baby again and experience your childhood again? Just forget about all the worries about being grown up like school and stuff and just… be cared for and loved again?”

Ocellus was quiet for a moment as she contemplated an answer. “… Sometimes. I’m happy how my life is now, but somedays I do imagine what it would be like to just go back and just spend a day having an actual childhood. I’m sure it would be nice.”

“Yeah… I bet it would be…” Silverstream replied, growing silent as she returned her attention to the photo album. Despite the fun she was having going through the photos with Ocellus, that same feeling that had been plaguing her for days now still remained.

***

Later that night, as Silverstream lay awake staring up at the ceiling of her dorm room, she finally figured it out. Like a bolt of lightning out of the blue, it suddenly dawned on her with crystal clear clarity what this strange feeling was.

She… was jealous. Jealous of all the love and attention she had seen the foals at the daycare getting from all the staff. Jealous of how they didn’t have to worry about stuff like school, or homework, or even about needing to go to the bathroom, all their needs and wants were taken care of by others so they could live their lives without a care in the world. The image of the one foal sucking from a bottle as one pony sang them to sleep especially had burned itself into her mind, making her long to be in that position herself.

But that was silly! She was a grown up! She had friends and a family who gave her all the love and attention she could ever want! So why then did a part of her still ache for the unique love of a caregiver caring for a foal, a special kind of love that she knew she could never receive?

Rolling over onto her side, Silverstream glanced down at her hand, spreading her talons wide to look at them individually. Over the last few days, Silverstream had awoken to find one of her talons in her mouth, having apparently started sucking on it at some point in the night. Sucking her talon had been an almost unconscious thing when she had been a child, a habit she had broken as she had gotten older and hadn’t even thought about in years.

And yet…

Raising her hand up to her face, she popped one of her talons into her mouth and began to suck on it like she had when she was a child. At first she had felt incredibly silly, thinking about how it must look if anyone ever saw her doing something so childish and infantile as sucking her thumb. And yet she persisted, a strange feeling of calm coming over her as she focused only on sucking on the talon in her mouth.

Before long, the feeling of tiredness began to wash over her as all the worries and concerns raging around in her head became quieter and quieter, until all she knew was serenity and peacefulness. As Silverstream drifted off to sleep, she never once stopped sucking on her talon.

Assistance

The ring of the school bell signaled an end to another day at the School of Friendship. Rarity had just finished giving a generosity/sewing lesson to her class moments before and now watched as her students all began to gather their things in an eager rush to leave. Before they all had a chance to rush for the door, however, she called out to one of them. "Oh, Silverstream?"

Silverstream paused in gathering her notes and books at the sound of her name. "Y-Yes?" she nervously asked.

"Would you be a dear and help me clean up? It'll only take a few minutes, and I would very much appreciate the help."

Relaxing a little now that she knew she wasn't in any trouble, Silverstream replied with an eager, "Sure!" After a moment of informing her friends that she'd join them in a little bit and to go ahead without her, Silverstream stayed behind as the classroom began to empty. In less than a minute, only her and Rarity remained as the pair began to put the sewing machines Rarity had brought out for that day's lesson back into storage.

Once the last machine was safely put away, Silverstream wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "All done!"

"Thank you, Silverstream." Rarity said with a smile. "That would have taken far longer if it was just me putting them away."

"No problem!" Silverstream replied, turning to grab her things and rejoin her friends.

"One moment, darling."

Silverstream froze in place, glancing back over her shoulder to see Rarity now looking at her with a concerned look on her face. "Miss Rarity?" Silverstream asked with genuine confusion in her voice.

"Forgive me for prying, but there is another reason I asked you to stay behind with me." Walking closer to Silverstream, Rarity reached up and placed her hoof on the young Hippogriff's shoulder. "Is everything alright, dear? I've noticed you've been a little... distracted as of late."

Silverstream's heart skipped a beat for a split second. In truth, she had been a bit distracted lately, her focus occasionly drifting off to daydream and ponder on the recent feelings of longing for her childhood she had been dealing with. Though she now understood what these feelings were, that didn't make them any easier to live with or answer why she was experiencing them at all.

"I'm... I'm fine!" Silverstream hastily replied, forcing a unconvincing smile onto her face. "Nothing's wrong! I mean, if there was anything wrong, which there isn't, I would have just gone to the Guidance Councelor's office, right?"

"True, very true," Rarity replied, though she still seemed far from convinced. "Unless, of course, what troubles you is something you wish to keep a secret, even from somepony like Starlight perhaps?"

Silverstream felt another bead of sweat drip down her face, though not from exhaustion like before. She stood frozen, unable to formulate a response to Rarity's inquiry.

"And if that is the case... then it would be wrong for me to pry," Rarity replied, her smile returning. "Just know that if you ever feel like talking without fear of being judged, my door is always open." Turning around, Rarity began to walk back to her desk to start sorting through her notes for the next lesson.

Silverstream remained rooted to the spot, however, a mental tug of war raging behind her eyes. She could simply leave and forget this ever happened, Rarity had made it clear that she wouldn't force her to say what was bothering her. And yet... the idea of actually speaking to someone about these strange feelings she'd been having was also strangely appealing...

"M... Miss Rarity?"

"Hmm?" Rarity paused, turning back around to give Silverstream her full attention. "Yes, Silverstream?"

Silverstream was silent for a few moments, biting her beak as she tried to formulate what to say. "La...Lately I've been... I've been feelin a bit... strange..."

"Strange in what way?"

"Well... While I was volunteering at the daycare recently, I saw one of the foals being cared for and I felt... I felt a little jealous of them."

"Jealous?" Rarity asked, having not expected that response. "If I may ask, jealous in what way, dear?"

"It's just... foals don't have to worry about stuff like classes, or finding a job after graduation, or any of that stuff! All they do is play and have fun all day before nap time! They have no idea how stressful being a grown up can be sometimes!"

Rarity felt like she should interject, but it was clear that Silverstream wasn't yet done venting, so she said nothing and just listened.

"I barely even remember my childhood, especially after we had to leave Mount Aris because of the stupid Storm King! I spent so much time caring for my little brother in making sure that he had a happy childhood that everything before that is just a muddy haze! I just... I just wish..." Silverstream panted heavily, the fire in her voice finally running out of steam and leaving her a bit exhausted.

"You wish you could experience your childhood again, is that it?" Rarity ventured, convinced that her assumption was right.

Unable to deny it, Silverstream nodded her head. "You must think I'm weird for thinking all this..."

"Not at all, darling!" Rarity quickly replied. "I said there would be no fear of judgement between us, and I stand by that. I'm happy that you felt comfortable enough telling me all this. As it happens..." Rarity smiled as she walked up to Silverstream at put her hoof on the young hippogriff's shoulder. "... this isn't the first time I heard someone mention about wanting to relive their childhood."

"Huh? What..."

Rarity giggled a little at the shocked expression on Silverstream's face. "For a businessmare like myself, nothing is more important than forming lasting connections and friendships with my clients. While I do admit on my part that this is selfishly a means to spread my name and brand out further, I do honestly enjoy forming lasting relationships with my clients, and I have met many wonderful ponies because of it. One such pony springs to mind after hearing how you're feeling.

"While I was fitting them for a new outfit, I struck up a conversation like I normally do and we got to talking. By the end of it I dare say we had become excellent friends, and I do still talk and write to her from time to time. However, during the course of our initial meeting, I inquired about what they did for employment and was rather confused when they told me they were a mix between a caregiver and a therapist. When I inquired further, I learned something new that quite surprised me. Tell me, Silverstream, have you ever heard of the term 'ageplay'?"

