Foalhood with a Twist
Tempest Shadow wished more than anything that Princess Twilight was with her at the moment. It had been Twilight who had seen good in Tempest when nopony else did, when nocreature did. And after all she had done over the years on behalf of the Storm King, Tempest didn't blame them. Now more than ever, she wished she had a way to go back in time and undo what she had done. Alas, even if such a thing were possible, the Storm King's former second-in-command doubted she would have the means to pull it off due to her lack of a horn.
So it was that the unicorn with a scar across her right eye now stood before the last pony she wanted to see right now: Princess Celestia, the sovereign ruler of Equestria. True, it was a title shared with her sister, but Celestia was the older of the two and had served longer, thus it fell to her to decide Tempest's fate. And the alicorn seemed to tower over the hornless unicorn, as if further driving home how powerless Tempest was. For the first time since losing her horn, she truly felt powerless. Yet she knew that there was no use running away. Her past crimes and misdeeds were going to catch up to her one way or another. And Princess Celestia wasn't the only ruler who would see fit to punish Tempest if given the chance.
Standing alone in the throne room, Tempest remained silent as she watched Princess Celestia size her up. A knot formed in the hornless unicorn's stomach. Despite her best efforts, her fear showed visibly and outwardly. What was going to happen to her? What would her fate be?
Princess Celestia, for her part, seemed to be silently contemplating something if the curious expression upon her face was anything to go by. Her eyes conveyed a sense of intrigue, about what Tempest did not know.
At last, the hornless unicorn swallowed hard and summoned the courage to speak up. The words were slow to leave her mouth. "What... are you going to do to me... princess?" She questioned.
"Well," Princess Celestia began as she locked eyes with the unicorn. "It's been a long time since I've had to deal with anypony who's ever risen up against me. The last time that happened was over a thousand years ago, and I had that pony banished."
A gulp escaped Tempest's lips. "Banished to where?"
The sun princess somberly stated. "To the moon." Was it Tempest's imagination, or was the alicorn's voice tinged with regret and sadness?
"Is... that what you're going to do to me?" The hornless unicorn hesitantly questioned. If such was her fate, she would do her best to accept it with a straight face and not be afraid.
Celestia replied with a shake of her head. "I'd rather it not have to come to that, Tempest. After all, it is my understanding that you did play a role in the Storm King's defeat. That may not be enough to make up for all that you did in his name, but it's something to consider."
Tempest pressed further. "So, are you gonna throw me in a dungeon somewhere? Or send me to Tartarus?"
Again, Celestia shook her head. "That's a place where only the worst offenders end up. Irredeemable monsters who cannot be a part of Equestria because of the threat they'd pose to others. I don't believe that suits you, Tempest. Especially seeing as you don't have a horn," A rather unusual smile formed upon her face as she explained. "So what if I told you, there might be a way for your horn to be restored? In return, all I ask for is a little favor."
Hesitant though she might be to accept any sort of punishment, the prospect of getting her horn back was enough to make Tempest seriously consider the offer. "I... suppose I would be interested," Though before committing herself to anything, she felt like she deserved to know the trade-off. No way was she about to be let off the hook so easily. "What's the catch? What do you want me to do?"
Princess Celestia's smile grew wider. It seemed like she was struggling to suppress a smirk. "You'll see soon enough, Tempest," She approached the scarred unicorn and took her by the hoof. "Follow me. All will be explained shortly." And she led her unofficial "captive" away.
Tempest didn't know where she was going or what Princess Celestia was going to make her do. The uncertainty did nothing to ease her nervousness and anxiety.
At last, the two ponies reached a secluded part of the castle where there was nopony but them around. Princess Celestia took the liberty of pushing open a door to a room whose purpose only she knew about. Once inside, she turned on a light switch. "Behold, Tempest, this shall be your punishment."
Tempest Shadow's eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness. When they did so, they could hardly believe the sight that greeted them: There was a small changing table resting by itself in a lonely corner of the room, and next to it was a large package whose contents were poking out from a small opening. The contents were white, roughly triangle shaped, and almost looked like giant pillows.
Tempest knew better. She realized at once what those big, white objects were. They were diapers. And from the looks of it, they were much bigger than the kind of diapers you might see on a foal. No, they were clearly intended for ponies of her size, perhaps even bigger. She winced, blinking and rubbing her eyes. No, she wasn't seeing things. That package of big diapers was there for all to see. She turned back towards Princess Celestia. "Wait a minute, are those..." She gulped. "For me?"
