Mothers Don’t Need Manuals

The floppy, white rabbit plushie was squeezed with a gentle embrace by Fluttershy’s forelegs as she lay on her back in the crib, cuddling her toy and the blanket that she was wrapped in. She was curled like a sleeping cat while she relaxed, her eyes closed with a very satisfied smile on her face.

“Oh… It’s so soft and snuggly!” she said to herself, her voice quiet but with a slight squeal of excitement. “It’s much nicer than my bed Angel! Feel for yourself.”

She opened her eyes and leaned out of the crib, beckoning over the tiny rabbit standing at the room’s doorway. He stood there with the most dumbfounded of looks on his face: his mouth was agape and his eyes were wide with surprise at what he was looking at.

The room was decorated in yellow wallpaper patterned with butterflies of many colours and rainbows that stretched from corner to corner. The floor was also a lemony yellow, lighter than Fluttershy’s coat, except that it was plain unlike the walls. Littered about the floor were various toys: letter blocks, tiny dolls and a rattle. In the far corner of the room was a mirror standing next to a closet, which was stocked with a variety of pink and blue clothing. Above the outfits in another compartment was a pile of flat, white parcels, stacked one on top of the other. Below the only window in the room was the wooden crib that Fluttershy sat in, and she was beaming at Angel.

“It took a while, but I finally managed to convert the spare bedroom into a nursery! Isn’t it wonderful?”

Angel took a while to respond, the idea of his pegasus ‘master’ having a space just for acting like a foal being too much for his bunny brain to understand. Once he had taken it in, he simply hopped in the opposite direction while shaking his head. Fluttershy released two latches holding up one side of the crib, allowing the wooden, fence-like door to collapse. She removed her blanket, shivering at the sudden removal of comforting warmth, and crawled out of the crib to trot towards the closet. She reached towards the white parcels and pulled one of them from the pile, accidentally knocking a small jar towards the edge of the platform. Squeaking with surprise, she instinctively batted it back to a small group of similar jars near the rear of the closet.

I wouldn’t want Angel to eat what’s in those jars, or I’d be in real trouble! she thought, turning the label of the jar towards her so that it could be read. Written in black ink was a warning written in bold letters that read ‘Pureed Banana, DO NOT EAT’. She took the soft white parcel that she picked before and unfolded it; dangling in front of her was a thick, fluffy diaper.

Maybe I should put one on, just to get in the mood… She shook her head. No, I don’t have time. But I will slip into something a little more ‘me’.

She folded and replaced the padded garment back in its proper place before reaching for one of the outfits hanging below. She pulled one out, choosing a pastel pink dress embroidered with frilly lace around the sleeves for each of the legs. The outfit itself was foalish in design, with butterflies stitched onto the front and a pair of matching hoof-mittens stashed in a small pocket on the side. Stretching the wide hole at the bottom of the dress, she wriggled herself inside and threaded her legs through the sleeves. Next, she took the mittens from the pocket and placed one on each of her hooves without fumbling or fiddling. She had worn the outfit so often that it was almost second nature to her. Once she had made the final adjustments, she trotted to the mirror in the corner. Before she reached it, she stopped herself.

Oh wait! I almost forgot…

Fluttershy walked back to the closet and gently flapped her wings. She fluttered up to the top shelf, pulled out a cardboard box, reached in with her hoof and grabbed a large pacifier, big enough for an adult pony’s mouth. She landed softly on the floor and popped it in her mouth, suckling on it. Once she caught sight of herself dressed like a little foal in the mirror, her cheeks flushed as she pulled cute poses. To her, she was the cutest, most loveable little filly in all of Equestria, and any mother in the world would be lucky to have her.

That’s when it hit her. She hadn’t noticed it before, but when she looked at her child-like reflection in the mirror, it was so empty all around her. Her gleeful smile quickly faded, the pacifier falling from her mouth and dropping to the floor. She stared at herself, sighing as she whispered to herself.

“I just wish I had somepony to share all of this with.”

        Motherhood is perhaps the most challenging career that a mare can face. Whereas most lifelong careers involve responsibility for items or services, a mother is dedicated to a life that she herself (along with, hopefully, a loving stallion) has created. Some ponies will even believe that this new life is even more important than their own, and they will do all they can to protect and nurture it.

        The mother must adapt to many roles. She must be the guardian, the master, the maid, the teacher and the playmate at all times. Even during sleep, she is constantly thinking about and planning for her child’s future and is worrying over their present. This book shall help you in the first few steps—

        “What’cha reading there, Twilight?”

