VI. The Princess and the Filly

The second half of the night passed a lot calmer for Rowan. He had succumbed to a dreamless sleep, and woke up at dawn, feeling refreshed. He had always been a morning person, but rarely did both of the aforementioned factors align. Flexing his injured ankle, he noticed the muscles were less stiff than they had been the day before. He yawned contentedly and stretched his arms, feeling the soft fabric of his new-but-not-really-new pajamas.

The brace was on the coffee table, neatly folded in two. Rowan gently put it in his ankle, almost instantly feeling the relief. Leaning on his crutch, he used his right paw to feel for vibrations in the floor. Simultaneously, he perked up his long ears and listened. All he heard were the sounds of wind, moving branches, and rain on leaves. Since the mares appeared to be still asleep, Rowan pondered what he could do.

He had a strong desire to do something in return for all their kindness, and idly staring at the kitchen, he got an idea. Living under Azalea's tyranny for two years had taught him how to be invisible and silent. With her, he needed that skill to stay off her radar as much as possible, to evade unwanted negative attention. Now, however, he could put that skill to great use to surprise his hostesses. With the stealth of an assassin, he went through the fridge, a few cupboards, and a drawer, until he had found what he was looking for.

He put a towel on the countertop, to dampen the sound of the pestle and mortar as he ground up the whole oatmeal into finer flour. Instead of using a mixer, he opted for whisking the batter by hand. For flavor, he cut up a few apples and added cinnamon. Luckily, he had found the appropriate tin the day before.

Half an hour later, he put the muffins in the oven. Cleaning up proved a lot easier than at Azalea's place, since the mares had a dishwasher. Rowan did a mental fist pump at "not having to do the dishes", the chore he hated the most. As he sniffed up the scent of cinnamon and warm apples, he noticed he had been holding his pee since he woke up. With a content sigh, he leaned his hands on the edge of the countertop, listening to the soft hissing of his morning wetting hitting the padding of his gradually swelling diaper.

Celester woke up to the sounds of wind and rain on the diagonal skylight of the master bedroom. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the face of her favorite mare. Stella was still sleeping peacefully, gently sucking her pacifier. She rolled over to grab her phone from the floor. On the second page of her home screen was an icon of a blue droplet, of an app disguised as one to keep track of one's fluid intake. In reality, it was a tool to measure output rather than input.

A few months ago, Celester had come across someone on the net who had created this app. It was targeted at people like Stella, who wanted to train themselves to wet the bed instead of staying dry. The functionality of the app depended on an armband that measured the wearer's sleeping pattern. It also connected to a wetting alarm the user had to place in their diaper. With these devices combined, the app could determine whether the user had wet during their sleep.

Over time, it showed Stella's progress towards becoming a diaper-dependent bedwetting pony. Celester had downloaded the app and purchased the devices as a surprise gift after Stella had complained once too many times about waking up in the middle of the night to pee. The mares did agree it somewhat defeated the purpose of wearing diapers if Stella still woke up at night, so Celester decided they would go all the way. After all, getting a good night's sleep was more important than whether or not the pony woke up dry.

She gently combed through Stella's mane with her fingers, softly humming a melody. Celester enjoyed watching her mate sleep, peacefully sucking her pacifier, and could not get enough of the sight. After a while the pony sighed contentedly as she slowly opened her eyes.

'Good morning, filly,' Celester whispered.

Stella took her pacifier out.

'Morning, princess,' she said in her grown-up voice.

'A little birdie told me you wet your diaper in your sleep last night, like a good little pony.'

Stella hid the lower half of her face behind her plushie as Celester's hand groped the front of her diaper, gauging how wet it was.

'Feels like you need a change, filly. I'm surprised you didn't leak yet.'

'I'm not that little,' Stella pouted.

'Oh, yes, you are. I just change you often enough for you to not notice how leaky you really are.'

Even without her horn sense, Celester knew her mate had gotten aroused by this point. They both knew fully well how much the pony enjoyed being gently teased about her diapered status.

'I think pony has earned a reward for wetting her diaper while she was playing in Dreamland.'

Stella eagerly nodded, still hiding half of her face. Celester unsnapped the pony's onesie, undid one of the bottom tapes and slid her fingers inside the diaper, searching for a very specific spot. She began gently massaging Stella's most intimate part, soon eliciting a moan from the pony.

'You'd better pop your pacifier back in, love. We don't want to wake up our rabbit friend.'