Celestia nodded. "They most certainly are, Tempest. As punishment for your crimes against Equestria, you are hereby sentenced to this fate: You are put on one of the diapers."
"Doesn't sound like much of a punishment to me." The hornless unicorn remarked, suspecting that there was more to it.
"Well, once they're on, only I will be allowed to take them off," The sun princess explained whilst not so subtly ushering Tempest towards the changing table. "I've specifically enchanted the diapers so that they will resist any efforts by you to remove them. And I think a few hours back in diapers will suit you pretty well. After all, it was quite childish and irresponsible of you to run away from home all those years ago. If you had just come to me, perhaps we could've found a way to restore your horn, and the invasion of Canterlot never would've happened."
Tempest was soon hoisted up onto the changing table, squirming uncomfortably even as she knew she was powerless to escape her fate. All too soon, she could see Princess Celestia taking one of the diapers out of the package, using her magic to slip it under Tempest's rump and strap it up securely. The diaper was not only big, but quite thick. It pushed the unicorn's legs apart in a very uncomfortable and unfamiliar fashion. "You know, I may have said I'd do anything to get my horn back, but this isn't what I meant." She tried to protest.
The alicorn with a coat as white as the diapers only replied by opening a drawer underneath the changing table. Then, she used her magic to pop something into Tempest's mouth: It was a large, baby pink colored pacifier. "If you're going to act like a pouty little foal, you can expect to be treated as such." She scolded in an almost maternal sounding voice, before helping the padded unicorn down from the changing table.
It was a struggle for Tempest to yank the pacifier out of her mouth. Her hooves fidgeted with it, even as a part of her mind didn't want to stop suckling on the rubber bulb as it bobbed up and down. "What? Are you going to spank me like an actual foal?" She protested, almost as if she expected that to happen at any moment.
Celestia only vaguely responded. "Keep acting up and you'll find out. Cooperate, and I won't have to punish you any further."
Not wanting to call the sun princess' bluff, Tempest reluctantly relented. "Okay, fine. If it means getting my horn back, I guess I can put up with being treated like a foal for a while. I'll do it, but I won't like it."
Princess Celestia smiled and clapped her hooves. "Excellent! Glad to hear you say that, Tempest," Then she motioned to the door. "Now come on. It's a fine day outside, far too fine to spend it in here with just the two of us."
The hornless unicorn whimpered as she realized what Celestia was announcing her intent to do. "What?! You're gonna make me go out there like this?! In front of everypony?!"
"I did say you were being punished," Princess Celestia told Tempest. "Ponies are not going to be satisfied unless they see publicly that you are being made an example of," In a somewhat more reassuring tone she added. "Don't worry, I've already had my guards pass word along to my subjects. They're not to take any photos or print any articles about it, unless they want to turn said photos and articles over to me. It's only going to be for a few hours."
Tempest was still far from convinced. "But... but... they'll all see me. I'll be a laughing stock!"
"Well, you should've thought of that before you decided to betray Equestria," The sun princess scolded her unfortunate victim. "Besides, isn't a day of public humiliation better than banishment or imprisonment? At least this way you'll still get something out of it afterwards."
Tempest remained hesitant, even as she realized she had very little means of protesting or escaping her impending fate. "What if I end up using my diaper while I'm out in public?" She shuddered at the mere thought of such a thing happening.
Princess Celestia just vaguely replied. "Well, we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it, Tempest. And we'd already have gotten the punishment underway by now if you weren't complaining," In a soft, maternal tone of voice she added. "Don't worry, I'll be with you through it all. I know you don't like this, but if you did like it it wouldn't be much of a punishment now would it? It's only a few hours. You can manage that, can't you?" Her tone of voice seemed to change to one of mockery as she then stated. "Or, are you afraid? Do you expect me to believe that somepony as strong as you are is terrified of a little public humiliation after all you've done?"
The hornless unicorn let out a growl as she cast daggers at the sun princess. "You're trying to get under my fur. And it's working."
Celestia snickered. "Knew you'd see it my way eventually, Tempest. Now come on." And just like that, the matter was settled.
The unicorn with a scar across her right eye could only sigh and think to herself. "Can't believe I'm agreeing to this." Yet she knew there was no turning back now.