        Twilight Sparkle slammed the book shut as she yelped at the question, stashing the hefty tome beneath her pillows. She turned her head all directions, her eyes frantically darting about the room as she searched for the intruder. A tap on the shoulder gave her a violent jolt, and she groaned when she had turned to Spike. He was standing at the end of Twilight’s bed with his arms crossed and a curious look on his face.

        “Can’t you see that I’m reading in peace?” Twilight asked, a hint of irritation in her voice. “It’s hard to study when you’re constantly interrupting me!”

        Spike raised his brow, walking to the front of the bed and reaching under the pillow. “Studying. Uh-huh. Studying that mothering book again, aren't you?”

        “W-What?!” Twilight gasped. Her eyes began shift about, but she quickly regained her composure. “I don’t have a book like that anywhere in this library.”

        Spike slid his arm out from under the pillow. In his hand was a book titled ‘Seven Steps to Preparing for Motherhood: The Early Years’, and Twilight sighed heavily as he gave her a sly grin.

        “You mean you've never seen this book before? But it’s in the place for your books that are ‘so good I’ve just got to read it all right now!’” He chuckled as Twilight rolled her eyes. “I know every book in this library. Trust me, you’ve forced me to read that many of them with you.”

        Twilight levitated the book from Spike’s grasp, grumbling to herself as she replaced the book in its special spot. She gave Spike a disapproving look as he shrugged.

        “In the future,” she said, trying to mask her anger, “I would appreciate it if you would knock before coming in.”

        “Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry.” He noticed Twilight’s expression slowly change from irritation to sadness and embarrassment, and he sat on the bed with her. “What’s the matter, Twi?”

        She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “It’s just something that I’m really hesitant to admit to being interested in, that’s all.”

        “Why? What’s the fascination anyway?” He shifted a little closer to her. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“What?” She gave him a look of surprise. “No I’m not going to be a mother, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Then what’s the matter? You’ve been reading that book quite a lot lately.”

She sighed. “It’s just that—”

Her explanation was cut short by a knock on her front door. Spike eased himself off the bed and rushed to the door, opening the way for the visitor.

“Oh hey Fluttershy!” he said to the smiling yellow pegasus, inviting her inside. Twilight cringed, stashing the book beneath the pillows again. She quickly put on her best friendly face and trotted towards the door to greet her friend.

“Good afternoon Spike. Twilight,” the pegasus said. “How are you both today?”

“Hey Fluttershy! Everything’s just fine thanks,” Twilight said, managing to fully recompose herself after the second shock. “So what can I do for you?”

“Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to meet Pinkie later. We’re planning on having a leaving party for... uh... actually, I think she’s throwing one for a tourist who’s visited Ponyville for the weekend.”

“What? Another one?” Spike asked, chuckling slightly. “I wonder where she gets the time and money to throw parties twice a day for strangers.”

“Spike, it’s Pinkie,” Twilight stated. She said nothing more on the subject as she looked at Fluttershy. “No, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to come. I’m just... not in the mood for a party.”

Fluttershy blinked as Twilight turned away from her. “Is everything alright? Is something the matter?”

Twilight sighed heavily. “It’s nothing. It’s just that something’s been weighing on my mind for a little while... no, for a long while now.”

Fluttershy prepared to ask, but she was stopped by Spike whispering in her ear. “I walked in on her reading a strange book and she’s been acting weird about it—”

“Spike!”

The dragon flinched, making Fluttershy jump. Twilight shot Spike a furious glare as he made himself scarce, rushing out the front door to avoid her wrath. The pegasus walked towards the unicorn and placed a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight was trying her best not to fluster.

“What book was it? One of those naughty magazines like Stallion Studs or—”

“What?! No, no, no!” Twilight gave a nervous laugh. “It’s nothing like that. It’s something... It’s...”

“It’s alright,” Fluttershy said. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. We all have secrets.” She hesitated, waiting for Twilight to look at her again before continuing. She briefly paused to think about her own guilty pleasure, but quickly began again to end the silence. “You can tell me anything if you want to. I won’t tell anypony.”

She smiled sweetly at Twilight. The unicorn sighed, trotting to her bed and shifting her pillows to remove the book. She levitated it towards Fluttershy, allowing her to read the title. After staring at the book for a short while, Fluttershy tried to say something. Twilight knew exactly what she was going to ask.

“I got this book awhile ago because I was becoming more and more curious about motherhood. It’s something that I’m really interested in... somepony to have and to hold, to play and laugh with and to be there for. I want to have that special responsibility just once.” She glanced at Fluttershy’s surprised face and continued explaining. “But I’ve been thinking about it a lot Fluttershy. I don’t have the time or the facilities to look after a baby, not to mention the space. That’s why if I could could do it for one day...”

