Tender Love and Hauntings
The Perfect Nightmare Night Costume
Derpy tugged at her mailbag, frowning as she still felt weight left in it. She peered inside, seeing one last package awaiting delivery.
She sighed, looking up at the town of Ponyville before her. Ponies were already out and about in costume, even though the sun hadn’t even gone down yet. Vamponies and ghosts and timber wolves and manticores all prowled the streets, ready for the inevitable sugar rush to come. Houses were decked out in decorations like fake cobwebs, orange lights and jack-o-lanterns. Games were being set up in the town square like bobbing for apples and toss the spider while inside homes bowls of candy were being filled with all kinds of treats
Chatter from around the town hit her ears as a chilly breeze nipped at her fur. The sun was just beginning to dip from the sky, signifying that Princess Celestia was ending the day just a little bit earlier than usual. The moon was actually already visible, jutting from the horizon just a tad as it refused to wait any longer, a testament to Princess Luna’s excitement.
All in preparation for Nightmare Night.
And Derpy was stuck working.
Granted, she was almost done for the day, but that was a small consolation. She’d been so busy lately that she’d completely blanked on getting a Nightmare Night costume, and Derpy refused to dress up as a paper bag monster for the second year in a row. The problem was that once the sun went down the festivities would begin, so Derpy needed a costume within the next hour.
“Just one more delivery,” she mumbled picking up the package and reading the address. Strangely enough, it was for the town outskirts, but Derpy was pretty sure there wasn’t anything out there, or at least, nothing much.
Double checking to make sure she hadn’t read it wrong, she shrugged and started flying.
Her wings flapped rapidly as she struggled to get there at a good time, all the while thinking of what she could do for last minute costume.
“No way Rarity can make me something on such short notice. Maybe she has something pre-made though?” Derpy could only hope. If not, she might have to get a bunch of toilet paper and pretend to be a mummy or something.
The edge of town came up rather quickly. Derpy started scanning for a building immediately. She was right by the Everfree Forest, but not even close to Fluttershy’s cottage; that was on the complete other side of town. Here was a spot that was just isolated and alone. In fact, there really should be nothing here.
But surprisingly, Derpy saw a building.
There it was, plain as day. A single story cottage in a traditional Ponyville-ish style, though the windows were more narrow than what one would expect for an average home, and it had a large set of double doors at the front.
Derpy flew down and landed at the doorstep, noticing a small sign near the door.
“Tender Love’s AFDL Store?” Derpy read, tilting her head. “What’s an… ahfdull?”
The light from the setting sun reflected off the narrow windows, causing Derpy to squint as she remembered her mission. Forgetting this apparent store’s odd name, she called out. “Hello? Ms. Tender Love? Your package is here!”
No answer. Derpy felt another chilly breeze brush past, tickling her ankles. She waited just a little bit longer before giving the door a knock. “Ms. Tender Love?”
As her hoof hit the hard oak, Derpy felt it give way. It creaked open, opening up to reveal a poorly lit interior. Derpy blinked in surprise; the door hadn’t looked ajar when she'd knocked…
“Ms. Tender Love? I have a package for you.” Though she wasn’t invited, Derpy took a step inside, trying to see if the pony she was looking for was here.
No such luck. No lights were on, giving Derpy very little to go off of. It seemed that the store opened up into what looked like several aisles of supplies, but what they were was a mystery. Derpy squinted to try and see, but couldn’t make anything out other than the vaguest of outlines. Turning her head, she saw a counter off the the side with a cash register. She trotted over to it, but saw nopony.
“Hmph…” Derpy didn’t have a lot of time to waste. If Tender Love was out preparing for Nightmare Night, then why wait around?
Reaching into her mailbag, Derpy withdrew the package. It was rather slim and light, making her a little curious as to what was inside. Something to do with ahfdull maybe?
Either way, she should just leave it here. Except…
Derpy saw on the front of the package there was a slip of yellow paper with a dotted line at the bottom. She nearly groaned.
“Great, I need a signature? Who knows how long until Tender Love gets back? Ugh!” She tossed the box on the counter in annoyance.
As soon as it thunked onto the counter, the flaps popped open. Derpy blinked in surprise before squinting her criss-crossed eyes at it. “That’s… weird.” The tapes had seemed secure when she was holding it. ...Maybe whoever had packaged the thing had done a poor job and she just hadn’t noticed.
