Time felt distorted as I opened my eyes. Or, well, my subconscious eyes. The realm of my mind was currently an open room with the walls a swirling, changing spectrum of color. Looking at myself, I saw I was my normal age. “Huh? Why am I in my mind?” I stepped forward and looked around. As I walked to the center, I saw my mother approach from the opposite end. “Mam-I mean, Mother?” She simply smiled as I contemplated what was going on. “Are you really her, or are you just a figment of my imagination?”
She shrugged. “Maybe I'm a little of both. They say when one dies, they leave pieces of themselves in the ones they love, and while our first and only meeting was brief, there's no doubt I loved you dearly. But this is your subconscious, so it's very possible that I'm just your interpretation of her based on what you know and have been told.”
“The most creative 'I don't know' I've ever heard.” She laughed in response. “Truthfully, that's actually really insightful. How would you know this?”
“Well, you don't think you got it from your father, now did you?” she joked, which got a chuckle out of me. “Don't get me wrong, your father is intelligent in other fields, but psychology and spiritual thinking aren't his strong suits.”
After a laugh, I took a moment to think. “Then, you probably know why I'm here.”
She frowned. “Yes, I do.”
“I... There's so much I wish we could've had. So many experiences we could have shared. But-”
“Why are you still questioning this?”
“Huh?” Looking to her, I saw her give a smile.
“You know the answer to this, Mindset. You don't need me to answer for you.”
“But... But I-”
She got closer and gave me a hug. “You will always be my little filly, even if I'm not there to enjoy it, and even if another takes care of you. That will never change.”
“I... I understand.” Tears formed in my eyes.
“I know you miss me. I do too. But I'm willing to let another do my job for me until we do finally meet. All I want is to see you happy, and I know that may sound cliché, but it is true.” I remained silent as I savored this embrace, which lasted for a few more seconds before she let go and turned away. “Go, now. Cocoa is waiting for you. They all are.”
“They?”
“You'll know soon enough. You aren't the only one who needs a talk.” She began to walk away and fade from my view.
“Wait, who are 'they'? What do I-” I awoke before I could finish as Cocoa called out to me.
“Mindset! Mindset, are you okay?!”
“Huh? What?”
“You sort of conked out. I didn't know what happened; I thought that you might have got hurt.”
“Oh, no, I just needed to have a talk with my...” I paused as I considered how crazy it would have sounded. “With my mind.”
Cocoa gave a sigh of relief. “Okay. I hope you had a good talk.”
“Y-yeah, it was nice. Short, but nice.”
Cocoa smiled and hugged me. “I'm sure she enjoyed it, too.” I was surprised, but smiled. “So, you still remember everything?”
“Yeah. Do you have any idea how that's possible?”
“No. I mean Glitter only remembered some things because of the situation she was in. Not to mention she was born in the middle of the war between the two kingdoms, so of course she wouldn't forget about that. But to remember everything, for one to still have all their memories after drinking the water without the cure, it's unheard of.”
“Oh. I thought maybe you would know.”
“Sorry. Consider it a gift; you're the only pony that can regress and still remember yourself.” I had to admit, it did make me feel special. “Now, let's get back to the castle. I'm sure Her Majesty is worried about us, as well, especially after that magical burst of yours.”
“Right.” I got up only to realize my mother's words. “Wait, that magical... You said you remembered your past, right?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, I remember everything, thanks to your-Ah!” The realization caused her to panic. “Mindset, you don't think...?”
“If it happened to you, chances are it did the same to them.”
“Then we need to get to the castle, quickly!” She lowered herself and put me on her back as she opened her wings. “Hold on, I'll fly us there.”
I grabbed hold and called out to Robu to do the same, which he responded by flying to my horn and latching on. In a flash, we took to the sky and flew to Fountonia.
~*~
Chaos ensued as the foals, having their memories restored and really angry about their foalish state, tried to siege the castle. Stones were thrown at the windows, (which had no effect since they were made of clear yet thick building blocks and therefore plastic,) foals fought the guards with as much strength they could muster, both sides thankfully not using much, and many of the grown adults panicked behind the castle doors, having retreated once the fight began and afraid of being caught in the crossfire. The foals weren't as physically strong as they once were, but they did have numbers, which in a kingdom of ten-to-one ratio of child to adult, they would be easily overwhelmed.
“This is bad. It's only a matter of time before ponies start getting hurt.” Frost looked out the window, only to be startled when a rock fruitlessly struck the plastic. “We're just lucky this stuff is quite durable... For now, anyway.” She turned to the others. “We need to brace the windows and doors. All of you, find things we can use to barricade ourselves!”
“B-But Frost, what about everypony who weren't able to get in?” one maid asked.
“I know this may sound harsh, but there's nothing we can do for them. Besides, I doubt they're in any real danger. The only ones targeted is Her Majesty and her guards. So long as the others don't get involved in this conflict, they should still be fine. We, however, are not safe so long as we remain here unprotected, so hurry and brace all openings!” There was no argument afterwards. Frost turned her attention to Glitter, who was currently quivering behind her foalish throne. “Your Majesty, we need you to take action. We cannot remain here forever. Please, snap out of it!” Glitter was in too much of a panic to respond. “Glitter, ponies are fighting amongst themselves. If you don't do something, I fear this kingdom will fall!”
“And why shouldn't it!” This caught Frost off-guard. “Don't you see, I... No, we built this kingdom with lies. We forced ponies into a second foalhood, many not even capable of returning to adults. We lied and tricked them, and even lied to ourselves for thinking it was to help them. This kingdom is no different from the kingdoms of the past. It was just built with a different sin. Mindset was right, I should have just been honest from the start.”
“Princess-”
Creeeeeeak!
All ponies present panicked as a door in the floor opened, a secret tunnel hidden away under a rug. Frost grabbed a spear and aimed it at the door. “Identify yourself!”
