Cheating the Cycle of Life- A Padded Pony Collab

The counseling sessions Apple Bloom attended did little to change her mind about the decisions she had made. She still refused to be potty trained, clinging quite firmly to her cloth diapers, and resisting all efforts by her family to make her give them up.

Although she had not beaten down anypony else in anger, and Applejack had recovered from the injuries she suffered at Apple Bloom’s hooves, things were hardly where Granny Smith Big Macintosh, and Applejack wanted them to be.

It had come to the point where they were concerned they really would have no choice but to send Apple Bloom to an asylum, if for no other reason than the fact that her fits of anger made her a danger to everypony around her.

Fortunately, there was one other option they had left to try before it came to that. It was a bit out of left field, but Applejack and Big Macintosh especially were confident that it would work. And so, they began to make arrangements.

“How many times do I have to keep tellin’ you that I like my diapers, and I don’t want to give them up and use the potty?!” Apple Bloom angrily asked, as Big Macintosh and Applejack escorted her to the designated location for the new counselor.

“Look, Apple Bloom, it doesn’t matter how much you like your diapers!” Applejack said crossly, making sure to keep a safe distance from her little sister “Sooner or later, you have to give them up! Nopony else wears diapers at your age when they can control their bodily functions just fine! Isn’t that right, Big Macintosh?”

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh replied.

“This new counselor isn’t gonna change anythin’!” Apple Bloom protested “I ain’t givin’ up my diapers, and none of ya’ll can make me do so! If it means bein’ sent to an asylum, so be it!”

“Well, we’ll just see about that,” Applejack said with determination “I got a pretty good feelin’ about the pony you’ll be meetin’. She’s especially good at workin’ with colts and fillies your age.”

“We’re here!” Big Macintosh spoke up, drawing both Applejack and Apple Bloom’s attention to the familiar crystal tree structure that was Twilight’s castle.

“You’re gettin’ Twilight involved in all of this?!” Apple Bloom complained “She ain’t gonna be anymore help than that other counselor! Not even The Princess of Friendship is gonna force me to potty train if I don’t wanna!”

“Who said anythin’ about Twilight?” Applejack asked with a wink “The pony you’ll be meetin’ IS a princess, but it ain’t Princess Twilight. And it sure as sugar ain’t Princess Celestia either.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened at the realization of who that left “You can’t possibly mean-” she gasped.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh answered “We figured it was easier for her to meet you here, rather than have you go all the way to Canterlot to see her.” And with that, he knocked on the door.

Sure enough, a familiar majestic voice called out “You may come in.”

Apple Bloom tried to run away, but Applejack and Big Macintosh were one step ahead of her. They quickly grabbed her by the tail, and dragged Apple Bloom kicking and screaming into the castle. Once inside, they set Apple Bloom down on the floor, and made sure the door was closed behind them.

“Ah, Apple Bloom. I was certainly not expecting us to meet again so soon.” Princess Luna greeted, appearing before the filly in all her glory.

“How are you suppose to help get me to leave my diapers behind?” Apple Bloom asked skeptically “I don’t see why you’re any different from the other counselor I saw.”

“Princess Luna’s got a very special treatment lined up for you, and it’s one that I think will help us get to the root of the problem and correct it,” Applejack explained “I filled her in on everythin’ that happened, so there’s no point in tryin’ to hide anytin’ from her. Big Mac and I will come back to check on you when the session is over, and hopefully you’ll finally be ready to start usin’ the potty like a big girl.”

“Come with me, Apple Bloom, we have little time to waste.” Princess Luna called, as she motioned for Apple Bloom to follow her into one of the isolated rooms within the castle.

Applejack and Big Macintosh watched, as Apple Bloom reluctantly did as she was told. Once she was out of sight, Applejack and Big Macintosh headed for the door and went home.

“Think we made the right choice goin’ to Princess Luna for help?” Applejack asked Big Macintosh, as the two trotted down the path to Sweet Apple Acres.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied with a sincere smile on his face “If anypony can fix this problem, it’s Princess Luna. Unlike a regular counselor, she isn’t gettin’ payed to just listen and feign interest. She’ll legitimately be interested in helpin’ Apple Bloom out.”

