Zipp and the Case of the Brighthose Baby: Part 2 - Mystery Solved?
Now that Sunny thought about it more, she had probably stayed in diapers longer than most foals. Her dad didn't seem to mind, he seemed content to let her grow up at her own pace. So that's what her dad did. He let her go about potty training at her own pace: If she wanted to be in a diaper she could be, he bought her diapers so she can be happy but also telling her to take it slow and enjoy life as it is.
So with her dad being supportive, Sunny had started wearing diapers from time to time, being careful of course when she was around friends, and taking it slow. She’d also keep her changing supplies in the bathroom as a way to escape a bad situation if it comes to a must change emergency.
Now, with Sunny’s dad having passed on, and working at her smoothie cart, she’d been working so much every day that she yearned for a more carefree time. So it was that she’d come back to the Brighthouse yesterday, relaxing after a long, hard day. She remembered that she was alone for the whole night: Izzy was in Bridlewood for a festival, Pipp was with Queen Haven for three days, and Zipp was doing some investigative work with Hitch.
Satisfied with this knowledge, Sunny got up from the couch, heading up to her secret room in the Brighthouse to find her diaper stash. She proceeded to get diapered for the night, have a little fun with her toy blocks and other toys her father had gotten her when she was a little filly. She played through the whole night ‘til she was about to go to bed. As she did so, the last meal she’d eaten came back and knowing how she was alone for the whole night she simply used her diaper, and was so tired she didn't take it off before going to bed. She always made sure to use plenty of powder so she wouldn’t get a rash.
While Sunny was asleep, Zipp came back to the Brighthouse early, noticing the place was quiet. But for some reason a bad smell was lingering. It wasn't old trash, the trash had been taken out two nights ago, Zipp had specifically seen to it (since it was her turn to do so). Something was up, but she couldn't think of what it was.
Zipp immediately flew up to the bedrooms, preparing to ask Sunny if she knew anything about the smell. Then she saw Sunny sleeping, but her eyes thought they noticed a lump of sort underneath the bed sheets.
Then Zipp remembered what Izzy had said about how Sunny liked to sleep with the lantern, and thought nothing of it. “Best not to wake Sunny. If she’s sleeping like this, the smell obviously isn’t bad enough to bother her.” She thought. Still, the smell was a mystery that needed to be solved. So Zipp quietly grabbed her detective gear and started searching the whole Bighthouse from top to bottom to find out where this smell was coming from.
Zipp searched all night, trying to find the source of the smell, but to no avail as the source eluded her. She checked everywhere: The fridge, the trash can outside, and even in the food cellar, but she couldn't find the smell.
Now it was getting to be morning, and still Zipp had no leads on the smell. The only place she hadn’t looked yet was in the bathroom: That meant it had to be where the smell was coming from. So the pegasus detective went to look there, pushing open the door only to find the bathroom unoccupied. It was clean, no smell. Frustrated, Zipp groaned and left the bathroom just as Sunny was coming down the hallway.
Sunny was most surprised when she got near the bathroom, and saw Zipp coming out with her detective gear on. She did her best not to look suspicious as she waddled along, trying to keep her backside hidden from view. “Oh, morning, Zipp. When did you get here, and what brings you here today in your detective gear.”
Zipp just replied. “I came here last night after helping Hitch. And when I did, I noticed a smelly smell. It didn't smell like moldy food or the trash wasn't taken out, it was a smell like a foal or filly would make,” She sighed. “I investigated the whole area and found nothing.”
Sunny sheepishly answered. “W-well, I’m sure you’ll get to the bottom of it eventually.” And she hastily zipped into the bathroom, shutting (but not locking) the door behind her.
Suddenly, it dawned on Zipp. There was the smell again. Pushing the bathroom door open to confirm her suspicions, she quickly spotted none other than Sunny in an obviously used diaper! Once the shock had worn off, the pegasus detective saw fit to ask. “Uh, Sunny, why are you in a diaper?” Her eyes began to notice a very telling detail about the padding. “And, is that lump in there because you…” She coughed into a hoof. “You know?”