“Frost? It's me, Circus!”
“C-Circus Rose?!” The rug was pulled away and revealed the red and yellow unicorn, to which Frost sighed in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought we had been breached.”
“It's okay, we weren't followed, and we closed the path behind us. No pony else knows about this path.” Circus pulled Quick Beam out of the passage, to which many feared he was one of the disgruntled foals.
“Wait, I'm not the enemy! I chose this life and I'm happy with it!” This caused them to relax once more, though Frost was skeptical.
“Can he be trusted?” she asked Circus.
“I believe so. He's behaved quite well, despite regaining his memories.” she returned.
“Aye, don't get your trousers in a bunch, I'm not gonna hurt anypony. I'm a doctor, not a soldier.” Beam added.
“Speaking of doctors, do either of you know where Doctor Mindset is? I've looked everywhere in the crowds, but can't seem to find her.” Frost looked irritable. “We saw those twins at the front, so we know where they are.”
“We saw her and Cocoa head out into the forest. The filly looked upset.”
“Upset? She hasn't experienced 'upset' until I get my hooves on her for what she did to Her Majesty! We can't get her to do anything; she's too terrified by these events.” Steam emanated from her in rage.
“Hold on, I don't believe Mindset intended for this to happen. From what I saw, it looked like this was all an accident, and she herself appeared to be in pain.” Circus defended.
Frost was about to disagree, but was stopped by the sounds of the doors banging. “We will discuss this later. Right now, we need help keeping the people from revolting.” She opened the door slightly to peek out and saw the halls were just as much in disarray. “This is not good. Hopefully, they won't destroy the fountain, but I doubt we'll be that fortunate.”
“Then what do you suggest, Frost?”
“Well, it would be best if Glitter spoke to them and talked to them, to dispel the chaos. That is, if she weren't in the state she's in.” Glitter simply responded with a shiver. “Another option would be to evacuate and allow things to cool down. Unfortunately, this would likely result in the destruction of our home and kingdom, and I don't think I need to remind you all of the fountain.”
“Any other options?”
“...Yeah, but it's not one we'll like. A third option would be to have our guards not hold back any further.”
“What?! But they're just foals! Young ponies! To use full strength would be overkill!”
“I SAID IT WOULDN'T BE ONE WE LIKED!” This threw Circus back. “But like it or not, these 'foals' are just adults we regressed. They may be younger and smaller than they used to be, but with their memories restored, they now know what they're choosing to do. They understand the concept of war and are willing to go to such destructive lengths. I don't like it much either, having grown attached to my two boys, but if we don't do something, this kingdom and everything we've worked for will be destroyed.”
“Easy for you to say! Your two boys are on our side, not theirs! It's different for them!”
“Well, what else can we do?! If we do nothing, this kingdom will surely fall!”
Beam, meanwhile, walked to Glitter and began to comfort her. “Princess, I know things look scary, but you need to be brave. A lot of ponies are scared, and it's okay to feel that way, but you need to overcome them. You need to be strong.” Glitter stopped shaking but still didn't have the courage to move. Beam tried to continue encouraging her, but he was at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, the three of us finally returned to see the place in disarray, though most of the commotion was at the castle. The town itself was nearly desolate, save for some adults who hid in fear. “This is bad. The whole kingdom isn't going to survive for much longer. It's going to destroy itself in time.”
“And it's all my fault.” I gave a look of despair at what I caused.
“Mindset, you couldn't have known this would happen. It's not like you deliberately took your ring off.”
“But I'm still the one responsible. Accident or not, this is my mess, and I should be the one who needs to clean it.” I got off Cocoa and ran for the castle, Cocoa following closely.
“So, what do you intend to do?”
“Talk to them. Let them know the truth of their situation.”
“If that's what will work, then I'm with you completely. You're the doctor, here.”
We reached as far as we could without getting caught in the crossfire. “This might be a problem. I don't know if they will be able to hear me with all this fighting.”
“Hmm...” Cocoa looked around and noticed a certain filly with a microphone hiding in a booth. “Snow Crystal?”
“Gah! Don't hurt me! I'm just an announcer, not a fighter!” She curled up and hid, her padding sticking up.
“Sweetie, calm down, we don't wish to hurt you.” She gently petted her head.
“Y-You don't?” She sighed in relief.
“No, but we need that microphone. It's still connected to the speakers, yes?”
“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, it still works, but why?”
“We need to talk to the foals before they do something that will put them in a permanent time-out.” She smiled as she took the mic from her and gave it to me. “Alright, you know what to do.”
I nodded and walked to the stage platform that was still set up. After a cough to clear my throat, I spoke. “Everypony? Excuse me, everypony?” However, I was ignored. “Hey! Can you hear me?!” Still nothing.
“They can't hear you. They're too focused on the princess.” Snow stated.
“Hmm...” I looked at the mic and the speakers when an idea popped in my head. “Cover your ears, this is gonna be loud!” The two did just that, knowing what I was about to do. “Think you can do it, Robu?” He gave a salute and took the mic, muting his internal mic to avoid damaging himself. After I closed my ears, Robu brought the microphone close to the speakers. What followed was a deafening feedback loop that garnered everypony's attention, albeit in a slightly painful manner.
The sound reverberated into the castle, causing the two arguing mares to stop, and even snapped Glitter out of her fetal position. “Ah, what's going on?!” Frost shouted.
“Sounds like the PA system!” Circus yelled.
I signaled Robu to stop, which he did so almost immediately as he was vibrating from the sound waves hitting him. He returned the mic to me and I began to speak. “I apologize for that, but you all were ignoring me.” I noticed some ponies coming out of the castle. “Okay, can we have everypony come out, please? I don't want to make that loud noise again, but I need everypony's attention up here.”
“What is that filly up to?” Frost asked as she looked out the window. The ponies there did not want to leave the safety of that room, but noticed that all the ponies in the halls were leaving the castle. “I don't know what's going on, but we can evacuate now.”
