The Bubbly Mare

1, 1
"Twelve Years Ago”

It was approaching midnight.

A young gray pegasus kept her head down and eyes closed. She lay on a comfortable bed, just made, clutching a teddy bear. She felt ashamed and humiliated. A pile urine-soaked sheets lay by the foot of her bed. There were other two ponies in her room -- one staring at her with love; the other in the doorway, smoking a funny smelling hoof-made cigarette of while rapidly nodding his head. They were all dressed up, all but the little one who wore just her bedtime pajama shirt.

“A-are you mad at me, Mommy?” the little one asked, quietly.

“Not at all, Derpy, ” the older pegasus replied, embracing her daughter in a warm hug. “Not one bit.”

Derpy looked up, her slightly eyes crossed:

“I’m sorry.”

Her mommy kissed her cheek.

“It’s not your fault.”

The filly smiled up at her mother, her mother smiling right back.

Both heard the sound of a gravely-voice clear its throat by the door as he extinguished his funny-smelling cigarette in a hoof and sighed.

“Could we speed this up a little?” The unicorn tapped his hoof. “We need to be there in an hour. If you’re late again it’s not going to look good. You've got no clue the lengths I needed to go to get you another chance with this artist... let's just say I had to go down on my forehooves for her older brother and stay a while. Even though she's only twelve, we've got to take this Photo Finish seriously. We're talking major opportunity here... worth all the sacrifice.”

"Just a minute.” The older pegasus looked back over her shoulder. “This could be really embarrassing for her. I just want to make sure she’s okay, like a good mother... not that you'd know what that's like.”

The unicorn put his hooves up defensively:

“Ouch! That really hurt, you know?” He laughed. “I get it. Need a minute with your kid? Fine, Diamond. Take as long as you need. Take too long, though, and well… let's just say if we're late again, I shouldn't need to remind you there are plenty of other models out there who could use my talent. Not as scrumptious-looking as yourself, mind you, but I'm willing to take a few cuts for a little punctuality... that and I don't like chewing extra-mint gum after a second round of behind-the-scenes negotiations. Hope I've made myself clear I'm not doing that again.”

The pegasus rolled her eyes, turning back to her daughter. She pulled up a plastic bag that had some weight to it:

“Okay, Derpy, here’s the thing. You wet the bed three times this week. We can’t have that. You’re going to ruin your mattress.”

“I know Mommy! I’m sor-“ Derpy started to whine, but her mother put a hoof up.

“Stop it right now, Derpy. Mommy doesn’t have the time for this… you know that.” Noticing her daughter’s quivering lip, Diamond let out a sigh. “Okay… here’s what’s we’re going to do.” The pegasus went into the plastic bag and began pulling things out. First was a white, rubber-covered garment roughly the size of one of Derpy’s schoolbooks, second was a plastic canister. “This is called an ‘All-in-One’ Derpy. Mommy’s going to put one of these on you each night before you go to bed. It will help keep you and your bed dry. In the morning, take it off and put it in your hamper, then take a shower working the knobs like I showed you. Do you understand?”

Derpy just stared at the rubber-covered garment in her mother’s hooves.

“Mommy, that’s a diaper."

“No, it’s an ‘All-in-One’ sweetie.” Diamond playfully poked the smaller pegasus on the shoulder. “Now lay back and be a good cooperator... or else you'll make Mommy’s Agent very angry. You don’t want to do that, do you?”

“Oh, I’m already pretty angry,” the unicorn interjected by the doorway as Derpy laid back. “Diamond, isn’t she old enough to be doing this by herself? What is she, eight... nine?”

The pegasus sighed.

“Mic, for the last time: she has special needs. She can't even tie knots on her own, much less get dressed. Now legs up please, Derpy.”

The little pegasus was used to hearing stuff like that from her mommy, though sometimes it made her feel funny. She did as she was told... thinking Mommy must say these things just because she loves her, though she wasn’t very happy right now. Derpy was, for lack of a better word, crimson with embarrassment, but remained still while her mommy stuck the thick garment beneath her bottom and popped open the container. It smelled of foal powder.

