The Prissy Pony's Padding/Chapter Seven

For a long time, Lyra and Octavia sheltered each other in a warm embrace. Every second was savored as the years of hatred and vitriol drained out of their bodies. The emptiness was replaced by a warm, soothing feeling that coated their hearts. Vinyl stood by, watching the two mares embrace each other as they sat there on the bed, poofy diapers encasing their rumps. She chuckled at how adorable they looked together and at how, just this morning, they’d both been ready to kill each other. Or at least horribly maim one another. And now they looked like two sisters sharing a heartfelt moment. Vinyl may be a rough’n’tumble DJ, but she had a real soft spot for sappy stuff like this. After the teary embrace was over, Vinyl took both ponies by the hoof. “Come on, you two. I know exactly what will make you feel even more better!”

Octavia looked at her questioningly as she slid off the bed and followed Vinyl. “What would that be?” Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to play us dubstep, are you? You know I can’t stand-”

“Nah,” said Vinyl as she took the lead into the hallway. “I’d have to dig out my amps and setup to give ya the good stuff, anyway.”

A roll of the eyes couldn’t be helped by Octavia.

“It’s something a little more…” she looked behind her as she realized she only heard one set of hoofsteps. “Ly-ly. Come on, sweetie.”

Lyra had been sitting on the floor by the bed, not sure if she should follow. She knew that Vinyl was… well, not a mommy to her, but definitely somepony that was like a mommy. But this was still her and Octavia’s house, and even though Vinyl had invited her she wasn’t sure if she should impose on them to do whatever it was Vinyl had up her sleeve.

“Um… you sure?” asked the nervous mare.

Vinyl left Octavia waiting in the hallway and walked over to Lyra. She put a hoof on her shoulder and looked at her with the most beautiful and loving pair of eyes Lyra had ever seen. “Come on, sweetie. Mama’s gonna make you feel all better, okay?”

Offering a small smile in return, Lyra nodded. She got up and walked alongside Vinyl, her diaper crinkling loudly as she joined Octavia, who made a mental note to look for the brand she was wearing. It was much more crinkly than the one she currently had strapped to her behind, though it was also much bigger. She liked the idea, but wasn’t sure that she wanted something quite that poofy.

Vinyl stopped by the bathroom and then opened the door. “Come on, little ones. Mama’s gonna give you both a nice, hot bath.”

Octavia sighed. “Vinyl, I think we can take a bath by our─” A floating pacifier stopped her mid-sentence. She looked at Vinyl with a groan.

“Now, now, Octy. Mama Scratch knows best.” She walked to the tub, then turned the knobs on, letting the tub start to fill with hot water before she toned it down to merely warm. She also grabbed a bottle of bubble bath ─ the expensive kind purchased for relaxing after major performances, noted Octavia with dismay ─ and put two generous capfuls of the soapy liquid into the tub. It filled the water with a sudsy foam that made a huge mountain of bubbles and filled the air with a perfume that smelled of musk.

When the water was at the right level, Vinyl shut off the tap and then said, “Okay, you two. Lay down for mama.”

Obediently, both foals laid on the bathroom rug in front of the tub, then Vinyl felt their padding. “Good girls! Both clean and dry!”

“Yoo yust tanged ush a foo momens ago,” lisped Octavia around her pacifier.

Ignoring her little one, Vinyl untaped her diaper first and pulled it out from under her bottom, then she did the same for Lyra. Both of the now unpadded mares stood up.

“Do Ah godda keep thuckin’ this thing whiwe Ah’m in da tub?” asked Octavia. She glanced at Lyra, her intent to talk with her new non-enemy clear.

“You can take it out, Octy,” said Vinyl. She grinned cheekily. “But if you start being a little grumpy-pants again I’m gonna pop it right back in.”

Octavia sighed, though it was obvious to both she didn’t mean it. The smile that came out as she considered the water made it clear she relished the idea of a warm, soothing bath. She hadn’t really had a good soak in a while, for any other purpose besides getting clean, at any rate.

“Okay, little ones.” Vinyl splashed the water at them gently. “Let’s get in the tub so mama can get you all squeaky clean!”

Slipping beneath the water as Lyra stepped in, Octavia smiled. “I’m ready to be all clean, Mama!”