“Hold it, I think we ought to hear what Mindset has to say,” Circus responded.
“Uh, no. Given the situation, we're not going out with the princess in tow.”
“Okay, so we try to evacuate and then what? Leave this kingdom in the hooves of foals? Get a blast from the PA system again? I'm sure Mindset would wait on us, as well.” This did cause Frost to stop. “She said we had to give her our attention. She never said from where.” Frost raised a brow.
“Um...” Glitter surprised them both. “What about the balcony?”
“Princess, you can't seriously-”
“Frost Wind, please. This needs to be heard.” I think Glitter knew what I was going to talk about.
“I... As you wish, Your Majesty.”
I waited for a moment until Cocoa directed me to the balcony above as Glitter and the others looked towards me. “Okay, if everypony is here, allow me to introduce myself. If you don't know who I am, I'm Dr. Mindset Shield, Ph.D. in psychology and Royal Therapist of Equestria.”
“So what?” I heard one foal call out, with many others getting restless and babbling with lisps and the like.
“Hold it, please! I understand that may not seem all that important, but keep in mind that I'm the reason you all have your memories back.” This got them to listen.
“I knew it, she's gone rogue!” I heard Frost shout, only to be shushed by Circus.
“Now, to be perfectly clear, doing that was completely accidental. I didn't mean to do it. However, I do not regret what I've done. You all deserve to know the truth.”
Foals cheered in agreement. “They tricked us and turned us into foals!”
“You're right, they did, and they had no right to do so without your permission. I, myself, had been tricked by them, as you can see.” I turned to see Cocoa with a guilty look. “But this also begs the question: 'why did they regress us?'”
“To make us... Um...” They tried to think of a reason, which was my chance to answer.
“I'll tell you why. Because we needed it.” They looked confused. “Allow me to explain. To those of you who are native to this kingdom, tell me, what was it like when this kingdom was originally two?” I noticed many, adults included, grimacing at the memory of it, while other foals gave a confused look. “Let me tell you all a passage from a story I read:
'Long ago, two kingdoms existed side by side and lived together: the Kingdom of Blitzkrieg, and the Kingdom of Donnybrook. One day, a war broke out between the two kingdoms when the two kings discussed the expansion of land ownership. Both believed the other was too greedy and held too much. For years, the kingdoms feud and fought one another, with many unfortunate sacrifices made against each other.'
I can't imagine it myself, but I don't see such harsh times as being happy.” The look on many of the foals changed as memories began to resurface. “Tell me, why is it you all fight now? What is it that you fight for? Is it to return to a life you once had, because if that's the case, then are you all willing to go back to that kind of life; to destroy each other?”
Almost immediately, they objected to my questions, denying or refusing such a life. “Of course we don't want that! We just got angry for them tricking us! We just want to be grown up again!”
“Is that so? Tell me, does that involve harming or overthrowing the very princess who, like all of you, wanted the bloodshed to stop?! Who was born in that war, and, to this day, still has nightmares and fears of those days? Who, as I can see even now, is still trembling out of fear of another war breaking out from all of you?”
They silenced themselves from this as they looked to her on the balcony. Her expression was a mixture of guilt, sorrow, and fear.
“Glitter, or rather Radiance, went about it wrong, sure. By regressing all of you without your consent, she broke your trust. However, as an act of punishment, she herself regressed. She removed her memories, as well as her name, and even wanted to go further than that; attempting to become a foal completely, like the two kings, and even all of you. The only reason she didn't was due to a number of unforeseeable factors preventing her from losing everything. Even more so, I'm certain many of you were ill or severely wounded when last you were adults. Tell me, how many of you did she save by doing this; you, who would not have a future or would not live for much longer at that time?!”
I noticed a very large number of hooves go up; some more reluctant than others. Many were even from her guards.
“Look at what this kingdom has become since then. The two kingdoms have combined as one and have blossomed into this beautiful and magical place. Peace is, or was, at an all-time high. Natural smiles were etched on everypony's faces. I saw the beauty that flourished in this kingdom, as strange as it was. So tell me, how does dethroning her justify all the sacrifice and hard work she put into creating this kingdom for you; the ponies who had never been happier since?”
“But we... We can't do all the things we did as grown ups!”
“Oh, and what would that be?”
They started listing off all their ideas: 'growing and selling crops, becoming an artist, being a member of the High Counsel,' to name a few.
“I see, and tell me, what's stopping you from doing it now?” They didn't exactly know what to say for that. “Sure, in some situations, you had an adult help you with certain tasks, but for all the days I spent in this place, all of you still did what you wanted. All of you still had your power, or have your old memories overshadowed all the new memories you all made?”
“It's true.” I jumped in surprise as Cocoa stepped up and answered. “You all may have been turned to foals, but you all were still in control. These shops, save for a few, were all owned by you, the foals of this kingdom. Not once did any adult that cared for you take that away from you. Those in the High Counsel, you all still held political power, though still given some guidance from adults from time to time to help keep focus. The construction and architecture, the various art throughout, the businesses and shops, the politics. This kingdom, Fountonia... All of this was built not just from Her Majesty, but from all of you, as well. This kingdom is, and forever will be, your kingdom. True, it may not be what you originally wanted, but can any of you really deny the hard work and dedication you all put into this place.”
Most of the foals began to show signs of consideration, some even showing pride at what they had accomplished. “I'm sorry it all began with a trick and slight betrayal, but when you really think about it, did you really get tricked? When the original kingdoms were as horrifying and war-ridden as they were because of two selfish kings, is it really Her Majesty's fault to begin with?” The air was filled with agreement. “In light of everything, was this not what the kingdom needed? Much like a phoenix, did this kingdom not deserve a rebirth such as this; to grow out of the ashes of the old and wearied?”
