“ARRG!!! DISCORD GET OUT!!!” The quiet air was shattered in an instant. As the dust settled, the once organized library was left in complete disarray. Standing in the middle of this catastrophe was an enraged Twilight and a smug Discord.
“Oh, but my dear Twilight, when I heard your loyal dragon friend Spike was out of town for the day, I thought to myself, ‘Who better to be your temporary assistant than I, your good friend, Discord?’” Each syllable was spewed with a more sarcastic undertone than the last.
“Help me!? You just made a mess of my library! Now I need to clean this all up!” The only thing able to cut through Discord’s air of sarcasm was the miasma of rage coming off the purple mare.
“Oh relax; it is not like you had anything you were going to do tonight. At least now you can enjoy your evening alphabetizing. Oh! And don’t forget, “A” comes before “B.” Looking at her he could see he had gone too far, exactly as planned. Before Twilight could raise her voice to him, Discord responded by yawning. “Well, would you look at the time? I must be off. Take care!” Discord disappeared from the purple mare’s sight and reappeared several yards away from the library, stopping only to admire the distant outburst of the mare left in the wake of his pestering. Looks like my suspicions were correct! She did send him out with secret intentions in mind, but what could they be? Could it be something so secretive she wouldn’t even tell her beloved ‘friends’? Hmm… now if I knew something like that about her, I wonder just what she would be willing to do to keep me quiet? A sinister smile erupted from his face as he considered what he could do. It is settled! It is my duty as her ‘friend’ to keep an eye on her and make sure nothing bad happens to her.
***
Soon night crept upon the small village, within the cover of darkness a Draconequus placed his plan into motion. Slipping in and out through the town’s shadows, he returned to the library. Passing in between its cracks he managed to return to the scene of that morning’s exploits, and stopped to admire the state of the room. Hmm… so she managed to clean it up. That is oddly fast, even for somepony like her. He started to examine the books, realizing his suspicion was correct. So she had to forgo doing it correctly and just jammed any book into any shelf, how interesting. Whatever she is planning on doing tonight must be really important. Discord slipped in between the shelves and began his stakeout.
After about fifteen minutes of Discord trying desperately not to lose his mind of the weight of sheer boredom, there was a knock at the door. A few seconds later, Twilight entered into the main room, and opened the door. As she began to greet the pony at the door, Discord shifted past several selves to get a better view. Looking out he was surprised to see Rarity standing at the entrance. So Twilight tells Spike to leave to secretly meet with one of her little friends. Whatever could these two unicorns be planning? A sleepover? Some secret friendly fun? Maybe a secret Coup to overthrow the princess? With each and every passing second, Discord’s theories became more wilder than the last, until Rarity presented a box to the purple mare.
“Here Twilight. I finished it to the best of my ability, but are you sure you really wanted it like that? I mean, it is not my best work, and I really want to make you something you’d love.”
Twilight opened the box to see its contents and her face lit up. “Yes! Rarity, this is perfect. Thank you!” Twilight stopped for a moment to regain her composure. Clearing her throat she continued, “You promise not to tell anyone, right?”
Seeing the excitement in her friend's face, Rarity smiled. Happy that her friend enjoyed her work. “But of course, Twilight. It will be our little secret.”
“Thanks, Rarity.” Twilight sighed, relieved the contents of the box would be concealed from the world. The two mares said their goodbyes, and Rarity left to return back to her home. All the while, Discord’s curiosity continued to be fueled by the contents of the box.
A smile crept across his face. My, my, my, what have I gotten myself into? So, Twilight really is hiding a secret. This is just perfect! Now I wonder just what she will do in exchange for my silence. Hehehehehe….
Twilight placed the box on her back and locked the door and windows. After they were secured, she proceeded up the stairs to her room. Discord looked on, wanting to follow her. Not wanting to risk blowing his cover yet, he waited patiently, sure the payoff would be well worth the effort. As he continued to wait, he could hear boxes being moved, the rustling of plastic, and the sound of tearing. Soon the myriad of odd sounds began to test the Draconequus’ patience. Thanks to his iron will, and ability to remove his ears, he managed to survive the onslaught long enough for Twilight to return to the main room. He noticed she was still carrying the box on her back. Reattaching his ears, he heard that odd noise again. Shifting through the books, he adjusted his view of the mare, nearly losing his eyes in the process.
There, standing before him, was the same purple mare from this morning, but now instead of angry, she looked happy. What was even stranger was the diaper now secured to her. Discord was left dumbfounded; never in his wildest imaginations did he expect this to be the mare’s secret. He continued to look on from the shadows, unable to form any coherent thoughts. Twilight moved over to the table in the center of the room. The mare took the box off her back and opened it. She smiled again as she remove the contents. She brought the object close to her, surrounding it in her hooves, and pressing it against her chest. Discord moved again, getting a closer view. He could make out the thing in her hooves as a somewhat gray object, almost like a miniature pony.
