Bathtime · 4:38pm May 3rd, 2017
The water cascading against the pale-green claw-footed enameled cast iron tub made a thunderous sound while it filled. The bathroom was already filling up with steam and Pebble was eager to get into the tub, where it would be warm. She was too little to get in by herself—she had to be eased in just a little bit at a time—and if she just plopped in it would hurt far too much. But a little at a time? The sting—and the anticipation of the sting—was delightful.
Sitting on the toilet, she felt the radiant heat coming from the small black wrought iron stove, and she looked over at her mother. Both of them were naked and Pebble felt just a little bit awkward about that fact. Her mother’s nakedness didn’t bother her, but her own sure did. With no dress, no clothing of any sort, her rolls of pudge were visible, her big thighs, and all of the extra padding around her middle. All of it was ugly, and she hated it. She sat with her thighs squeezed tight together, because there were parts of her that were far, far uglier than other parts, and she didn’t like the two new additions to her body that were growing in, not at all.
“Mother, can I ask you an earth pony question?” Pebble looked at her mother and waited for a response.
“Well, you’re an earth pony, and you just asked me a question, so, you just did,” Maud deadpanned, “and can’t you call me something like ‘Mama,’ or ‘Mom’... would it kill you?”
“But it is a serious question.” Pebble felt her cheeks and belly grow warm from embarrassment, and she considered just keeping her question to herself. Listening to the sound of the wood burning inside of the small, pot-bellied stove, her ears twitched with each pop and crackle. The tub was taking a long time to fill, and at the moment, it seemed like it was taking even longer.
Standing beside the tub, Maud poked her hoof into the water, held it there, and concentrated for a moment. After a few seconds, she said, “That’s about one-hundred and four to one-hundred and six degrees. Perfect.” Then, she just stood there with her hoof held in the bathwater.
“Mom, when and how did you know that Dad was the one?” Pebble asked while she tapped her two front hooves against one another. “How did your earth pony senses tell you that he was the one? My senses are always so confusing and overwhelming. They’re too strong and I have to try and shut them out.”
“I think you’re a little too young to be worried about that—”
“Just answer the question!” Pebble demanded.
Sighing, Maud turned to look at her daughter with her usual sleepy expression. Pebble, naked, seemed all the more vulnerable at the moment and she was unable to look her mother in the eye while her front hooves kept tap-tap-tapping together. With a splash, Maud lifted her hoof out of the bath, gave it a shake, and put it down on the floor where it darkened the stone floor with wetness.
“I gave your father the silent treatment just to see what might happen. It was stupid of me, and the truth was, I was flustered and overwhelmed by him, and it was easier for me to deal with all of my own feelings by being silent and trying to sort them out. It was just a dumb thing to do. When he freaked out and started to pour his heart out to me, I just knew. He was the one. It was like a bell going off, and all of my earth pony senses alerted me to the fact that I had just found my ideal mate and breeding partner.”
“Yes, but how?” Pebble looked her mother in the eye and her tiny nostrils flared.
“Hunch. Gut instinct. Just that… feeling. When you just know and everything just feels calm and right.” Maud paused for a moment, blinked once, and when she continued speaking, there was a curious quality to her voice. “There was also this strange, persistent arousal that wouldn’t go away, and I suspected back at the time that it was magical in origin. I still feel it sometimes, when he and I are separated, and there is this strong instinct to keep him close. For him to be near me.”
Pressing her lips together, Pebble’s cheeks poofed out and she focused her attention on the wood burning stove. While she stared at it, her mother turned off the water, and when Pebble raised her head to look, she saw her mother coming to get her. On two legs, Maud lifted Pebble from the potty, held her up, hugged her a bit, and kissed her on the head, just over her eye.
“Being an earth pony is confusing,” Pebble grumbled.
On two legs, Maud approached the tub, which was now full, and she dangled Pebble over the water. Driven by instinct, Pebble’s legs began to kick, to paddle, and the grumpy little filly scowled, not much caring for her instincts at the moment. Maud lowered her daughter a bit, and Pebble hissed when her hooves hit the hot water. The contrast of the cooler air and the hot bath water was delicious, and Pebble shivered with anticipation of the dunking to come.
There would be heat, too much heat, and then the air of the bathroom would feel even colder by contrast. Her stubby, chubby legs kicked, moving on their own, as most mammals tended to do when held over the water, and her hooves splashed as they submerged. She was dunked in a little more at a time, and Pebble knew it would sting the most when her belly hit the water, well, her belly and her two most-unwelcome developments. The hot water would hurt those the most, and Pebble gritted her teeth as even more of her sank in.
At least her mother was careful and slow.
“Hot, hot, hot!” Pebble murmured, and the cautious dunking process halted for a second so she could recover. Fear manifested, as Pebble didn’t like being held up off of the ground, and panic joined anticipation, making her heart race. “Mama, I think Sumac is the one.”
“You’re a bit young for that conclusion,” Maud replied in deadpan.
“That doesn’t make it any less true,” Pebble retorted as her mother continued to ease her in.
Maud’s voice still had a curious quality to it. “I never said it wasn’t true, just that you were a bit young to have reached that conclusion. Look, I respect you, your instincts, and your hunches as an earth pony. But as your mother, I am going to have moments where I balk at certain things. We can always talk about it though, never forget that. Just remember, I’m your mom and I have certain feelings of my own because of my love for you as my daughter.”
With a plop and a splash, Pebble was dropped into the tub, which was deep enough for her to bob up and down in. Her mane and tail flowed all around her, trying to float in the water, and she looked up at her mother with bright, curious eyes. Loving eyes. The little filly watched as her mother threw one leg over the edge of the tub and began the slow, cautious process of getting in.
Bathtimes were the best times, because anything could be talked about.
A special time indeed.
Everytime you mention that Pebble is heavier than your average filly or colt it isn't exactly clear to me how much heavier. Is she like 1.5 average earth pony fillies her age, or is she closer to being like 1.1? When you call her pudgy I get the feeling it's closer to 1.1, but then when you describe it it's more like 1.5. Or are those descriptions supposed to be what Pebble thinks of herself?
4518545
When she looks in the mirror, she sees a grotesque blob.
She's just a bit chubbier than average.
The mention of two unwelcome developments makes me think that some of her extra weight has started going to her teats and causing them to develop a bit earlier than should be normal.
4518592
OK MAAAAA!
Pinkie pipes up from outside the door. (hint of sarcasm)
Bobbing Pebble.
Floating stones of Rameswaram, Tamilnadu, India
Awwwww... <3
4518547
She's not overweight, just extra huggable
D'awww adorable!