> Twilight's Dreams > by Naptime > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter One > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The room was soft in aesthetic as it was in color. Smooth curved corners connected the lavender walls seamlessly with the ceiling, arching over the room with gold trim and star shaped lights glowing with the faintest of blue light. Narrow windows drawn with pink wispy curtains allowed the moonlit sky outside to seep silently into the room, illuminating its furnishings as faint, bluish outlines. Twilight found herself in a crib. A spacious bed surrounded by tall wooden bars that stretched up into the air, sounding a faint sense of security. She couldn’t imagine why she was up so late. She didn’t feel tired, which is how she assumed she’d feel at such a late hour. She didn’t feel exhausted, even though she could have sworn she had just spent the previous day rushing around the castle library, trying to reorganize books and scrolls. In fact, she felt...floaty. Like she weighed a fraction than normal. Directly across from the crib, a door opened with a subtle creak of the wood, allowing the subtle glow of hallway candle fixtures to spill into the dark room. A blurry figure walked into the room, expertly navigated across the play mat covered floor and made a beeline straight for Twilight’s crib. Her tired eyes slowly adjusted to the change of light, focusing on the strangely familiar blur that quietly tiptoed closer to her crib. The dim light only moderately illuminated the figure’s white coat of fur and its dark blue, spiky mane. It peered over the crib’s barred wall, looking down at Twilight with a hazy face. “Hey Twi Twi,” Shining Armor, Twilight’s beloved older brother’s voice came from the blurry figure, whispering with such a gentle tone, “everything alright?” Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but found that she had no voice. She tried to speak, to shout, to scream, but try as she might, no sound came out. “Awfully late to be up, little Twi,” Shining Armor continued, “I think a nice warm bottle will put you right back to sleep.” Out from behind his still foggy body, cloaked in his rose colored magic, floated a pink plastic bottle filled with milk. In a blink of an eye, Twilight found herself sitting in a rocking chair, nestled in the arms of her brother. The bottle floated above her, inches away from her muzzle as it beckoned her closer. She latched onto it without a second thought, tapping into some long forgotten routine that she never knew she knew. The milk was sweeter than it had every right to be. It was perfectly warmed, thick, and creamy. Every gulp seemed to glow inside Twilight as she felt it roll down her throat and into her belly where it warmed her up so sweetly. Whatever was troubling her before melted away with every soft suckle and before she knew it she had fallen back to sleep, still nursing the bottle of milk. ✦✦✦ ✦✦✦ ✦✦✦ ✦✦✦ It was early morning. Just before the sun was up and around the time the sky was turning blue. Twilight stirred awake not in her crib that she remembered curling up in moments after Shining Armor had tucked her in for the night, but back in her old bed. Back in her castle bedroom. It took her a moment or two to remember where she was, but the blue crystalline walls and thick purple curtained windows helped her realize what she had just gone through was just a dream. That dream again... What did it mean? Why was it always her brother that she dreamed about? And why did it always leave her with such a fluttering feeling in her chest? She recalled fragmented scenes from what she could remember of the dream. She could remember the softness of the warm bedsheets that she wrapped herself in that faintly smelled of vanilla. She could recall hearing her brother’s heartbeat as she cuddled up in his arms while suckling on the bottle of milk. Most importantly she remembered that flutter in her chest that still lingered minutes after waking. It was...a sort of fondness. A longing. Like she was in love and floating on cloud nine. Only this love wasn’t towards anything romantically speaking. It was more...love. Just love. Like comfort, security, peace, trust all wrapped into one warm ball that glowed in her heart and stirred an awestruck smile on her face. Just what did those dreams mean? She spent a good part of the early morning dwelling on these questions, often losing track of what she was doing just so she could figure this puzzle out. ✦✦✦ ✦✦✦ ✦✦✦ ✦✦✦ “So what’s on your mind, Twi?” Shining Armor snapped the alicorn out of her daydream. Calling her attention from across the tea table. It was early afternoon at this time. Twilight’s day off which was something she often didn’t allow herself. Today was special, however, because in a cosmic stroke of luck Shining Armor also had a day off. So to catch up with one another, Twilight invited Shining Armor to tea at one of her favorite Ponyville tea houses. This was something they had planned weeks ahead. And what a wonderful day it was to have a tea date. It was late spring and sunny. The perfect time to sit out on a flagstone patio and sip on tea and nibble on little cakes. Small fluffy clouds floated across the sky, providing momentary bits of shade over the valley, keeping things cool, but not cold. Birds tweeted and chirped as the chittering of forest rodents could be heard through the tall bushy trees that surrounded the tea house. ‘Miss Macaron’s Tea Shop’ was a quaint little tea house across the Ponyville river, near the thinly wooded Everfree Forest border. It was a crosshatched, single story home converted into a tea house so it came with a homely and cozy feel to it. The rooms were decorated with paintings of cats and nature scenes and had floral print wallpaper on their walls. There were maybe a dozen or so tea tables dotting the rooms and the patio area outside, given four seats each. “O-oh...n-nothing,” Twilight quickly answered, throwing her glance down at the porcelain cup of tea that had cooled completely in front of her. “Come on, what is it?” the unicorn stallion insisted, “you always get that look when you want to say something important.” “I’ve just been...having trouble sleeping lately,” Twilight replied, “I’ve been having the same dreams over and over again.” “Hm, any idea what these dreams could be about?” “I’m not sure, but Princess Luna’s encouraged me to meditate on them. She thinks its my subconscious trying to tell me something.” “So what’s the dreams about?” “It’s...kinda embarrassing...” “Twilight, I’m your big brother,” Shining Armor said, ”you can trust me. I won’t laugh.” “Well...” Twilight started, “they always start with me...in a crib...” She paused to steady her quivering voice. “...In a nursery...And I’m always doing something foalish like playing with toys or just crawling around the place.” “Well that doesn’t sound all that embarrassing,” her brother interjected, taking a big bite out of a pink frosted tea cake. “There’s more...” Twilight continued, “sometimes...you’re there too.” “Me? Doing what?” “Buncha things,” Twilight answered, “but it’s always taking care of me. Feeding me a bottle or tucking me in for the night.” The alicorn shrunk back as she described such personal details. She could remember how at peace she was when Shining Armor took care of her. How gentle and intimate things were. This all felt so private despite it all being a dream.But she was in the thick of things now. Even as she sat there taking a momentary pause, Shining looked over at her with a trusting and patient expression.  “I-I was hoping...” she started, her voice quivering as her cheeks flared up a bright pink, “I-I was hoping you would...uhm...” Her voice stooped down to an almost inaudible whisper, “baby me...” “Baby you?” “J-just to see what all these dreams are leading up to!” Twilight quickly stammered out, backpedaling immediately, “I-if you don’t want to or you’re too busy, I really don’t mind if you say no.” Twilight’s words trailed off into nothing shortly after that. She had wanted to enforce the idea that she was in no way forcing or guilting Shining Armor into doing this for her, but such a sentence never formed itself in her panicked mind. She was much too concerned with worry, filled with nothing but distress and anxiety as she worriedly looked at Shining for his answer. The older stallion sat there staring at his cup of tea, clearly thinking things over. Twilight wished she could read minds to figure out what was buzzing around in her brother’s head right now. What if he said no? What if he said yes?! She just asked her own brother to treat her like a foal! Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Maybe she had to figure all this dream stuff out on her own. Maybe Shining Armor would politely declined her request and they could just forget the whole thing. “Okay I’ll do it,” he finally said, “but if we’re gonna do this whole thing properly, we’re gonna need a proper nursery.” “Or a diaper bag at least.” Twilight felt a wash of relief and surprise when Shining agreed. “I-I...what?” “I learned my lesson with Flurry,” Shining Armor replied, “foals are a handful and you can’t be unprepared.” “I-I...s-sure, I-I can make the necessary arrangements...” Twilight answered with a blush. “We can try things out next day off we got,” Shining Armor nodded. > Chapter Two > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two weeks flew by before the two siblings’ schedules conjoined once again. For Shining Armor, the weeks that followed that encounter at the tea house passed by like any other. Occasionally he would dwell on the conversation he shared with his younger sister, but nothing too major. He was just curious to see where all this went and what Twilight could learn from such an experience. For Twilight, however, those two weeks were incredibly busy. More than usual. She spent any and all down time working on getting things to set up a nursery in one of the spare rooms of the castle. She made meticulous notes on every detail she could remember from her dreams. Everything had to be perfect. To further pile onto the seemingly never ending list of chores she needed to finish before The Big Day, there were also her duties as a princess that needed seeing to. The studious pony made sure the upcoming date had a fair cushion of time on either side, void of any meetings or banquets or ceremonies. Her apprentice Starlight Glimmer was thankfully out of town for that week. Not to mention making sure her day off synced up with one of Spike’s trips to the Dragonlands just to be extra careful. Days before Shining Armor’s visit, Twilight had the room assembled. The room had sloped corners. Check. Lavender painted walls. Check. And was meticulously decorated with all the furnishings Twilight remembered from her dreams. Check check check. “Gotta say, it’s all really impressive,” Shining Armor said on the day Twilight finally revealed the nursery to him, “practically a full fledged nursery in here!” “I wanted to recreate the room from my dreams," Twilight answered, taking a momentary breath to steady her nervous heart, "down to every last detail.” “Except bigger,” Shining Armor added. “...Except bigger, but only because I wouldn’t normally fit inside a foal sized crib.” “Or foal sized diapers,” Shining Armor replied, trotting over an adult sized changing table that stretched itself against the west facing wall. “Where did you even get this stuff?” “I had to call in some favors. Do a few chores,” Twilight answered, bashfully avoiding any extra details beyond that, “make some discrete purchases...” “And you’re sure about this?” her brother asked, “you’re sure you want me to help you play all this out?” “You’re the one I saw the most in these dreams,” she answered, “if I’m to ever figure out what they mean, you’re my best bet.” “Well alright,” Shining Armor shrugged as he scanned the room around them, “where...should we start?” “The crib,” Twilight said, pointing towards the wooden barred bed across the way, “almost all my dreams start there.” “Okay,” Shining Armor nodded, “then off you go.” Twilight led the way across the room to the large crib that hugged the northern wall. A custom carpentry job crafted by an old Canterlot colleague of Twilight’s, this furnishing was built to the exact specifications of her dreams. It was roughly the size of a twin sized bed with sturdy wooden bars surrounding it. It contained an ample amount of fluffy feathered pillows with the most adorable starry night printed bedsheets. She made sure to get the softest, most plushest bed dressings she could find and even managed to find some padded bumpers to line the lower third of the mattress’s edge. It was a cozy place she’d imagine anypony would enjoy snuggling up in if it weren’t for the fact that it was all made to look like a giant foal crib. The side of the crib was magically opened with a glow of Shining’s magic and Twilight wasted no time to crawl under the neatly folded bed sheets. The expertly made crib hardly creaked under her weight and held firm to every bounce she made when she figured out a more comfortable position. She laid on her back for a moment, staring up at the golden mobile that dangled overhead. The silver and blue star decorations silently rotated above the crib. Patiently she waited for some kind of response to all this. She gave her subconscious a moment to send her a sign or give her a gut feeling that she was heading in the right direction. She hoped... something would happen. She waited for a good ten minutes or so, quietly staring at the ceiling, while Shining Armor browsed the rest of the room so he knew where everything was. But it seemed like no matter how long she waited, nothing changed. “No no, this isn’t right!” Twilight huffed, kicking the blanket off and sitting up with a disappointed grumble, “something’s missing. I don’t know. It’s not right for some reason!” “Maybe it’s because you’re not properly dressed?” Shining Armor answered, throwing a glance over at the changing table. “O-oh...” Twilight gulped, looking over at the changing table beyond the crib’s bars.  Laying in a crib was one thing, but putting on a diaper seemed to cross some unspoken threshold that Twilight never truly internalized before. Logically a crib was just a bed, but diapers... it was difficult for Twilight’s brain to rationalize them as anything else. She always assumed diapers were involved in this infantile dream she kept having, but she could hardly recall a time when she saw herself wearing one in her dreams. Perhaps it was something her conscious mind struggled to remember. Perhaps it had been so long ago since she wore one in real life, her body had completely forgotten about them. “M-maybe you’re right,” she found herself saying before she immediately back pedaled. "I-I mean only if you're comfortable with uhm...you know..." The confidence she rode in on was starting to slowly disappear from her body language. "I’ve changed diapers before, Twi," Shining assured her, "even yours a couple times if i remember correctly." He shot her sister a little smirk before magically unwrapping her out of her warm blanket cover, "now come on." The changing table was a labor of love covertly commissioned from a local book collector that ran a side