Foal For A Dayby SuperPinkBrony12ChaptersA Diapered DiamondA Mother's 'Comfort'A Question AskedA Connection CreatedA Bond Restored?A Liar ExposedA Diapered DiamondAuthor's Note Well, now we're delving more heavily into the padded content of this fic. From here on, that stuff's going to be focused on a lot. As for Spoiled Rich, I know she's going to seem OOC to many of you, but as I said before it's pretty hard to write Spoiled in character to begin with because of what she is. And lastly, as a word of warning, the next chapter WILL contain a messing scene! Needless to say, if that's not your cup of tea, you'll probably want to skip the next chapter. A Diapered Diamond Diamond Tiara didn’t really know what to do at first, she just stood there with a blank look on her face. Being diapered by the one pony who up until now had been a constant source of dread in her life was quite hard for the pink pony to take in. “Go on, Diamond,” Spoiled Rich tried to be encouraging. “Just do something, anything. I won’t stop you.” Tiara didn’t reply to her mother, she wasn’t sure what to say. She simply eyed her bed as if it were suddenly much more interesting than it really was. Her attention eventually fell to her teddy bear, Theodore, sitting lonely next to her pillow. Even though she rarely slept with him anymore, Diamond decided she needed to give the stuffed animal some long overdue love. Without saying a word, Tiara turned around and faced towards her bed. Now came the difficult task of walking over to it, with the added bulk of a diaper. Just before embarking on this arduous journey, she pondered. “Well, at least if I fall nopony will be around to see it. I may have once liked blackmailing ponies, but being on the receiving end, no thanks.” She reluctantly took a few hoofsteps towards her destination. Each step caused the diaper to admit a faint but telltale crinkle that seemed to echo everywhere. At last, Tiara reached the bed and carefully grabbed Theodore off the sheets. She proceeded to hold him tightly, as she slowly tried to walk back across the room. “Maybe it would be faster if I just waddled,” she thought to herself. “Acting a little like a foal won’t hurt, as long as Mother’s the only pony who has to see.” With her mind made up, Diamond nervously began to waddle like a duck across the floor of her bedroom. Spoiled Rich found it hard to not coo or aw at her daughter’s behavior, but somehow she managed. Still, she had to admit her daughter looked pretty cute in her new ensemble. “Do you want to play with some of your other stuffed animals?” She asked Diamond. “No thank you, Theodore is enough.” Tiara replied, and still clutching the teddy, she sat down on the carpeted floor causing her diaper to admit another symphony of crinkles. Strangely enough, Diamond was starting to find she didn’t mind them, at least not entirely. Then, much to Spoiled’s surprise, Diamond began to talk with the stuffed bear as if he were a living, breathing creature. “Yes, Theodore, I am wearing a diaper. No, I don’t wet the bed anymore. I haven’t done that in years.” Tiara said to the bear in an exaggerated tone of voice. “Are you sure? I remember how upset you were when your mother said rich ponies don’t wet the bed.” Theodore replied in a gruff voice, putting a paw to his mouth to suppress a few giggles. “Theodore, that wasn’t nice! You hurt my feelings!” Diamond said in fake and exaggerated sadness. “Say you’re sorry, before I tell Momm….” Tiara paused and corrected herself before she continued “Mother on you. She’ll make you sit in the time-out corner.” “I’m sorry, Diamond Tiara,” Theodore apologized. “You’re my best friend, and best friends don’t tease each other for their problems. If you say you don’t wet the bed, I believe you. But what about all the other big girl things? You don’t try to steal cookies from the cookie jar or cross the street without a grown-up, do you?” “Certainly not,” Tiara replied. “In fact, I’m such a big girl that I don’t even have to wear diapers outside the house anymore. I use the big filly potty and everything!” “Oh, you are brave,” Theodore told Diamond. “That big potty is so noisy and scary, even scarier than the monsters under your bed!” “Theodore, everypony knows there’s no such thing as monsters,” Tiara scolded, before she chuckled. “What I thought was a monster was really just Daddy working late at night, and trying to sneak a few sweets from the fridge without Mother noticing.” “So that’s where all the ice cream went!” Theodore realized. “Yeah, but Daddy got a tummy ache, and Mother found out,” Diamond replied with a giggle. “You should’ve seen the look on his face.” Spoiled Rich watched from afar as her daughter held a series of fake conversations with her stuffed teddy bear, all the while acting as if he were real. How many years had it been since Spoiled had seen her doing that? And more importantly, how was she was supposed to use this to get closer to her daughter? “How do I break the ice between us?” Spoiled Rich thought. Then, an idea came to her. Sure, it was an unusual one, but hopefully it would work. Tiara was too engrossed in talking with her teddy to really notice her mother exit the bedroom. She just continued to focus on the fake conversations she was having with Theodore, and blocked out pretty much everything else. Sure, sitting on the floor with a diaper felt comfortable, but Diamond wasn’t sure if this was something she wanted to dwell on. Suddenly, Diamond’s focus snapped back to reality as her mother cleared her throat. Much to the pink pony’s surprise, her mother was holding a small bag in her hooves. “Thought you might like toys some to play with, my little Diamond...” Spoiled declared, removing colorful rattles, alphabet blocks, and many other things, before setting them down in front of her diapered daughter. Tiara eyed the toys suspiciously, as if she suspected they might be enchanted or cursed. But talking solely to her teddy bear and pretending he could talk back was starting to get boring, so reluctantly she asked her fillyhood friend “Theodore, do you mind if I play by myself for a little while?” “Not at all, Diamond. Just don’t forget about me.” the bear replied. “Oh thank you, Theodore! You’re such a good friend!” Tiara said, eagerly hugging the teddy tightly, before she set him down and waddled over to the toys. Carefully, she picked up a baby blue rattle and gave it a shake, slowly at first then faster and faster. When she’d gotten tired of that particular play item, she moved on to another. Spoiled couldn’t help but smile, something she seemed to feel the need to do more often all of a sudden. Her daughter looked kind of adorable, wearing a diaper, talking to her teddy bear, and interacting with the foalish toys. “It’s just like when she was very little,” Spoiled thought happily. “So innocent and cheerful. When I think of everything I’ve missed out on...” “Thank you for the toys, M… M… Mom.” Diamond smiled, trying to seem grateful. “You’re quite welcome, my dear. Just keep on playing with your toys, while I get dinner ready for you, okay?” Spoiled Rich said in reply, nodding her head. “Okay.” Tiara agreed, and started to pick up the alphabet blocks and stack them. As Spoiled Rich left the room, a particularly interesting thought came to her. “She’s still not calling me ‘Mommy’ even though she’s referred to my husband as ‘Daddy’. Why do I care so much about that little fact? This is mostly so I can prove to Filthy that I can change, and hopefully keep my daughter from hating me for the rest of my life. So why am I suddenly so concerned about whether or not she calls me ‘Mommy’?” Spoiled shook her head. “I’m thinking way too much about this, I should just focus on making dinner. After all, Diamond Tiara is a growing filly. If she’s going to grow up right, she needs to eat right… Wow, I’m really starting to get into this whole scenario, aren’t I?” “Alright, Diamond Tiara, dinner is ready!” Spoiled Rich called in the sweetest tone she could muster, as she poked her head back into her daughter’s bedroom. She was quite surprised by the bizarre sight that greeted her widened eyes. The pink filly was standing on tippy-hooves, the last alphabet block clutched firmly in her front right hoof, as she attempted to place it on top of a stack made out of the other alphabet blocks. The blocks were not placed directly on top of each other, so the stack was leaning a little, but Tiara either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “Almost... got it...” she said to herself, as her back hooves tried desperately to keep from giving out. Spoiled was starting to lose patience, she never liked it when Diamond didn’t acknowledge a command from her. But as she was about to open her mouth to scold her daughter, something in the back of her mind stopped her. “Let her finish her little stack,” an inner voice suggested. “She will respond when she’s finished.” So Spoiled said nothing, she shut her mouth and watched as her daughter slowly leaned forward. But Diamond had stretched herself too far, her back hooves could no longer support her and gave way. In the blink of an eye, Tiara lost her balance and fell forward, in the process knocking over her stack of blocks and scattering them across the floor messily! Spoiled was at her daughter’s side in an instant, helping her to stand and checking her for any signs of injury. “Good, no boo boos.” she said lovingly, before she gasped and covered her mouth. “Since when did I talk like that? Diamond is far too old for such baby talk.” she thought to herself, embarrassingly. “Did you see that, Mom?” Tiara asked eagerly, oddly excited over such a small thing. “I almost managed to get all the blocks stacked up!” “That is… fairly impressive I suppose,” Spoiled conceded. “But the next time I call your name, I expect you to reply. Do you understand?” “Yes, Mom.” Tiara acknowledged, her ears drooping slightly. “Good, now come with me to the dining room, young filly,” Spoiled commanded, trying to sound authoritative. “It’s time for dinner.” “What’s on the menu for tonight?” Diamond asked. Her mother usually left the cooking to her father, or Randolph. The only thing the pink pony could remember ever seeing her mother cook, was homemade hayburgers and hay fries on the evening she had that massive tummy ache. Something told her that wouldn’t be served for dinner this particular evening. “Just wait and see,” Spoiled said with a knowing wink. “It’s something special, but I think you’ll like it.” After being escorted to the dining room by her mother (and discovering to her relief that her mother had remembered the ‘no highchair’ statement), Diamond was surprised when the first thing her mother did was tie a bib around her neck. Said bib pictured a bunny similar to the one Tiara had seen hopping around Fluttershy’s cottage, and it was eagerly devouring a carrot. “I don’t want you to make a mess.” Spoiled told Diamond, as she made sure the bib was fastened properly. She then trotted to the kitchen next door, and disappeared for a moment. It was then that Tiara noticed something, or rather two ‘somethings’. The first observation was that, with the exception of Randolph, there was nopony else around. It was as if all the maids and butlers had been given the night off, and the only reason Randolph was staying was due to Filthy Rich’s need to have someone keep an eye on his wife. The second and more noticeable something, was the lack of silverware at the spot at the table Diamond occupied. “Mother,” she nervously called. “I think you forgot to give me my silverware.” But when Spoiled Rich emerged, the pink filly quickly realized that the lack of silverware was no accident. “I didn’t forget your silverware, Diamond. You don’t need it.” Spoiled chuckled, as she brought over a tray holding a bowl filled with applesauce, and jars of foal food such as Cream of Carrot and Mushy Peas. Resting on the tray were several plastic spoons, instead of the usual metal ones. Diamond gulped. “Are you…. going to feed me that stuff?” she asked her mother with trepidation, even though she was sure she already knew the answer. “Of course. A growing filly like you needs her nutrition,” Spoiled smiled encouragingly, as she brought the tray close and set it on the table, then sat down in the seat next to her daughter. “A rich pony can’t afford to be a picky eater. Do you think I grew up to be the mare I am today by eating junk food? I certainly hope you don’t think so, because I’ve raised you better than that.” “But, mother!” Tiara protested. “Ah ah, no buts!” Spoiled scolded, and dipped a plastic spoon into the first jar, covering the tip of it in a strange (not to mention goopy) orange-colored stuff. “Now, open up for the aeroplane!” Tiara turned her head, she didn’t like the look or smell of the stuff her mother was trying to feed her. She may have worn a diaper and played with foal toys, but she wasn’t about to give up the little bit of dignity she still had and eat foal food. “Diamond Dazzle Tiara, you’re not getting up from this chair until everything on this tray has been eaten! Do I make myself clear?!” Spoiled said seriously, casting an angry glare at her daughter. That did the trick. Diamond reluctantly cooperated, and she soon discovered that the unappetizing gunk actually tasted really good! “It may not be as sweet as ice cream, but it’s so delicious!” Diamond eagerly thought to herself, though another part of herself was asking. “What’s going on with me? Why am I suddenly so excited about playing with foal toys and eating foal food?” Then an awful thought struck her. “What if this is all Mother’s secret plan to get revenge? She’s trying to treat me like a foal so she can humiliate me!” She quickly shook her head, as the more rational part of her brain told her. “Calm down, it’s probably not that. She’s not forcing you to do anything, she’s doing this because she wants a second chance. A second chance that you agreed to give her.” Diamond’s thoughts were quickly silenced, when another spoonful of the foal slop entered her mouth. Tiara soon chose to just ignore how much she enjoyed the stuff, and focus solely on obeying her mother’s instructions. Dinner passed quickly for mother and daughter, and pretty soon Diamond Tiara felt incredibly full. Fuller than she usually felt after dinner, due to the fairly modest helpings of food she was usually permitted to consume. She secretly suspected her mother had intentionally gone over that portion limit, but since dinner had consisted mostly of stuff like applesauce and foal food, she had no way to prove it. “Shall we return to your bedroom so you can resume playing, my little Diamond?” Spoiled Rich inquired of her daughter. “Sure, I guess.” Tiara shrugged. Since she wasn’t used to walking or waddling on a full stomach, she allowed her mother to hold her hoof and escort her down the empty hallway of the family mansion, until they entered Diamond’s bedroom. For the next hour and a half, the pink filly alternated between playing pretend with her stuffed teddy bear, and cavorting with the foal toys her mother had provided. Spoiled, for her part, said and did nothing. She simply watched her daughter play, and occasionally glanced at a small clock mounted on the wall. Almost before Diamond realized it, night time came. As Luna’s moon rose into the night sky, Tiara knew that it was time for bed. Her mother noticed this too. “Alright, Diamond Tiara, time to settle down for the night.” Spoiled Rich declared. “Ah, but Mother, I’m not tired!” Tiara protested. “Really?” Spoiled Rich asked, to which Diamond Tiara nodded eagerly. “Well, let’s do something to fix that. But first, we’d better get you into your pajamas...” “Okay,” Tiara agreed, and hopped up onto her bed. But when she checked behind her pillow, she failed to find her usual pink silk pajamas. “Mom, where did you put my pjs?!” Diamond demanded. “Your old pajamas are in the wash. But lucky for you, I have a special pair of new pajamas that I’d like you to wear for me.” Spoiled replied, holding out some evening clothes that looked like they had been made for a foal and then hastily sized up to fit a filly. The pajamas were an alternating baby blue and pink in hue, styled into a stripe pattern. Stitched all over them were pictures of cartoon ponies from fairy tales. How lovely. Diamond wanted to protest about the new pajamas, but quickly decided against it. Compared to everything else, a somewhat more foalish set of pajamas was a minor nuisance at worst. Plus, as much she didn’t like to admit it, those silk pajamas sometimes got itchy (which is she seldom wore them at sleepovers with Silver Spoon). However, what she did find to not like about these pajamas, was how bulky they felt in the rear. It seemed like they had added space for a diaper, and were designed specifically to push the legs even farther apart. “Do I really have to wear these?” she asked her mother. “At least for tonight, my darling,” Spoiled Rich replied without compromise, as she helped her daughter into her new nightwear. “After that, you don’t have to wear them anymore if you don’t want to.” Tiara pouted, as she got used to the feel of her new pair of pajamas. “I feel like I’m two years old again,” she thought unhappily “just like I’ve been feeling for a lot of the day…” “Still not tired yet?” Spoiled interrupted her daughter’s thoughts, when she saw that she was still awake. “Yup.” was all that Diamond Tiara felt like responding with. “Well, you will be in a moment or two.” Spoiled said with a sneaky grin, as she scooped Tiara up and carried her to the kitchen. Before Diamond had a chance to ask what her mother was going to do, a warm bottle of milk was pushed into her mouth. Though a bit hesitant at first, Diamond did have to admit she felt thirsty. Not having anything to drink for dinner certainly hadn’t helped. Reluctantly, Diamond Tiara concentrated hard and with a little bit of effort began to suck from the amber nipple of the bottle. In seconds, she was slurping down the milk as if there was no tomorrow. “Wow, this tastes…. surprisingly nice. Just like the baby food...” Tiara thought to herself, before she suddenly and unexpectedly let out a huge burp! Her face instantly turned the brightest shade of red possible, she couldn’t believe she’d just belched like that in front of her own mother! Much to Diamond’s surprise, Spoiled simply chuckled and said in response “My goodness, I haven’t heard a burp like that in years. Maybe now you’ll slow down, and stop gulping down that bottle so fast, I can’t just heat up another one for you this late.” Tiara slowly but surely drank down the rest of the milk from the bottle. Like a magic mixture, within seconds she started to feel really sleepy, and yawned. “Ready for beddy-byes now, my dear?” Spoiled asked, as she carried her daughter back to her bedroom. “Mm-hmm.” Diamond drowsily replied, barely able to keep her eyes open. But somehow she did, while her mother pulled back the covers of her bed, gently placed her head on the pillow, and then pulled the sheet up over her little head. Just before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, Tiara heard her mother call “Sweet dreams, my little Diamond.”, turn off the lights, and shut the door. A Mother's 'Comfort'Author's Note Special thanks to deadpansnarker for helping me with the dialogue for this chapter and the previous chapter, as well as all future chapters. This WILL be the only messing scene in the fic, as the focus isn't on diaper useage or regression. And the next chapter will have less padded content (though there will still be some). A Mother's 'Comfort' Diamond surprisingly didn’t have any trouble falling asleep, despite everything that had happened to her in the past several hours. She didn’t wake up until the rays of Celestia’s sun poked their way through the blinds, and into her bedroom. Groaning, Tiara instinctively put a hoof to her eyes to block out the harsh glare. Was it her imagination, or did everything seem much bigger all of a sudden? “My eyes must be playing tricks on me because of the sunlight,” She thought to herself. “Whoever heard of a pony shrinking overnight?” That thought got a good laugh out of her, but the urge to laugh soon faded once Tiara’s eyes had fully adjusted to the bright sunlight. Everything was bigger, and the pink filly’s entire body seemed much smaller, almost foal sized! Something was definitely wrong! To make matters even worse, Diamond noticed that both sides of her bed had huge guard rails, essentially turning it into a crib! Heck, hanging over the spot where Diamond’s pillow rested, was a large mobile depicting stars and Luna’s moon. But what she saw next truly made her fur crawl! Directly across from her ‘crib’ was a large changing table, fully stocked with foal wipes, powder, rash cream, and of course packs of diapers. These weren’t the “Silly Filly” kind that Tiara had worn yesterday though, the diapers seemed like they were made specifically for a foal, an un-potty trained one at that! Normally, Diamond wasn’t one to panic. Even in the worst of situations, she at least tried to stay calm. It was all she could do to keep herself from going crazy, throughout the years of putting up with her mother’s constant yelling and lectures. But this was a situation where staying cool was not an option! Shrinking down to the size of a foal, and waking up to find your bedroom converted into a giant nursery was the kind of situation that would make even the most collected of ponies freak out. “Dada!” Diamond cried out, before she remembered her father was not around. Fortunately, somepony else heard her cry for help, if the turning of her bedroom doorknob was any indication. The pony that entered the room though, was the last pony Tiara wanted to see in her present diminutive state. “Good morning, my little Diamond. Did Mommy’s little princess sleep well last night? Yes she did, yes she did!” Spoiled Rich cooed in an exaggerated tone, as she bent down to her daughter’s level. “Mother! What’s wrong with me?! Why am I stuck like this?! What did you do to me?!” Tiara demanded, but all that came out of her mouth was “Mama.” followed by a series of incoherent gurgles. “Have I regressed so much that Mother can’t even understand me?” she thought, panic stricken. “Or did whatever that caused all of this also affect my ability to speak?” “I’ll bet Mommy’s special little filly wants to know how she ended up this way, and why she’s sleeping in a giant nursery?” Spoiled asked, continuing her patronizing tone while lowering the guard rails on Diamond’s ‘crib’ and scooping her up with no effort whatsoever. “Well, you have me to thank for it, darling.” Spoiled explained, dropping her exaggerated cooing voice. “I should’ve known! This whole thing was a set-up to regress me!” Tiara thought, mentally kicking herself for not realizing this sooner. Since when did her mother ever do anything without some sort of underlying motive?! Even encouraging the pink filly to run for ‘Student Pony President’ was more to further Spoiled’s own image, rather than her daughter’s. “It was so simple, really,” her mother boasted, displaying a fiendish smile. “All I had to do was put on an act of innocence and concern until Filthy left. Then, it was just a matter of keeping up the act all day long to keep you in the dark. Mommy had to pay quite a bit of money for the magic formula that she slipped into your bottle, but it was worth it. Now, you’re nothing but a helpless little foal, free for me to mold into whatever I want. I gave you too much freedom the first time I raised you, but Mommy promises she won’t make that mistake again!” “Just wait until Father finds out about this! You won’t be smiling then!” Diamond said angrily, kicking her tiny little legs in protest. But just like before, all that came out of her mouth was “Dada.” and then nothing but unintelligible gibberish. As if she knew what Tiara had said, Spoiled chuckled wickedly. “Don’t think Daddy’s going to come and save you either, like he’s always done before. I’ve bribed Randolph a year’s wages to keep Filthy in the dark, and make sure he doesn’t interfere with my plans. You shouldn’t have forced him to do all those acrobatics, as he was more than happy to oblige. I have such wonderful things in store for you...” Spoiled then placed her shrunken daughter on the padded surface of the changing table, letting her kick her legs and flail her puny hooves to her heart’s content. “This can’t be happening!” Diamond thought anxiously to herself. “Even if I’ve done some pretty horrible things in the past, I don’t deserve this! It’s like my worst fears brought to life!” Tiara’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted when her mother shoved a hot pink colored pacifier in her mouth. “This should help drain away your will to resist,” Spoiled said with a fiendish laugh. “Quite soon, you’ll be Mommy’s obedient little girl again, and there’s nothing anypony can do to stop it! You will learn how to properly behave like a rich pony, not like those low-lifes you foolishly chose to befriend. And the best part is, when this is over, Randolph and I will be the only ones who will know of your past life. We’ll make sure to keep it that way, too.” Tiara tried to spit out the pacifier, and muster up enough strength to buck her mother on the nose. Instead, she found her body disobeying what her mind wanted to do. Much to Diamond’s horror, she started to suck on the pacifier! And as she did, she could feel its magical brainwashing properties slowly working their way into her mind, erasing all but her most basic of memories! “Noooooooooo!” she screamed, only for the word to die on her tongue... Diamond’s eyes fluttered open, and she woke up in a cold sweat, panting heavily. When her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she saw that everything was back to normal. It had all been just a bad dream. “Oh thank goodness.” She thought to herself, breathing a sigh of relief. Then, suddenly, a rather foul smell reached her nostrils. “Phew,” Tiara remarked to herself. “Something really stinks in here! Randolph probably forgot to open the window again. That useless old butler...” But as Diamond moved to sit up, she felt something mushy press up against her backside. Now that she’d thought about it, the smell reminded the filly an awful lot of methane. “No, it couldn’t be! Could it?!” She thought nervously to herself, as she moved one trembling hoof to the back of her pajamas and pressed the area where her diaper was dampest. The uncomfortable sensation was felt once again, alongside a fairly audible squishing sound. To make matters worse, Diamond noticed a damp patch on the front of her diaper. It was now that she remembered… she’d forgotten her nightly trip to the toilet before bed. Whoops. Tiara couldn’t stop herself from crying, she’d had an accident in her diaper like a little foal. “But I’m a big pony,” she thought to herself in between sobs. “Big ponies don’t wet and mess themselves like a two year old. Besides, I haven’t had an accident in years!” Then her thoughts turned to her mother. “If she finds out about this, she’s sure to punish me! She’ll probably give me a good spanking! Or make me clean myself up!” She briefly considered possibly trying to sneak out of her bedroom, find Randolph, and ask him to change her, but she quickly ruled it out. “I’m not walking about in this used diaper! Mother is sure to find out if I do, and she’ll make my punishment even worse!” Diamond continued to sob, even as the door to her bedroom began to open. At this point, she didn’t really care who walked in on her like this. All she knew was that sooner or later her mother would find out, and she would be in big trouble. “Is everything alright, my little jewel?” Spoiled called softly, turning on the light. It was a rhetorical question, she could smell the source of her daughter’s distress from afar, yet strangely enough it didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would. “Why am I not flinching even the slightest at the fact that my daughter has soiled herself?” she thought. “It’s been years since she last did this, and I’m glad she stopped doing so... Dear Celestia, that smell is horrible! Good thing I know exactly what to do...” “N-no.” Tiara weakly stuttered, and that was all she could bring herself to say. She just shut her eyes, and braced herself for the inevitable lecture and declaration of punishment that was sure to come from her mother at any second. But to Diamond’s great surprise, Spoiled didn’t respond with harsh words or yelling. In fact, for a few minutes she didn’t say anything. She just approached her daughter’s bed, and carefully lowered herself down until she was at the filly’s level. “Look at me,” Spoiled said softly, but Tiara didn’t obey (she was too frightened about the possible punishments her mother was devising, and refused to open her eyes). That caused Spoiled to lose control, she never was a patient mare and waking up in the middle of night only made things worse. “Diamond Dazzle Tiara, look at me this instant!” she demanded quite sternly. With great hesitation, Diamond opened her eyes and looked at her mother. Much to her surprise, Spoiled didn’t seem to be angry or on the verge of exploding at all. For the first time in her life, Tiara could swear her mother appeared to be completely relaxed. This had to be another dream, and yet it all felt so real. “I-I had an accident in my diaper...” she slowly and nervously confessed, all the while preparing herself for what was inevitably to follow. “I noticed.” Spoiled commented bluntly, but said nothing more. “Well?” Diamond asked. “Well what?” Spoiled asked in reply. “Aren’t you going to yell at me, or punish me?” Tiara anxiously asked. “You said rich ponies don’t ‘wet the bed’ or ‘have accidents’, yet I did.” “I think sitting in your own filth is punishment enough,” Spoiled said, before she softly added. “Besides, that was mostly just something I made up so you wouldn’t get any ideas about neglecting your potty training. Everypony has accidents, dear.” “Even you?” Diamond reluctantly asked. “I don’t have to answer that question, she doesn’t need to know!” Spoiled thought to herself, but as if her mouth had a mind of its own she said. “Even me. Maybe not now, but certainly when I was growing up. It’s perfectly natural to have a little accident every now and then, especially at your age.” Tiara couldn’t help but giggle a bit at the thought of her own mother having an accident, even if she would be punished for such an action. It would be worth it. “So, would you like a change, my little Diamond?” Spoiled asked, extending a hoof to her daughter. “I doubt you want to continue to smell so bad, rich pony or not...” “I should make her clean herself up for doing this! She is far too old to be having accidents, especially ones like this!” Spoiled thought angrily to herself, but another part of her mind was thinking. “She clearly didn’t intend to do it, there’s no need to punish her further. It certainly won’t make you look good in the eyes of Filthy, if he finds out you chose to punish your daughter for something completely unintentional.” “Y...yes please. I don’t want to get a rash.” Tiara said weakly, tears still streaming down her face. “Alrighty then, let’s get you cleaned up and into a fresh diapee.” Spoiled cooed, surprised at the fact that such an infantile word had slipped out. “I’m getting too involved in this whole thing,” she thought to herself, as she lifted her daughter out of bed and carried her out of her bedroom. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to get so attached. How did my daughter manage to find a way around that?” By the time Diamond was carried into her mother’s bedroom, and carefully set down on a changing mat, she had stopped crying. A new emotion had replaced her sadness, confusion. Ever since the agreement, the filly noticed that her mother seemed to be undergoing a transformation of sorts. Prior to a few hours ago, Tiara could scarcely remember a time when her mother had genuinely smiled or shown any emotion besides anger. Yet, since being diapered, Diamond had seen her mother sincerely smile at least once. Was she imagining things, or was her mother starting to change...? Tiara had little time to think more in-depth about this strange turn of events however, as a more important matter began to unfold... Pinning a clothespin to her nose, and slipping on a pair of disposable plastic gloves, Spoiled prepared herself to change her daughter’s soiled diaper. Something she had barely done even when Tiara was a newborn. “Are you ready, dear?” she asked the filly. “I guess so...” Diamond nervously replied, mentally preparing herself for the changing process. “Alright then, here we go.” Spoiled said, as she took a deep breath and set to work. Slowly and carefully, she removed the tabs on Tiara’s diaper and let it fall from her waist. “Goodness gracious, what a horrible stench! That is not the kind of odor deserving of a rich pony, it isn’t fit for anything but the sewers where it belongs!” She then unceremoniously tossed the used item into the trash can. Then, taking out some freshly scented wet-wipes, Spoiled cleaned her daughter’s coat until there were no traces left of her ‘accident’. Lastly, after unfolding a new diaper and positioning it under her daughter’s rump, Spoiled took out a canister of foal powder. A few taps on the container caused it to deposit the contents onto Diamond’s hind quarters, then Spoiled put the wipes and the powder away to complete the diapering job. “Thanks for cleaning me up…. Mother.” Tiara replied sincerely, a spotless diaper felt surprisingly good. “I simply didn’t want such a noxious aroma to linger in my house! It is hardly even worthy of floating away in the lavatory!” Spoiled declared, as she picked up the diaper from the trash, carried it to the bathroom, and flushed its contents down the toilet. She then called for Randolph to place the offensive disposable in a bag, and run it out to the corner, while she sprayed the room with some air freshener. Once that was concluded, Spoiled finally removed the gloves and clothespin, and washed her hooves. “Well, either way, thanks.” Diamond said with a sheepish nod. “Just make sure to tell me next time you have to go,” Spoiled warned quite seriously. “There’s a reason why I had you potty trained as soon as possible. Now, let’s get you back to bed.” “There we go, all nice and snug.” Spoiled said, as she gently pulled the covers over her daughter’s head. Suddenly, something in her mind told her “Something’s missing from this scene,” and even as the other part of her brain was wondering “Why do I care if the scene is ‘complete’ or not?” Spoiled left her daughter’s bedroom, and returned with a hot pink colored pacifier. Tiara froze and shivered in fear, that pacifier was the same one from her nightmare! “Wait, Mother, don’t!” she pleaded, but it was too late. With a strangled “Eep!” the pacifier was inserted into Diamond’s mouth. “It’s just a pacifier, my little darling,” Spoiled chuckled. “It’s not going to hurt you.” “Yeah, that’s what you want me to think!” Diamond thought to herself, even though a small part of her wanted to suckle on the pacifier more than anything. "Huh? Why am I feeling this way?" she thought. “I thought pink was your favorite color? Or am I mistaken?” Spoiled asked, stroking her daughter’s back with a hoof. “It’s suppose to help you feel comforted.” “Should I really trust her on this?” Tiara nervously thought to herself. “What if she’s lying?” But eventually, the rational part of her mind won out. “There’s no such thing as mind controlling pacifiers, that was only in your head… right?”. Reluctantly, the filly started to suck on the pacifier. Sure enough, she began to feel more relaxed than she had been since waking up. Her mother had been telling the truth. Unbelievable! “There we go. I’ll bet you feel sleepy now, huh, Diamond?” Spoiled asked. “Mm-hmm.” Diamond muffled through the pacifier. Much to Tiara’s surprise, her mother kissed her on the forehead before saying “Goodnight, my little Diamond.” “Goodnight, Mommy.” The filly lisped through the pacifier, prompting her to almost spit out her pacifier in shock. “Did I actually just call her that?” she thought to herself, even as her bedroom light was flicked off and her eyes began to grow heavy. “This all feels really weird and new, and I think it’s messing with my head.” Before she once again drifted off to dreamland, Diamond made a mental note to try and visit her new friends tomorrow. Hopefully, they could help her figure out why was she feeling the way she was right now, and what she should do about it. A Question AskedAuthor's Note Children aren't dumb, despite what some adults think. Sure, children view and percieve things differently from adults, but that doesn't mean they can't still pick up on certain social cues. Children understand children better than adults do, not that adults can't sense things that children may not notice. I will say this much, the CMC don't know the exact details of what Diamond Tiara's going through at home, but they do suspect there's more going on than what she's telling them. I also threw in a bit of foreshadowing to "On Your Marks". Since this takes place immediately after the events of "Crusaders of The Lost Mark" the first post cutie-mark meeting of the CMC hasn't happened yet, and they haven't gotten bored yet (as they admitted in "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows"). We're winding down here folks, just two chapters left to go. But don't worry, since this fic is doing well there will be a sequel sometime next Summer or Fall. A Question Asked No more nightmares plagued Diamond that night. Despite her ongoing anxiety and confusion, the filly somehow managed to fall asleep without too much trouble. Usually on weekends, Tiara enjoyed sleeping in and getting up whenever she felt like it. Today, however, was different. For the pink filly was roused from slumberland in the most unexpected way. “Wake up, my little Diamond.” Spoiled called, poking her drowsy, blanket-wrapped daughter with a single forehoof. Momentarily forgetting she had a pacifier in her mouth, Tiara mumbled through it. “Five more minutes, Mother.” “You’ve been asleep for long enough, it’s time for you to get up,” Spoiled commanded. “Or do you want to miss breakfast, because I’m not letting you raid the fridge later on!” Diamond wasn’t sleeping anymore, and she sat up in her bed to spit out the pacifier in almost ten seconds. It was now that she got a good look at her mother’s face, and was surprised to see her looking sincerely cheerful and upbeat without a hint of malice. “Just who is this pony and what has she done with my mother?” the filly thought to herself. There was no way her mother’s abrupt change in behavior was legitimate. “Good morning sleepyhead,” Spoiled greeted. “I trust you slept well after your little,” she turned and coughed into a hoof before continuing “‘accident’ last night?” Diamond nodded, as her mother bent down to her level to scoop her out of bed. “I hope you haven’t given me any more ‘surprises’, your last one was almost more than I could handle.” “Don’t worry, Mother, I’m dry.” Tiara boasted, for some reason she felt the need to be particularly proud of that fact. “Well, let me just check and make sure,” Spoiled replied, carefully pressing a hoof to the back of her daughter’s pajamas. There was a light crinkle, but no squishing sounds. “Good, all nice and clean.” Spoiled cooed, much to her daughter’s embarrassment. “Can I take off these pjs now Mother, please?” Diamond pleaded with her best pair of puppy dog eyes, as she was set down on the ground. “Of course you may, my dear,” Spoiled nodded. “Your old pajamas should be washed and clean for tonight, if you want me to fetch them for you.” “Why wouldn’t I want my old pjs back?!” Diamond thought to herself. “They may be itchy sometimes, but at least they don’t expose my diapered rear for all of Equestria to see! Not to mention how hard they make it for me to do anything but crawl!” But as she opened her mouth to announce her decision, another part of her mind protested. “All the same, I slept pretty well in them last night. With my old pjs, it usually takes a while for me to fall asleep. Then again, I haven’t exactly tried sleeping after drinking a warm bottle of milk, or sucking on a pacifier. Maybe I should do that more often?” Tiara shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. “Why am I suddenly so excited about stuff like that? I outgrew those things years ago! So why do I seem to like them so much?” “So, what’s your answer?” Spoiled asked her daughter. “If you’d rather stay in these pajamas, that’s fine by me. They’re not as expensive as those silk pajamas, and less of a pain to wash for the staff.” Reluctantly, Tiara sighed and said to her mother. “I guess these pjs aren’t so bad. But I’m only wearing them around the house, got it?!” “Of course dear, as you wish.” Spoiled nodded, and helped her daughter strip down to just her diaper. Spoiled then carefully placed the pajamas on her daughter’s bed next to the pillow. “So, what’s for breakfast?” Diamond reluctantly asked. “You’ll see in a minute,” Spoiled said with a wink. “Shall we adjourn to the dining room, my dear?” “I guess...” Diamond agreed, and followed her mother out of the bedroom. In the dining room, Tiara was seated in the same chair she’d been in last night for dinner. Just like with dinner, the first thing her mother did was tie a bib around her neck. “You did a pretty good job of not making a mess last night, but I’m not taking any chances,” Spoiled insisted, as the mini-apron was fastened. “You just sit tight, and I’ll get breakfast going.” With that, the older mare trotted to the kitchen, leaving Diamond alone with Randolph. Randolph was reclining in the chair to the left of Tiara, a newspaper in one hoof and a coffee mug in the other. But instead of reading the paper like he always did, Randolph’s attention was focused more on the diapered filly sitting next to him. “I heard your cries of distress last night, Mistress Diamond,” he informed her. “I was going to come and check on you, but Mistress Spoiled insisted that she do it instead,” he then fanned a hoof in front of his nose as he commented. “I’d almost forgotten how much of a stinky filly you used to be. I must say, I greatly admire Mistress Spoiled’s ability to endure the stench until you were cleaned.” Ignoring the veteran butler’s surprising obstinance for a moment, Tiara was amazed. “Mother was worried about me?” she asked, as if what Randolph had just said was spoken in a completely foreign language. Randolph nodded. “She couldn’t really explain it, but something maternal inside of her knew that you were in trouble and needed help. In fact, I’d say this entire ‘experiment’ as she calls it, has proven to be efficient in a way that she would never have anticipated.” Tiara was about to ask what Randolph meant by that, when her mother returned with a wooden tray. This time, resting atop it was a bowl of oatmeal with a plastic spoon next to it. “I hope you’re not going to put up a fight this time, Diamond,” Spoiled warned. “This all you’re going to get until lunch time, so I expect you to eat every last drop. Do I make myself clear?!” “Crystal.” Diamond said with a gulp, her mother was always scary when she got angry. Something which the pink filly was way too used to by now. “That’s what I like to hear. A bit of cooperation.” Spoiled grinned, sitting down next to her daughter and carefully setting the bowl of oatmeal down in front of her. “Now, here comes The Canterlot Express!” she cooed, as she dipped the plastic spoon into the oatmeal. “First aeroplanes and now The Canterlot Express? How long has it been since I’ve used such gestures, and why do I care about that fact?” Spoiled thought to herself, as she delicately deposited a spoonful of slop into the eager mouth of her hungry daughter. Despite once again being spoon-fed by her mother, breakfast wasn’t as much of an ordeal for Tiara as dinner had been. Just like before, Tiara felt incredibly full by the time breakfast was concluded, and she once again suspected her mother had secretly gone over portion with the limits that rich ponies were allowed to eat for each meal. “What would you like to do today, my little princess?” Spoiled asked her daughter, once breakfast was over. “Perhaps you would like to throw a tea party for Theodore? Or play with your rattle again? Maybe you would like to try your luck at building another alphabet block tower?” “Actually, Mother… could I go out and spend some time with my friends today?” Diamond reluctantly asked. “Although any of the things you suggested don’t sound half bad.” she thought. “Hang on… what did I just…” “Why do you want to see them so badly? It’s the weekend, and they probably have plans of their own,” Spoiled replied, feeling oddly jealous all of a sudden. “But I don’t have anywhere I need to be today.” “Well, it’s just that…. we secretly made a plan to hang out for a while today,” Diamond lied, hoping her mother wouldn’t catch on. “In fact I ‘Pinkie Promised’ them I’d show up, and you know a ‘Pinkie Promise’ is never broken.” A long and uncomfortable silence followed, as Tiara nervously waited for her mother’s response. If Spoiled said ‘no’, the pink filly wasn’t certain she would be able to find a way to sneak out without being noticed, especially while wearing a restrictive diaper. She could always try bribing Randolph, but the last time she’d attempted such a thing he’d taken the money and ratted her out anyway. At last, Spoiled cleared her throat and announced her decision. “If you really want to hang out with your friends that badly, I won’t stop you. Just make sure to be back by sundown, and wash off any dirt or tree sap you get on you before you come home. I work hard to keep this mansion nice and clean, and I’d like it to stay that way. All of those maids with soapy water and cloths can’t order themselves around, you know.” “Thanks, Mother,” Diamond replied, barely resisting the urge to give her mother a hug. There was just one more thing she knew she needed to ask before she made any plans. “Can I please go without my diaper, at least until I arrive back?” she pleaded, trying to utilize those puppy dog eyes once more. “I don’t want my friends to tease me, or for other ponies to get the wrong idea...” “Absolutely not, I deserve some vengeance for being publicly humiliated in front of the school! Perhaps going out in public with a diaper will make you realize what you put me through!” Spoiled thought angrily to herself. But when she took one look at her daughter, something inside her convinced her that revenge was not the answer, no matter how tempting it might seem. “If that is what you wish, Di-” she said sincerely, while looking down at the ground. “Oh, thank you, Momm… Mother!” Tiara interrupted, quickly correcting herself before another unfortunate slip of the tongue occurred. She proceeded to grasp the diaper’s tabs, and began to undo them. Suddenly though, she was stopped by a stern hoof from her mother. “Not so fast, you didn’t let me finish,” Spoiled continued, adopting a more serious tone this time. “Before you take off that diaper and leave, I want you to use the potty. I don’t want to hear about you having any ‘accidents’ while you’re gone. Having one with a diaper on is one thing, having one without a diaper on is another. And I don’t want passers-by to have to tolerate the same nasty odor I had to deal with last night. Our family name might get a bad reputation, and we can’t have that...” “Okay, okay, Mother. I guess I can go to the bathroom before I leave.” Tiara rolled her eyes. “Good, then I want you to go right now! And you are not to get off the potty until you’ve done your business, understand?!” Spoiled demanded. “It’s just like when she was potty training me as a foal, or at least trying to,” Diamond thought to herself, as she nodded her head in agreement. “And what does she mean, ‘potty’? She’s been using a lot of funny words since yesterday…” Tiara was visibly relieved when her mother allowed her to use the toilet all by herself, even if the older mare still insisted on waiting right outside the bathroom door. For some reason (perhaps because of her accident last night) Diamond felt quite proud of herself for doing her ‘business’ in the toilet this time around, and she was also grateful that wearing a diaper and unintentionally using it, hadn’t adversely affected her ability to control her natural bodily functions. After wiping, flushing, and washing her hooves, the filly was quick to undo the tabs holding her diaper up and let it fall to her knees. What a relief! She then unceremoniously kicked it off, tossing the absorbent (and now, strangely comfortable) undergarment onto the floor. Phew! Now, finally unpadded, the rampaging youngster charged out the front door of her home without saying a word. “Oh please let them be there, please!” Tiara thought to herself, as she raced through town at a speed that would rival Pinkie, on a non-stop journey to Sweet Apple Acres. Strangely enough, a small part of her felt exposed now that she no longer had a diaper on, but she was able to keep that bit of her psyche under wraps for now. Celestia’s sun was high in the sky by the time Diamond reached her destination. The quaint little clubhouse at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres was a welcoming sight for the troubled filly. And what luck, it was occupied! As Tiara trotted up the steps to the treehouse door, she was thinking to herself about how to best phrase the question she wanted to ask. “Should I tell them everything my mother’s been doing? What if they laugh at me, or tease me, or both?!” a part of her mind pondered. Another part thought. “But if I don’t inform them of what my mother’s been doing, how are they going to know what I should do? Even if they do laugh at me, they’ll probably only do it for a little bit. They’re not as bad as I used to be, after all,” A third part of her mind was thinking. “What if I tell them, and they don’t believe me? Or worse, decide to baby me themselves?!” She shook her head, trying to clear out all these conflicting scenarios. “Maybe I’ll just let them know in my own way, and leave out all the ‘unnecessary’ details.” With her mind made up, the filly took a deep breath, and reached a hoof out to knock on the clubhouse door. “I still can’t believe it, after all that time spent waitin’, we’ve finally got our cutie marks!” Apple Bloom beamed proudly. “They sure do look nice,” Scootaloo added, admiring her cutie mark for the umpteenth time. “I especially like the lightning bolt in my shield, it’s a nice touch.” “They are pretty cool,” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “But now that we’ve got them, what exactly are we supposed to do? I mean, can we even call ourselves ‘The Cutie Mark Crusaders’ anymore?” “Huh, I never really thought about that,” Apple Bloom realized. “I know we said Babs Seed couldn’t be a crusader after she got her cutie mark, but I never thought about what might happen to us after we got our cutie marks.” “Maybe we can still have these club meetings, but just call ourselves by a different name?” Scootaloo suggested. “I’m sure we can come up with something.” “Like what?” Sweetie Belle asked. “How about Junior Speedsters?” Scootaloo suggested. “Back when Rainbow Dash hung out with this griffon who’s name I can’t remember, she says they often called each other that.” “Isn’t that the name of a flight camp or somethin’?” Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo. “Besides, you’re the only one of us who’s a true ‘speedster’,” Sweetie Belle commented, before she quickly added. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just not mine and Apple Bloom’s thing, you know?” “Okay, okay, so maybe Junior Speedsters isn’t the best name for us now,” Scootaloo realized. “It was worth a shot though.” “How about we-” Apple Bloom began, before there came a knock on the clubhouse door. “Who’s there?” The farm filly asked. “Uh, it’s me.” a tiny voice sheepishly called from the other side of the door. “Me, who?” Sweetie Belle asked it’s owner. “It’s me, Diamond Tiara,” the voice replied. “Can I come in please? I mean, I know I’m not officially a crusader or anything, but we’re still friends now, right?” “Of course we are, there’s no need to be shy. Come on in!” Scootaloo said eagerly, moving over to the door and opening it. Sure enough, Tiara came trotting in. “Hello, Diamond,” Apple Bloom greeted cheerfully. “Nice of ya to stop by!” “I wasn’t interrupting anything important, was I?” Diamond asked. Despite having been forgiven by the three former blank flanks, she still didn’t truly feel like she was fully emersed in their group. But then, it had only been a few short days since they’d reached out to her. It was only natural that some wounds would take time to heal, especially the mental ones. “Don’t be silly, of course you weren’t,” Apple Bloom replied with a smile. “You may not be an official crusader yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t consider you an honorary one. And honorary members are always welcome.” “An honorary member? Me?!” Tiara asked, quite surprised by the statement. A single tear appeared in her eye, which she quickly wiped away. “Of course, silly,” Sweetie Belle chuckled. “Now what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at home?” “Well, that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you girls about.” Diamond said nervously. “What do you mean?” Scootaloo wondered. “Didn’t you tell your father about your mother’s behavior?” “You’re not running away from home, are you?” Sweetie Belle added, panicking slightly. “I wouldn’t stay here, it gets quite chilly at night.” “No no, it’s nothing like that. I did tell my father about how my mother was treating me and he wasn’t very happy to hear about it.” Tiara replied in a shaky voice. “What did he do?” Apple Bloom asked Diamond Tiara with concern. “Did he believe you?” “Yes, he did. And he chewed out Momm… Mother quite harshly,” Diamond told Apple Bloom, once again just catching herself before the wrong word slipped out. “But he asked me to give her a second chance, and to let her try…. ‘something’ with me this weekend.” “What kind of ‘something’? Nothing illegal, I hope.” Scootaloo asked immediately. Tiara froze, as if she hadn’t been expecting that question to be asked so fast. That was Scootaloo though, always getting to the point. Should she tell them what her mother had been doing with her? Would they even believe her? “Well, it’s…. just something I’d rather not talk about. But, it’s not illegal or dangerous, let’s leave it at that...” she said at last, hoping none of them had noticed the faint blush on her cheeks. “But if she’s supposed to be doing it this weekend, then why are you here and not at home doing it with her?” Sweetie Belle spoke up following a period of silence, her curiosity piqued. “Because, what Momm… Mother’s been doing has left me feeling a bit ‘confused’ for lack of a better term.” Diamond replied. “I see,” Apple Bloom said, in a tone which made Diamond suspect Apple Bloom knew more than she was letting on. If the farm filly felt that way, she certainly didn’t make it known as she added. “Well, why do you feel so confused? Is it somethin’ you don’t like doin’, but want to do anyway?” “Not really.” Diamond answered. “Did you agree to give your mom another chance, before she started doing all of this?” Sweetie Belle inquired. “Yup.” Diamond nodded. She wanted to say more, but the words wouldn’t come out. “So then, what’s troubling you? Your mom’s not trying to make you act like her again, is she? If she is, you can tell us,” Scootaloo insisted. “Heck, it’s fine if you’re actually running away from home because of that. We can help you.” Tiara shook her head. “Mother isn’t trying to make me act like her, in fact she seems to be undergoing something of a transformation in personality. She still does behave like she always has, but lately it seems like she’s started to change. The thing is though, I don’t know if it’s actually true or not. I want to believe it, but a part of me says it’s impossible for my mother to be somepony else after all these years.” There was a long, pregnant pause. None of the Crusaders said anything, they just huddled together in the corner as if they believed Diamond might be trying to hide something from them. She was just glad to get a break from the barrage of questions. Was it her imagination though, or were the three of them somehow able to read her mind to know what she was really thinking? Considering how strong their link was, even down to their defining cutie marks, she wouldn’t put it past them. At last, Apple Bloom broke the silence as she said to Diamond. “As long as your mother ain’t tryin’ to make you act like her, and as long as you agreed to give her a second chance, I say you should continue to go through with whatever it is she’s doin’ with you.” “That is, unless there’s something we don’t know about. We’re not trying to be nosy, we’re just concerned about you, that’s all.” Sweetie Belle added. “I-I…” Diamond began, only to stutter as the words failed to form properly. “You don’t have to tell us if you really don’t want to,” Scootaloo told Diamond, putting a friendly hoof around her neck. “We learned our lesson the hard way about invading other ponies privacy, and we’re not about to ignore that lesson. Just know that we’ll always be here if you change your mind, or if there’s something else bothering you.” After a minute’s consideration, Diamond shook her head and said. “It’s nothing, forget it. I guess you three have a point,” with a sigh she added. “I agreed to give Momm… Mother a second chance, even if it means having to put up with something a bit unusual. I’m no better than she is if I go back on my promise.” With those parting words, the pink filly trotted out the clubhouse door, down the clubhouse steps, and set off for home at a gallop. “Just what was that all about?” Sweetie Belle scratched her head in bewilderment. “I can’t help but feel like whatever Diamond Tiara’s going through at home is something she’s too embarrassed to admit to,” Scootaloo concluded. “I know how that feels. There are things I do at home I don’t think I’d ever be comfortable admitting to in front of other ponies. Even you girls.” “Anypony else find it odd how she almost kept referrin' to her mother as somethin’ else?” Apple Bloom asked her fellow crusaders. “So I wasn’t hearing things!” Scootaloo realized. “I was wondering why she kept doing that. I think I know what she wanted to say, and I can see why she wouldn’t want to say such a thing in front of a crowd.” “Do you think we made the right choice telling her to give whatever her mother’s doing with her a chance?” Sweetie Belle asked, swallowing hard. “What if we’ve accidentally made things worse instead of better?” “Somehow I doubt that very much,” Apple Bloom said with confidence. “Call it a hunch, but I get the feelin’ everythin’s goin’ to work out just fine. Now then, why don’t we head down to Sugarcube Corner for some milkshakes? You know, to congratulate ourselves on our cutie marks?” “Sounds good to me!” Sweetie Belle said cheerfully. “And me too!” Scootaloo said, her wings buzzing in excitement. “Along the way, maybe we can find a pony with a cutie mark problem,” Apple Bloom suggested, then she secretly added. “Or maybe we can make one.” “What was that you just said, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle asked, as the friends made their way outside. “Oh, nothin’, nothin’ at all.” the farm filly chuckled to herself. Her plan would not be unraveled that easily. A Connection CreatedAuthor's Note The "Special Tea" joke comes from an optional sidequest in "Batman: Arkham City". Late into the game, if you select the appropriate quest, Batman is attacked and brainwashed by the Mad Hatter, and before you have the boss fight against him me makes that joke (he has trapped Batman in the fantasy of a tea party). I should mention that Spoiled isn't going to be completely reformed and changed for the better, simply because doing so would remove the only source of conflict in Diamond Tiara's life. But her change of heart shown here is legit. As for Filthy, rest assured that I will explain in the next and final chapter why he's back home already. And he's not going to have the typical "Angry because he disapproves of ageplay" routine, though he will still be a bit "peeved" by what he's seen. A Connection Created Even though she knew exactly what lay in store for her when she returned, Diamond didn’t try to delay her journey back home. It wasn’t like there was anything else she could do anyway, her friendship with Silver Spoon was still a little tempestuous, so the filly wasn’t about to jeopardize it with an unannounced visit. “Besides,” Tiara thought to herself. “I never told her about my mother, I doubt she ever even knew of her existence. She won’t be much help, and this is something I have to do on my own!” It was just about noon when the pink filly saw the ajar gate of her family mansion, and sure enough there was her mother standing right outside the front door, flashing that cheesy grin that Tiara was still convinced couldn’t possibly be genuine. “Is everything alright, my little Diamond?” Spoiled asked, pleasantly. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.” “Well, the meeting with my new friends didn’t last that long, because they all had to go somewhere else,” Diamond lied. “Plus, I was getting kinda hungry.” “Good thing you’ve come back then, lunch will be served shortly,” Spoiled replied, quickly escorting her daughter inside. “Please wash up and meet me in your bedroom, so we can get you diapered.” Despite the dread of wearing another one of those absorbent and poofy undergarments, Tiara nodded her head in obedience. “Alright, Mother. But could you maybe not make the diaper so tight this time?” “Certainly not, I don’t want it to fall off your little rump because I didn’t secure it properly,” Spoiled said in a sickeningly sweet tone. “We wouldn’t want you to have an accident on my nice shiny floors, would we? “Already she’s treating me like I’m two years old again,” Diamond thought unhappily to herself. “I only had that one accident, and that was just because I forgot to go to the bathroom before bed. I won’t make that mistake again.” But her urge to protest faded away when she locked eyes with her mother, somehow the stern look she saw in return drained her will to resist. Just like always... “No we wouldn’t,” the pink filly spoke up, imitating her mother a bit unconsciously. “I guess that thought never occurred to me.” “It’s not your fault, Diamond,” Spoiled replied, her daughter’s disrespect going over her head. “I’m sure you won’t have any more accidents, but Mommy can’t take any chances. Some stains are a pain to wash out for the hired help, you know.” “Curse my child and her unbearable cuteness,” Spoiled thought to herself. “Despite my best efforts to avoid it, I’ve started to grow attached to her in this current state. Perhaps I trained her too well in the art of manipulation.” The diapering process took even less time than it did before and in a matter of seconds, Spoiled had fastened a new diaper to her daughter’s hind-quarters and powdered it thoroughly. “I’m getting really good at this, and to think I once said ‘Rich ponies don’t do diapers!’.” Spoiled contemplated, as she helped her daughter to stand and led her to the dining room. Once again, Diamond had a bib forcibly tied around her neck, despite the fact that she hadn’t made a mess during either dinner or breakfast. “Perhaps if you don’t make a mess this time as well, I’ll let you eat without a bib next time,” Spoiled promised her daughter. “How does that sound, darling?” “You’ve got yourself a deal, Mother!” Diamond agreed. “This is going to be the easiest bet I’ve won since the time Silver Spoon gambled I wouldn’t become editor in chief of ‘The Foal Free Press’!” she thought to herself, with satisfaction. “Simplest one hundred bits I ever won!” Spoiled adjourned to the kitchen, and nothing more was said for the next few minutes. When she returned though, Tiara was quite surprised by what rested on the tray this time around. As opposed to foal food or oatmeal, Spoiled had made peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwiches. Four of them were resting on a plate atop the tray. Relieved to finally have some solid food that couldn’t be spoon-fed, Diamond eagerly reached out a hoof to grab the knife from the plate as soon as the tray was set down. Her mother quickly reached out a hoof in protest, chastising her gently. “Ah ah, Diamond!” she cooed. “You’re not allowed to play with knives, you could cut yourself.” “But, Mother!” Diamond pouted, petulantly. “Don’t you ‘But Mother’ me, young filly!” Spoiled scolded her moody daughter. “I know you’re hungry, but please try to remember your table manners. I will cut the sandwiches for you, then you can eat them with your hooves. Unless you’d rather I fed them to you with a plastic fork.” “No!” Tiara shouted, before realizing that she was overreacting a bit. Clearing her throat she said with noticeably more decorum. “I mean, no thank you. I can eat them by myself.” “Alright then,” Spoiled nodded her approval. “I just have one question I need to ask you.” “What might that be?” Tiara asked nervously. “Is she going to ask if I had any ‘accidents’ while I was with my friends, and that’s why I came home early?” she thought to herself. She knew that wasn’t true, but that didn’t mean her mother wouldn’t suspect such a thing had occurred. “Crusts or no crusts?” Spoiled asked her daughter, innocuously. Tiara shook her head, had she misheard? “What?” she puzzlingly asked her mother. “I said ‘Crusts or no crusts’?” Spoiled repeated her question, a bit more impatiently this time. “Oh,” Diamond replied, breathing a small sigh of relief. “No crusts, please.” she informed her mother. “Very well then, no crusts it is, dear.” Spoiled replied sweetly, before adhering to her daughter’s request and carefully sliced the sandwiches so that the crusts were removed. She then cut them up again, this time into small pieces, before offering them to her daughter. Without any further hesitation, the pink filly grabbed the slices off the plate individually one by one and stuffed them into her mouth. It was great that she was allowed to feed herself this time, unlike the last two occasions. “At least I still have some independence left.” she noted, in between bites. She’d almost forgotten how delicious peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwiches could taste. Yum! In a matter of minutes, every last crumb of the sandwiches had been devoured. This time, Diamond knew for sure that her mother had intentionally gone over the portion limits for her meal, but strangely enough she didn’t mind. “I don’t understand why I always have to have such small helpings all the time. I’ll bet even Silver Spoon gets more to eat than I do.” She thought, suddenly jealous of her friends. At least they were allowed to have proper sized meals, and receive snacks and treats on a regular basis (Spoiled never gave Diamond any treats, it was always left to Filthy to take his daughter out for ice cream or candy). Spoiled, for her part, seemed to be resisting the urge to giggle. At first, Diamond didn’t know why, but she soon realized when she got a good look at herself. The filly’s face was caked with smudges of peanut butter and zap apple jam, some of which had found their way onto her bib, which at least had done it’s job. “I’ll bet Mother knew this would happen.” Tiara seethed, only now remembering how much of a messy eater she was when it came to those sandwiches (but in her defense, they were delicious). “It’s a good thing I put that bib on you, Diamond. If that stuff had gotten all over your coat, instead of your bib, it would’ve meant a one way trip to the bathtub. It wouldn’t have been a bubble bath either,” Spoiled said, once the urge to giggle had died down. She then got up from her spot at the table, and went to fetch a rag. “Just sit tight, Mommy will be back shortly.” Indeed she was, in a matter of moments she returned and set to work on cleaning her daughter’s coat. Spoiled was quite thorough with the cloth, and within seconds she had removed every smudge of leftover sandwich filling. After washing off the plate and setting it in the dishwasher, Spoiled removed her daughter’s bib and allowed her to leave her place at the table. “Thanks for lunch Momm…. Mother,” Diamond said, despite feeling a bit unhappy that she’d lost the bet. “It was yummy!” “I’m sure it was! I only serve the best of meals for my little filly,” Spoiled replied, with some pride. “Now then, why don’t we head back to your bedroom together so you can play with your toys?” “Sounds good, I guess.” Tiara shrugged, she was still not entirely certain if she liked the idea of acting like a foal. A part of her enjoyed it, but another, more mature section of her mind was thinking. “Why do I relish the idea of wearing a diaper, playing pretend with my old teddy bear, and interacting with rattles and alphabet blocks? I should find such things far too childish for me. After all, I outgrew them years ago. So then, why am I suddenly so eager to play with them again?” She shook her head (something she’d been doing a lot of lately, her neck was beginning to get a bit stiff) to clear her thoughts. She’d agreed to go through with this, and like it or not, there was no turning back now. That’s the advice the Crusaders had given her, anyway. “What would you like to do first, my little Diamond?” Spoiled asked her daughter enthusiastically, once they had reached the pink filly’s bedroom. “I’ve got plenty of toys you can have fun with, or I can fetch some of your other stuffed animals so you and Theodore can have some company! Heck, we could even throw a tea party with Theodore, and just have it be between the three of us! Wouldn’t that be nice?” “I think I’ll try my luck with the alphabet block tower.” Diamond replied, reluctantly crawling over to them. As she did so, she could’ve sworn she heard her mother let out an audible “Aw”. When she spun around to look however, she couldn’t see any signs that this was the case. “I’m probably imagining things,” she concluded, as she quickly gathered up the various blocks and began to stack them. “Since when does my mother ever ‘Aw’ at anything? Even as a foal when I did something cute, at best she’d just said ‘That’s nice, dear.’ or at worst, just plain ignore me.” But Diamond hadn’t falsely heard things, her mother had indeed been unable to resist letting out a slight “Aw” at the precious sight that lay before her eyes. “I still can’t believe this is happening to me,” Spoiled thought to herself. “The only reason I even did this was so that I could prove to Filthy I deserved a second chance with our child. And yet, when I look at Diamond now, I can’t help but feel guilty for not letting her cherish her foalhood as much as she could’ve. I tried to make her grow up too fast, probably because I never had a proper foalhood myself.” And it was true, Spoiled’s recollections of her own past (at least prior to meeting Filthy) were not very edifying at all. Her parents had been incredibly strict and harsh, always placing incredible demands on their daughter, and constantly reminding her that they expected her to marry into a wealthy family and move into the upper echelons of society. Filthy had been the first good aspect of Spoiled’s life, having been a childhood friend of her’s during a period when most ponies refused to come near her. The few equines willing to try and befriend her had been driven off by her pomposity, but not Filthy. “You may not believe it, but I know there’s a good pony inside of you, somewhere,” he’d always told her. “Just because your parents are putting lots of pressure on you, doesn’t mean you have to always act so snooty.” Yet Spoiled hadn’t listened in the end, she’d convinced herself that the only thing that mattered was the approval of her mother and father. To that end, she had married Filthy Rich as soon as possible. That did the trick: On the day of their wedding, her parents finally told her how proud they were of her for “fulfilling her destiny". “Was I really so mad at myself and my parents, that I allowed my personality to become just like theirs?” Spoiled pondered. “Am I really only doing this to prove a point to Filthy, or am I attempting to make up for robbing my own daughter of the opportunity to experience what I never got to enjoy?” Spoiled was snapped back to reality when her daughter called out “Look, Mother! Look what I did!” Spoiled’s eyes widened, and her jaw nearly dropped open in shock! Tiara had managed to stack all of the alphabet blocks together neatly, creating a small tower. Despite leaning a bit, the construction looked quite sturdy. “That’s amazing!” Spoiled commented, with real surprise. “And you say you did this all by yourself?!” Tiara nodded with pride. “It wasn’t easy, but I finally realized what I did wrong last time. However, now that I’ve built it and shown it off to you, there’s just one more thing I have to do...” “Oh, and what would that be?” Spoiled wondered out loud. “Rawr!” Diamond bellowed in a deep voice, pretending to be a monster. “Diamond Monster smash puny tower!” Stomping her hooves and swinging her front ones as if they carried a weapon, the pink filly made short work of her creation. Alphabet blocks had one weakness in what was otherwise a good building material, they could be easily toppled over. Tiara continued to make monster noises, as she scattered the blocks all over the floor, occasionally giggling in sheer delight. “Oh no, Alphabet Block Tower has been destroyed!” Spoiled said with exaggerated worry. “Everypony run for your lives, mares, fillies and colts first!” “Rawr! Run all you like, nopony escapes Diamond Monster!” Tiara roared once again, continuing to stomp her hooves about. She kept the pretense up for a little while longer, only finally halting her “rampage” when the clock struck the hour mark. “You must be thirsty after all that playing, my little Diamond,” Spoiled said sweetly, once the clock had finished sounding. “Since it’s tea time, why don’t I have Randolph boil us a nice kettle of hot water, and we can have a tea party with Theodore?” “Really? You’d do all that for me?!” Tiara asked, perplexed. “Well it’s either that, or you can take an afternoon nap. After all, foals get cranky if they don’t take their naps.” Spoiled cooed again in that irritating voice. “But I’m not tired.” Tiara folded her hooves and pouted. “Then it’s settled, tea it is,” Spoiled replied, highly amused at her daughter’s expression. “You get Theodore and yourself ready, and I’ll have Randolph start making the tea, okay darling?” “Okay.” Diamond agreed, and waddled across the floor of her bedroom to fetch her teddy. Theodore was quite surprised when he learned about the tea party. “Are you sure your mother said I could come? I don’t really drink tea, and I didn’t think she even liked me.” he said to Diamond. “Somehow, I don’t think Momm… Mother will mind,” Diamond replied, matter-of-factly. “In fact, she’s been acting pretty weird lately, almost as if she were a different pony.” “Well she is your mother,” Theodore commented. “Mothers are always weird.” “But I’m talking really, really weird,” Tiara emphasized her point to Theodore. “So weird, I don’t think there’s a word that describes it. The worst part is, I’m actually starting to enjoy it.” “What’s so wrong about that?” Theodore asked in his usual gruff voice. “Because what if all this is all just Mother’s twisted sense of revenge? Last night, I had a nightmare in which her acting sweet and innocent was just a front to get me to lower my guard, so she could shrink me to a foal and brainwash me.” Tiara explained, with real concern. “You said it yourself though, it was a bad dream,” Theodore tried to calm Diamond. “Perhaps your mother has turned over a new leaf, and just wants to prove that to you?” “And what if she’s still the same mean old Mother, and this is all an attempt at getting back at me?” the pink coated filly asked agitatedly. “What then?” Much to her surprise, Theodore said to Tiara in reply. “She’s had plenty of occasions to get revenge on you since this whole thing started, and she hasn’t taken any of them. Even if her change in heart isn’t completely because she’s doing it for you, you shouldn’t look this gift horse in the mouth. You agreed to give her a chance, and you still have all of tomorrow to find out if she’s sincere about all of this. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like your help getting everything ready for our tea party.” Against her better judgement, Tiara conceded defeat. “I guess you’re right, Theodore. I’ll worry about Mother later, for now we have a tea party to prepare for.” Since the tea party was “fancy dress only” Tiara reluctantly put her new pair of pajamas on, even though she wasn’t planning to take a nap until after the party had run its course (at least, not until she had a chance to use the bathroom. She wasn’t about to risk having any more ‘accidents’ in her diaper). Then, she put a top hat and a tie on Theodore, making him look like a true gentlebear. When Spoiled came trotting into the room with the tea kettle and some miniature cups, Diamond had to blink and rub her eyes just to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Her mother was wearing one of the many lavish dresses she usually wore when entertaining company. It was an elegant alternating shades of white and yellow affair, complete with a small crown for the head. “Mother only wears that outfit for special occasions,” Tiara realized. “Why would she put it on for a pretend tea party?” Spoiled didn’t seem to be aware of her daughter’s confused look, as she carefully poured the tea from the kettle into the three small china cups, each with a flower pattern of blue, yellow, and pink. She then set the cups and the kettle on top of a small but solid table in a corner of the bedroom, before she sat down in the seat closest to the door. “Well, shall we start this tea party or what, darling?” Spoiled asked her willing daughter. Diamond opened her mouth to ask her mother why she was wearing such an extravagant and expensive frock, but quickly shut it. “You did say it was 'fancy dress only',” a part of her mind told her. “That may have just been the first ‘fancy dress’ she could find.” Just about resisting the urge to ask a question, Tiara sat down in the seat adjacent from her mother, while Theodore occupied the chair off to the left of Diamond, and to the right of Spoiled. “Thank you both for coming to my tea party, and remembering the dress code,” Theodore addressed his guests. “I hope you'll both enjoy the hot drinks. It’s a special tea, my speciality. Get it?” That prompted everyone at the table to have a good chuckle, much to Tiara’s shock as she couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard her mother laugh that heartily, especially at such a woeful joke. The party passed in relative silence for all three of its guests, even if Theodore preferred not to drink his beverage and simply let his guests enjoy theirs. Only the occasional comment such as “More tea, please.” was spoken, as the minutes slowly ticked by. At last, Diamond asked her mother “Can I drink Theodore’s tea for him, please? He doesn’t really like it.” “Certainly,” Spoiled nodded. “Waste not, want not. That is, if Theodore agrees.” “Oh I know he will,” Tiara beamed, but still asked anyway. “Theodore, do you mind if I have your tea?” “Go right ahead, Diamond. I don’t mind at all.” Theodore told his devoted owner. “Thanks, Theodore, you’re such a good friend!” Tiara replied excitedly, hugging him tightly, before helping herself to his tea. She downed it in the blink of an eye, reveling in the wonderful taste it left on her tongue. “Not nearly as satisfying as a bottle of milk though. Wow, I never thought I’d say… or rather, think that!” Tiara concluded. “So, did you enjoy your little tea party, Diamond?” Spoiled inquired, as she got up from her spot and began to clear the empty kettle and tea cups. “I sure did, Mommy!” Diamond said eagerly, then she gasped! How had that word managed to slip out so easily?! “Ah, I was wondering when you were going to say that again,” Spoiled replied with a knowing smile. “You didn’t really think I wouldn’t hear it the first time, even when it was muffled behind a pacifier, did you?” “Um… yes?” the pink filly hopefully said. “Incorrect answer,” Spoiled said with a fiendish smirk. “And a wrong answer demands a penalty. I’ve been waiting a long time to get my revenge for the humiliation you inflicted upon me at the school! And now I’ve finally come up with the perfect idea.” “Mother, please, don’t!” Diamond pleaded, fearing all her nightmares were about to come true. “Too late, ready or not here I come!” Spoiled grinned, as she tackled her diapered daughter, took off her pajamas, and rolled her onto her back. “Say hello to my little friend, The Tickle Monster!” Spoiled declared, before she took a deep breath and blew a raspberry onto her daughter’s exposed belly. “Stop, please!” Tiara pleaded with her mother in between fits of laughter, as she was tickled relentlessly. She kicked all four legs rapidly in a vain attempt to break free. “Oh no, I’m not about to stop now!” Spoiled replied, before she continued her barrage of tickles and the occasional raspberry. Diamond continued to laugh and kick her legs, until an all too familiar sensation struck her. “Mother, stop, I’m gonna…” she shouted, but it was too late. All of a sudden, a loud hissing noise filled the air! Spoiled finally stopped her assault, as she realized what she’d done. “Oopsie.” Was all she could say, as her daughter’s cheeks immediately flushed the brightest shade of red possible. In a matter of seconds, it was over. Diamond looked down at her diaper, not surprised to see how damp it was. The padding had acted like a sponge, readily absorbing the urine, yet it still felt very soggy. “Two accidents in less than 24 hours, I can’t believe this is happening to me,” she bemoaned. “But at least this time I didn’t mess in it as well.” She hoped she wasn’t tempting fate by thinking that. “My goodness, that tea went right through you, didn’t it? My tickles can’t have helped either...” Spoiled confessed, as she carefully stepped over to her daughter and helped her to stand. “Come on, we’d better get you changed again.” But just then, the bedroom swung open, and who should come trotting in, but Filthy Rich? “Daddy’s home!” he greeted. “So tell me, Diamond, how was your we…” The rest of his sentence was cut off forever, as he surveyed the scene that lay before him. His daughter, his pride and joy, was standing in a soaked diaper. While his wife was holding his daughter’s hoof, all the while wearing the most lavish dress in her collection. That’s not even to mention the baby toys everywhere... “Just great!” Diamond thought to herself. “Now my father’s seen me in a used diaper, surrounded by foalish things. How am I supposed to explain this to him?” A Bond Restored?Author's Note And so it ends, I hope you've all enjoyed the ride. Like I said before, Spoiled isn't going to be completely redeemed. You'll see that more in depth in the sequel, which should come out sometime next Summer or Fall. Special thanks to Smitty91 and deadpansnarker for their help with proofreading and editing (and providing feedback in a timely manner), and Matt11 for agreeing to transfer this fic and let me rewrite it. Hope you're still in the mood for some Diamond Tiara, because I've got a fanfic starring her that I'm going to try and have out by the end of this month. But we'll see how that goes. A Bond Restored? An uncomfortable, lengthy silence fell over the Rich family household, as no-one dared utter a word. Diamond, Spoiled, and Filthy all just stood still, each waiting for somepony else to pick up the baton and speak up first. Finally, it was Spoiled who broke the silence by awkwardly trying to force a smile, as she greeted her husband. “Oh, hello dear. What an…. unexpected treat to see you back home already. I thought you had a business meeting to attend?” “The meetin’ was cancelled, my client couldn’t meet with me because he was sick with the flu,” Filthy replied, numbly. “I thought I’d surprise the two of you by comin’ home early today, and this is what my eyes see? My mansion, turned into a day nursery?!” “Father, please, this isn’t what it looks like.” Diamond promised, even though she knew that was a bare-faced lie. There was no other way to interpret the spectacle her father was seeing right now. “Diamond, do you think I’m stupid or somethin’?” Filthy asked. “You’re wearin’ a wet diaper, there’s foal toys scattered about your bedroom, and I’m pretty sure those aren’t your silk pajamas layin’ on the floor!” “But Father, you don’t understand!,” Tiara pleaded again, her hooves waving frantically in the air. “I know this looks a bit weird, but there’s a perfectly good reason for all of this.” “Was this your little plan all along?” Filthy asked Spoiled, barely suppressing his anger. “To regress our daughter to a two year old foal again behind my back?” “I just wanted to prove to you that I could be trusted with our daughter, and this was the first idea that came to mind,” Spoiled nervously replied, feeling like a bug under a microscope. “Please don’t be angry. I can explain everything, but I need to get Diamond changed before she gets a nasty rash. It won’t do her any good to stay in a wet diaper much longer.” “Randolph can change her,” Filthy flatly told Spoiled. “You’re comin’ with me to my study, you have a lot of explainin’ to do, dear!” “Dad, wait!” Tiara shouted. She wanted to race up to him to keep him from leaving, but with her wet, constrictive diaper, she didn’t dare move an inch. “Don’t worry, Diamond, you’ll get your chance to explain soon enough,” Filthy replied without looking at her, as he led his wife away. “Once I’ve heard from Spoiled, and from you, I’ll decide how I’m going to deal with this… situation. In the meantime, I’ll summon the butler to get you changed. Please make sure you’re out of that diaper by the time I call for you again.” Tiara wanted to protest, but the filly quickly realized it was futile trying to argue with her father when he was in this kind of a mood. “I don’t think his ire is entirely due to this predicament,” she pondered, as Randolph entered the bedroom. “He’s probably more upset about his meeting being cancelled, but seeing his grown-up daughter in a diaper surrounded by foal products must have been a shock to the system,” then she sighed as she optimistically thought. “I hope he’ll listen to Mother, and to me.” “Shall we get you cleaned up, Mistress Diamond?” Randolph drolly asked the filly. “Yes please, I’d rather not get a diaper rash. It would clash most terribly with my coat.” Diamond replied, and accepted Randolph’s hoof as he escorted her out of her sleeping quarters. Aside from changing out of the dress she’d worn for the tea party, Spoiled didn’t do or say anything while following her husband to his office. “Maybe I should’ve just been honest with him from the start about what I wanted to do,” she told herself. “Now, thanks to my thick headedness, I may have destroyed my only chance to reconnect with my daughter. Nice going, Spoiled.” Filthy, for his part, didn’t do very much either. He simply led his wife to his study, and then locked the door behind her once they were both inside. As usual, the only source of light in the study, came from the crackling fire in the fireplace, which Filthy poked briefly with a poker before beginning what was sure to be a lengthy tirade. “Filthy darling, I can explain, really.” Spoiled began the defence. Without glancing upwards, Filthy uttered a single world. “Sit.” he commanded. “B-but Filthy-” Spoiled stuttered. “I said sit!” Filthy interrupted, raising his voice. Reluctantly, Spoiled obeyed. She sank into one of the comfy armchairs near the fireplace, all the while nervously thinking about how she was going to explain herself. Filthy sat down in the seat across from his wife, finally noticing how tense she seemed. “Deep breaths, Filthy,” he thought to himself. “You at least have to hear your wife out. There must be a logical explanation why she went to all of this trouble.” Minutes passed without either pony saying a word, they just stared at each other as if locked into a contest to see who would blink first. The only noise came from the consistent crackling of the fire. Eventually, Spoiled broke the impasse. “Well?” she remarked expectantly. “Well what?” Filthy asked in return. “Aren’t you going to bring out those divorce papers? You said you’d do so if I gave you any reason to suspect I couldn’t be trusted.” Spoiled spoke up, trying not to cry. She was certain that if she started sobbing, her husband would see it as crocodile tears (and Spoiled unfortunately had a track record for that kind of manipulation). “Maybe, but maybe not. That all depends.” Filthy mused. “Depends on what?” Spoiled waited for him to continue. “On whether or not I think you’re tellin’ the truth about why I saw what I saw, an’ if I think you had noble intentions...” Filthy explained. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were goin’ to diaper our daughter while I was away, and treat her like a foal? I thought you were goin’ to just spend some time gettin’ to know her, and do things she wanted to do. I don’t know if I would’ve said yes had I known your real agenda!” “I’ll admit, I should’ve told you the whole truth from the beginning,” Spoiled bowed her head. “But maybe it was for the best that I didn’t, because even if you had said it was okay, I don’t think Diamond would’ve agreed. To be honest, I wouldn’t blame her, at least not anymore.” “So you would’ve tried to force the scenario onto her, even if she wasn’t fine with it?” Filthy asked, feeling his anger levels rising. “The old me probably would’ve...” Spoiled admitted. “The old you?” Filthy remarked curtly, certain he had misheard. Spoiled nodded. “Somehow, doing all of this with my daughter has transformed me. At first, I only wanted to do this to prove to you that I deserved a second chance, like our filly got with her friends. However, as time went on, and I started doing more things with Diamond, I found myself getting genuinely attached to her. I played with her, spoon-fed her, even changed her when she had an accident. It dawned on me that I never gave Diamond a chance to truly enjoy her foalhood, simply because I never had a proper one myself.” “I know that all too well,” Filthy replied with a nod of recognition. “You almost didn’t want to be friends with me simply because I was still in diapers, whereas you’d already graduated from them when we’d first met. Even at an early age, you were a bit judgemental.” “But I’m glad I learned to look past that,” Spoiled said to her husband. “I realize now that I put a lot of pressure on our little Diamond to grow up too fast. She only gets to be young once, and I shouldn’t have tried to rob her of the opportunity to enjoy that limited time. But now, I truly feel like I’ve been able to correct that mistake, and I think it’s helped me to grow closer to our daughter than I would’ve ever thought possible.” “All that, despite the fact that she’s been wearin’ and usin’ diapers?” Filthy asked skeptically. “Oh, she hasn’t been doing it intentionally, and I have no plans to un-potty train her,” Spoiled vowed. “But I think we’ve truly started to connect, and develop the mother/daughter bond I foolishly robbed us of the chance to enjoy all those years ago. You were right, Filthy. There was a good pony inside of me, it just took until now for me to realize that.” Filthy was lost in thought for a moment, as he digested all the information his wife had laid on him. For years he had failed to notice her steadily worsening behavior, until his daughter had finally worked up the courage to tell him herself. Yet now, in the span of just a day and a half (in his absence no less), she had seemingly managed to turn it all around and change for the better. But the real question was: Is it true? “One final thing,” Filthy queried. “Have you been doin’ this out in public at all?” “No, not at all, I swear,” Spoiled informed him with a solemn shake of the head. “Even if a small part of me wanted some payback for being humiliated outside the school, I never took her outside the house in her diapers, though I did make sure she used the little filly’s room before going out to visit her friends.” “I see...” Filthy replied in a tone that made Spoiled feel incredibly uneasy. She only just suppressed the urge to shiver. “Can I go now, please?” Spoiled pleaded. “I’ve made my case, haven’t I?” “Indeed you have,” Filthy noted, without emotion. “Now for your sake, you’d best hope you’ve been tellin’ me the truth. Because if I find out from Diamond that you’re still lyin’, I’m fillin’ out those divorce papers without a moment’s hesitation. Do I make myself clear?!” Spoiled gulped. “Of course, darling.” She reluctantly left the study without another word. Now it was all up to her daughter to determine her fate, and the very thought of that made Spoiled feel incredibly anxious. “What if she still hasn’t fully forgiven me for my past behavior, and tells Filthy I’m lying just to get retribution?” she thought, while chewing her hooves. She briefly considered paying her daughter a visit, and hopefully convincing her to put in a good word, but she ruled it out. “Trying to influence the outcome would only show Filthy I haven’t changed,” she realized. “It’s all up to Diamond now, and there’s nothing more I can do to change what she thinks of me.” As soon as Tiara was free of her damp plastic garment, she immediately paid a visit to the toilet. She was relieved to find that despite another accident, the control of her bodily functions hadn’t weakened. “At least Father will be glad to know about that.” she realized with some satisfaction. The pink filly then waited anxiously for her mother to emerge from Filthy’s study, because Tiara knew that would mean it was her turn to go in and speak to her father. Nearly half an hour of unadulterated tedium ticked by, before Spoiled emerged dazed from the study. “It’s all up to you now, Diamond.” was all she said, before trotting off somewhere. With great trepidation, Tiara made her way down the long hallway to her father’s study, and knocked on the door. “Come in.” Filthy called simply from the other side of the door. Slowly turning the doorknob, Tiara made her way inside the ornate room to approach her father. He was sitting in his favorite armchair, a great deal weighing heavily on his mind. The look on his face was difficult to read, but seemed to project an expression of absolute seriousness. “Father, I know you’re upset about the business meeting being cancelled, and Mother not being fully honest with you. But please, don’t be mad.” Tiara spoke up “I ain’t mad, Diamond, just frustrated,” Filthy explained, while taking in a deep breath. “Mostly, I’m just annoyed at myself for not noticin’ your mother’s behavior earlier and doin’ somethin’ about it. I had hoped the business meetin’ would take my attention away from things, and when it got cancelled, there was nothin’ to distract me from the role I felt I played, in lettin’ everythin’ get so out of control.” “But it wasn’t your fault, you had no idea!” Diamond protested. “I should’ve come to you sooner about Mother’s behavior, instead of keeping quiet.” “Well, there’s no point in arguin’ now about who’s to blame for the past. We can’t change it,” Filthy said seriously. “But what we can change, is the future. Which is why I have to ask, how do you really feel about all of this? You know, bein’ diapered and treated like a foal?” “I wish I had a straight answer for that, Father,” Tiara blushed, scratching the back of her head. “A part of me is still totally weirded out by the very thought of it, but another part of me really enjoys it. I want to believe that Momm… Mother’s change of heart is sincere, and that she truly wants to give me a second chance to enjoy my foalhood. But after everything she said and did, I don’t know if it’s possible for her to change.” “So you don’t know positively either way, huh?” Filthy seemed to sum it up. “Unfortunately, yes.” Diamond suddenly felt a little downcast. Filthy sighed, that was just going to make it harder for him to decide what his next course of action should be. He’d been counting on his daughter to tell him for sure one way or the other whether she liked being diapered and babied. But, hang on, maybe there was another question he could ask that would help him find an answer. “Your mother told me that she never took you out in public while diapered. Is that true?” he inquired, pensively. “Indeed it is,” Diamond nodded in response. “In fact, every time I expected her to do something, she always seemed to do the opposite. When I unintentionally burped in front of her, I thought she’d be mad, but she simply laughed it off. When I had an accident, I thought she’d punish me, but she comforted me instead and then cleaned me up. Lastly, when I wanted to go out and spend time with my friends, I thought she’d say no, but she agreed and allowed me to roam about without a diaper.” “Then what exactly did I see when I came home?” Filthy wanted further clarification. “Apparently Mother’s idea of ‘revenge’ was to tickle-torture me,” Tiara explained, with a little smile. “Because we’d been having a fake tea party with my stuffed bear Theodore, she accidentally made me wet myself. In fact, the only reason I had my first accident, was because I forgot to go to the bathroom before bed.” She blushed a bit, embarrassed to admit such a thing at her age. “Ah, now I understand,” Filthy felt everything start to fall into place. “Thank you for clearin’ that up for me, Diamond. Are you absolutely sure you don’t have a straight answer either way for how you feel about this ‘treatment’?” “Not really, though I suppose I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of it continuing. Just a little, anyway.” Tiara admitted. “Very well then. Please go and fetch your mother, I’ve reached a decision.” Filthy informed his daughter. “What is it?” Diamond asked nervously. The tension was beginning to affect her. “You’ll see soon enough, now please do as I’ve said.” Filthy instructed. Spoiled was quite surprised when she was notified that her husband wanted to see her alone back in his study. “You wanted to talk to me again?” she asked, crossing her hooves at the outcome. “I did, I’ve made up my mind about what to do next,” Filthy declared. “I have decided that… you can continue this ‘treatment’ of Diamond Tiara’s, if she so wishes.” “Really?!” Spoiled couldn’t believe her ears. “Oh thank you, Filthy darling!” she exclaimed with unbridled joy, happily embracing her husband in a hug while dancing around the room with him. “With a few minor conditions…”Filthy spoke up, interrupting the impromptu jig. “I trust you won’t find them too unreasonable?” “What are they?” Spoiled asked, as she tried to contain her excitement. “The first is that you never take our daughter out in public at any point while she’s diapered,” Filthy said seriously. “I don’t want ponies gettin’ the impression that she’s incontinent, or even worse... .” “That’s fair enough, I wasn’t going to take Diamond out in public while diapered anyway. I’d rather ponies not be repulsed by her stench should she should have another ‘accident’. When it happened while you were away, it reminded me of the time the drains were blocked.” Spoiled fanned her nose to emphasize the point. “The second, is that you are not to embark on this ‘treatment’ while we have guests, unless I say otherwise,” Filthy continued. “If it’s just one of her classmates and they promise not to spread rumors, that’s fine. Just to be on the safe side though, run all potential ‘visitors’ by me before you decide whether or not Diamond can be babied around them. The third and most important rule now: If Diamond tells she wants to halt the ‘treatment’ you stop it immediately! If you break any of these rules, I won’t hesitate to divorce you, do I make myself clear?!” “Yes, Filthy, I understand completely.” Spoiled confirmed with a slight nod . “Good. Now, inform Diamond of our terms, and then get her diapered,” Filthy instructed. “I’d like to see just how cute she looks with her padded behind.” “Well, he certainly seems to be getting into the spirit of things quickly enough…” Spoiled observed, as she left the office, before stopping for a brief second of thought. “Almost, I would say, disturbingly so…” That night, Spoiled was waiting outside the bathroom for her daughter to finish up her nightly visit to the toilet. Quite soon after, Spoiled’s ears picked up the telltale flushing sound. “Are you done now, my little Diamond?” she called lovingly. “Yes, Mother. I’ll be out shortly.” Diamond affectionately responded, and indeed she was. Once Tiara had exited the bathroom, Spoiled scooped her up and carried her to her bedroom. In a matter of minutes, she had diapered the filly, and slipped her into her pajamas. “Goodnight, my little Diamond.” Spoiled cooed with adoration, as she kissed her diapered daughter on the forehead, after tucking her comfortably into bed. “Goodnight, Mommy.” Diamond called in reply, just before drifting off. Despite her daughters’ voice being muffled behind the pacifier, Spoiled heard what she’d said clear as day, and just smiled. “We’ll worry about fixing her table manners and practicing her keys on the piano tomorrow,” Spoiled told herself, as she turned off the light and closed the door. “Then maybe if she behaves, I’ll fix her something special for lunch.” A Liar ExposedAuthor's Note (WARNING!: Make no mistake, this IS an AB/DL fanfic and as such it WILL have content that some viewers may find disturbing. If you are uncomfortable with any aspect of AB/DL please click elsewhere and do not continue reading! For those who choose to stay, expect to see the following: Diapers - Medium Diaper Useage (Wetting) - Light Diaper Useage (Messing) - Medium Ageplay - Medium) This first chapter may seem tame to a lot of you, but rest assured the next chapter or two will be more heavily AB/DL themed. In case those of you who first favorited this story in 2015 and didn't see the blog post, the original author (Matt11) gave me permission to take over this fanfic. As I've said before, it's hard to truly write Spoiled Rich as a character because of how she is, and I know she's probably going to seem OOC to some of you. But it's hard to write Spoiled Rich in character to begin with, because she's basically a "hate sink", a character without any redeemable qualities. Special thanks to Smitty91 for agreeing to proofread on such short notice. The second chapter will hopefully come out in early July, at which point I will take this fic off hiatus. But for now, I have another fanfic I want to focus on. A Liar Exposed Diamond Tiara could hardly believe just how much her life had changed in the past 24 hours. She’d gone from losing the election for Student President, losing her only friend, and getting yelled at by her mother for the umpteenth time, to finally understanding the meaning of her cutie mark with the help of her new friends. Thanks to The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Diamond Tiara was able to finally stand up to her mother after all the years of abuse she’d suffered through, and even patch things up with Silver Spoon. Now, Diamond Tiara was enjoying the cute-ceañera for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Sugarcube Corner was bustling with ponies big and small alike, some eager to see the crusaders new cutie marks and some simply interested in chatting with friends or playing party games. Not since her own cute-ceañera had Diamond Tiara felt so happy about her life. Unfortunately, Diamond Tiara’s happy mood faded when the party was over. That meant it was time to go home. Diamond Tiara had not seen her mother, Spoiled Rich, since she’d told her off and sent her to deliver the request for the new playground equipment. “She’s probably already at home, thinking about how to punish me for standing up to her,” she thought unhappily to herself, her head dropping down low. “Maybe I should just not bother coming home and run away?” But Diamond Tiara shook her head, running away from her problems wouldn’t solve anything, her mother would surely come looking for her eventually. Far better to go home and face whatever punishment was coming to her, rather than run away and make it ten times worse. “Hey, Diamond Tiara! Wait up!” a trio of voices called out. Diamond Tiara turned to look, and saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo come rushing out the front door of Sugarcube Corner. In seconds, they had caught up to her and were walking alongside her. “We were wondering if, we could walk home with you?” Apple Bloom asked. “You know, so you don’t have to face your mother all on your own.” “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think it will help,” Diamond Tiara replied glumly. “Even if she’s not home when I get home, she’s sure to come home eventually. I just don’t know what to do about her. I mean, what if she locks me up in my room and forces me to act like her? I don’t want to end up like she did!” “Doesn’t your dad know about what your mom’s been doing?” Sweetie Belle asked Diamond Tiara. Diamond Tiara shook her head. “I’ve never told him, he’d never believe me anyway. He’s always so busy with business meetings or business deals that he almost never bothers to say much to me.” “But he clearly loves you very much,” Scootaloo replied. “I mean, everypony in class saw how you had him wrapped around your little hoof, when you brought him in for Family Appreciation Day. I know if my mom was trying to make me do things I didn’t want to do, I’d tell my dad right away. If he really loves you as much as he seemed to do when he came to our school, I’m sure he’ll listen to what you have to say.” Diamond Tiara realized that Scootaloo was right, and slowly lifted her head up a little. But there was still one question that she needed answered, before she made up her mind. “Do you think he’ll believe me? I mean, what if Mother’s already gotten to him?” “You just have to try, Applejack always says honesty is the best policy!” Apple Bloom said seriously. “And if your dad doesn’t believe you, I’m pretty sure he’ll believe one of his business partners.” “Thanks, girls,” Diamond Tiara said with a smile, hugging each of them tightly. “Even with Silver Spoon I’d never dream of talking about my home life, you truly are the best friends I could ask for,” But she’d only trotted a few steps, before she turned around and added. “I know this doesn’t make up for it, but I’m sorry for the way I treated you all. I just wanted to say that while I still had the chance.” “Good luck!” Apple Bloom called, as Diamond Tiara set off for home. “Feel free to stop by our clubhouse if you want to talk us!” Sweetie Belle added. “We’ll always be here for you.” Celestia’s sun was beginning to set by the time Diamond Tiara arrived home, and she breathed a much needed sigh of relief with she saw that her mother wasn’t waiting for her. “At least now I may have a chance.” she thought to herself. “Good evening, Mistress Diamond Tiara,” Randolph greeted. “It is lovely to see you looking cheerful again.” “Thanks, Randolph,” Diamond Tiara replied, then she asked. “Is Father home?” “Indeed, he is in his study. But I’m afraid he’s in the middle of signing some important business documents, and he told me that he doesn’t want to be disturbed.” Randolph told Diamond Tiara. “But I need to see him, it’s urgent!” Diamond Tiara pleaded, shooting Randolph her best pair of puppy dog eyes. “Please, just this once?!” Despite his many years of service to Diamond Tiara and her family, Randolph could never resist Diamond Tiara’s puppy dog eyes. “Oh, very well. Right this way, Mistress Diamond.” Randolph replied, as he led Diamond Tiara inside and straight to the door of her father’s study, then he knocked on the study door. “Who is it?” Filthy Rich called. Randolph cleared his throat and announced. “Excuse me, Master Rich, your daughter wishes to speak to you on a matter she says is most urgent.” “I thought I told you to tell her I didn’t want to be disturbed?” Filthy Rich called in reply. “Please forgive me, sir, she appealed to my one weakness,” Randolph apologized. “You may hold it against me however you like, but I suggest you hear her out.” “That won’t be necessary, Randolph,” Filthy Rich replied. “She may come in. If she says it’s urgent it probably is.” And he proceeded to unlock the study door. The door turned with a faint creaking sound, and Diamond Tiara nervously swallowed a lump in her throat. This was it, the moment of truth! She carefully trotted through the open door, into her father’s study. Filthy Rich was seated at an oak wood desk, the study fireplace illuminating the room and providing a powerful source of natural light. Rising from his desk chair, Filthy Rich trotted over to his favorite sofa chair and sank into it. Now, he and his precious little princess were face to face. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Diamond Tiara?” he asked. “I’m not mad, but I’ve told you before that I don’t like bein’ disturbed when I’m workin’.” Diamond Tiara felt ready to break into a cold sweat, as she looked at her father. One way or another, there was no turning back. “Well, Father,” she began nervously. “It’s about….. Mother.” “What about her?” Filthy Rich asked, the most puzzled look forming on his face. “I understand her position on the school board is suddenly in jeopardy, but when I asked she refused to say why.” Diamond Tiara opened her mouth to speak, but for what seemed like minutes nothing would come out. She knew what she needed to say, and she knew that this might be her only chance to tell her father, but she couldn’t get the words to leave her tongue. At last, just when it seemed like she was going to remain silent for good, she confessed. “Mother has been treating me horribly for years! She’s been telling me what to do, what to say, and who to hang out with! She’s wanted nothing but perfection from me, and anytime I failed she has always berated me and chewed me out even when I did my best! Just recently, she forced me to run for Student Pony President, so that she could put a statue of me in the school yard instead of fixing up the playground! And when I lost, she called my opponent a ‘Transplant from Trottingham’! Then, the next day, out of spite she refused to let the winner of the election use the school board’s funds to pay for a new playground, and called my friends ‘Confused, insignificant lowlifes’ just because they didn’t have their cutie marks!” By this point, tears were forming in Diamond Tiara’s eyes, as she added. “I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but I hate her! She doesn’t deserve to be my mother! She’s never treated me with the love I deserve, she’s tired to raise me to be just like her! But I don’t want to be like her, I want to be myself! I want a real mother, one that’ll actually treat me right!” Filthy Rich’s mouth dropped open in shock at what he’d heard! Had he really been so caught up in his work, that he failed to notice his wife treating their daughter so horribly?! Spoiled Rich had always claimed she was simply working to build Diamond’s character, was that what she believed or just a lie she’d been telling to keep Filthy in the dark?! “Spoiled is going to have a lot to answer for when she gets home!” he thought to himself. Then, he bent down to Diamond Tiara’s level and kindly said to her. “I’m glad that you told me this, Diamond. I only wish you had come to me sooner. Rest assured, I will have a stern talk with your mother when she comes home tonight.” “You mean, you believe me? Just like that?” Diamond Tiara asked. “As much as I don’t want to believe it, my fatherly instincts tell me that what you say is true,” Filthy Rich replied, as he gently stroked his sobbing daughter’s back. “I’m sorry I wasn’t aware of this for all these years. No matter what happens, can you forgive your old stallion for being so blind?” “Of course, Daddy.” Diamond Tiara nodded. It was dark by the time Spoiled Rich returned home. She was still in a very bad mood about today, and it showed in her face which remained in a harsh scowl and a disapproving glare. “The nerve of Diamond Tiara to say no to me like that!” she thought to herself. “She is going to grow up to be the future owner of ‘Barnyard Bargains’, what’s so wrong with expecting her to have more class? ‘Barnyard Bargains’ is ripe for expansion, and the nobles of Canterlot will judge whoever owns it very harshly. I’m simply preparing Diamond Tiara for the struggles she will face in her adult life.” Yet, as she entered the Tiara family household, Spoiled’s thoughts began to shift to something she had never really considered. “So why does it bother me so much that she stood up to me?” she thought. “Why do I care if she wishes to flush her life down the toilet? Heck, if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have been toilet trained so fast.” But that line of thought led itself to a whole bunch of memories from when Diamond Tiara was just a foal. Almost from day one, Filthy Rich had fawned over his “Precious Little Princess” as he often called her, whereas Spoiled Rich had been rather distant. Oh sure, she still did what was required of any mother: nursing, changing diapers, you name it. Yet, not once during that time had Diamond Tiara ever called her “Mommy”, even though she called Filthy Rich “Daddy” on nearly every occasion. “Why do I care so much that Diamond Tiara never called me ‘Mommy’?” Spoiled Rich thought to herself. “And why do I feel so guilty about not spending more time with her when she was a foal?” It was those thoughts which would continue to lurk in the forefront of Spoiled’s mind, as she was surprised to find her husband waiting for her with a look of anger that Spoiled had never seen on him before. “Oh, hello dear,” Spoiled greeted in the most pleasant tone she could manage. “I thought you would be working in your study, why are you out here?” Filthy Rich glared at his wife, and in a tone that seemed to indicate just how close he was to losing his cool he said to her. “Diamond Tiara told me how you’ve been treatin’ her all these years. Don’t you realize this kind of behavior could’ve gotten us sued?!” “What are you talking about? Diamond Tiara’s making up stories to make me look bad!” Spoiled Rich protested. “Whatever she told you, it’s not true!” “Don’t bother tryin’ to lie to me, it won’t work!” Filthy Rich protested, shutting down Spoiled Rich’s line of argument. “Diamond seemed pretty upset by the time she was done talkin’ to me about your behavior, and I could sense that her tears were genuine, ‘cause I’ve had plenty of experience with the times when she’s cried about somethin’ that wasn’t an issue. What do you have to say for yourself?!” “But Filthy, darling, I only wanted what was best for her,” Spoiled Rich nervously replied. “If I could put up with all kinds of harsh demands from my parents at Diamond Tiara’s age, I see no reason why she can’t do the same. You don’t get ahead in life by being nice. A rich pony like her should be more aware of her social standing, and be on the lookout for any way to improve it.” “I don’t care if that’s how you were raised!” Filthy Rich said angrily. “Didn’t it ever occur to you that you were puttin’ too much pressure on our daughter?! I know that one day she’ll probably take over the family business, but nopony will want to come to Barnyard Bargains if the owner is as nasty as you are! What you’ve been doin’ is wrong! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just divorce you and take Diamond Tiara with me?!” “Please, Filthy, give me another chance!” Spoiled pleaded. “And why should I?!” Filthy demanded. “After all the years of torment and sufferin’ you’ve inflicted on our daughter, why should I give you a second chance?! For all I know you’ll just go right back to makin’ her life miserable! She told me how happy she was to finally be freed from your influence, and how it helped her turn over a new leaf at school. You expect me to let you take all of that away?!” “I just want a chance to make things right, to prove that I can be a good mother,” Spoiled insisted. “Just give me a chance to try something, and if it doesn’t work then you can divorce me and take Diamond Tiara away.” Filthy wasn’t sure he should trust Spoiled, but deep down he wanted to believe that beneath his wife’s stern and harsh exterior lay a pony that was capable of good. “You want me to believe that you’re sorry?” he asked Spoiled. “Prove it! I will be gone this weekend for an important business meetin’. You can use that weekend to try whatever it is you have in mind, but don’t think you can fool me, I will have Randolph stay behind to keep an eye on you. Give me any reason to believe that you’re lyin’, and I’ll fill out the divorce papers the instant I return! Do I make myself clear?!” “Crystal.” Spoiled gulped. “Very well then,” Filthy reluctantly nodded. “I hope you won’t make me regret this, for my sake and for Diamond Tiara’s sake.” While Spoiled Rich left to go pick up the “supplies” she would need for the weekend, Filthy Rich trotted to Diamond Tiara’s room and informed her of his decision. “Your mother and I have come to an agreement,” he explained to her. “This weekend, while I’m gone, she’ll be tryin’ something that she thinks will help her to become the mother you deserve. Randolph is stayin’ behind to keep an eye on her, and he’ll send me a report about whatever your mother tries to do. If she gives me any reason to believe she’s not sincere about this second chance, I’ll file for divorce when I come back.” “You really think she can be trusted?” Diamond Tiara asked nervously. “I don’t know,” Filthy Rich replied. “But everypony deserves a second chance. Whatever your mother does, as long as she doesn’t try to force you to be like her, I want you to give it an honest chance. Okay?” “Okay, Dad.” Diamond Tiara reluctantly agreed. When Friday afternoon came, and school had let out for the day, Diamond Tiara felt incredibly nervous as she made her way home. “A weekend with my mother in which she gets to try something she won’t even tell me about,” she thought to herself, shuddering at the possibilities. “What could possibly go wrong?” she thought sarcastically. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as Diamond Tiara reluctantly trotted through the front door of the Tiara family mansion. Sure enough, there was her mother, standing there with a most unusual look. Diamond Tiara was used to see her mom scowl or look unhappy, so the fact that her mother was smiling only made Diamond feel even more uncomfortable than she already was. "I know you’re nervous, Diamond Tiara,” Spoiled Rich said to her daughter, in a tone that sounded surprisingly sweet and without any hint of malice. “But I truly do want for us to have a better mother/daughter relationship, and I think this might help us.” “What do you have in mind?” Diamond Tiara reluctantly asked. “Follow me to your bedroom, and you’ll see.” Spoiled Rich explained. Reluctantly, Diamond Tiara did as was asked of her. She only stopped when her mother stopped, which was right outside Diamond Tiara’s bedroom door. “Are you ready for your surprise, my little Diamond?” Spoiled Rich asked. When Diamond Tiara reluctantly nodded, Spoiled Rich took that as a sign to proceed. Grasping the doorknob and turning it, Spoiled Rich slowly opened the bedroom door. What Diamond Tiara saw when the door was open, nearly made her eyes pop out from widening in surprise! Laying at the foot of her bed, was a large, white, and incredibly thick diaper! Resting next to the bed was an opened box of diapers labeled “Silly Filly”, as well as a pack of wet wipes, a canister of foal powder, and a tube of rash cream! “Is this my surprise?” Diamond Tiara asked, nervously backing away. Spoiled Rich nodded. “But, why do you want me to put that on?! What’s it’s going to prove?!” Diamond Tiara asked, her heart beating a mile a minute. “When you were a foal, I never truly took care of you like I should have,” Spoiled Rich explained. “Heck, the day you were old enough to begin potty training, I stripped you of your diapers, marched you to the bathroom, and made you sit on the potty until you did your business. I realize now that I should’ve treated you with the love and care a mother is supposed to provide, and since I can’t regress you to a foal, this was the next best thing. I don’t expect you to act completely like a baby though.” “No way! I’m not wearing that… that… that... thing!” Diamond Tiara protested, and tried to run away. Unfortunately, Spoiled Rich blocked her path. “Please, Diamond, just give it a chance,” Spoiled Rich pleaded. “If you’re really uncomfortable about this, we can stop doing it after today. But at least for the next few hours, can’t you at least give it a shot? I won’t try to force you to do anything if you really don’t want to.” “Well…. I did promise Father I’d give whatever you had in mind an honest chance, though I wish I hadn’t said that,” Diamond Tiara reluctantly replied, as she trotted over to her bed and laid down on it. “If you really want to diaper me and have me act like a baby, I guess I can play along a little. But I’m not going to sit in a high chair, talk like a baby, or use my diaper!” “Fair enough,” Spoiled agreed. “Now hold still please.” It had been years since she’d last had to diaper her daughter. Diamond Tiara sighed, took a deep breath, and gazed up at her bedroom ceiling as her mother pulled the diaper up between her legs and taped it shut. Soon, Diamond Tiara’s nostrils were hit with the scent of foal powder, as her mother worked some in. Surprisingly, Diamond found the scent of foal powder to be rather soothing. “There, all done.” Spoiled said at last, and allowed Diamond Tiara to hop down. Diamond Tiara was surprised at just how thick the diaper was, and how much it weighed. Walking was going to be rather difficult. “So, what do you want me to do?” she asked her mother, “Whatever you feel like doing, Diamond.” Spoiled replied.
