Rainbow's Curse

“Are… Are you sure about this?” Fluttershy asked, nervously peeking into the shadowy edge of the Everfree forest.

They had met Rainbow Dash there after the pegasus had flown top-speed to the forest entrance, since she hadn’t wanted to be seen trotting through town in a bright blue onesie announcing that she was wearing a diaper. Fluttershy and Twilight had been a few minutes slower getting there, but now the three of them were standing at the one opening in the thick grove of trees which led into the dangerous forest.

“M-maybe we can do this later,” she suggested.

“No! No way,” Rainbow quickly interjected. “We are NOT gonna wait any more! If Zecora can fix this, we gotta go talk to her!” She hadn’t actually been sure why they were heading to the forest when Twilight first brought it up, but after hearing Twilight’s explanation she had been all for it.

“Y-yes, okay, b-but why do you need me to go in there? It’s so… dark…” Fluttershy peeked into the forest again, her anxeity obvious.

“We need you in case something goes wrong,” Twilight explained, adjusting her saddlebags slightly. “Last time I went to Zecoras by myself, that cockatrice attacked and you had to save me! Three ponies are better than one, and you know the dangerous animals in here better than anypony.”

“R-right,” Fluttershy said, sounding unconvinced. “O-okay, but what if something r-really scary attacks us?”

“We’ll get him together!” Rainbow Dash promised. “All three of us! But we need to get in there and talk to Zecora! Pleeeease, Fluttershy?” She clasped her forehooves together in a pleading gesture, flapping her wings to stay upright.

“O-okay,” Fluttershy agreed, puffing out her chest to brace herself for the ordeal.

“Excellent!” Twilight announced, heading into the forest without further comment. Rainbow Dash followed second, and after taking a deep breath and glancing around a couple times, Fluttershy followed suit. After travelling through it a few times, it didn’t seem all to scary any more, but the risks were still present and so the three of them stayed on their guard, Twilight's horn glowing for light when the trees grew thicker together and blocked out the sun.

As it turned out, it was an uneventful trip. Aside from a couple rustling noises and the occasional glowing eyes peering at them from deep in the woods, they weren’t bothered. Finding themselves at Zecora’s cottage, Fluttershy glanced around cautiously for danger while Twilight knocked on the door. Rainbow Dash was glancing around cautiously too, but that was only to make absolutely sure that there was nopony out there to see her.

Answering the door, Zecora smiled, then tilted her head, and then her expression changed from a pleasant smile to an amused one.

“We, uh, need your help,” Twilight explained. “Are you busy?”

Shaking her head, Zecora said, “Hello, hello, my pony friends. What aid do you need me to lend?” Even with the rhyming cadence in her voice, she still sounded plainly amused when she spoke.

“It’s a long story, but Rainbow Dash is the victim of some kind of foalifying curse,” Twilight explained, giving a brief rundown of the situation.

As Twilight summarized, and summarized, and summarized, Rainbow Dash quickly found herself growing bored. She thought it would be fine just to say ‘This stupid curse is making me wear diapers and all this dumb girly crap!’, but Twilight apparently wanted to go into extreme detail in a five-chapter retelling of the events.

‘Snap!’

What was that? Rainbow thought, glancing over in surprise at the noise. She had heard something in the woods, she was sure of it, but she couldn’t see that deep into the trees. It had almost sounded like a ‘Click,’ hadn’t it? Was somepony out in the woods with a camera?

Taking a step forward, she looked around, trying to catch the photographer. It was probably just her imagination, wasn’t it? Glancing over her shoulder, she made sure that nopony needed her. Fluttershy was watching for dangers on the other side of the cottage, Twilight and Zecora were still talking boring stuff, no problems there. She took another step forward.

‘Click!’

She was sure of it this time, that was a click! There was somepony out there, there just had to be! Unless it was just her imagination, but what were the odds of that? She took another step forward, glancing around the dark woods to catch whoever was out there. Another step, and another, approaching the source of the sound. She made sure she was within sight range of Zecoras so she wouldn’t get lost, and-

“Raaaaaainbooooowww….”

Eyes going wide, she looked around in sudden panic. That couldn’t have been the wind! Could it? She knew the forest sometimes made sounds, but it had to be somepony for real this time! Sprinting off into the woods, she headed straight for the source of the voice.