business making artisan bookshelves. She kept the true purpose of the table to herself, but a sturdy table with a padded top that could hold the weight of an adult pony with plenty of shelving underneath was hardly a challenge for her handy friend. It was made of a dark wood, almost ebony, built solid like a dresser. The foam padding on the top was covered in a thick, purple cover that was easy to clean and hypoallergenic. Underneath it was a couple of shelves and cubby holes, already well stocked with diapers and changing supplies. It was a piece of furniture just as important to Twilight’s vision as the crib was and she was happy all the elements came together in the end. Laying on top of the table was something special, that was for certain. The moment Twilight lowered her back onto its padded top, she felt a flutter stir in her chest as she stared at the lavender colored ceiling and the star shaped light fixtures. She felt as if her whole body would shrink and get lost under the vastness of the room. The more she looked into the blue stars that floated above her, the floatier she felt. Shining Armor, being the experienced father that he was, began gathering the necessary supplies from the table’s lower shelves. Sure, it felt a bit weird putting his little sister into diapers again, but he could tell there was something in all this that she really needed. Whatever she was looking for was so tantalizingly close and he knew his sister was not somepony who would just leave things be. And so, for the first time in forever, Shining Armor began to change his little sister into a diaper. Obviously the garments were much bigger than what he was used to, but the general principle remained the same. It was something he had done a hundred times: legs lifted up, diaper slid underneath, powder, fold, and tape. He could change a diaper in his sleep! Twilight was certainly one of the more cooperative ponies he had diapered in the past. Certainly stayed still more than Flurry back at home. He distinctly remembered just the other day when the little alicorn kept squirming and trying to wiggle out of his hooves for no apparent reason. On some days she’d fuss because she was pulled away from her toys or just find it absolutely hilarious when she wagged her hooves up in the air. A diaper change for his daughter was always a roll of the dice for the fraternal unicorn. No, Twilight was definitely more of a pleasure to put in a diaper. She spent the entire time just staring up at the ceiling, caught up in some blissful enlightenment. She remained absolutely still and limp from the time her legs were hiked up high into the air to when the diaper was taped snuggly around her waist. It was only after the deed was done did she wake from her daydream. A soft sigh slipped out of her mouth as she felt her body become deeply relaxed and a bit tingly all over. She felt like she could have dozed off in a deep sleep right where she laid. “Twilight?” Shining Armor’s voice called out through the alicorn's daze, “you ready to try this again?” “O-oh, y-yeah, yeah I’m ready,” Twilight replied, rolling off the table. Climbing down from the table was an easy task or so Twilight first thought. She found the diaper was a lot bulkier than she would have guessed, pushing against the insides of her thighs and preventing them from touching. With a wobbly start, she managed her own and could have very easily hopped back to the floor without a single slip. But Shining Armor was right there beside her to help her down anyway. "Just fulfilling my duty as the older sibling," he would say with a supportive smile. With her diapered butt crinkling loudly behind her along the way, Twilight returned once more to the crib where she once again borrowed herself into the nest of cozy, soft blankets that laid inside. When she was finally tucked in by her brother, she tried to rest once more. She felt more comfortable now, like she was fitted into a mold that was made for her. The diaper was a welcomed, but strange comfort. And again, she waited. She waited and waited. She waited for ten minutes and when that didn’t seem to work, she waited twenty. She tried not to rush things, to give her subconscious a fighting chance, but once again she grew impatient. “Still...not right...” Twilight answered, shifting her shoulders uncomfortably against the sheets. "Here," Shining Armor said as he magically lowered a baby bottle into the crib, "this should help get you in the right mindset." Twilight grabbed the bottle out of the air with both of her hooves, holding it so that its silicone nipple hovered hardly an inch away from her muzzle. Now this was a difficult thing for her to find. Adult sized baby bottles weren’t exactly a common thing. She spent days looking around for anything that came close to what she saw in her dreams. Luckily object enlargement spells were one of the main points in her Introductory to Spellcraft classes so slipping in a pink plastic bottle into the list of practice items wasn’t that hard. She recalled feeling a childlike giddiness when she successfully got the enlarged bottle in her hooves and away from the prying eyes of her students. The moment the nipple popped into her mouth, there was an inward rush of euphoria as everything started to click. After gulping down her first mouthfuls of warm milk she knew all that hard work was worth it. Everything started to come to her so easily and automatically after that. The rhythm of suckles kept her idle mind busy as she felt herself slip into a quiet daze. After a short while her grip on the bottle weakened and her hooves dropped to her sides. Luckily Shiny was right there for her to keep the whole thing steady with his magic. The effortlessness of the whole thing allowed Twilight’s thoughts and fears to just melt away. For the past couple weeks her mind was filled to the brim with constant stimuli. Schedules and quarterly reports and research notes for ceremonies and princess rules of etiquette. She was no stranger to a heavy workload, but experiencing this moment of calm brought a well warranted calm she didn’t even realize she needed. Now all that work and worry seemed to fade away. It was like falling into a deep, lucid sleep. Completely wide awake, but with a dreamlike euphoria that reality hardly ever came close to matching. For a fleeting moment she could have sworn that her body was becoming one with the soft linen bed sheets that wrinkled around her. The sweet nectar she nursed from the baby bottle seemed to evaporate in her belly, leaving behind only a soft tingling that soothed both body and soul. The nursery around her fell away to the mystifying fog. From Twilight’s perspective, it was tough to know for sure how much time passed as she slowly drained the bottle of it’s creamy milk. She wouldn’t snap out of the haze until she started sucking at air when the bottle was suddenly empty. “I-I felt it!” Twilight exclaimed, practically spitting out the bottle. She shot up with an excited smile of joyful energy. ”I was almost there!” “Almost where?” Shining asked, just as curious as he was supportive of his sister. “I...I don’t know...” Twilight replied, taken aback by the fleetingness of whatever she was feeling. It felt as if the emotions she was feeling moments ago were disappearing the more she paid attention to them. “It was...” the studious pony struggled putting the complex feelings to words, ”like a warm tingling sensation. I was almost there!” “Uhm, Twilight,” Shining replied, stifled a chuckle as he floated the empty bottle out of the crib. His eyes floated back to the alicorn in her crib, only this time his gaze trailed downwards towards her diaper. The crinkling garment now had a distinct yellow hue to most of it. It was swollen to at least twice its original thickness and weighed heavily on Twilight’s waist. “I think I know where that warming sensation was coming from...” > Chapter Three > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight continued her staring contest with her wet diaper. A look of astonishment hung on the purple mare’s face. Her diaper was wet! How could it have gotten wet?!  