A new beginning begins with a new portrait
Author's Note
WARNING: THIS CONTAINS DIAPERS! If that is not something that you like, then please do not read the story.
Well, thank you for taking the time to read through my first major story! I'm hoping to make this a series of stories detailing Luna's journey through the world as she deals with the repercussions of her actions and her own feelings and realizations. It will be a slow series though, both in the stories themselves, and how the stories are written.
If you have a particular comment about the story, if you could let me know, I would be appreciative.
A new beginning begins with a new portrait
“Okay, Princess, if you could just sign here and here, we can… No, no, it’s nothing serious, all the paperwork’s for is to allow us to use your image in our advertising campaign and that you agree to be our primary model for it.”
I still don’t see why Print Line must act so odd, with all of the twitchiness and constant shifting. He almost reminds me of an overactive foal that got into the cookie jar while his parents weren’t looking. Maybe he had too much of that new drink Celly mentioned before? What was it again… coffee?
“We have already agreed to do so though, why must we write out our name to prove our commitment?”
“Oh! Uh, it’s… it’s just the boys in the legal department! They just want to make sure that everything is nice and clear when it comes to these things in case somepony refuses to do something. Not to say that you aren’t trustworthy! It’s just that we, uh, I, uhm…”
A huff of annoyed air escaped me without a single thought, as the pen started to glow and my name was written across the paper in several places. I would have preferred with having my full title, Princess Luna, caretaker of the night, ruler of Equestria, but it wouldn’t fit, so they said Princess Luna would work just as well. These modern day traditions just sometimes baffle me. All of this paperwork, industry, politics, and such. Much has changed in the last 1000 years.
“Ah, alright Princess! If you could follow me to the changing room, we can get you ready for the shoot. Don’t you worry about it, we have the best here to take care of you and make sure that you are at your best for it. Not that you need it! We just want to make sure that everything is perfect!”
Unfortunately, that is one thing that has not changed, the urge of most citizens, Print included, to fawn on over royalty. It is a rather uncomely behavior, seeming disingenuous and deceitful, even when the pony is trying to be sincere. Celestia has figured out a way to get the common folk to stop treating her like she was some all mighty goddess, maybe she is right about this ‘photo’-shoot? Hopefully it will at least help with the young children of Equestria. Celly suggested that it would, after I was offered to model nightwear for fillies and colts. She just looked over the offer, smiled, and said that I should do it. Celly’s smile did make me hesitate, but I personally don’t see what the big deal is though, it’s just a nightgown, same as any other piece of clothing. Sure, it will probably look foalish in comparison to my normal day-wear, but if it will help, then it is worth it.
“Ah, here we go princess! Now, if you can just go through the door and get ready, we can start the photo-shoot! Just head down the hall and take the third door on the left when you are ready. “
I have never seen a pony move so fast from a standstill before. If that’s what coffee does for somepony, I may need to try some. The changing room was rather dull in comparison to my normal dressing chambers, but it looked like it would suffice. The room was relatively normal for a dressing chamber except for a rather large table at the other end of the room. The top was smooth, with small railing around it, and its height just below the chest of the mare who was fiddling with something in one of its drawers. Well, no point in delaying. “Ahem.”
The mare was startled, but quickly regained her composure, kneeling into a bow while holding a white tube of some kind. “Ah, Princess Luna! Pleased to meet you! I’m Soothing Song. I’ve been waiting for you, if you could just come on over here, we can get started for the modeling process.”
She seemed awfully concerned to get started, maybe the signing took longer than planned? Although, it does seem curious to not prepare over at the mirror, maybe she wishes to help me into the nightwear? I cannot see it anywhere in the room though, not even in the supplies that she has brought out: a tube, a large canister, and some kind of plain box. Maybe the gown was in the box itself?
“Pleased to meet thou, Soothing Song. If thou does not mind us asking though, where is the nightgown that we are to wear? We do not see it within our local vicinity?”
“Ex-excuse me Princess? What do you mean by nightgown?” Song seemed confused by the question. Maybe I wasn’t clear?
