> The Bond > by FabulousDivaRarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Bond > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had been three months. Three months had passed since Silverstream accidentally crashed through Smolder’s window and discovered her secret liking of infantile things and taken care of her that day. So much had changed in that blip of time. Silverstream had come over to take care of Smolder many times, and each time seemed to bring them a bit closer. It also helped Smolder grow more comfortable in a babyish role. She had, understandably, had an extremely difficult time with it. Putting aside her pride and her heritage was not something that was easily done. But every time, it got a little easier to do, until she was able to put both of those things in a box and shove them to a back corner of her mind. When she was able to do that, everything else came much more easily to her. She had been able to immerse herself into that role, but there were a few lines that she did not cross. Baby talk was way too mushy for her. Though she occasionally acquiesced and allowed a few words into her vocabulary- “Paci”, “Baba”, “Diapee”, and “Blankie”. She usually spent her time in her regressed headspace not talking much at all, really. And she never ever messed her diapers. That was just way too much, for her and probably Silverstream too. She made it very clear to Silverstream that should this slip to anycreature- Even their friends- That would be the end of their friendship. But Silverstream had proven surprisingly reliable in this regard. She had kept her beak shut, and hadn’t told or even implied anything about this to another soul. Smolder suspected Silverstream had her own reasons for that, and she was correct. Silverstream took her duty as a caregiver incredibly seriously. For one thing, she did not want to let her friend down by revealing her, and for another, she took this whole arrangement to be a serious display of trust. For Smolder to open up like that to her, it was a gift. One she was determined not to squander. She took this commitment more seriously than she had taken anything else, except perhaps getting to stay with her friends when the School Of Friendship was closed. She knew that trust was hard to gain and easy to lose, as evidenced by what happened when her now-professors came to seaquestria and tried to take their pearl. Queen Novo had had a difficult time coming to trust them after that incident, but slowly it had rebuilt after her conversations with Princess Celestia. Silverstream had continued to babysit in the interim, but something about her time with Smolder was more gratifying, even if she wasn’t being paid for it. Smolder was in her room today, as Gallus, Ocellus, Yona, and Sandbar had gone to Sugarcube Corner to do some extra credit with Professor Pinkie Pie. Only she and Silverstream remained. She had stayed behind because she hadn’t felt the need to go, as she was passing the class, and Silverstream had done several extra credit projects in the time between their first meeting and now, to get her grades up so that when the rest of her friends went out, she could stay behind with Smolder. Besides, Professor Pinkie Pie’s class was one that she had no trouble acing. Smolder was by herself now, but that was because Silverstream had stepped out to do some shopping for her. She would be back at any moment, Smolder was sure. And sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, Silverstream swooped in. The hippogriff made sure to lock the door to Smolder’s room before entering. “Hey Smolder!” She chirped. She then went to the window and made sure it was locked (because they certainly did not need a repeat of last time) before going over to the dragon. “I got everything, and some new things too!” Smolder’s interest was piqued. “What’d ya get?” Silverstream pulled the items from the bag. The obvious things were diapers and supplies to change them, which Smolder had been low on at that point, but the others were new. There were a few new story books that were seemingly sturdy, a rattle made with gems, and some clothes, like a pink dress that was short enough to show her diaper, and a pair of soft pajamas, and some jars of foal food with a plastic bowl and spoon. Smolder picked up one of the jars. “What are these?” She asked. “Something new to try.” Silverstream brushed it off. “If you don’t like them, I won’t get them again, but I figured it was something worth trying at least once. If it’s anything like the cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner, they were worth trying.” Smolder nodded and picked up the dress. “You got me a pink one?” She questioned. Silverstream giggled. “Okay, so maybe that was a little bit more for me than it was for you. I figured if we ever played tea party you could dress up. Or you could play princess during pretend.” She held up the pajamas next. “These?” “To sleep in, silly! And because they were so soft I couldn’t not get them.” “Are you always an impulse buyer?” “Pretty much!” The statement was remorseless. The rest of the items she didn’t question. She and Silverstream enjoyed reading books together, so that was welcome. The rattle, well she hadn’t had much of a fondness for the other one, but it looked delicious and might be fun once in a while, so she didn’t complain about it. The plastic bowl and spoon were rather plain and small, but she assumed