A Diapered DiamondAuthor's Note Well, now we're delving more heavily into the padded content of this fic. From here on, that stuff's going to be focused on a lot. As for Spoiled Rich, I know she's going to seem OOC to many of you, but as I said before it's pretty hard to write Spoiled in character to begin with because of what she is. And lastly, as a word of warning, the next chapter WILL contain a messing scene! Needless to say, if that's not your cup of tea, you'll probably want to skip the next chapter. A Diapered Diamond Diamond Tiara didn’t really know what to do at first, she just stood there with a blank look on her face. Being diapered by the one pony who up until now had been a constant source of dread in her life was quite hard for the pink pony to take in. “Go on, Diamond,” Spoiled Rich tried to be encouraging. “Just do something, anything. I won’t stop you.” Tiara didn’t reply to her mother, she wasn’t sure what to say. She simply eyed her bed as if it were suddenly much more interesting than it really was. Her attention eventually fell to her teddy bear, Theodore, sitting lonely next to her pillow. Even though she rarely slept with him anymore, Diamond decided she needed to give the stuffed animal some long overdue love. Without saying a word, Tiara turned around and faced towards her bed. Now came the difficult task of walking over to it, with the added bulk of a diaper. Just before embarking on this arduous journey, she pondered. “Well, at least if I fall nopony will be around to see it. I may have once liked blackmailing ponies, but being on the receiving end, no thanks.” She reluctantly took a few hoofsteps towards her destination. Each step caused the diaper to admit a faint but telltale crinkle that seemed to echo everywhere. At last, Tiara reached the bed and carefully grabbed Theodore off the sheets. She proceeded to hold him tightly, as she slowly tried to walk back across the room. “Maybe it would be faster if I just waddled,” she thought to herself. “Acting a little like a foal won’t hurt, as long as Mother’s the only pony who has to see.” With her mind made up, Diamond nervously began to waddle like a duck across the floor of her bedroom. Spoiled Rich found it hard to not coo or aw at her daughter’s behavior, but somehow she managed. Still, she had to admit her daughter looked pretty cute in her new ensemble. “Do you want to play with some of your other stuffed animals?” She asked Diamond. “No thank you, Theodore is enough.” Tiara replied, and still clutching the teddy, she sat down on the carpeted floor causing her diaper to admit another symphony of crinkles. Strangely enough, Diamond was starting to find she didn’t mind them, at least not entirely. Then, much to Spoiled’s surprise, Diamond began to talk with the stuffed bear as if he were a living, breathing creature. “Yes, Theodore, I am wearing a diaper. No, I don’t wet the bed anymore. I haven’t done that in years.” Tiara said to the bear in an exaggerated tone of voice. “Are you sure? I remember how upset you were when your mother said rich ponies don’t wet the bed.” Theodore replied in a gruff voice, putting a paw to his mouth to suppress a few giggles. “Theodore, that wasn’t nice! You hurt my feelings!” Diamond said in fake and exaggerated sadness. “Say you’re sorry, before I tell Momm….” Tiara paused and corrected herself before she continued “Mother on you. She’ll make you sit in the time-out corner.” “I’m sorry, Diamond Tiara,” Theodore apologized. “You’re my best friend, and best friends don’t tease each other for their problems. If you say you don’t wet the bed, I believe you. But what about all the other big girl things? You don’t try to steal cookies from the cookie jar or cross the street without a grown-up, do you?” “Certainly not,” Tiara replied. “In fact, I’m such a big girl that I don’t even have to wear diapers outside the house anymore. I use the big filly potty and everything!” “Oh, you are brave,” Theodore told Diamond. “That big potty is so noisy and scary, even scarier than the monsters under your bed!” “Theodore, everypony knows there’s no such thing as monsters,” Tiara scolded, before she chuckled. “What I thought was a monster was really just Daddy working late at night, and trying to sneak a few sweets from the fridge without Mother noticing.” “So that’s where all the ice cream went!” Theodore realized. “Yeah, but Daddy got a tummy ache, and Mother found out,” Diamond replied with a giggle. “You should’ve seen the look on his face.” Spoiled Rich watched from afar as her daughter held a series of fake conversations with her stuffed teddy bear, all the while acting as if he were real. How many years had it been since Spoiled had seen her doing that? And more importantly, how was she was supposed to use this to get closer to her daughter? “How do I break the ice between us?” Spoiled Rich thought. Then, an idea came to her. Sure, it was an unusual one, but hopefully it would work. Tiara was too engrossed in talking with her teddy to really notice her mother exit the bedroom. She just continued to focus on the fake conversations she was having with Theodore, and blocked out pretty much everything else. Sure, sitting on the floor with a diaper felt comfortable, but Diamond wasn’t sure if this was something she wanted to dwell on. Suddenly, Diamond’s focus snapped back to reality as her mother cleared her throat. Much to the pink pony’s surprise, her mother was holding a small bag in her hooves. “Thought you might like toys some to play with, my little Diamond...” Spoiled declared, removing colorful rattles, alphabet blocks, and many other things, before setting them down in front of her diapered daughter. Tiara eyed the toys suspiciously, as if she suspected they might be enchanted or cursed. But talking solely to her teddy bear and pretending he could talk back was starting to get boring, so reluctantly she asked her fillyhood friend “Theodore, do you mind if I play by myself for a little while?” “Not at all, Diamond. Just don’t forget about me.” the bear replied. “Oh thank you, Theodore! You’re such a good friend!” Tiara said, eagerly hugging the teddy tightly, before she set him down and waddled over to the toys. Carefully, she picked up a baby blue rattle and gave it a shake, slowly at first then faster and faster. When she’d gotten tired of that particular play item, she moved on to another. Spoiled couldn’t help but smile, something she seemed to feel the need to do more often all of a sudden. Her daughter looked kind of adorable, wearing a diaper, talking to her teddy bear, and interacting with the foalish toys. “It’s just like when she was very little,” Spoiled thought happily. “So innocent and cheerful. When I think of everything I’ve missed out on...” “Thank you for the toys, M… M… Mom.” Diamond smiled, trying to seem grateful. “You’re quite welcome, my dear. Just keep on playing with your toys, while I get dinner ready for you, okay?” Spoiled Rich said in reply, nodding her head. “Okay.” Tiara agreed, and started to pick up the alphabet blocks and stack them. As Spoiled Rich left the room, a particularly interesting thought came to her. “She’s still not calling me ‘Mommy’ even though she’s referred to my husband as ‘Daddy’. Why do I care so much about that little fact? This is mostly so I can prove to Filthy that I can change, and hopefully keep my daughter from hating me for the rest of my life. So why am I suddenly so concerned about whether or not she calls me ‘Mommy’?” Spoiled shook her head. “I’m thinking way too much about this, I should just focus on making dinner. After all, Diamond Tiara is a growing filly. If she’s going to grow up right, she needs to eat right… Wow, I’m really starting to get into this whole scenario, aren’t I?” “Alright, Diamond Tiara, dinner is ready!” Spoiled Rich called in the sweetest tone she could muster, as she poked her head back into her daughter’s bedroom. She was quite surprised by the bizarre sight that greeted her widened eyes. The pink filly was standing on tippy-hooves, the last alphabet block clutched firmly in her front right hoof, as she attempted to place it on top of a stack made out of the other alphabet blocks. The blocks were not placed directly on top of each other, so the stack was leaning a little, but Tiara either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “Almost... got it...” she said to herself, as her back hooves tried desperately to keep from giving out. Spoiled was starting to lose patience, she never liked it when Diamond didn’t acknowledge a command from her. But as she was about to open her mouth to scold her daughter, something in the back of her mind stopped her. “Let her finish her little stack,” an inner voice suggested. “She will respond when she’s finished.” So Spoiled said nothing, she shut her mouth and watched as her daughter slowly leaned forward. But Diamond had stretched herself too far, her back hooves could no longer support her and gave way. In the blink of an eye, Tiara lost her balance and fell forward, in the process knocking over her stack of blocks and scattering them across the floor messily! Spoiled was at her daughter’s side in an instant, helping her to stand and checking her for any signs of injury. “Good, no boo boos.” she said lovingly, before she gasped and covered her mouth. “Since when did I talk like that? Diamond is far too old for such baby talk.” she thought to herself, embarrassingly. “Did you see that, Mom?” Tiara asked eagerly, oddly excited over such a small thing. “I almost managed to get all the blocks stacked up!” “That is… fairly impressive I suppose,” Spoiled conceded. “But the next time I call your name, I expect you to reply. Do you understand?” “Yes, Mom.” Tiara acknowledged, her ears drooping slightly. “Good, now come with me to the dining room, young filly,” Spoiled commanded, trying to sound authoritative. “It’s time for dinner.” “What’s on the menu for tonight?” Diamond asked. Her mother usually left the cooking to her father, or Randolph. The only thing the pink pony could remember ever seeing her mother cook, was homemade hayburgers and hay fries on the evening she had that massive tummy ache. Something told her that wouldn’t be served for dinner this particular evening. “Just wait and see,” Spoiled said with a knowing wink. “It’s something special, but I think you’ll like it.” After being escorted to the dining room by her mother (and discovering to her relief that her mother had remembered the ‘no highchair’ statement), Diamond was surprised when the first thing her mother did was tie a bib around her neck. Said bib pictured a bunny similar to the one Tiara had seen hopping around Fluttershy’s cottage, and it was eagerly devouring a carrot. “I don’t want you to make a mess.” Spoiled told Diamond, as she made sure the bib was fastened properly. She then trotted to the kitchen next door, and disappeared for a moment. It was then that Tiara noticed something, or rather two ‘somethings’. The first observation was that, with the exception of Randolph, there was nopony else around. It was as if all the maids and butlers had been given the night off, and the only reason Randolph was staying was due to Filthy Rich’s need to have someone keep an eye on his wife. The second and more noticeable something, was the lack of silverware at the spot at the table Diamond occupied. “Mother,” she nervously called. “I think you forgot to give me my silverware.” But when Spoiled Rich emerged, the pink filly quickly realized that the lack of silverware was no accident. “I didn’t forget your silverware, Diamond. You don’t need it.” Spoiled chuckled, as she brought over a tray holding a bowl filled with applesauce, and jars of foal food such as Cream of Carrot and Mushy Peas. Resting on the tray were several plastic spoons, instead of the usual metal ones. Diamond gulped. “Are you…. going to feed me that stuff?” she asked her mother with trepidation, even though she was sure she already knew the answer. “Of course. A growing filly like you needs her nutrition,” Spoiled smiled encouragingly, as she brought the tray close and set it on the table, then sat down in the seat next to her daughter. “A rich pony can’t afford to be a picky eater. Do you think I grew up to be the mare I am today by eating junk food? I certainly hope you don’t think so, because I’ve raised you better than that.” “But, mother!” Tiara protested. “Ah ah, no buts!” Spoiled scolded, and dipped a plastic spoon into the first jar, covering the tip of it in a strange (not to mention goopy) orange-colored stuff. “Now, open up for the aeroplane!” Tiara turned her head, she didn’t like the look or smell of the stuff her mother was trying to feed her. She may have worn a diaper and played with foal toys, but she wasn’t about to give up the little bit of dignity she still had and eat foal food. “Diamond Dazzle Tiara, you’re not getting up from this chair until everything on this tray has been eaten! Do I make myself clear?!” Spoiled said seriously, casting an angry glare at her daughter. That did the trick. Diamond reluctantly cooperated, and she soon discovered that the unappetizing gunk actually tasted really good! “It may not be as sweet as ice cream, but it’s so delicious!” Diamond eagerly thought to herself, though another part of herself was asking. “What’s going on with me? Why am I suddenly so excited about playing with foal toys and eating foal food?” Then an awful thought struck her. “What if this is all Mother’s secret plan to get revenge? She’s trying to treat me like a foal so she can humiliate me!” She quickly shook her head, as the more rational part of her brain told her. “Calm down, it’s probably not that. She’s not forcing you to do anything, she’s doing this because she wants a second chance. A second chance that you agreed to give her.” Diamond’s thoughts were quickly silenced, when another spoonful of the foal slop entered her mouth. Tiara soon chose to just ignore how much she enjoyed the stuff, and focus solely on obeying her mother’s instructions. Dinner passed quickly for mother and daughter, and pretty soon Diamond Tiara felt incredibly full. Fuller than she usually felt after dinner, due to the fairly modest helpings of food she was usually permitted to consume. She secretly suspected her mother had intentionally gone over that portion limit, but since dinner had consisted mostly of stuff like applesauce and foal food, she had no way to prove it. “Shall we return to your bedroom so you can resume playing, my little Diamond?” Spoiled Rich inquired of her daughter. “Sure, I guess.” Tiara shrugged. Since she wasn’t used to walking or waddling on a full stomach, she allowed her mother to hold her hoof and escort her down the empty hallway of the family mansion, until they entered Diamond’s bedroom. For the next hour and a half, the pink filly alternated between playing pretend with her stuffed teddy bear, and cavorting with the foal toys her mother had provided. Spoiled, for her part, said and did nothing. She simply watched her daughter play, and occasionally glanced at a small clock mounted on the wall. Almost before Diamond realized it, night time came. As Luna’s moon rose into the night sky, Tiara knew that it was time for bed. Her mother noticed this too. “Alright, Diamond Tiara, time to settle down for the night.” Spoiled Rich declared. “Ah, but Mother, I’m not tired!” Tiara protested. “Really?” Spoiled Rich asked, to which Diamond Tiara nodded eagerly. “Well, let’s do something to fix that. But first, we’d better get you into your pajamas...” “Okay,” Tiara agreed, and hopped up onto her bed. But when she checked behind her pillow, she failed to find her usual pink silk pajamas. “Mom, where did you put my pjs?!” Diamond demanded. “Your old pajamas are in the wash. But lucky for you, I have a special pair of new pajamas that I’d like you to wear for me.” Spoiled replied, holding out some evening clothes that looked like they had been made for a foal and then hastily sized up to fit a filly. The pajamas were an alternating baby blue and pink in hue, styled into a stripe pattern. Stitched all over them were pictures of cartoon ponies from fairy tales. How lovely. Diamond wanted to protest about the new pajamas, but quickly decided against it. Compared to everything else, a somewhat more foalish set of pajamas was a minor nuisance at worst. Plus, as much she didn’t like to admit it, those silk pajamas sometimes got itchy (which is she seldom wore them at sleepovers with Silver Spoon). However, what she did find to not like about these pajamas, was how bulky they felt in the rear. It seemed like they had added space for a diaper, and were designed specifically to push the legs even farther apart. “Do I really have to wear these?” she asked her mother. “At least for tonight, my darling,” Spoiled Rich replied without compromise, as she helped her daughter into her new nightwear. “After that, you don’t have to wear them anymore if you don’t want to.” Tiara pouted, as she got used to the feel of her new pair of pajamas. “I feel like I’m two years old again,” she thought unhappily “just like I’ve been feeling for a lot of the day…” “Still not tired yet?” Spoiled interrupted her daughter’s thoughts, when she saw that she was still awake. “Yup.” was all that Diamond Tiara felt like responding with. “Well, you will be in a moment or two.” Spoiled said with a sneaky grin, as she scooped Tiara up and carried her to the kitchen. Before Diamond had a chance to ask what her mother was going to do, a warm bottle of milk was pushed into her mouth. Though a bit hesitant at first, Diamond did have to admit she felt thirsty. Not having anything to drink for dinner certainly hadn’t helped. Reluctantly, Diamond Tiara concentrated hard and with a little bit of effort began to suck from the amber nipple of the bottle. In seconds, she was slurping down the milk as if there was no tomorrow. “Wow, this tastes…. surprisingly nice. Just like the baby food...” Tiara thought to herself, before she suddenly and unexpectedly let out a huge burp! Her face instantly turned the brightest shade of red possible, she couldn’t believe she’d just belched like that in front of her own mother! Much to Diamond’s surprise, Spoiled simply chuckled and said in response “My goodness, I haven’t heard a burp like that in years. Maybe now you’ll slow down, and stop gulping down that bottle so fast, I can’t just heat up another one for you this late.” Tiara slowly but surely drank down the rest of the milk from the bottle. Like a magic mixture, within seconds she started to feel really sleepy, and yawned. “Ready for beddy-byes now, my dear?” Spoiled asked, as she carried her daughter back to her bedroom. “Mm-hmm.” Diamond drowsily replied, barely able to keep her eyes open. But somehow she did, while her mother pulled back the covers of her bed, gently placed her head on the pillow, and then pulled the sheet up over her little head. Just before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, Tiara heard her mother call “Sweet dreams, my little Diamond.”, turn off the lights, and shut the door.
A Mother's 'Comfort'Author's Note Special thanks to deadpansnarker for helping me with the dialogue for this chapter and the previous chapter, as well as all future chapters. This WILL be the only messing scene in the fic, as the focus isn't on diaper useage or regression. And the next chapter will have less padded content (though there will still be some). A Mother's 'Comfort' Diamond surprisingly didn’t have any trouble falling asleep, despite everything that had happened to her in the past several hours. She didn’t wake up until the rays of Celestia’s sun poked their way through the blinds, and into her bedroom. Groaning, Tiara instinctively put a hoof to her eyes to block out the harsh glare. Was it her imagination, or did everything seem much bigger all of a sudden? “My eyes must be playing tricks on me because of the sunlight,” She thought to herself. “Whoever heard of a pony shrinking overnight?” That thought got a good laugh out of her, but the urge to laugh soon faded once Tiara’s eyes had fully adjusted to the bright sunlight. Everything was bigger, and the pink filly’s entire body seemed much smaller, almost foal sized! Something was definitely wrong! To make matters even worse, Diamond noticed that both sides of her bed had huge guard rails, essentially turning it into a crib! Heck, hanging over the spot where Diamond’s pillow rested, was a large mobile depicting stars and Luna’s moon. But what she saw next truly made her fur crawl! Directly across from her ‘crib’ was a large changing table, fully stocked with foal wipes, powder, rash cream, and of course packs of diapers. These weren’t the “Silly Filly” kind that Tiara had worn yesterday though, the diapers seemed like they were made specifically for a foal, an un-potty trained one at that! Normally, Diamond wasn’t one to panic. Even in the worst of situations, she at least tried to stay calm. It was all she could do to keep herself from going crazy, throughout the years of putting up with her mother’s constant yelling and lectures. But this was a situation where staying cool was not an option! Shrinking down to the size of a foal, and waking up to find your bedroom converted into a giant nursery was the kind of situation that would make even the most collected of ponies freak out. “Dada!” Diamond cried out, before she remembered her father was not around. Fortunately, somepony else heard her cry for help, if the turning of her bedroom doorknob was any indication. The pony that entered the room though, was the last pony Tiara wanted to see in her present diminutive state. “Good morning, my little Diamond. Did Mommy’s little princess sleep well last night? Yes she did, yes she did!” Spoiled Rich cooed in an exaggerated tone, as she bent down to her daughter’s level. “Mother! What’s wrong with me?! Why am I stuck like this?! What did you do to me?!” Tiara demanded, but all that came out of her mouth was “Mama.” followed by a series of incoherent gurgles. “Have I regressed so much that Mother can’t even understand me?” she thought, panic stricken. “Or did whatever that caused all of this also affect my ability to speak?” “I’ll bet Mommy’s special little filly wants to know how she ended up this way, and why she’s sleeping in a giant nursery?” Spoiled asked, continuing her patronizing tone while lowering the guard rails on Diamond’s ‘crib’ and scooping her up with no effort whatsoever. “Well, you have me to thank for it, darling.” Spoiled explained, dropping her exaggerated cooing voice. “I should’ve known! This whole thing was a set-up to regress me!” Tiara thought, mentally kicking herself for not realizing this sooner. Since when did her mother ever do anything without some sort of underlying motive?! Even encouraging the pink filly to run for ‘Student Pony President’ was more to further Spoiled’s own image, rather than her daughter’s. “It was so simple, really,” her mother boasted, displaying a fiendish smile. “All I had to do was put on an act of innocence and concern until Filthy left. Then, it was just a matter of keeping up the act all day long to keep you in the dark. Mommy had to pay quite a bit of money for the magic formula that she slipped into your bottle, but it was worth it. Now, you’re nothing but a helpless little foal, free for me to mold into whatever I want. I gave you too much freedom the first time I raised you, but Mommy promises she won’t make that mistake again!” “Just wait until Father finds out about this! You won’t be smiling then!” Diamond said angrily, kicking her tiny little legs in protest. But just like before, all that came out of her mouth was “Dada.” and then nothing but unintelligible gibberish. As if she knew what Tiara had said, Spoiled chuckled wickedly. “Don’t think Daddy’s going to come and save you either, like he’s always done before. I’ve bribed Randolph a year’s wages to keep Filthy in the dark, and make sure he doesn’t interfere with my plans. You shouldn’t have forced him to do all those acrobatics, as he was more than happy to oblige. I have such wonderful things in store for you...” Spoiled then placed her shrunken daughter on the padded surface of the changing table, letting her kick her legs and flail her puny hooves to her heart’s content. “This can’t be happening!” Diamond thought anxiously to herself. “Even if I’ve done some pretty horrible things in the past, I don’t deserve this! It’s like my worst fears brought to life!” Tiara’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted when her mother shoved a hot pink colored pacifier in her mouth. “This should help drain away your will to resist,” Spoiled said with a fiendish laugh. “Quite soon, you’ll be Mommy’s obedient little girl again, and there’s nothing anypony can do to stop it! You will learn how to properly behave like a rich pony, not like those low-lifes you foolishly chose to befriend. And the best part is, when this is over, Randolph and I will be the only ones who will know of your past life. We’ll make sure to keep it that way, too.” Tiara tried to spit out the pacifier, and muster up enough strength to buck her mother on the nose. Instead, she found her body disobeying what her mind wanted to do. Much to Diamond’s horror, she started to suck on the pacifier! And as she did, she could feel its magical brainwashing properties slowly working their way into her mind, erasing all but her most basic of memories! “Noooooooooo!” she screamed, only for the word to die on her tongue... Diamond’s eyes fluttered open, and she woke up in a cold sweat, panting heavily. When her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she saw that everything was back to normal. It had all been just a bad dream. “Oh thank goodness.” She thought to herself, breathing a sigh of relief. Then, suddenly, a rather foul smell reached her nostrils. “Phew,” Tiara remarked to herself. “Something really stinks in here! Randolph probably forgot to open the window again. That useless old butler...” But as Diamond moved to sit up, she felt something mushy press up against her backside. Now that she’d thought about it, the smell reminded the filly an awful lot of methane. “No, it couldn’t be! Could it?!” She thought nervously to herself, as she moved one trembling hoof to the back of her pajamas and pressed the area where her diaper was dampest. The uncomfortable sensation was felt once again, alongside a fairly audible squishing sound. To make matters worse, Diamond noticed a damp patch on the front of her diaper. It was now that she remembered… she’d forgotten her nightly trip to the toilet before bed. Whoops. Tiara couldn’t stop herself from crying, she’d had an accident in her diaper like a little foal. “But I’m a big pony,” she thought to herself in between sobs. “Big ponies don’t wet and mess themselves like a two year old. Besides, I haven’t had an accident in years!” Then her thoughts turned to her mother. “If she finds out about this, she’s sure to punish me! She’ll probably give me a good spanking! Or make me clean myself up!” She briefly considered possibly trying to sneak out of her bedroom, find Randolph, and ask him to change her, but she quickly ruled it out. “I’m not walking about in this used diaper! Mother is sure to find out if I do, and she’ll make my punishment even worse!” Diamond continued to sob, even as the door to her bedroom began to open. At this point, she didn’t really care who walked in on her like this. All she knew was that sooner or later her mother would find out, and she would be in big trouble. “Is everything alright, my little jewel?” Spoiled called softly, turning on the light. It was a rhetorical question, she could smell the source of her daughter’s distress from afar, yet strangely enough it didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would. “Why am I not flinching even the slightest at the fact that my daughter has soiled herself?” she thought. “It’s been years since she last did this, and I’m glad she stopped doing so... Dear Celestia, that smell is horrible! Good thing I know exactly what to do...” “N-no.” Tiara weakly stuttered, and that was all she could bring herself to say. She just shut her eyes, and braced herself for the inevitable lecture and declaration of punishment that was sure to come from her mother at any second. But to Diamond’s great surprise, Spoiled didn’t respond with harsh words or yelling. In fact, for a few minutes she didn’t say anything. She just approached her daughter’s bed, and carefully lowered herself down until she was at the filly’s level. “Look at me,” Spoiled said softly, but Tiara didn’t obey (she was too frightened about the possible punishments her mother was devising, and refused to open her eyes). That caused Spoiled to lose control, she never was a patient mare and waking up in the middle of night only made things worse. “Diamond Dazzle Tiara, look at me this instant!” she demanded quite sternly. With great hesitation, Diamond opened her eyes and looked at her mother. Much to her surprise, Spoiled didn’t seem to be angry or on the verge of exploding at all. For the first time in her life, Tiara could swear her mother appeared to be completely relaxed. This had to be another dream, and yet it all felt so real. “I-I had an accident in my diaper...” she slowly and nervously confessed, all the while preparing herself for what was inevitably to follow. “I noticed.” Spoiled commented bluntly, but said nothing more. “Well?” Diamond asked. “Well what?” Spoiled asked in reply. “Aren’t you going to yell at me, or punish me?” Tiara anxiously asked. “You said rich ponies don’t ‘wet the bed’ or ‘have accidents’, yet I did.” “I think sitting in your own filth is punishment enough,” Spoiled said, before she softly added. “Besides, that was mostly just something I made up so you wouldn’t get any ideas about neglecting your potty training. Everypony has accidents, dear.” “Even you?” Diamond reluctantly asked. “I don’t have to answer that question, she doesn’t need to know!” Spoiled thought to herself, but as if her mouth had a mind of its own she said. “Even me. Maybe not now, but certainly when I was growing up. It’s perfectly natural to have a little accident every now and then, especially at your age.” Tiara couldn’t help but giggle a bit at the thought of her own mother having an accident, even if she would be punished for such an action. It would be worth it. “So, would you like a change, my little Diamond?” Spoiled asked, extending a hoof to her daughter. “I doubt you want to continue to smell so bad, rich pony or not...” “I should make her clean herself up for doing this! She is far too old to be having accidents, especially ones like this!” Spoiled thought angrily to herself, but another part of her mind was thinking. “She clearly didn’t intend to do it, there’s no need to punish her further. It certainly won’t make you look good in the eyes of Filthy, if he finds out you chose to punish your daughter for something completely unintentional.” “Y...yes please. I don’t want to get a rash.” Tiara said weakly, tears still streaming down her face. “Alrighty then, let’s get you cleaned up and into a fresh diapee.” Spoiled cooed, surprised at the fact that such an infantile word had slipped out. “I’m getting too involved in this whole thing,” she thought to herself, as she lifted her daughter out of bed and carried her out of her bedroom. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to get so attached. How did my daughter manage to find a way around that?” By the time Diamond was carried into her mother’s bedroom, and carefully set down on a changing mat, she had stopped crying. A new emotion had replaced her sadness, confusion. Ever since the agreement, the filly noticed that her mother seemed to be undergoing a transformation of sorts. Prior to a few hours ago, Tiara could scarcely remember a time when her mother had genuinely smiled or shown any emotion besides anger. Yet, since being diapered, Diamond had seen her mother sincerely smile at least once. Was she imagining things, or was her mother starting to change...? Tiara had little time to think more in-depth about this strange turn of events however, as a more important matter began to unfold... Pinning a clothespin to her nose, and slipping on a pair of disposable plastic gloves, Spoiled prepared herself to change her daughter’s soiled diaper. Something she had barely done even when Tiara was a newborn. “Are you ready, dear?” she asked the filly. “I guess so...” Diamond nervously replied, mentally preparing herself for the changing process. “Alright then, here we go.” Spoiled said, as she took a deep breath and set to work. Slowly and carefully, she removed the tabs on Tiara’s diaper and let it fall from her waist. “Goodness gracious, what a horrible stench! That is not the kind of odor deserving of a rich pony, it isn’t fit for anything but the sewers where it belongs!” She then unceremoniously tossed the used item into the trash can. Then, taking out some freshly scented wet-wipes, Spoiled cleaned her daughter’s coat until there were no traces left of her ‘accident’. Lastly, after unfolding a new diaper and positioning it under her daughter’s rump, Spoiled took out a canister of foal powder. A few taps on the container caused it to deposit the contents onto Diamond’s hind quarters, then Spoiled put the wipes and the powder away to complete the diapering job. “Thanks for cleaning me up…. Mother.” Tiara replied sincerely, a spotless diaper felt surprisingly good. “I simply didn’t want such a noxious aroma to linger in my house! It is hardly even worthy of floating away in the lavatory!” Spoiled declared, as she picked up the diaper from the trash, carried it to the bathroom, and flushed its contents down the toilet. She then called for Randolph to place the offensive disposable in a bag, and run it out to the corner, while she sprayed the room with some air freshener. Once that was concluded, Spoiled finally removed the gloves and clothespin, and washed her hooves. “Well, either way, thanks.” Diamond said with a sheepish nod. “Just make sure to tell me next time you have to go,” Spoiled warned quite seriously. “There’s a reason why I had you potty trained as soon as possible. Now, let’s get you back to bed.” “There we go, all nice and snug.” Spoiled said, as she gently pulled the covers over her daughter’s head. Suddenly, something in her mind told her “Something’s missing from this scene,” and even as the other part of her brain was wondering “Why do I care if the scene is ‘complete’ or not?” Spoiled left her daughter’s bedroom, and returned with a hot pink colored pacifier. Tiara froze and shivered in fear, that pacifier was the same one from her nightmare! “Wait, Mother, don’t!” she pleaded, but it was too late. With a strangled “Eep!” the pacifier was inserted into Diamond’s mouth. “It’s just a pacifier, my little darling,” Spoiled chuckled. “It’s not going to hurt you.” “Yeah, that’s what you want me to think!” Diamond thought to herself, even though a small part of her wanted to suckle on the pacifier more than anything. "Huh? Why am I feeling this way?" she thought. “I thought pink was your favorite color? Or am I mistaken?” Spoiled asked, stroking her daughter’s back with a hoof. “It’s suppose to help you feel comforted.” “Should I really trust her on this?” Tiara nervously thought to herself. “What if she’s lying?” But eventually, the rational part of her mind won out. “There’s no such thing as mind controlling pacifiers, that was only in your head… right?”. Reluctantly, the filly started to suck on the pacifier. Sure enough, she began to feel more relaxed than she had been since waking up. Her mother had been telling the truth. Unbelievable! “There we go. I’ll bet you feel sleepy now, huh, Diamond?” Spoiled asked. “Mm-hmm.” Diamond muffled through the pacifier. Much to Tiara’s surprise, her mother kissed her on the forehead before saying “Goodnight, my little Diamond.” “Goodnight, Mommy.” The filly lisped through the pacifier, prompting her to almost spit out her pacifier in shock. “Did I actually just call her that?” she thought to herself, even as her bedroom light was flicked off and her eyes began to grow heavy. “This all feels really weird and new, and I think it’s messing with my head.” Before she once again drifted off to dreamland, Diamond made a mental note to try and visit her new friends tomorrow. Hopefully, they could help her figure out why was she feeling the way she was right now, and what she should do about it.
A Question AskedAuthor's Note Children aren't dumb, despite what some adults think. Sure, children view and percieve things differently from adults, but that doesn't mean they can't still pick up on certain social cues. Children understand children better than adults do, not that adults can't sense things that children may not notice. I will say this much, the CMC don't know the exact details of what Diamond Tiara's going through at home, but they do suspect there's more going on than what she's telling them. I also threw in a bit of foreshadowing to "On Your Marks". Since this takes place immediately after the events of "Crusaders of The Lost Mark" the first post cutie-mark meeting of the CMC hasn't happened yet, and they haven't gotten bored yet (as they admitted in "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows"). We're winding down here folks, just two chapters left to go. But don't worry, since this fic is doing well there will be a sequel sometime next Summer or Fall. A Question Asked No more nightmares plagued Diamond that night. Despite her ongoing anxiety and confusion, the filly somehow managed to fall asleep without too much trouble. Usually on weekends, Tiara enjoyed sleeping in and getting up whenever she felt like it. Today, however, was different. For the pink filly was roused from slumberland in the most unexpected way. “Wake up, my little Diamond.” Spoiled called, poking her drowsy, blanket-wrapped daughter with a single forehoof. Momentarily forgetting she had a pacifier in her mouth, Tiara mumbled through it. “Five more minutes, Mother.” “You’ve been asleep for long enough, it’s time for you to get up,” Spoiled commanded. “Or do you want to miss breakfast, because I’m not letting you raid the fridge later on!” Diamond wasn’t sleeping anymore, and she sat up in her bed to spit out the pacifier in almost ten seconds. It was now that she got a good look at her mother’s face, and was surprised to see her looking sincerely cheerful and upbeat without a hint of malice. “Just who is this pony and what has she done with my mother?” the filly thought to herself. There was no way her mother’s abrupt change in behavior was legitimate. “Good morning sleepyhead,” Spoiled greeted. “I trust you slept well after your little,” she turned and coughed into a hoof before continuing “‘accident’ last night?” Diamond nodded, as her mother bent down to her level to scoop her out of bed. “I hope you haven’t given me any more ‘surprises’, your last one was almost more than I could handle.” “Don’t worry, Mother, I’m dry.” Tiara boasted, for some reason she felt the need to be particularly proud of that fact. “Well, let me just check and make sure,” Spoiled replied, carefully pressing a hoof to the back of her daughter’s pajamas. There was a light crinkle, but no squishing sounds. “Good, all nice and clean.” Spoiled cooed, much to her daughter’s embarrassment. “Can I take off these pjs now Mother, please?” Diamond pleaded with her best pair of puppy dog eyes, as she was set down on the ground. “Of course you may, my dear,” Spoiled nodded. “Your old pajamas should be washed and clean for tonight, if you want me to fetch them for you.” “Why wouldn’t I want my old pjs back?!” Diamond thought to herself. “They may be itchy sometimes, but at least they don’t expose my diapered rear for all of Equestria to see! Not to mention how hard they make it for me to do anything but crawl!” But as she opened her mouth to announce her decision, another part of her mind protested. “All the same, I slept pretty well in them last night. With my old pjs, it usually takes a while for me to fall asleep. Then again, I haven’t exactly tried sleeping after drinking a warm bottle of milk, or sucking on a pacifier. Maybe I should do that more often?” Tiara shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. “Why am I suddenly so excited about stuff like that? I outgrew those things years ago! So why do I seem to like them so much?” “So, what’s your answer?” Spoiled asked her daughter. “If you’d rather stay in these pajamas, that’s fine by me. They’re not as expensive as those silk pajamas, and less of a pain to wash for the staff.” Reluctantly, Tiara sighed and said to her mother. “I guess these pjs aren’t so bad. But I’m only wearing them around the house, got it?!” “Of course dear, as you wish.” Spoiled nodded, and helped her daughter strip down to just her diaper. Spoiled then carefully placed the pajamas on her daughter’s bed next to the pillow. “So, what’s for breakfast?” Diamond reluctantly asked. “You’ll see in a minute,” Spoiled said with a wink. “Shall we adjourn to the dining room, my dear?” “I guess...” Diamond agreed, and followed her mother out of the bedroom. In the dining room, Tiara was seated in the same chair she’d been in last night for dinner. Just like with dinner, the first thing her mother did was tie a bib around her neck. “You did a pretty good job of not making a mess last night, but I’m not taking any chances,” Spoiled insisted, as the mini-apron was fastened. “You just sit tight, and I’ll get breakfast going.” With that, the older mare trotted to the kitchen, leaving Diamond alone with Randolph. Randolph was reclining in the chair to the left of Tiara, a newspaper in one hoof and a coffee mug in the other. But instead of reading the paper like he always did, Randolph’s attention was focused more on the diapered filly sitting next to him. “I heard your cries of distress last night, Mistress Diamond,” he informed her. “I was going to come and check on you, but Mistress Spoiled insisted that she do it instead,” he then fanned a hoof in front of his nose as he commented. “I’d almost forgotten how much of a stinky filly you used to be. I must say, I greatly admire Mistress Spoiled’s ability to endure the stench until you were cleaned.” Ignoring the veteran butler’s surprising obstinance for a moment, Tiara was amazed. “Mother was worried about me?” she asked, as if what Randolph had just said was spoken in a completely foreign language. Randolph nodded. “She couldn’t really explain it, but something maternal inside of her knew that you were in trouble and needed help. In fact, I’d say this entire ‘experiment’ as she calls it, has proven to be efficient in a way that she would never have anticipated.” Tiara was about to ask what Randolph meant by that, when her mother returned with a wooden tray. This time, resting atop it was a bowl of oatmeal with a plastic spoon next to it. “I hope you’re not going to put up a fight this time, Diamond,” Spoiled warned. “This all you’re going to get until lunch time, so I expect you to eat every last drop. Do I make myself clear?!” “Crystal.” Diamond said with a gulp, her mother was always scary when she got angry. Something which the pink filly was way too used to by now. “That’s what I like to hear. A bit of cooperation.” Spoiled grinned, sitting down next to her daughter and carefully setting the bowl of oatmeal down in front of her. “Now, here comes The Canterlot Express!” she cooed, as she dipped the plastic spoon into the oatmeal. “First aeroplanes and now The Canterlot Express? How long has it been since I’ve used such gestures, and why do I care about that fact?” Spoiled thought to herself, as she delicately deposited a spoonful of slop into the eager mouth of her hungry daughter. Despite once again being spoon-fed by her mother, breakfast wasn’t as much of an ordeal for Tiara as dinner had been. Just like before, Tiara felt incredibly full by the time breakfast was concluded, and she once again suspected her mother had secretly gone over portion with the limits that rich ponies were allowed to eat for each meal. “What would you like to do today, my little princess?” Spoiled asked her daughter, once breakfast was over. “Perhaps you would like to throw a tea party for Theodore? Or play with your rattle again? Maybe you would like to try your luck at building another alphabet block tower?” “Actually, Mother… could I go out and spend some time with my friends today?” Diamond reluctantly asked. “Although any of the things you suggested don’t sound half bad.” she thought. “Hang on… what did I just…” “Why do you want to see them so badly? It’s the weekend, and they probably have plans of their own,” Spoiled replied, feeling oddly jealous all of a sudden. “But I don’t have anywhere I need to be today.” “Well, it’s just that…. we secretly made a plan to hang out for a while today,” Diamond lied, hoping her mother wouldn’t catch on. “In fact I ‘Pinkie Promised’ them I’d show up, and you know a ‘Pinkie Promise’ is never broken.” A long and uncomfortable silence followed, as Tiara nervously waited for her mother’s response. If Spoiled said ‘no’, the pink filly wasn’t certain she would be able to find a way to sneak out without being noticed, especially while wearing a restrictive diaper. She could always try bribing Randolph, but the last time she’d attempted such a thing he’d taken the money and ratted her out anyway. At last, Spoiled cleared her throat and announced her decision. “If you really want to hang out with your friends that badly, I won’t stop you. Just make sure to be back by sundown, and wash off any dirt or tree sap you get on you before you come home. I work hard to keep this mansion nice and clean, and I’d like it to stay that way. All of those maids with soapy water and cloths can’t order themselves around, you know.” “Thanks, Mother,” Diamond replied, barely resisting the urge to give her mother a hug. There was just one more thing she knew she needed to ask before she made any plans. “Can I please go without my diaper, at least until I arrive back?” she pleaded, trying to utilize those puppy dog eyes once more. “I don’t want my friends to tease me, or for other ponies to get the wrong idea...” “Absolutely not, I deserve some vengeance for being publicly humiliated in front of the school! Perhaps going out in public with a diaper will make you realize what you put me through!” Spoiled thought angrily to herself. But when she took one look at her daughter, something inside her convinced her that revenge was not the answer, no matter how tempting it might seem. “If that is what you wish, Di-” she said sincerely, while looking down at the ground. “Oh, thank you, Momm… Mother!” Tiara interrupted, quickly correcting herself before another unfortunate slip of the tongue occurred. She proceeded to grasp the diaper’s tabs, and began to undo them. Suddenly though, she was stopped by a stern hoof from her mother. “Not so fast, you didn’t let me finish,” Spoiled continued, adopting a more serious tone this time. “Before you take off that diaper and leave, I want you to use the potty. I don’t want to hear about you having any ‘accidents’ while you’re gone. Having one with a diaper on is one thing, having one without a diaper on is another. And I don’t want passers-by to have to tolerate the same nasty odor I had to deal with last night. Our family name might get a bad reputation, and we can’t have that...” “Okay, okay, Mother. I guess I can go to the bathroom before I leave.” Tiara rolled her eyes. “Good, then I want you to go right now! And you are not to get off the potty until you’ve done your business, understand?!” Spoiled demanded. “It’s just like when she was potty training me as a foal, or at least trying to,” Diamond thought to herself, as she nodded her head in agreement. “And what does she mean, ‘potty’? She’s been using a lot of funny words since yesterday…” Tiara was visibly relieved when her mother allowed her to use the toilet all by herself, even if the older mare still insisted on waiting right outside the bathroom door. For some reason (perhaps because of her accident last night) Diamond felt quite proud of herself for doing her ‘business’ in the toilet this time around, and she was also grateful that wearing a diaper and unintentionally using it, hadn’t adversely affected her ability to control her natural bodily functions. After wiping, flushing, and washing her hooves, the filly was quick to undo the tabs holding her diaper up and let it fall to her knees. What a relief! She then unceremoniously kicked it off, tossing the absorbent (and now, strangely comfortable) undergarment onto the floor. Phew! Now, finally unpadded, the rampaging youngster charged out the front door of her home without saying a word. “Oh please let them be there, please!” Tiara thought to herself, as she raced through town at a speed that would rival Pinkie, on a non-stop journey to Sweet Apple Acres. Strangely enough, a small part of her felt exposed now that she no longer had a diaper on, but she was able to keep that bit of her psyche under wraps for now. Celestia’s sun was high in the sky by the time Diamond reached her destination. The quaint little clubhouse at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres was a welcoming sight for the troubled filly. And what luck, it was occupied! As Tiara trotted up the steps to the treehouse door, she was thinking to herself about how to best phrase the question she wanted to ask. “Should I tell them everything my mother’s been doing? What if they laugh at me, or tease me, or both?!” a part of her mind pondered. Another part thought. “But if I don’t inform them of what my mother’s been doing, how are they going to know what I should do? Even if they do laugh at me, they’ll probably only do it for a little bit. They’re not as bad as I used to be, after all,” A third part of her mind was thinking. “What if I tell them, and they don’t believe me? Or worse, decide to baby me themselves?!” She shook her head, trying to clear out all these conflicting scenarios. “Maybe I’ll just let them know in my own way, and leave out all the ‘unnecessary’ details.” With her mind made up, the filly took a deep breath, and reached a hoof out to knock on the clubhouse door. “I still can’t believe it, after all that time spent waitin’, we’ve finally got our cutie marks!” Apple Bloom beamed proudly. “They sure do look nice,” Scootaloo added, admiring her cutie mark for the umpteenth time. “I especially like the lightning bolt in my shield, it’s a nice touch.” “They are pretty cool,” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “But now that we’ve got them, what exactly are we supposed to do? I mean, can we even call ourselves ‘The Cutie Mark Crusaders’ anymore?” “Huh, I never really thought about that,” Apple Bloom realized. “I know we said Babs Seed couldn’t be a crusader after she got her cutie mark, but I never thought about what might happen to us after we got our cutie marks.” “Maybe we can still have these club meetings, but just call ourselves by a different name?” Scootaloo suggested. “I’m sure we can come up with something.” “Like what?” Sweetie Belle asked. “How about Junior Speedsters?” Scootaloo suggested. “Back when Rainbow Dash hung out with this griffon who’s name I can’t remember, she says they often called each other that.” “Isn’t that the name of a flight camp or somethin’?” Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo. “Besides, you’re the only one of us who’s a true ‘speedster’,” Sweetie Belle commented, before she quickly added. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just not mine and Apple Bloom’s thing, you know?” “Okay, okay, so maybe Junior Speedsters isn’t the best name for us now,” Scootaloo realized. “It was worth a shot though.” “How about we-” Apple Bloom began, before there came a knock on the clubhouse door. “Who’s there?” The farm filly asked. “Uh, it’s me.” a tiny voice sheepishly called from the other side of the door. “Me, who?” Sweetie Belle asked it’s owner. “It’s me, Diamond Tiara,” the voice replied. “Can I come in please? I mean, I know I’m not officially a crusader or anything, but we’re still friends now, right?” “Of course we are, there’s no need to be shy. Come on in!” Scootaloo said eagerly, moving over to the door and opening it. Sure enough, Tiara came trotting in. “Hello, Diamond,” Apple Bloom greeted cheerfully. “Nice of ya to stop by!” “I wasn’t interrupting anything important, was I?” Diamond asked. Despite having been forgiven by the three former blank flanks, she still didn’t truly feel like she was fully emersed in their group. But then, it had only been a few short days since they’d reached out to her. It was only natural that some wounds would take time to heal, especially the mental ones. “Don’t be silly, of course you weren’t,” Apple Bloom replied with a smile. “You may not be an official crusader yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t consider you an honorary one. And honorary members are always welcome.” “An honorary member? Me?!” Tiara asked, quite surprised by the statement. A single tear appeared in her eye, which she quickly wiped away. “Of course, silly,” Sweetie Belle chuckled. “Now what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at home?” “Well, that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you girls about.” Diamond said nervously. “What do you mean?” Scootaloo wondered. “Didn’t you tell your father about your mother’s behavior?” “You’re not running away from home, are you?” Sweetie Belle added, panicking slightly. “I wouldn’t stay here, it gets quite chilly at night.” “No no, it’s nothing like that. I did tell my father about how my mother was treating me and he wasn’t very happy to hear about it.” Tiara replied in a shaky voice. “What did he do?” Apple Bloom asked Diamond Tiara with concern. “Did he believe you?” “Yes, he did. And he chewed out Momm… Mother quite harshly,” Diamond told Apple Bloom, once again just catching herself before the wrong word slipped out. “But he asked me to give her a second chance, and to let her try…. ‘something’ with me this weekend.” “What kind of ‘something’? Nothing illegal, I hope.” Scootaloo asked immediately. Tiara froze, as if she hadn’t been expecting that question to be asked so fast. That was Scootaloo though, always getting to the point. Should she tell them what her mother had been doing with her? Would they even believe her? “Well, it’s…. just something I’d rather not talk about. But, it’s not illegal or dangerous, let’s leave it at that...” she said at last, hoping none of them had noticed the faint blush on her cheeks. “But if she’s supposed to be doing it this weekend, then why are you here and not at home doing it with her?” Sweetie Belle spoke up following a period of silence, her curiosity piqued. “Because, what Momm… Mother’s been doing has left me feeling a bit ‘confused’ for lack of a better term.” Diamond replied. “I see,” Apple Bloom said, in a tone which made Diamond suspect Apple Bloom knew more than she was letting on. If the farm filly felt that way, she certainly didn’t make it known as she added. “Well, why do you feel so confused? Is it somethin’ you don’t like doin’, but want to do anyway?” “Not really.” Diamond answered. “Did you agree to give your mom another chance, before she started doing all of this?” Sweetie Belle inquired. “Yup.” Diamond nodded. She wanted to say more, but the words wouldn’t come out. “So then, what’s troubling you? Your mom’s not trying to make you act like her again, is she? If she is, you can tell us,” Scootaloo insisted. “Heck, it’s fine if you’re actually running away from home because of that. We can help you.” Tiara shook her head. “Mother isn’t trying to make me act like her, in fact she seems to be undergoing something of a transformation in personality. She still does behave like she always has, but lately it seems like she’s started to change. The thing is though, I don’t know if it’s actually true or not. I want to believe it, but a part of me says it’s impossible for my mother to be somepony else after all these years.” There was a long, pregnant pause. None of the Crusaders said anything, they just huddled together in the corner as if they believed Diamond might be trying to hide something from them. She was just glad to get a break from the barrage of questions. Was it her imagination though, or were the three of them somehow able to read her mind to know what she was really thinking? Considering how strong their link was, even down to their defining cutie marks, she wouldn’t put it past them. At last, Apple Bloom broke the silence as she said to Diamond. “As long as your mother ain’t tryin’ to make you act like her, and as long as you agreed to give her a second chance, I say you should continue to go through with whatever it is she’s doin’ with you.” “That is, unless there’s something we don’t know about. We’re not trying to be nosy, we’re just concerned about you, that’s all.” Sweetie Belle added. “I-I…” Diamond began, only to stutter as the words failed to form properly. “You don’t have to tell us if you really don’t want to,” Scootaloo told Diamond, putting a friendly hoof around her neck. “We learned our lesson the hard way about invading other ponies privacy, and we’re not about to ignore that lesson. Just know that we’ll always be here if you change your mind, or if there’s something else bothering you.” After a minute’s consideration, Diamond shook her head and said. “It’s nothing, forget it. I guess you three have a point,” with a sigh she added. “I agreed to give Momm… Mother a second chance, even if it means having to put up with something a bit unusual. I’m no better than she is if I go back on my promise.” With those parting words, the pink filly trotted out the clubhouse door, down the clubhouse steps, and set off for home at a gallop. “Just what was that all about?” Sweetie Belle scratched her head in bewilderment. “I can’t help but feel like whatever Diamond Tiara’s going through at home is something she’s too embarrassed to admit to,” Scootaloo concluded. “I know how that feels. There are things I do at home I don’t think I’d ever be comfortable admitting to in front of other ponies. Even you girls.” “Anypony else find it odd how she almost kept referrin' to her mother as somethin’ else?” Apple Bloom asked her fellow crusaders. “So I wasn’t hearing things!” Scootaloo realized. “I was wondering why she kept doing that. I think I know what she wanted to say, and I can see why she wouldn’t want to say such a thing in front of a crowd.” “Do you think we made the right choice telling her to give whatever her mother’s doing with her a chance?” Sweetie Belle asked, swallowing hard. “What if we’ve accidentally made things worse instead of better?” “Somehow I doubt that very much,” Apple Bloom said with confidence. “Call it a hunch, but I get the feelin’ everythin’s goin’ to work out just fine. Now then, why don’t we head down to Sugarcube Corner for some milkshakes? You know, to congratulate ourselves on our cutie marks?” “Sounds good to me!” Sweetie Belle said cheerfully. “And me too!” Scootaloo said, her wings buzzing in excitement. “Along the way, maybe we can find a pony with a cutie mark problem,” Apple Bloom suggested, then she secretly added. “Or maybe we can make one.” “What was that you just said, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle asked, as the friends made their way outside. “Oh, nothin’, nothin’ at all.” the farm filly chuckled to herself. Her plan would not be unraveled that easily.
