//------------------------------// // Coming Around // Story: A Glimmer of the Past // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// "S-Starlight... I..." Twilight stammered as her legs began to quiver. She stumbled her way over to the nearest throne, Applejacks, and barely sat down before she lowered her head into her hooves and began to weep. She had never had this much trouble with Flurry Heart, and what made it worse was she had opened up with both Sunburst and Trixie. What was she doing wrong? Were... Were these feelings that Starlight had been burying down deep inside? In crying herself, she didn't notice Starlight quiet down, nor notice that she had moved before she felt a light tugging on her tail. She glanced to her left, and there sat Starlight, looking up at her with teary eyes. "M...Ma-ma..." She whimpered. Her eyes said it all. The insolence and attitude had vanished. Was... Was that all she had needed? A little discipline? Twilight wiped her eyes as Starlight reached up for her, and the Princess picked her up with her magic. "Now, are you gonna behave for me?" Twilight said, sniffling, hoping that she wouldn't have to use the Spellbreaker scroll and that they could actually complete their evening together. Starlight nodded, and Twilight got up and placed her on her back. For now, she decided the mess on the walls could wait while she got Starlight some dinner. She took her down to the dining hall and set her down in her high chair, tying a bib around her neck. Her eyes had finally dried, and she sat and waited eagerly for her dinner. Twilight spent a few moments in the kitchen preparing, and found that upon returning, Starlight hadn't fussed or acted up at all. She had two small servings this time; mashed carrots for the main course, and applesauce for dessert. Although it was apparent Starlight didn't like the texture of the mashed carrots, she didn't fuss or turn her head away once. If Twilight hadn't been there, she would have sworn that this wasn't the same foal from twenty minutes ago. Of course, after the carrots, she eagerly devoured the sweet applesauce. Five minutes later, her face was wiped down, the bib removed, and they were on their way to the play room, where they played together, building the same block tower. It got to an impressive forty blocks high before it toppled, and Starlight giggled happily before letting out a great yawn. "Alright, let's get you changed and into bed." Twilight said, glancing at the clock on the wall. Starlight was picked up and taken to her bedroom. After being changed without incident, Twilight tucked her into her crib, and she was out almost instantly. The Princess wondered if it would all revert at the same time; she didn't want Starlight to snap back to her adult size when she was still in a foal-sized crib. After a few moments, she shrugged it off; Starlight had written the spell, so she was confident her student knew what she was doing. Though it was only 8:30, the day had taken its toll on Twilight as well, so she decided to turn in early as well. Heading down the hall to her own room, she took a quick bath before climbing into bed herself. Sliding underneath the covers, she was grateful that the last part of their evening together went off without a hitch. As the dream realm began to take her, she wondered what tomorrow would bring... She wasn't sure of what she had been dreaming of before, but she was now aware of her lucid state as Luna pulled her into Starlight's dreamscape again; Hoofington under a clear starry night. Sunburst was standing there with the Princess of the Night, as was Trixie, to Twilight's surprise. "I understand she had a helping hoof today as well." Luna stated, with Twilight immediately nodding. "Trixie... I want to thank you. I... I was jealous of how easily Starlight was getting along with you once you got there, and I never realized how much easier you made most of my day. So... Thanks." Twilight told her, the magician bowing with a smile. "It was my pleasure, Twilight. It was fun, if a bit unexpected." Together, the four ponies quietly made their way into Starlight's childhood home, where they saw the den set up like the nursery once more, but it had changed once again, and Twilight's heart skipped a beat. There, in place of the shadowy figures from before, were herself and Sunburst. The foal Starlight was sound asleep in the hooves of the Twilight that sat in the rocking chair, with Sunburst standing beside them. On the wall above the playpen, now hung a magic kit and a paddle. "So... I'm guessing this means it worked? We did a good job?" Sunburst asked. Luna nodded. "Good enough to be remembered, at least in her mind." The Princess of the Night told him. This was the most interesting Monday morning that Starlight could remember in the history of ever. After waking up in her bed, in her adult form, with an appropriately sized diaper taped around her waist, her mind began to process what had transpired over the weekend, and it was a roller coaster of emotions that she was currently riding out. Getting up and grabbing a cup of coffee before anyone else had gotten up, she got a bucket of soapy water and made her way to the throne room; she felt she could more easily navigate these thoughts if she got to work immediately. And so she began, gripping the scrub brush in the magic of her horn, she began cleaning off the crayon markings from the crystal pillars of the throne room. Emotions clashed inside her. Euphoria from recalling her weekend as a foal... Joy from her interactions with Sunburst and apparently Trixie as well... And then gut-wrenching guilt from how she had treated Twilight, before the Princess had figured out how to solve her attitude problem. Starlight wasn't sure what she was going to say to Twilight just yet, but she was fairly confident that it was a spell she wasn't going to use again; this weekend she had discovered that it was more fun role playing a foal than actually re-living those days. She began to wonder if Twilight would ever agree to something like this again, with a fully grown mare. She felt the heat build up in her face as she shuddered with... With anticipation as she imagined Twilight spanking her again for misbehaving. As her morning coffee worked its way through her digestive tract, her bowels sent off the need to void. Figuring she could sneak off to change before Twilight or Spike got up, she leaned forward, and pushed, as she continued her work on scrubbing. She didn't have time to enjoy the sensation as she heard the throne room doors open behind her. "You know, magic could get that off in a flash." Twilight said, coming in to the room with her own cup of coffee. "I know, but that would defeat the purpose. I believe you told me to scrub it all off last night." Starlight responded. She wouldn't be surprised if her cheeks were on fire and hoped to Celestia that her diaper could contain the stench for a precious few moments while she could figure out how to slip away for a change. "Starlight... Look, I'm sorry for... For hitting you last night. I didn't know what else to-" "Twilight... Sweet Celestia this is so awkward..." Starlight began, pausing in her scrubbing efforts. "If anything, I'm sorry. I thought that making myself an infant not only in size, but also in state of mind would be more enjoyable but... It wasn't. With all the ways you were treating me in small ways leading up to this weekend, I know you were looking forward to your role just as much as I was looking forward to mine. And the way I treated you... I... I didn't really see a whole lot of my dad growing up, and my mom even less so. I was a latchkey filly. Even before I was out of diapers, I remember Sunburst's parents taking care of me a whole lot more than my actual mom or dad did. I guess in that infant state of mind this weekend, I viewed Sunburst as his parents, and you as mine, and if they were hardly ever there, why should they get any attention from me? And that wasn't fair to you, not at all. And as to how you... Disciplined me..." Starlight paused, blushing heavily at the cheeks. "You don't have to apologize for that either. I'm surprised you didn't resort to that earlier. When we do this again, I think I'll just stick to pigtails and diapers in my size, or maybe regress my physical size but not my mind. That way I can be more in control of my behavior when it gets seriously out of hand," She said, motioning to the throne room's worth of scribbles. "And when I'm purposefully being a brat, please feel free to... Resort to that again..." She paused again, her face going red again. "So if you... Or Sunburst... Or even Trixie, want to play again, all you need to do is ask." Twilight smiled. "Starlight, you're right. This is probably the most awkward conversation I've ever had with anypony. And whether it was some deep, subconscious desire to fill in a void of your past, or just a weekend of fantasy role play... I'm honored that you believe I'm worthy of that role." Starlight smiled bashfully. "Well, I'll consider today's lesson postponed. It looks like you've got quite a lot of work ahead of you, but first..." Twilight paused, and Starlight felt herself go weightless as she was grabbed and levitated by Twilight's magic. "I think a stinky little filly needs a change."