“... 'Ageplay'? Like... pretending you're a different age?”

“In a sense, yes. According to this friend of mine, it is not uncommon for creatures of all ages to longe once more for their childhood, to escape from the pressures and stresses of adult life for a few moments. At least, that is my limited understanding of it... “ Walking over to her desk, Rarity pulled out a small slip of paper and began to scribble something onto it. “There is a book I know of that will provide a much better explanation than I ever could, and knowing Twilight's pension for collecting books of all stripes, I'm fairy certain you will be able to find a copy in the school library. If not, than I will seek to acquire a copy for you.”

Silverstream took the slip of paper from Rarity without a word, still processing the new information that she had learned. There were... others who felt this way too? She wasn't the only one?

“As I was saying,” Rarity continued, “they explained to me that they specialized in helping creatures who desired a chance to relive their childhood, and seeks to help them understand and come to terms with these emotions and feelings, as well as giving them an outlet to experience them in a safe environment. Hence the mixed title of therapist and caregiver.”

“Why... why are you telling me all this?” Silverstream inquired, to which Rarity looked at her with the same concerned look as before.

“Because I believe it would be beneficial for you to see them, if at least once to help you sort out these strange new feelings of yours. Again, I will not force you to, but if you decide to see them, then simply come to me when you are ready and I will write them a letter posthaste to seek an appointment for you. I will then accompany you there as well, since going to meet a strange pony you've never met before, even one I trust and will gladly vouch for, can be a harrowing experience.”

Silverstream grew quiet once more as she considered all this. “I... Thank you, Miss Rarity. I'll think about all this and let you know what I decide to do.”

“That's all I ask for, dear. No rush either, take your time and only come to me when you're absolutely sure of what you want. Now run along, I'm sure your friends are eagerly awaiting your return.”

Nodding, Silverstream gathered up her things and left the room. If she had plenty on her mind before, then this little talk with Professor Rarity had only added to the pile building up in her brain. She certainly had a lot to think about... but that was for later. Rarity had made it clear there was no rush or time limit, so for now she could put all of this out of her mind and just enjoy a day spent with her friends. Doing just that, she flapped her wings and took flight, eager to rejoin her friends in whatever fun they were having without her.

The next day, after classes had ended for the day, Silverstream made a trip to the school library. Thanks to Headmare Twilight's meticulous filing system, she had little trouble locating the book Professor Rarity had suggested to her. Pulling the almost dictionary sized book from the shelf, she took a moment to read the title and compare it to the one on the little slip of paper in her hand.

Fringe Groups: A History and Deep Dive into the World of Subcultures.

Yep, this was the one. Flipping to the index in the back, she scanned the "A" listing for the section she was looking for.

A... Ag.... Age... Here it is: Ageplay.

Nervously glancing behind her just to be sure someone wasn't reading over her shoulder, she flipped to the indicated page and began to read.

Ageplay

Among some of the more misunderstood subcultures is that of the ageplay community. As its name would suggest, members will often seek to momentarily regress and pretend to be of a simpler, younger state of mind and body, acting like a child or, more commonly, a foal either in private, or in the company of a consenting friend or partner.
\Some common methods of achieving this effect include drinking from a bottle, playing with toys and/or games often seen as only suitable for much younger age groups such as colouring books or stacking blocks, and dressing in much younger suited clothing and attire.

One noticeable aspect of the community that can often lead to misunderstanding among those not familiar with ageplay is that many will seek to achieve a younger mindset by wearing, and even sometimes using for its intended purpose, diapers, a garment typically held in the collective unconscious as only being a necessity of young foals or the elderly, and carrying with it the idea that choosing to wear diapers is a foreign or abnormal trait in adults.

Silverstream felt her face break out in a blush as she read through that bit again. D...Diapers? Really? She had never even considered such an idea, but in some way it did make a bit of sense. After all, what better way to pretend to be a foal than by wearing the most infantile of items, not carrying about even needing to make it to the bathroom or not? Mulling over this new information, Silverstream continued to read on.

It is this idea of being seen as something “abnormal” or “wrong” that often leads to members of this community harboring intense feelings of shame or disgust for feeling the way they do, questioning why they feel the way they do and seeking to hide or, in extreme cases, rid themselves of these feelings in often harmful or self-destructive ways. Such actions are more often than not doomed from the start, as interviews with several Ageplayers, sometimes referred to among their groups as “Adult Foals”, has indicated that attempting to repress or ignore these feelings will only lead to feelings of isolation, depression, self-hate, and possibly other mental issues in the future. It is highly recommended to anypony seeking to understand these urges and feelings to speak with a licensed mental health professional if possible.

After much research into the Ageplay community, it is found that very little physical or mental harm is done through the act of Ageplay itself, with those interviewed often expressing how helpful the act can be when dealing with issues such as stress, depression, and even cases of severe mental trauma in childhood or young adulthood...

The words “severe mental trauma” stood out to Silverstream like a flare on a starless night. There was no denying that being forced to flee her home from an invading force when she was just a child certainly counted as trauma... but could something that sounded so silly really help her overcome it?

She skimmed through the rest of the section, but most of was a repeat of everything she already knew, so she quietly closed the book and slipped it back into its spot among the shelves. While the book had managed to answer a good number of her questions, now she had a whole round of new questions to consider. But the majority of her questions all branched out from one central question she had yet to answer: Should she take Rarity up on her offer and go see this therapist friend of hers?

From the way Rarity talked about them, she seemed convinced that they would be more than capable of helping Silverstream sort through all these feelings and ideas swirling through her head. And yet she still wasn't sure... The book had said that trying to ignore these feelings could be harmful in the long-term, and even recommended someone like her should talk to a specialist about it, but there was still the smallest bit of fear and uncertainty holding her back.

She still didn't have answer when she fell asleep that night, suckling on her thumb as she had the last few nights. Just she would be over the next three nights, nights spent dreaming about being a young child again, of lying on her belly on a padded floor as she doodled with crayons before moving on to play with blocks and countless stuffed animals. Of being held and loved by a figure she could never quite make out, but one that she knew in her heart was there to protect, care for, and love her no matter what.

The next morning, Silverstream had finally made up her mind. Once classes were done, she would head straight to Professor Rarity and ask her to write a letter to her friend. Once that letter had been mailed and was well on its way to its intended recipient, Silverstream could only wait and pray that she had made the right choice...

***

That evening, that same letter was slipped through the mail slot of a house in Canterlot. The steady sound of hooves signaled the arrival of the mare who owned the home and to who the letter was addressed to. A soft glow of magic picked up the letter and carefully opened it, extracting the letter from its envelope and allowing the recipient to read it.

The mare smiled at the sight of Rarity's distinctive and very immaculate hornwriting, it having been some time since she had last heard from her fashionista friend. She didn't blame her of course, seeing as how both of them lead very busy lives that left little time to keep in touch, more so for Rarity now that she had taken on the responsibilities of teaching the lessons friendship to the next generation, as much was said in the first part of her letter, which detailed the recent going ons of the School of Friendship and indicated that while it was obviously hard work, Rarity still found it to be a very fulfilling duty of hers.

It was the second part of the letter, however, that truly piqued the mare's interests.

Speaking of the school and my students, Rarity wrote, I was hoping to seek your services in helping one such student, a young hippogriff. Recently I began to notice that they appeared oddly distracted and distant during class, so one day I sat them down and inquired if something was troubling them. After some visual reluctance, they final expressed to me that they had begun to experience longing feelings for their childhood and the carefree joy of being a child again, a notion that I know will sound familiar to you. It is then that I mentioned your expertise in this area to them, and, after allowing them time to think it over, they have allowed me to request an appointment with you at your earliest convenience.