Stella quickly complied and buried her face in her plushie. As Celester gradually increased her pace, the pony began breathing heavier, letting out a squeal every now and then. Soon, Stella began to tense up and slowly buck her hips. Celester sped up once more, until finally, with a high-pitched moan muffled by the pacifier, the pony came.

She felt her fingers become slightly wetter and withdrew her hand from Stella's diaper. While her mate basked in the afterglow, Celester got out of bed, grabbed the package of wipes from the plastic box and cleaned her hand.

'Which diaper does my little filly want to wear today?'

'A Starry Pink, please, Mommy,' Stella said in her little voice, still a bit hazy from her orgasm.

The unicorn pulled a thick pastel pink diaper adorned with small dark red stars from the plastic box. She unfolded the diaper and fluffed it, making it crinkle loudly.

'Are you ready for your change?'

'Um, can you tape me back up, please? I need to go one more time.'

Celester put the clean diaper down on her side of the bed and folded back the covers. With a deft motion, she taped Stella's overnight diaper back up as tightly as it had been before. With her hands still on the plastic backing, Celester felt the soggy padding warm up as the little pony did her morning wetting in her diaper.

'Good girl,' she praised softly. 'Lift up for mommy when you're all done, okay?'

Stella nodded. A minute or so later, she put her hooves flat on the mattress and lifted her behind. Celester quickly slid the changing mat and the clean diaper under her. The wet diaper was taken off and Stella's tail was carefully threaded through the tail hole in the clean diaper. Celester gently wiped down the pony's still-sensitive private parts, then applied some powder and taped up the diaper. Even though it had been a routine for years, the unicorn never failed to change her mate with great care and attention.

'There we go,' she concluded after she had snapped Stella's onesie back up. 'Now let's see if I have to change a certain little rabbit as well.'

Stella giggled.

'Will you be a dear and clean the wetting alarm?'

'No.'

'Excuse me?'

'No can do, Mommy. I can't be a deer. I don't have antlers.'

Celester theatrically sighed and rolled her eyes.

'Are you going to be this smart all day?'

'Maybe...' Stella replied, drawing out the syllables.

'Does Mommy need to tickle her filly, or are you going to behave like a good girl?'

'Make me,' Stella dared in her grown-up voice.

Celester wasted no time and crawled onto the bed. A scuffle ensued, during which both mares mercilessly tickled each other. Even though she was pinned by the larger unicorn on top of her, Stella appeared to be winning.

'Okay, stop it,' Celester laughed. 'That's enough.'

'Do you give up?'

'No, but unlike some little ponies, I _will_pee all over the bed if I don't go to the bathroom now.'

'Well, maybe you should have diapered up too,' Stella teased.

'Maybe next weekend. That still doesn't give you permission to tickle me until I wet myself.'

'We'll see what I get away with. Now hurry before you actually wet yourself.'

Rowan closely watched the oven timer. He would switch it off just before the time ran out, so it wouldn't make any noise. As he stood there, enjoying the calm of the morning, he heard hooves descend the staircase. The hoofsteps slowed down, followed by an attempt to silently open the living room door.

'What is that smell?' Celester's voice sounded, in a strange mix of awe and sternness.

Rowan panicked and choked up. He looked up and saw the unicorn pop her head around the corner.

'What have you been up to this morning?'

'Muh... Muffins. For bre... breakfast,' Rowan stuttered.

She narrowed her eyes, staring at him intensely. 'What kind?'

'Oatmeal, with apples. A-and cinnamon. Is that wrong?'

_ 'Wrong?'_ Celester exclaimed, now having entered the kitchen. 'Only if they don't taste at least half as good as they smell!'

Rowan was breathing heavily at that point, still supporting himself on the edge of the countertop. Celester's horn softly blinked, and her facial expression suddenly changed from eagerness to guilt.

'Did I scare you?' she asked, surprised.

He gave a quick nod.

'I didn't know. I'm so sorry!'

Rowan said nothing.

'Hey, are you okay?'

He shrugged. Celester's horn blinked again.

'Rowan, don't downplay what just happened. Can I give you a hug?'

Another quick nod. Celester slowly approached him and gently embraced the shaken rabbit. She caressed his shoulders and let him lean on her.

'I'm really sorry, Rowan. I shouldn't have acted like that. I can be like that with Stella, but you clearly don't appreciate it.'