Spirits began to lift in Glitter as she watched the crowd begin to erupt in cheer and agreement. “I can't believe this is happening,” she whispered to herself with a smile.
“HOLD IT!”
The cheers paused as the two trouble-making colts stepped up. “You all can't honestly think this is okay? Don't you know you're all stuck like this?”
This got the crowd's attention. “Yeah, we're all stuck as foals. We can't grow up ever again,” the other twin babbled.
Wha- Where did they come from?! The crowd was restless again with confusion and anger. I was hoping to avoid bringing this fact up. I prepared for the oncoming rage. “I don't know all the facts, but what they say is true for many of you. Those who drank the water from the source might be stuck as you are.”
“Ah, so you knew this fact, did you, Doc?”
“I only just found out, but yes. However, I think that only applies to the nativ-”
“So you admit that there's no going back?!”
“What?! No, if you let me finish, there is a-”
“You heard her, folks. She's only covering for our captors. After all, many of you don't even come from this kingdom! Like us, you were taken from your lives and regressed by their trickery!” The crowd was in an uproar. I didn't know how to calm them.
“SILENCE, ALL OF YOU!!!”
I was surprised to find myself behind Frost Wind, who had steadily began to trust me once more when she saw Glitter begin to smile. “F-Frost Wind?!”
“You all are being foalish! Don't you see you're being conned by these two?!” She pointed to the 'trouble twins'. “They only wish to stir up the manure so they can take this kingdom from all of us, and even sell the water to people all over the world for their own profit! They tried to do it before, and they're trying to do it now! They don't care about anypony but themselves!”
“Oh, such hurtful slander!”
“Yes, how could one say such things when we only wish to help these poor foals you tricked. We, The Flim Flam Brothers, are appalled by just how far you'd go to get out of trouble.”
“Especially since we only came here to supply you all with our Auto-Changers.” They pulled out one of their “patented” Auto-Changers.
“Wait... The Flim Flam Brothers?!” Looking at their device, I immediately knew it from a distance. “Wait a minute, that looks like...” Getting closer, my suspicions became real. “It is! This is my brother's design! You two stole my brother's idea!”
The two unicorn colts looked confused. “Your brother's...”
“That's not all. I know for a fact that you two are cons. I've seen your work in Equestria, and was even told stories from Princess Twilight about your antics!” I turned to the crowd. “Everypony, these two are nothing to admire or trust. They have done their fair share of criminal activity. Frost Wind is right, these two are only in it for themselves!”
The crowd looked perplexed as they didn't know who to believe.
“Not sure of yourselves? It's okay to question what you've been told. However, in the face of truth, I have evidence to back it.” I picked up their device and inspected it. “My brother's device had one critical flaw that had kept it from commercial use. If I can make that very same flaw appear...” I flipped some of the switches, specifically the ones involving the size adjustments. As expected, it began to short out and spark. “As I thought. You two not only took my brother's work, you didn't even fix the flaw! When used on actual foals, it has very little issue, but for older ponies, like myself, it'll do what you see now!”
The two tried to sneak away as the crowd focused on the machine, but had bumped into Frost Wind. “Going somewhere, you two?” I thought I saw the two actually soil themselves out of fear from Frost's enraged glare.
“You see, even when called out, these two only care about themselves, rather than take responsibility for their actions and 'their' devices. So, do you still want to believe their lies?” I was furious with them for their theft.
Just like that, the crowd knew who to believe, though many were still unsure of themselves. One foal approached from the crowd and asked, “Well, we understand why they're foals, but what about me? I didn't do anything wrong. Why turn me into a foal?” The crowd quieted as they listened for an answer.
I took a breath to calm myself. “I don't know the specifics of all of you, but I do know one thing: those who aren't native, (or have a criminal record,) are like me.” The crowd wasn't sure what I meant. “To those of you out there, tell me. Was there ever a regret in your life, one so strong and powerful that you wish you could restart and try again?” Many of them stopped to think it over. “Perhaps it was a life you weren't happy with. Maybe it was the choices that you made that you wish you chose differently. Maybe... It was living a life without certain loved ones.”
Cocoa gave my head a gentle pet. “It's okay. Just let it out.”
I gave a nod. “How about an example. I, myself, have a regret. I lived my life without a mother, having died when I was born. Talk about luck, right? Never having the chance to talk to her, let alone even remember her.” Glitter perked up from this. “Having a loving but busy father. Having a caring, but clumsy brother. These things I cherish most. But never had I really cared about my mother all that much. Well, not as much as I'd like. Don't get me wrong, I do love her, but because we never interacted, I didn't feel the same kind of love I had for the rest of my family. I thought that maybe I just had to move on and let it go.”
Glitter's face changed to sadness as she remembered her own mother.
“But I now know it isn't that easy. You can't just ignore these feelings and pretend they aren't there. My heart had a wound that kept growing the more I tried to ignore it and it began to affect me negatively. So, Princess Luna, one of the Princesses of Equestria, sent me here. I admit, it was a surprise to find myself regressing. I even feared regressing out of existence. But as each day passed and I went further and further, the more those feelings resurfaced. What's more, new feelings began to fill and mend the wound. I began to accept the fate I now had. A rebirth with a life I wished I had; one that had a caring mother to look after me.” I looked to Cocoa, who simply smiled. “It may not be perfect, and it may have come unexpectedly, but in truth, after everything that's happened, I'm now ready to embrace my second foalhood. Besides, I'm already used to being in diapers, so what's the harm of being a baby again?” I noticed many foals chuckle.
“She's not the only pony who needed a restart on life.” I turned to see Quick Beam appear from the crowd. “I admit, being in nappies takes some getting used to, but the pressure of my previous life was so intolerable, I had no choice but to begin anew.”
“Nappies?” I whispered. Things began to click in my mind as I noticed his accent, though masked by the baby babble, was rather unique. Almost as if he came from a certain place.