“I am so happy Rarity was able to make you again. I missed you more than I thought I would.” Twilight stopped to rub her face against the odd item in her hooves. “I guess some things don’t change, no matter what happens, Smarty Pants.” Placing her toy on her back Twilight continued back towards her room.
Discord remained there unable to move, just trying to understand what was going on. It took him several minutes before arriving at a possible explanation. AH! I see, so Celestia’s little pet isn’t as clean as she would like everypony to believe. And I thought Rarity did some less than refined things! Although, I must say I can understand why she wouldn’t want something like this getting out. Now, what to do? It would be quite rude to observe somepony when they think they are hidden away from the world; when they give in and let their fantasies run wild. Yes, yes. I can agree on that. The next step is clear. He waited for the crinkling noise coming off the distant mare’s odd new attire to stop before he continued. Discord passed through the bookshelf and continued up the stairs. Nothing could stop him until he saw this though.
Arriving at Twilight’s room, Discord once again slipped into the shadows and continued to observe the mare. Twilight gingerly made it to her bed and placed her stuffed toy down. She then proceeded to a large wood chest next to her bed, a chest that hadn’t been there before and was left wide open. Reaching in, she pulled out an old worn out book. Discord looked on perplexed. Odd. It isn’t like her to let one of her precious ‘books’ get in a condition as bad as that. Why hasn’t she cast a spell to repair it?
As she opened the ragged old book, Twilight’s expression turned to one of sadness for a brief moment. She turned towards her Smarty Pants toy and brought it close to her, smiling as she did so. “It has been so many months since I last read this. It just didn’t feel right.” Twilight brought her blanket close and draped it over herself and her toy. “This is one of my favorite books. It’s full of old stories, but my favorite on is The Promise of the Sun and the Moon.” Twilight oddly paused for a moment. She inhaled deeply before she began to read from the book.
***
“Once upon a time, the sun and the moon lived far, far away from our planet. Without the use of any magic at all, the sun would come up to signify the day and then would go down to be replaced by the moon that signified the night. The sun was much larger and moon was as bright as the sun. Our world was flooded with light, day and night. Many years passed. Unaware of each other’s existence, they soon became lonely. In their boredom, they began to gaze at the large galaxy they lived in, and soon realized they both existed there. As they stared back at each other from opposite ends of the universe, they wanted to meet. The distance was too great and their fear even greater. Unaware of each other’s longing, they remained where they were. The journey across the gap would be too much only for their feelings to not be returned. They knew that no matter hard they tried, they would never be able to bridge the gap. They grew sad.
Millennia passed and soon the sun and the moon discovered our little planet among the countless stars. They would spend ages gazing at our small distant world, observing the ponies living their lives. Looking at them, they couldn’t see the loneliness or sadness they felt. Sometimes a pony would take a risk getting closer to another pony and sometimes it would fail. However, when a pony succeeded, the reward was something far too beautiful for either the sun or the moon to ignore. They realized that some things might be worth that risk. Their minds made up, the two began their arduous journey towards one another. The fear of being alone gave way to the desire of being together.
During the day the sun would progress closer to the moon. During the night the moon would journey towards the sun. Because of this, neither was aware of the other’s advances, only noting the journey was not as far as they once thought. For many years, the sun and the moon continued this. No matter how tired they became, they knew it would be worth it. Slowly, as years went by, the sun began to lose size and the moon began to lose its bright glow. Yet, no matter what happened, they knew they had to meet each other at least once. The years continued to pass by; the two continued to drift closer and closer, but continued to lose more and more.
The many years now elapsed and the vast space between them crossed, the two stood before one another, frozen. Blocking the path of the small sun and the dulled moon was that planet, the same one filled with the tiny ponies that long ago gave them such great hope. Their chance to meet had arrived at long last but they couldn’t do it. Their mutual path chosen so long ago was through that planet. Any other path would cast them apart once more. However, the little ponies would be hurt if this path was continued. They looked back at each other, from a gap much smaller than the one that used to exist, but a distance just as large as ever. They grew sad, never having received their answer.
As they were about to drift past each other the two realized something. This little planet once stood between the two. They both realized they never embarked on this journey alone. Through all their hardship, and loneliness the other was trying their hardest to find their own answer. An answer that they now no longer needed. The lonely celestial bodies divided by space, fated to never meet. The two that were unable to take their pain together. Now forced to pass each other by. Now having to spend every moment of their existence to see the other drift further apart. For the first time ever they were happy, because they knew they were never alone. As they said their silent goodbyes a glow surrounded them, and they stopped.