'It's not personal,' he whispered. 'Azalea forbade me to eat if I cooked something she didn't like. If she was satisfied, I still had to wait for her to be finished. She called it "the flayrah rule".'

'The... Sorry, what?'

'Flayrah. It means "food that tastes good" or "favorite food". It's a word in rabbit culinary culture for foods and dishes that are generally liked or even preferred by rabbits. In Azalea's case, my cooking had to live up to _her_standards, or there would be consequences.'

'That's horrible. If you, at any moment, feel like this again, please tell me immediately. Can you promise that?'

He nodded weakly.

'I'd like to hear you say it, Rowan,' she urged kindly.

'Y-yeah. I promise I'll tell you.'

She let go of him.

'Thanks. That's reassuring. Now tell me, how much longer before they're done?'

He looked at the timer. 'They're almost done, but they need to rest for a little while before we eat them, else they might fall apart.'

'Alright. You go take them out of the oven when they're done. In the meantime, shall I get you clean diaper?'

Rowan squeezed the front of his diaper, then felt at the back.

'If that's okay with you, I guess so, yeah.'

'Of course it is. I'm not your mommy, but feel free to ask me for a change when you need one. You're wearing the diaper because it's convenient and obviously comfortable to you, so as soon as it no longer is, just tell me.'

He nodded again. 'Okay.'

'I'll go get the diaper bag now. Be careful not to burn yourself, dear.'

Rowan smiled.

Celester soon returned, this time with Stella in tow. The pony was clutching her plushie. Once her nose had caught the scent of Rowan's baking, she immediately took her pacifier out.

'What is that scent? It smells so good!'

'Our rabbit friend has made us a treat. Will you help Mommy out by setting the table and making tea? We'll have breakfast in a minute, but Rowan needs a change first.'

His ears flopped and he looked down.

'It's okay,' Stella said in her grown-up voice. 'I won't stare, if that makes you feel better.'

He nodded.

'Do you want to hug Annie? She always helps me feel better if I'm nervous.'

'Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'll manage.'

'Rowan? Could you come over here? I've got everything ready for you.'

The rabbit made his way to the living room, keeping his free hand clutched against his stomach. He felt on edge, even though Celester had changed his diaper more than once before. With some help, he laid down on the changing mat and the fresh diaper the unicorn had prepared for him. Still feeling uneasy, he decided to just blankly stare at the ceiling.

'Are you nervous?' she asked rhetorically.

'I guess so.'

'And why is that?' Celester continued as she began untaping his soaked diaper.

'I don't know. I just am.'

'Afraid we won't like your muffins?' she teased.

'Not really. Judging by your reaction, apples are to horses what carrots are to rabbits. A stereotype that's often true.'

She sharply exhaled through her nose. 'I'm not going to deny that one. Lift up for me, please.'

Celester pulled the wet diaper away and quickly put his short tail through the hole.

'Having a short tail definitely makes for easier changes. Stella's tail is a lot longer an bushier. I have to be a lot more careful with hers.'

'What we lack in tail length, we make up for with our ears,' he joked.

'You sure do. There we go, all done.'

She helped him get back on his paws and went to the kitchen to wash her hands.

In the meantime, Stella had set the table. She was shifting in her seat, eager to dig in. Her plush clownfish was on the far end of the table, staring at the food and the steaming mugs.

'What do good fillies do before they start eating?' Celester asked once they all sat down.

'Wash their hands?'

'Correct. What else?'

Stella rubbed her chin and pretended to think.

'We thank the person who prepared the food, pony.'

'Oh! Thankies, Rowan. They smell delicious!'

'Good girl. Now you can eat.'

The mares only had attention for the muffins for a while.

'I have to be careful not to gobble them up, because then I don't really get to enjoy them,' Stella said, mostly to herself.

The mares had finished their muffins by now, but Rowan was hardly halfway the first one. He looked at his plate and mostly just stared at his food.

'You do know I was joking earlier, don't you? When I said your muffins should be tasting at least half as good as they smell. It was a good idea to bake these, Rowan. And even if we didn't like them, it's the gesture that counts. Or do rabbits dislike apples? You didn't bake us something you dislike yourself, did you?'

Rowan sighed. 'It's none of that, honestly. I had a bad dream last night.'

'Do you want to talk about it?'

'I was back at Azalea's place. She asked why I had left her, and said that she would kill me if she managed to find me.'

There was a short silence, until Celester spoke up.

'Wow, that's horrible. I'm sorry you had to experience that. We really do need to find you a therapist.'