Tempest struggled to walk alongside Princess Celestia. The diaper she was wearing reminding her of its presence with every step she took: Forcing her into a clumsy waddle as the padded undergarment crinkled loudly. It was enough to make her break out into a raging blush. And the worst part was, the punishment hadn't even begun in earnest yet. Just walking through the castle grounds was enough to make her self-conscious and ashamed.
It sure was a good thing Princess Twilight wasn't here to see this. Or, heaven forbid, Queen Novo. Tempest was sure the hippogriff queen would be delighted to no end to see her stuck in diapers, waddling around like a big foal.
Oh, the tabloids were surely going to have a field day with this, despite the reassurances of Princess Celestia that she would not allow any pictures or articles to be published about what Tempest was being subjected to.
As if things weren't already bad enough, it seemed that there was an enormous crowd of ponies lined up out on the streets. And when the castle doors were flung open, Tempest reluctantly waddled out towards them. Already, she could hear the hushed whispers and the faint snickers, chuckles, and giggles as the citizens of Canterlot beheld her in her padded state. She wished more than anything she had something to cover up that big, poofy diaper. Even just a nice onesie or set of pajama bottoms. Then at least she wouldn't feel so... exposed.
The hornless unicorn blinked and froze. Where had that thought come from? Why in the wide world of Equestria would she ever want to wear something even more foalish than a diaper? In fact, wouldn't wearing something on top of the diaper just draw even more attention to it?
Princess Celestia stood by Tempest's side, only slightly shielding her from everypony's gaze. "Come on," She spoke in a motherly coo. "There's no point trying to hide from it. Everypony's going to see your diaper whether you want them to or not. This is why it's a punishment, after all."
Tempest sighed, knowing that the sun princess had a point. Oh, how she wished it could be over already. The shame was welling up inside her, causing her face to flush a most brilliant shade of crimson red. Waddling along, she kept looking back to that poofy diaper of hers. Was it her imagination, or did it seem like it was becoming even poofier by the second, thus making the crinkles even louder?
The crowds did not thin in the slightest as Tempest continued to waddle along in shame. She hated every second of this. This was an extremely high price to pay for the chance to have her horn be restored. Part of her was starting to wish she had chosen banishment or imprisonment instead. At least then she might have been able to preserve some of her dignity, which was slowly fading away with every embarrassing step she took.
For how long Tempest waddled along, her diapered rear crinkling all the while, she did not know. Time and its passage had become an invisible concept to her. It felt like every second was ticking by in agonizing slowness, as if the very fates themselves were conspiring against her to make her punishment last even longer. All the while, that silly smirk on Princess Celestia's face did not fade. It was as if she were a mother ushering her child along, not caring in the slightest for who might see them.
So what if nopony was allowed to take pictures or write articles? They were taking pictures with their minds, surely stowing away the memories to dig up later. Tempest's reputation in Canterlot, and probably all of Equestria, would never be the same. Word would spread, and everypony would remember her for this and nothing else.
Then again, would that be such a bad thing if it meant they forgot all about the invasion? If they forgot that Tempest had aided the Storm King in his conquest, only turning on him after he had betrayed her and attacked her? Maybe, in some warped way, this was her chance to wipe the slate clean and start anew.
The hornless unicorn froze and blinked once again. Where had those thoughts come from? This was far worse than ponies fearing her because of the invasion. Far worse than ponies calling for her head because she'd helped the Storm King nearly conquer Equestria. With time, they might have forgotten such memories and come to realize that that wasn't who she was anymore. There was no way they would ever forget about this. This was a humiliation she'd never be able to live down. And that stupid diaper of hers was only making it worse, reminding everypony of its presence. Oh, how Tempest wished she had a horn so that she could blast the accursed undergarment to pieces!
Eventually, however, Tempest's thoughts of humiliation and embarrassment began to subside and be replaced by a new feeling. She wasn't sure what it was or why she was feeling this way. All she knew for sure was that she was starting to feel thirsty. Her lips were parched and longed for refreshment. Perhaps having subconsciously reached for that pacifier to suckle on it so many times had caused it. But suckling on the pacifier had been the only way for her to focus on something besides the audible crinkling of her diaper.
As if she could read the hornless unicorn's mind, Princess Celestia stopped and locked eyes with her captive. Then, without speaking a word, she levitated out a baby bottle. It was full of milk, milk which the thirsty Tempest found irresistible.