Vinyl beamed as she started to gently scrub Octavia’s back, working the suds into her coat and making sure she got every crevice. While she did this, Lyra sat at the other end of the tub, idly playing with the piles of suds, a faraway look in her eye. Amidst her admittedly enjoyable washing, Octavia couldn’t help but notice. For a moment she wondered, worrying for Lyra, but her mind was quickly brought back to her own thoughts when a rubber duck float by. She snatched it and started to squeak it as Vinyl scrubbed her down. She let out a happy little squeal when she heard it and then started to squeak it even faster.

Soon Vinyl was done cleaning off Octavia, and she switched to Lyra. “Okay, you tell mama if she’s scrubbing too hard, okay Ly-ly?” Lyra merely nodded as Vinyl scrubbed her down. Octavia’s curiosity was roused again. She hoped that Lyra wasn’t still angry at her or something. She contemplated as she played with her ducky. Maybe she just needed to be brought out of her shell. That worked well enough with her when Vinyl did it… unwelcome as that had been. She sighed as she thought about how angry she’d been at her roommate, how indignant she’d acted in the beginning. And now she was having bath time and loving every second of it. She’d get Lyra to be happy, no doubt. It would just take a little prodding.

When both mares were clean, Vinyl pulled the drain plug and then allowed the water to drain out of the tub. Then she levitated two of the towels off the rack. “Okay, you two. Come out of the tub so mama can get you all dry.” Octavia carefully stepped out so as not to slip and fall, but Lyra seemed lost in her own little world. A quick tap on the side of the tub by Vinyl snapped her out of it, and she stepped out onto the bathroom rug while Vinyl dried Octavia.

“I think that’s got it, Octy. Now it’s your turn, Ly-ly.” She started to rub down Lyra while Octavia sat and playfully batted at Vinyl’s tail with a giggle. “I’ll pay attention to you in a minute, Octy,” said Vinyl with a smile. Then she returned to drying off Lyra. Octavia giggled again, but she left Vinyl’s tail alone. She looked at Lyra as she sat there being dried off. The mare looked small, like the towel would swallow her up if Vinyl didn’t keep a grip on it. Smiling, Octavia thought how her apparent smallness made her look even more adorable than before.

That was a weird thought. Lyra Heartstrings, adorable? Octavia chuckled at how, just a few hours before, she’d thought of Lyra not only as a normal pony, but someone worthy of the greatest ire. Now she was d’awwwing at the mint green mare as though she were a foal. She shook her head. This was a day for the books, that was for sure.

She looked back in time to see Vinyl toss the towel in the hamper. “Alright, I’m going to go get you two some fresh diapers and changing supplies. You stay right here like good little fillies and I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, mama,” replied Octavia, loving how Vinyl sounded when she got all motherly. She sat patiently on the floor, for once not worrying about her posture. She looked at Lyra with a smile. “I’m looking forward to playing with you today,” she said.

Lyra looked up at her and smiled. “That will be nice,” she replied, but something about the way she said it sounded like she didn’t quite believe what she was saying.

Again Octavia wondered what the problem was with Lyra. She didn’t have long to think about it, however. A grumbling noise from Octavia’s stomach echoed in the small bathroom. Vinyl walked into the bathroom just as the rumbling subsided, a pair of diapers and other assorted supplies floating in front of her. She laughed as she walked past Octavia and set the supplies on the floor.

“I’d better get you in your padding, Octy,” she said as she opened up one of the diapers. “By the sounds of it, I’m about to have a messy filly on my hooves.”

“You know perfectly well what an empty stomach sounds like, Vinyl,” grumbled Octavia as she laid on the floor and assumed the position. Lyra for her part giggled at Vinyl’s joke.

“See?” said Vinyl as she lifted Octavia’s legs to slide the diaper under her. “Ly-ly got it!”

Octavia merely rolled her eyes and sighed as her bottom was lovingly powdered by Vinyl Scratch. Looking to her side, she saw Lyra looking a bit forlorn, waiting for her chance to be back in a nice, clean diaper.