She didn’t even feel it - or for that matter - know that she needed to go. But it was definitely wet. And it was heavy. And it was getting heavier. The two ponies watched in equal astonishment as the diaper continued to swell and sag. “Ooooh kaaay, little sog monster, up you go!” Shining Armor heaved Twilight into the air with his magic, gently carrying her back to the changing table. Even in her stunned confusion, Twilight noticed her brother’s tone of voice and word choice. It was a tone of voice she’d heard a dozen times before in Flurry Heart's company. Friendly and playful, encouraging and happy. It was the “nurturing and supportive father” tone of voice. And in somewhat of a strange conflict of emotions, she enjoyed/disliked being called a ‘little sog monster’. Once Twilight was laid on her back, Shining Armor wasted no time in changing the diaper. With one adept flick of his horn, he had the diaper’s tapes magically undone and the whole sodden garment pulled off of Twilight’s body. Once he tapped into that set of paternal skills he acquired from having a child of his own, it didn’t matter how big the diaper he was changing was. “So you’re telling me you didn’t know you were wet?” he asked as a line of moist wipes came floating out of their container and began cleaning the area. “I-I guess I kinda got lost in thought...” Twilight replied, wincing a tiny bit every time a cold wipe came and cleaned a section of her more private parts. Any comforting warmth created by the soggy diaper was quickly moped away as time went on. “Well just make sure you’re diapered next time you get ‘lost in thought’,” Shining Armor chuckled as a fresh diaper slipped underneath Twilight, “I don’t want to have to be the one mopping up puddles all day.” “Right,” Twilight blushed, feeling another dose of that enjoyment/dislike feeling again from being chided like a foal. She had half a mind to mention to Shining that she was in fact - despite the diapers and the changing table and the nursery - NOT a child. Sometimes when her brother got into these baby talk tangents it almost seemed like he completely overlooked that fact. But then there was that fun/distasteful feeling again. She wanted/hated to point all this out to him. She loved/hated the fact that he was doting over her like a foal. She enjoyed/disliked being fed a bottle and having her diaper changed. All these conflicting thoughts made her head hurt. Sometimes it felt like it was just easier not to analyze all of it and just run with things. Dwelling on such things seemed like it was just a waste of perfectly good energy. Suddenly her stomach started to growl, throwing off any ponderings she had of how she felt. At that moment Twilight realized she had skipped breakfast today, too busy with final preparations to notice until now. It was a need she could have very likely distracted herself from until dinner time, but the bottle of milk reminded her just how hungry she actually was. “Did you ever eat anything in those dreams of yours?” Shining asked as he raised an eyebrow at his sister’s growling belly. “I-I guess I am a little hungry...” “Don’t you worry,” Shining replied, taping the fresh diaper snuggly around Twilight’s waist, ”we’ll get something for that growly tummy in a bit.” Growly tummy, Twilight repeated in her head. She scowled/blushed at this word choice. It all sounded so silly coming from her older brother. And yet they didn’t seem all that out of place among this dream inspired world of diapers and plushies. Maybe that was because this whole thing was kind of surreal anyway. Truth be told, she could never quite recall seeing a highchair in her dreams. She assumed there was one and dream-Shining Armor would sometimes make passing comments about it, but she never actually saw one in her dream-nursery. While designing the nursery for real, it felt important enough to include. And now she was thankful she did. With no dream-reference to go off of, however, she had to pull inspiration from what she knew. It started with a frame made primarily of a lightweight, easy to clean, purple plastic with a padded seat nestled in the middle. A small tray, complete with a cup holder, attached to the front by metal rails and a pair of purple shoulder straps looped through the back for that extra level of security. Twilight was floated into the chair and secured fastly into place. The shoulder straps were tightened expertly well around her and came together around her waist with a plastic buckle. The plastic tray was then slid in with a metallic kling, locking her firmly in her toddler seat. “Surprised you don’t have a bib ready for all this,” Shining smirked as he dug through a cardboard box that sat beside the chair. “I-I didn’t really think any of this would happen...” Twilight stammered, her eyes flitted between her older brother and the box. The box contained a number of odds that she picked up from the store shortly before the pair’s session. Most of it was pretty mundane stuff, especially compared to the adult sized diaper changing table and the adult sized crib she had to jump through so many hoops to obtain. The fact that an adult sized bib wasn’t among them was sadly a result of Twilight’s inability to figure out how she could get her hands on such a silly thing. Despite all that, underneath the packs of plastic bowls and bulky toddler plasticware were about two dozen small glass jars, each one containing a different color of mush baby food inside. An orange label with the brand name “Belly Bubbles” in fun looking letters was attached to the front of each one. “Hey, I recognize this brand,” Shining chuckled, examining one of the glass jars, “same stuff we get Flurry.” “I-it was just the first thing I grabbed,” Twilight blushed.  Truthfully she knew very well that it was the same brand of baby food Flurry ate. In fact, she had kept track of which flavors Flurry liked the most and had even sampled a couple once or twice when she babysat the foal. When she was at the store she made sure to pick up some of Flurry’s favorite flavors, happy to rely on the recommendations of an actual foal. She also grabbed a couple jars of the least popular just so she had the added fun of choice. Or, in this instance, so her brother had the added fun of choice. In a silly way, Twilight kind of hoped/dreaded that Shining would pick out a jar of string bean mush or pulped boiled beets and force her to eat them. Then she’d probably have no choice, but to fuss about it like a real foal which, strangely enough, she quite liked/loathed the idea of doing. It seemed all she needed was an excuse. Shining would be desperately trying to float a spoonful of colored mush into her mouth and Twilight, being such a fussy baby, would do everything in her power to ensure none of it entered her mouth. Sadly/Fortunately, Shining managed to pick out a couple of the better flavors: banana, sweet potato and even a delightful berry medley which Flurry seemed to always have an appetite for. Perhaps instinctively, he had avoided all of the less-than-appetizing flavors to evade any potential fussy foal hissy fits. Twilight watched expectantly as he lined up the jars on the tray