I know it is terribly presumptuous of me to ask for something like this out of the blue, but I know nopony else who is more suited in helping them move forward with these feelings of theirs than you. Should you agree, I will not only be paying for your services personally, but I will also be chaperoning them to the appointment to assist in helping the initial meeting between you to progress as smoothly as possible. I patiently awaiting your response, and hope you continue to have a fine day as well.

- With love, Rarity.

Upon finishing reading the letter, the mare wasted little time and trotted up to her day planner to look for an ideal open availability. Rarity was a dear friend, after all, and if it meant getting to help another little one move forward, she was more than happy to help. Finding an opening on the following weekend, the mare made haste to pen a reply letter, which would ensure that Rarity would have more than enough time to confirm the appointment and make plans for that day.

Before that though... she was going to need to restock her nursery again, just in case.

Therapy Session

Silverstream hated feeling nervous. It always caused her stomach to flip and flop, making her feel like she was in a constant state of needing to throw up but being unable to. This nervousness had been plaguing her practically from the moment she had woken up, as today was the day Miss Rarity was taking her to Canterlot to visit her friend, the one she'd said specialized in helping resolve the strange emotions Silverstream had been experiencing lately. The train ride from Ponyville to Canterlot had done nothing to ease her nervousness one bit, and Silverstream had to fight the urge to take flight and run as she followed Miss Rarity through the streets of Canterlot.

Having never been to Canterlot before, on any other day Silverstream would have awed and gawked at the many sights and sounds Canterlot had to offer. Instead she kept her eyes mostly locked onto the road beneath her as the pair walked closer and closer to their destination.

“We're here, dear.”

Silverstream looked up at the sound of Rarity's voice, now noticing that the mare had stopped. Looking up at the building they were now standing in front of, she was shocked at just how... normal it looked. In her mind she had been expecting something similar to a doctor's office or even one of Rarity's boutiques, a place that clearly advertised that it offered some form of services to potential clients. But the one floor building stood out little against all the other houses they had passed on the way here, with a few flowers on the windowsill and a garden gnome by the stairs being the only signs of individuality.

Silverstream didn't realize she had been staring at the house for longer than she should have until she heard Rarity clear her throat beside her.

“Well, it would be rude to keep them waiting long. Follow me, dear, and I'll introduce you two.”

Swallowing back another rising tide of nervousness welling up in her throat, Silverstream followed Rarity up the steps and towards the front door. With zero hesitation, Rarity raised a hoof and knocked three times against the wooden door.

For several seconds, only silence answered. Just when Silverstream was about to wonder if they weren't home, her ears perked up as she heard the distinct sounds of hoofsteps approaching the door. A click of the lock followed before the door swung open and a pony stood just past the threshold.

Rarity's face practically lit up at the sight of the mare. “Velvet Song!”

“Rarity! Oh, it has been too long! How are you, dear?” The mare replied with equal joy in her voice as she embraced Rarity in a hug.

“Oh, busier than ever before, you know how it is!” Rarity said as she returned the mare's embrace, the two sharing a quick laugh as they pulled away from one another.

“I'll bet! So...is this the student you wrote about?” The mare asked as she directed her attention from Rarity towards Silverstream, causing the young Hippogriff to wilt slightly under her gaze.

Just like her home, Velvet Song was nothing like Silverstream had expected, though in the back of her mind she reminded herself that she didn't know what she had been expecting in the first place. The unicorn now standing before her was a rather portly looking mare, but not in an overweight or unhealthy kind of way, but a very confidently comfortable way. Her coat was a very light lavender, only a shade or two away from appearing white like Rarity's, and her mane and tail were mostly pink with a few streaks of blue going through them. Her eyes were a very soothing blue, one that made Silverstream feel at ease a little just by looking at them despite her still present nervousness.

“He... Hello...” Silverstream managed to say, waving slightly at Velvet as she did.

Velvet only continued to smile as she nodded her head. “Now, don't be a stranger, come in, come in!” Stepping aside for a moment, she let the pair walk inside before gently closing the door behind her.

If Silverstream had been asked to pick one word that described the inside of Violet Song's home, it would definitely be “homey”. Everything from the pastel wallpaper, to the glass cabinet full of knickknacks next to the record player, to just the fresh smell of freshly baked cookies presented an atmosphere of “Make yourself comfy and at home here.”

“Would either of you like some tea?” Velvet asked as they entered into what Silverstream presumed was the living room.

“Oh, yes, tea sounds lovely.” Rarity was quick to reply.

“And how about you, miss...” Velvet trailed off as she turned to Silverstream. “Forgive me, but don't believe I got your name earlier...”

“Oh!” Silverstream blushed as she realized how rude she must look after not even introducing herself. “Sil-Silverstream. My name is Silverstream.”

“Silverstream...” Violet repeated, smiling yet again. “What a lovely name you have, dear.”

Silverstream's face turned a brighter shade of red. “Thank you...”

“Would you like some tea as well, Silverstream?” Velvet asked again, this time getting a quick nod from the young Hippogriff. “Wonderful! You two make yourselves comfortable, I'll be right back.”

As Velvet Song stepped into the kitchen for a moment, Rarity and Silverstream both took a seat at the small table in the living room. As they waited, Silverstream observed the room some more and noticed several framed papers hanging on the walls. Focusing on them, she could make out that they were all various degrees including Psychology, Counselling, and Child Care, among several others.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” Velvet said as she stepped back into the living room, carrying in her magic a large tray with a kettle, several tea cups, and a smaller tray of biscuits on top. Gently setting it down onto the table, Velvet gracefully poured a cup of tea for Rarity and Silverstream before pouring one for herself and sitting down across from them.

“It appears...” Rarity began as she accepted her tea, “... that you've done some redecorating since the last time I was here, am I correct?”

“So you noticed,” Velvet Song replied. “It was starting to feel a little stuffy in here, so I redecorated a while back for a nice change of pace.”

“It certainly shows,” Rarity responded as she took a sip of her tea.

As the two unicorns chatted, Silverstream remained silent as she occasionally sipped her tea. It was unlike her to act like a third wheel like this, but at the moment she was content with letting Rarity do all the talking for now.

At some point Rarity and Velvet Song must have noticed that Silverstream had yet to chime in since they had all sat down, because they both shared a knowing look for a brief moment before Rarity set down her tea cup and stood up. “Well, it has been absolutely lovely catching up with you after so long, but I believe it's time I depart.”

“We're leaving?” Silverstream asked, causing Rarity to giggle.

“Not we, me. The whole purpose of us coming out here today was for Velvet to have a counselling session with only you, and my presence here is certainly getting in the way of that. Fear not, I trust Velvet Song completely, and know that you will be more than safe here with her.”

Before Silverstream could attempt to come up with a rebuttal, Rarity had already made for the door and had one hoof already outside. “I'll be back in a few hours, see you then!” she called back before closing the door behind her.

Whatever security Silverstream might have felt from having Rarity accompany her vanished along with her. An almost suffocating awkwardness settled in the air of Silverstream remained silent, doing everything she could to avoid Velvet's gaze.

Velvet, for her part, seemed completely unfazed by Silverstream's silence, her comforting smile never once leaving her face as they both sat there without a word between them. After what felt like forever to Silverstream, Velvet Song finally spoke. “This is your first therapy session of this kind, correct?”