A Connection CreatedAuthor's Note The "Special Tea" joke comes from an optional sidequest in "Batman: Arkham City". Late into the game, if you select the appropriate quest, Batman is attacked and brainwashed by the Mad Hatter, and before you have the boss fight against him me makes that joke (he has trapped Batman in the fantasy of a tea party). I should mention that Spoiled isn't going to be completely reformed and changed for the better, simply because doing so would remove the only source of conflict in Diamond Tiara's life. But her change of heart shown here is legit. As for Filthy, rest assured that I will explain in the next and final chapter why he's back home already. And he's not going to have the typical "Angry because he disapproves of ageplay" routine, though he will still be a bit "peeved" by what he's seen. A Connection Created Even though she knew exactly what lay in store for her when she returned, Diamond didn’t try to delay her journey back home. It wasn’t like there was anything else she could do anyway, her friendship with Silver Spoon was still a little tempestuous, so the filly wasn’t about to jeopardize it with an unannounced visit. “Besides,” Tiara thought to herself. “I never told her about my mother, I doubt she ever even knew of her existence. She won’t be much help, and this is something I have to do on my own!” It was just about noon when the pink filly saw the ajar gate of her family mansion, and sure enough there was her mother standing right outside the front door, flashing that cheesy grin that Tiara was still convinced couldn’t possibly be genuine. “Is everything alright, my little Diamond?” Spoiled asked, pleasantly. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.” “Well, the meeting with my new friends didn’t last that long, because they all had to go somewhere else,” Diamond lied. “Plus, I was getting kinda hungry.” “Good thing you’ve come back then, lunch will be served shortly,” Spoiled replied, quickly escorting her daughter inside. “Please wash up and meet me in your bedroom, so we can get you diapered.” Despite the dread of wearing another one of those absorbent and poofy undergarments, Tiara nodded her head in obedience. “Alright, Mother. But could you maybe not make the diaper so tight this time?” “Certainly not, I don’t want it to fall off your little rump because I didn’t secure it properly,” Spoiled said in a sickeningly sweet tone. “We wouldn’t want you to have an accident on my nice shiny floors, would we? “Already she’s treating me like I’m two years old again,” Diamond thought unhappily to herself. “I only had that one accident, and that was just because I forgot to go to the bathroom before bed. I won’t make that mistake again.” But her urge to protest faded away when she locked eyes with her mother, somehow the stern look she saw in return drained her will to resist. Just like always... “No we wouldn’t,” the pink filly spoke up, imitating her mother a bit unconsciously. “I guess that thought never occurred to me.” “It’s not your fault, Diamond,” Spoiled replied, her daughter’s disrespect going over her head. “I’m sure you won’t have any more accidents, but Mommy can’t take any chances. Some stains are a pain to wash out for the hired help, you know.” “Curse my child and her unbearable cuteness,” Spoiled thought to herself. “Despite my best efforts to avoid it, I’ve started to grow attached to her in this current state. Perhaps I trained her too well in the art of manipulation.” The diapering process took even less time than it did before and in a matter of seconds, Spoiled had fastened a new diaper to her daughter’s hind-quarters and powdered it thoroughly. “I’m getting really good at this, and to think I once said ‘Rich ponies don’t do diapers!’.” Spoiled contemplated, as she helped her daughter to stand and led her to the dining room. Once again, Diamond had a bib forcibly tied around her neck, despite the fact that she hadn’t made a mess during either dinner or breakfast. “Perhaps if you don’t make a mess this time as well, I’ll let you eat without a bib next time,” Spoiled promised her daughter. “How does that sound, darling?” “You’ve got yourself a deal, Mother!” Diamond agreed. “This is going to be the easiest bet I’ve won since the time Silver Spoon gambled I wouldn’t become editor in chief of ‘The Foal Free Press’!” she thought to herself, with satisfaction. “Simplest one hundred bits I ever won!” Spoiled adjourned to the kitchen, and nothing more was said for the next few minutes. When she returned though, Tiara was quite surprised by what rested on the tray this time around. As opposed to foal food or oatmeal, Spoiled had made peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwiches. Four of them were resting on a plate atop the tray. Relieved to finally have some solid food that couldn’t be spoon-fed, Diamond eagerly reached out a hoof to grab the knife from the plate as soon as the tray was set down. Her mother quickly reached out a hoof in protest, chastising her gently. “Ah ah, Diamond!” she cooed. “You’re not allowed to play with knives, you could cut yourself.” “But, Mother!” Diamond pouted, petulantly. “Don’t you ‘But Mother’ me, young filly!” Spoiled scolded her moody daughter. “I know you’re hungry, but please try to remember your table manners. I will cut the sandwiches for you, then you can eat them with your hooves. Unless you’d rather I fed them to you with a plastic fork.” “No!” Tiara shouted, before realizing that she was overreacting a bit. Clearing her throat she said with noticeably more decorum. “I mean, no thank you. I can eat them by myself.” “Alright then,” Spoiled nodded her approval. “I just have one question I need to ask you.” “What might that be?” Tiara asked nervously. “Is she going to ask if I had any ‘accidents’ while I was with my friends, and that’s why I came home early?” she thought to herself. She knew that wasn’t true, but that didn’t mean her mother wouldn’t suspect such a thing had occurred. “Crusts or no crusts?” Spoiled asked her daughter, innocuously. Tiara shook her head, had she misheard? “What?” she puzzlingly asked her mother. “I said ‘Crusts or no crusts’?” Spoiled repeated her question, a bit more impatiently this time. “Oh,” Diamond replied, breathing a small sigh of relief. “No crusts, please.” she informed her mother. “Very well then, no crusts it is, dear.” Spoiled replied sweetly, before adhering to her daughter’s request and carefully sliced the sandwiches so that the crusts were removed. She then cut them up again, this time into small pieces, before offering them to her daughter. Without any further hesitation, the pink filly grabbed the slices off the plate individually one by one and stuffed them into her mouth. It was great that she was allowed to feed herself this time, unlike the last two occasions. “At least I still have some independence left.” she noted, in between bites. She’d almost forgotten how delicious peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwiches could taste. Yum! In a matter of minutes, every last crumb of the sandwiches had been devoured. This time, Diamond knew for sure that her mother had intentionally gone over the portion limits for her meal, but strangely enough she didn’t mind. “I don’t understand why I always have to have such small helpings all the time. I’ll bet even Silver Spoon gets more to eat than I do.” She thought, suddenly jealous of her friends. At least they were allowed to have proper sized meals, and receive snacks and treats on a regular basis (Spoiled never gave Diamond any treats, it was always left to Filthy to take his daughter out for ice cream or candy). Spoiled, for her part, seemed to be resisting the urge to giggle. At first, Diamond didn’t know why, but she soon realized when she got a good look at herself. The filly’s face was caked with smudges of peanut butter and zap apple jam, some of which had found their way onto her bib, which at least had done it’s job. “I’ll bet Mother knew this would happen.” Tiara seethed, only now remembering how much of a messy eater she was when it came to those sandwiches (but in her defense, they were delicious). “It’s a good thing I put that bib on you, Diamond. If that stuff had gotten all over your coat, instead of your bib, it would’ve meant a one way trip to the bathtub. It wouldn’t have been a bubble bath either,” Spoiled said, once the urge to giggle had died down. She then got up from her spot at the table, and went to fetch a rag. “Just sit tight, Mommy will be back shortly.” Indeed she was, in a matter of moments she returned and set to work on cleaning her daughter’s coat. Spoiled was quite thorough with the cloth, and within seconds she had removed every smudge of leftover sandwich filling. After washing off the plate and setting it in the dishwasher, Spoiled removed her daughter’s bib and allowed her to leave her place at the table. “Thanks for lunch Momm…. Mother,” Diamond said, despite feeling a bit unhappy that she’d lost the bet. “It was yummy!” “I’m sure it was! I only serve the best of meals for my little filly,” Spoiled replied, with some pride. “Now then, why don’t we head back to your bedroom together so you can play with your toys?” “Sounds good, I guess.” Tiara shrugged, she was still not entirely certain if she liked the idea of acting like a foal. A part of her enjoyed it, but another, more mature section of her mind was thinking. “Why do I relish the idea of wearing a diaper, playing pretend with my old teddy bear, and interacting with rattles and alphabet blocks? I should find such things far too childish for me. After all, I outgrew them years ago. So then, why am I suddenly so eager to play with them again?” She shook her head (something she’d been doing a lot of lately, her neck was beginning to get a bit stiff) to clear her thoughts. She’d agreed to go through with this, and like it or not, there was no turning back now. That’s the advice the Crusaders had given her, anyway. “What would you like to do first, my little Diamond?” Spoiled asked her daughter enthusiastically, once they had reached the pink filly’s bedroom. “I’ve got plenty of toys you can have fun with, or I can fetch some of your other stuffed animals so you and Theodore can have some company! Heck, we could even throw a tea party with Theodore, and just have it be between the three of us! Wouldn’t that be nice?” “I think I’ll try my luck with the alphabet block tower.” Diamond replied, reluctantly crawling over to them. As she did so, she could’ve sworn she heard her mother let out an audible “Aw”. When she spun around to look however, she couldn’t see any signs that this was the case. “I’m probably imagining things,” she concluded, as she quickly gathered up the various blocks and began to stack them. “Since when does my mother ever ‘Aw’ at anything? Even as a foal when I did something cute, at best she’d just said ‘That’s nice, dear.’ or at worst, just plain ignore me.” But Diamond hadn’t falsely heard things, her mother had indeed been unable to resist letting out a slight “Aw” at the precious sight that lay before her eyes. “I still can’t believe this is happening to me,” Spoiled thought to herself. “The only reason I even did this was so that I could prove to Filthy I deserved a second chance with our child. And yet, when I look at Diamond now, I can’t help but feel guilty for not letting her cherish her foalhood as much as she could’ve. I tried to make her grow up too fast, probably because I never had a proper foalhood myself.” And it was true, Spoiled’s recollections of her own past (at least prior to meeting Filthy) were not very edifying at all. Her parents had been incredibly strict and harsh, always placing incredible demands on their daughter, and constantly reminding her that they expected her to marry into a wealthy family and move into the upper echelons of society. Filthy had been the first good aspect of Spoiled’s life, having been a childhood friend of her’s during a period when most ponies refused to come near her. The few equines willing to try and befriend her had been driven off by her pomposity, but not Filthy. “You may not believe it, but I know there’s a good pony inside of you, somewhere,” he’d always told her. “Just because your parents are putting lots of pressure on you, doesn’t mean you have to always act so snooty.” Yet Spoiled hadn’t listened in the end, she’d convinced herself that the only thing that mattered was the approval of her mother and father. To that end, she had married Filthy Rich as soon as possible. That did the trick: On the day of their wedding, her parents finally told her how proud they were of her for “fulfilling her destiny". “Was I really so mad at myself and my parents, that I allowed my personality to become just like theirs?” Spoiled pondered. “Am I really only doing this to prove a point to Filthy, or am I attempting to make up for robbing my own daughter of the opportunity to experience what I never got to enjoy?” Spoiled was snapped back to reality when her daughter called out “Look, Mother! Look what I did!” Spoiled’s eyes widened, and her jaw nearly dropped open in shock! Tiara had managed to stack all of the alphabet blocks together neatly, creating a small tower. Despite leaning a bit, the construction looked quite sturdy. “That’s amazing!” Spoiled commented, with real surprise. “And you say you did this all by yourself?!” Tiara nodded with pride. “It wasn’t easy, but I finally realized what I did wrong last time. However, now that I’ve built it and shown it off to you, there’s just one more thing I have to do...” “Oh, and what would that be?” Spoiled wondered out loud. “Rawr!” Diamond bellowed in a deep voice, pretending to be a monster. “Diamond Monster smash puny tower!” Stomping her hooves and swinging her front ones as if they carried a weapon, the pink filly made short work of her creation. Alphabet blocks had one weakness in what was otherwise a good building material, they could be easily toppled over. Tiara continued to make monster noises, as she scattered the blocks all over the floor, occasionally giggling in sheer delight. “Oh no, Alphabet Block Tower has been destroyed!” Spoiled said with exaggerated worry. “Everypony run for your lives, mares, fillies and colts first!” “Rawr! Run all you like, nopony escapes Diamond Monster!” Tiara roared once again, continuing to stomp her hooves about. She kept the pretense up for a little while longer, only finally halting her “rampage” when the clock struck the hour mark. “You must be thirsty after all that playing, my little Diamond,” Spoiled said sweetly, once the clock had finished sounding. “Since it’s tea time, why don’t I have Randolph boil us a nice kettle of hot water, and we can have a tea party with Theodore?” “Really? You’d do all that for me?!” Tiara asked, perplexed. “Well it’s either that, or you can take an afternoon nap. After all, foals get cranky if they don’t take their naps.” Spoiled cooed again in that irritating voice. “But I’m not tired.” Tiara folded her hooves and pouted. “Then it’s settled, tea it is,” Spoiled replied, highly amused at her daughter’s expression. “You get Theodore and yourself ready, and I’ll have Randolph start making the tea, okay darling?” “Okay.” Diamond agreed, and waddled across the floor of her bedroom to fetch her teddy. Theodore was quite surprised when he learned about the tea party. “Are you sure your mother said I could come? I don’t really drink tea, and I didn’t think she even liked me.” he said to Diamond. “Somehow, I don’t think Momm… Mother will mind,” Diamond replied, matter-of-factly. “In fact, she’s been acting pretty weird lately, almost as if she were a different pony.” “Well she is your mother,” Theodore commented. “Mothers are always weird.” “But I’m talking really, really weird,” Tiara emphasized her point to Theodore. “So weird, I don’t think there’s a word that describes it. The worst part is, I’m actually starting to enjoy it.” “What’s so wrong about that?” Theodore asked in his usual gruff voice. “Because what if all this is all just Mother’s twisted sense of revenge? Last night, I had a nightmare in which her acting sweet and innocent was just a front to get me to lower my guard, so she could shrink me to a foal and brainwash me.” Tiara explained, with real concern. “You said it yourself though, it was a bad dream,” Theodore tried to calm Diamond. “Perhaps your mother has turned over a new leaf, and just wants to prove that to you?” “And what if she’s still the same mean old Mother, and this is all an attempt at getting back at me?” the pink coated filly asked agitatedly. “What then?” Much to her surprise, Theodore said to Tiara in reply. “She’s had plenty of occasions to get revenge on you since this whole thing started, and she hasn’t taken any of them. Even if her change in heart isn’t completely because she’s doing it for you, you shouldn’t look this gift horse in the mouth. You agreed to give her a chance, and you still have all of tomorrow to find out if she’s sincere about all of this. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like your help getting everything ready for our tea party.” Against her better judgement, Tiara conceded defeat. “I guess you’re right, Theodore. I’ll worry about Mother later, for now we have a tea party to prepare for.” Since the tea party was “fancy dress only” Tiara reluctantly put her new pair of pajamas on, even though she wasn’t planning to take a nap until after the party had run its course (at least, not until she had a chance to use the bathroom. She wasn’t about to risk having any more ‘accidents’ in her diaper). Then, she put a top hat and a tie on Theodore, making him look like a true gentlebear. When Spoiled came trotting into the room with the tea kettle and some miniature cups, Diamond had to blink and rub her eyes just to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Her mother was wearing one of the many lavish dresses she usually wore when entertaining company. It was an elegant alternating shades of white and yellow affair, complete with a small crown for the head. “Mother only wears that outfit for special occasions,” Tiara realized. “Why would she put it on for a pretend tea party?” Spoiled didn’t seem to be aware of her daughter’s confused look, as she carefully poured the tea from the kettle into the three small china cups, each with a flower pattern of blue, yellow, and pink. She then set the cups and the kettle on top of a small but solid table in a corner of the bedroom, before she sat down in the seat closest to the door. “Well, shall we start this tea party or what, darling?” Spoiled asked her willing daughter. Diamond opened her mouth to ask her mother why she was wearing such an extravagant and expensive frock, but quickly shut it. “You did say it was 'fancy dress only',” a part of her mind told her. “That may have just been the first ‘fancy dress’ she could find.” Just about resisting the urge to ask a question, Tiara sat down in the seat adjacent from her mother, while Theodore occupied the chair off to the left of Diamond, and to the right of Spoiled. “Thank you both for coming to my tea party, and remembering the dress code,” Theodore addressed his guests. “I hope you'll both enjoy the hot drinks. It’s a special tea, my speciality. Get it?” That prompted everyone at the table to have a good chuckle, much to Tiara’s shock as she couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard her mother laugh that heartily, especially at such a woeful joke. The party passed in relative silence for all three of its guests, even if Theodore preferred not to drink his beverage and simply let his guests enjoy theirs. Only the occasional comment such as “More tea, please.” was spoken, as the minutes slowly ticked by. At last, Diamond asked her mother “Can I drink Theodore’s tea for him, please? He doesn’t really like it.” “Certainly,” Spoiled nodded. “Waste not, want not. That is, if Theodore agrees.” “Oh I know he will,” Tiara beamed, but still asked anyway. “Theodore, do you mind if I have your tea?” “Go right ahead, Diamond. I don’t mind at all.” Theodore told his devoted owner. “Thanks, Theodore, you’re such a good friend!” Tiara replied excitedly, hugging him tightly, before helping herself to his tea. She downed it in the blink of an eye, reveling in the wonderful taste it left on her tongue. “Not nearly as satisfying as a bottle of milk though. Wow, I never thought I’d say… or rather, think that!” Tiara concluded. “So, did you enjoy your little tea party, Diamond?” Spoiled inquired, as she got up from her spot and began to clear the empty kettle and tea cups. “I sure did, Mommy!” Diamond said eagerly, then she gasped! How had that word managed to slip out so easily?! “Ah, I was wondering when you were going to say that again,” Spoiled replied with a knowing smile. “You didn’t really think I wouldn’t hear it the first time, even when it was muffled behind a pacifier, did you?” “Um… yes?” the pink filly hopefully said. “Incorrect answer,” Spoiled said with a fiendish smirk. “And a wrong answer demands a penalty. I’ve been waiting a long time to get my revenge for the humiliation you inflicted upon me at the school! And now I’ve finally come up with the perfect idea.” “Mother, please, don’t!” Diamond pleaded, fearing all her nightmares were about to come true. “Too late, ready or not here I come!” Spoiled grinned, as she tackled her diapered daughter, took off her pajamas, and rolled her onto her back. “Say hello to my little friend, The Tickle Monster!” Spoiled declared, before she took a deep breath and blew a raspberry onto her daughter’s exposed belly. “Stop, please!” Tiara pleaded with her mother in between fits of laughter, as she was tickled relentlessly. She kicked all four legs rapidly in a vain attempt to break free. “Oh no, I’m not about to stop now!” Spoiled replied, before she continued her barrage of tickles and the occasional raspberry. Diamond continued to laugh and kick her legs, until an all too familiar sensation struck her. “Mother, stop, I’m gonna…” she shouted, but it was too late. All of a sudden, a loud hissing noise filled the air! Spoiled finally stopped her assault, as she realized what she’d done. “Oopsie.” Was all she could say, as her daughter’s cheeks immediately flushed the brightest shade of red possible. In a matter of seconds, it was over. Diamond looked down at her diaper, not surprised to see how damp it was. The padding had acted like a sponge, readily absorbing the urine, yet it still felt very soggy. “Two accidents in less than 24 hours, I can’t believe this is happening to me,” she bemoaned. “But at least this time I didn’t mess in it as well.” She hoped she wasn’t tempting fate by thinking that. “My goodness, that tea went right through you, didn’t it? My tickles can’t have helped either...” Spoiled confessed, as she carefully stepped over to her daughter and helped her to stand. “Come on, we’d better get you changed again.” But just then, the bedroom swung open, and who should come trotting in, but Filthy Rich? “Daddy’s home!” he greeted. “So tell me, Diamond, how was your we…” The rest of his sentence was cut off forever, as he surveyed the scene that lay before him. His daughter, his pride and joy, was standing in a soaked diaper. While his wife was holding his daughter’s hoof, all the while wearing the most lavish dress in her collection. That’s not even to mention the baby toys everywhere... “Just great!” Diamond thought to herself. “Now my father’s seen me in a used diaper, surrounded by foalish things. How am I supposed to explain this to him?”
A Bond Restored?Author's Note And so it ends, I hope you've all enjoyed the ride. Like I said before, Spoiled isn't going to be completely redeemed. You'll see that more in depth in the sequel, which should come out sometime next Summer or Fall. Special thanks to Smitty91 and deadpansnarker for their help with proofreading and editing (and providing feedback in a timely manner), and Matt11 for agreeing to transfer this fic and let me rewrite it. Hope you're still in the mood for some Diamond Tiara, because I've got a fanfic starring her that I'm going to try and have out by the end of this month. But we'll see how that goes. A Bond Restored? An uncomfortable, lengthy silence fell over the Rich family household, as no-one dared utter a word. Diamond, Spoiled, and Filthy all just stood still, each waiting for somepony else to pick up the baton and speak up first. Finally, it was Spoiled who broke the silence by awkwardly trying to force a smile, as she greeted her husband. “Oh, hello dear. What an…. unexpected treat to see you back home already. I thought you had a business meeting to attend?” “The meetin’ was cancelled, my client couldn’t meet with me because he was sick with the flu,” Filthy replied, numbly. “I thought I’d surprise the two of you by comin’ home early today, and this is what my eyes see? My mansion, turned into a day nursery?!” “Father, please, this isn’t what it looks like.” Diamond promised, even though she knew that was a bare-faced lie. There was no other way to interpret the spectacle her father was seeing right now. “Diamond, do you think I’m stupid or somethin’?” Filthy asked. “You’re wearin’ a wet diaper, there’s foal toys scattered about your bedroom, and I’m pretty sure those aren’t your silk pajamas layin’ on the floor!” “But Father, you don’t understand!,” Tiara pleaded again, her hooves waving frantically in the air. “I know this looks a bit weird, but there’s a perfectly good reason for all of this.” “Was this your little plan all along?” Filthy asked Spoiled, barely suppressing his anger. “To regress our daughter to a two year old foal again behind my back?” “I just wanted to prove to you that I could be trusted with our daughter, and this was the first idea that came to mind,” Spoiled nervously replied, feeling like a bug under a microscope. “Please don’t be angry. I can explain everything, but I need to get Diamond changed before she gets a nasty rash. It won’t do her any good to stay in a wet diaper much longer.” “Randolph can change her,” Filthy flatly told Spoiled. “You’re comin’ with me to my study, you have a lot of explainin’ to do, dear!” “Dad, wait!” Tiara shouted. She wanted to race up to him to keep him from leaving, but with her wet, constrictive diaper, she didn’t dare move an inch. “Don’t worry, Diamond, you’ll get your chance to explain soon enough,” Filthy replied without looking at her, as he led his wife away. “Once I’ve heard from Spoiled, and from you, I’ll decide how I’m going to deal with this… situation. In the meantime, I’ll summon the butler to get you changed. Please make sure you’re out of that diaper by the time I call for you again.” Tiara wanted to protest, but the filly quickly realized it was futile trying to argue with her father when he was in this kind of a mood. “I don’t think his ire is entirely due to this predicament,” she pondered, as Randolph entered the bedroom. “He’s probably more upset about his meeting being cancelled, but seeing his grown-up daughter in a diaper surrounded by foal products must have been a shock to the system,” then she sighed as she optimistically thought. “I hope he’ll listen to Mother, and to me.” “Shall we get you cleaned up, Mistress Diamond?” Randolph drolly asked the filly. “Yes please, I’d rather not get a diaper rash. It would clash most terribly with my coat.” Diamond replied, and accepted Randolph’s hoof as he escorted her out of her sleeping quarters. Aside from changing out of the dress she’d worn for the tea party, Spoiled didn’t do or say anything while following her husband to his office. “Maybe I should’ve just been honest with him from the start about what I wanted to do,” she told herself. “Now, thanks to my thick headedness, I may have destroyed my only chance to reconnect with my daughter. Nice going, Spoiled.” Filthy, for his part, didn’t do very much either. He simply led his wife to his study, and then locked the door behind her once they were both inside. As usual, the only source of light in the study, came from the crackling fire in the fireplace, which Filthy poked briefly with a poker before beginning what was sure to be a lengthy tirade. “Filthy darling, I can explain, really.” Spoiled began the defence. Without glancing upwards, Filthy uttered a single world. “Sit.” he commanded. “B-but Filthy-” Spoiled stuttered. “I said sit!” Filthy interrupted, raising his voice. Reluctantly, Spoiled obeyed. She sank into one of the comfy armchairs near the fireplace, all the while nervously thinking about how she was going to explain herself. Filthy sat down in the seat across from his wife, finally noticing how tense she seemed. “Deep breaths, Filthy,” he thought to himself. “You at least have to hear your wife out. There must be a logical explanation why she went to all of this trouble.” Minutes passed without either pony saying a word, they just stared at each other as if locked into a contest to see who would blink first. The only noise came from the consistent crackling of the fire. Eventually, Spoiled broke the impasse. “Well?” she remarked expectantly. “Well what?” Filthy asked in return. “Aren’t you going to bring out those divorce papers? You said you’d do so if I gave you any reason to suspect I couldn’t be trusted.” Spoiled spoke up, trying not to cry. She was certain that if she started sobbing, her husband would see it as crocodile tears (and Spoiled unfortunately had a track record for that kind of manipulation). “Maybe, but maybe not. That all depends.” Filthy mused. “Depends on what?” Spoiled waited for him to continue. “On whether or not I think you’re tellin’ the truth about why I saw what I saw, an’ if I think you had noble intentions...” Filthy explained. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were goin’ to diaper our daughter while I was away, and treat her like a foal? I thought you were goin’ to just spend some time gettin’ to know her, and do things she wanted to do. I don’t know if I would’ve said yes had I known your real agenda!” “I’ll admit, I should’ve told you the whole truth from the beginning,” Spoiled bowed her head. “But maybe it was for the best that I didn’t, because even if you had said it was okay, I don’t think Diamond would’ve agreed. To be honest, I wouldn’t blame her, at least not anymore.” “So you would’ve tried to force the scenario onto her, even if she wasn’t fine with it?” Filthy asked, feeling his anger levels rising. “The old me probably would’ve...” Spoiled admitted. “The old you?” Filthy remarked curtly, certain he had misheard. Spoiled nodded. “Somehow, doing all of this with my daughter has transformed me. At first, I only wanted to do this to prove to you that I deserved a second chance, like our filly got with her friends. However, as time went on, and I started doing more things with Diamond, I found myself getting genuinely attached to her. I played with her, spoon-fed her, even changed her when she had an accident. It dawned on me that I never gave Diamond a chance to truly enjoy her foalhood, simply because I never had a proper one myself.” “I know that all too well,” Filthy replied with a nod of recognition. “You almost didn’t want to be friends with me simply because I was still in diapers, whereas you’d already graduated from them when we’d first met. Even at an early age, you were a bit judgemental.” “But I’m glad I learned to look past that,” Spoiled said to her husband. “I realize now that I put a lot of pressure on our little Diamond to grow up too fast. She only gets to be young once, and I shouldn’t have tried to rob her of the opportunity to enjoy that limited time. But now, I truly feel like I’ve been able to correct that mistake, and I think it’s helped me to grow closer to our daughter than I would’ve ever thought possible.” “All that, despite the fact that she’s been wearin’ and usin’ diapers?” Filthy asked skeptically. “Oh, she hasn’t been doing it intentionally, and I have no plans to un-potty train her,” Spoiled vowed. “But I think we’ve truly started to connect, and develop the mother/daughter bond I foolishly robbed us of the chance to enjoy all those years ago. You were right, Filthy. There was a good pony inside of me, it just took until now for me to realize that.” Filthy was lost in thought for a moment, as he digested all the information his wife had laid on him. For years he had failed to notice her steadily worsening behavior, until his daughter had finally worked up the courage to tell him herself. Yet now, in the span of just a day and a half (in his absence no less), she had seemingly managed to turn it all around and change for the better. But the real question was: Is it true? “One final thing,” Filthy queried. “Have you been doin’ this out in public at all?” “No, not at all, I swear,” Spoiled informed him with a solemn shake of the head. “Even if a small part of me wanted some payback for being humiliated outside the school, I never took her outside the house in her diapers, though I did make sure she used the little filly’s room before going out to visit her friends.” “I see...” Filthy replied in a tone that made Spoiled feel incredibly uneasy. She only just suppressed the urge to shiver. “Can I go now, please?” Spoiled pleaded. “I’ve made my case, haven’t I?” “Indeed you have,” Filthy noted, without emotion. “Now for your sake, you’d best hope you’ve been tellin’ me the truth. Because if I find out from Diamond that you’re still lyin’, I’m fillin’ out those divorce papers without a moment’s hesitation. Do I make myself clear?!” Spoiled gulped. “Of course, darling.” She reluctantly left the study without another word. Now it was all up to her daughter to determine her fate, and the very thought of that made Spoiled feel incredibly anxious. “What if she still hasn’t fully forgiven me for my past behavior, and tells Filthy I’m lying just to get retribution?” she thought, while chewing her hooves. She briefly considered paying her daughter a visit, and hopefully convincing her to put in a good word, but she ruled it out. “Trying to influence the outcome would only show Filthy I haven’t changed,” she realized. “It’s all up to Diamond now, and there’s nothing more I can do to change what she thinks of me.” As soon as Tiara was free of her damp plastic garment, she immediately paid a visit to the toilet. She was relieved to find that despite another accident, the control of her bodily functions hadn’t weakened. “At least Father will be glad to know about that.” she realized with some satisfaction. The pink filly then waited anxiously for her mother to emerge from Filthy’s study, because Tiara knew that would mean it was her turn to go in and speak to her father. Nearly half an hour of unadulterated tedium ticked by, before Spoiled emerged dazed from the study. “It’s all up to you now, Diamond.” was all she said, before trotting off somewhere. With great trepidation, Tiara made her way down the long hallway to her father’s study, and knocked on the door. “Come in.” Filthy called simply from the other side of the door. Slowly turning the doorknob, Tiara made her way inside the ornate room to approach her father. He was sitting in his favorite armchair, a great deal weighing heavily on his mind. The look on his face was difficult to read, but seemed to project an expression of absolute seriousness. “Father, I know you’re upset about the business meeting being cancelled, and Mother not being fully honest with you. But please, don’t be mad.” Tiara spoke up “I ain’t mad, Diamond, just frustrated,” Filthy explained, while taking in a deep breath. “Mostly, I’m just annoyed at myself for not noticin’ your mother’s behavior earlier and doin’ somethin’ about it. I had hoped the business meetin’ would take my attention away from things, and when it got cancelled, there was nothin’ to distract me from the role I felt I played, in lettin’ everythin’ get so out of control.” “But it wasn’t your fault, you had no idea!” Diamond protested. “I should’ve come to you sooner about Mother’s behavior, instead of keeping quiet.” “Well, there’s no point in arguin’ now about who’s to blame for the past. We can’t change it,” Filthy said seriously. “But what we can change, is the future. Which is why I have to ask, how do you really feel about all of this? You know, bein’ diapered and treated like a foal?” “I wish I had a straight answer for that, Father,” Tiara blushed, scratching the back of her head. “A part of me is still totally weirded out by the very thought of it, but another part of me really enjoys it. I want to believe that Momm… Mother’s change of heart is sincere, and that she truly wants to give me a second chance to enjoy my foalhood. But after everything she said and did, I don’t know if it’s possible for her to change.” “So you don’t know positively either way, huh?” Filthy seemed to sum it up. “Unfortunately, yes.” Diamond suddenly felt a little downcast. Filthy sighed, that was just going to make it harder for him to decide what his next course of action should be. He’d been counting on his daughter to tell him for sure one way or the other whether she liked being diapered and babied. But, hang on, maybe there was another question he could ask that would help him find an answer. “Your mother told me that she never took you out in public while diapered. Is that true?” he inquired, pensively. “Indeed it is,” Diamond nodded in response. “In fact, every time I expected her to do something, she always seemed to do the opposite. When I unintentionally burped in front of her, I thought she’d be mad, but she simply laughed it off. When I had an accident, I thought she’d punish me, but she comforted me instead and then cleaned me up. Lastly, when I wanted to go out and spend time with my friends, I thought she’d say no, but she agreed and allowed me to roam about without a diaper.” “Then what exactly did I see when I came home?” Filthy wanted further clarification. “Apparently Mother’s idea of ‘revenge’ was to tickle-torture me,” Tiara explained, with a little smile. “Because we’d been having a fake tea party with my stuffed bear Theodore, she accidentally made me wet myself. In fact, the only reason I had my first accident, was because I forgot to go to the bathroom before bed.” She blushed a bit, embarrassed to admit such a thing at her age. “Ah, now I understand,” Filthy felt everything start to fall into place. “Thank you for clearin’ that up for me, Diamond. Are you absolutely sure you don’t have a straight answer either way for how you feel about this ‘treatment’?” “Not really, though I suppose I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of it continuing. Just a little, anyway.” Tiara admitted. “Very well then. Please go and fetch your mother, I’ve reached a decision.” Filthy informed his daughter. “What is it?” Diamond asked nervously. The tension was beginning to affect her. “You’ll see soon enough, now please do as I’ve said.” Filthy instructed. Spoiled was quite surprised when she was notified that her husband wanted to see her alone back in his study. “You wanted to talk to me again?” she asked, crossing her hooves at the outcome. “I did, I’ve made up my mind about what to do next,” Filthy declared. “I have decided that… you can continue this ‘treatment’ of Diamond Tiara’s, if she so wishes.” “Really?!” Spoiled couldn’t believe her ears. “Oh thank you, Filthy darling!” she exclaimed with unbridled joy, happily embracing her husband in a hug while dancing around the room with him. “With a few minor conditions…”Filthy spoke up, interrupting the impromptu jig. “I trust you won’t find them too unreasonable?” “What are they?” Spoiled asked, as she tried to contain her excitement. “The first is that you never take our daughter out in public at any point while she’s diapered,” Filthy said seriously. “I don’t want ponies gettin’ the impression that she’s incontinent, or even worse... .” “That’s fair enough, I wasn’t going to take Diamond out in public while diapered anyway. I’d rather ponies not be repulsed by her stench should she should have another ‘accident’. When it happened while you were away, it reminded me of the time the drains were blocked.” Spoiled fanned her nose to emphasize the point. “The second, is that you are not to embark on this ‘treatment’ while we have guests, unless I say otherwise,” Filthy continued. “If it’s just one of her classmates and they promise not to spread rumors, that’s fine. Just to be on the safe side though, run all potential ‘visitors’ by me before you decide whether or not Diamond can be babied around them. The third and most important rule now: If Diamond tells she wants to halt the ‘treatment’ you stop it immediately! If you break any of these rules, I won’t hesitate to divorce you, do I make myself clear?!” “Yes, Filthy, I understand completely.” Spoiled confirmed with a slight nod . “Good. Now, inform Diamond of our terms, and then get her diapered,” Filthy instructed. “I’d like to see just how cute she looks with her padded behind.” “Well, he certainly seems to be getting into the spirit of things quickly enough…” Spoiled observed, as she left the office, before stopping for a brief second of thought. “Almost, I would say, disturbingly so…” That night, Spoiled was waiting outside the bathroom for her daughter to finish up her nightly visit to the toilet. Quite soon after, Spoiled’s ears picked up the telltale flushing sound. “Are you done now, my little Diamond?” she called lovingly. “Yes, Mother. I’ll be out shortly.” Diamond affectionately responded, and indeed she was. Once Tiara had exited the bathroom, Spoiled scooped her up and carried her to her bedroom. In a matter of minutes, she had diapered the filly, and slipped her into her pajamas. “Goodnight, my little Diamond.” Spoiled cooed with adoration, as she kissed her diapered daughter on the forehead, after tucking her comfortably into bed. “Goodnight, Mommy.” Diamond called in reply, just before drifting off. Despite her daughters’ voice being muffled behind the pacifier, Spoiled heard what she’d said clear as day, and just smiled. “We’ll worry about fixing her table manners and practicing her keys on the piano tomorrow,” Spoiled told herself, as she turned off the light and closed the door. “Then maybe if she behaves, I’ll fix her something special for lunch.”
A Liar ExposedAuthor's Note (WARNING!: Make no mistake, this IS an AB/DL fanfic and as such it WILL have content that some viewers may find disturbing. If you are uncomfortable with any aspect of AB/DL please click elsewhere and do not continue reading! For those who choose to stay, expect to see the following: Diapers - Medium Diaper Useage (Wetting) - Light Diaper Useage (Messing) - Medium Ageplay - Medium) This first chapter may seem tame to a lot of you, but rest assured the next chapter or two will be more heavily AB/DL themed. In case those of you who first favorited this story in 2015 and didn't see the blog post, the original author (Matt11) gave me permission to take over this fanfic. As I've said before, it's hard to truly write Spoiled Rich as a character because of how she is, and I know she's probably going to seem OOC to some of you. But it's hard to write Spoiled Rich in character to begin with, because she's basically a "hate sink", a character without any redeemable qualities. Special thanks to Smitty91 for agreeing to proofread on such short notice. The second chapter will hopefully come out in early July, at which point I will take this fic off hiatus. But for now, I have another fanfic I want to focus on. A Liar Exposed Diamond Tiara could hardly believe just how much her life had changed in the past 24 hours. She’d gone from losing the election for Student President, losing her only friend, and getting yelled at by her mother for the umpteenth time, to finally understanding the meaning of her cutie mark with the help of her new friends. Thanks to The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Diamond Tiara was able to finally stand up to her mother after all the years of abuse she’d suffered through, and even patch things up with Silver Spoon. Now, Diamond Tiara was enjoying the cute-ceañera for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Sugarcube Corner was bustling with ponies big and small alike, some eager to see the crusaders new cutie marks and some simply interested in chatting with friends or playing party games. Not since her own cute-ceañera had Diamond Tiara felt so happy about her life. Unfortunately, Diamond Tiara’s happy mood faded when the party was over. That meant it was time to go home. Diamond Tiara had not seen her mother, Spoiled Rich, since she’d told her off and sent her to deliver the request for the new playground equipment. “She’s probably already at home, thinking about how to punish me for standing up to her,” she thought unhappily to herself, her head dropping down low. “Maybe I should just not bother coming home and run away?” But Diamond Tiara shook her head, running away from her problems wouldn’t solve anything, her mother would surely come looking for her eventually. Far better to go home and face whatever punishment was coming to her, rather than run away and make it ten times worse. “Hey, Diamond Tiara! Wait up!” a trio of voices called out. Diamond Tiara turned to look, and saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo come rushing out the front door of Sugarcube Corner. In seconds, they had caught up to her and were walking alongside her. “We were wondering if, we could walk home with you?” Apple Bloom asked. “You know, so you don’t have to face your mother all on your own.” “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think it will help,” Diamond Tiara replied glumly. “Even if she’s not home when I get home, she’s sure to come home eventually. I just don’t know what to do about her. I mean, what if she locks me up in my room and forces me to act like her? I don’t want to end up like she did!” “Doesn’t your dad know about what your mom’s been doing?” Sweetie Belle asked Diamond Tiara. Diamond Tiara shook her head. “I’ve never told him, he’d never believe me anyway. He’s always so busy with business meetings or business deals that he almost never bothers to say much to me.” “But he clearly loves you very much,” Scootaloo replied. “I mean, everypony in class saw how you had him wrapped around your little hoof, when you brought him in for Family Appreciation Day. I know if my mom was trying to make me do things I didn’t want to do, I’d tell my dad right away. If he really loves you as much as he seemed to do when he came to our school, I’m sure he’ll listen to what you have to say.” Diamond Tiara realized that Scootaloo was right, and slowly lifted her head up a little. But there was still one question that she needed answered, before she made up her mind. “Do you think he’ll believe me? I mean, what if Mother’s already gotten to him?” “You just have to try, Applejack always says honesty is the best policy!” Apple Bloom said seriously. “And if your dad doesn’t believe you, I’m pretty sure he’ll believe one of his business partners.” “Thanks, girls,” Diamond Tiara said with a smile, hugging each of them tightly. “Even with Silver Spoon I’d never dream of talking about my home life, you truly are the best friends I could ask for,” But she’d only trotted a few steps, before she turned around and added. “I know this doesn’t make up for it, but I’m sorry for the way I treated you all. I just wanted to say that while I still had the chance.” “Good luck!” Apple Bloom called, as Diamond Tiara set off for home. “Feel free to stop by our clubhouse if you want to talk us!” Sweetie Belle added. “We’ll always be here for you.” Celestia’s sun was beginning to set by the time Diamond Tiara arrived home, and she breathed a much needed sigh of relief with she saw that her mother wasn’t waiting for her. “At least now I may have a chance.” she thought to herself. “Good evening, Mistress Diamond Tiara,” Randolph greeted. “It is lovely to see you looking cheerful again.” “Thanks, Randolph,” Diamond Tiara replied, then she asked. “Is Father home?” “Indeed, he is in his study. But I’m afraid he’s in the middle of signing some important business documents, and he told me that he doesn’t want to be disturbed.” Randolph told Diamond Tiara. “But I need to see him, it’s urgent!” Diamond Tiara pleaded, shooting Randolph her best pair of puppy dog eyes. “Please, just this once?!” Despite his many years of service to Diamond Tiara and her family, Randolph could never resist Diamond Tiara’s puppy dog eyes. “Oh, very well. Right this way, Mistress Diamond.” Randolph replied, as he led Diamond Tiara inside and straight to the door of her father’s study, then he knocked on the study door. “Who is it?” Filthy Rich called. Randolph cleared his throat and announced. “Excuse me, Master Rich, your daughter wishes to speak to you on a matter she says is most urgent.” “I thought I told you to tell her I didn’t want to be disturbed?” Filthy Rich called in reply. “Please forgive me, sir, she appealed to my one weakness,” Randolph apologized. “You may hold it against me however you like, but I suggest you hear her out.” “That won’t be necessary, Randolph,” Filthy Rich replied. “She may come in. If she says it’s urgent it probably is.” And he proceeded to unlock the study door. The door turned with a faint creaking sound, and Diamond Tiara nervously swallowed a lump in her throat. This was it, the moment of truth! She carefully trotted through the open door, into her father’s study. Filthy Rich was seated at an oak wood desk, the study fireplace illuminating the room and providing a powerful source of natural light. Rising from his desk chair, Filthy Rich trotted over to his favorite sofa chair and sank into it. Now, he and his precious little princess were face to face. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Diamond Tiara?” he asked. “I’m not mad, but I’ve told you before that I don’t like bein’ disturbed when I’m workin’.” Diamond Tiara felt ready to break into a cold sweat, as she looked at her father. One way or another, there was no turning back. “Well, Father,” she began nervously. “It’s about….. Mother.” “What about her?” Filthy Rich asked, the most puzzled look forming on his face. “I understand her position on the school board is suddenly in jeopardy, but when I asked she refused to say why.” Diamond Tiara opened her mouth to speak, but for what seemed like minutes nothing would come out. She knew what she needed to say, and she knew that this might be her only chance to tell her father, but she couldn’t get the words to leave her tongue. At last, just when it seemed like she was going to remain silent for good, she confessed. “Mother has been treating me horribly for years! She’s been telling me what to do, what to say, and who to hang out with! She’s wanted nothing but perfection from me, and anytime I failed she has always berated me and chewed me out even when I did my best! Just recently, she forced me to run for Student Pony President, so that she could put a statue of me in the school yard instead of fixing up the playground! And when I lost, she called my opponent a ‘Transplant from Trottingham’! Then, the next day, out of spite she refused to let the winner of the election use the school board’s funds to pay for a new playground, and called my friends ‘Confused, insignificant lowlifes’ just because they didn’t have their cutie marks!” By this point, tears were forming in Diamond Tiara’s eyes, as she added. “I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but I hate her! She doesn’t deserve to be my mother! She’s never treated me with the love I deserve, she’s tired to raise me to be just like her! But I don’t want to be like her, I want to be myself! I want a real mother, one that’ll actually treat me right!” Filthy Rich’s mouth dropped open in shock at what he’d heard! Had he really been so caught up in his work, that he failed to notice his wife treating their daughter so horribly?! Spoiled Rich had always claimed she was simply working to build Diamond’s character, was that what she believed or just a lie she’d been telling to keep Filthy in the dark?! “Spoiled is going to have a lot to answer for when she gets home!” he thought to himself. Then, he bent down to Diamond Tiara’s level and kindly said to her. “I’m glad that you told me this, Diamond. I only wish you had come to me sooner. Rest assured, I will have a stern talk with your mother when she comes home tonight.” “You mean, you believe me? Just like that?” Diamond Tiara asked. “As much as I don’t want to believe it, my fatherly instincts tell me that what you say is true,” Filthy Rich replied, as he gently stroked his sobbing daughter’s back. “I’m sorry I wasn’t aware of this for all these years. No matter what happens, can you forgive your old stallion for being so blind?” “Of course, Daddy.” Diamond Tiara nodded. It was dark by the time Spoiled Rich returned home. She was still in a very bad mood about today, and it showed in her face which remained in a harsh scowl and a disapproving glare. “The nerve of Diamond Tiara to say no to me like that!” she thought to herself. “She is going to grow up to be the future owner of ‘Barnyard Bargains’, what’s so wrong with expecting her to have more class? ‘Barnyard Bargains’ is ripe for expansion, and the nobles of Canterlot will judge whoever owns it very harshly. I’m simply preparing Diamond Tiara for the struggles she will face in her adult life.” Yet, as she entered the Tiara family household, Spoiled’s thoughts began to shift to something she had never really considered. “So why does it bother me so much that she stood up to me?” she thought. “Why do I care if she wishes to flush her life down the toilet? Heck, if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have been toilet trained so fast.” But that line of thought led itself to a whole bunch of memories from when Diamond Tiara was just a foal. Almost from day one, Filthy Rich had fawned over his “Precious Little Princess” as he often called her, whereas Spoiled Rich had been rather distant. Oh sure, she still did what was required of any mother: nursing, changing diapers, you name it. Yet, not once during that time had Diamond Tiara ever called her “Mommy”, even though she called Filthy Rich “Daddy” on nearly every occasion. “Why do I care so much that Diamond Tiara never called me ‘Mommy’?” Spoiled Rich thought to herself. “And why do I feel so guilty about not spending more time with her when she was a foal?” It was those thoughts which would continue to lurk in the forefront of Spoiled’s mind, as she was surprised to find her husband waiting for her with a look of anger that Spoiled had never seen on him before. “Oh, hello dear,” Spoiled greeted in the most pleasant tone she could manage. “I thought you would be working in your study, why are you out here?” Filthy Rich glared at his wife, and in a tone that seemed to indicate just how close he was to losing his cool he said to her. “Diamond Tiara told me how you’ve been treatin’ her all these years. Don’t you realize this kind of behavior could’ve gotten us sued?!” “What are you talking about? Diamond Tiara’s making up stories to make me look bad!” Spoiled Rich protested. “Whatever she told you, it’s not true!” “Don’t bother tryin’ to lie to me, it won’t work!” Filthy Rich protested, shutting down Spoiled Rich’s line of argument. “Diamond seemed pretty upset by the time she was done talkin’ to me about your behavior, and I could sense that her tears were genuine, ‘cause I’ve had plenty of experience with the times when she’s cried about somethin’ that wasn’t an issue. What do you have to say for yourself?!” “But Filthy, darling, I only wanted what was best for her,” Spoiled Rich nervously replied. “If I could put up with all kinds of harsh demands from my parents at Diamond Tiara’s age, I see no reason why she can’t do the same. You don’t get ahead in life by being nice. A rich pony like her should be more aware of her social standing, and be on the lookout for any way to improve it.” “I don’t care if that’s how you were raised!” Filthy Rich said angrily. “Didn’t it ever occur to you that you were puttin’ too much pressure on our daughter?! I know that one day she’ll probably take over the family business, but nopony will want to come to Barnyard Bargains if the owner is as nasty as you are! What you’ve been doin’ is wrong! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just divorce you and take Diamond Tiara with me?!” “Please, Filthy, give me another chance!” Spoiled pleaded. “And why should I?!” Filthy demanded. “After all the years of torment and sufferin’ you’ve inflicted on our daughter, why should I give you a second chance?! For all I know you’ll just go right back to makin’ her life miserable! She told me how happy she was to finally be freed from your influence, and how it helped her turn over a new leaf at school. You expect me to let you take all of that away?!” “I just want a chance to make things right, to prove that I can be a good mother,” Spoiled insisted. “Just give me a chance to try something, and if it doesn’t work then you can divorce me and take Diamond Tiara away.” Filthy wasn’t sure he should trust Spoiled, but deep down he wanted to believe that beneath his wife’s stern and harsh exterior lay a pony that was capable of good. “You want me to believe that you’re sorry?” he asked Spoiled. “Prove it! I will be gone this weekend for an important business meetin’. You can use that weekend to try whatever it is you have in mind, but don’t think you can fool me, I will have Randolph stay behind to keep an eye on you. Give me any reason to believe that you’re lyin’, and I’ll fill out the divorce papers the instant I return! Do I make myself clear?!” “Crystal.” Spoiled gulped. “Very well then,” Filthy reluctantly nodded. “I hope you won’t make me regret this, for my sake and for Diamond Tiara’s sake.” While Spoiled Rich left to go pick up the “supplies” she would need for the weekend, Filthy Rich trotted to Diamond Tiara’s room and informed her of his decision. “Your mother and I have come to an agreement,” he explained to her. “This weekend, while I’m gone, she’ll be tryin’ something that she thinks will help her to become the mother you deserve. Randolph is stayin’ behind to keep an eye on her, and he’ll send me a report about whatever your mother tries to do. If she gives me any reason to believe she’s not sincere about this second chance, I’ll file for divorce when I come back.” “You really think she can be trusted?” Diamond Tiara asked nervously. “I don’t know,” Filthy Rich replied. “But everypony deserves a second chance. Whatever your mother does, as long as she doesn’t try to force you to be like her, I want you to give it an honest chance. Okay?” “Okay, Dad.” Diamond Tiara reluctantly agreed. When Friday afternoon came, and school had let out for the day, Diamond Tiara felt incredibly nervous as she made her way home. “A weekend with my mother in which she gets to try something she won’t even tell me about,” she thought to herself, shuddering at the possibilities. “What could possibly go wrong?” she thought sarcastically. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as Diamond Tiara reluctantly trotted through the front door of the Tiara family mansion. Sure enough, there was her mother, standing there with a most unusual look. Diamond Tiara was used to see her mom scowl or look unhappy, so the fact that her mother was smiling only made Diamond feel even more uncomfortable than she already was. "I know you’re nervous, Diamond Tiara,” Spoiled Rich said to her daughter, in a tone that sounded surprisingly sweet and without any hint of malice. “But I truly do want for us to have a better mother/daughter relationship, and I think this might help us.” “What do you have in mind?” Diamond Tiara reluctantly asked. “Follow me to your bedroom, and you’ll see.” Spoiled Rich explained. Reluctantly, Diamond Tiara did as was asked of her. She only stopped when her mother stopped, which was right outside Diamond Tiara’s bedroom door. “Are you ready for your surprise, my little Diamond?” Spoiled Rich asked. When Diamond Tiara reluctantly nodded, Spoiled Rich took that as a sign to proceed. Grasping the doorknob and turning it, Spoiled Rich slowly opened the bedroom door. What Diamond Tiara saw when the door was open, nearly made her eyes pop out from widening in surprise! Laying at the foot of her bed, was a large, white, and incredibly thick diaper! Resting next to the bed was an opened box of diapers labeled “Silly Filly”, as well as a pack of wet wipes, a canister of foal powder, and a tube of rash cream! “Is this my surprise?” Diamond Tiara asked, nervously backing away. Spoiled Rich nodded. “But, why do you want me to put that on?! What’s it’s going to prove?!” Diamond Tiara asked, her heart beating a mile a minute. “When you were a foal, I never truly took care of you like I should have,” Spoiled Rich explained. “Heck, the day you were old enough to begin potty training, I stripped you of your diapers, marched you to the bathroom, and made you sit on the potty until you did your business. I realize now that I should’ve treated you with the love and care a mother is supposed to provide, and since I can’t regress you to a foal, this was the next best thing. I don’t expect you to act completely like a baby though.” “No way! I’m not wearing that… that… that... thing!” Diamond Tiara protested, and tried to run away. Unfortunately, Spoiled Rich blocked her path. “Please, Diamond, just give it a chance,” Spoiled Rich pleaded. “If you’re really uncomfortable about this, we can stop doing it after today. But at least for the next few hours, can’t you at least give it a shot? I won’t try to force you to do anything if you really don’t want to.” “Well…. I did promise Father I’d give whatever you had in mind an honest chance, though I wish I hadn’t said that,” Diamond Tiara reluctantly replied, as she trotted over to her bed and laid down on it. “If you really want to diaper me and have me act like a baby, I guess I can play along a little. But I’m not going to sit in a high chair, talk like a baby, or use my diaper!” “Fair enough,” Spoiled agreed. “Now hold still please.” It had been years since she’d last had to diaper her daughter. Diamond Tiara sighed, took a deep breath, and gazed up at her bedroom ceiling as her mother pulled the diaper up between her legs and taped it shut. Soon, Diamond Tiara’s nostrils were hit with the scent of foal powder, as her mother worked some in. Surprisingly, Diamond found the scent of foal powder to be rather soothing. “There, all done.” Spoiled said at last, and allowed Diamond Tiara to hop down. Diamond Tiara was surprised at just how thick the diaper was, and how much it weighed. Walking was going to be rather difficult. “So, what do you want me to do?” she asked her mother, “Whatever you feel like doing, Diamond.” Spoiled replied.
