“That was amazing!” Apple Bloom leapt into the air, charged with so much enthusiasm that she couldn’t stay still. “Countess C-- Ah mean, Rara sings even better without all those fancy effects!”
“I know.” Applejack smiled as the crowd around them dispersed.
Rara’s show had finally ended, after three audience-demanded encores. Now waves of ponies were finally leaving in one massive swarm. With all the multi-colored heads and manes passing by her vision, Applejack could hardly see the stage anymore. Standing on her tippy-hooves, she caught a glimpse of Rara heading backstage.
“Hey, Apple Bloom, why don’tcha go catch up with yer friends. Ah’m gonna go let Rara know how great she did.”
“Okay, sure!” Still in a tizzy from her excitement, it appeared Apple Bloom hadn’t even considered to ask if she could join her big sis backstage.
That was probably for the best though. Applejack hadn’t gotten a chance to be alone with her childhood friend all that much. Sure, there had been the pep talk she’d given before Rara went onstage, but that was hardly enough for them to really catch up. Now that all the festivities were dying down, they would have plenty of time to chat.
As her sister vanished into the sea of ponies around them, Applejack started working her way to behind the stage. She pushed past the mass exodus of ponies, their idle chatter of how amazing that concert had been hitting her ears.
Towards the edge of the stage, the crowd had thinned out enough for Applejack to move without being crammed like apples in a crate. The stage’s curtains were well within view, letting her know that she’d reached the edge of the stage. She continued to maneuver around the outside to see the back end of the grassy field the stage had been set up in. Not too far from the rear end of the the curtains was a modest size trailer with Rara’s cutie mark painted on the side.
“Bingo.” Applejack trotted over a smile on her face. As she approached, she saw a burly looking stallion standing guard at the door to the trailer; one of Rara’s bodyguards, no doubt.
He raised an eyebrow as she approached. “Can I help you?” he asked in a gruff voice.
Applejack cleared her throat. “Uh, hi. Ah was just wonderin’ if Ah could pop in n’ say hi to Rara. We’re really good friends and--”
“Applejack, right?” The guard asked, cutting her off. She blinked in surprise and nodded. The guard smiled. “Yeah, Rara told us about you.”
“Really?” Applejack couldn’t resist the tugging she felt at the corners of her mouth. “Cool. Ya wouldn’t mind if Ah went in then, do ya?”
The smile on his face faltered and he shook his head. “Sorry, but Rara’s worn out from the concert. She asked to not be disturbed by anypony.”
“Oh.” Applejack didn’t even try to mask her disappointment. Though, it was very understandable. With all the stress leading up to the concert, followed by just how long it ended up going, she couldn’t blame Rara for wanting to get some sleep in. It was just unfortunate.
The stallion gave her a slightly pitying smile. “Sorry again, she--”
“Nah, it’s alright. Ah understand.” Applejack returned his smile with one more genuine. “Ah can just catch her tomorrow before she hits the road again.”
Just then, the sound of frantic hoofsteps hit both their ears. A new stallion, also a bodyguard if his muscle alone was anything to go by, burst into view from the other side of the stage.
“Hey, we got Svengallop causing a scene over by the concession stand. Can I get a little help?”
“Coming!” The guard in front of Applejack gave her a brief nod of goodbye before he galloped away to help deal with Rara’s ex-manager.
Applejack watched them disappear around the corner of the stage before turning back to the door to the trailer. Realizing she was alone, Applejack figured if she wanted she could still get in and say hi to her friend.
She bit the inside of her cheek in thought. Surely Rara wasn’t asleep yet, so what was the harm of her stopping by? The guard would never know, and as long as she didn’t keep Rara up too long there’d be no harm done.
Just to be on the safe side, she gently tapped the metal door of the trailer twice. There wasn’t a response, but to be fair that may just be because of how soft her knocks were.
Deciding it might just be better to go in and surprise her friend, Applejack turned the handle and let the door slowly swing open.
As she stepped inside, Applejack drank in the scenery around her. She’d never been in a pop star’s trailer before, so she hadn’t been sure what to expect.
Though, even with Svengallop’s over indulgence, Rara had apparently kept her trailer relatively modest. There was a nice, carpeted floor. A desk and lamp rested to one side with dozen of paper scraps strewn across it and across the floor; probably unfinished songs that Rara had been working on.
There were some windows, but the curtains were drawn shut. Between them on the back wall there was a vanity, with a mirror that reflected back Applejack standing in the door way. As she looked to the left, Applejack saw a mini fridge resting in the corner, a dresser on the other, and in between them was a couch.
And on the couch, Rara. Eyes closed.
And on Rara, a diaper.
Applejack did a double take, almost backing up completely. She blinked a few times, and pinched her foreleg to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating or anything.
Nope.
Rara was definitely, really, wearing a diaper. From this angle, it was splayed out, clear as day. Massively poofy to the point where it spread her legs apart, with Rara’s cutie mark even printed on the crotch. Though the back was mostly hidden, Applejack could see purple frills poking over the top.