Since she was doomed to wait for a while, Derpy figured she might as well satiate her earlier curiosity and see what was in the package. Granted, she wasn’t supposed to look at other’s mail, but she was bound to accidentally glance at it sooner or later now that it was open. Why wait.
Lifting the cardboard flaps back, Derpy saw the contents. It was… large… and white… and plastic?
Derpy looked over the item that dominated the inside of the box. It was a real oddity. She wasn’t sure she knew what it was to be honest. Raising her hoof, she gave it a hesitant poke.
Her hoof sank into the item, eliciting a crinkle as the plastic compressed. It was soft, liking padding on a--
“A diaper?” Derpy took a step back, confused.
That thing definitely looked like a diaper, but it couldn’t possibly be. It was massive, as if made for an adult pony. But that was just absurd. Who would want a diaper that big?
Derpy shook her head in confusion. It was weird, but was it the weirdest thing she’d ever delivered? Probably not. She’d just not mention her opinion on it when Tender Love showed up.
If she showed up.
Derpy glanced out the window, watching the sun drip lower toward the horizon. The radiant colors of sunset already painted the sky, signifying Nightmare Night would start soon.
Her eyes drifted a little to the side and caught sight of a light switch. She pinched her lips together. Well, if I’m going to be waiting for a while, might as well be able to see. She flipped it, and the store illuminated that instant.
Derpy winced at the sudden onslaught of light and blinked, stepping away from the switch. She turned away from the wall and finally got her first real look at the store, only to be weirded out again.
The entire place was pink. Like, sickeningly pink. The walls were bathed in the color, save a little white lace trim that decorated the edges. The wooden floor was mostly covered by a fuzzy pink rug that spanned underneath the aisles which were…
“Uh…”
The aisles of the store were by far the weirdest part. From her vantage point in the corner, she couldn’t see everything, but what she did see was just plain odd. Packages of diapers, each bearing the label ‘adult’, lined one row of shelves. They ranged in style, color, and design too, each aiming to be as filly-ish as possible. Some were pink, some were frilly, some had hearts and sparkle designs on them, some were all three.
The next row over was more obscured, but from what Derpy could see it looked like there was a plethora of foalish accessories. Pacifiers, bibs, rattles… and all of them also sized up so that a grown-up could use them.
The last aisle was coupled with the back wall, with hooks and racks sticking out from it, each holding dresses and other cutesy outfits. And yes, they too seemed to be big enough for adults.
Derpy took a step back, bumping into the counter and knocking the package onto the ground, the diaper spilling onto the floor. “What—”
“Hello little one. Hello and welcome to Nana Tender’s adult foal store. A place where you can be you, but even cuter!”
Derpy flinched at the sudden voice. It sounded like it was coming from all over the store, like an intercom of some kind. But it didn’t sound like an intercom…
“M-Ms. Tender Love?” she called out. “Are you here?”
“Oh little one, you can just call me Nana. Or better yet, Mommy, if you weally wanna.”
A chilly breeze brushed across the back of Derpy’s neck, sending a tingle racing along her spine. She didn’t like the sound of that one bit. Forget the signature, she was getting out of this creepy place!
Derpy bolted for the door, wings spread and ready to fly. She leapt toward the door, escape within reach--
SLAM!
The door whirled shut, and Derpy went face first into the solid oak.
“Owie…” she mumbled when she got up, rubbing her nose.
“Aww, did my little cutie pie hurt her snouty-wouty?”
Derpy shivered at the sound of the voice. It was so… condescendingly motherly. It was as if she was a foal being talked down to. “I-I’m fine. Just gotta…” She didn’t finish that sentence, instead her hooves going for the door knob.
click.
She heard it lock before she even grabbed it, but still jostled the knob anyway. It didn’t turn. It barely even shook.
Derpy gritted her teeth and strangled the door knob hoping to break the lock.
“Now now, sweetie. Don’t fuss. Would you like me to kiss your booboo?”
Biting her lip, Derpy backed away from the door and then charged, slamming her shoulder into it. There was a shudder upon impact, a slight one.
Derpy grunted in pain, her shoulder stinging worse than her snout. She backed away and rubbed it.
“Oh sweetie, you should be more careful.”