When Silverstream didn't respond, Velvet Song went on. “It's not unusual to be apprehensive during your first, second or third session with a therapist, no matter the reason. If you're having trouble thinking about what to say, how about I ask you a few questions to start and you can answer them as much as you feel like? Sound good?”

The more Velvet Song talked, the more at ease Silverstream began to feel as the tension that had been gradually building inside her seemed to diminish. It was still there for sure, but for now Silverstream felt like she could put it aside for now. “Okay, that sounds good.”

“Wonderful! To start, what's your family like? How many members, besides you?”

“Well... there's my mom, Ocean Flow, and my dad, Sky Beak. Oh, and of course there's Terramor, my little brother.”

Velvet Song nodded in understanding, her gaze silently asking for Silverstream to continue.

“My parents are... hmm...” Silverstream tapped a talon against her beak in thought. “They still love each other, but they're kind of... separated right now. But not 'separated' separated, they just live in different homes around Mount Aris. Does that make any sense?”

“It does. And what about this brother of yours? How is he doing?”

“Last I saw him he was doing pretty good. He comes to visit me sometimes, and he's just as excitable as me sometimes.” Silverstream chuckled to herself as she thought back to some of Terramor's past antics. “He was a bit of a talon-full back when we were kids.”

“Oh? As his big sister, did you happen to help your parents look after him while he was growing up?”

“Yep!” Silverstream replied with a wide grin on her face. “I loved looking after Terramor, and it helped take my mind off of th--” Silverstream suddenly froze, her eyes becoming hazy as her mind once more circled back to the days before and after Mount Aris was invaded by the Storm King.

“Rarity has told me a little about your lessons at her school,” Velvet Song was quick to interject, snapping Silverstream out her stupor. She had heard about what had happened to Mount Aris and the Hippogriffs living there, and knew the signs of spiralling back to traumatic memories at a glance. There was nothing she could do about it now, sadly, but she made a quick mental note of it just in case as she carefully steered the topic back to happier subjects. “How are things at the School of Friendship? Are you enjoying your time there?”

After a brief moment, Silverstream responded with a nod of her. “Yeah, I love it at the school. I'm learning so many new things about Friendship, and all my friends are there too! We have so much fun together! Like this one time my friend Ocellus, she's a Changeling by the way, asked us all to help her study and...”

Velvet Song listened intently as Silverstream opened up more about her friends and time spent at the school. Every once in a while she would interrupt to ask a quick question or have something clarified for her, but other than that she just allowed Silverstream to continue on for as long as she felt comfortable. By the time Silverstream had finally stopped for a moment to catch her breath, almost an hour had passed them by.

“More tea?” Velvet asked during the brief lull in conversation. As she refilled Silverstream's cup, she was happy that Silverstream had finally relaxed enough to open up like she had. Setting the kettle back down, Velvet decided now was a good a time as any to try and steer the conversation towards the root of why Rarity had asked her to speak with Silverstream. “So... Rarity mentioned to me that you occasionally volunteer at a local nursery. Is that true?”

“Yep!” Silverstream replied before taking a quick sip of her tea. “I love looking after the little foals, they're so cute!”

Velvet Song smiled. “That we have in common, it seems. Tell me though, have you ever felt any unusual feelings while looking after the foals? Feelings like longings to return to a simpler time, perhaps?”

Silverstream couldn't help but sigh. She knew this moment was going to happen eventually, it was the whole reason Rarity had arranged this meeting with Velvet in the first place. “Not at first, but recently I have started feeling a little... jealous of how the foals never have to worry or care about things like school and stuff.”

“Do you happen to know what triggered these feelings, by any chance?” Velvet inquired further.

“I do, actually. I was walking into the nap room after changing one of the foal's diapers and I saw one of the other caregivers sitting in a rocking chair in the corner. She had one of the foals in her lap and was singing them a lullaby while feeding them a bottle before bed. I'd seen this happening a bunch of times already, but for some reason that moment just... stuck in my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about it over and over again, even when I slept. I even...” Silverstream blushed as she almost whispered, “... started sucking my thumb at night.”

Not a speck of judgment reflected back in Velvet Song's eyes as she nodded again. “it's not unusual or uncommon to experience such feelings sometimes, especially as you get over. Normally these feelings subside before long... but I'm guessing the reason you're here is because not only have these feelings not subsided, but they've continued to only grow stronger, am I correct?”

Silverstream didn't reply right away, but the look on her face said everything Velvet needed to know already. “Is there anything you can do to help, Miss Song?”

“I can certainly try,” Velvet song replied as she drained the rest of her tea. “There are multiple different mental or physical exercises I can recommend to help you focus and live without these feelings disrupting your life. Alternatively, we can go ahead and start with a more personal practice that I have found often works the best at easing these feelings of yours.”

“You mean the Ageplay stuff?”

“Ah, so you know of it already. Yes, I am suggesting taking part in an Ageplay session here with me. However, I must stress that ultimately how we progress from this moment comes down to you and only you. I can make suggestions and show you possible paths to take, but in the end only you can choose to take them.”

“Even the diapers?” Silverstream asked, now genuinely surprised. From what she had read in that book Rarity had suggested, she had assumed that wearing and even using diapers was an essential part of Ageplay and not an optional choice.

“Yes, even the diapers. While most of my clients use diapers as the easiest means to slip into a more childlike mindset, I have still many more than a few who can just as easily go without them. Again, this will only go as far as you are willing to take it and if at any point you want to stop for any reason, simply say so and that will be the end of our session.”

Standing up, Velvet began collecting all the used plates and cups with her magic. “No rush, dear, take as long as you need to decided. If you need more time to think it over, we can always schedule another session for the future, it's no trouble.”

As Velvet stepped back into the kitchen to deal with the dishes, Silverstream sat in thought as she considered her options. The more and more she thought about it though, the more appealing the idea of being cared for an looked after like one of the foals at the nursery sounded to her. The fact that Velvet Song had stressed that Silverstream could say yes or no to anything meant if she found she didn't enjoy something she could always just move onto something else without it being an issue.

Plus, Silverstream had always been the kind of Hippogriff to eagerly try something at least once, and if this could ultimately solve the feelings she had been experiencing lately, then what reasons did she have to ultimately not at least give it a try?

By the time Velvet Song returned, Silverstream had already made up her mind. “I want to try the Ageplay, please, “she blurted out before Velvet could even think to ask.

“Wonderful!” Velvet replied with a beaming smile. “If that is what you want, then follow me and we can get started.”

Getting up, Silverstream followed closely behind Velvet Song as they walked deeper into the unicorn's home, eventually coming up on a seemingly unremarkable door leading to a room at the back of the house. With a bit of magic, the door lock clicked open and the pair stepped inside.

Silverstream's jaw practically hit the floor at what lay inside. It was like she had stepped into a completely different world, one born out the wishes of ever foal and child to have ever lived.

Bright pastel colours covered practically every inch of wall space, mixed in with stickers and drawings of cute animals, rainbows, toys, and everything you could think of that would make a child smile. The floor was covered in what felt like only the softest of plush carpets and was just as colourful as the walls, and a massive crib with a mobile occupied one corner of the room, while a changing table occupied another. Rows of shelves had been placed against the wall just next to the changing table and seemed to hold just about every diaper type ever made judging from how many different varieties of colours and designs Silverstream could see at but a glance. Just out the corner of her eye she spotted what appeared to be a play area with a red plastic table and matching chairs, a playpen, and the largest chest of toys Silverstream had ever seen, only dwarfed by the massive pile of plush animals sitting nearby.