“The nightgown that we are to clothe ourselves in? The photo-shoot was to model nightwear for colts and fillies, correct? Then that would be a nightgown, would it not?”
When a pony gets that look upon their face, it was usually because they were about to be banished to a faraway country or be locked into a dark dungeon for all eternity. “P-Princess, the nightwear to be modelled isn’t a nightgown…”
Confusion is not a state of being that I tend to have much experience with, nor one that I took great joy in feeling. Yet, what else could the nightwear be? Is this another case of all the centuries away changing something? “If not a gown, then what are we to wear for this particular purpose? What else would young ponies wear at night when they are in our realm of dreams?”
Song just opened the box that she had gotten out earlier, and brought out a strange object of… I believe the material is called plastic? It was roughly rectangular in nature, and appeared to be folded thrice over while being of several inches thick in each layer. There were moons and stars all over the object, although several of them appeared to be hollow. The front of the object had a curious panel, with a cartoon moon smiling back at me upon a background similar to my starry mane. “What is the point of this object? Is it some kind of pillow or something to sooth a child at night?”
“N-N-Not quite Princess. It does help keep colts and fillies comfortable when they sleep. Just, it’s meant only for those that need ‘protection’.” The mare was starting to tremble, her nerves seemed to be getting the better of her. She just continued to unfold the strange object, laying it out flat into an odd hourglass shaped piece with some kind of thick material in the middle. Yet, there seemed to be a stretchy material in the center of it on the sides and some pieces of tape in the back. It seemed almost the same as a clo….
“WE ART MEANT TO WEAR A FOAL’S DIAPER?!” Unfortunately, the Royal Canterlot Voice was very easy to slip into when my emotions ran high, whether those emotions be anger, frustration, or surprise, as in this case. Song just shrank back at the exclamation, scared out of her mind.
“Please! They said that you knew what was going to happen and were okay with it! Please, please don’t banish me!” She was practically in hysterics at this point, probably fearful that she wouldn’t see the end of the day. Breathing deeply, I began to calm down from the shock. Remember what Celly said, things wouldn’t be the same as they were back then. We need to judge them based on their time, not my personal time.
“We are sorry for our minor outburst. We did not mean to frighten thou. Thou do not need to fear reprisal from us in any form. Your princess wishes for you to calm down now.”
The mare took several minutes to start breathing normally, her pupils eventually dilating back from pinpoints. Neither Time nor the Nightmare have been kind to my image at all, if my own citizens think that they should be afraid so easily of me. “I’m sorry Princess, but…”
“No, it is indeed our fault. We had thought that the tradition of nightly attire would be something that would not change with the centuries that we were gone. We were foolish to believe that there would be something that would be same since our previous time. We need to judge these new traditions in this time and not our own.” A princess must always be able to handle pressure and setbacks with grace. That was one lesson that I still needed to take to heart, it seems. “Therefore, we ask that you enlighten us as to the reason why they create such large foal diapers? Why must they be worn by colts and fillies currently? Is it just what happens now for them?”
Song seemed to have calmed down enough to start talking. “No, Princess! They aren’t something that is worn by all colts and fillies! These are ‘nighttime’ diapers. They are meant for bedwetters, to help keep them dry and asleep during the night. There are many children who can’t help themselves at night.”
“Odd, it used to be considered that a child who couldn’t keep themselves dry needed to clean up after themselves. Is there an advantage to treating children like foals now?”
“That’s not what the nightwear is for though, Princess. We know now that children just can’t help it if they wet the bed and we just don’t want them to suffer because of it. Waking up in the middle of the night is always rough on a pony, regardless of their age. Bedwetting is actually a very common problem among colts and fillies of a certain age.”
Before we could go any further, the door suddenly thundered with furious knocking. No doubt due to the use of the Royal Voice, very little has been able to impede it before, and I doubt any passage of time could fix that. “We will take care of this annoyance, Song. No doubt it is due to our unduly outburst earlier.”
Just as I was to open the door, it suddenly swung inward with Print looking like he was about to need the padding himself. The Royal Canterlot Voice has always been good at getting attention, even when that attention is undesired.
