Little Brother, Our Foal Forever

Little Brother, Our Foal Forever
Part 3

Daycare Blues and Pinks

By Dashiel

Shining was sulking. Cadence had him fastened securely into one side of a foal-carrier saddlebag, the other side was full of toys and other little foal supplies. He was kicking his back legs in annoyance as Mama Caddy was chatting with the daycare matron about his morning routine.

"...and I've brought him his teddy, and two bottles, with one spare nipple. He likes to drool a lot so you'll probably have to rinse them after you've fed him. Oh, and if you don't burp him after feeding-times, he'll get the hiccups. He's not a colicy baby, but--"

"Your highness," interrupted Softly Spoken, the daycare matron, holding one hoof up for silence. "Your highness, everything will be fine. Little Shy-Shy will be just fine here at Pins and Pawprints Daycare and Nursery. Don't you worry, we have everything a foal could possibly need or want."

"I-if you're sure," stammered Cadence, peering back to look at the little prince. He stuck his tongue out at her and scowled.

"Tsk tsk, such manners," said Softly. Shining squeaked as he felt the straps around his shoulders being untightened, and his seat fall away. The corn-coloured unicorn nurse with the cornflower-blue eyes, mane and tail had him held in her TK field as she floated him and his supplies over. Softly's face got closer and closer, and her expression stayed quite, quite serious until, suddenly...

"Boop!" said Softly, and she poked him in the tummy, tickling him. Shining couldn't help it, he giggled. "Boop!" said Softly again, and again. "I just don't understand it," she said in a sing-song voice, "I can't seem to find the off-switch... beep, boop, beep!" she said, remorselessly tickling the little foal to a peal of giggles. It was only when he was gently laid down on a changing mat that he realized Cadence had gone.

Cadence... was gone. He was free of her, he could escape, he could... he could... he stopped, his heart beating quickly in his chest. He started to cry. He was scared. He sniffled and sobbed, pouting.

"Aww, Shy-Shy, you miss Mama? Don't worry," said the soothing voice of Softly Spoken as she cooed at him, kissing all four of his hooves, "she'll be back in no time."

The unicorn lifted him up and cuddled him until he stopped crying. He didn't understand it; he wasn't a foal, he was... a big foal. Yeah. He was captain of the freaking guard, and he most certainly didn't miss his Mommy. He sucked his forehooves thoughtfully and noisily as his rear end was lifted into the air before being placed back down against a soft, warm and comfortable surface. His two-tone tail was threaded through the back and the diaper was expertly pinned closed before a pair of plastic panties was shimmied up his legs and pulled tight against his crotch.

"Heeyyy!" he cried out out, placing his hooves against his sides. "no need diapey!"

Softly kissed him on the nose as she pulled a onesie over his head and snapped it closed around his tail and butt. "House rules I'm afraid, champ. And besides, you were so wet when I changed you, I should call you Soggy Pants McGee."

Shining blushed, hotly, and sucked his hooves noisily some more. "Would'na bin iff'n you'd not tickled me," he said with a sulk.

"How could I resist, with a cutie like you? Come on, it's time to meet your playmates!"

Shining Armour found himself placed delicately upon Softly's back. Her tail wrapped around him to keep him secure. His eyes cast down to her cutie-mark, a stork carrying two babies, and realized that he was in good hooves.

Softly strode confidently into a big, plushly-outfitted playroom full of a whole herd of noisy, rambunctious foals - colts and fillies both. "Attention, children," said Softly, in a cheerful tone of voice, "we have a new visitor today! Let's make him welcome! His name is Shiny, and his mommies tell me that when he grows up, he wants to be captain of the guards."

Shining Armour had faced many great evils in his time, from changelings to warg attacks. Nothing could have prepared him for the sea of foals that enveloped him. They pulled his tail and cooed about how pretty it was. They put bangles in his mane, and offered sticky crayons and other toys. And then, almost as quickly as they came, they vanished, depositing him in the arts and crafts corner of the daycare.

"When you grow up, huh?" asked a voice. "So, how long did it take you before your 'mommies' ditched you here?"

Shining Armour looked up at an olive-grey unicorn with a wildly-sticking-out mane and deep blue eyes. He worked his jaw for a few moments, before answering, "uh, about three days."

"When you grow up, huh? I thought so. Name's Swirly, or it might as well be. Everything's a something-y around here. And that's Bluey, or just Blue." Swirly pointed to another unicorn who was enthusiastically dabbing his hooves on a piece of paper fastened to an easel. Contrary to Shining's expectations, 'Bluey' was white.

"'Sup," said Bluey.

"Hey, don't I know you? You look real familiar..." Shining Armour tapped a hoof against his jaw for a few moments before his eyes went wide and he bared his teeth in a snarl. "Blueblood! You tried to get my sister executed! I'm going to--"

Shining Armour leaped at the astonished white unicorn, and clocked him good on the side of the head as the pair slammed into the easel and bounced off into a nearby table containing several tins of paint. Seeing an opening, Shiny opened his mouth and bit down on an ear, punching with the other hoof. Swirly for his part leaned back on his haunches and laughed, spurring them on. "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fi--"

Suddenly, all three were enveloped in a glowing field of soft, white light, as Softly Spoken trotted over with a very serious expression on her muzzle. Her eyes seemed to glow with a pique of anger as she regarded the three, seperated, helpless foals.