As they gazed down at the planet below they could see the little ponies using their magic. All of them had united to stop the two from drifting away. Although the strain was hard on them, they kept the sun and the moon together. Now close enough to meet with each other for the first time, they still remained silent. Looking at each other, they had no need for words. The sun, the moon, and the ponies on the planet down below. None were alone anymore. They knew there would always be time for questions later. That was a promise, as certain as the rising of the sun and the setting of the moon.
***
Droplets fell onto the page as Twilight closed the worn book, trying to preserve it the best she could. Using her hoof, she began to wipe the tears out of her eyes. Her vision now less blurry, she used her magic to place the book back into the chest once again. She used her blanket to wipe her face until she calmed down. She then stared down at the ground in deep thought, and turned to her stuffed toy. Picking it up and looking at it she once again lost her composure and began to sob. “I-I know it is silly me crying over a silly story like that, but I really miss them.” Twilight clutched her Smarty Pants plush in her hooves and laid down in her bed, still crying. She pulled her blanket over herself and fell asleep.
With Twilight now asleep, Discord escaped from the shadows and came closer to the mare. Silently he reached forward and pulled a book out of thin air. The book's bindings were a deep purple. While it lacked any title, the front of the book was emblazoned with Twilight’s cutie mark. Using his free hand he snapped his fingers and a simple wooden stool appeared behind him. As he sat down he opened the book. Most of the pages appeared blank, but slowly began to fill with odd disjointed sentences. He began to silently read from it.
***
“Mom! Can you please read me that story again!?”
“Which one?”
“The one about the sun and the moon, please.”
“Why of course, dear.”
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
“Haha, calm down Twilight. And PLEASE get into bed first.”
“Okay, mommy.”
----------
“This is Smarty Pants. No matter how lonely you get, she will always be here with you.”
“But you’ll all be with me too, right?”
“Ha, of course, Twili! Me, mom, and dad aren’t going anywhere.”
“D-do you promise?”
“We promise. Now you can go dry your face, Twilight.”
----------
“Do you have to go, Shining?”
“Sorry Twi, but this is a special honor.”
“Oh…”
“Hey, don’t give me that face.”
“...”
“Twilight. Could you promise me you will be strong, for me?”
“...I- I guess so… Sure, for you, I promise!”
“Good. Oh, and here make sure you keep your toy safe.”
“I don’t need toys anymore! I am a strong pony.”
"Ha, okay. If you say so.”
“G-goodbye Shining.”
“Goodbye, Twilight.”
----------
“I got accepted! I can finally go learn magic!”
“Your mother and I are so proud of you, Twilight.”
“Mommy, daddy, why are you both crying?”
“Sorry Twilight, you have just grown so much in such a short time. We are just really proud of you.”
“I promise I will do my best, and then you guys can be really proud of me!”
“Twilight, we will always be proud of you, and we will always be here for you if you need us. Promise me you won’t forget that.”
“I won’t! And I’ll be sure to come home often!”
“That would be nice, Twilight. And remember, we love you very much.”
“I love you, too!”
----------
“Sigh… this spell is hard. Maybe I can find some references in my old stuff. Smarty Pants!? Wait, how long has this toy been here? It has been so long I forgot about you. I should probably get rid of it… Hmm maybe I should just keep him for a bit longer. Then I can throw him out later. What else is in here anyway? Wait, I remember this stuff.”
----------
“Ugh, I feel so silly. Diapers, toys, and pacifiers… this is absolutely ridiculous! But all the research does say it could help with my stress. So I am just doing this to help my mental health and nothing more. It is not like I enjoy it. I am only doing this so I will be a better student to the princess. Why do I feel so… happy?”
----------
“Hey, Twilight, where do you want me to move this old chest?”
“Oh! J-just put that near my bed.”
“It’s really heavy. What’s in this thing, anyway?”
“N-nothing, Spike, just some old things from when I still studying in Canterlot.”
“Alright.”
----------
“Sorry, mom and dad. I can’t make it over for Hearth's Warming Eve. I have a lot of work for the princess.”
“We understand, sweetie. Just try not to overwork yourself, okay?”
“I just feel really bad. I just can’t get any time to come home and visit you guys.”
“It’s okay, Twilight. Me and your father will always love you and we just want you to be happy. No matter what happens, we will always be here. Just make sure to be safe.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
“We are always worried about you, Twilight. Ever since that day you went off to study with the Princess, and whenever you are off on one of your adventures, we worry. But we are always proud our little filly.”