That's when Sunny knew she’d been caught! Still, she tried to play it off, hoping that maybe she could convince Zipp that she wasn’t really seeing what she was seeing. “Oh, this… uh… it's just… uh…” Her words failed her as she backed away slowly, thinking in her mind. “Oh crud! How do I get out of this?! I should probably tell her… but, I don't want her to be upset or see me as a freak! I need to tell her something, though.”
Then, suddenly, an idea came into Sunny’s head as she swore she could hear her father’s voice telling her. “Just be honest with your friends, Sunny. They will support you.”
So with a sigh, Sunny confessed. “Okay, you caught me, Zipp. It’s a lump, it’s what you think it is, cause I’m an adult foal. I like to wear diapers to relax and unwind after a long day. In fact, it’s more than just diapers. I like to play with toys and other stuff I did as a little filly, and enjoy the night ‘til bedtime,” Then she blushed. “As for the smell, well…. I had to go, so I did, knowing that our friends were away. And then I just forgot to change before I went to bed. I didn't think you’d be back so soon, I thought you’d be back late in the morning so I could change, get rid of this diaper and air out the lighthouse before anyone would notice.”
Then, in spite of the courage she’d just shown in confessing, Sunny began to cry and whimper in front of Zipp. “Please don't hate me! I’ve never told anypony about this! Not even Hitch! He used to tease me about staying in diapers after he and Sprout were potty trained. My dad didn’t have me fully potty trained until I was five, and even after that he’d still sometimes let me wear diapers if I promised to change myself.”
Luckily for Sunny, all Zipp did was comfort the padded mare by draping a wing over her, fully embracing her big sister self. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I don't hate you for what you are or what you do. I’m your friend, and friends will always be there for each other. I’m sure the others will understand. You could just say you have a stress reliever and go from there, and be honest,” Then, as she was reminded of what had led her to her discovery, she asked. “So uh, do you have any extra diapers? ‘Cause that diaper is really getting smelly.” And she put her hooves over her nose.
Sunny’s blush deepened. “Oh, right. I only came in here to flush the evidence and wipe up a little,” She confessed as her eyes turned to the bulge in the back of her diaper. “Obviously, if I left dirty diapers lying around, it’d be pretty hard to keep it a secret,” She then insisted to Zipp. “Please… uh, follow me. I have a secret spot for all my stuff, but I want you to promise not to tell anypony right now. I don't feel like it's the right time to do it.”
Zipp gave a salute and nodded. “I don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. It’s like I told you in Zephyr Heights, I can be pretty sneaky when I want to be. So I know a thing or two about keeping secrets.” Then she followed Sunny as the earth pony led Zipp to her secret spot, tucked away into a corner near the lift that led up to the crystals.
“Okay, here it is.” Sunny said, as she put her hoof against a hidden switch. There was a click, and a wall lifted to reveal all of her diapers, changing supplies and toys she’d saved from her foalhood.
Zipp gasped! “You have all of this?! My mother got rid of all my filly toys cause I'm a princess now and cant have such toys,” She then grumbled. “But Pipp got to keep hers for some reason,” She quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, can you change yourself or…” She blushed, looking at Sunny’s stinky bottom. “Do you want help with… that?”
All Sunny could say was. “You can help me if you want. It’s kind of hard to do it myself.” And her blush grew so big it enveloped her entire face.
Zipp and the Case of the Brighthouse Baby: Part 3 - Big Baby Sunny
Zipp sighed, then took a deep breath as she prepared herself both physically and mentally for the task she was about to undertake: Changing Sunny’s diaper. It was probably like changing a foal, albeit a really big one. Still, hopefully that meant Sunny would cooperate more than an actual foal would.
Sunny, meanwhile, grabbed a changing pad a bright hue of green. Clumsily, she unfolded it and then sat down, wincing a bit at the squishing sensation coming from underneath her. She hadn’t minded it so much last night due to being so tired, but now that she was awake and alert it really didn’t feel good. Usually, when changing herself, she’d do it standing up specifically so as to avoid that sensation.