"And just what is the meaning of this?"

"H-he, er, he..." began Shining Armour.

"Ixnay on the rince-pay, Shy-Shy!" hissed Swirly. Shining Armour opened his mouth wordlessly, then shut it again.

"I... sowwy. He... I... umm..."

"I see. Your mommy did warn me you could be a bad influence. I should have known when you found your way to these two trouble-makers. I think you've all earned a time-out." The matron observed the three silently for a moment, noting their dripping-wet, multi-coloured coats. "Which, to save time, you're going to spend in the baths." She wrinkled her nose as they spread paint all over the nursery, and marched them straight through a set of double doors at the back.

Shining Armour looked around in awe. The nursery was deep in the heart of Canterlot Castle, almost under the very mountain itself. Hotsprings fed the municipal system, and it was these that also apparently fed the baby baths.

"Come on, you three," said Softly as she lowered them onto changing tables, "time to get ready for a bath."

"Aww! I dun wike baths!" complained Bluey, kicking his legs about. Showing an expert level of power and concentration, Softly easily stripped Swirly and Shiny's diapers off, bundling them up and tossing them into a laundry bin, whilst at the same time she soothed the third squalling foal.

"You do so like baths, Bluey dearest. You just hate getting in. You also," Softly giggled, kissing him on the forehead, "hate getting out. So come on, what do you say? For me?"

"We-ww... okies. If I hafta."

"Yes, you do. You're all mucky, and you three need to make up and learn to play nice. Now, I'm going to be watching, but the water's not too deep and not too hot, so call if you need anything, okay, hon?"

With that, Softly Spoken deposited the three naked foals on the edge of a wide, shallow, steaming pool of water and waltzed out of the room.

Shining blinked in surprise. "So, uh... we're in trouble, right?"

Swirly shook his head. "Naa, not really. You were bad, so you're in trouble. The rest of us are just fine."

Shining pouted. "I don't get it. Blueblood, what the heck are you doing here? Like that?"

"I could ask da same of you, Shiny," said Blueblood, "but I think you can work it out."

Shining Armour scrunched up his face for a second, watching as the other two waddled into the pool. "You're... big. Like, uh, like me?"

Swirly sniggered into his olive-grey hooves. "Big. Yeah. Real big, diaper-butt."

"I mean you're an adult... when you're... not a baby."

"Yeah, that's about the whole of it," said Swirly. "And I bet you can guess why. Go on, take a guess."

Shining Armour pointed at Blueblood. "Nephew, right? Nephew to Celestia."

"Uh huh. Guess who his mommy is."

Shining Armour's muzzle fell open in shock. "But... she's been..."

"Gone for a thousand years," replied Swirly. "Luna really loved her boy, though, so Celestia kept him safe. So what happened to you?"

"My two 'mommies' happened," began Shining. "Twilight became an alicorn, and... I'm her brother. I'm... married to my other 'mommy'."

Swirly hissed through his teeth. "Tough break. Come on, get in. You can't just stand there with all that paint matted in your fur. Take a load off, relax."

Shining Armour tip-hoofed slowly in. The water was just on the too-hot side of warm, but surprisingly enough he found he still had to fight against his immature nature to actually get in. The matter was decided when Swirly's horn glowed briefly, and Shiny found himself upended into the steaming lakelet. He came up for air, spluttering and cursing.

"Careful, don't want to let Softly hear you use those words. She'll wash your mouth out."

Shining Armour glared at the recalcitrant unicorn. "So, which alicorn is your mom, then?"

Swirly sniffed. "Don't have one. I'm the greatest unicorn that ever lived, and growing old wasn't on my list of fun things to do. So I developed a spell to keep me young forever."

Shining Armour's muzzle worked soundlessly again for a few moments, before he splashed playfully at Swirly. "Greatest unicorn who ever lived, huh? Don't tell Star--" Shining broke off.

Swirly nodded. "Exactly. I kinda... misjudged the enyouthment vector. It fluctuates a little, but not enough that I care to go through potty-training every few years. They make diapers big enough nowadays anyway."

"Starswirl the Bearded," exclaimed Shining Armour, whistling silently.

"More like Starswirl the well-padded," said Blueblood. "Believe me, when he sleeps... let's just say he needs nighttime diapers all the time.

"Hey!" protested Swirly.

"And the great juicebox heist of nine-eighty-three was solved after one naptime break."

Swirly splashed water at Bluey, who giggled and dodged. The water hit Shining full force, and he retaliated in kind. A few exhausting minutes later, and the bathroom was well and truly soaked, as were the three foals.