“Y-your little filly?”
“Oh, sorry, but you know no matter what happens you will always be my little filly.”
“T-thanks mom I-I’ll miss you…”
***
Discord closed the book, no longer needing it. As he grabbed his chin with his hand, he stared at the sleeping mare, lost in thought. Discord smirked as he let out a “Heh.” He then stood up, and both the book and the wooden stool disappeared. He began to leave the room, stopping as he heard a faint crinkle from the nearby bed. As he turned, he could see Twilight’s blanket had come off, and the mare was now sleeping exposed, clutching her Smarty Pants. He was relieved that Twilight wasn’t awake. Who knew what she would do to him if he saw her like this. As Discord turned to leave, he arched his tail over to the sleeping mare and used it to pull the blanket over to her. The sudden movement spurred the still sleeping Twilight. Instinctively, she clutched the blanket in her unconscious state and pulled it over her toy ensuring its security before pulling it over herself. A smile spread across the mare’s face as she continued to sleep. Discord, paying no mind, continued down the stairs and left the Library without making a sound. Stopping for a moment, the Draconequus smiled deviously as he slithered into the night.
***
The moon sunk into the sky and the sun rose, signaling the start of a new day for the ponies of Equestria. The sunlight pouring in through Twilight’s window woke the mare from her deep sleep. Waking up, Twilight let out a yawn and stretched out her hooves. Wow, I feel really great today. Sitting up, Twilight looked down at her diaper, causing her to blush. She picked up her toy and held it close until her face lost its flush appearance. Sigh… I better get changed before Spike gets back home. Twilight untaped her diaper and balled it up. She then opened the large chest and placed her Smarty Pants toy back into it, and then used her magic to reseal the lock. Twilight collected the diaper and placed it into a bag, disposing of it in the outside trash.
As she returned back to her Library, she looked at the books and sighed. Just great, I forgot about Discord’s prank from yesterday. I may as well sort through these while I wait for Spike to get back. Twilight began the tedious task of reorganizing her books, continuing to do this for several hours until she heard the door open up behind her.
Spike ran in, panting. “Twilight, there is a problem! The princess had me run over here to give you this letter.”
Twilight quickly raced to her exhausted companion, before he collapsed, and collected the letter. She quickly began to scan through it, becoming more enraged with each line.
“Spike! When did he do this!?”
Spike managed to turn on his back and face Twilight. “This morning. Now Canterlot Castle is in chaos and they need you to come over quick!”
Twilight looked at her assistant, worried. “How long does the princess need me?”
“She has no clue, but the castle is a mess so we need to find some other place to stay while we are in Canterlot.”
Twilight sighed angrily. She began to wonder what to do, pacing around the room until she heard Spike belch out a letter. Seeing her assistant still drained, she walked over and picked up the letter. She quickly began reading it. As smile grew on her face as she ran through the contents. Putting the letter down, she excitedly called out to her assistant. “Spike! Quick, pack our things. I know where we are staying!”
Hearing this Spike quickly jumped to his feet. “Where, Twilight?”
“My parents. They said they would love for us to stay with them while we are there. Shining will also be there.”
“That’s great, Twilight. I’ll get our stuff!” With restored energy, Spike began to run through the Treehouse, collecting his and Twilight’s things. Grabbing her saddlebag, Twilight proceeded up the stairs and back to her room. She could hear Spike running around downstairs, preparing for their trip. Twilight slowly reached her bed. Sitting down, Twilight pulled the chest over to her. Using her magic, Twilight undid the lock and fully opened the chest, revealing the contents inside. Old photo albums, books, letters, old clothing, and other objects that were the embodiment of Twilight’s foalhood. Mixed in with them were some newer things. Pacifiers, packages of adult diapers, bottles, and on top of it, her brand new Smarty Pants doll.
Making sure nopony was around, Twilight opened her saddlebag and transferred her doll into one of the pockets. With her toy secured, Twilight relocked the chest containing the final remnants of the foalhood she barely had, and the items of the foalhood she was trying to reclaim. As she began to walk away, she froze. A feeling of dread filled Twilight, and her eyes darted around the room, searching for something, until she heard Spike call out to her. Shrugging off her suspicion as needless paranoia, Twilight continued downstairs. Right now she wanted to make it to Canterlot to help with the chaos afflicting the town, and more importantly spend some time with her family. Twilight and Spike left their home and continued to the train station. With the door shut behind them, the house once again was filled with silence. After a few moments passed, a figure emerged from the shadows of Twilight’s room and gave off a fanged grin. The figure let out a “Heh,” and snapped their fingers. Instantly, the figure disappeared and silence once again consumed the little house.