And that wasn’t all.
She was lying on her side, facing Applejack. Her chest was obscured thanks to the pillow she was snuggling and her cheek nestled it, but her mouth was perfectly visible. In it, bobbing up and down in rhythm with her lips, was a purple pacifier.
Eyelids pinching upwards, Applejack realized she was intruding on a very, very private moment. But even so, she couldn’t stop herself from speaking out of pure surprise. “Rara?”
Her friend’s eyes bolted open, a clear indication that she’d been awake. She saw Applejack, and her pupils shrank. Rara clutch the pillow she was cuddling tightly, and pressed it down to cover her diaper.
“App’ajack! Wha--” Rara flinched as she suddenly realized the pacifier was still in her mouth. She spat it out, grabbed it, and hid it underneath her pillow.
Too bad it was too late.
“Applejack, w-what are you doing here?” Rara’s voice cracked.
“Ah…” Applejack shook her head to get past the shock. “Ah just wanted to tell ya that ya did a great job tonight. Ah didn’t mean to… intrude.”
Rara pressed her lips together. Even at this distance, Applejack could see tears welling up in her eyes. It was clear that she never wanted anypony to know about… whatever this was. To have Applejack walk in on her when she was so vulnerable clearly wasn’t something she'd wanted.
“Uh… I-I…” Rara sniffled.
“Hey.” Applejack walked towards her, letting the door swing closed behind her.
Rara just tightened her grip on the pillow, pushing her face into it to muffle her first sob.
“Rara.” Applejack reached her friend, bending over and putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder. She had to make her feel better anyway she could; this was her fault after all.
There was a sniffle. “I… I never wanted you to see this. I never wanted anypony to--”
“Ah know.” Applejack rubbed her shoulder. “Ah shouldn’t’ve barged in like this. Ah’m sorry.”
When it became apparent to Rara that Applejack wasn’t going to mock or berate her for wearing a diaper, she slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were already tinted red and she whimpered when she saw Applejack.
“It’s okay, Rara,” she said. “Really. It’s okay.”
Rara just sniffled again. “Y-You must think I’m so weird, huh?”
“No,” Applejack said, perhaps too quickly. “No, Ah’ve seen much weirder stuff, believe me. This was just a mite unexpected is all.”
Rara gave a short snort. “Sure you have. What’s weirder than a grown mare wearing a d-d-diaper?”
“Uh, have ya met Discord?” Applejack asked.
There was a pause as Rara took that into consideration. “Yeah, okay. I’ll give you that one. But still I--”
“Aw, don’t beat yerself up, Sugarcube. Sure it’s unconventional, but like Ah said, I’ve seen weirder. Really, it's okay.”
Rara sniffled again. “I just… I just needed a way to relax. After my shows, I mean. I can get so stressed that I… I need something to make me feel better.” She squeezed her pillow, lips twitching before she cried again. Applejack patted her shoulder, letting her friend get it all out of her system before continuing.
Rara curled up, her diaper crinkling in response. She sniffled into her pillow a little more, but eventually calmed down enough for them to keep talking.
“So wearin’ a diaper helps ya relax?” Applejack asked.
Rara gave a soft nod. "It's... it's just so comfortable. A-And it makes me feel... I don't know. I guess I just feel happier with it on. Like I can pretend to be like I was when we were kids. Before all the lights, shows, stupid managers..."
Applejack nodded, understanding what she meant. Her hoof drifted down and pushed the pillow down a bit, revealing her pacifier. “This helps too, A’m guessin’.”
Rara shuddered with embarrassment, so Applejack gave her a hug. “Now don’t go doin’ that. Ah already said Ah don’t mind.”
“B-But I’m not supposed to do stuff like this!” Rara exclaimed. “I’m supposed to be a big pop star. Not some… stupid filly.”
“Hey,” Applejack released the hug for a moment and met her friend’s eyes. “Ya’re just a pony. And ya deserve to be happy, Rara. Ya’ve got nothing to be ashamed about to me; Ah’m yer friend.”
Rara sniffled. “O-Okay.”
Applejack put her hoof over Rara’s slowly guiding it up to her mouth. She let the pacifier slide passed her lips, still trembling a little bit.
Applejack watched as this one action changed Rara’s demeanor, if only suddenly. Her tension faded as she let herself relax more, confident that nothing bad was going to happen. Once Rara started suckling again, her sniffling lessened too.
“There ya go.” Applejack turned to see that the pillow was still covering Rara’s diaper. She nudged it free from her friend’s grasp and let it fall to the ground. The padding engulfing Rara’s waist was exposed yet again. Her friend gasped at little at the suddenness of it, but calmed down with a few more suckles.
Applejack grinned. “Ya know, Ah can see why ya like this stuff. Ya look mighty cute with it on.”
Rara blushed a little, her eyes darting around the room before finally settling in to match Applejack’s gaze. “Tank woo…” she whispered through her pacifier.
Applejack wrapped her into a bear hug, which Rara gratefully returned. “No problem. After all, what’re friends for?”