'I-I guess. I'm scared, though.'

'Of Azalea finding you?'

'That too, yeah. It's... I know why you say I need therapy. It's just that I don't talk about my feelings a lot. What I thought or felt never mattered to my parents, unless they were bothered by it.'

'And then they'd talk with you?' Stella asked.

'No, they told me to quit whining. It makes you tough, but brittle. There are days when I hardly feel anything at all. Since I met you girls, I feel like that has started to change.'

'So you've built a sort of mental fortress to protect you from the world outside, and now your life is changing, that fortress is under attack?' Celester thought out loud.

'I hadn't thought about it like that, but maybe you're right. It feels wrong if you say it like that, though. If anything, you two are not the ones trying to tear me down.'

'I understand this isn't something you can just decide to feel, but I'd like to emphasize that you're safe in this house. It's okay to be afraid, but you don't need to worry about your feelings. Like I said earlier this morning, if there's anything you feel uncomfortable about, I want you to talk to either of us. Stella can be big when she needs to.'

The pony nodded vigorously.

'Also, next time you have a nightmare, wake me up if you need comforting. Don't feel like you're imposing on us, or like you're being too much. If you need something, ask for it.'

'O-okay. I'll try,' he said softly.

There was a short silence, in which Rowan averted his eyes. Celester suddenly realized why. She got up and crouched next to him.

'Rowan? You don't have to look at me, but can you nod if you're still listening?'

He slowly nodded.

'I'm sorry for mommy-bossing you just now.'

'That's okay.'

'No, no it's not. Just because you've been controlled by a maniacal girl and a heartless mother for as long as you can remember, that doesn't give me the right to decide anything for you. I don't mean to order you around. Please take it as an invitation rather than an instruction.'

'Th-thanks,' he said, slowly turning to face Celester. 'But please don't feel guilty. Azalea did what she did because she wanted whatever she liked for herself. You were being stern because you want what's best for me. Although I'm not used to people taking my interests into account, I absolutely feel the difference. You're not trying to control me, you're being protective.'

Celester appeared not to know what to say to that.

'What's up? Unicorns aren't the only emotionally sensitive people. Rabbits have a strong fixation on family and safety. The way you're being Stella's mommy is about just that, am I right?'

The unicorn got up and sat back down on her chair.

'Yeah, I think you're right.'

'It might be strange and unfamiliar to me, but I kinda get why Stella likes it. You're giving her the feeling of safety and a family that she desires, to help her deal with the loss of her father.'

'That's how it started, I guess,' Stella added. 'Later, the main reason for our dynamic became that we just enjoy it so much.'

'For you, I understand, but what does Celester get from this? Isn't being a caregiver and fulfilling your fantasy a lot of work?'

Celester shrugged. 'It generally doesn't feel like a task to me.'

'How does that work? What's in it for you, I mean? Do you enjoy mommy-bossing Stella around?'

Celester chuckled. 'I do, sometimes, but at its core, that's not what our dynamic is about. Stella met me when my cloaking was down. She didn't scream, run, or threaten with violence. She just approached me like she would any other person. She even wanted to meet a unicorn.'

'So you like her because she's not intimidated by what you are. Okay, but does she need to play filly for that?'

'I decided I wanted to marry Stella soon after she told about infantilism and showed me her filly side. It awoke something motherly inside me which I really enjoyed. When I reflected upon that fateful afternoon, I understood why. Stella willingly put herself in a vulnerable position and was accepting of my care.'

'But what does that have to do with your race? You were already each other's girlfriends at that time, right?'

'Yes, we were. It's not really about me being a unicorn, but my race has made friendships and relationships a lot more difficult. I didn't choose to be a black unicorn, I was born like this. By playing filly and allowing me to take care of her, Stella shows me she trusts me so intensely that she dares to show me her most vulnerable side. I need someone close to me that isn't bothered by what I am, if only to compensate for everyone who just doesn't know how to deal with me being different. With Stella, I don't need to worry about being what I am, and I don't need to cloak. She even likes that I'm a unicorn.'

'If it were appropriate, I'd envy you,' Stella said carefully. 'When I was an actual filly, I dreamed of being a unicorn princess, like in fairy tales and such. It felt magical to me. Now that I'm with Cel, I no longer have that dream.'

Rowan tilted his head. 'Why is that?'

Stella giggled and switched to her filly voice. 'Cause my mommy is a unicorn, an' she's my pwincess.'