before her and opened each lid slowly. Her belly was starting to rumble more from anticipation. “Alright, banana first,” Shining said, scooping a magefire cloaked spoon into the jar of yellow mush and floating it over to Twilight, “open wide, Twi.” Twilight hardly needed to be told twice. Maybe it was out of hunger or maybe driven by some long forgotten memory of being fed from a highchair those many years ago, but her mouth hardly waited for her brain to tell it what to do. The moment the spoon was close enough, her muzzle was open to allow in the banana flavored baby food. A soft moan escaped her lips as she swallowed down the cold, sticky treat. It was not exactly delicious, but it filled her tummy nicely. The brightly colored mush had a constant blandness to it, but there was something oddly satisfying about eating it. The way it filled her belly without any upset, the comfort of being buckled in the highchair with the food brought to her with no effort from her, even the reliability of her brother always having a new spoonful ready for her was an unspeakable enjoyment. It all made her want to lick her lips between bites and wiggle in her seat as tiny waves of littness swelled in her chest. Shining smiled proudly as he watched Twilight enjoy herself through the low hilled roller coaster that was foal cuisine. He hardly ever saw this side of his sister, despite knowing her her entire life. Over the years he had grown to know his little sister as a calm, studious individual who would often get too caught up in reading to make time for things like relaxing or socializing.  All of that seemed to instantly change once she was put in a diaper. The changes were subtle, but shortly after that first diaper she appeared to giggle more, to squirm more, and more things around her stirred a happy response from her. Now here she sat, happily slurping away at the spoonfuls he floated to her while wearing a diaper, blissfully unaware - or for that matter, uncaring - of how silly she looked. Unsurprisingly, Twilight once again proved to be a much better behaved charge than Flurry. Flurry Heart had a natural talent of getting more food on her face and bib than she actually ate. Meanwhile, Twilight was much too involved with analyzing the samey flavor of the baby food to even bother letting any of it dribble out of her mouth. She was much too shy to make a mess anyway while she involved herself in this adventure into the uncomplicated and simple palette of the infant. "So how you feeling?" Shining asked at the end of it all, as he floated the now empty jars off the high chair’s tray. Twilight took a moment to answer as she finished reflecting on her most recent mouthful of baby food. "Full..." Twilight started with the obvious and then added an immaterial that even she didn’t quite fully understand, "and...warm?" "Warm? Already?" Shining tsked, starting to crane his neck underneath the highchair's tray to check Twilight's diaper. "N-not like that!" she called off her brother's advances as she crossed her back hooves in front of her diapered crotch. "I-I mean like...warm. Soft...I'm not so twitchy or or nervous or anything anymore..." "Think you're finally starting to relax," Shining added with a little proud smile, "let's say we get you outta there and play with some toys." "I-I'd like that," Twilight replied feeling delightfully small at the idea. > Chapters Four > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Growing up, playing pretend was one of the siblings favorite pastimes. Sometimes it seemed like the only way to pull Twilight away from her books. Even as a filly, the bookloving pony hardly had any interest in playing games or having fun. Instead, she preferred spending hours upon hours immersed in reading stories and characters that inspired her imagination. It wasn’t until Shining introduced her to the concept of playing pretend that she started to put down her fantasy books and played little fantasies of her own. Their games were naturally freeform, but Shining often followed his little sister’s lead. They would often play out scenes from her favorite books, taking on roles of mighty dragon slaying princesses and wise, gallant knights. The two would go on wonderful adventures together, sometimes taking place over the course of multiple days. Sometimes it was rescuing a defenseless prince from an evil sorcerer, sometimes a noble duel between wizards, and sometimes it was just a tea party. Whatever it ended up being, the two had a blast. Like many things, these games of make-believe started to wither as the two ponies grew up. It was only natural. The two siblings matured, got busier with life, and when Twilight moved to Ponyville it seemed as if those days were long since passed. But today, they both found themselves looking forward to the fun and they both brimmed with excitement. With lunch out of the way, the pair trotted to the center of the room where they assembled what they could to play with. Back in their childhood days they had real costumes and toy props, but today they’d have to make do with bedsheets and cardboard boxes, which Twilight’s nursery had plenty of. It was nothing a little bit of imagination couldn’t fix. Swords and armor were crafted from cuts of cardboard. Pillows served as building blocks for castles and caves. Blankets were spread out across the floor to serve as unpassable oceans or tarped over furniture to create shadowy forests. Before the two knew it, they had an entire imaginary kingdom spread out before them and in the center of it all sat Twilight Sparkle, Benevolent Warrior-Princess of the Five Realms with her loyal squire: Shining Armor. Once the two started playing, it was like they had never stopped when they were kids. Long forgotten games of their childhood came rushing back as they immersed themselves in the pretend world that surrounded them. There was no stopping them when it came to making up stories and games. Just like in their youth, fun fantasies materialized out of nothing. And much like in their youth, Shining Armor let his sister take the lead. Shining Armor couldn't have been more proud as he watched his sister take the lead in their games of pretend. She laughed, she giggled, she conjured up scenes of make-believe that even the greatest scribe with a hundred scrolls and a hundred years to fill them could never conjure up. There was a childlike energy in her movements as she pulled her big brother along in her adventures. There was a twinkle in her eye when she explained to him stories of an evil sorcerer stealing the kingdom’s gold or a mighty dragon terrorizing the nearby villages. In many ways it was like playing with Flurry. She too seemed to be a fountain of creativity when it came to playing pretend. Sometimes it utterly shocked Shining just how clever the little foal could be. All she needed was someone there to bounce ideas off of. The concepts were sometimes silly and sometimes unrealistic, but she had a knack for adapting the rules of reality to better fit her games. It was no different with his little sister. It was in this whirlwind of pretend and adventure and play that the two found themselves standing on the crest of a hill, overlooking an army of a thousand - no, TEN thousand - highly trained warriors clad in fantastical armor of rainbow shaded metal. The Benevolent Warrior-Princess of the Five Realms, Twilight Sparkle looked over this scene of warriors ready for battle and felt a very heroic and very warrior-princessly speech coming on. With her mighty sword held high, Twilight addressed her warriors with a moving speech that, like many speeches of its kind, could be felt as