We're coming up on the ten year anniversary of the establishment of the second iteration of "Padded Ponies and Adult Foals" after the old one was shut down around February of 2014. It's great to see that the padded pony community is still thriving in this day and age. With folks old and new contributing to the padded pony scene, it was definitely a bit tricky to determine which fics should qualify for the top ten, though not quite as tricky as last time. Again, though, competition knocked a couple of fics down when they otherwise would've been higher. And needless to say, this is just my personal opinion. I'm sure you'll all have your own opinions about which fics deserve a nod.

The same rules as always apply, and while I probably don't need to repeat them much I feel like it's important to have them for those who've never experienced this sort of thing before. The rules are as follows:
1. The fic must've been published or updated at least once within 2022. For those that updated, check to see if they were included in any previous top ten lists and try to avoid the exact same placement for updated fics if possible.
2. Only one entry per author is allowed. Self explanatory, we don't want the list being dominated by one or two writers, we want even lesser known authors to have a chance to stand out. And we also want to put the spotlight on less frequently seen writers if they wrote something really group.
3. As these groups are technically SFW no linking to any of the fics may be allowed, some will inevitably be rated Mature and site rules forbid direct linking to any NSFW content (which a Mature rating comes with by default).
4. Self promotion is allowed, like always, but as much as possible avoid putting a story you wrote yourself at number one. Try to give another author top billing, even if you think you wrote something really good.
5. Give a brief explanation about why you chose the fics you did and anything you like about them. Think of it as a way to potentially lure other readers to them.
6. Honorable mentions are allowed, but like with previous versions I ask that you restrict them to three to five at the most. We don't want these lists getting too cluttered.

Now, without furhter ado, here's my picks for the Top Ten Padded Pony Fics of 2022. Enjoy!:

10. Dashie and the Junirbolts, by Foal Star: You know it's going to be quite the list when a long time staple like Foal Star just barely makes the cut. If that doesn't tell you what the competition was like this year, nothing will. While Foal Star continues to branch out and try new things, there's a very good reason why I keep coming back to his age regression AU. This one has Rainbow Dash become a foal alongside some of her fellow Wonderbolts recruits, and she has to take the lead in helping them escape from daycare. Add in Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles, and you've got a recipe for cuteness. I won't spoil all the developments in this story, check it out for yourself.
9. A Haunted Nursery, by Matt11: Sporting two updates this year to go alongside the two chapters it got last year, this fic shows quite a bit of promise with its contrast between Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo's reluctance and determination to fight against the spirit and the "curse" plays nicely against Sweetie Belle's acceptance of it all. And there's the possibility of a bad ending brewing (for Scootaloo anyway). The possibility of Apple Bloom appearing in this fic too before all's said and done remains an interesting hypothetical. Time will tell if this fic can stick the landing and wrap itself up nicely.
8. Babysitting Rocky Roads, by Zubric: A one-shot story involving someone's OC is always a risk, but this story manages to do it very nicely with an aspect I don't think many have considered in padded pony works: Pinkie Pie as the caretaker. I know why Pinkie tends to be the baby more often than the caretaker, her personality lends itself so much better to being an AB/DL than to be a "mommy", but we forget that she grew to be a pretty good foalsitter for the Cake Twins in canon. Much like Pinkie Pie, this story is sweet despite its short length. It could even be a bridge to the featured OC's work.
7. A Glimmer of a Foal, by ThunderDasher07: After his (or her) first padded pony fic fizzled out and was cancelled almost a decade ago, I don't think anyone would've expected ThunderDasher07 to come back to the padded pony scene. But he (or she) did, and did so in splendid fashion with this rather fun little one-shot exploring Starlight Glimmer's whereabouts during "A Flurry of Emotions". It makes good use of what we know about Starlight and what we still don't know, and even ends with a promising hook for a potential sequel.
6. Partying Too Hard, by Great Humanity: Great Humanity isn't even a padded pony writer, he (or she) isn't part of any padded pony groups on this site. That just makes this fic all the more impressive, especially since it's the third non-canonical sequel to Wandering Pigeon's 2018 hit "Something to Rave About" (even yours truly got involved in that with a sequel to one of those sequels, and a sequel to that sequel which can be found on Fanfiction.net). Given the way Octavia was written in this fic for the majority of it, I was expecting the conflict to be Vinyl having to choose between The Fountain of Youth and Octavia. But imagine my surprise when the author decided to do a little twist. They also chose to utilize Songbird Serenade, who I believe has never been featured in a padded pony work or any padded pony artwork outside of this fic.
5. Izzy's "Little" Secret, by SuperPinkBrony12: I can kind of see now why Pipp Petals is getting the most attention from the padded pony community given what "Tell Your Tale" and "Make Your Mark" have established about her. Still, I feel like Izzy is just begging for more exposure in the padded pony scene than she's been getting so far, I daresay she's had less work featuring her than even Sunny even though Izzy has Pinkie Pie's child at heart like mentality. For my first ever G5 padded pony fic, I wanted to do something different, this time focusing on a pre-established friendship. I also wanted to go with less dramatics involving the discovery, focusing more on the actual ageplay stuff, with and without Sunny as a caretaker.
4. Sprout's Second Chance, by milesprower06: After making it onto the honorable mentions last year, this fic really came into its own this year. I'm surprised by how much I've grown to love it, both as a padded pony work and as a character exploration piece. It's done so good it's even managed to get its own custom artwork, which is absolutely beautiful. Seeing Sprout's ageplay side inspire something similar in Sunny, and Sunny in turn learning a similar side exisits within Pipp has led to quite a lot of character exploration for both the foals and for the caretakers. It's also proven surprisingly adept at working with canon while doing its own thing. I think there's a good chance this fic will be on the list again for 2023, I'm definitely curious as to how this will all wrap up.
3. Limestone's Lesson, by TheVClaw: Yes, I know it's a commission. And apparently, TheVClaw does a lot of these. If they're all as strongly written as this one, I might just have to consider checking them out. It starts off with a pretty straightforward concept: Limestone opting to punish Pinkie and Marble for falling asleep on the job, doing so in a way inspired by her recent visits with a therapist. But it manages to work in more than a few twists before all's said and done, all without making Limestone too OOC. When she does eventually cross a line, there are consequences. And yet it's a happy ending for all involved. A very fine work in its own right.
2. To Be Cared For, by Nido_King: Nido_King once again shows how well he can work with simple premises, and give love to underappreciated characters within the padded pony community. There aren't enough young/student six diaper stories as it is, but the utter lack of Silverstream as the baby in what ones there are up until this fic came out has been borderline criminal, I daresay. Thankfully, this story has delved deep into psyhcological territory, and has made great use of Rarity as a supporting character. I'm most definitely looking forward to when Silverstream inevitably gets into ageplaying. Chances are I'll be talking about this fic again next year, so keep an eye on it.
1. Twilight's Dreams, by Naptime: Three chapters and an epilogue, not bad for a fic that was largely drifting along before it really came into its own this year. Keeping the focus on Twilight and Shining Armor as they explored new boundaries and feelings together through AB/DL was done masterfully. It perfectly captures Twilight's conflicting feelings about everything she does, and Shining Armor absolutely shines through as a caretaker here. This story remembers that Shining is a father and has experience with Flurry Heart, and it puts that experience to good use. It gets at the heart of what being an ageplayer is all about, and by the time it was done I knew in my heart it was going to be the number one padded pony fic this year.