She paused, giving Fluttershy a weak smile as she noticed her surprise. “ Embarrassing, I know. But I may as well be honest about it.”

“Embarrassing?” Fluttershy giggled at the idea, and Twilight gave her a quizzical look. “I think that’s so sweet! I think you’d be a great mother—”

She immediately stopped, leaving Twilight to question the strange, beaming smile that was slowly building on the pegasus’ face. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

“Twilight...” Fluttershy’s seemingly eager expression had faded, replaced by shyness. Her voice became quiet, making Twilight concerned. “You want to be a mother just a for one day, don’t you?”

The unicorn nodded.

“Well... I think I have a way to give you what you want. If I show you something personal, maybe I can help you.”

        “Really?!” Twilight asked, smiling with surprise at her. “How? By convincing Pinkie to let me take care of the Cake twins for a night?”

        “Actually, it’s something... different,” Fluttershy said. “But... if I show you what I’m talking about and you decide to help me, maybe we can both get what we’re looking for.”

        “What you’re looking for?”

        “It’s... You’ll have to see for yourself. But Twilight, you must promise me one thing.”

        “What is it?”

        Fluttershy bit her lip and turned away from Twilight before answering. “Promise me you won’t tell anypony. Not even Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash or Pinkie. In fact, especially Pinkie.”

        Twilight nodded, smiling at her. “I promise.”

All Twilight could do was stare with wide eyes and a mouth that kept miming the word ‘what’ over and over again. She blinked a couple of times... no, she was definitely in a nursery of all places. The butterfly wallpaper, the wooden crib and the scattered, colourful toys pretty much confirmed that. Yet she couldn’t take it in. Maybe it was the fact that Fluttershy seemed so keen, yet a little reluctant, to show her. Or maybe it could have been the fact that just last week, the same room was Fluttershy’s spare bedroom; she definitely recognised the room. How could Fluttershy have kept a secret this large in plain view? Whatever the reason was, her attention turned to the pegasus, who was looking at Twilight with a slight smile and a strong blush.

        “Well,” Fluttershy said quietly, breaking the silence. “What do you think?”

        Twilight couldn’t think. For the first time, for a pony who spent most of her time thinking, she couldn’t come up with anything. The gears in her brain were still trying to kick-start themselves into working, just so she could ask the obvious.

        “I... uh... It’s...”

        All she could do was stumble on her words. It took some time, but she finally managed to form a question.

        “You’re... an adult foal?”

        “I’ve been one for a long time,” Fluttershy replied with a sigh. She hesitated, waiting for Twilight’s bewildered look to prompt her to explain. “I’m not really sure about why I like being babied sometimes. Maybe it’s because I’m free to be myself, or free to be innocent and young again. That, and I think the outfits are adorable!”

        Twilight shook her head, a small amount of shock still registering on her face. The initial impact of Fluttershy’s revelation had mostly worn off, leaving her more curious than confused.

        “I suppose that’s... reasonable,” she said, moving further inside the nursery to inspect some of the baby equipment. “But why didn’t you tell me or the others about—”

        She saw Fluttershy’s look that screamed ‘did you really just ask that?’ and stopped herself from completing the question. She walked over to the closet, looking through the outfits on the clothes rack at the bottom.

        “Where did you get all of these?” Twilight asked. She levitated a peculiar outfit that stood out from the others: a pair of onesie pajamas, fashioned after a pink rabbit and made with extremely thick, fluffy material that made her hoof tingle as she stroked it. The strange garment also had a hood, complete with floppy bunny ears. Suddenly, something sparked in her mind. “Wait, I remember Rarity talking about a very strange order for an outfit the other day...”

        Twilight turned back to Fluttershy, who was giggling slightly.

        “Twelve custom filly outfits requested anonymously and she hasn’t realised that they’re all mine yet!” the pegasus said. “I send her the order and tell her to deliver it to a foal store in Hoofington. She makes the orders, wraps them up and delivers them there and I pick them up. Nopony knows, nopony gets hurt. I also get my supplies from that store too, so it’s just much easier.”

        “Supplies?” Twilight asked, replacing the outfit. She craned her head upwards, looking at the packed closet. She marvelled at the selection of equipment available, some of it seeming foreign to her.

        “You know... pacifiers, foal powder and... um...” Fluttershy swallowed, blushing with the brightest red that her cheeks could muster. “...diapers too.”

        Twilight slowly turned her head. She noticed the pegasus’ humiliation and tried to hide her resurfaced surprise.

        “You mean that you actually use diapers? You don’t just wear them, but you actually... you know... wet them too?”