A tap on her shoulder managed to snap Silverstream out of her stupor as she glanced over at Velvet Song, who seemed to be doing her best to suppress a giggle.

“No matter how many times I see that look of wonder and awe on my clients faces, it never gets old. Now, my little Hippogriff, where would you like to begin?”

First Time Foal

“Now, my little Hippogriff, where would you like to begin?”

Where to begin indeed, as Silverstream gazed around in awe at the veritable foalish paradise she was now standing in. Velvet Song had certainly gone all out in making sure her clients were not bereft of options when it came to these sessions. As her eyes settled onto the changing table, she finally knew where she wanted to begin, wordlessly pointing at the table.

“Good choice!” Velvet Song replied with a warm smile on her face. Taking Silverstream's hand in her hoof, she gently lead her newest client over to the table. Upon reaching it, she patted the top with a hoof. “Climb on up for me and we can get started.”

Silverstream's heart hammered away in her chest, both from nervousness and steadily building excitement as she pulled herself up onto the cushioned table and laid onto her back. A slight giggle escaped her lips upon noticing that there were numerous star stickers plastered over the ceiling above her.

“Excited, aren't we?” Velvet remarked as she briefly turned to face the shelves of diapers. “Now, what kind would you like to wear today, dear? Disposable or cloth?”

Silverstream hummed in thought, her mind drifting back to the photos of her when she was younger. She recalled that Terramar had worn cloth diapers when he was a baby, and she remembered seeing her much younger self wearing much the same. “Cloth, please.”

“Good choice,” Velvet replied as she used her magic to retrieve some cloth diapers from a higher shelf. Majority of her clients preferred disposable brands, but she still kept a few different styles of cloth brands for just such an occasion. After retrieving all the supplies she needed, Velvet Song turned her attention back onto Silverstream. “Feel free to suck your thumb if it helps, dear. I certainly won't mind.”

Taking the advice, Silverstream popped her thumb into her mouth. Instantaneously her concerns seem to diminish greatly as she felt a calmness come over her. Funny how such a small thing could have such a big effect, she thought.

“Such a good little one. Now, roll over onto your side for a moment.”

Doing as she was asked, Silverstream rolled over onto her side to allow Velvet Song to unfold the cloth diaper she had selected, one in a shade of sea foam green, and set it onto the table. When she was allowed to roll back onto her back, the first thing Silverstream noticed was the pleasant feeling of the soft padding as it cushioned her bottom.

With that done, Velvet Song floated up a bottle of foal powder for Silverstream to see. “I will let you know now that you don't have to use your diaper if you don't want to. If at any point you want me to remove it, simply ask and I will do so right away. This is just so you smell nice, understand?”

Silverstream nodded in response, still sucking away at her thumb.

“You're being such a good baby for me, dear,” Velvet cooed as she turned the bottle of powder up and began to sprinkle it all over Silverstream's lower half, the pleasing scent of lavender wafting through the air and tickling Silverstream's nose a little. Once that was done, she grabbed the front of the diaper and pulled it up until the top was aligned with Silverstream's waist. Holding it in place with a hoof, she reached over with her other hoof and pulled up the right fastening tab until it was securely fastened onto the front of Silverstream's diaper, quickly following it with the left tab. After a quick check to make sure the fit wasn't too tight she lightly patted the front of diaper, causing a small puff of powder to escape through the leg holes. “There, all done! You were such a good baby during your change that I think you deserve a reward!”

Before Silverstream could react, Velvet Song leaned down and pressed her lips against Silverstream's exposed belly before blowing a loud raspberry that caused Silverstream to erupt into laughter as she wiggled atop the table.

Picking up the still giggling Hippogriff in her hooves, Velvet Song gently set her down back into her feet. Once Silverstream stopped laughing, Velvet gently asked, “How do you feel now, dear? Do you like your new diaper?”

Glancing over her shoulder, Silverstream briefly stared at the diaper she was now wearing, the first one she had worn since being toilet trained as a child. Wiggling her padded rump a little, the first thing she noticed was how... comfortable it felt. Like wearing a soft pillow, one fluffy enough to push her back legs apart ever so slightly. After a moment, Silverstream replied, “I feel... comfy. I... I like it.”

“Wonderful,” Velvet replied, patting Silverstream on the shoulder. “I have dresses and other outfits in the closet if you want to play a little more dress up. What do you say?”

Once more Silverstream's mind drifted back to the photos of her childhood. The photos she had seen often showed her running around in just a diaper, and while the idea of getting all dressed up certainly sounded tempting, Silverstream decided the diaper was more than enough for now. “No, I'm good for right now, miss...” Silverstream paused, long enough for Velvet Song to notice.

“Is something wrong?” Velvet asked, having an idea of what Silverstream might be thinking about.

“No, it's just... what do I call you? 'Miss Song' just doesn't sound right...”

Velvet's smile widened slightly. “You can call me whatever you like, honey, but I've found that many of my clients like to call me 'Nana' or 'Auntie' while we're in here. How does either of those sound to you?”

After thinking it over, Silverstream nodded, a small blush spreading across her cheeks as she replied, “Ok... 'Nana'.”

Velvet cooed at just how adorable Silverstream looked. “Now that you're all dressed, I think it's time for some playtime.” Giving Silverstream a light nudge with her hoof, she stepped back to watch what the young Hippogriff would choose. Experience had shown her that letting her clients pick for themselves often allowed them to more easily slip into a younger frame of mind during these sessions.

Silverstream looked back and forth between the many options available to her, a feeling of giddiness bubbling up inside her at just the thought of getting to play just like the foals she looked after. After a few moments, her eyes settled upon the pile of plushies. A gleeful smile spread across her face as she practically pounced onto the pile, sending a few plushies flying as she dug through the seemingly limitless options of plush companions to choose from. Eventually she finally resurfaced with a large fluff filled plush shark in her arms, hugging it tightly against her body.

“Looks like you made a new friend!” Velvet Song said as Silverstream leapt back out of the plushie pile. “Do they have a name?”

“Blahaj!” Silverstream shouted as she continued to hug and snuggle the plush shark. With her usual bubbling enthusiasm, she immediately toddled over to the toy chest and began to rummage around inside. It wasn't long before she pulled out a most peculiar looking toy and plopped down onto her padded rump to examine it closer.

The toy in question seemed to be made almost entirely out of wood. The base of the toy was a single slab of polished wood and attached at the ends and sides of the base were three large coloured wires of red, green, and blue that had been twisted and bent in such a way so they could twist and turn across one another, but never actually be touching. Several wooden spheres painted in the same colours sat at the end of each wire, making it clear that the goal was to push them along the wires until they all reached the end.

Vaguely recalled that she had seen something very similar to this in a doctor's office once, Silverstream set it down in front of her and pushed the first sphere along the red wire, which had been bent to go up and down like a series of tall hills and deep valleys. Once the sphere had reached the end of the wire, she did the same with the other two, a satisfying clicking of wood reaching her ears as the spheres all clacked together.

The whole thing was very simple and juvenile... which was what made it so appealing to Silverstream. There was nothing to focus on or worry about remembering any rules, just pushing the spheres back and forth across the wires. She giggled as she moved onto the blue wire, which was shaped like a winding corkscrew that actually looped around some of the red wire. Around and around the wooden shapes moved along the corkscrewed wire they were to mimic one of Rainbow Dash's stunts. Once those had all reached the end, she moved on to the yellow wire, which had been bent into a trio of loops.