that’s how they should be if they were intended for baby ponies. When she turned back to Silverstream after inspecting the items, the hippogriff was already opening one of the packages of diapers. Silverstream pulled one out and looked at Smolder maternally. “Lay down, Please!” She said, in a tone a teacher of young children might have used. Normally that would have made Smolder crazy and sounded like nails on a chalkboard to her, but in this case it was settling. It helped open the doorway to her little headspace. Smolder complied without question. She knew the drill by now. She laid down on the floor as Silverstream began the process of diapering her, which was by far quicker than doing a change. And when the diaper was taped up, Smolder found herself right at the threshold of that doorway, and stepped inside happily. When Silverstream pulled away, Smolder giggled. Silverstream grinned at her. “You silly hatchling you.” She cooed, and started tickling her friend, causing her to erupt in peals of laughter. Silverstream laughed right along with her, delighting in her joy. Silverstream collapsed onto the bed alongside her, catching her breath at the same time as Smolder. “What am I gonna do with you?” Silverstream asked playfully once she could breathe again. Smolder looked at her, somehow managing to cock her head to one side to question the statement. Silverstream quickly caught on. “How am I supposed to play with a hatchling who can out-play me? You’ve got more energy than I do, and that’s saying something!” She giggled. Smolder almost giggled back, but decided against it, considering her sides were aching. Smolder rolled over onto the bed and reached for the rattle. She didn’t shake it, as Silverstream half-expected. Instead she sniffed it, and then attempted to chew on it. The gems smelled good to Smolder, so she wanted to see if they had any taste, and fortunately they did. Her face lit up at the taste. To Silverstream, it looked like she was trying to suck a lollipop, but couldn’t fit it in her mouth. She looked like she was teething, as Silverstream had seen in one of the foals she had sat before. Silverstream grinned, almost laughed at the sight because it was so sweet to her, but she decided not to. She was still trying very hard to be cautious and considerate of Smolder’s feelings. Despite it being a few months since that first day, she still had trepidation about the fragility of this arrangement. This was furthered in Silverstream’s mind with the fact that Smolder hadn’t used the word “Mommy” Since that day. Now she knew very well that that may have been an involuntary slip caused by sleep deprivation, but something inside of her said that it wasn’t entirely true. Some obscure instinct told her that there was more to it than that. This was a double edged sword. Because as much as believing it was more than that was a comfort to her, the fact that it had not been used since was unsettling- made her wonder if she had done something to undermine that perception. She didn’t think on that too long, however, because suddenly Smolder was sitting up and on the move. Silverstream looked on with a watchful eye as Smolder got into the compartment under the bed. That compartment had proven itself more mysterious every time she visited. It seemed to expand with everything Smolder put inside of it. It wasn’t bottomless or expanding downward in anyway. Rather, it seemed to grow outward. The newest things in the center, the rest in the sides. Smolder flung what she wanted into a small pile nearby, perhaps out of instinct because of the way it simulated dragons adding to their treasure pile. When that was done, Smolder went over (more like waddled over from what Silverstream saw, but she didn’t dare point that out) to the pile and picked out a small doll. She plopped down and started toying with it. Silverstream walked over to her and sat. “Whatcha got there?” She asked. Smolder held up the doll. “Aaaah, I see.” Silverstream affirmed. “Feel like dressing her up?” She asked. Smolder shook her head. “We could make the mane into scales and try and make her look more like a dragon.” Silverstream tried to tempt her. Smolder looked contemplative, but then nodded. Silverstream tried and eventually adjusted the strings of mane to look more like scales with a bit of improvisation. Then, Silverstream got to work with the outfit. She had borrowed some scraps of felt for this occasion, and had asked for Professor Rarity’s help in sewing it together. It had been very difficult to do, as she was not used to her claws yet, and she certainly wasn’t skilled at sewing, but she had learned enough to do it, albeit crudely. She got the fabric, colored deep purple and ice blue, Silverstream wrapped the fabric around the doll to measure it. Then she began stitching it together. The ice blue fabric on top of the purple to simulate the underbelly. When it was cut into shape, She put it onto the doll and pinned it on so it could be removed, and constructed the tail, complete with scales, to slip around the tail of the pony. When it was done, Silverstream held it out to Smolder for approval. Smolder looked happy and gave the doll a squeeze. Silverstream smiled at her. “Does she have a name?” She asked. Smolder looked contemplative for a moment. For a while she didn’t seem to Silverstream to be about to say anything, and she thought maybe she might have to change the subject, but