But Sunny had to remember this situation was out of her control, it was up to Zipp to do what she thought was best.
Zipp steadied herself, then held her breath as she prepared to take her plunge into the unknown. She carefully undid the tabs on Sunny’s diaper and opened it, and had to rapidly flap her wings to fan away the smell! “My hoofness, Sunny, what did you eat last night?!”
Sunny sheepishly apologized. “Sorry, Zipp. I didn’t think it would smell nearly that bad.”
“It’s alright,” Zipp reluctantly replied. “You really shouldn’t be sitting in such a foul smelling thing for so long anyway, you could get a rash.” She set the dirty diaper aside for disposal later, and went about changing the adult foal as best she could. Taking some wet wipes, she went back and forth several times as she slowly removed all traces of the mess from Sunny’s rump and flanks. Then she tossed the wipes into the opened diaper, before grabbing a canister of cornstarch foal powder and sprinkling a generous helping onto Sunny.
Sunny sneezed as she inhaled the sweet scent. It brought back memories of the times her dad used to change her diaper, before he’d eventually taught her how to do it herself. It really made her feel little, which is what she really wanted most out of this.
Zipp then opened up a tube of rash cream, and worked it into Sunny’s freshly powdered plot. “Just in case. If you got a rash, I don’t know how we’d ever explain that to the others,” Then, she unfolded a new diaper from a nearby box, and slowly slid it under Sunny, before she proceeded to fasten the tabs and helped her charge to stand.
Sunny inhaled again, delighting in the infantile scent wafting from her fresh and spotless diaper. “Thanks, Zipp,” She said to the pegasus. “You’re surprisingly good at diaper changing.”
The pegasus mare confessed. “Well, I did sometimes have to change Pipp’s diapers growing up when Mom was busy,” She fanned a hoof across her nose as she spoke in only a slightly exaggerated tone of voice. “Trust me, your dirty diaper is nothing compared to Pipp’s. She was an absolute stinker, not that it ever seemed to bother our mom.”
Sunny giggled a bit, something told her that Pipp wouldn’t be caught dead ever confessing to such things. Then again, everypony had to be a foal at some point in their lives, so it really shouldn’t have been surprising to her that Pipp was once a foal too.
Sunny then turned her attention to her old, dirty diaper and the used wet wipes inside of it. “I’ll just… take care of the evidence.” She told Zipp.
But before Sunny could take a single step, Zipp flew in front of the padded mare and protested. “You let me worry about that, Sunny. You’re just a foal now, foals can’t take care of themselves. You have me to do things like that.”
The padded earth pony sighed, but reluctantly agreed. “Oh, okay. Just make sure you’re extra careful disposing of it. I really don’t need anypony else finding out about this.”
Zipp patted Sunny on the head, reassuring her in a sweet and gentle tone of voice. “It’s alright, Sunny. I’m here for you now. I promise, I won’t let your secret be exposed,” She quickly flew downstairs to retrieve a trash bag from the kitchen. Then she flew back up, holding the bag as she slid the dirty diaper and the used wet wipes into it, before sealing it tight. “Now, just sit tight. I’ll be back shortly.” And she went to take the trash bag out back, hiding it amongst the others so nopony would ever know it was there.
Meanwhile, Sunny plopped on her padded plot, delighting in how the excess foal powder spilled out from the leg holes. There was just one thing she needed to complete her foalish look. She waddled over to the hidden wall and grabbed a baby blue pacifier, promptly popping it into her mouth to suckle on. With every suckle, she felt her worries slowly but surely melt away, replaced by a childish innocence. Her secret was safe.
Zipp was as good as her word. In only a few minutes, she had disposed of the old diaper in a way where nopony would ever know about it. And after washing her hooves in the bathroom, she came back upstairs to check on Sunny. She smiled and awwed when she saw the big foal suckling on her pacifier, laying on her back with her hooves dangling freely in the air. Zipp wouldn’t lie, Sunny looked so cute.