This time, as she moved the spheres around the loops, she unabashedly started making whooshing sounds with her mouth, now fully imagining in her mind that all these were actually pegasi and hippogriffs performing aerial acrobatics. However, as the last three spheres reached the end, Silverstream was far from done playing as she used both hands to reach for the red and blue spheres, seeing which ones could all make it the end the fastest, followed by even more whooshing sounds. Next it was red and yellow that were racing, then yellow and blue, and before the long the air was filled with the sounds of giggles, wooden clacks and clanks, and whooshing.

All the while, Velvet Song stood back and simply observed Silverstream as she slipped so effortlessly into a foalish mindset. Velvet was delighted that, despite her previous nervousness, Silverstream had so far had very little difficulty slipping into the role, which showed how strong these feelings had become after building up until now. It was even possible that Silverstream had been unknowingly suppressing this side of her for even longer that either her or Velvet realized, but all that was mostly conjecture at this point. Still, progress was progress, so she remained silent at she continued to observe from a safe distance.

As much fun as the odd toy was, eventually Silverstream began to get bored with it and decided to move on to another toy. Another few moments rummaging through the toy chest yielded a bin of coloured letter blocks and Silverstream happily dumped the blocks all over the floor. Holding Blahaj comfortably under one arm, Silverstream shifted onto her belly as she began arranging the blocks into a series of simple words, not caring one bit that her new position caused her padded behind to be on full display.

After a few moments, words began to form out the blocks, like “STAR”, “BIRD”, “BEAR”, and “CUTE”. Sticking her tongue idly out the side of mouth, she moved onto more difficult words like “WAVES”, “PONIES”, and “DRAGONS”. Unfortunately, it felt like barely any time at all before Silverstream found herself becoming bored with the blocks, forgoing spelling anything out and simply stacking them up as high as she could.

Once she had run out of blocks to stack, a devilish smile spread across her face as she leapt up and shouted, “Shark attack!”, swinging Blahaj like a club as she sent the blocks scattering across the floor and sending Silverstream into another laughing fit that caused her to drop back down onto her diapered behind. However, her laughter abruptly stopped as a sudden urge came over her, causing her to glance down at her diaper.

She had to pee.

All that tea had finally reached her bladder, and now Silverstream found herself at an impasse. She could just go into her diaper, that's what it was for after all! And yet, actually using her diaper seemed like way too big a leap for her to take. Wearing was one thing, this was a whole other thing entirely! Velvet Song's words from before echoed in her mind, “You don't have to use your diaper if you don't want to. If at any point you want me to remove it, simply ask and I will do so right away...”

“Na... Nana?”

“Yes?” Velvet Song replied, instantly at Silverstream's side with a warm smile on her face. “What is it, dear?”

“Umm...” Silverstream blushed, tapping her talons together in embarrassment as she slowly said, “I... I need to use the bathroom...”

Velvet's smile didn't falter one bit. “Of course. Let me show you where the bathroom is.” Taking hold of Silverstream's hand, Velvet lead Silverstream out of the nursery and down the hall before stopping outside the bathroom. “Here we are,” As Velvet turned to look at Silverstream, she giggled at what she saw. “Will Blahaj be joining you in the bathroom today?”

“Huh?” Silverstream glanced down to find that she was still holding the plush shark under her arm, not realizing that she had taken it with her. “Oh, uhhh... no?” Holding out Blahaj, she let Velvet take it from her before Velvet quickly undid and removed the diaper off of her.

“Take your time, I'll be waiting right here to change you back into your diaper when your done if you want to.”

As Silverstream stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, Velvet Song patiently waited outside just like she had said. Glancing down at the plush shark she was holding, she whispered to it, “I think she's starting to get comfortable with these new feelings of hers rather nicely, don't you?”

Blahaj said nothing, but Velvet giggled to herself nonetheless.

Velvet wasn't waiting long before she heard the sound of the toilet flushing through the bathroom door, soon followed by the sound of the tap running for a brief moment before being turned off once more. Seconds later the door opened and Silverstream exited the bathroom, smiling when she saw that Velvet was still waiting for her. “All done!”

“And you remembered to wash up afterwards too! Oh, Nana is so proud of her adorable little Hippogriff!” Velvet remarked, ruffling the top of Silverstream's feathered head and causing the Hippogriff to blush from the praise. “Now, how about the three of us all head back to the nursery and continue play time, hmm?”

“A-Actually...” Silverstream stuttered, having worked up a little more courage while in the bathroom. “I was wonder if... if we could...”

“Hmm? No need to be shy, dear. Just tell Nana what you want and I'll do my best to make it happen. That's what I'm here for, after-all!”

Her blush growing ever redder, Silverstream leaned over and whispered something into Velvet Song's ear, the older mare listening intently and nodded her head after a moment.

“Yes, that sounds like a grand idea, dear!”

“Yay!” Silverstream cheered, clapping her hands together as Velvet Song handed Blahaj back to her, scooping the plush shark into her arms and hugging him tightly as she followed behind Velvet Song back into the nursery, a giddy skip in her step now. This was going to be so much fun!

Dreams Realized

“Ok, I'm ready, Nana!”

In the short time since Silverstream's trip to the bathroom, a pair of sheets had been hung up in the middle of the nursery to act as makeshift curtains as Silverstream bustled behind them. Patiently waiting not far away was Velvet Song, sitting down with a small xylophone in front of her. Upon hearing her cue, Velvet began to tap the keys of the xylophone in a steady rhythm, producing a little jingle in turn.

The curtains were pushed aside as Silverstream proudly stepped out, now dressed in a purple onesie that matched the color of her eyes. Like a model on a runaway, Silverstream strolled ahead in her new outfit, happily showing it off to her adoring audience.

“Smile for the camera, dear!” Velvet Song called out, causing Silverstream to pause for a moment before striking a pose and making a pouty face for the “cameras.” Once the Hippogriff had strolled back and forth enough times along the imaginary runway, Velvet called out, “Costume change time!”

Hearing this, Silverstream ducked back behind the curtains, where the sounds of rummaging could be heard. Moments later, Silverstream once more emerged, but this time she was wearing a light blue princess dress that flowed down to her ankles, a plastic crown on her head completing the look.

While washing her hands in the bathroom, Silverstream had worked up the courage to ask Velvet if she could dress up for a bit. And so, once Velvet had changed Silverstream back into a cloth diaper at her request, she had been lead her over to a closet and pulled it open. Just like when she had first walked into the nursery, Silverstream was completely floored by the sheer treasure trove of outfits and costumes that lay before her. Again and again she would pull out an outfit she thought would look cute on her, only for her eyes to immediately fall upon another outfit that was just as tantalizing.

As a good sized pile of options began to form, Silverstream's original plan of dress-up had quickly evolved into a full blown modelling show. Velvet had offered to help, but Silverstream had been adamant that she wanted each outfit to “be a surprise for Nana.” Not wanting to get in the way of Silverstream's bout of childish energy, Velvet was more than happy to sit by to serve as both the audience and emotional support if the need arose.

Recalling some princess etiquette she had picked up from her cousin Skystar, Silverstream strolled forward with the grace and confidence that a princess would, even one with a diaper hidden beneath her dress. Waving to the imaginary audience, she pinched the sides of her dress as she pulled off a perfect curtsy. Skystar would be so proud of me!

“Costume change!”

Princess Silverstream quickly disappeared behind the curtain, emerging moments later as Maid Silverstream, complete with feather duster in her hand that she used to dust the air, occasionally bending down enough to give Nana a clear view of her diapered bottom.

Back and forth this went for nearly an hour, time zooming by as Silverstream changed from costume to costume one after another. Maid Silverstream soon became Baby Silverstream once more, dressed in a sea-blue onesie this time as she shook a rattle in her hand. As she reached the end of the “runaway”, she plopped her padded rear down and popped her thumb into her mouth, sucking happily as she shook her rattle even faster.