“PRINCESS LUNA! Is everything alright? Are you okay? Is there something wrong? How can w-” On second thought, maybe coffee isn’t a good idea after all...
“ENOUGH!” There are times where the Voice is useful, even when it caused the problems in the first place. “We are currently doing fine, Print. There are no issues currently plaguing us nor our attendant. We, however, do wish that you leave us so we may prepare for our portrait.”
Apparently, my word didn’t count as much as it used to in the past, at least going off of the hyperventilation that was going on between the two of them. “Princess, are you sure? If the caretaker has upset yo-.”
“No, we are fine now. There was just some confusion as to what our role was actually meant to be. We believe that our current aide’s help is more than adequate for our needs. Now, please leave us, so we may be prepared for our portrait to be taken.” Celly was right, this has gotten to the point of ridiculousness. My public perception needs to change, otherwise it’s going to be another lonely thousand years.
Finally, after much posturing and talking, Print finally left. That seemed to have been a relief for Song, who would have given a statue a run for their money with that rigidity. “Now that is taken care of, may we get back to our dressing? It would be improper for a princess to be late.”
Maybe coffee was more popular than I thought, since she also seemed to be susceptible to twitchiness as well. “Pardon us, but we have said that we are ready. Do we need to do anything else before we can get dressed?” At least that seemed to have gotten her attention. “We would prefer to get this done soon.” Oddly enough, my reassurances have not seemed to help with the coffee problems. Song continued to twitch and shake like she was earlier when Print came in. "Song, we wish to have our portrait taken in a timely manner. To do so, we need the help of thou." At least that seemed to have gotten her attention, the twitchiness dying down and her breathing returning to normal.
“Princess, if I may ask, why are you doing this?” She seemed to have calmed down by now, the twitchiness replaced by a look of curiosity.
“I’m afraid I do not understand the question. Is this not something that would be considered normal for the modern day?”
“Well, princess, it’s something that is more common today, but…”
“Thus it is something that we should be doing, in order to allow our appearance to be more modern and approachable.”
“Princess?”
“We know that we are a relic. We no longer desire to be such.” Nor to be seen as a nightmare to the land. “Thus, we wish to appear as a mare of the current age and this should be a good first step towards that goal.”
She seemed to have been taken aback by that, her mouth opening and closing several times in the process. At least she seemed to have calmed down though and was ready to start the process again. “Alright Princess, if you believe that this will help, then I am here to help you. I will agree that ponies may start seeing you in a different light after today…” That last comment sounded odd, maybe she wasn’t sure of my plan? Well, at the very least, this should be a good first step forwards.
“Alright Princess, if you may please come over here, I can help you get dressed for the photo-shoot. This shouldn’t take too long and you can come back here afterwards to change out of the ‘protection’.”
*Sigh* Even a thousand years, ponies still think they have to help royalty get dressed. Still, there’s no point in arguing, all she would do is insist and we would just waste more time than we saved. “So, how are we to have this garment placed upon ourselves? Doest Thou need us to remain standing while it is applied?”
“Well Princess, you can, but it would be much easier if you would lay down upon the changing table. I was told that the executives had it custom made when they heard you agreed to the photo-shoot. Apparently they didn’t want to spare expenses or such.”
She patted the table, which started to take upon a whole new meaning. I knew that foals were easier to change at a higher level, but a table specifically for such a manner? It seemed rather wasteful, especially since it would not be of much use after the need for it was gone. The table seemed much bigger than you would typically have for a foal,probably due to the custom nature of it, which would also explain the midnight blue color scheme. There have been times that I have received fine things, and extravagant gifts have been the norm before, but this does not seem to fit that definition. However, the extra height would at least speed this up somewhat.
At the very least, the table was more comfortable than I thought it would have been. “Excuse me Princess, but if you could raise your rear end.” This is not a process that I have ever particularly enjoyed, servants tend to not be very gentle when they clothe somepony else. However, she was gentler than ponies have been in the past. The padding itself was interesting as well. When lowered upon it, it felt like lying upon a blanket.
"Alright, this is going smoother than I thought. Thank you princess for being patient with me."