then the hatchling spoke. “Amber.” Silverstream smiled. “Amber, huh? Like the stone?” Smolder nodded. “I think it’s a good name. Very pretty.” She smiled. Smolder flashed her a smile. She made short work of making the dragon fly. As she did, Silverstream contemplated something of her own. Much as she wanted to not try and force Smolder into anything she wasn’t comfortable with, she also had an inner need to satisfy. She wanted desperately for Smolder to call her Mommy again. She wasn’t quite sure why though. It was like the word had unlocked an entire inner world for her. A gamut of emotions flooded her when thinking of the word. She wondered if she could get her to call her that again, but more out of her own volition. She tried to tell herself that if it was meant to be, it would happen, but she was incredibly impatient with it- with anything really. She was more of an instant gratification hippogriff. Still, she wanted this to be Smolder’s choice. At the end of the day, it wasn’t her decision. Rather quickly, Smolder drew Silverstream’s attention, with the sound of a grumbling stomach. “Ohp! Sounds like some hatchling is hungry. You feel like trying some foal food with your bottle?” She asked. Smolder nodded, and hugged Amber to her. Silverstream’s eyes brightened, and she rushed to get everything prepared. A bottle was made, and foal food jars were gotten out, along with a bowl and spoon. Smolder merely had to sit on the bed in that time. Very quickly, it was feeding time. “Okay, Smolder. You want to try the foal food first?” Smolder nodded. The bottle would wash away any tastes she didn’t like. Silverstream began with a jar of blueberry foal food, and spooned some of it on it, twirling the spoon in the air. “Can you help the dragon find it’s cave?” She asked. Smolder giggled and opened her mouth in response. “There’s the cave!” Silverstream grinned, and put the spoon in. Smolder’s eyes went wide. She had had blueberries before, of course, but she had thought that this might not taste as authentic. She was very happy to be wrong. It was delicious. Smolder eagerly devoured the jar, and eyed the next one hopefully. This one was banana. The flavor wasn’t quite as strong as the previous jar, but just as delicious. The third jar was applesauce, and judging by the taste, it had to have come from Sweet Apple Acres. Smolder had loved that one. When everything was eaten, Silverstream got the bottle out and sat down on the bed so Smolder could lay in her lap. They always enjoyed feedings together, because it was on oddly serene time. Classes and stresses seemed to just melt away, and there was quiet and peacefulness in the room. For Silverstream, it was a time of bonding. She felt incredibly maternal during those times, and it was amazing. The closeness was wonderful. During this time, Silverstream would whisper to her or sing to her. Sometimes both, but today she just spoke. “That’s it… Good hatchling… You drink up so you can get big and strong.” She murmured to her. Smolder didn’t seem to hear her, and appeared to be in a place where words did not sink in, and instead was in some sort of state of being near-sleep but still conscious. When the bottle was finished, Smolder lay there for a time, limp in Silverstream’s lap. She tended to stay like that a few minutes before she would get up to play. Today, she seemed extra drained. Silverstream contemplated putting her down for a nap, but instead she decided to ask. “Smolder?” She cooed. “Do you want to take a nap?” Smolder gave a whine in response. She didn’t want to answer. “Okay, okay.” Silverstream acquiesced, “We can stay here for as long as you like.” That seemed to satisfy Smolder. They stayed like that for a long while- long enough for Silverstream to think that perhaps she had fallen asleep- until Smolder started to squirm and get down. Silverstream took that opportunity to clean up from the feeding, and when she heard the shaking of the rattle, she knew Smolder was fine. When she was done with that and everything was put inside of the compartment under Smolder’s bed, it was about the time the shaking stopped. Silverstream looked over to see her charge crawling to the bags filled with things she had just bought, rummaging around in them. Silverstream walked over to her and leaned down. “Whatcha doing, munchkin?” She asked. Smolder pulled out one of the books Silverstream had gotten her, and held it up to her caregiver with big eyes. Silverstream smiled. “You want me to read you a story?” She asked, voice sugary sweet. Smolder nodded. “Alright, come on. Let mo- let me read to you.” She said, almost blushing in her embarrassment. She really hoped that Smolder hadn’t noticed the near-slip. She appeared safe as Smolder climbed onto the bed, and sidled over to Silverstream when she sat down. Smolder got herself comfortable as Silverstream wrapped a wing around her comfortingly. Smolder stuck a claw in her mouth and started sucking on it, much like a real hatchling might. Silverstream seriously considered grabbing Smolder a pacifier from the compartment, but ultimately decided against it. She wouldn’t be suckling on it too long, and she knew Smolder was careful about keeping her claws clean before getting into her headspace. Silverstream opened the book and began to read, Smolder occasionally making a noise when she saw something she liked or giggling at something funny. Silverstream made sure to use