Bluey rolled over onto his stomach, kicking his hooves. "'m sowwy," he said to Shining, blushing slightly. He looked down at his hooves. "I didn't really wanna have your sister hurt none. I was just kinda mad. I'd only just gotten made big again, was gonna be a big party, and it was boorrriiinngggg. And then I got covered in cake. And Auntie made me small again. Said if I gotta misbehave like a toddler, then I'm still gonna be one."

Flopping down to rest, kicking his hooves idly in the warm swell, Shining nodded. "I... can see that. It's okay. You were a jerk though."

"Was past my bedtime," replied Blue, guiltily.

Shining laughed, as he finally took a look around. The room was of red sandstone, shaped to remove any sharp corners. Little holes were in the walls and floor all over so that the overflow water would be removed. It was lit from above by a large, softly glowing ball full of fireflies. Water flowed out through the little drain-holes, but in through a larger, squarish hole in the side of the rock.

Shining looked at himself. He was clean enough. He looked over at his two friends. "Hey, you two ever think about running away?"

Bluey shook his head. "I tried it, at first, but... you can only get so far in diapers."

"What'm I gonna run to?" asked Starswirl, pointing at himself. All two feet of diminutive foalishness.

Shining huffed. "Well I'm gonna make a run for it. Gonna find... somebody. Or something. Or... Swirly, do you have a spell that can re-age me?"

"Sure," Starswirl shrugged, "it's in my spellbook, you just have to go get it. Problem is, it's lost. Has been for over a thousand years."

"You mean the one with your phony spell in it, that didn't work?" asked Shining Armour, with a sudden, feral grin.

Starswirl sat up, blinking. "You've read it?"

"Do I look like an egghead?"

"You look like a little pudgy little piggy, but no. You don't strike me as the intelligent, bookish type. Neither of you two do."

"Heeyyy!" protested Bluey, splashing again.

"Yeah, well, my sister is," huffed Shining, poking Swirly with one hoof.

"Your sister, the alicorn, right?" clarified Swirly.

"She fixed your spell. She used to be a unicorn. She has your book, so unless you've got something better to do, are you gonna help me or what?"

"She fixed it? It works?" Swirly jumped up, wobbled on his back hooves, then fell down again into the water. He groaned, and hoofed himself in the muzzle. "It'll never work, you know. But hey, whatever, maybe she wrote down how she fixed it, too. Let's do it. Blue, you in?"

"Does it mean getting messy and dirty, and sneaking about through secret passages?" asked Blueblood, eyes wide and hopeful.

"Funny you should say that," replied Shining Armour, "but yeah, it kinda does." He pointed to the hole which was used to refill the pool.

"You wanna climb up there?" asked Bluey, aghast. He toddled closer. The hole was pretty big, and although the rock was smooth, it was dry. There was also a light at the end of the tunnel, it didn't look either too steep, too small or too long.

"Yeah," said Shining, "I do."

"Well you can't go like that," said Swirly. "We're gonna get out of the castle? We need clothes. And supplies."

"Done, and done," said Shining. "Just get over here and help me. I... can't put these on myself."

Shining Armour had clambered out of the shallow pool and over to a dresser of sorts, where he had pulled out three large, fluffy diapers, two pairs of plastic panties, some pins, some bottles of juice and some onesies, along with a diaper-bag to put them all in. Swirly found him lying on his back, kicking his legs about, as he tried to pin up a diaper.

"Oh here, let me... I got this... put that there, and this there... and... like that... no, wait... yes! And then..."

"Ow!"

"Sorry! ...Then... done!"

Shining Armour rolled hesitantly to his hooves. Amazingly, the diaper was on, and it was snug. He pulled on the plastic panties and threaded his tail through the hole in the back, and then twirled around to admire himself. Then he pulled on a soft, blue onesie and snapped it up. "Now it's your two's turn!"

In short order, both Starswirl and Blueblood were diapered. Swirly was double-diapered, as they didn't know how long a trip it would be. Blueblood wore pink, because they couldn't find any other colours that fit him. Not that Shining let anyone else look. They were all wearing onesies snapped closed over their amply padded backsides, and carried diaper-bags full of essential supplies - namely anything they could find that looked even remotely useful, including some rubber duckies, a teddy, a rattle, some rope, extra plastic pants and a bonnet. Blueblood said he got sunburn easily.

The three crowded around the hole, looking up anxiously.

"You sure about this?" asked Bluey

"Nuh uh," said Shiny, "but I wanna get outta diapers this side of the next millennium, so I don't have much choice."

"And I wanna see my old spell-book again. It's mine and I want it."

"Can... you make me big again? And then we can eat cake?"

"Rather than wear it? Sure, I can do that, if I get my spellbook," said Swirly.

Shining Armour eased his forehooves into the hole, and gingerly began to pull himself up. His padded rear crinkled loudly as he pulled it in afterwards, but it fit. His back legs were splayed wide by his thick diapers, but it didn't affect his footing.

Inch by implacable inch, the three naughty foals squeezed themselves up through the tunnel, and towards freedom.