        Fluttershy looked to the side before nodding meekly. “Wetting and messing.”

        “But why?”

        “You’ve never worn a diaper before, have you?” Twilight’s wide eyes gave her all the information she needed to know, and she laughed at the ridiculousness of her own question. “There’s something that I find really special about them, like the way they crinkle as you crawl or the snuggly softness you get from putting one on.” She began to blush once more. “And the warm feeling you get when you... you know what I mean. I guess that I also like the embarrassing feeling of having to ask for a change.” She sighed. “The only problem is that I’ve got nopony to ‘look after me’, like a mother.”

        Then it all clicked together in Twilight’s mind. With a sudden jolt running through her, she instantly realised what the pegasus was proposing. She hesitated to answer to Fluttershy’s eager yet calm expression; on the one hand, she just had a hard time taking in all that she had seen that afternoon. On the other hand, she was being given a golden opportunity. With Fluttershy pretending to be her foal, she could rest at ease knowing far less could go wrong.

        That, and she could come back again if all came to plan.

        “So... if I pretend to play your mother for a while,” she slowly began, “does that mean we can do this whenever we want to?”

        Fluttershy nodded.

        “And you want me to do everything for you? You me to feed you, clothe you, play with you and...” She paused for a second, blushing just a little bit. “...change you too?”

        “Y-You don’t have to change me if you don’t want to,” Fluttershy quickly stammered, her face flushing as Twilight laughed gently.

        “Why not? I mean we’ve already seen each other’s... uh... private parts before at some of our sleepovers, haven’t we?”

        Fluttershy turned away from her, giggling. “Oh yes... I forgot about those!”

        “That,” Twilight continued, “and I’m not too squeamish about the whole changing thing anyway. I’m not like ponies such as Rarity when it comes to things like that. If the diapers really make the experience special for you, then I won’t mind if you use them.”

        Fluttershy gasped, beaming at Twilight. “You mean you’ll do it?! You’ll be my mommy for a day?!”

        Twilight nodded. “Tomorrow, if you’d like.”

        She was caught in Fluttershy’s teary, joyful but mostly crushing hug before she could react. That was the only answer she needed.

The hefty tome in Twilight’s satchel bounced from her flank in rhythm to her trotting as she made her way to Fluttershy’s cottage. Even though she looked calm on the surface, in her mind she was giggling with glee as she resisted the urge to gallop full-force to her destination. All throughout the night before, and for all of the morning, her mind was flooded with thoughts and questions about what was to come.

        When she arrived at Fluttershy’s front door, she hesitated before knocking as she made sure that she was ready. She had everything prepared, nopony had followed her- not even Pinkie Pie- and she had reminded herself of the most important thing. Even if she didn’t like what she was about to do, she was going to make Fluttershy happy to repay her kind offer and to reward her courage. She knew that it took a lot for the pegasus to admit to things, and to confess to being an adult foal must have been humiliating for her.

        Twilight prepared to knock, pulling her hoof away at the last second as the door suddenly opened to reveal Fluttershy’s wide grin. Before the unicorn could react, she was pulled into the cottage and bound by a tight hug.

        “Thank you, thank you so much!” she said giddily into Twilight’s ear. She released her grip, allowing the unicorn to breathe once more. “I have everything prepared. We can start whenever you’d like!”

        Twilight removed her satchel, letting it drop to the floor with a thud. “Right away please! I brought the book on motherhood in case I need to look something up,” she said as she levitated the titular tome from the bag and gave it to Fluttershy.

        “What?” She smiled and shook her head, placing the book on a nearby chair. “Oh Twilight, you don’t need a manual to be a mother! Just use your instincts. If you need help, I’ll whisper to you out of character.”

        “Out of character?”

        Fluttershy nodded. “I’m not one to make baby talk while I roleplay, so I’ll usually stay silent or make ‘mm’ sounds when I need to. But if I need to tell you something, I’ll break away from my foal-like self for a few seconds and explain whatever’s wrong. But don’t worry! No mother has ever needed a manual to tell them how to raise a child.”

        “I... But isn’t there—”

        Twilight was silenced by the gentle touch of Fluttershy’s hoof on her lips. “Just do what you think is right,” she said. “You’ll have more fun that way.”

        “Alright then,” Twilight said whilst sounding slightly unsure. Fluttershy removed her hoof. “So... should we get started?”

        Fluttershy squeaked with joy, locking the front door to the cottage and grabbing Twilight by the hoof. The pegasus fluttered towards the already open nursery, leading Twilight into the colourful, childish sanctuary once again. She landed softly on the floor and slid the door to the closet open.