the most ridiculous voices she could manage for different characters, because it was guaranteed to make her little one giggle. That was practically her favorite sound, and she had a LOT of those. When the story was done and Silverstream closed it, Smolder was giggling up a storm. Silverstream was grinning at the sight, because it was perfect. She knew Smolder was deep in her headspace now, because unless she was being tickled or Silverstream fell down (which had happened more than a few times thanks to some stray toys lying around) she wasn’t particularly giggly. She watched as Smolder pulled a claw out of her mouth, and pointed to the bags. “You wanna get something out?” Silverstream asked. Smolder nodded, and Silverstream got up, helping Smolder get back to the bags. The dragon still had more than a bit of trouble with getting around with her diaper on. Usually she crawled in it, for the sake of saving time. Silverstream figured that if she was still standing, this deep in her headspace, there was a reason for that. When they got to the bags Smolder looked in one and pointed to it. Silverstream looked to see what she was pointing to, and it was the pink dress. “Oh, you wanna play princess?” Silverstream cooed. Smolder shook her head. “Tea!” Silverstream grinned. “Oh, that sounds fun! We can have a nice tea party. You want help with your dress?” Smolder nodded, and lifted her claws up. Silverstream helped her into her dress. It was pink, with puffed sleeves, and a lacy trim, with a v-neckline and ballroom skirt. Silverstream smiled to herself, because she would not have known any of that were it not for Professor Rarity’s lessons. When Smolder was dressed, Silverstream rummaged around in the compartment for a plastic toy tea set. When Smolder had revealed this side of her, and what she had seen in the Tree Of Harmony’s test, it only made sense to make a tea set one of the gifts to give her in the following months since the discovery. Silverstream set up the tea set, and the two of them sat down for a tea party. They had tea and fancy conversations, pinkies out and all. Silverstream might have worn a fancy dress of her own, but she didn’t have anything for that kind of occasion. Since hippogriffs and sea ponies rarely wore clothing of any kind, she was ill prepared for that. The tea party wore on and soon came to an end, when Smolder decided she wanted to play something else. So Silverstream got her undressed, because as much as Smolder liked the dress, it was very itchy. Around that time, Smolder began to feel something. A pressure in her bowels. It was faint at that point, so she just ignored it. She wasn’t going to let it ruin playtime. In the meantime, Smolder decided to play with blocks that Silverstream had gotten her. She built a miniature town, with high towers for buildings, and a random pyramid- because they were fun to knock down. When she ran out of blocks, which was a long time considering the sheer amount Silverstream had gotten, she set about smashing them, thinking of Yona and her holiday of Snildar Fest. And then, Silverstream got a devious idea. In the midst of Smolder smashing the play town, Silverstream stood up, and let out a fake roar. Smolder looked up, only partly startled from her fantasy. “Oh no!” Silverstream said, “A monster is invading the town! It’s… The tickle monster!” Smolder knew exactly what that meant, let out an “Eep!” And barely managed to leap out of the way of Silverstream, landing on the bed. However, she hit the bed at an odd angle, and her stomach hit the edge. The wind was knocked out of her, and in the moments when she tried to recover following that, Silverstream jumped at her, tickling her and making her squeal with laughter. Smolder tried to worm her way forward, but Silverstream was quick. Silverstream was still on her. So, never one to give up in any form, She tried a desperate maneuver. She lunged forward, aim slightly skewed, until she was near the side of the bed. Smolder had managed to sit up before Silverstream was at it again. Smolder attempted, futilely, to get away from her, by scooting back. That was her mistake. The bulk of her diaper combined with her being off-balance already, caused her to fall off the bed. The diaper, mercifully, absorbed any pain she might have had from the fall, but the fall was far from painless, because the shock of it had caused her bowels to void. She had meant what she said before. She didn’t dare use her diaper for that, ever, by intent. She hadn’t done it before, and she didn’t want to do it now. But now it was done, and there was no helping it. When the deed was done and shock wore away, Smolder was filled with the most intense feelings of disgust, discomfort, and horror. Smolder was not a crier. No dragon was really, barring real hatchlings or babies who hadn’t molted. But her emotions overwhelmed her to the point where she burst into tears. Silverstream, for her part, was more than a bit dumbstruck. All of that hadn’t happened in more than a few seconds, and it took her a bit longer to process or understand what had happened. It wasn’t until she saw the back of Smolder’s diaper bulge that she realized what had occurred. Instinct took over, and she reacted before she could form a coherent thought. She scrambled off of the bed, and held her, still standing, in a hug. It took Smolder longer than she would have liked to realize she was being held. When she