When Sunny’s eyes met Zipp’s, she sat up very slowly and took the pacifier out of her mouth. “You hid it well, right?” She asked as her worries started to return.
“Sunny,” The pegasus pony protested. “You need to trust me. I’ve hidden the diaper with the rest of the trash, it’s in the same bag as all the others. We’re the only ponies who will know. And from now on, you can just ask me for help with taking care of the evidence. That way you won’t have to risk getting caught again.”
Sunny sighed as her blush returned. “I know, I know. I can’t help worrying, though. Guess it’s part of being a foal, I’m afraid of being caught. I just know Pipp and Hitch would tease me about it. Izzy… well, maybe she would understand, but she’d also probably be really bad at keeping it a secret. If anypony had to find out my secret, Zipp, I’m glad it was you.”
Zipp smiled brightly. “Don’t mention it, Sunny. That’s what friends are for,” Then she asked. “So, I just changed your diaper. What should we do next?”
As if to answer that question, the two ponies in the Brighthouse heard an audible gurgle. Zipp didn’t need to be a detective to know what that sound meant. “Guess maybe we should have breakfast.”
Sunny nodded. “Yeah. After all, I’m a growing pony, so I need my nutrition,” She smiled and licked her lips. “A pancake breakfast sounds really good. How about you, Zipp?”
Zipp nodded back. “Pancakes are fine with me,” Then she instructed to Sunny. “You just let me take care of the cooking, alright? What kind of foalsitter would I be if I let my foal touch a hot stove?”
The padded earth pony giggled. How silly of her not to think of that. After all, if she wasn’t big enough to make it to the bathroom in time, she certainly wasn’t big enough to do any sort of cooking (especially not the kind that involved working with a hot stove).
Zipp then instructed to her charge. “Just sit tight, Sunny. You’ll be safe up here in case anypony does come by unexpectedly. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come down for breakfast.” And with that, she flew back down to the kitchen, ready to start a pancake breakfast for herself and her big foal.
Sunny was now alone again, which was fine since it meant she had the entire upper floor of the Brighthouse all to herself. This would give her the time she needed to do something she had only occasionally been able to indulge in before: She’d held onto her old toys for a reason, after all.
Popping the pacifier back into her mouth, the padded earth pony waddled along towards the secret wall. Then she grabbed several well worn foal toys: An old rattle of which the paint had faded, some foam blocks with the letters of the alphabet emblazoned upon them in large lettering, and of course those ancient pony figurines depicting Princess Twilight and her friends. All of them reminded her of a much simpler time, a time with no big pony worries at all.
As Sunny started to play by stacking the alphabet blocks to resemble a city (the ancient city of Canterlot to be precise), her mind started to drift, drift back to her foalhood days spent in the care of her dad.
“Good morning, my little princess,” The sweet sounding voice of Argyle cooed as he flipped a light switch, and trotted into Sunny’s nursery. He soon approached her crib, looking down at her with those beautiful deep blue eyes of his. Lowering the bars of the crib, he scooped her up into his loving embrace. “And how are we today?”
“Great, Daddy!” Little Sunny replied as she reached out a hoof to try to touch her father’s glasses. She always thought he looked so silly wearing them.
Argyle just laughed as he playfully pushed Sunny’s hooves aside. “Ah, ah, ah, Sunny. You know we talked about this. Daddy needs his glasses to be able to see,” Then he carried her across the room and set her down gingerly upon the changing table as he sniffed the air. “Smells to me like a certain stinky little filly needs her diaper changed.”
Sunny giggled. Her dad always made such funny faces whenever he changed her diapers. It was like the smell didn’t bother him at all.
Argyle, for his part, just went about the diaper changing process with practiced precision. He had his daughter’s old diaper removed and tossed into a nearby wastebasket, her rump and flanks wiped and powered, and a fresh diaper taped to her in a matter of seconds. “Phyilis says you’re getting too big for diapers. But I think you’re not ready to give them up just yet.” He said to his daughter afterwards.