“I hope you’re right, Big Mac, for her sake.” Applejack said nervously.

“So, can we just get this over with already?” Apple Bloom asked Princess Luna, as the two ponies sat on opposite ends of a table “I’ve said it so many times already that I’m startin’ to sound like a broken record. I’m not givin’ up my diapers, and nopony is gonna make me! I like em’, and I ain’t givin’ up usin’ them in favor of the potty!”

Much to Apple Bloom’s surprise, Princess Luna responded with “I am well aware of how you feel, child. I’m not going to try to force my will onto you,” Apple Bloom cheered, but only for a moment before Princess Luna spoke up again “But all the same, I have to agree with your family. You cannot continue to wear diapers, no matter how much you might like them.”

“I’ve heard that sayin’ a million times already!” Apple Bloom groaned “And I keep repeatin’ what I said earlier! What makes you think that just because you’re sayin’ it, it’ll be different?!”

“In order for me to properly address the subject, I need to discover what the source of it is,” Princess Luna explained “In this case, I intend to find out what it is that has made you so determined to hold onto your diapers. Once I know the why behind your thinking, I will know how to properly address it.”

“And how do you intend to do that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“With a little something I have rarely attempted,” Princess Luna told Apple Bloom “It’s called ‘Dream Therapy’. How it works is simple, while you are asleep, I investigate your dreams and see what it is that has inspired them. From there, I can follow a trail of memories, until the source is revealed.”

“Sounds rather complicated if you ask me.” Apple Bloom replied.

Princess Luna nodded “It is indeed really complicated, which is why I don’t do it very often, and I only do on ponies when I have obtained their permission. Applejack and Big Macintosh wanted to give permission for you, but I insisted that I would only do it if you were willing to grant me permission.”

Apple Bloom, suspecting nothing, said to Princess Luna “Well, I guess I can give you permission to try it, just this once. But if you don’t find what you’re lookin’ for, don’t blame me! As far as I’m concerned, I ain’t ever gonna be potty trained if I can help it!”

“You’ve made that fact clear multiple times already.” Princess Luna said, and instructed Apple Bloom to lay down, close her eyes, and go to sleep.

Apple Bloom obeyed, and with that, Princess Luna lit up her horn, and began her ascension into the dreamscape.

Upon entering into Apple Bloom’s dreams, Princess Luna quickly discovered that Apple Bloom’s dreams were rather peaceful.

In this dream, Apple Bloom was resting comfortably in a crib modified to fit her size. One of her cloth diapers was wrapped firmly around her rump, giving her bottom a soft and crinkly cushion. A large green pacifier was in her mouth, and the filly was happily sucking on it without a care in the world.

The door to Apple Bloom’s bedroom was opened, and in walked a red coated earth pony mare that looked to be in her late 40’s, perhaps early 50’s. Her blonde mane and tail were styled into a series of curls not unlike the ones Applejack had, and her cutie mark depicted a brightly glowing zap apple.

The mare walked over to the giant crib that Apple Bloom resided in, and said in a voice that sounded like an angel “Good mornin’, Apple Bloom. Did you sleep well last night, my little apple seedlin’?”

Much to Princess Luna’s surprise, Apple Bloom replied in a series of foalish giggles and gurgles, as if she were a newborn foal. She then grunted and started to push, filling her diaper quite noticeably.

The mare in the dream seemed to not be disturbed at all by what Apple Bloom had just done, she simply chuckled and said “It looks like somepony needed to go potty. Well, it’s a good thing she didn’t potty in her sleep, or she might have gotten a diaper rash.”

Suddenly, into the room trotted a green coated stallion with a mane and tail that looked straw. He seemed to be only slightly older than the mare, and had a cutie mark depicting a rake and hoe in the shape of an x. Said stallion sniffed the air and plugged his nose “Does somepony need a diaper change?” he asked.