        “Now then, mommy,” she said with a light laugh, “would you care to pick an outfit for your cutie?”

        Twilight nodded and began to look through the clothes, assessing each piece in her mind: frilly dresses and smocks of many colours, pajamas that were covered in animal patterns and even the onesie that she chose the day before. In the end, she decided on a laced garment that ended just before the flank, the pastel pink fabric going nicely with her new ‘foal’s’ mane.

        “This one.”

        Fluttershy smiled and flew up to the top shelves, taking a bottle of powder, a pacifier and one of the diapers.

        “Have you ever... no, I’d better show you how to diaper a pony.” She trotted to a nearby table- a changing bench- and placed the open diaper onto it, smoothing it over so it was flat. After liberally sprinkling some powder over the padding, she hopped onto the bench and positioned herself on the rear part of the diaper, lying down.

        “Shouldn’t I do this magically?” Twilight asked.

        “You can, although... no, do whatever you think is best.”

        Twilight nodded, stepping up to the bench. As she stared for a short while at her friend, who seemed so eager to get into her diaper, she was starting to feel something that she hadn’t felt for a long time.

        Something more than happiness. Satisfaction. A gentle, friendly but also loving smile formed on her lips as she prepared her nervous hooves to complete the diapering job.

        “Just pull the front part between my legs,” Fluttershy whispered. “Then peel back the tapes and attach them to the rear bit.”

        Twilight followed her instructions precisely. She flinched slightly as she magically peeling away the tapes, the violent tearing sounding as if it was passed through a megaphone. Both ponies laughed it off though, and in a few seconds Fluttershy sat up with a crinkle, the super-soft, plush padding hugging her rear. Her tail poked out from a convenient hole at the back, and she wriggled about to make sure she was comfortable.

        “Now reach up high for Celestia’s sun!” Twilight said, her voice becoming friendlier. She was starting to get into the mothering role.

        Fluttershy sat still as she stretched her forelegs into the air, allowing Twilight to levitate the dress over her head in one smooth motion. To complete the transformation from mare to foal, Twilight took the pink pacifier and slowly inserted it into Fluttershy’s mouth, allowing her to suckle on it loudly, and then stepped back from the bench to give a long ‘aww’ at pony in front of her.

        The foalish Fluttershy slid from the table, her diaper crinkling as she landed gracefully on the floor. She relaxed the bottom half of her back legs so that she had to resort to crawling to get around. She looked in the mirror; her pink, short-sleeved dress barely covered the fresh, white padding she wore, and the pacifier was given a hard suckle as she blushed at the sight of Twilight coming up behind her.

        “You look so adorable!” Twilight cooed, placing her hoof on her new filly’s shoulder. Fluttershy looked up at her with a smile.

        “Mm!”

        She made the noise while pointing at her mouth repeatedly, making Twilight give her a raised brow. She stopped herself from asking the obvious question as a faint rumbling echoed throughout the room. Both ponies giggled as they looked at Fluttershy’s stomach.

        “Oh, you must be hungry!”

        Fluttershy nodded, beginning to crawl with a loud crinkle towards the nursery door. The sight of a filly-fied pegasus scooching about the floor in such a cute ensemble brought Twilight to the edge of laughter, and she prepared herself to get ready for dinnertime.

Everything was going just as planned, Fluttershy thought. Twilight had made a good start and she had chosen the best outfit- her personal favourite. Even though all they had done was get into their roles of filly and mother, Fluttershy knew that this day was going to be perfect.

        The two ponies made their way into Fluttershy’s kitchen, which was a massive change in setting from the bright and child-like nursery. Next to the kitchen table was a high chair, modified for an adult’s body; the legs were shorter and the seat itself was wider. On the table near the chair was a bowl, a bib and a jar filled with a yellow, paste-like substance. Twilight unlatched the chair’s platform to allow Fluttershy to take her place.

        “Up we go!” the unicorn said as she helped the pegasus onto the seat. Fluttershy did most of the work; she knew that, being an adult and not a filly, she would be too heavy for Twilight to lift by herself. Once Fluttershy was comfortable, she gave a nod to prompt Twilight to lower the platform over her lap and to thread the bib around her neck. On the front of the bib was a picture of a rabbit, greedily devouring a carrot.

        “Mm!” she let out from behind her pacifier, leaning forward for the bowl and paste on the table near her. Twilight chuckled, magically removing the dummy from the foal-mare’s mouth with a thin strand of drool coming from it.

        “Alright, alright!” Twilight said, turning to the baby food on the table. She unscrewed the cap of the jar and poured the viscous goop into the bowl, grabbing a spoon from the kitchen bench. “Let’s see what’s for din-dins for my favourite filly...”