The little filly seemed to agree. “Uh-huh. Daddy knows best.”
“Exactly,” Argyle cooed as he grabbed the wastebasket with his hooves. “Now, just give Daddy a minute to run this out to the trash and wash his hooves. Then we’ll see what fun activities are on the menu for us today, my little princess.”
The memory faded in an instant as Sunny heard the familiar voice of Zipp call. “Breakfast is ready, my little pony. Come on down.”
As it so happened, Sunny had been standing on the tip of her hooves, trying to place one last block into a large stack. She’d been trying to recreate one of the many towers within Canterlot (albeit, not completely to scale). But the big foal had misjudged her movements and lost her balance, she tumbled over, bringing the tower down with her! Luckily, it wasn’t a very long fall. Nevertheless, she found that she couldn’t keep from tearing up.
Alerted to her charge’s distress, Zipp was on the scene in a wingbeat! “What’s wrong, Sunny?” She asked, her tone of voice making it clear she was truly concerned the earth pony might have gotten hurt somehow.
Sniffling, Sunny spoke up. “I got an owie!” The pacifier giving her words something of a lisp.
Zipp sighed. “My fault. I shouldn’t have left you up here all alone. It’s not good to ever leave a foal unattended,” And she checked Sunny all over, only to find that there was no real sign of injury anywhere. “You don’t look like you have a boo-boo anywhere,” She reassured the padded mare, and helped her to stand. “Come on, a pancake breakfast should be just the thing to cheer you up.”
Sunny slowly ceased in her crying. She felt so much better knowing that Zipp was there for her now, like her dad used to be.
When Sunny entered the kitchen, holding onto Zipp’s hoof the whole way, the delicious, savory, sweetly succulent aroma of freshly cooked pancakes made her mouth water. Zipp had made Sunny’s favorite: Chocolate Chip.
Sunny wanted nothing more than to trot forward and grab a pancake to stuff into her mouth. But Zipp wouldn’t let her. “Ah ah,” She lightly scolded. “Just have a seat, and I’ll get you fed. Don’t need my foal to make a mess now.”
The padded earth pony obeyed. Zipp was really going all out with this, really getting into her role as the babysitter. A giggle escaped her lips as she thought. “Looks like the detective just became a babysitter.” This was definitely not how she had imagined things would turn out when she’d woken up this morning.
Zipp kept a watchful eye on Sunny as the padded mare waddled to the kitchen table and plopped her padded plot down into one of the chairs. Then, she went about flipping the pancakes onto a plate, and then poured a generous helping of syrup all over them (remembering that Sunny specifically liked her pancakes that way). “Okay, my little filly,” She cooed as she brought the plate of pancakes over. “Breakfast is served.”
Sunny licked her lips as she popped her pacifier out and set it aside (so as to make sure it wouldn’t get dirty). Yet just as she reached out a hoof to grab a pancake, she was stopped.
Zipp immediately protested. “Foals can’t feed themselves, Sunny. You really think I would let you feed yourself but not change yourself? You’re a foal now, you have to let other ponies do things for you.”
The earth pony mare sheepishly replied. “Oh, right, sorry. This is just new to me, that’s all. I kind of got used to doing things all on my own.”
Zipp smiled as she used a fork and a knife to cut up the pancakes into small pieces. “It’s alright, Sunny. As long as you’re sure this is what you want, this is what I’ll do.”
“Then go ahead, Zipp,” Sunny smiled as she opened her mouth. “Do whatever you think is best.”
With a nod, Zipp picked up some of the pancake pieces with a fork and brought it over to Sunny as she cooed. “Here comes the trolley. Choo-choo!” And she made a gesture before depositing the fork’s content into the earth pony’s mouth.
Sunny happily chomped away on the pancakes. “Wow!” She exclaimed after her first bite. “You made them just like my dad used to make them.” She told Zipp.