“Doest thou takes us as a foal? We have been dressed many a time before, and we shall expect to be done so in the future.” There are times where ponies seem to think that royalty can’t handle anything on its own, even things they insist on doing. Even now, all she can do is look at me in befuddlement, before reaching for the tube from earlier. Without warning, she suddenly upended it over and started spraying powder everywhere around the diaper. “What doest thou plan to accomplish wi-wit-with… Atchoo!” The powder, while sweet smelling, was also very ticklish.
“Princess.” She must have experience raising children, going off of her tone alone. The last person to use that tone with me was Celly, just as annoying then as it is now. “This is foal powder, the shoot is going to take a while, and padding can get very hot and sweaty over a long period. I doubt you want to be stuck with a heat rash, and the powder can help prevent that.” Today is starting to get close to the record amount of frustrated sighs from me. After making sure that there was a good coat of the powder down there, she finished pulling up the front of the diaper and taped up the edges. “Alright, that should take care of it. What do you think, Princess?”
This is definitely a strange trend to have happened over the thousand years. “It shall suffice. We shall now make our way to the photo-shoot. We wish to thank thee for thy help.” The diaper was very thick, almost like having a pillow strapped around my bottom. Oddly though, it was soft on the inside, almost feeling like sitting down on a cloud. However, the thickness did make it more difficult to maintain a sense of balance, especially when my rear legs were spread apart by said garment.
“Princess? Is everything alright?” Of course she would notice my hesitation when trying to get off the table. I wouldn’t normally have an issue, but I wouldn’t normally be wearing something for a foal nor in front of somepony. Even now, I must maintain my composure. “Yes, we are satisfied with how things are progressing.”
“Do you need help getting down from the table, Princess?”
“We thank thou, but we are more than capable of taking care of this minor matter. A princess must always be a figure of regality and grace.”
CRASH!! Even when that princess rolls off and falls flat on their face. “Princess! Are you alright? Do you need a bandage? Did you hurt yourself badly? Did you-?”
Yes, she definitely raised children before. “Soothing Song! We are alright! It was a simple slip, and there hast been no damage to our body.” The same could not be said for my pride though. “However, we do desire to have our portrait taken and have the ordeal over. Are we fully prepared for our duties?”
“Let me just check the fit Princess. Otherwise, it may chafe some.”
Before I could really react, Song ran a hoof around where the diaper wrapped around my waist and hind legs. “Alright, that should make sure that there are no major issues. If you have any problems, you can head back here and get a change.” Just because I am wearing a diaper like a foal does not mean I plan to use it as such.
“We thank thou, but we doubt that such a service shall be necessary. However, we shall return if it should become needed. Now, we must depart.” She was rather nice, at least this should hopefully soon be over.
The walk down the hallway took a little longer than I thought it would have. Luckily, no one was around to see my awkward gait. One incident alone was one incident too many for today. The padding, while awkward in size and placement, was surprisingly comfortable. Maybe this is one of the reasons why modern ponies took to wearing them?
The door swung open easily, but the room on the other side was something that I wasn’t expecting. The area was relatively wide open, with a white area that has a bunch of lights focused on it. Must have been one of those new modern changes that Celly mentioned. It seemed over excessive for a portrait studio though.
“Ah! Princess! I see that everything went smoothly with the preparations. If you can come over here, we can get started on the pictures! They want to take several shots, but if you don’t want to do any of them, just mention it and we’ll stop.” Yeah, coffee didn’t seem good for twitchiness.
“We doubt that we shall have any concerns. Thy concern is unneeded, although not unappreciated. Is thy company to be involved as well?” There were an awful lot of other ponies, taking care of the lights or those small black things... cameras? I think that’s what Celly said they were anyway.
“My company? What are you… Oh! The crew! Yes Princess, they are here to help make sure everything goes smoothly. We only employ the best, so there shouldn’t be a problem! However, if there is...” This has gone on far too long as it is.
“ENOUGH!” I still hate that don’t banish me look, although I guess it is a little more warranted here. “As thoust heard before, thy concern is appreciated, but unneeded. We art not some fragile flower that is to be protected. We do apologize for our outburst, but we shall be fine.” Sometimes, you just need to let ponies know that they don’t need to follow you around with a butterfly net, or a nest of pillows.