Taping up Octavia’s diaper, Vinyl looked at Lyra with a big smile. “Okay, your turn, Ly-ly. Lay down for mama.” She did was she was told, and Octavia watched from the floor as Vinyl began to diaper Lyra. The moment her bottom touched the fluffy padding, an expression of utter ecstasy bloomed on Lyra’s face, her mouth curling into a smile and her eyes going half-lidded. Octavia smiled along with her, glad to see her new friend happy and content.

When the last tape was applied to Lyra’s diaper, Vinyl stood her up, then helped Octavia to her hooves. She levitated the changing supplies, then walked toward the door. “Come on, you two,” she said as she opened the door. “Mama’s gonna cook your lunch, then we’ll have some play-time, okay?”

Octavia nodded, an eager smile at the thought of getting something to eat playing on her lips. Lyra walked right behind her. Both of their diapers crinkled loudly in the hallway as they walked behind Vinyl, who tossed the changing supplies into the closet in Octavia’s bedroom before turning around and heading toward the kitchen. “You two play while mama fixes your lunch,” said Vinyl. Octavia and Lyra nodded, then walked into the living room to play with dolls.

As Vinyl walked through the door to the kitchen, Octavia led Lyra to the box where the foal toys were kept.

“You know, I really do wish I had a high chair,” Octavia remarked with a hint of wistfulness as she opened the wooden chest.

The remark brought Lyra back to her senses. A high chair... She smiled at Octavia. “Yeah, that would be cool.”

Octavia gave her a warm smile, then she got out her favorite doll. “Um… this is my dollie, and I love her very much. You… you can play with her if you want.”

“I can?” said Lyra, excitement building in her voice. She hadn’t expected Octavia to just let her play with her toys like this.

Nodding warmly, Octavia slowly moved the doll closer to Lyra. True, she wanted Lyra to be happy. But… well, this was her dollie. She didn’t let just anyone play with her. However, she would make an exception. Just this once.

Lyra’s grin spread into a broad smile as she took the dollie in her hooves and brought it close to her chest. She rocked it back and forth, her eyes closed and bliss on her face.

She cuddled Octavia’s plaything for quite a while, but soon they both heard Vinyl banging on one of the pots. “Come and get it, little ones!” They both raced to the table, giggling like a pair of schoolfillies at the prospect of a hot meal. Vinyl chuckled as she watched them gallop. She swore they had the canter of foals as they did that, though how much of that was caused by their diapers was a mystery.

Octavia got to the table first and slapped it with her hoof. “I win!”

Trailing behind, Lyra pouted and harumphed. “No fair! I’m not as used to running in diapers as you!”

“Now, now,” said Vinyl. “You two don’t want Mama Scratch to have to give you a time out or something do you?” This shut Lyra up and prompted a beaming smile from Octavia. Vinyl paid no attention to that as she set out steaming pots on the table. As Octavia and Lyra plopped their padded bottoms into the chairs, Vinyl pulled the lids off the cookware and began to dish out their contents onto the plates set before her foals.

Octavia’s face fell as she saw what had been prepared. “Spaghetti? Again?”

“What?” replied Vinyl. “It’s good, isn’t it?”

Sighing, Octavia replied, “Yes, but it’s also quite messy. And I am beginning to suspect it’s the only thing you know how to prepare.”

“It’s not the only thing I know how to make,” said Vinyl. “I can also make…” she took the towel off the basket next to the pots. “Toast!”

Octavia rolled her eyes as Vinyl put a piece of buttered garlic toast on their plates, sighing as she thought of how messy she was about to get from the spaghetti sauce, which seemed to be magically attracted to fur and pink bowties.

A plate was filled for each, a pair of forks twirling through the air to plant down in the plates as they landed on the table mixed. It should not have been a surprise that Vinyl had such dexterity, but Octavia supposed she had never considered it much before. She had certainly never thought there was much to be gained from her friend’s profession aside from deafness. The first fork floated up to Octavia, a curled ball of spaghetti dripping sauce. Her mouth dropped open, inviting it in.

“Aww, I guess I won’t be making the noises then!” Vinyl leaned over, nudging Lyra with a wink. “Octy loves the choo-choo noises.”

Lyra blushed at the nudge, giggling as she looked at Octavia. The scowl she wore, produced by impatience at having to wait on her food when she was clearly hungry, was in humorous contrast to the coddling, cooing Vinyl.