much as it could be heard. It was a rousing speech, an inspiring speech. The kind of speech that somehow transcended simple words and if one were to try writing it all down, one might struggle translating everything into the written word. The history books would remember speeches like this, even if they could never accurately transcribe such a speech. “And we will fight on! Fight until our last breath! And...A-and...” Twilight’s heroic speech petered out as a deep pressure began to swell inside her bowels. Her gut murmured with rumbling reminders of the inevitable. She lowered her mighty cardboard sword as she emitted a small groan of discomfort. "Is something the matter, my dear princess?" Shining so theatrically asked. Only when he didn't receive an answer, the dramatics were momentarily paused. "Twilight? You alright?" "Sorry,” Twilight winced, ”just felt a bit of pressure is all..." "I'll change you when you need it," Shining so casually reminded her. "Wh-what?!" "I can tell from your body language," the stallion shot his sister a knowing glance, "that's not just 'a bit of pressure'." Twilight paused. "I-I just want to make sure you're okay with all this..." "I change stinky diapers all the time, Twi," Shining rolled his eyes, "Cadance is always passing the chore off to me." “Oh...thanks,” Twilight mumbled back. There was something to be said about how her messy diapers were being passed off as ‘just a chore’. He had only been her caretaker for one day and Shining was already treating every babyish thing she did as an unavoidable occupational hazard. It all made her blush. “Now come on!” Shining interrupted with a prod of his cardboard princely scepter, ”don’t you want to play?” Twilight nodded as she felt her belly continue to churn. “Yeah...right!” Play returned shortly after that with Shining encouraging his sister along to keep the energy up. Needless to say, Twilight was a bit distracted. Her attention was visibly elsewhere as the two continued prancing around the room, fighting armies of devil dogs and saving thankful villagers. Or at least Shining pranced around. With Twilight’s churning gut and her diaper, hers was more of a cautious waddle. After every couple of steps or every couple of heroic swings of her mighty sword and her gut twinged with burning pain, cautioning her to be more careful in the future. Finally her body grew tired of putting up with the pressure and stopped the alicorn with a sharp spike of pain in her gut. Her cardboard sword dropped to the ground as her head lowered. With an involuntary - and arguably childish sounding - grunt, Twilight began to squat. Her tail started to rise, flagging in the air as more little grunts puffed out of her straining muzzle. Her bowels soon responded, plumping up the back of her diaper with a heavy and lumpy mess. Their games of pretend were understandably put on hold as the “Benevolent Warrior-Princess of the Five Realms” had to pause in the middle of her great battle with the Pillow Dragon to fill her diaper. The dragon as well as her faithful squire Shining Armor both waited patiently for her to finish, the latter of the two chuckling softly to himself as he watched Twilight’s diaper puff out with that distinct bulge he knew all too well. Immediately Twilight felt relief. The pressure and the pain deep inside her innards were instantly gone. In their place, her body rewarded her with a fluttery sense of wellness that almost worked paradoxically with the faint hint of embarrassment she could feel behind it all after just now submitting to soiling herself in front of her brother. "All done going poopoo?" Shining asked, in that all too familiar fatherly voice. It was getting dangerously close to cooing and baby talk at this point. And Twilight was a bit miffed/pleased about that. Frozen in place with her legs splayed out and her sagging backside jutting out slightly, Twilight found herself unable to look her brother in the eye. She dared not move out of fear of making things messier than they already were. All she could manage amidst the embarrassing aftermath was a slow and meaningful nod. In that moment she started to feel something deep inside her mind begin to twinkle. It felt distant, but also felt like if she just reached out with her hoof she could touch it. It was an indescribable sensation that floated just outside her vision, hearing, and touch all at the same time. For that brief moment, it almost felt like she was floating. And in that brief moment, her legs forgot their own strength and she began to fall backwards to the ground. "Whoops! Don't wanna do that!” Shining’s magic pulled Twilight into the air before her butt could hit the floor and do some damage, ”you sit down and it's only gonna make a bigger mess!" Again, all Twilight could do was a slow nod. She wore a distant look on her face. A contemplative expression of deep thought. It wasn't until late in the diaper change - somewhere amidst the army of wipes needed to clean the area of her stinky mess - did the mare stir from her deep thought and begin to speak. "I can't help feel like I was onto something there," she said carefully. Analytically. Like a scientist consulting her colleagues about her recent findings. "I was starting to really feel something there...almost like I needed to stay..." "You wanted to stay in your messy diaper?" Her consultant, Shining Armor speculated, just as he was tossing a brown hued wipe into a pile inside the open diaper. Being the experienced father that he was, he focused on breathing through his mouth, not his nose. "N-no! No! Not what I mean," Twilight furiously shook her head. "I-I was just...thinking out loud..." "Well say you're right," Shining continued, lifting Twilight's legs in the air so the old diaper could be replaced by a fresh one, "maybe I might have changed you too quick. Sometimes with Flurry she's sitting in it for a few and we don't notice until she's been stewing in it enough to stink up the place." “So you’re suggesting that if I’m to really get into the role, I need to...not be changed so soon?” "Hey, you wanted the full experience," her brother shrugged, "sometimes mommy and daddy are busy." The full experience, Twilight echoed. To willingly just...sit there in a messy diaper. Knowing full well that she should change and just...waiting for a bit...She was excited/disgusted by the concept. “W-well, not to the point where I break out in a rash...” Twilight finally said, just as a plume of baby powder was fading in the air and a new diaper was being taped around her waist, ”b-but maybe not immediately...?” "Say no more," Shining interrupted, "if it happens again, we're waiting till AFTER we finish our play!" "Right..." Twilight nodded in a half answer kind of way. Even with the information in front of her and even though a lot of it made sense in their own kind of way, she felt as though it'd be rather difficult to fully comprehend what she was really agreeing to. “Well, if you’re aiming for the full baby experience,” Shining started again, glancing up at the afternoon light that filtered through the nearby blinded window, “‘round now we’d be putting Flurry down for her afternoon nap. Shortly after her bottle to calm her down of course.” “A nap already?” Twilight whined. It felt like they were just getting started. She didn’t even feel all that tired. “Well...I guess if that’s how things are normally done...” “I’ll just lay you down in your crib for a bit. You don’t have to actually nap if you don’t want to,” Shining said, surprised to find that he used a similar line when convincing Flurry to take her nap not too long ago. “Right,” Twilight nodded, noticing as