Derpy whimpered under her breath the moment she smelled it. Diamond rubbed her shoulder gently in response, glancing back and Mic, who raised his eyebrows in impatience.

"Well, come on," he said. "Put the diapers on her and let's go!"

Scowling at Mic, Diamond centered the All-in-One under Derpy’s rump. She then sprinkled some of the powder into its soft core, holding the filly’s back hooves together like she was still a foal. It felt very gentle and cool… it almost tickled, but Derpy was too ashamed to notice.

The garment was then pulled up around Derpy’s waist and fastened into place using two strong, Velcro fasteners. The first fastener made a loud screeching noise as it was pulled open and stuck, followed by the second. Derpy looked down and watched her mommy diaper her – at eight years old, she was being put back in diapers. Even though her mommy said that wasn't what they were doing, Derpy knew better. Mic had said so, and any filly her age would have called them diapers, same with any other mare, colt, or stallion.

“Now turn over, please,” Diamond said in a soft, tired voice as Derpy did as she was told.

Derpy was on her tummy now. Another screech and the garment was fastened around her tail. She was diapered.

“All done!” The pegasus hugged her little daughter. "That's not so bad, is it?"

The filly didn't answer, instead she tried to stand up on her bed while wearing the diaper. It felt awkward, but she was able to get up okay. The garment hugged her bottom snugly. It felt thick and stiff. Like a foal, she fell over to her side immediately and noticed that the diaper kept her lower half in an unnatural position. Derpy loved sleeping on her side, but it was going to be hard now wearing the thick garment that she would soon find out didn't breathe all that well.

“Mommy, this feels really weird between my legs. I don’t like it!”

“I’m sorry, Derpy." Diamond began putting everything away. “Just go to sleep… you’ll be okay. Don’t take it off until it’s time to get up. Mommy will be very disappointed in you if you do and the bed's wet when she comes home. She knows you don’t want a spanking.”

Derpy shook her head as her mom reached for the wet sheets.

“No!” Mic barked from the doorway. She froze, mere inches from touching the sheets. “I don’t want you getting any of that on you. With my luck you’ll end up smelling like pee and put everypony off.” He bent down and got them himself. “Bathroom hamper, right?”

“Yeah.”

The unicorn motioned with his head towards the door.

“Well, come on, then Diamond…”

The pegasus smiled devilishly.

“After you, Mic.”

He scowled in response.

“Just go already.”

Mommy began to walk away, glancing back at little Derpy Hooves one final time before blowing her a kiss. The tiny pegasus caught it and giggled, despite all that had just happened. Soon enough Mic stepped behind Diamond and sped her up by making loud marching sounds with his hooves:

"Left, right, left, right, left, right... come on, Diamond."

He didn’t look back as he shut off Derpy’s light, leaving her in the darkness.

The pegasus clutched her teddy bear first thing. Other lights in the apartment went off as well -- lights that normally stayed on as Mic passed them, hurrying Mommy along -- leaving Derpy now in total darkness. It was pitch black in her room and she hated the dark. Derpy could smell three things still lingering in the air – Mommy’s perfume, Mic's funny cigarettes, and foal powder. The last one wasn’t the weakest, unfortunately... Mommy’s perfume was.

The pegasus rolled to her side, pressing the teddy to her chest. She wanted to unvelcro the All-in-One and throw it off her bed, but she knew Mommy would find out... Mommy always had a way of finding out when Derpy had lied to her.

It was already a hot night out, and it was going to get hotter. The air-conditioning could only do so much. After laying there for thirty minutes, Derpy started to sweat where the diaper was covering her body and near her shirt. She clumsily pulled off her favorite night-time shirt, hearing the sound of tearing fabric near the collar... she would find out in the morning the collar was ripped because she didn’t have Mommy there to help her. The lonely pegasus felt tears welling in her eyes as she sniffled. She wanted to hug Mommy again so badly just one more time, but this was how things were sometimes. Mommy had to go to work with Mic, leaving Derpy all alone without so much as a babysitter. Derpy always acted less happy when Diamond came home if he had one of those, afterall.