“Stop that!” Derpy called out. “Just… just open the door! I wanna go!”
The lights snapped off. There was no warning, no gradual dimming. Just one second they were on and the next… darkness.
Derpy ‘eeped’ in surprise.
“You aren’t going anywhere.” The voice was much colder now, not motherly at all.
Derpy took a step away from the door. Her wings retracted and her ears folded down. “Uh… p-please let me go. I-It’s Nightmare Night and I don’t even have a costume yet, s-so…”
No response. The mystery voice’s silence was almost as spooky as when it was talking.
“I-If you want to sign for your package you can,” Derpy mumbled backing away. “I’m sorry I looked at it.” Her heart was beating fast and her spine shivered with fright. She steered herself so she could reverse back into the corner and see the whole store, hoping to find the source of the scary voice.
Suddenly, her hoof stepped onto cardboard and slid. The surprise of accidentally stepping in the box cause Derpy to whirl around and slip. Luckily, her bottom landed on something soft and cushy, and not the hard floor.
Wait… soft and cushy?
Derpy frowned. “Are you kidding me?”
“So eager for a changie? Alright, sweetie.” The motherly tone was back in the mystery voice’s… voice.
Derpy started to get up, but suddenly felt like she was being pushed back. Her back gently laid against the floor without her consent and she felt her legs rise into the air. Panicking, Derpy kicked, but it felt like they were being held in place.
Looking up, Derpy saw the diaper shifting and folding around her waist. She struggled in vain, the soft padding wrapping around her pelvis, sealing her privates in a sea of plush. The tapes of the diaper pressed down, trapping her in the garment.
Face flushing, Derpy continued trying to struggle, but to absolutely no avail. Once her legs were lowered and the weight on her chest lifted, she sat up and attacked the diaper for all she was worth. She was not going to be caught dead wearing this!
Her hooves ripped at the tapes, tugged at the waistline, and attempted to tear the diaper. But it didn’t matter. Nothing she tried worked; the diaper stayed firm, snug, around her waist. She couldn’t get it to budge an inch.
Standing, Derpy tried shaking the diaper off. It didn’t matter how much her butt wiggled either, the diaper stayed put.
“D’aww, aren’t you just a cutie-patootie.”
Derpy flinched as she felt like her cheek was suddenly being pinched. The sensation only lasted a second, but it rattled her.
She waddled away from that corner of the room, causing the diaper around her waist to crinkle wildly. It spread her gait so far apart that just trying to walk forced her to have to squeeze it with her legs. Eventually she stopped when she was in line with the second aisle, whirling around and trying to see if anypony, or anything, was there in the darkness.
Her breathing was short and rapid. A cold sweat had broken out on the back of her neck.
“Since you were such a good foal during your changie, I don’t see the harm in staying up a little late tonight to go trick-or-treating.”
“What?” Derpy asked. “A-Are you letting me go?”
“Yes, silly filly. We can go. Don’t worry about your costume; I’ll take care of it.”
Derpy blinked. “W-What?”
The voice didn’t respond. Instead, Derpy caught something out of the corner of her eye. On one of the shelves next to her, a pacifier was floating up and towards her.
Ears flopping down again, she retreated a few steps. Never before would she think she’d be afraid of a pacifier, but these weren’t everyday circumstances.
“First, let’s make sure you don’t get too cranky-wanky.”
“S-Stay bac—Mmph!” The pacifier whipped into her mouth, cutting her off. The soft, rubber bulb rested on her tongue a moment, before Derpy flinched and spat it out. Or rather, she tried to.
The pacifier stayed in her mouth, as if the guard was affixed to her lip with super glue. Derpy brought up her hooves to yank it out, but no matter how hard she tugged it stayed put. When she set her hooves back down, her lips began suckling all on their own.
“Mrrph!” Derpy exclaimed. She didn’t want to suckle it at all! What was happening?
“Good girl,” the voice of Tender Love said. “Now, I have the most adorable outfit for you to wear.”
Derpy mumbled into her pacifier as she continued to suckle against her will. Things were getting very bad!
There has to be a way out of this, right? She thought. Derpy looked all around the store. The sun had gone down fully now, so she couldn't see anything. The front door she knew wouldn’t work at this point. The windows? No, much too narrow. Was there a back door?
She looked and squinted, but saw none. Suddenly, her vision became obstructed again when something new levitated into view.