“Vi─ er, I mean, Mommy, I am quite hungry. I’d appr─” Octavia started to complain.

Her sentence was cut off by the introduction of a full fork of spaghetti. “There we go, sweetie,” said Vinyl as she swirled up a mouthful for Lyra. “Better not let you go too long. I’d have a cranky little foal on my hooves.”

Giggling again, Lyra looked over at Octavia, her hoof covering her mouth instinctively as she tried to suppress the laugh that threatened to turn her new friend’s cheeks an even darker shade of red. The second fork floated over with its yummy payload, a foal-talk prompt from Vinyl opening her mouth.

As she chewed, Vinyl said, “Y’know, I don’t even know what kind of noises my new little filly likes for her nummy-time. I think we need to find out.”

A small grin appeared on Octavia’s face. She watched Lyra expectantly, more than happy to take her turn enjoying somepony else’s embarrassment. She was slightly disappointed that Lyra seemed to be enjoying herself, but the feeling was eclipsed by the warm feeling she had at the thought that this mare was now allowing herself to enjoy what she loved.

Vinyl got up another scoopful of noodles and levitated the fork toward Lyra. “Sssssswoooosh!”

Octavia stopped chewing. “...wha’?”

“It’s a pegasus. You know, like, swooping and stuff. Swoosh. Get it?” Vinyl grinned, and ‘swooshed’ the food into Lyra’s mouth as the foalish unicorn laughed. “Ha! Totally worked! Score one for Mama!”

Despite being fed while diapered and most certainly her Mama’s foal, Octavia still had to roll her eyes. Her mouthful vanished with a gulp, and her work replaced it before she could lip off to her Mommy.

“You like the swoosh, don’t you Ly-ly?” Vinyl cooed.

The thickly padded unicorn nodded, her smile framed in sauce as she swallowed. “Yeah…” She hesitated.

“Yeah… what?” said Vinyl. “Come on, you know what you’re supposed to call me, sweetie.”

Lyra looked distinctly uncomfortable to Octavia as she glanced down, her forehead furrowed and her muzzle scrunched. Slowly she looked up at Vinyl. “M...mommy?”

Vinyl beamed at her. “That’s right, Ly-ly! Mommy!” She rewarded Lyra with another ball of spaghetti. This prompted a slight grin from Lyra, which Octavia hoped was a good sign. Maybe she’ll warm up to this after all.

The meal proceeded without much incident, save for a few moments of fun when Vinyl decided to mess with Octavia and hit her cheeks with the spaghetti. Lyra had laughed, and in the end so did Octavia, which pleased Vinyl and prompted a joke about her messy little filly. As the plates were cleared from the table, Octavia looked over at Lyra with a hopeful grin.

“Would you perhaps like to go play?” she asked.

The other mare seemed to hesitate for a second before forcing a grin. “Er… sure.”

Octavia raised an eyebrow, but then put aside her doubts. She’ll love it.... I’m sure she will. She just needs a little more time to get used to the idea.

Leading Lyra from the kitchen to the living room, Octavia once again approached the toy chest and took out several of her favorite foal toys, spreading them out all over the floor for them to play with. After the rug was sufficiently littered with colorful objects, Octavia settled down amongst them, plopping her thick diaper on the floor as she began to play with a toy carriage. Lyra stood watching her for nearly a minute before Octavia looked up from her fun.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Lyra didn’t look at her directly as she responded. “N… nothing. I’m fine, just… this is kind of new.”

Octavia’s mouth went from a flat, concerned line to a grin. “Don’t worry, it’ll come to you. Just lay down on the floor like me and start to play. It’s a lot of fun, I promise.”

Slowly, hesitantly, Lyra made her way down on the floor and picked up some blocks. She began to stack them in a small pile, not making any effort at forming a defined structure of any kind. I suppose that’s the point. We’re foals; not like we have to make architecturally sound or aesthetically pleasing stuff with blocks.

She tried to just...let go. To stop thinking and worrying. It even began to work. She relaxed, not bothering to think hard about what she was doing. She didn’t need to. All Lyra needed to do was play, to have fun with her friend and her toys.