At least the twitchiness seemed to have calmed down, although, a ramrod stiffness wasn’t much better from Print Line. “Alright Princess, I do apologize for the inconsiderate treatment. If you want to get started, just walk over to the stage. The photographer will let you know what poses you need to get into for the pictures. Thank you Princess for coming over and agreeing to this photo-shoot.” Still pretty fast movement from a standstill. “listen to her?” Hhmm? Maybe he was wondering why he hadn’t listened to me earlier as he walked away?
“Ah, Princess! I see that you are ready? If you could step over here, and now stand that way. Maybe shift your leg slightly towards my left? Ah perfect! Ready for your first modelling picture?” The lights were bright, but not unbearably so. The stage felt oddly empty though, just a blank white canvas. If this is to be my canvas to make my new image, then it should suffice.
“Yes. We believe we art ready.”
*FLASH*
Today has been rather tiring. It used to be that day court was the only one that ponies would have gone to, but things have gotten to the point of always being busy, even at 3 A.M. At least the sun is starting to rise, and I can finally go and relax.
“Night court is adjourned! If you have any pressing needs, Princess Celestia will be with you shortly!” At least the guards can take care of the ponies until my sister gets here.
“We art to depart now and retire to our chambers.” The guards are still as stoic as ever, only responding with a nod. This was always the tricky part of the day, when you’re dead tired, and you can’t let any other pony tell. Ever the Princess, even when you are exhausted.
The new castle was certainly very different to the old one. The areas were much more open, brighter colors, more windows to let in light, which all unfortunately made it much further to get back to bed. The day servants certainly seemed much more willing to talk with each other than the night servants. They must be talking about something private all the time, since they keep stopping when I come near. Judging by how there are still some who keep watching me until I am gone, they still weren't used to me being around. At least it’s no longer fear, just befuddlement. Maybe the photo-shoot is already working? It has been a week since it’s been in circulation, from what I was told.
My chamber door is a very welcome sight at this point, however, the guards on the outside were not. “Guards.” At least they were well trained, coming to attention when called.
“Princess!” Seems the bat pony was in charge of the two, the white Pegasus standing stock still.
“Guards, is there a reason why thou two art standing outside our chambers?”
“Princess Luna! There was a gift that you received and Princess Celestia asked us to deliver it to your chambers. She said that you would prefer it in the privacy of your room.” That’s odd, Celly knows I typically have gifts sent to my study unless they’re too big. Wonder what it could possibly be?
“We wish to thank thee, guards. Thou mayest return to thy duties now.” I wonder who sent the gift? Maybe a nation looking for political favors? Or one of the noble houses?
“Do you think she is into it?”
“Must be. I don’t see any reason why else she would have that kind of stuff. Maybe Celestia knows as well?”
Rather odd things for the guards to wonder. Maybe the gift is a rather different one? No point in not finding out now. My room always had a calming effect though. Just seeing my dresser, mirror, bed, changing t…
“Changing table!?!?” The company sent over the one from the photo-shoot? They even stocked it fully with several packages of night diapers and changing materials?
“Why on Equestria would they…” A note? At least this may explain things.
Luna,
From what I've heard and seen, it seems that the photo-shoot went well. The company said that they’ve already heard from several colts and fillies, feeling better about their bedwetting issues since the latest ads came out. They wanted to show their appreciation and asked what you would like. I figured this might be a nice touch for your room.
Celestia
Even at the end of an exhausting day, I still can find energy for exasperation. Of course she would say that. Ever the prankster. There’s no point in keeping it, so I might as well have it taken away. Maybe somepony else can use it. It did seem to help out Song during the change...
Well, it is a nicely made table. Plus, there are a lot of supplies that are in my size, so it would be harder for another pony to use them. It would also be rude to return it, it is a gift after all. At the least, maybe I could turn the table into something else?
*YAWN*It’s too early for this. Bed, sleep, and then decision time. At least a thousand years seemed to make everything more comfortable, beds and pillows included. I’ll.. think about it… later.
“Goodnight Lulu. Sleep well.”