To Tempest, it didn't even matter that the only way she was allowed to drink the milk from the bottle was by crawling into the sun princess' lap. It didn't matter that she was forced to act not unlike she was an actual foal. The milk was enough of a reward for her to overcome any further qualms about her dignity. That didn't mean she liked doing it. Far from it. Yet strangely enough, there was a small part of the unicorn's subconscious that felt like such behavior and treatment was... acceptable. That it was okay to just let all her worries melt away and focus solely on sucking down the milk until her thirst was quenched.
After the bottle was emptied, the unicorn with a scar across her right eye was surprised when she felt herself be levitated up, all the while Celestia patted Tempest gently on the back a few times. Before the unicorn could ask what the point of such an act was, she let out a belch that she swore could be heard for miles around. That was enough to make all eyes fall upon her (if they weren't already focused on her), and for that raging blush of hers to return.
"What a good little foal." Princess Celestia cooed as she then set Tempest back down. She truly seemed to be treating the whole thing as if Tempest actually was her child. And such behavior struck the hornless unicorn as most odd. This was supposed to be a punishment. That's what she had been told. Surely, Celestia hadn't forgotten that.
Well, fixating on those thoughts kept Tempest from paying much attention to anything else. Even the crinkling of her diaper as she waddled along slowly faded away, to the point where she almost forgot she was wearing and why. Mercifully, forgetting about such things seemed to make the time go by quicker. It was still much too slow for poor Tempest, but to the unicorn it no longer felt as if time itself had stopped altogether.
Eventually, after much parading about through the streets of Canterlot, the princess and the padded unicorn came to a small park. It was currently vacated, nopony was there (most likely a result of everypony instead fixating on Tempest's punishment).
To the surprise of Tempest, instead of just passing by the park or turning around and heading back the other way, Princess Celestia led her right into the park grounds. In particular, she was not so subtly guiding the pampered pony towards some playground equipment: A small slide and accompanying swing set.
Only once she was behind one of the swings did the sun princess finally stop. She then motioned a hoof to the swing she was holding, making it clear that she wanted Tempest to get onto it.
The padded unicorn naturally hesitated to obey such a command. Princess Celestia couldn't possibly be serious. She really expected her captive to get onto the swingset and subject herself to even more humiliation from an all too eager public? Bad enough she'd already drunk a bottle of milk from the princess' lap. "No way am I making things even worse! I'm not getting on that swingset and she can't make me!" She thought to herself. Whatever punishment might come her way as a result of this defiance, she would accept it,
Yet rather than show any signs of anger, Celestia simply used her magic to pull Tempest towards her. "Come on," She encouraged the unicorn. "Sit on the swing, please."
With all eyes still fixated upon her, Tempest still didn't want to obey. But a part of her was quite curious. She couldn't recall ever having been on a swing set or any sort of playground equipment as a child, not even before the accident that had cost her her horn. And that curiosity overrode the part of her brain that told her this was wrong. She struggled to get onto the swing, the extra bulk of her diaper as it compressed only complicating the matter. At last, however, she was on it.
The citizens of Canterlot then watched as the both humiliating and adorable scene played out before them. Princess Celestia grabbed the swing, pulled it back, and let it go. Then, when it came back to her, she pushed it again, and again, and again. She truly was treating Tempest like a child, like a little foal.
The hornless unicorn found the sensation of swinging to be rather enjoyable, actually. It was just like suckling on the pacifier, it was a distraction and an escape from her current situation. It meant she didn't have to dwell on the fact that she was powerless, that she had no control over things.
Suddenly, however, Tempest found that there was another thing she had no control over. Her bladder had filled up from drinking all that milk. Yet she had either not noticed or not paid attention until now that it was begging for release. And unfortunately, now was too late, her bladder decided it could hold out no longer. With a hiss, her diaper began to swell up and grow darker, a damp patch spreading out across the seat of the padding. A warm yet soggy feeling soon presented itself to the unicorn, serving as an unmistakable reminder of what she'd done.
It only lasted a few seconds, but those few seconds were the worst seconds of Tempest's life since losing her horn. Not even being betrayed by the Storm King was worse than this: Wetting her diaper in front of an entire crowd, their eyes fixating on her padded posture as all outward signs of her accident slowly faded. The diaper did its job of absorbing it all, soaking it all up like a sponge. It was still warm and soggy, but nowhere near as uncomfortable as it had been earlier.