“But the good doctor here is right. My parents didn't care for me whatsoever. They only wanted me to be their successor and continue their lineage of scientists, which wouldn't have been so bad if it was on studies I was actually interested in. Sadly, that was not the case. I spent my life wishing to get away from it all. So, when I came here two-hundred years ago and Her Majesty gave me the choice, of course I accepted this life.”
No... It can't be... My face was one of amazement.
“So now, to all those who came from afar, you now have a choice. There is a way to return you all back to adults, of that, I'm sure. My question is, 'is it truly what you want? Are you sure you want to go back?'” As the question lingered on their minds, I noticed a certain alicorn filly flutter down to us.
“Is... Is it true, Mindset? About your mommy?”
I nodded. “Yes, it's true.” She responded by giving me a hug.
“I lost my mommy, too.”
“I know.”
As she released me, she turned to the audience. “I, Princess Radiance 'Glitter' Star, had lied to you all and made you all young again. For this, I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to make a kingdom from lies. To those who are native, I cannot return you all to normal. I can't even return myself to normal. So, instead, I ask that you all please join me in maintaining this kingdom, not as foals, but as equals. This kingdom was built by you, and should be kept that way. If not, I will understand. And to those who only drank the diluted water, we will create the aging water to return you all to normal. Consider this my token of apology, and my hope that my actions and the actions of others have not persuaded you from cutting ties with us.” Her words were sincere. Even when her memories of adulthood resurfaced, she still had an air of innocent but regal youth.
There was much consideration from the people, but ultimately, most made their choice. “Your Majesty... If it's not too much trouble, could we maybe stay in your kingdom?”
Glitter happily nodded. “Of course. But now that the truth is out, there will be some changes. The water will no longer be kept secret. We will be direct and open to any and all that come here. This does mean it'll need to be monitored more closely, especially at the original source, but to those that wish to drink from it, it will be their choice. We won't trick others anymore.”
“That would be nice,” I commented.
“As for those who do wish to age back, the water will need some time to prepare. I will hold court tomorrow for those ponies.”
Things seemed to liven up as the once restless crowd was now joy-filled once more. Even Glitter seemed to radiate a bright light from her smile. Now that she no longer needs to hide the truth, the weight on her has been lifted.
“Oh my, I don't think I've ever seen you this happy, Glitter,” Cocoa commented.
“Oh, thanks for reminding me.” She turned to the crowd. “Another change is that while my true name is Radiance, I'd very much prefer to be called Glitter instead. I gave up that name long ago as a sign of this kingdom's rebirth.” The crowd agreed to the change.
Meanwhile, I watched as Flim and Flam were taken by Frost Wind and the guards. “Please take these two to the time-out pen. They both need to be punished for their attempt to usurp the throne.”
“Wait, can't we talk about this?!”
“Yes, my brother and I were only doing business!”
“Yes, well, you two will be doing a new kind of business later.” Frost came to me with a face of guilt. “Mindset, I... I acted harshly towards you, and I was wrong to do so. You really didn't mean to cause this whole thing, did you?”
“No, I didn't. It really was an accident, but I forgive you for being mad. You're just trying to help keep the peace around here.”
“I may not be a guard, but I know how to be a parent. I've been doing it for centuries.”
“Which, speaking of, are Cirrus and Nimbus really your sons?”
She gave a smile. “Does it matter? Are you and Cocoa related?”
Caught off-guard, I looked towards Cocoa and answered, “No, it doesn't matter. Even if they aren't biological, they're still your foals.”
“Heh, a wise answer, Doc. Cirrus and Nimbus are brothers, that much is true, but no matter what, they are my little foals. Even back then, I worried about their safety. I'm sure it's the same for you and Cocoa.”
“So now that the truth is out, what will happen to them?”
“Well, the two, surprisingly, didn't regress to actual foals from the Perma-Youth Water.”
“'Perma-Youth Water?'”
“Eh, just something I came up with on the spot. Anyways, they'll both likely grow up to about four or five. Around the age you saw them as.”
“I see, so that's their limit.”
“Yep. Don't know how they didn't regress completely, but I doubt they care at this point. Whether they're babies or kindergartners, they'll still do what they do best.” She looked to the trouble-making twins as they both tried to fight. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a couple of foals who need a spanking.” And with that, she left, leaving me with the shivering thought of a sore bottom. However, my attention found itself in Quick Beam. “Beam?”
“Hello there, Mindset! You wish to speak to me?”
“I want to thank you for helping me earlier. The Flim Flam Brothers certainly knew how to start a riot.”
“Aye, you can lippen naethin o da grice but da groint.”
“'Don't expect anything but uncouth behavior from an uncouth person.'” I translated.
“Aye, those two are anything but trustworthy. The first time I saw them, my gut told me they'd be trouble.” It took him a moment to realize I understood his language. “Ah... You are... Familiar with...”
“Shetlandic? Yeah, I read up on different languages. Can't really help others efficiently if you can't get past the language barrier.”
“I... I see.” I noticed his face got nervous. “How did you know I was Shetland?”
“Oh, it's the accent. I've heard it before from one of the royal guards back home.”
“O-oh?”
“In fact, he got me interested with this one doctor from two-hundred years ago who disappeared suddenly from existence.” His face turned to a slight panic. “Say, wasn't that around the time you came here? You wouldn't happen to be familiar with this doctor, would you?”
“Uh, nope, never heard of Doctor Atavism Reversion. Sorry.”
“...I never said the doctor's name.”
“...!” I think he began soiling his 'nappy'.
I got close to his ear and whispered, “You canna draa a strae afore my nose an tell me it was a dokken, Doctor Reversion.” (Which essentially translates to “You can't fool me, Doctor Reversion.”)
Without hesitation, he fainted.
“Uh-oh. I might have come off a little too strong there,” I worded as I gently shook him. “Doctor, please wake up, I mean you no harm.”
