Sunburst woke to the sun streaming through the windows. He raised his tiny limbs in the air and blinked wildly getting used to the bars that now surrounded his crib. He soon was transfixed by a mobile with little suns swirling around his head. He stretched his hooves trying to grab the objects, not realising that they were too distant for him to reach. He heard a yawn and turned to see Flurry Heart on her side with her pacifier sliding from her mouth. Sunburst smiled, rolled over, crawled towards Flurry Heart, put the pacifier back in, and watched her suckle it. He then heard, “Oh, did somepony wake up?”
He was then lifted out of the crib by an aura of magic. He turned to see who it was and squealed seeing it was Starlight Glimmer. She stood there seeing Sunburst in his full foal glory, his chubby body and his small and wispy mane and tail. He had a big pudgy white diaper with a plastic sunburst on his front, with bright yellow tabs stuck on it. Starlight snuggled him and covered him in kisses as she crept a hoof under his padding and checked it, not surprised to find that the bottom was wet as she babbled, “Are you a soggy foal?”
Sunburst babbled incoherently as Starlight just took him to the changing table. Sunburst, now used to the routine, lifted his back legs to make the change easier. Starlight smirked, “Oh, such a gentlecolt,” Sunburst gave babble and blew some bubbles from his mouth making Starlight Glimmer daww, “Oh you're not a gentlecolt, you're my Sunny Bunny.” She put her mouth on his tummy and blew some raspberries into him making him giggle and squirm. She then got up and started the change by un-taping his diaper slowly. He revealed himself to her making him blush, “She's been doing this all week but it's still so embarrassing to be changed by her.” He thought, though Starlight didn’t seem to mind it too much (even his dirty diapers no longer seemed to phase her).
She made quick work wiping him down, lathering his rump and nether regions with foal cream, and finished off by sprinkling foal powder all over his rump. Sunburst watched with a big smile at Starlight who cooed, “Oh, is my Sunny bunny loving his diapee change?” Sunburst nodded in approval. Starlight smiled and whispered, “Good, because I’m still getting the hang of this,” She finished the diaper change by sliding a new fresh diaper under his rump and taping it slowly over his front. She lifted him in the air and asked, “So, what do you think?”
He kicked in his new diaper and babbled, “Ya di a good job!” But only foal babble sputtered out . Starlight just smiled and kissed him ,”I’m glad you love it.” She turned to a crying foal and spotted Flurry Heart waking up. Starlight chuckled, “Better get her changed too.”
She placed Sunburst down, who began crawling to his blocks and began to stack them up. As Flurry Heart was placed by him she crawled over and hugged him. As Sunburst hugged him back she asked, “Hey Sunnybuwst how ya doin?”
“I doin good, why ya cwying tough?” Sunburst asked.
She whimpered,”I tought ya dissapweawed when I woke up.”
Sunburst giggled and said, “I onwy dissapwed one time.”
Flurry Heart giggled, “Otay, I jus gwad ya otay.” She turned to his tower, helped him stack the blocks, and asked, “So, wha do ya wan ta do todaw?”
Sunburst shrugged, “I don know, I hope Twilie wets us go to ta pawk.”
Flurry Heart shook her head, “I don know, isn Daddy and Mommy comin back fwom vacwation?”
Sunburst nodded,”I tink so, bu I stiw wana go to ta pawk, I wove wowwing in ta sand.”
“Yeah, I wove pwaying in the sand and wowwing in it, bu it gets aw in my diapee.” Flurry babbled.
Sunburst poked his diaper, “Wememba when we put as much sand in owa diapees as possibwe?”
“Yeah! And Twilight chased us aw ova ta pawk,” Flurry giggled, “I wememba tat. Awso wememba when Gem Stone and I took off owa diapees and had Twilie chase us twying to put them back on?”
“Then I tewepowetd them on me!” Sunburst squealed, “Tat was so much fun!”
They both giggled as Flurry asked, “Awe ya weawwy going to tuwn to a aduwt today?”
Sunburst nodded, “Yeah, I gots too. I can’r be a foww foweva.”
Flurry cried and hugged him as she mumbled, “I gonna miss ya.”
Sunburst patted her back, snuggled her fur, and babbled, “Ya, bu I stiw gnna be hewe, jus as a adwt though. I’ww stiww be youw cwystawer, so we’ww have wots of time to spend togethew..”
She giggled and nodded as Twilight entered the nursery and cooed, “Oh, how are my two favorite foals doing?” They both shouted, “Twilie!” And crawled across the floor as she scooped them and hugged them.