        Fluttershy was taken by surprise at Twilight’s look, a mixture of curiosity and bewilderment. She was tempted to ask what was wrong, but Twilight beat her to it.

        “Sorry about this Fluttershy, but... why does the label say ‘do not eat’?”

“Oh,” Fluttershy whispered, hesitating, “that food... it has something in it. I mixed it with something that... umm... encourages messing.”

“You mean it has... it’ll make you...”

        Twilight blinked at the pegasus’ apologetic look, and she returned it with a strange stare. Fluttershy began to sweat, wondering if hinting to Twilight that she was planning on asking for a change later would ruin their roleplay. Her fears eased as the unicorn gave her a gentle smile.

        “Pureed banana. Mmm!” she said, levitating the bowl of food and the spoon onto the table.Fluttershy silently sighed with relief, ready to resume her foalplay, leaned forward to sniff at her meal. She suddenly had an idea; even though the food was delicious to her, she knew that a little acting would make things more fun. She turned her head away, screwing her face and sticking out her tongue.

        “W-What’s wrong?” Twilight said, visibly nervous. “You don’t like bananas?”

        Fluttershy winked after she shook her head, smiling on the inside as she noticed Twilight’s look of realisation. The unicorn dipped the spoon into the mush and levitated it towards the filly-mare’s face.

        “Choo choooooo!” she yelled, though not too loudly, as she maneuvered the spoon to her filly’s lips. “Here comes the Canterlot Express, charging into the tunnel!”

        Feigning reluctance, Fluttershy allowed a tiny gap for the spoon to enter her mouth. The banana was tipped onto her tongue, the extremely sweet mixture sliding down her throat with ease, and she opened her mouth fully while making some more quiet noises to give Twilight the go-ahead.

        “And here comes Princess Luna,” Twilight said, taking another spoonful. “She’s off to the mooooon!”

        Fluttershy giggled as the puree was placed into her mouth, a small dribble coming from the corner of her lips and leaking onto her bib. Twilight wiped it away after retrieving a tea-towel, the sight of her filly making her beam.

        “Who’s a messy little foal?” she cooed, feeding more mush to Fluttershy. “Who’s my favourite filthy filly? You are, yes you are!” She lightly prodded the pegasus on the nose with the spoon, leaving a yellow patch of slimy banana behind.

        “Mm!” Fluttershy let out, her nose twitching. She wiped away the mess with her hoof and licked it, letting Twilight continue to feed her whilst making the usual similes for the spoon: rockets, trains and even the Wonderbolt’s going through the clouds. Once the bowl was completely empty, Twilight handed it to Fluttershy, who licked it clean of sloppy banana. When she had finished, a ring of creamy yellow was left around her muzzle.

        “Silly filly!” Twilight said, wiping the pegasus’ face. Her own giggles set off Fluttershy, making her restless as her face was cleaned. “There. All gone! Now then, what to do next...”

All was going well, thought Twilight. Fluttershy was right; without the manual, mothering really was more fun. Her decision to throw a spanner in the works during dinnertime made things a lot more entertaining, and it also broke the ice a little too. Twilight had decided to start with what her book called ‘bonding through creative engagement’.

        In other words, it was now playtime.

        The orange sun of the evening sunset gleamed through the nursery window, slowly becoming dim as night quickly approached, as both ponies lay on the floor, scraps of paper and many coloured crayons scattered between them. Around this area were dozens of blocks with colourful letters and a doll’s house with tiny plastic ponies living inside. Twilight had never realised what she had missed out on in her childhood by not getting a ‘Lord High Rise’s Dream Suite’, but thanks to Fluttershy’s foal fascination she now knew why every filly wanted one.

Twilight was using her magic to draw a picture of Fluttershy, but she had only managed to produce a plump, oily-yellow outline of a pegasus with wings that stuck out at an odd angle. Even though she had great control over her magic, that didn’t help her being useless at art.

        Fluttershy, on the other hand, was using her mouth to control a crayon with great speed and skill. Twilight glanced at the filly-mare’s effort; she had drawn a picture of her ‘mother’, who was nursing her foal in her lap. They were looking into each other’s eyes- Twilight with care and kindness, Fluttershy with love and affection- as the mother held a baby’s bottle in the foal’s mouth.

        “Look mommy!” Fluttershy said, dropping the crayon and handing it to Twilight. “You and me!”

        Twilight magically took the drawing, gazing at it with wide eyes. Everything was perfect: the shading, the shapes, the shadows and everything else too. She was amazed at how something so fantastic could come from crayons. Even though she was jealous of her filly’s talent, she actually felt more amazed.

