A Glimmer of the Past: Daddy Issues

by milesprower06

Invitation

Starlight awoke in her bed, pacifier once again on the sheets next to her pillow. Rubbing her eyes, she saw that her spell had successfully reverted, and everything was back to their regular sizes. Her crib had reverted to a full size bed, her changing table had returned to her desk and chair, and the diaper around her waist was much bigger and thicker... And quite wet.

She rolled out of bed and plopped her hooves on the floor, tearing the tapes of her diaper with her magic as she headed for her bathroom.

Quite accustomed to this routine by now, she peeled the wet diaper away from her waist, rolled it up, and dropped it into her enchanted, smell-neutralizing trash can next to the sink as she magically turned on her shower. As she stepped into the warm stream of water, her mind drifted back to the previous 24 hours.

It was as nostalgic for her as it must have been for him, of course. The kites, playing, feeding, changing... Things she remembered far more often with Sunburst and his family. Yesterday's spell didn't include mind regression, nor did she include the temporary memory block. She didn't want to risk being a badly behaved brat on his only day here. That mischievous side of her was reserved more for Trixie and Twilight, anyways.

Showering up didn't take long, and a few minutes later, she stepped out onto the bathroom rug, dripping wet, and grabbed a towel. Now that she was dry and her mane smelled of lavender shampoo, she was ready for breakfast. she began to put her things away in the chest, and went for the pacifier last of all, next to her pillow, and caught a glance at the clock on her nightstand, and saw that it was 7:45.

"Oh no, dad's train!" She exclaimed, realizing that she had overslept by a half hour.

Her coat and mane clean and smelling of lavender shampoo, she burst out into the hall and galloped out to the foyer and raced down the stairs towards the dining room. She came through the double doors to the dining room with a yawn, and saw the late stages of a pancake breakfast.

---

"Hey there, Sugar Plum. Sorry to say I fell back on instinct and didn't wake a sleeping baby. I really hate to eat and run, but the train to Sire's Hollow leaves in ten minutes." Firelight apologized.

"Don't worry about it, dad. I'm glad we had a day together. It's not your fault that I overslept. At the very least, I can walk you to the platform." Starlight replied, quickly rolling up a pancake, rolled it around in maple syrup, and quickly swallowed it, before walking out to the foyer and outside with her dad.

"So did you have a good time yesterday?" Firelight asked his daughter as they walked side by side.

"Oh, absolutely. It meant so much to me that you were so accepting of... This side of me."

"Like I said, we all have different coping mechanisms, yours is quite harmless when you think about it, and it seems your friends have accepted it, so lucky you."

"Speaking of coping mechanisms, how is the Sire's Hollow Preservation Society?" Starlight asked teasingly.

"I had it dissolved when it became obvious that no one was really interested in the upkeep. Same with Stellar Flare; shop owners are free to maintain or upgrade as they see fit. It didn't take her long to take down that greeting speaker." Firelight responded, getting a chuckle out of Starlight.

They heard the approaching train whistle before they were even at the platform, and upon arriving, it had come to a halt and the brakes steamed with a hiss.

"I hope you had a great time too." Starlight told her dad, coming in for a hug, which Firelight immediately returned.

"It obviously wasn't what I was expecting when I arrived, but yes. More than you know."

"All aboard!" The conductor called.

"See you soon, sweetheart." Firelight told her, coming in for one last hug, and then turned and boarded the train. They both waved goodbye to each other through the window as he found his seat.

As the train departed and Starlight left the platform heading back to the castle, she mentally kicked herself for not resetting her alarm when she got up yesterday morning; a pancake breakfast would have been a great way to say goodbye. Instead, the final note to her dad's visit felt entirely too familiar to her childhood; him leaving for a job with barely any time for a meal or conversation.

On her walk back, she flirted with the idea of grabbing a quick bite to eat, as the single pancake really wasn't enough of a meal; she decided against it, opting to either finish off what was left of the breakfast in the dining room, or make something fresh in the kitchen.

Arriving back in the dining room, she passed Twilight, who had just finished clearing the table.

"Hey Starlight. There's more pancake mix in the cupboard if you want to whip up your own pancakes. And, here. Your dad wasn't sure if you were going to get up in time to see him to the train, so he left me this to give to you." Twilight told her, magically floating a folded piece of parchment over to her student.

"Thanks, Twilight." Starlight responded, accepting the letter and headed back to the kitchen to start her own breakfast. Before she got started, she unfolded the letter, and read silently.

---

My dearest Starlight,

I wanted to thank you for sharing that side of yourself with your old stallion. It took me back in ways you can't imagine. I missed so many of those days, and it was amazing that I could get a second chance at one of them. I hope it was everything you were wanting as well.

In case you didn't quite have enough, or if you want a change of atmosphere from the castle, Twilight tells me the next extended holiday from school is the weekend after next. If you want to come down for a visit home again, please let me know, I'd love to have you. You don't have to worry about bringing anything from your chest, either.

Love,
Dad

Author's Note:

Honestly, I'm not sure whether I want to end it here or not. The sliver of ideas I've got for Starlight in Sire's Hollow aren't really enough to warrant a third story (and that's coming from a guy who's been posting sub-10k word stories for awhile now), nor am I currently confident that events in Sire's Hollow wouldn't mirror events in Ponyville.

With the school year having begun, work has gotten busier, and sometimes writing isn't always the first thing I do to unwind some nights.

Regardless of what I eventually decide to do, thanks for reading!

-Miles

Comments

[SuperPinkBrony12]

If you want to end it here I suppose you can, though I think it would be interesting if she went to Sires' Hollow, regressed, and Stellar Flare stumbled upon her. I imagine that might bring back some memories.

[Yosh-E-O]

Stories of less than 10,000 words are just fine. Especially if the content is, as in this story, relevant to not only the potential situation with Starlight and her dad but those who may also read it.

Truly I compliment you on inserting lines like, "Accepting this side of yourself" and "Sharing that part of yourself". Those broke the 4th wall in ways that help those who live with such feelings know there can be acceptance and understanding for desiring a return to simpler times.

Good luck with class. I'll be keeping a watch for your next tale, or chapter. :)

[milesprower06]

9133691
Oh I'm not a student.

I deal with hungry students.

And drunk, hungry students.

And stoned, hungry students.

...And carpools of hungry students.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Really built up the tension. As in the original, nice work with the psychological aspects.