well. With a wisp of powder trailing behind them, Twilight was guided back into the crib where she easily nestled into the bundle of blankets. She took a moment to get properly settled in, bundling up in the fluffy blankets and ensuring her wings were properly splayed out underneath her to avoid any painful pinching further down the road. Eventually a bottle of milk floated into her field of view, freshly warmed to the perfect temperature. With a nudging hoof, she guided it the short distance it had left to travel to her muzzle which she almost automatically opened to latch onto the bulbous nipple. “Scooch over. I’ll keep you company,” Shining said, nudging the feeding mare in her side, “used to do this all the time when you were a foal.” The floating bottle drifted like a balloon overhead as Twilight shimmied across the crib’s springy mattress. At no point doing so could she find the time to stop her rhythmic suckling. Shining meanwhile clambered up and settled down beside her, laying on top of the bedsheets for obvious reasons. He had learned in the past that bundling up in blankets, even if it was intended for a short while, spelled bad news for him. He had a habit of dozing off when covered up in a blanket, even if he was just lounging on the couch or trying his hardest to convince Flurry to fall asleep. Today he wanted to avoid all that and opted for staring idly at the ceiling as his sister's gentle suckling sang into his left ear. No matter the age, it seemed that the warm milk had a mesmerizing magic to it. It coaxed Twilight into a sleepy haze even when ten minutes ago she was sure she wasn’t even tired. She sucked it down even when she was sure she looked silly doing it. Despite her initial reservations and against any logical assumptions she might have had, Twilight felt herself melting underneath the bobbing bottle. Nestled there against her brother, it felt as if nothing could harm her. It was like his presence would easily fend off any troubling thoughts or nightmares that tried to disturb her rest. The combined effort of the milk and the crib and Shining Armor and her diapers and the nursery all swelled up inside of her like a warm glow. The warm glow made her heart flutter and all she could think to do was smile wide. And soon, around the point where she had a quarter of the bottle left to drink, Twilight drifted off to sleep. After spending so long teetering on the edge of awakeness, the siren call of the warm milk and the soft blankets and the comfort of her brother, and the plush diaper finally won her over. Her last sip of milk dribbled out of the corner of her muzzle, streaking down the side of her face. It looked like she was going to take that nap anyway. > Chapter Five > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some time later Twilight awoke with a shiver. The bottle was gone and so was her brother and the lights overhead were now dimmed to a sleepy nightfall. What was also missing was that comforting warmth that had lulled her to sleep not too long ago. In its place was a chilling cold that sapped all heat out of her lower half like a wet towel. A wet towel. The thought hovered in her slowly waking mind for a brief moment before it could land and make any real connections. Once it did, however, she emitted a sharp gasp and sprang upright in her bed. The bedsheets were now cold and her fur was matted and wet. Her diaper, having reached its breaking point some time during the short nap, had leaked out onto the bed and soaked into the sheets around her. Underneath all that was a puddle of urine that pooled around her like an ice melt pond "Oh...no..." Twilight gasped, now wide awake. A sense of panic, dread, and embarrassment filled her tired mind. "Oh no...no no no no no no noooooo!" It was in that time she spent wallowing in a cold puddle of her own urine that she truly started to feel small and helpless. Gone were the comforts of soft things and fluffy blankets. Gone was the feeling of security from her brother's presence. Now she was alone in a room that was cold and damp and lonely. She was wet and she was stuck in a drenched, leaking  diaper. She felt very much like an infant and she hated it. All of her anxiety and frustration came flooding back. The only thing she could think to do in a situation like this was cry. “Sh-Shiny!” she called out as tears started to well up in her eyes. Shining Armor came rushing in shortly after, responding with the sort of speed that only parenthood could grant. One quick glance at the bedsheets and Twilight’s droopy diaper and he knew exactly what had happened. "Oh Twilight! You leaked!" “I-it was an a-accident!” Twilight cried between tears. “Alright, Twi, calm down. We’ll get you cleaned up,” Shining swooped in, "hang tight. I'll be right back." "H-hurry!" Twilight horsley squeak, holding back a sniffling choak. Thinking quickly, Shining tended to his sister first. First and foremost, he retrieved a fluffy towel and floated it back over to his sister who continued to choke on tears. The towel was magically looped between her thighs, acting as a second layer of absorbancy to soak up the urine that continued to bead off the diaper’s plastic shell. “Okay here we go,” he then said as he lifted Twilight out of the crib, the towel cradling her bloated diaper like a hammock cradling a cantalope, “we’ll get you a fresh diapee and you’ll be right as rain!” Twilight’s diaper squelched inside the loose towel as she was floated over to the changing table. As much as she tried to assure herself that things were going to be alright, the icy clamminess was a constant and uncomfortable reminder. It didn’t matter what promises the future held, she just wanted out of the diaper and dry. The diaper was magically pulled away almost immediately after her back hit the changing table. With it was pulled away the heavy cold and soon a wave of wipes appeared to mop up the excess. Before she knew it, the icy diaper was whisked away and replaced with a warm, fluffy one. The warmth of which seemed to only be amplified by the comfort of finally being rid of the old, urine soaked diaper. “That feel better?” Shining asked as he fastened the last of the diaper’s tapes. “Y-yeah...” Twilight sniffled, surprised to find her mood actually improving immensely now that the comfort of a fresh diaper hugged her waist. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to wear a fresh and clean diaper. With a glow of his magic, Shining carried Twilight to the middle of the room, onto a pillow placed on the floor. An extra blanket was floated around Twilight and wrapped loosely around the sniffling pony’s shoulders. “Let me just swap the sheets out real quick,” he said as he rubbed the blanket into Twilight's shoulders, “hang tight and keep warm, alright?" Twilight could only nod as tears continued to leak out of her eyes while she held back fussy sniffles. She snuggled up into the blanket and focused on calming herself down. Now no longer weighed down by a heavy diaper, she curled into the bundle of blankets that she squeezed every time her feelings felt a little too silly for her liking. With a skillful flick of his magic, Shining pulled the soaked sheets off the mattress and had it all wrapped up into a soggy bundle in one swift motion of his magic. It was an oddly familiar maneuver for the stallion. Something he would have never figured he’d be doing for his little sister after so many years. The crib was left bare, with only the pale blue waterproof plastic sheet left on its mattress. The heap of bedding was meanwhile whisked away to be washed. While all this was happening, Twilight’s eyes slowly dried