Soon Baby Silverstream turned into Construction Worker Silverstream, a plastic hardhat perched atop her head and a bright orange vest on her body. After another stroll up and down the runway, she quickly changed into Summertime Silverstream, dressed in a bright yellow sundress and a large brimmed sunhat as she happily pranced through an imaginary field of daisies and sunflowers.

Continuing with the summer theme, Silverstream then emerged as Beachtime Silverstream, wearing a snorkel and a pair of inflatable water wings on her arms. A pair of plastic pants with little fishes on them had also been pulled up over her diaper, causing her to crinkle slightly with each step. As she passed in front of Nana, Silverstream briefly activated the pearl shard she wore around her neck, causing Nana to let out a gasp of surprise as Silverstream switched to her Seapony form for a moment before turning back into a Hippogriff again.

Beachtime Silverstream was soon followed up by Sailor Silverstream, wearing a sailor pony's uniform and a little cap as she mimed being on lookout and gazing out across the sea for any danger. In a twist fitting an adventure novel, Sailor Silverstream briefly disappeared behind the curtain before revealing that she had been a pirate the whole time, now wearing an eye-patch, pirate's hat and carrying a toy sword in her hand.

After Pirate Silverstream had made the poor crew walk the plank, she changed themes entirely as she then emerged wearing a bright pink ballerina's tutu, prancing and galloping around like a real ballerina performing a dance on stage. After a quick performance, she gave a bow, earning her a resounding applause from Nana.

As Silverstream once more disappeared behind the curtain, Velvet Song couldn't help but feel proud of how far Silverstream had come in such a short time. More often than not it usually took at least two to three sessions before her clients really felt comfortable enough to indulge so readily in their desires, but Silverstream was one of the rare occasions that took to ageplay like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Yes, being able to witness firsthoof as a pony, or Hippogriff in this case, allowed themselves to momentarily put aside the needs to be an adult and truly embrace their inner child was always the most rewarding part to Velvet.

Several more costume changes later, Silverstream was starting to feel rather parched. Poking her head out from behind the curtain, she said, “Nana, I'm thirsty!”

“Oh, you poor dear!” Velvet replied in her usually motherly tone. “Nana will get you a nice refreshing drink right away. Would you like it in a normal glass, a sippy cup, or a bottle?”

At the mention of “bottle”, Silverstream was instantly transported back to the moment that had started this whole journey for her, the moment she had witnessed a foal being fed a bottle by one of the nursery caregivers.

Her answer was immediate. “Baba, please!”

Velvet giggled. “Alright, you stay right here while Nana goes and warms you up a fresh baba.”

While she waited for Nana to return, Silverstream once more looked over the pile of outfits she had modelled so far, trying her best to pick which one she liked the most. After more than one round of “Eenie Meenie Miny Mo”, she finally settled on wearing the sea-blue onesie, recalling that it had made her feel the most childish out of all the other outfits.

Soon enough, Velvet returned with a warm bottle of milk. “Here you are, sweetie.”

Silverstream reached out to take the bottle of milk, but paused for a moment, her arm pulling back slightly. As she stared at the offered bottle of milk, the image of the young foal being fed remained burned into her mind, refusing to leave her. She bit the inside of her cheek, some kind of mental barrier still holding her back from asking the one thing she really wanted the most.

“What's wrong?” Velvet asked, noticeable concern in her voice.

“I... uh... It's just...” Glancing down at the floor, her cheeks starting to blush, Silverstream stuttered nervously, “Do... do you remember how... how I mentioned the thing that made me want to act this way?”

Velvet smiled, knowing exactly where the Hippogriff was going with this. “Aww, does my little one want Nana to feed her her baba? Is that it?”

Still unable to meet the mare's gaze, Silverstream nodded her head.

“Aww, no need to be shy!” Velvet said, patting Silverstream lightly on the head in an attempt to ease the young Hippogriff's worries. “I'm more than happy to feed such an adorable baby like you.” Taking Silverstream's hand in her hoof, Velvet gently lead her over to a rocking chair that was tucked into the corner of the nursery, one that Silverstream hadn't even noticed until now.

“Sitting down in the rocking chair, Velvet gestured for Silverstream to sit in her lap. “Come one, little one, no need to be afraid. Hop up so Nana can feed you your baba.”

Flapping her wings, Silverstream flew up and settled down into Velvet's lap, her head supported by the mare's other hoof.

“Comfortable?” Velvet asked.

“Mmhhmmm,” Silverstream squeaked out as her heart hammered away in her chest. This was it, the moment she had dreamed of since these feelings of hers had first appeared. It had all been leading up to this moment!

“Open wide for Nana!”

Opening her beak, Silverstream felt the nipple of the bottle enter her mouth. Like an old instinct resurfacing after a long time, Silverstream instinctively began to suckle like it was the most natural reaction in the world. Her efforts were soon rewarded with a steady stream of warm milk that filled her mouth and steadily flowed down into her belly, leaving a warm, soothing feeling to settle in her belly as she fed.

The sensations that ran through Silverstream's mind were practically indescribable. A sense of warmth, love, and security in knowing that she had someone like Nana to care for and look after her. All her cares seemed to just melt away in an instant. She didn't have to worry about school, about any of her responsibilities, or even what her friends would think if they ever saw her like this. No, all that mattered in this moment was giving in to the comforting feeling of being little more than a baby.

Again the moment in the nursery appeared in her mind, only this time the caregiver was replaced by Nana Velvet, and the baby replaced with Silverstream as she was now: dressed in a sea-blue onesie that did little to hide the cloth diaper she was wearing while she happily fed from a bottle of milk.

She felt herself shift slightly as she nestled further into Nana's fur, the feeling of Nana's warm body adding to the warmth she was already feelings. Her ears twitched slightly as she picked up the sound of Nana's voice. Was Nana... singing?

“Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleeping head... Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed...”

As the stream of milk began to slow down to a mere trickle, Silverstream felt her eyelids began to grow heavy, the soothing sounds of Nana's voice gently lulling her to sleep. As the last few drops of milk filled her now full belly, she felt herself be moved slightly as her head settled comfortably on Nana's shoulder. She felt a soft bump against her back, then a second one, and finally a third one as she felt a bubble of gas steadily rise up her throat before she let our a massive burp that made her spit up slightly on Nana's shoulder. Normally Silverstream would have been embarrassed by the fact that she had just been burped like a baby, but in that moment she was far too content and happy to care.

Nana's hoof began to rub small circles against her back as she slipped even further to sleep. As her eyes closed and she fully gave in to sleep's warm and inviting embrace, she couldn't remember a time she had ever felt so relaxed and content as she did in this very moment.

A few hours later, Rarity strolled up to Velvet Song's abode and knocked against the door. She only had to wait a moment before she heard the door creak open as Velvet Song appeared on the other side.

“Rarity! Welcome back. How was your walk around Canterlot?"

“Marvelous, my dear Velvet,” Rarity replied as she strolled into Velvet's home. “Nothing like a nice walk through Canterlot's Fashion District to really get my creativity flowing!” As she walked deeper into Velvet's home, she noticed that a certain individual seemed to be missing. “Where is--”

“She's napping in the nursery,” Velvet was quick to reply. “Tired herself out from all the excitement.”

“Ah, I see,” Rarity said, having been made aware of the existence of Velvet Song's nursery some time ago. “I know there's only so much you can say, patient-client privacy and all that, but how did she do? Any progress made?”