A cutesy princess outfit, complete with frills, lace, puffy sleeves, and short skirt, was waiting for her. Four silky socks, a tiara, and a plastic fairy wand also floated into view nearby.
Derpy backed up. “Mm mmm… Mmmph mrrph mrr!”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. You’ll look positively adorable in this.”
Desperate, Derpy attempted to waddle away. Her diaper crinkled and squished as she tried to quicken her pace, and she darted a fair way down the aisle before seeing the back wall.
It was lined with strollers, baby bouncers, cribs, and more. But no matter how hard Derpy looked, there wasn’t a door or a wide enough window to be seen.
Suddenly she went completely blind. She flinched, her head surrounded by something soft as it slid down on top of her. Fabric was being pulled over her head, the dress no doubt.
Derpy struggled and screamed into her pacifier as she continued to suckle, but the dress made its way onto her body without much effort.
The comfortable silky feeling of it was impossible to deny. If Derpy hadn’t been panicking so much right now, she might’ve found some enjoyment in the way the dress hugged her body, even if it pinned her wings to her side. She felt the tiara nestle on top of her mane as soon as her head popped out of the dress.
Her legs fought the sleeves for a second longer, but lost the battle in the end. The socks snaked their way up her legs a mere moment later.
Derpy looked back at herself, frowning as she continued to suckle. The prissy princess outfit was as humiliating as the diaper! What’s worse, the skirt of the dress was so short that it left her padded rear completely exposed. It called more attention to the fact that she was in a diaper, not less!
I am not going out like this! Derpy started waddling again, hooves slipping in the socks.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. Nana Tender’s got you.”
There was a rustling noise, and Derpy looked back to see one of the strollers had broken free from the rack in the back and was wheeling towards her.
Derpy’s eyes widened in fear and she waddled double-time. About two steps later, the stroller booped her in the rear, knocking her back so she fell right into the seat.
Her bottom sank into the diaper’s padding just as the diaper sank into the seat. Derpy was about to stand up, but suddenly the strollers fasteners zipped around and clicked in place over her waist.
She struggled, trying to jump out. Each time the stroller’s seat belt caught her and jerked her back into place. The fairy wand floated forward and landed in one Derpy’s waiting hooves. She tried to shake it free, but found it too was stuck to her sock.
Derpy sniffled, suckling on the pacifier like before, but this time out of pure fear.
Suddenly, the stroller jerked around, putting Derpy face to face with sompony. Except, she might not have been a pony. She hovered off the ground, her hind legs gone in place of an ethereal tale, and their whole body was see-through. Her face was warm and caring, a light blue coat over pretty features, her brown mane covering one of her eyes, but that wasn’t making her any less scary.
Derpy squeaked, realizing she was in the presence of an honest to goodness ghost! Her fear rattled her to the core and she lost control of her bladder. A warm, steady stream of urine escaped her, hissing into the waiting diaper. It crinkled as it swelled, staining yellow.
Derpy was too scared to be ashamed of peeing herself. She just sat still in shock as the last of it dribbled out of her. Her diaper made no fuss about soaking it all up, even as it swelled to accommodate her accident.
The ghost tilted its head, tsking at her sopping diaper. “Wet already, sweetheart? And we just got ready to go.” It spoke with Tender Love’s voice...
Derpy whimpered into her pacifier.
Tender Love shook her head, as if she expected this to happen. “Well, you’ll be fine for a little while like that. You’re so excited for Nightmare Night I bet you didn’t even notice. Come on, we have to try and hit every house in town, don’t we?”
The stroller zipped back around, pointing toward the exit. Tender Love hummed a happy little tune as she rolled Derpy forward, the doors parting to let them out.
Derpy whined as they oriented themselves toward Ponyville. The scariest night of her life was also about to become her most embarrassing. As she shifted in her squishy diaper, the warm and damp pee clinging to both the padding and her fur, she just silently begged that somepony would help her out after they finished laughing at her. For the first time in her life, she didn’t want to partake in Nightmare Night.
But at least she had a costume...
Author's Note
Something small I've had tucked away for years now. I would've published this on Halloween, but I've already got something else planned for then. Since I didn't want to hold onto this one any longer, or double dip on the 31st, I figured now is as good a time as any to post it. Hope you enjoyed!