Except… The voice hadn’t real had a source, she had just sort of heard it. So where am I running? As she got a little further in she slowed, looking around. Had it really been a voice? But if it was… Where was the pony? Nopony was out there. Or, if they were, it would be way too dark to find them. Away from the path and the light of Zecora’s cottage, she could barely see her hoof in front of her face. It would be better just to turn around and go back. She couldn’t see the cottage, but she knew which way she had been running, and it was a simple matter to just turn around and walk back. Besides, she could call out and they’d hear her and call back, right?

Turning a full one-eighty, she called out, “Twi-wi- Cewetha damah!” Her pacifier was back in her mouth, muffling her voice and making it impossible to really sound off. Well, no problem, she’d be able to see the cottage in a second, right?

“Hee hee hee.”

What in the hay was THAT? Rainbow thought, whipping around and spinning in place to find the source of the voice. Laughter? Somepony WAS out there, and they were laughing at her! It couldn’t possibly be the wind, it had definitely been laughter! That was a specific, malicious voice laughing at her or her name wasn’t Rainbow Daring Danger Diapered Dash.

What? No, that’s stupid. Why would I even think that? It’s just Rainbow Daring Diapered Danger- No! Try as she might, though, once the extra word was put in her string of middle names, it seemed to stick in her mind. She tried not thinking about it, but that was impossible. It was so stupid! It’s not like she could control it, it was just a thing that had happened to her! I do not need diapers! She told herself, spinning around again as she heard the wind- No, another voice.

”Little foal…”

“A’ NAW!” She shouted, angrily spinning around again. She wasn’t going to let that stupid… Whoever it was… Call her names! She turned back towards the cottage, she had to get back to the others. She had to pee, she’d need Twilight to change her diaper before long… But I’m not a foal! She thought again, heading towards the cabin. Or… Was this away from the cabin? Or was it this way? She turned, and again, and again, unsure where she was going. Hearing laughter again, she turned and glared into the darkness.

Okay, Rainbow, think. You’re smarter than this! Don’t let them tease you! You can just get back to the others. Just… Find your way back. Thinking, she realized the obvious.

Flapping her wings, she soared up into the air, looking around. Where was Zecora’s? She couldn’t see the cabin from the air, covered as it was by the treeline. The path was gone, too, all she saw in most directions were trees. Even in the direction of Ponyville, she could only just barely see the treeline. Sighing, she glanced around, then decided to land again. There was no point flying to Ponyville, she needed to get back to the cottage.

”Little foal can’t find her way home…”

GAH! Rainbow yelped into her pacifier, jumping in the air in surprise. There was no way that was wind! What the heck is that hissing noise? It took her a second before she looked over her shoulder and squinted, realizing that it was coming from her diaper. It was a second later that the pressure in her bladder had disappeared. At least her butt didn’t feel numb anymore…

“Did the foal have an accident? Hahahah!”

This time, the voice was distinctive and clear. It seemed familiar, too, though she couldn’t place it. “Sha’up!” She lisped, annoyed.

“What, are you going to cry?”

“N-no!” Rainbow shouted, her eyes watering. I don’t have to take this! I can leave! Twilight could wait!

Flapping her wings again, she heard laughter echoing one more time as she took into the sky, looking around. Ponyville located, she took off towards it. Twilight would figure out she was gone quickly enough. She’d hide out at her place for a few hours, take a nap, and then try and get to the library without being spotted.

As it happened, her ‘Wonderbolts’ onesie was actually pretty wind-resistant. Even in spite of the diaper between her legs, (Which she was pretty used to by that point,) she was able to fly easily towards her home. As fast as she was going, the onesie could even be mistaken for an actual flight suit unless somepony could read words blurring by at top speed.

Making it home, then, she wiped her eyes and glanced around. Nopony was home. Obviously.

With a pacifier in, she couldn’t have a snack or even get a drink of water. She wasn’t thirsty, anyways, and she mostly just felt tired. It had been tough sleeping these last few days, and burning the midnight oil to study hadn’t helped any. Trotting to her bedroom, then, she collapsed onto the mattress. A couple hours asleep, then she’d go find Twilight. What was the worst that could happen?

It’s not like she could have known in advance about the crib.