Zipp smiled and nodded. “I guess it’s not too surprising to learn your dad let you stay in diapers and be a foal for longer than most ponies. From what you’ve told me about him, he sounds like a pony who never really cared what others thought about him. Kind of wish I’d had a parent like that when I was growing up.”
“Well, your mom seems pretty nice. At least, now that she dropped the whole ‘Pretending to fly’ thing.” Sunny giggled.
Zipp sighed. “Yeah, I guess she is nice. But even from birth, she always made it clear I was the heir to the throne. So everything I did, she really scrutinized. And from what little I can remember about my dad, he was basically the same way. Pipp had more freedoms because she wasn’t the heir. And then, our dad just left one day and he never came back. And from then on, Mom basically left us in the care of nannies.”
“Oh, I never knew that,” Sunny blinked. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to enjoy your foalhood as much as I did.”
The pegasus pony just replied. “Eh, I got over it pretty quickly. Besides, that was part of why I always loved sneaking out to the cliffs and the catacombs. It gave me a chance to be me,” Then she asked Sunny. “So, I’m guessing that whatever happened to your dad was just further motivation for you to want to be this way.”
The padded earth pony nodded. “Yes. I lost him not that long after I got my cutie mark. At that point, I had to grow up whether I wanted to or not. Hitch’s Grandma Figgy said there was only so much she could do to support me. And of course, without my dad around, Phyilis basically had even less reason to be nice to me than she did before. Every time I did something she thought was not a ‘big pony’ thing to do, she’d punish me for it,” She let out a sigh. “It felt so good when I finally opened my smoothie cart and could finally support myself. But, I still thought about my dad, about all the times I remembered with him from when I was little.”
“And that’s what led to you taking up this interest, becoming an adult foal,” Zipp realized as she resumed feeding Sunny the pancakes. “Well, if your dad was here now, I think he’d be proud of the pony you’ve become. But he’d also be okay with you not wanting to be that pony all the time.”
In between bites of pancakes, Sunny confirmed with a nod. “Yeah. It’s just so relaxing not to have to worry about anything: No job, no crystals, no mysteries, I don’t even have to go to the bathroom if I don’t want to,” Then she blushed anew. “Sorry again about earlier. I really was going to change last night, but I was so tired I forgot to do it. And it’s not the first time I’ve done that either.”
Zipp just reassured the padded mare. “Hey, I said it was okay, Sunny. Accidents happen. And in this case, your accident allowed me to discover this new side of you and give you something you’ve never had before. So I’d say it all worked out in the end.”
Eventually, the pancakes were finished. Sunny had enjoyed several of them, and was now leaning back in her chair as she patted her full stomach with a hoof. There was nothing like a delicious pancake breakfast to start the day off right.
Zipp, meanwhile, washed off the dishes. Then, looking to the fridge, she got an idea. “Hey, Sunny,” She asked. “By any chance, do you have a baby bottle in those old foal supplies of yours?”
“I think I do,” Sunny confirmed, before a gasp escaped her lips! “Wait, are you gonna…?!” But she needn’t have answered as she saw Zipp… well “zip” away, and in the blink of an eye return with a well worn baby bottle that had clearly not been used in some time.
Zipp carefully washed off the old bottle until it was sparkling clean and looking like new. Then, she set it carefully on a counter next to the kitchen sink, before retrieving a carton of milk. She subsequently poured the milk from the carton into the bottle, then put the carton back in the fridge and brought the bottle full of milk towards Sunny.
“Um, Zipp?” Sunny asked as she got out of her chair.
“What is it now, Sunny?” The pegasus pony asked.
Sheepishly, Sunny requested. “Could I maybe… sit in your lap while you’re giving me that bottle? It’ll really help me to feel like even more of a foal.”
The pegasus mare seemed hesitant for about a moment, before she agreed. “Oh, what the heck, why not? Whatever makes you feel comfortable,” So, carefully holding the bottle in her hooves, she sat down in the same chair Sunny had just been sitting in, exposing her lap. “Come on, don’t be shy.”