As he got up, I heard him mumble some obscenities that I'd much prefer not to translate. “Ah, my nappy is sirpin!” (“Soaking wet.”)
“Sorry, didn't mean to surprise you that much.”
“Could've fooled me. So what, you want an autograph or something?”
“Oh, no, I don't want that. I just wanted to give you this.” I gave him a gentle hug, which caught him off guard. “I found your journal. I had no idea how much you hated your original life.”
He paused, then replied, “You mean you aren't going to tell anypony I'm here?”
“Every shooer o snaa is no da first o an onlay.” (“Do not always expect the worst to happen.”) We continued the embrace for a few more seconds before we released.
“So, since you've been so kind, tell me, why have you revealed me?”
“Well, I actually have a question, from one doctor to another. I was wondering if you knew why I didn't lose my memories from drinking the water. It's the one mystery I have yet to solve.”
“Didn't lose your memories? My, that is quite something.” He thought it over for a moment before responding, “Du's gotten dy maa's egg.”
“Huh? 'I've got something extra and unexpected'? What do you mean by that?”
“Well, you're a psychologist, no? Perhaps the reason you could not lose your memories is due to your mind.” I didn't quite understand. “Think of it like this. You've studied and practiced so much on how the mind works, you naturally grew an immunity to mental regression. Your mind is essentially a steel trap; never letting go of your memories or any semblance of who you are.”
“So, no matter what, my memories will never be erased?”
“Not erased, suppressed. If our memories were erased from the water, do you think we'd be having this discussion?”
“But, when you drank from the water...”
“Yes, we did forget who we were and what our lives were like before. But truthfully, we still had them deep within and hidden in our subconscious. No matter how much water we drink, our memories will still be there, in the back of our minds. I'd imagine that we'd recall them naturally in due time with a few key phrases or moments to remind us of them, though we'd not be certain if they were real or not, believing it to be deja vu or something. How else would our princess here still remember such dark times in her life, despite being a foal?”
“I see. That actually would explain a few things.”
“It's likely your magical outburst earlier didn't rewrite our memories, but rather just brought them back to the surface for us to recall.”
“Ahem!” I glanced to Snow Crystal, who interrupted our conversion. “Forgive me, but you still have my microphone.”
“Oh, sorry.” I returned the mic to her.
“Well, I hoped this answered your question. As for me, I need to change.”
“Wait, before you go, why 'Quick Beam'?”
“Hmm? Oh, my name. It's another name for Sorbus aucuparia, or Rowan tree. Figured most ponies around here wouldn't have known about that, since they aren't native around here.”
“Oh, I see. That's actually quite clever.”
“Thank you. Well, it was a pleasure to talk to you, Doctor Mindset. I look forward to our next camping trip, if you're up to it.”
“You bet. I'll be there.” With that, he walked off to find Circus.
“You know, I came from Equestria myself,” Snow commented.
“Oh?”
“I was a reporter for the Trottingham Times, specifically for the travel section. I was writing an article on interesting places outside of Equestria, and after a few other places, found myself lost in the forest here. Didn't know where I was and had diminished my water supply, wandering until I found a river.”
“Oh no...”
“Yeah, as one would expect, I drank from it. Next thing I know, I'm in a crib, crying out for mommy with no recollection of my past life. I found out later that one of the adults here found me a few days after, nearly starved and not looking too good. They saved my life and nursed me back to health. Even contacted my folks back home to inform me of where I was. Course, they had to explain the water to them, and when the idea of eternal youth came up, the two decided to move here.”
“So, when you were calling out to your mama earlier...” I gave a coy grin.
Her face scrunched with a blush. “Oh, right, I forgot. That was embarrassing. But yeah, I was actually calling for my biological mother.” She sighed. “I came here hoping to get a scoop, and instead found myself as a permanent resident. That was four years ago.”
“Oh, so that was fairly recent, compared to others around here.”
“Yep. Still, I lost my job, but I didn't care much for it anyways. They didn't pay me well enough, and they mocked me for my diapers.”
“Huh, wait, so you're incontinent like me?”
She smiled and said, “You didn't think I wore this thing as a fashion statement, did you? I admit, the diapers here are a bit too colorful, but given my current age, I think they do look cute on me.”
“Heh, I'll say. When I saw you on stage, I nearly lost my composure from wanting to cuddle you. You really are adorable-looking.”
“Thanks. You're not bad yourself.” I blushed and smiled. “Anyways, I think I'll stay and continue being a commentator. I might even do a newspaper site here, since this place doesn't have one. Mind if I do this story for the first issue?”
“I think I can fill you in on some of the details. Not all, due to doctor-patient confidentiality, but I'll give you what I can.”
“Great! Now to just come up with a name for the paper...”
The two of of us thought for a moment before I chimed in. “How about 'The Fountonian Foal'?”
“The Fountonian Foal? Hmm... The first ever foal-made newspaper.”
“It would get a lot of attention.”
Her smile was stretching out of her face. “It's perfect! I'm going to be so famous!”
“Snow, sweetie,” a nearby pony called out.
“Coming, mama! Well, gotta go. Thanks for the idea and expect to see me again for that scoop.” With that, she left.
Looking out to the crowd, things were calming down as ponies began to clean up the mess from the riot. Cocoa trotted up and smiled. “Guess things are going back to normal, huh?” I asked.
“Well, more or less, though not quite normal as most would expect.”
“Heh, true.”
“So, now that this has been resolved, what will you do, Mindset?”
I gave it little thought as I joked. “Oh, I dunno, maybe see the sights, eat some exotic food, or perhaps relive my early foalhood years.”
“Oh, that last one sounds interesting...”
“I thought it might. See, my problem with that one is finding the right mother figure to take care of me. Once I'm in foal mode, I won't be able to take care of myself.”
“My, that is a problem. But who could possibly do that?”