At that point, Tempest couldn't stop herself: She broke down in tears. All she could do was cry, even though it had been years since she'd truly shed a tear for any reason. She hated it all: The crowds, the lack of control, the diaper, and especially her accident.
Fortunately, it seemed like Princess Celestia sensed Tempest's distress. She stopped the swing and brought her charge close. "There there, it's okay," She spoke in a calm and reassuring tone. "You're just a little wet, that's all. Easily fixed." She helped the unicorn out of the swing, and began to levitate over the supplies needed for a diaper change.
The hornless unicorn's eyes were still stained red with tears. She dreaded what was coming next. "Everypony's gonna see." She whimpered.
"No they won't," Celestia declared. Using her magic, she brought over a large rack one might use for changing outfits. It surrounded her and Tempest, ensuring that nopony could see them directly. "Now just relax, Tempest," She sweetly informed the unicorn. "This won't take long. I promise."
The sun princess was as good as her word about the change. Quick as a flash, she removed the old diaper and placed it into a bag for disposal later. A series of wet wipes made quick work of any trace of the accident that might have clung to Tempest's flanks and coat. And after a generous sprinkling of foal powder on Tempest's bare bottom, a new diaper was strapped to her. The diaper change was done, and in record time too!
Princess Celestia helped Tempest to stand before removing the rack, allowing everypony to see the new diaper the hornless unicorn was wearing. There were a few hushed whispers, but most in the crowd held their tongue and said nothing. That made Tempest feel just the slightest bit better, enough for the unicorn to cease her crying and wipe away the few tears that remained.
Things slowly but surely passed by after that. Almost before the hornless unicorn knew it, she was brought back to the castle as her punishment was proclaimed to be at an end. The crowd slowly dispersed, apparently satisfied with what they had seen. True to the sun princess' earlier reassurement to Tempest, nopony had taken any pictures or written down anything to be published in papers or magazines. Maybe they would slowly forget what had happened. Maybe they would be satisfied that the humiliation Tempest had suffered was enough to account for her misdeeds.
Once the last ponies had gone away, the sun princess led her captive back into the castle and brought her back to the room where the punishment had begun mere hours earlier. She proceeded to once again hoist Tempest onto the changing table, this time to remove the unicorn's diaper rather than put her into one.
"See? What did I tell you?" Celestia reassured Tempest whilst carefully pulling the diaper off the unicorn's flanks, using a spare wet wipe to remove the traces of foal powder that had gotten stuck on her coat. "Your punishment was served, everypony saw that you were punished, and all is well."
"You really mean it? All is forgiven? Just like that?" The hornless unicorn questioned in uncertainty. Was it really that easy?
Princess Celestia explained. "Well, I can't speak for all my subjects, or for those other nations. There will still be those who will hold your past actions against you. I can't change minds. I carried out your punishment, but it will be up to you to atone and show that you have changed."
Tempest felt her heart sink a little upon hearing those words. "Oh." She couldn't even imagine what Queen Novo was planning to do to her (assuming Tempest ever had the courage to set hoof into Novo's kingdoms).
The alicorn with a majestic white coat then told the unicorn. "But a deal's a deal. You served your punishment well. I will look into whether there's a way to restore your horn. It's not a guarantee, but I will exhaust all options I can find and think of. If I find anything that looks promising, I'll contact you."
"Thanks, I guess." Tempest managed to agree. At least her public humiliation wouldn't be entirely for nothing.
Celestia was quick to comment. "And I must say, you played your role so very well, Tempest. It wasn't all bad, was it?"
The hornless unicorn hesitantly commented. "I... don't know about that."
"Well, as long as you behave yourself, you won't have to worry about ever being subjected to it again," The sun princess declared in a tone of voice that made it hard to tell if she was bluffing, or if she was being sincere. "But of course, if you should give me reason to think you haven't learned your lesson, I won't hesitate to put you back in diapers and take you out in public again."
Tempest gulped and swallowed hard. As much as she knew her punishment could've been worse, she most certainly didn't want to suffer through it again if she could help it. It would be one thing if it was just between her and the princess. But to be made to parade around in public while padded again, that was a fate worse than banishment, imprisonment, or even death.