Across from her, Octavia smiled at her new friend. The grin she bore was made wider when Lyra returned it, though her smile was much more subdued. She sighed and then realized that there was a bit of pressure on her bladder. Without hesitation, she froze, staring off in the distance as she began to wet her diaper.

A curious reaction took place. As the warmth spread through the absorbent garment, Lyra’s face went from a smile to a frown, and suddenly transformed into a look of panic. Without warning, she stood up and stared at the dark yellow patch on Octavia’s diaper, her mouth open. Her eyes darted, and Octavia’s brow furrowed. “Are you okay, Lyra?”

This seemed to have an effect, though it wasn’t the one Octavia intended. Without saying a word, Lyra turned around and walked off. Octavia sighed, then went back to playing with her carriage, wondering when she’d get her diaper changed. After nearly two minutes, she heard a violent ripping sound, followed by the pounding of hooves on carpet as she saw a mint green blur flash by and zoom out the door. Shooting up off the rug, Octavia ran to the door and looked out, keeping her soggy diaper hidden from any prying eyes who might be watching. “Lyra!” she shouted.

This caused Vinyl to trot out of the kitchen, her apron fluttering around her. “What’s up, Octy? Is… wait, where’s Lyra?”

“She ran out!” said Octavia, her jaw slack in amazement at the event that had just transpired.

Vinyl’s own mouth dropped open, then her eyebrow cocked. “Ran out? Why? What happened?”

Shaking her head, Octavia replied, “I don’t know. I was just playing with my toys, then I wet my diaper and suddenly she got up and ran off!”

This made Vinyl’s head cock and then pull back slightly. “Why would that make her run off? It’s not like she isn’t wearing one herself.”

“She’s probably just overwhelmed,” said Octavia, shaking her head sadly. “I knew she was starting to unravel… but I didn’t say anything.”

Vinyl undid the bow holding the apron to her waist, then flung the garment into the kitchen. “I’d better go after her.”

“No.”

The disk jockey’s jaw dropped. “Octy! She’s in trouble, and she’s… well, sort of my foal? I dunno, but I gotta go after her.”

Octavia shook her head. “I said no. I’m the one who drove her off, I’m the one who needs to go after her and see what’s wrong. Besides, do you have a clue as to where to start looking for her?”

Vinyl’s mouth opened a bit, then she looked down with a frown.

“I thought not.” Octavia quickly undiapered herself, then after a few swipes of the wet wipe she trotted out the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I’ve found her,” she said over her shoulder.

As she walked off, Vinyl closed the door behind her. She shook her head as she went back to the kitchen to clean up. Or at least make an effort into getting the dishes to a state which would be considered acceptable by her prissy roommate. “I sure hope you’re right, Octy.”

Octavia trotted along the streets of Canterlot, heading toward the one spot she knew Lyra would be: the city’s central park. True, she might not be there, but it was at least a good place to look. Octavia had on many occasions seen Lyra just sitting in the park, playing her lyre for anypony who cared to stop long enough to listen. Many times Octavia had stood at the edge of one of the many small clearings in the park, watching the mare play and rolling her eyes at her. Back then, she had insisted that this was a waste of the space. Lyre music was hardly an art, after all. The lovely cello was a superior instrument, with a wider range and a much more soothing tone. Its soft, mellow sound had an air of grace and dignity that the common lyre couldn’t provide, and it was her opinion that the smaller instrument was, at most, a hobby instrument.

At least, that had been her opinion once. Was it just her hatred of Lyra that had made her hate the lyre? Her mouth formed a thin grimace as she concluded yes without hesitation. She had been so consumed with hatred for the mare that she’d let that cloud even her opinion of the humble lyre. And it was hardly fair. Certainly no more fair than her perceived notions of what Lyra thought of her.

Octavia promised herself that she’d never let such feelings cloud her judgement anymore, and she was going to make a start on that by finding the poor mare and getting her to come back home.

She knew her instincts were correct when she spotted a mint green blotch through the trees as she walked along the myriad paths of the park. After crossing a small bridge that traversed a stream, she walked into the clearing. There, sitting on a small bench, was Lyra. As Octavia walked up to her, she could see the tears that were still slowly making their way down Lyra’s cheeks. She saw the pony’s chest raggedly expanding and contracting as she recovered from the sobbing and wailing that she’d likely done while Octavia was looking for her. The unicorn’s body was hunched over, and as Octavia approached the bench and sat down she didn’t even acknowledge her presence. The two of them sat there for a long time in silence.