“Well, I've been thinking, and I was hoping maybe you could fill that part?”
She laughed. “I thought you'd never ask.” After a brief hug, she then asked, “So, how far back did you want to go?”
“Well, I don't think there's any other starting point than the very beginning.”
“Really? That far back?” She raised a brow.
“Yes. I think that has to be where we begin. I don't see myself healing unless I get that point of my life mended.”
“Well, if you're sure.” She gave a coy smirk. “You do realize you won't be able to stomach foal formula at that age, right? You'll have to get your milk straight from the source.”
I blushed at that realization. “Uh... W-Well, yes, I assumed as much.”
“Guess this means I'll have to ask Circus if she could do that spell for me...” I heard her mumble before a certain princess popped up.
“What spell?”
“It seems our doctor here has decided to regress back to the very start of her life.”
“What, really?!” I could've sworn I saw her eyes sparkle with joy.
“W-Well, not forever. Just until my vacation is over,” I added.
That didn't stop the myriad of squealing coming from her. “Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes!” She almost imitated my teacher perfectly as she bounced around. “Oh, this is gonna be so great! I'll take good care of you, share my good toys, even help with your diaper changes. I'm so excited, I might just... Just...” In that instant, her padded tush got a little more soggy. “Oops.”
“Whoa, easy there! I'm going back to the very beginning, meaning I'm going to be very fragile. Glitter, I know you're only a foal, but this is a huge responsibility. You have to be careful being the big sister, understand?”
“Of course I do. I'm only one and a half millennia old. I know how to be careful.” I gave a chuckle as we looked out to the kingdom and watched as the celebrations continued with a new vigor.
Unfortunately, I knew it wouldn't last long.
~*~
The next day, Glitter was pacing around near her highchair throne. Cocoa and I stood by the sides of it as we watched her descent into madness.
“Glitter, are you okay? You look upset.” I asked.
“Upset? Upset?! Why would I be upset?! It's not like a line of ponies are waiting to be aged back to normal and leave this kingdom forever, possibly even scream, yell, and file a lawsuit! Hahaha HAHAHAHAHA!” She had a look of insanity.
I noticed Cirrus give a gesture to Nimbus about her insanity, only for Nimbus to nudge him to stop. I walked to her and patted her head “Whoa, easy! Breathe.” I motioned to her to breathe, something my royal mentor did for me when I got nervous. Glitter followed me exactly as she calmed down.
“Sorry. Look, I get it. After everything I've done, I don't deserve any sympathy from them. I just... I don't think I can handle what I'm about to witness.”
“Yeah, it's pretty tense around here. Especially for them.” I motioned towards the families of those who were leaving; the 'mares and sires' of these foals who were getting ready for their own tongue-lashings from them. “Which is why you need to be strong. They're the ones who'll be hurting the most out of all this, because of the bond they formed with them. Your people are going to be looking to you for strength, and if you can't muster even that, then how do they expect to overcome this.” She hid her face out of guilt. “I know it'll be hard for all of you, but you know it's the right thing to do. You've already kept them from their families and lives long enough as is.”
“I know. I just wish this wasn't so hard to do.”
“Ahem...” We were interrupted by Beam as he stood by a crystalline cauldron filled with water. “The mixture is ready. You can let them in.”
With a sigh, Glitter ordered the guards to open the doors. The throne room filled with foals ready to return to their old lives, many of which were distrusting of Glitter and the adults. “Alright, please line up in an orderly fashion, and we'll give you a glass.”
“How do we know this isn't going to regress us further?!” One foal shouted. Many others started agreeing with the question.
“I can guarantee the validity of this concoction. You will return to your original ages.” I answered, hoping that my words would be enough. They still felt unsure, until one foal was daring enough to try it. In a burst of light, the foal transformed into a full-grown stallion. “Believe it, now?”
The stallion smiled and removed the diaper he still wore, though it no longer fit him properly and had torn in places. His smile vanished, however, when he looked to the ponies that cared for him. He didn't speak, but simply walked away. Glitter grimaced as the two parents walked away in sadness soon after. “Okay, next.”
The next two hours were some the most grueling experiences for us. Each foal had a different reaction; some showed no sympathy and walked off, others actually confronted their caretakers and verbally chewed them out, and some even got a bit violent. Luckily, the adult guards were there just in case.
It wasn't all bad, though. Some of the foals actually surprised us by acting maturely and even showed respect for their foster parents, and some even decided to stay, but not regress again. These moments were few and far between, of course, but it gave a sliver of hope for a better future.
Finally, we had given the last foal in line the cure, and they politely excused themselves as they prepared for their return home. “That was painful.” Glitter was filled with grief over the whole ordeal.
“I know. I was hurting, too. But now that this has finally been resolved, the kingdom can heal properly, and become a better place.” I gave Glitter a smile of hope, though she didn't seem happy.
Glitter was lifted out of her highchair by Cocoa, who inspected her diaper. “Cocoa, I'm tired. I just want to sleep for now.”
Cocoa nodded and took her to change and lay down for a nap. I, however, left for my bedroom. I got to the door when I remembered the nursery next to it; the baby pink-painted door almost camouflaged with the walls. After some thought, I opened the nursery door and stepped inside. The room had the necessities a nursery would need: changing table, crib, a coloring table, a mountain of plush toys, etc. “So, this is going to be my new room?” I inspected the changing table and noticed the diapers being very infantile in design. “Makes sense, given the circumstance...” I looked into the closet and saw the foal-sized outfits; from onesies to dresses, they all screamed 'baby' to me. I even saw one of the Foal Scouts uniforms, only in normal foal size and with bonnet.
“Getting used to your new room?”
“Eep!” I jumped, noting a slight dampness in my diaper now. I looked to the door to find Cocoa there. “Oh, Cocoa. Sorry, I didn't mean to pry, I just-”
“No no, it's quite alright. You were just curious, as foals should be.” She entered and comforted me. “I hope this room is to your liking. If not, we can always put you in another room.”