themselves of tears and she could feel herself calming down. She watched silently as Shining made brisk work of everything that needed to be done, moving in a well experienced fluidity that showed he had done this more than once in the past. It was sort of fascinating to watch and at the same time - watching it all from the warmth of the blanket - comforting and reassuring. Amidst the occasional sniffle and hiccup Twilight could feel a small smile grow on her face. She was so lucky to have a brother like Shining Armor. When everything was all cleaned up, Shining returned to his sister. Finding the diapered mare hadn’t moved from her pillowy perch and was still bundled up tightly inside the layers of blanket. “How you feeling, Twi?” “O-okay,” the red eyed Twilight replied, “s-sorry for...crying...” “Twi, you have nothing to apologize for. Accidents happen,” Shining Armor replied, sitting down beside his sister and rubbing her back, “you had me to help ya clean up.” "Thank you for being there." "Hey, your my little sister," Shining smiled pulling her in for a big hug, "I'm at your beckoned call." As the two hugged, Twilight found herself starting to suckle on her hoof. A silly habit she had long since dropped from her childhood There seemed to be no logic to it, but the moment she did it, she felt her nervousness and embarrassment and vulnerabilities just melt away. She began to drool too, which also just felt like the right thing to do. It was tough to say how long the two sat like that. Their arms wrapped around one another in an extended hug among the stillness of the night. Twilight was thankful for her brother's support and affection. She could feel him squeezing her back in return. Eventually Shining broke the embrace, taking a step back and smiling down at his sister. "Let's say we go for a little walk around the castle," he said, "would you like that?" Twilight glanced down at the fluffy diaper around her waist, "I'm not exactly...dressed for..." "Just a walk through the halls," Shining assured her as he stood up and extended a helping hoof, "it'll calm you down. Trust me." The castle certainly felt different at this time of night. There was a stillness in its halls that was calming in a way. A peaceful silence where even the faintest of songs could be heard and enjoyed. The only music heard on this night was a ballad of noises that came from the pair of ponies who gently walked through the long corridors at a leisurely pace, a soft blanket loosely draped over their shoulders. The rhythmic clops of their hoofsteps. The subtle crinkling of a diaper. The sound of a hoof being sucked on for comfort. The occasional soft murmur of conversation between siblings. Far down the main hall, the two took a brief respite at a small bench that sat in an alcove. The teal crystalline furniture shined in the moonlight as the stars twinkled overhead through a domed skylight. From this spot the two sat in silence as they watched the stars twinkle overhead. The gentle sounds of the night were soothing and relaxing, and the two ponies just sat there enjoying the peace. Twilight leaned her head on Shining's shoulder while he kept his arm around over her shoulders for stability. The two ponies just enjoyed the company of one another. They were content to sit and enjoy the tranquility of the night. It was a far cry from the tense and stressful situation that occurred not ten minutes ago. Not too long ago her eyes were foggy with tears and she couldn’t think of anything except for the cold helplessness of being alone in a wet bed. Now, she was content. Her eyes were dry and ached from overuse, but the rest of her body was at peace. She almost felt as peaceful as the night sky above them. Her big brother, Shining Armor, who sat stolidly beside her, was her rock. It was silly to think how worked up she got over a leaky diaper, but she was happy that he was there to help. He didn’t hesitate when she needed a diaper change earlier that day and he didn’t hesitate when she needed her bedding changed either. He took it all in stride and gladly helped comfort her when she needed it. No words were exchanged as the pair continued to stargaze. Once again, time had no meaning to them. It was only after some time that Shining finally broke the silence with a long, drawn out yawn. "Oooh kay, Twi, think it's time for bed," he said as he started to stretch, "should get you tucked in before we both pass out." “O-okay,” Twilight said before yawning herself. The pair hopped off the bench as one, the blanket draped over their shoulders. "You can sleep with your big brother tonight, how's that sound?" Twilight paused before responding with a small, teasing smile, "I'll...try not to leak on you." "There's my little Twi Twi," Shining said, "then it's a deal. You get to sleep with your big brother and I get to wake up dry." And with that, the two walked back to Shining's guest room, a quiet song of crinkles and hoofsteps accompanying them. > Epilogue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dearest Twilight Sparkle, I hope that this brief message finds you well. I wished to inquire regarding the troubles you were pondering over from your recent dreams. I hadn't heard from you in awhile and I was curious to see if you had made any progress on the matter. Forever yours, Princess Luna Dear Princess Luna, I am pleased to report that I have made great strides in exploring my strange dreams! I do believe it's brought me and my brother closer because of it and it has certainly helped uncover a side of me I never knew I was missing so dearly. Shining Armor has been incredibly supportive on the matter and has even encouraged me to arrange another session in the near future. It's tough for me to figure out which of us is more excited about it. I would have never thought he'd be okay with changing... "...changing...what?" Spike the dragon spoke up, his quill hovering over the open letter. Twilight froze mid step, snapping out of her dictating stride. "Uhm, you know what,” she was quick to stammer out, ”f-forget that last part. Just uhm, wrap things up with saying how I'll keep her updated." "Right," Spike nodded as he scribbled out the last of the letter and added the last few sentences, silently moving his lips to the words. "Then go ahead and send it." "On it!" Spike replied before puffing a tiny spark of green flame. The rolled up letter quickly burned up in the magical flame and was magicked away with a plume of smoke. "So how did your trip to the Dragonlands go?" Twilight asked once the letter disappeared. "Oh it was great!" Spike exclaimed, "Garble and the guys threw me a huge party and everything!" "Thinkin' you'll be wanting to go back any time soon?" "I hope so. If my workload here doesn't keep me from leaving at least," Spike replied, cleaning up his writing desk before suddenly pausing. "Why...?" he asked with narrow eyes, "are you itching to hang out with Shining Armor again THAT badly?" “I-I was just curious is all,” Twilight replied, “it was nice having Shining Armor over for a few days. We hardly get to see each other these days.” “Yeeeaaah, I get it. I’ll try not to be around to cramp your guys’s style.” “It’s not like that, Spike. We love having you around!” “Nah, it’s cool. Just means I have an excuse to go up to the Dragonlands more often!” the baby dragon grinned proudly, “unless you WANT me to hang out with you and Shining next time you guys get together.” “Wouldn’t want to keep you from your vacation away from me, Spike!” Twilight managed to force out, “besides, you’d probably be weirded out by the stuff me and Shining do.” “‘Weirded out’?” “Bored! I meant to say bored!”