did, she looked up at Silverstream with teary blue eyes. “Mama…” She whimpered, and sniffled. Silverstream was shocked, and not just for the usage of the name she had been so longing to hear- although she desperately wished it had come out of a better circumstance. What shocked her was how easily she responded, something that she had not planned coming out of her mouth. “Mama’s here, and Mama will get you clean again. You're probably thinking that you have done something bad. I'm here to tell you you're wrong." Her tone was gentle and soothing. "You’re a baby right now. Babies don’t know how to potty, and that’s why they wear diapers. You were having fun and acting just like my sweet little hatchling is supposed to. You fell, you went potty, and you were wearing a diaper, so it doesn’t matter. It never will matter in here. We'll just get you all clean and cozy in a new diaper and then it'll be all over.” Smolder sniffed again, and nodded. Silverstream, though she did not want to leave, went to get changing supplies as quick as she could. She returned quickly, and helped Smolder onto the bed, who whimpered, feeling more helpless than she ever had, not to mention more disgusting. Silverstream hushed her gently, and whispered to her soothingly through the entire change. “It’s alright, Smolder, You’ll be all clean and in a fresh diaper in a second, I promise. You’re a good girl, and I am very proud of you. You had an accident, and that’s all there is. You are not gross, or disgusting, or any other bad word in your head. Mama is here, and you are still the same dragon you have always been.” The words soothed Smolder, and before she knew it, the change was over. Silverstream cleaned her claws, and then held smolder until the tears stopped, murmuring words of comfort the whole time. When it ended, Silverstream kept her hold on her, until Smolder gave a yawn. Silverstream looked at her. “Do you want to take a nap, Smolder?” She asked, and Smolder nodded. Silverstream wanted to put her in the new pajamas she had gotten her, but ultimately decided against it, not wanting to keep her awake longer. Smolder needed time to distance herself from her accident. “Okay.” Silverstream tucked the Hatchling into bed, and read her a story. When the dragon was nearly asleep, she whispered to her, “Mama will be here when you wake up.” And so Silverstream waited. While Smolder slept, Silverstream cleaned up the mess from the blocks. The rest of the time, she just sat on the bed. She kept watch over Smolder, while keeping an ear out for anything that could wake the sleeping dragon. She expected something to come along and wake her, but nothing did. And as Smolder slept, she mused. Smolder had called her Mama, and this time it wasn’t some semi-sleep induced fantasy. That was a fully conscious event that had happened. It had happened in a time of distress, yes, but in an odd way, that somehow made it more special. Creatures rarely said what they did not mean in times of sadness like that. Smolder especially was not one to mince words. She never consciously said something that she did not mean. To know that she viewed Silverstream in that light filled the hippogriff with more love, joy, and indescribable emotion than she could name. To put it simply, she was thrilled. Riding high. She found herself smiling that whole time. Smolder woke up soon after, and rubbed her eyes with her claws. Silverstream smiled gently at her. When Smolder caught sight of her, there was a flickering in her eyes that Silverstream had come to recognize. Smolder was teetering between headspaces. It did not surprise her, considering it usually came after naps. Sometimes she would be out of it for a while, and then fall in again, and sometimes she would be out completely, and other times she would fall right back into her hatchling headspace without a problem. It could go any of those three ways. Silverstream knew that the best course of action would be just to wait it out. Smolder stared at her for a very long time, long enough to make Silverstream want to squirm, but the hippogriff kept a calm gaze. Finally, Smolder looked away, down to the floor. “So… The Mama thing.” Smolder began slowly. “I’m-“ Silverstream cut her off with a claw to the lips. “Smolder, stop. Don’t apologize for anything. I was wondering when you would call me that again- or if you would, really. I know it didn’t happen in the best way, but it did happen. That’s what matters. And I feel so special that you called me that, out of anycreature. It made me happier than the time I discovered stairs!” Smolder had too many points in that she wanted to question, so she lumped it all into one: “Really?” Silverstream nodded. “You called me that the first time I was here, before you took your nap. I wanted it to happen again, but I wanted you to do it on your own, you know? I didn’t want to force it, because where’s the fun in that? It wouldn’t have felt the same.” “So you’re… Okay with me calling you that? You don’t think it’s weird?” “You call me that anytime you want. You’re my hatchling, Smolder, and I love you- in a friend way, and in a Mom way. You will never be weird to me.” Smolder found herself smiling, a big, genuine smile. She wrapped Silverstream in a hug, and suddenly her headspace switched as she sighed. “I love you, Mama.” Silverstream smiled, hugged her right back. “I love you too, my sweet hatchling.” Nothing could break their bond.