        “Oh Fluttershy,” she whispered, her face beaming, “this is so beautiful!”

        With joyous giggles, Fluttershy sidled up to Twilight and prodded a certain part. The unicorn spotted what her hoof was touching- the bottle of milk that she was feeding to her filly- and understood what she was hinting at.

        “Hungry again, my darling?” Twilight asked her. Fluttershy nodded with a wide smile, lying on her back. The unicorn stood up and dashed to the kitchen, where a bottle of fresh milk stood on the bench. She levitated and shook it upside down, making sure that the liquid could easily come out the teat at the top. When she returned, she noticed Fluttershy’s eager expression as she sat with her back to the wall.

        “Alright then, scooch over and lie with your tummy in the sky,” Twilight said, patting her own stomach. Her filly followed her instruction without delay, getting comfortable on her lap. The unicorn took the bottle in her hoof and gently inserted it into Fluttershy’s mouth.

        “Mmm...” the pegasus let out between suckles. She closed her eyes, the sight of her becoming totally relaxed in that adorable outfit being the cutest thing that Twilight had ever seen. No pair of puppy dog’s eyes in the world could match the filly-mare in the pastel-pink dress and bottle combination, and she couldn’t help but shed a tear whilst cracking a smile. She prepared to sing gently into Fluttershy’s ear.

        That was before she heard a muffled sound, like air bursting from somewhere. What followed was a quiet hissing noise, and she looked at Fluttershy’s face; an odd mix of ecstasy and hard work.

        Then it hit Twilight. Or rather, the odor did. She looked at the filly-mare’s exposed diaper to see a dark-yellow stain growing at the front and a bulge building at the back, the strong smell of manure being a dead giveaway. Twilight sighed, knowing that this was the part that she was the most hesitant to come to.

        “Did... Did my little filly have an accident?” she asked.

Fluttershy’s eyes shot open, blushing intensely as she looked at her now messy diaper. She resisted the urge to press the back of it to make sure, trusting the warm feeling she had and her mother’s slightly concerned tone. However, she was almost too scared to look back to Twilight. She just closed her eyes again as she tilted her head upwards, opening them a fraction of a millimetre at a time to peek at how the unicorn had reacted.

Her eyes opened fully as she noticed that Twilight didn’t looked disgusted or sick. She almost looked happy.

“Who’s a stinky filly?” she cooed, lifting part of Fluttershy’s dress and tickling her tummy. The pegasus squealed, squirming about as she tried to escape her mother’s hooves.

“Mommy, pwease!” she yelled giddily. “Change, stinky!”

Twilight halted her attack, lifting Fluttershy from her lap so that both of them could stand. The pegasus immediately made her way to the changing bench, hoisting herself onto it to that she wouldn’t make a squishy, even smellier mess in her already dirty diaper, and Twilight followed her with a fresh diaper, some wipes and some powder. Once the pegasus was comfortable, after giving her a nod, she held her breath and magically undid the tapes that fastened Fluttershy’s padding.

Twilight made sure to move quickly, removing and folding the messy diaper first and placing it in a plastic bag that was on the bench. She then cleaned Fluttershy’s rear with a wipe before spreading some powder onto it, telling her filly to lift her back up to let the fresh diaper slide beneath her. It was such a swift process that in just mere seconds, Fluttershy was once again wearing another piece of pristine padding. Twilight stepped back from the bench, taking the bag magically and holding it at a distance.

“Phew! You’re my really stinky filly, aren’t you?” she said as she trotted through to the back garden, quickly placing the messy package into the bin next to the door. She returned to the nursery to find Fluttershy with her head bowed, sniffling.

“Umm... Twilight,” she began, looking at her with teary eyes. “I’m sorry.”

The unicorn paused for a second, at first unsure whether she was just acting or before smiling sweetly at her. “Fluttershy, didn’t I say that I didn’t mind the changing? You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

The filly-mare wiped her eyes. “Really? You don’t mind that...” She stopped, hopping from the bench and taking her crawling position. She looked up to Twilight’s sparkling eyes and warm, reassuring smile, then to the window. It was getting dark outside, the moon slowly becoming visible in the sky.

“...I wanna go sleep mommy.”

She made her way to the crib on all fours, Twilight chuckling at her, and she undid the latch holding the door up. It slid down with a thunk, allowing her to climb inside. However, she waited for her mother to give her a gentle boost onto the bed.