Starlight gave a motherly smile and said, “Hey Twilight, just got them changed .
Twilight whispered, “That’s good, want to feed them too?”
Starlight nodded, “Sure, I would love to...you think I can do it?”
Twilight replied, ”Starlight if you can change diapers, you can feed them too. You don’t have to wait on me all the time.”
Starlight sighed, “I know.” She came over and Twilight gave Sunburst to her, as she placed him on her back she continued, “This is still strange to me, being his caretaker and all.”
Twilight replied, “Well, it’s only been a few days, and so far we’ve had zero incidents with our foals since their little escapade.”
Starlight nervously replied, “Do we still have to tell Shining and Cadence about that?”
Twilight nervously whispered, “Yes, I’m afraid we do.”
Starlight quickly apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up.”
Twilight laughed. “It’s fine, I’m still getting over the fact that not only did we lose Flurry Heart, but Sunburst got turned to a foal.”
Sunburst blew some more raspberries and babled gibberish at that, making Starlight whisper, “I still can’t believe it either, in fact seeing my best friend like this is just so enchanting.”
Twilight responded with a smile, “Yes it is, Sunburst is just a little cutie.” This made him giggle.
The group eventually made it to the dining room table where two high chairs were already set up . The two foals were settled in and had bowls of foal food brought to them. As Starlight and Twilight began to feed them Sunburst turned and asked, “So Fwurry, whats fwava ya got?”
She savored the foal food and babbled, “I gots powidge and stwabewies.”
Sunburst smacked his lips and said, “I gots ta same fwava.”
“That’s, coow I tink tat it's my favowite too.” Flurry Heart babbled.
As the two continued to eat Twilight turned to see Starlight making faces as she fed Sunburst and asked, “So, Starlight, ready for Sunburst to be an adult again?”
Starlight smiled as she removed her spoon from Sunburst’s mouth, “Kind of. He’s such a little trouble maker, but he’s still so adorable.”
Twilight giggled as Flurry rubbed her foal food all over her face. Twilight bopped her on the nose playfully, making her giggle Twilight did it again, making Flurry squeal in laughter as she hugged her and whispered, “Well, at least you won’t grow up anytime soon.”
Starlight giggled and commented, “It’s going to be so weird when she becomes an adult. I can’t imagine her being anything but a foal.”
Twilight cooed as she said to Flurry Heart, “Yes, I admit it, I’ll miss your cutie butt when you become a big mare. Yes I will, yes I will.” As she nuzzled Flurry, making her giggle.
Starlight then asked, “So, are Shining and Cadence coming back today?”
Twilight nodded and said, “I believe so, they sent a letter telling me that they should be arriving soon.”
Starlight sighed and asked, “So...that's when you're transforming Sunburst back to normal?”
Twilight gave a sly smile, “Well...I was thinking, we could actually have Sunburst stay a foal, just for a bit longer.”
Starlight looked at Twilight oddly and asked, “But why? I mean, I don’t mind, but wouldn’t Shining and Cadence freak out seeing Sunburst like this?”
Twilight finished feeding Flurry and began wiping her face as she explained, “Well, I’m going to tell them what happened anyways so I think they’ll believe me if Sunburst looks like this. And I think that Shining and Cadence would love to see Sunburst as a foal.”
Starlight whispered, “You're not scared about telling them what happened?”
Twilight turned and said firmly, “No. I have to tell them, Starlight, even if I get in trouble. As I’m sure Applejack would say, it’s the right thing to do,” She then picked up Sunburst and Flurry, placing them onto her back. That was when she heard the doors open down the hall! Twilight gasped, “That's them!” She then ran down the hallway with Starlight by her side, and found Cadence dropping their suitcases.
Cadence rushed towards her daughter, took her into her embrace, and smothered her in kisses as she cooed, “How’s my little angel doing?”
Flurry babbled incoherently as she kicked her tiny legs and hugged her mom’s face. Shining was the first to spot the orange coated foal and asked, “Um, Twilight, who’s the other foal?”
Twilight turned her head and with a nervous stutter said, “This is Sunburst.”
Cadence and Shining gasped and went wide eyed as Shining looked over the orange coated foal in astonishment, “How could something like this happen?” He asked.
Twilight explained, “Well, you see…. Sunburst’s parents wanted to enjoy some time with their son. And so they turned him into a foal. After that, well..” Cadence and Shining both eyed her as she gulped and whimpered, “We...we lost Flurry. I created a tracking potion and it was supposed to teleport me to where the powder that transformed him into a foal came from. But it fell on Sunburst and then Flurry Heart escaped to go look for him. I went out to look for the two and we eventually did find them. I put Sunburst’s parents to work at a daycare for punishment. I’m sorry for any trouble I’ve caused. If you don’t trust me with Flurry Heart anymore I understand.”