“Oh, we made great strides today, more so than I was expecting, honestly.” Velvet's smile spoke volumes as she met Rarity's gaze. “In my professional opinion, you were right to bring Silverstream to me today. Poor dear had so much built up anxiety that it would have only been a matter of time before it overwhelmed her. Thankfully, with a just little coaxing from me, I was able to help her overcome some of her fears and allow her to act upon her feelings earnestly. She probably won't be needing another session with me for a long while after the strides we made today, but I would be more than happy to see her again in the near future.”

“That's excellent news! Oh, I can't thank you enough for being willing to see Silverstream on such short notice.”

“Oh, believe me, it was my pleasure. I'm always happy to help a little one like her in need.”

Smiling, Rarity glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Well, it's still a few hours until our train back to Ponyville leaves, so I'll let her enjoy her nap for a while longer. Though, if it's not too much to ask... may I take a peek in on her for a moment?”

Velvet Song seemed to consider the request for a moment, before nodding her head. “Only if you're very quiet, we wouldn't want to disturb her nap after all, right?”

Rarity nodded, miming the action of zipping her mouth closed and pressing a hoof to it to show she wouldn't make a peep. Quietly, the pair tiptoed down the hall towards the nursery. Once they were standing outside it, Velvet Song carefully opened up the door just enough for the pair to peer inside and catch a glimpse of the crib within.

Rarity had to resist the urge to let out an “Awww!” at the sight of Silverstream, all tucked in beneath the blankets and cuddling a plush shark while she slept. She had even started sucking her thumb as she slept, only further enhancing the utter adorableness of the moment. The look of absolute peacefulness on Silverstream's face in that moment reassured Rarity even more that she had been right to seek out Velvet Song's expertise.

As the nursery door closed once more, Silverstream didn't so much as stir, her dreams filled with childish wonders and fond memories that she had long thought forgotten, secure in the comfort and security of the being able to live out her desires of once being the baby Hippogriff she truly was deep down.

Pleasant Dreams

“Where's the birdie?... Here I am!”

The Pegasus foal giggled again, before gasping as Silverstream covered her face again, seemingly disappearing completely.

“Where's the birdie?”

Hearing her voice still, the foal tried their best to sleuth out where Silverstream was hiding now. She had just been here a moment ago, where could she have--

“Here I am!” Silverstream declared, revealing her face as the foal subsequently gasped at her miraculous reappearance before erupting into a fit of giggles once more. These giggles only intensified when Silverstream tickled the foal's exposed belly, making her laugh along with the amused foal.

After a few more rounds of Peek-a-boo, the foal became distracted by another nearby toy, allowing Silverstream to step away for a moment as the foal's attention became focused elsewhere. Looking around at the daycare of foals, Silverstream smiled at just how carefree and happy they all were. She had always enjoyed taking care of the foals before, but her time spent with Velvet Song in Canterlot had done wonders to give her a brand new understanding and insight into the mind of a young child.

Memories of her time spent in “Nana's” nursery filled her mind, the feelings of carefree joy and comfort filling her heart in turn. Once she graduated, she would definitely have to see about booking another appointment with Velvet Song for herself again.

The sound of crying from across the room made her ears perk up slightly. Strolling over to the source of the noise lead her to one of the hired caregivers, who was clearly having some difficulty attempting to feed the rather fussy Earth Pony foal a bottle of warm milk.

“What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?” The mare said as she tried her best to comfort the young foal, unable to hide the hint of desperation in her voice as all her attempts seemed to fail. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned around to see Silverstream standing nearby with a look of concern on her face. “Oh, Silverstream! I thought you were still playing with the foals?”

“I was, but you seem to be having a little trouble. Poor guy not want any milk?”

The mare sighed. “I don't know. He seemed happy when I showed him the bottle before, but the moment I picked him up he just started fussing and crying out of nowhere. Nothing I've tried seems to be working...”

“Here, let me try,” Silverstream offered, stepping up and gently taking the foal from the mare's arms before she could argue. Immediately the foal started crying again, even as Silverstream began to slowly rock him in her arms.

“There, there, little guy, it's all right,” Silverstream said in a soothing voice, completely unfazed by the foal's wailing. Humming a little tune that she used to use on Terramor whenever he got grumpy during feeding time, she continued to slowly rock the foal back and forth in her arms. As if by magic, the foal's cries began to gradually subside, slowly dwindling from a loud wailing to a light grumbling.

The caregiver's mouth hung open in disbelief as the once unruly foal began to calm down, so shocked in fact that she didn't even notice as Silverstream took the bottle of milk from her and popped the nipple into the foal's mouth, silencing any further cries as the foal began to suckle from the bottle.

“That's it, you'll feel all better again once your belly's nice and full of warm milk.” Silverstream cooed, gently running her beak along the foal's cheek like she had seen her mother do growing up. No further complaints arose from the foal as he fed, soon drinking the bottle dry. Once he was all done, Silverstream set the bottle aside on a nearby counter before lifting up the foal and placing his head against her shoulder and beginning to burp him with light taps against his back. A loud belch was quickly followed up by laughter as she cradled the now happy foal in her arms, any signs that he had ever been upset having completely vanished.

“That... was amazing...” The caregiver said, still in absolute awe. “How did you do that?”

Silverstream just smiled as she shifted the foal slightly so he was comfortably cradled in one arm before raising her hand and holding out one of her talons towards the foal. His eyes widened in wonder as he grasped the extended talon with both front hooves, his mirthful giggles growing even louder.

“I guess I just have an easier time thinking like a foal, that's all...”

The night sky was calm and peaceful, which was more than could be said for one sleeping Hippogriff. Back and forth, Silverstream tossed and turned in her sleep, her face scrunched up in an expression mixed with discomfort and fear as the occasional whine came out from her lips. This only grew worse as the night wore on, finally culminating in her eyes snapping open suddenly in the middle of the night as she shot up in bed, her breathing coming in quick, gasping breaths as fresh adrenaline and terror still coursed through her body.

As her brain slowly registered that she was awake now and that any dangers had passed, her breathing slowly began to steady and her heart rate returned to a normal rhythm once more. Though the memory of her recent nightmare was already fading from her mind's eye, she recalled enough that she could tell that it had been yet another nightmare involving the Storm King and his army invading Mount Aris, an often recurring nightmare at this point.

Letting out a deep sigh, Silverstream reached out in the direction of her nightstand and flipped the lamp atop it on, wincing slightly as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. Pulling open the drawer of her nightstand, Silverstream fumbled around inside for a few moments before her hand closed around a familiar object near the back and she withdrew a small object wrapped in a bundle of cloth. Unwrapping the cloth bundle, the object contained within was soon revealed to be a large pacifier with a lime green mouth guard.

A gift from “Nana” Velvet Song, one that the mindful mare had given to Silverstream just before her and Rarity had departed that day for the train-station. Brand new and still in its packaging at the time, Velvet had suggested to her that this might serve as a better alternative whenever she had the urge to suck her thumb, especially at night or during times of stress. That advice had proven to be the right call, as this was not the first time since that encounter that Silverstream had been rudely awoken from a less than restful sleep.

Popping the pacifier into her mouth, all it took was a few starting suckles for a relaxing and calming feeling to pass over Silverstream, quickly drowning out any lingering afterimages of her nightmares. Turning her lamp back off, she rested her head back onto her pillow as she continued to suck on her pacifier, quickly getting into a steady rhythm.

Within moments, she was once again fast asleep, and this time her head would be filled with nothing but pleasant dreams for the rest of the night.