“Well, honey, since you asked, little Apple Bloom here made a stinky, and I think she’d like to be changed into a fresh nappy.” the mare replied, as she gave Apple Bloom to the stallion.

The stallion carried Apple Bloom over to a large changing table, and changed her diaper as if he had done it several times before. When he had finished the changing process, he laughed and said to Apple Bloom “What has your mama been feedin’ you? You smell worse than your sister when she was your age, and boy was she a stinker.”

Princess Luna continued to watch the dream, as Apple Bloom was brought downstairs and placed into a highchair that matched her size. She was then spoon fed all sorts of mushy food by the red coated mare, who made all sorts of spoon feeding gestures.

“My goodness, you are a messy little filly, aren’t you?” the mare cooed, as she wiped Apple Bloom’s face with a rag, before taking her out of the highchair and setting her in a large playpen.

“Don’t you worry, my little Apple Bloom,” the mare said, as she and the green coated stallion sat on the couch near the playpen “Your Ma and Pa will always be here for you, no matter what happens.”

Suddenly, the mare and stallion began to fade away, almost as if they had never existed in the first place!

Apple Bloom tried to call out for them, as everything around her went dark, but there was no reply. Eventually, even her pacifier began to vanish, leaving her in just a cloth diaper.

“W-where am I?! What is this place?!” Apple Bloom asked nervously, as she tried to find a way out of the darkness.

Eventually, she did, but what she found was not she had been searching for.

“Ma? Pa?” Apple Bloom called out, as she saw the two ponies from earlier residing inside wooden coffins that were closed, and lowered into the earth.

“Ma and Pa ain’t around anymore, Apple Bloom. I’m sorry.” Granny Smith said somberly “ With them gone, things are gonna be a whole lot different.”

It didn’t take Princess Luna long to ascend beyond the dream, and bring Apple Bloom into the overarching dreamscape that she had been in once before.

“So, what did you see?” Apple Bloom asked, even though she knew the answer.

“It would appear, that the reason you cling so longily to your diapers, is because of the fact that your parents died while you were still just a foal,” Princess Luna explained “And part of you wants to continue to believe that they are not truly gone for good. Thus, you seem to think that if you can return to where you were when your parents were taken from you, you can bring them back.”

“That’s… actually kind of true,” Apple Bloom admitted “I missed havin’ Ma and Pa around, so I felt that if I could stay in diapers, maybe I could imagine that they were still there to take care of me. And I got so attached to the idea, that I didn’t want to have to abandon it by bein’ potty trained.”

“It is not uncommon for many foals that lose their parents at a young age to feel scared, and thus try to seek refugee by pretending that it never happened,” Princess Luna told Apple Bloom “But unfortunately, no matter how much you might try to deny or ignore that a tragedy has occurred, it cannot change the fact that it did. And likewise, seeking refugee in things such as diapers, or even a desire to act like and be treated like a foal, though an understandable idea, does little to solve the problem. In the end, the only way to truly overcome a tragedy, is to cope with and move on. And that means, you will have to leave your diapers behind, and start using the toilet like you are suppose to.”

Apple Bloom pouted and sighed “Oh, alright. I guess I really don’t have any other options. Unless I wanna get sent to that asylum. But it’s just, I miss Ma and Pa so much, and I’ve really grown attached to my diapers. I don’t want to have to completely leave them behind for good.”

Princess Luna pondered this declaration, then she said to Apple Bloom “Well, at least in the waking world, you will have to give up your diapers completely. But, at night, when you go to sleep, I can arrange a dream nursery for you. And I will be your mother.”

“Really?! You’d do that for me?!” Apple Bloom asked eagerly.

Princess Luna nodded “But only if you keep your word and start using the toilet whenever you have to go. If you should ever go back on that promise, our deal will be terminated! I hope you understand that, because I will not warn you again!”

“Don’t you worry, Princess Luna! Just wait and see, I’ll start potty trainin’ as soon as I get home!” Apple Bloom vowed “It shouldn’t be that hard!”