Twilight bowed her head in shame. Shining hugged her and whispered, “Twily, it’s okay. Of course we trust you with Flurry Heart. One little incident isn’t going to change that.”
Twilight smiled and hugged her brother back as Cadence turned to her daughter and cooed, “So you escaped the palace again, huh?”
Twilight looked over with surprise and asked, “Wait, she’s escaped before?”
Cadence laughed, “I’ve had Shining go search for her more times then I could count. Heck, even I’ve had to occasionally go look for her outside the palace grounds.”
Shining blushed and continued, “Yeah, she’s a little trouble maker. Trust me, Cadence and I have a lot of work to do keeping her out of trouble. You did a good job of keeping her safe despite that little mishap. I’m proud of you.”
Twilight sighed, “Well, thanks. But it was a lot harder than I expected. At least now I know Flurry Heart has a tendency to escape if left alone. Might have to look into some kind of spell to keep that from happening, or make it easier to track her down.”
Cadence nodded, then she turned to Starlight and smiled, “So, Starlight? Are you caring for little Sunburst?”
Starlight smiled and explained, “Yeah, and I love it! He plays with Flurry Heart so well and it’s a joy to be around him like this.”
Cadence cooed, “I’m sure he is,” Then she asked. “So, did you find a cure yet?”
Twilight laughed, “Yeah, we did. But we thought it would be fun to let him stay like this for awhile.”
Shining smirked, came over to Sunburst, and ruffled his mane making him gurgle. “You're just a little cutie, aren't you?” Sunburst squealed and clapped his hooves, as Shining picked him up in his magic and nuzzled him. He then asked, “So, how much longer do you want him to stay like this?”
Twilight responded, “I was thinking we’d turn him back to normal today.”
Cadence shook her head, “I think it’s fine if he stays a foal even longer. As long as he doesn't mind of course, I think he could use a break from his crystaller responsibilities.”
Sunburst squealed in laughter and bounced up and down, babbling happily. Shining, unsure about this, asked, “Um Cadence...shouldn’t we maybe talk about this first?”
Cadence took Sunburst, placed him right behind Flurry, and cooed, “What’s there to talk about? He'll be a foal for a few more days. But I think we can handle two foals, Flurry Heart could use another playmate.”
Shining gulped as Twilight smirked, “Well, I don’t mind staying here a bit longer.”
Starlight replied, “Yeah, I don’t mind either. It’s been a lot of fun caring for the two. As long as you don't mind me being here.”
Cadence blushed and smiled, “Of course, I don’t mind at all. Now come on, let’s go play with the foals.” She then trotted happily away with Starlight tagging along.
Shining just watched them go and mumbled, “If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to go unpack.”
Twilight hugged her brother and said to him, “It’s going to be fine. I’ll keep an eye on them, and make sure Sunburst becomes an adult again soon.”
Shining smiled slightly, “Okay, and thanks again for watching Flurry while we were gone, and helping Sunburst out. I'm glad your staying a bit longer, especially since I still owe you.”
Twilight blushed as she rubbed her hoof on the ground and said, “Funny you should mention that, as there is one thing you could do to repay me.”
Shining gave her a questionable look as he asked, “What is it?”
Twilight whispered, “We can talk about that later.”
Shining nodded and hugged his sister one more time, before picking up the luggage and carrying it away.
A few hours later…
Cadence was playing with the foals, chasing Sunburst and Flurry Heart around the nursery, and she couldn't help but snicker as Sunburst crawled around in his diaper, making it crinkle and sway back and forth, She eventually caught him and began smothering him in kisses. “You’re just the cutest colt ever.” He giggled and sputtered foal babble. Cadence’s heart melted and she wrapped her hooves around him. Starlight was right next to her, doing the same thing. Chasing Flurry Heart, catching her, and throwing he into the air while cooing,” “You’re just the cutest little filly ever! Yes you are! Yes you are!” They then settled down with the foals in their laps, as Cadence asked, “So, are you enjoying being a mom?”
Starlight blushed, “A little it’s definitely more interesting than I imagined it would be. But are you really okay with Sunburst as a foal?”
Cadence smiled and whispered, “Yes, I admit it’s strange, but I think that Sunburst is quite adorable and very obedient for a foal his age. Trust me, I speak from experience.” She kissed and nuzzled him, making him giggle and kick his little back legs, making his diaper crinkle.