Sunny slowly but surely waddled over, leaning back and resting her head firmly on Zipp’s lap. Then, she watched as the baby bottle was presented to her, and she wrapped her lips around it and started to suckle. She closed her eyes, listening to Zipp’s heartbeat while she slowly suckled down the rich, refreshing taste of ice cold milk. She only stopped once the bottle had been fully drained, at which point her stomach felt nice and full. She couldn’t stop herself from letting out a belch, which did make her feel less bloated.
“Wow! That was a good one!” Zipp playfully giggled as she patted the big foal on the head. “Better out than in, right?”
Sunny didn’t answer, she was deep in concentration as her bladder had filled up fully from that bottle. And she didn’t need to worry about holding it in until she could make it to the toilet. A slow but steady hissing sound could be heard as her diaper began to grow warm.
Zipp looked down, watching as Sunny’s padding began to swell up while a dark spot grew bigger by the second. The little ponies pictured on the seat began to fade, all the while Sunny’s bladder continued to empty itself, until finally the stream died down.
Sunny let out a dreamy sigh as the warmth spread throughout her padding.
The pegasus pony poked at the padded pony’s plot as she questioned. “Uh, Sunny, did you mean to do that?”
The padded earth pony grinned. “Yeah. I mean, isn’t that what a foal does?” Her happy mood faded as she nervously asked. “I’m sorry, should have I asked first?”
“Oh no no,” Zipp insisted. “I want you to be happy and do whatever makes you happy, Sunny. I was just a little… surprised, that’s all.”
“If you’re worried about my diaper leaking, you shouldn’t be,” Sunny insisted. “And you used plenty of powder, so I don’t have to worry about getting a rash. No need to waste a perfectly good diaper. It can hold, at least for a little while.”
“Alright,” Zipp reluctantly agreed. “But it’s only half an hour, tops. Then it’s changing time, got it?”
Sunny nodded quite happily as she stood up, adjusting to the bulk of a now soggy, sodden diaper. True, it wasn’t anywhere near as heavy as her messy diaper from last night had been. But it still took her a moment to get used to the feeling.
Once back upstairs, Sunny went back to work on building her make-believe Canterlot. She was glad she had so many alphabet blocks to work with, Canterlot was a big city after all (quite fitting considering it had been Equestria’s capital city under Princess Twilight, and the princesses who had preceded her). If she was going to truly recreate the adventures of Princess Twilight and her friends, she needed Canterlot to look its best.
Zipp, meanwhile, kept a watchful eye and a listening ear. If she picked up the sound of anypony coming back to the Brighthouse for any reason, she was prepared to leap into action to make sure Sunny’s secret stayed protected and out of sight.
The padded mare slowly but surely built a truly magnificent city out of the alphabet blocks: Towers, a castle complete with drawbridge and moat, several streets and even a train station. So what if it wasn’t an exact replica of Canterlot in its prime? It was a lot more detailed than it had any right to be.
Zipp smiled. She had to admit, Sunny’s little construction project looked really good. As it was if she’d memorized all the sketches of her father’s studies. She truly was his filly in every sense of the word.
Then, Sunny grabbed the six figurines of those ancient ponies, and began to speak as each one. And of course, she began with none other than the princess herself: Twilight. “Come, friends!” She spoke in an exaggerated, elegant and commanding voice. “Let’s have adventures!”
“Aw yeah!” A rainbow maned pegasus exclaimed! “This is gonna be so awesome! I’m ready for anything, Twilight!”
A pink maned earth pony excitedly proclaimed! “Ooh! I hope it’s an adventure to some far away place we’ve never been to before!”
Then a stetson wearing earth pony replied. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Wherever we go, we’re representin’ Equestria. Gotta make sure we display the magic of friendship so that all can understand.”
A unicorn mare with a pristine white coat insisted. “I just hope it’s somewhere that appreciates beauty,” Then she added. “And I do not fry brains! I am not an evil unicorn!”