Honorable Mention 1 - Super Sunset RPG, by Wandering Pigeon: Opting for something Equestria Girls releated, Wandering Pigeon continues to impress even when he doesn't make the top ten. One of only two padded pony works he did this year, and it's still ongoing. Wandering Pigeon truly seems to be opting for a quality over quantity approach, and with fics like this I can see why. It quickly goes from a story about Sunset dealing with a cursed video game to something far more detailed and in-depth, one that probably won't be wrapping up any time soon. It was considered for the list proper, but competition bumped it to the honorable mentions list.
Honorable Mention 2 - Dashie and the Padded Bolts, by freedome blitz: Finally getting its big reveal in, this fic will be turning five years old this year. I think the end is truly in sight, but it has been an enjoyable ride all the while. There's probably not much I can say about this fic that I haven't already said in years prior: I've enjoyed my time helping this fic to be edited so it can be published.
Honorable Mention 3 - Aura, Royal Caretaker, At Your Service, by Naptime: A short but sweet little one-shot that is almsot begging for a story within a story. There's not much to it other than what it says on the tin: A royal caretaker taking care of Princess Luna when she needs a diaper change. That's really about it, but it manages to put enough into that to be engaging and intriguing. Naptime certainly has some interesting stories under his belt.
Honorable Mention 4 - Glamour Shot, by Nido_King: A sequel to "Photoshoot" in which Moondancer confronts Minuette over her discovery from the prequel, and I dare not spoil anything more since the character interactions between the two unicorns are what sell this fic. I somehow managed not to notice when this sequel first got published, but once I did find out about I tracked it down, gave it a read and came away impressed. You know it's good when it leaves you wanting more. As they say, always leave 'em hanging.
Honorable Mention 5 - Something to REALLY Rave About, by SuperPinkBrony12: I think I'm really growing to like the universe of "Something To Rave About" and its sequels. Like I promised last year, I tackled the concept of picking up where "Something to Rave About 2: Second Night" left off, Octavia joining Vinyl Scratch at the Fountain of Youth, as a VIP. I also couldn't help but throw in a crossover of sorts with Nido_King's "Photoshoot", though I wrote this fic before knowing about the sequel, not that I think it really affected much. I did do a collab sequel with another author for anyone interested, I have a link to the Fanfiction.net page for it under this fic. But I feel like Great Humanity's alternative sequel to the original "Something to Rave About" was stronger. Plus, I feel more attachment to my Izzy story.

And there you have it. Go ahead and talk about whatever padded pony works you were most interested in this past year. Let's hope 2023 continues this trend we've been seeing of new writers joining the ranks of veterans. In particular, I'm hoping we'll get more G5 padded pony works from more authors, and more stories on characters we haven't seen much of in the padded pony scene.

Limestone’s Lesson was great.

7785231
I can't believe it's already been a year since the last top ten! Thank you for putting this together, some of these are new to me so I'll have to go check them out :)

7785231
Wow, thank you again! I'm glad you're enjoying Sprout's Second Chance so much.

And yes, it has gone on much longer than I ever envisioned, but that's what happens sometimes with inspiration. My longest ageplay story by far, and one of my longest stories overall.

Thanks for reading!

7785348 You're very welcome.

7785231
I always look forward to your yearly rankings ( for both curious and selfish reasons). Hopefully I'll be able to finish another chapter or two of "To Be Cared For" this year.

Yeah, i didn't really make a lot of padded stuff last year. i think like um Three stories maybe. year kind of just flew right on by. Also friends OC , he doesn't do fiction he does artwork shrug.