Just then, Shining entered the room and asked, “So, is everything alright here?”
Cadence snuggled Sunburst and replied, “Everything is just wonderful!” She kissed Sunburst again and then looked up, “Do you wish to join us?”
Shining shook his head, “No, I just wanted to check up on you and make sure everything was okay.”
Cadence smiled and patted the ground. “Come on, Shining, your daughter hasn't seen you in over a week. Why not spend a little time with her now that you’re back?”
Flurry looked up and quickly crawled over, babbling and cooing. She hugged Shining’s legs, making him blush as he bent down and nuzzled her. He whispered, “I’m sorry, I’ve got a lot more business to take care of right now.”
Cadence rolled her eyes as she said, “You work too much, Shining.”
Shining smirked, “We still have a kingdom to run, and it ain’t going to run by itself.”
Cadence then got up, kissed him, and asked, “So, how about you take care of the foals, and I go take care of business?”
Shining shook his head, “Cadence, I’ll go finish up with the nobles, you just worry about the foals. It won’t take long.” He hugged Flurry Heart and gave her one more kiss, before turning to Sunburst who also crawled up to him. Shining bent down, kissed him and whispered, “Thanks for doing this for Flurry.” Then he got up and went down the hallway.
He then went on his assigned throne of the Crystal Empire, and began talking to the nobles about trade and taxes, his mind drifting back to Cadence from time to time. When he felt strange one of the nobles suddenly called, “Shining...Shining…” Shining turned and replied, “Yes?”
“Um..are you alright?” The concerned noble with a monocle asked.
Shining rubbed his eyes, “I’m fine, just got back from vacation. Still not fully in work mode yet.”
The noble nodded and laughed, “Yes, I've been there a couple of time myself.”
Shining asked, “So, what were we talking about earlier?”
The noble explained, “Just tax relations for my business. They can wait until later though. We can discuss them when you’re back in work mode all the way.”
Shining nodded, “So…” He began, before he felt his body shrink slowly, as if he were losing a few feet. The noble’s eyes went wide and he exclaimed, “Shining ...you...you shrank!”
Shining replied in a confused voice, “What?! No I didn’t!” He then got up and said to the noble, “I’m done for tonight, let’s do this tomorrow,” He got up and walked away. He felt his body shrink again, and this time he got worried as he ran down the hallway in fear, as he looked around shouting “Twily! Twily!”
Twilight came down the hall as Shining turned the corner. “Oh, thank goodness.” Shining said in a cracking, pubescent voice.
Twilight’s eyes went wide as she saw Shining! He looked like a teenager with a smaller, leaner body, and a longer mane. She asked. “Shining what’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but I think an age regression spell was placed on me!” Shining replied with fear in his voice.
Twilight, with a worried tone, said, “Come on, let’s get you to my room!” She rushed him along the hallway to the room she was staying in! As they entered, Shining shrank again, this time he was no older than a school colt! He then started to cry, “Wha...what’s going on?!”
Twilight got him onto the bed, looked him over, and quickly said. “Look, if this is a spell, I still need to run tests.”
Shining whimpered, “Find out what’s wrong with me, please!” Twilight quickly turned to a spell book, and began scanning the pages. But as she did, she heard a toddler babble “Twiie, huwwy! I shwinking!” Then it dawned on Twilight, the powder that transformed Sunburst could be the culprit! She opened a drawer under her desk. But the cure she had stowed there, it was gone!
Twilight turned and she saw a tiny, chubby, white coated foal with little wisps of blue for a mane and tail, wiggling about and wailing at the same time. Twilight came over and picked up the baby Shining, hushing him, “It’s alright.” She cooed, and he slowly stopped his crying as he stared up at his sister with his tiny blue eyes. Twilight could only gaze in astonishment at his foalish body, with his baby fat bloating him up, making his cheeks and tummy puff out. She looked down to see his hooves were giant and thick, and he started to try and grasp her mane that was flowing down her face.
Twilight giggled and nuzzled him a bit as she whispered, “Now, now, Shiny, Settle down.” And with her magic, she drifted a pacifier into his mouth. He suckled it gently and slowly began to quiet down. Twilight held him, gently rocking him in her forelegs, as he curled up around her under belly snuggling close for warmth. As he began to drift to sleep whimpering and kicking his tiny legs, all Twilight could do was look down at him with confusion and wondering what to do. She thought, "I don’t know how this happened but I promise I’ll get you back to normal.” She kissed him on the forehead, as she gently placed him on his back and left her bedroom, heading towards Flurry Heart’s nursery.