“Nopony ever said you were, Rarity,” A pegasus mare with light pink bangs replied. “I’m sure that wherever we go, we’ll all have fun together and learn a lot, just like always.”
“Twilight” then instructed. “Come along, everypony! We’ve got friendship missions to go on and new friends to make! It’s another beautiful day in Equestria!” And the six mares raced off together.
Zipp watched the whole thing with interest, giggling with amusement at Sunny’s very active imagination as she made the six pony figurines fight imaginary battles against imaginary foes. It was almost like watching a cartoon on television.
Of course, the pegasus pony was quite strict at enforcing that thirty minute timeline she’d set for her charge.
Naturally, Sunny really didn’t want to stop playing to be changed, even though she had agreed to Zipp’s limitation earlier. “Come on, Zipp,” She whined. It was hard to tell whether she was just playing the part or being sincere.” Can’t I just play for five more minutes? Please?”
“And let you get a nasty diaper rash? I think not!” Zipp scolded as she went about undoing the taps on Sunny’s old diaper. “Just because you don’t have to go to the toilet doesn’t mean you can keep playing forever. Diapers do have to be changed eventually. And what kind of caretaker would I be if I let you stay in a used diaper for so long that you got a rash?”
The padded earth pony reluctantly couldn’t argue with that, so she just plopped her pacifier into her mouth and concentrated on suckling on it while her diaper was changed. Truth be told, her soggy diaper had been starting to grow cold and clammy, so it was probably a good thing Zipp was changing her into a fresh one now.
Just like the previous diaper, the old diaper and the wipes were sealed up inside of a trash bag. But this time, Zipp decided to just set it aside. “I can’t be filling up the trash with diapers all the time, Sunny. After all, this one doesn’t stink up the place. I’ll see about putting this one in the trash a little later, perhaps after I have to change another dirty diaper.” She said with a wink, letting Sunny know that it would be okay for her to use her current diaper for that purpose if necessary.
The rest of the day passed in bliss for Sunny and Zipp, as the two steadily grew more comfortable in their designated roles as foal and caretaker respectively.
Eventually, however, Sunny began to grow tired as the day gave way to night. She’d had so much fun with her new caretaker, she almost didn’t want it to end.
“Come on, Sunny,” Zipp said at last. “Let’s get you tucked into bed, alright?”
“But… I’m not tired.” Sunny insisted even as she yawned and her eyes began to droop.
Zipp only giggled as she helped Sunny upstairs and into bed, performing one last diaper check and finding it pristine. “Good girl keeping that diaper clean, Sunny,” She cooed with exaggerated praise. “If you keep your diaper clean and dry through the night, maybe my little filly will finally be ready for potty training.”
As Sunny snuggled up with her bedsheets, her diaper rustling and crinkling beneath the sheets, she protested. “Don’t wanna.”
With a smile and a grin, the pegasus pony seemed to agree with her charge’s sentiments. “Guess you’re right, you’re not quite ready for the potty just yet. But that’s okay, I don’t mind changing your diapers for however long you wanna stay in them,” She then bent down, kissing Sunny sweetly on the forehead. “Goodnight, my little pony.”
The padded earth pony just whispered back. “Goodnight, Zipp.” And then she shut her eyes, flicked on her lantern, and drifted off to sleep.
Zipp, for her part, smiled. She made a mental note to check on Sunny first thing in the morning, in case the padded pony had an “accident” during the night and needed help hiding the evidence again. She was already looking forward to when they could do this all again, just the two of them in the Brighthouse together.
Before heading downstairs for a little time to herself, the pegasus pony made sure the secret wall Sunny had shown her was once again hidden from sight. And she made sure the trash bags holding Sunny’s used diapers were well hidden and buried with the other trash bags, and that no smells were leaking out.
All was as it should be, the secret was safe.
Zipp smiled as she thought to herself. “Another mystery solved, all thanks to me, Detective Zipp.”