Suddenly Lyra spoke up. “I know what you’re going to say.”

“What might that be?” asked Octavia, her voice neutral and patient.

“That there’s nothing wrong with playing foal. That we’re just different. That we’re only expressing our true selves.”

Octavia opened her mouth to deny it, but she realized that she’d actually been rehearsing all that and more on her way to the park. Her mouth closed quietly.

“Well, you’re wrong,” continued Lyra. “It’s… it’s wrong and bad and… and…” She squeezed her eyes shut to force the new, hot tears out of them. “And I can’t do this anymore.”

Leaning toward Lyra with an earnest look on her face, Octavia said, “No, it’s not wrong.”

“Yes it is!” shouted Lyra, with so much force that a few birds took off, squawking at the mare who dared disturb them. She sighed. “You… you can’t know what it’s like…”

“Now who’s wrong?” said Octavia. “You think it’s been easy for me to hide this desire? Ever since I was a filly I wanted to be foaled and treated like that, but I couldn’t ask my parents. Even my cousin Fiddlesticks wouldn’t understand, and she’s one of the kindest ponies I know. So don’t tell me I don’t know what it’s like.”

Lyra shook her head. “Have you ever loved another mare and wanted her to love you back, Octavia?”

When Octavia shook her head, Lyra rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I thought so. It’s different than family. Bon-Bon is the light of my life, and I’d do anything to keep her. But if she found out about this…” A slight whimper escaped Lyra’s lips. “She’d… she’d…”

A moment passed. “You think Bon-Bon would leave you over something like this?” said Octavia incredulously.

“Yes!” said Lyra. “Look… you and Vinyl Scratch have been so kind to me, and spending the day as a foal with you has been the best day of my life. I mean that. But I can’t keep doing this. You and Vinyl don’t think this is weird, but what about Bon-Bon? She’s… she’s normal. She wouldn’t understand what this is like. She can’t! How could she?”

“If you just explained it to her…”

“What? And have her laugh at me or look all betrayed or worse?” Lyra shook her head. “I’m glad you think this isn’t a big deal, Octavia. But this isn’t like telling my marefriend that I like to eat boogers or something stupid like that. This is serious…”

Octavia sighed. This mare was being so stubborn. “Lyra… do you love her?”

Lyra’s head whipped around so fast that it seemed as though it would fly right off Lyra’s shoulders. Her golden irises stared daggers at Octavia. “What kind of sick question is that?! Of course I love her!”

“And if she said that she was going to leave you because she thought you wouldn’t understand her, would you let her go?”

“No…” said Lyra, sighing as she looked back toward the ground. “I would fight to keep her.”

“Don’t you trust her to do the same for you?”

The answer didn’t come readily to Lyra’s lips. She sat in silence for a long time before saying, “Yes. I do.”

Octavia gave her a warm smile. “Then you have nothing to worry about. Bon-Bon is a good pony. I’ve talked to her before when visiting her sweet shop, and believe me, she thinks the world of you. Why, she even tried to convince me you weren’t so bad! I’m not saying you have to go and tell her every little secret, but please, keep an open mind to the fact she loves you, and she won’t give up what the two of you have.” She smirked. “"It's not like you're secretly a vampire who sucks ponies dry, is it?"

The audacity of the statement caused Lyra to chuckle despite her tears. “Yeah, I guess. But Octavia… what if you’re wrong? What if she hates me?”

“Then you don’t deserve her, and she doesn’t deserve you,” said Octavia. “But I know that’s not going to happen, okay?”

Lyra said nothing, merely glancing at her for a moment, her gaze empty of confidence.

“Okay?” Octavia repeated, softer this time.

Finally, Lyra said, “Okay.”

Octavia smiled and wrapped her forelegs around Lyra, then nuzzled her. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go back home and have some more padded fun on the rug.”

A smile crept up on Lyra’s muzzle. “Alright. But this time, how about I get to play with the carriage?”