“Oh, no, that won't be necessary. I am just trying to take it all in. Being in this room, knowing it's all meant for me... I kind of feel small, already.”
“Well, that is the point, after all.” She patted my head gently and went to eye level. “If you wish to back out, don't be afraid to say so. I don't want you thinking that you have to do this because of me or anypony else. This is your choice.”
I smiled. “Thank you, but I am okay with this. I know this is going to be helping me in the long run. Help fill the piece of me that I've yearned for.”
“Well, if you're sure...” She pulled out a foal bottle that was filled with the regressive water. “Okay, once you drink this, there's no going back. You'll be my little foal for the rest of your vacation. Ready?” I gave a nod. “Okay, open your mouth.”
I was about to drink it, but a knock on the door stopped us. “Excuse me, but Miss Snow Crystal has requested for Doctor Mindset for an interview,” Nimbus interrupted.
“Oh, I almost forgot about that. I'm sorry, but I did promise her to an interview,” I apologized.
Cocoa simply smiled. “It's okay. We can do this later. Besides, I think Glitter wanted to be involved with this.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, I'm sure. Now, go do that interview.” With that, I followed Nimbus to a room that Snow Crystal had rented for the day. It had a bit of soundproofing to help keep the interview private. “I'm sorry, I nearly forgot about this.”
“It's alright. Let me get the tape recorder set...” She fiddled with it until it started.
“So, where do you want to begin?”
“Let's start at the beginning. What brought you to this kingdom?”
“Well, that was Princess Luna. She had received a letter from Princess Glitter asking for some guidance. She was obviously feeling guilt for this whole thing.”
“Interesting... Care to elaborate on it?”
“Hmm...” I gave a pause for thought. “It all started with a therapy session with a client...”
~*~
“...And that's my story. I'd continue from there, but I'd be repeating myself by this point,” I stated, telling my story while keeping some details confidential.
“Wow, that was quite a story.” She wrote into her notepad.
“Thanks.”
“I liked how Robu is your exposition partner in all of this. He really adds to you as a character and pony.”
“Thank you. I'm sure Robu would like that.”
“I do think the diaper usage was a little too much. I don't think my audience needs to know about every instance you or other foals soiled themselves.”
I felt cheeky. “You sure it's not because you were one of them.”
“Har har. In any case, that story just about answered every question on this subject that I could possibly think of. The only question now is 'do you plan on confronting Princess Luna about this?'”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it's clear she tricked you, so do you plan on confronting her about it?”
I was surprised by that. I'm sure I would, but what would I say? Would I even be angry? I was about to answer, but was interrupted by Nimbus again.
“Sorry, but Her Majesty has just woken up from her nap and requested to see Doctor Mindset.”
“Has it really been that long?!” I jumped out of my seat.
“It was a long story. It's okay, we can just ignore that last question. I got everything I really need.” Snow closed her notepad and packed her things. “It was a joy to interview you. I hope we can see each other again soon.” With that, she left.
“Doctor, if you'll follow me, please?”
Sighing, I followed. Guess it's time, now.
We entered Glitter's nursery as Nimbus gave the door a few knocks before it opened with Cocoa. “Ah, there you are. Thank you, Nimbus, you may return to your other duties.”
Nimbus gave a slight chuckle and mumbled “Doo-dees...”
Huh, guess even with his mind restored, he still has a bit of foalishness in him. I saw Glitter flying off the changing table with a clean diaper on. “Had a nice nap?”
“It was alright, but not entirely peaceful,” she answered.
I can imagine after everything you've been through today. I noticed that Glitter had a familiar bottle in her possession. “Is that...?”
“Glitter asked if she could do it,” Cocoa responded.
“Please, Mindset? I know Cocoa's good at being a mommy, but this is a rare opportunity for me. I won't be able to have babies of my own, since... Well, I'm a baby myself. I'd like to know what it's like.”
Wow, she's really serious about this. Giving it some thought, I agreed. “Okay, but afterwards, you're the big sister, understand?”
“Yep, I understand!” She jumped in glee.
“Well, since she'll be feeding you the water, I'll be the one to put you in a more fitting diaper, since I know your clothes won't fit you afterwards.” Cocoa pulled out some diapers, and began to prep the table. As she did, Glitter laid down on the floor and motioned me to lay down next to her, which I did soon after.
“Okay. I'm ready.”
“Okay, here comes the pegasus...” she made the bottle fly like one in a way a mother fed their foal.
I was hesitant at first, but I opened my mouth and felt the rubber nipple touch my tongue. This is it. I'm really doing this.
With a few suckles, I began to change. It was slow, at first, but as I continued to regress, my suckles became more quick and natural, even grabbing the bottle out of instinct and stabilization. After a few minutes, I drained the bottle and shrunk to a newborn. I felt weak and wobbly, and couldn't even roll onto my legs. The motions of drinking that bottle must have taken a lot out of me, because the world started getting dark as I closed my eyes. “Looks like she's really in need of that vacation now. Let's get her ready for a nap, shall we?” I heard Cocoa say as I felt my body lifted off the ground and onto what I assumed was the changing table.
“Let's put three diapees on her. She might need them with all the water she drank.”
“Good idea.” I wanted to argue that idea, but I was too tired, and had already promised to behave and not argue with her from this point onward. I felt the diapers as they were taped on me; the softness of the padding was oddly enjoyable. “Now, let's put her in her crib.” Being lifted again, I was soon placed onto a pillow and started hearing music, the mobile most likely being the source. “Okay, Glitter, time to let her sleep. She's had a long, rough life and needs a break,” I heard her whisper.
“Okay. Sleep tight, baby sister,” Glitter returned.
As the door quietly shut, all I could focus on was the gentle music as it lulled me to sleep. This is it. My vacation truly starts now...