“Ups-a-daisy!” Twilight said, grunting as she lifted her foal up with both hooves. Fluttershy whispered an apology to her, forgetting that she was still a heavy mare and not a filly. However, once the pegasus was inside the crib, Twilight made her way to the closet and selected the pink rabbit onesie, magically unzipping the back.

“Who’s going to be my special little bunny tonight?” Twilight said, levitating the outfit to Fluttershy. The pegasus giggled, threading her legs into the sleeves and her head through the hood in mere seconds, sitting on the bed once she had finished. She must have had some practise to manoeuvre around that padding, Twilight thought as she stared at Fluttershy’s noticeably bulky rear from the diaper. The unicorn zipped up the pyjamas and lifted the gate and secured the latch, leaning over the wooden fence.

“Now, let me tuck you in,” she said, reaching into the bed with her hooves. Fluttershy lifted the blankets from underneath herself and lay down on the soft, bouncy mattress on her back, wriggling about to get comfortable as Twilight pulled the butterfly-patterned blanket over her. The unicorn carefully tucked the fluffy quilt down the sides of the bed up to Fluttershy’s neck, making it extra tight as the filly-mare shot her a smile of satisfaction.

“Mommy, sing me a lullaby pwease,” Fluttershy whispered, poking her hooves over the perfect edge the blanket formed over her neck, and Twilight rested her head in her hoof as she looked thoughtful.

“Let’s see…” she said, looking at the ceiling for nothing in particular. She began to hum, nodding her head.

“Hush little filly, close your eyes,

Have sweet dreams of Pinkie Pie,

Parties, streamers and cake galore,

Eat it up, there’s always more,

And then we’ll go to Rarity’s,

For matching dresses, for you and me,

And… umm…

Sleep now Fluttershy, don’t you stir,

Rainbow’s flying so… Oh, what was it?”

She began to whisper to herself.

“Rainbow’s flying so… so what? What rhymes with—“

Twilight stopped, looking back inside the crib. Fluttershy was fast asleep, curled up on her left side and not making a sound. The unicorn smiled, shaking her head as she hopped from the crib’s railing silently. She crept from the room, making sure to dodge the toys to avoid making a peep, and placed her hoof on the light switch. She looked back one more time at the snoozing filly-mare.

“Good night, my favourite filly,” she said, switching off the light. The nursery was dimly illuminated by the silvery light of the moon from through the window, casting a crib-shaped shadow across the floor. As Twilight slowly closed the nursery door, she heard something whisper back to her.

“Good night, my favourite mommy…”

The End

The next day...

Twilight trotted merrily through the streets of Ponyville, the afternoon sun glistening from the coat of drizzle on her back. Some of the ponies who decided to stay out in the gentle rain gave her curious looks, possibly due to the wide, beaming grin on her face that did not quiver for a fraction of a second. She didn’t care. She was too busy thinking about how wonderful the day before was, and she had been doing so since the early hours of the morning. She had already shared much of that joy with her former foal, Fluttershy, and now she wanted to share it with somepony else.

Up ahead, she could see the doors to Rarity’s boutique.

She took a moment to calm herself, wiping the cheesy grin from her face and taking deep breaths. She crept into the shop, spotting the fashionista working behind a sewing machine, and made herself known.

“Ah, Twilight!” Rarity said, pausing from her work as she trotted to greet her.

“Hey Rarity! Isn’t it a lovely day?!” Twilight burst out, the excitement getting the better of her for a second. She covered her mouth with her hoof suddenly, and Rarity gave her a suspicious look.

“Uh… Yes, it is isn’t it? Have you been up to something fun recently, dear?”

Twilight recomposed herself once more, clearing her throat and stroking the back of her head. “You could say that. I was able to indulge in my more… uh… devious side last night.”

“Oh?” Rarity gave her a raised brow and a smile. “Do tell, please! Did you meet a handsome stallion?”

Twilight blushed slightly. “Actually, it’s something a little more private than that. I’d better not tell.”

“Of course, of course,” Rarity said, walking back to her sewing machine. “I know all about the privacy of ponies, especially when it comes to pieces such as these!”

Twilight’s eyes were like bomb craters when Rarity removed a brightly coloured lemon-yellow dress, plastered with bunnies and butterflies all over, from the machine with her magic. She held it in front of her own face for a few seconds before moving it closer to Twilight.

“What do you think of this one? Adorable, isn’t it?” she asked.

Twilight bit her lip, knowing exactly who the outfit was most likely for. “It’s… good! Really good. Do you know who ordered it?”

The designer moved the dress to one side, allowing both ponies to look at each other: Twilight with a stare of concern and Rarity with smug smile.

“In respect of a certain pegasus’ privacy, let’s just say ‘no’ shall we?”