Even though she knew what lay in store for her when she returned, Diamond didn't try to delay her trip back home. It wasn't like there was anything else she could do anyway, her friendship with Silver Spoon was still a bit shaky, so the filly wasn't about to jeopardize it with an unannounced visit.
"Besides," Tiara thought to herself. "I never told her about my mother, I doubt she ever knew of her existence. She won't be much help, and this is something I have to do on my own!"
It was just about noon when the pink coated filly saw the front gate of her family mansion, and sure enough there was her mother standing right outside the front door, flashing that smile that Tiara was still convinced couldn't possibly be genuine.
"Is everything alright, my little Diamond?" Spoiled asked, pleasantly. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon."
"Well, the meeting with my friends didn't last that long, and then they all had to go somewhere else," Diamond lied. "Plus, I was getting kind of hungry."
"Good thing you've come back then, lunch will be served shortly," Spoiled replied, quickly escorting her daughter inside. "Please wash up and meet me in your bedroom so we can get you diapered."
Despite the dread of wearing another one of those absorbent and poofy undergarments, Tiara nodded her head. "Alright, Mother. But could you maybe not make the diaper so tight this time?"
"Certainly not, I don't want it to fall off your rump because I didn't secure it properly," Spoiled said in a sickeningly sweet tone. "We wouldn't want you to have an accident on my nice clean floors, would we?"
"Already she's treating me like I'm two years old again," Diamond thought unhappily to herself. "I only had that one accident, and that was just because I forgot to go to the bathroom before bed. I won't make that mistake again." But her urge to protest faded away when she locked eyes with her mother, somehow the look she saw drained her will to resist. Just like always.
"No we wouldn't," the pink coated filly spoke up, reluctantly swallowing a lump in her throat. "I guess that thought never occurred to me."
"It's not your fault, Diamond," Spoiled replied, her daughter's disrespect going over her head. "I'm sure you won't have any more accidents, but Mommy can't take any chances. Some stains are a pain to wash out for the hired help you know." "Curse my daughter and her unbearable cuteness," Spoiled thought to herself. "Despite my best efforts to avoid it, I've started to grow attached to her. Perhaps I trained her too well in the art of manipulation."
The diapering process took even less time than it had before, in a matter of seconds Spoiled had fastened a new diaper to her daughter's rump and powdered it thoroughly. "I'm getting really good at this, and to think I once said 'Rich ponies don't do diapers!'." Spoiled thought to herself, as she helped her daughter to stand and led her to the dining room.
Once again, Diamond had a bib tied around her neck, despite the fact that she hadn't made a mess during either dinner or breakfast.
"Maybe if you don't make a mess this time as well, I'll let you eat without a bib next time," Spoiled promised her daughter. "How does that sound?"
"You've got yourself a deal, Mother!" Diamond agreed. "This is going to be the easiest bet I've won since the time Silver Spoon bet I wouldn't become editor in chief of 'The Foal Free Press'!" she thought to herself wth satisfaction. "Easiest one hundred bits I ever won!"
Spoiled adjourned to the kitchen, and nothing more was said for the next few minutes. But when she returned, Tiara was quite surprised by what rested on the tray this time. As opposed to foal food or oatmeal, Spoiled had made peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwiches. Four of them were resting on a plate atop the tray.
Relieved to have some food that couldn't be spoon fed, Diamond eagerly reached out a hoof to grab the knife from the plate as soon as the tray was set down. But her mother quickly reached out a hoof in protest. "Ah ah, Diamond," she cooed. "You're not allowed to play with knifes, you could cut yourself."
"But Mother!" Diamond pouted.
"Don't you 'But Mother' me young filly!" Spoiled scolded. "I know you're hungry, but please try to remember your table manners. I will cut the sandwiches for you, then you can eat them with your hooves. Unless you'd rather I fed them to you with a plastic fork."
"No!" Tiara shouted, before realizing that she was overreacting a bit. Clearing her throat she said more calmly. "I mean, no thank you. I can eat them by myself."
"Alright then," Spoiled nodded. "I just have one question I need to ask you."
"What would that be?" Tiara asked nervously. "Is she going to ask if I had any 'accidents' while I was with my friends, and that's why I came home early?" she thought to herself. She knew that wasn't true, but that didn't mean her mother wouldn't suspect such a thing had occurred.
"Crusts or no crusts?" Spoiled asked her daughter.
Tiara shook her head, had she misheard? "What?" she reluctantly asked her mother.
"I said 'Crusts or no crusts'?" Spoiled asked again, a bit more sternly this time.
"Oh," Diamond replied, breathing a small sigh of relief. "No crusts, please." she pleaded with her mother.
"Very well then, no crusts it is." Spoiled replied sweetly, and carefully cut the sandwiches so that the crusts were removed. She then cut them up again, this time into small slices, before offering them to her daughter.
Without hesitation, the pink coated filly grabbed the slices off the plate one by one and stuffed them into her mouth. It was great that she was allowed to feed herself this time, unlike the last two times. "At least I still have some independence left." she thought to herself in between bites. She'd almost forgotten how delicious peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwiches could taste. Yum!
In a matter of minutes, every last slice of the sandwiches had been eaten. This time, Diamond knew for sure that her mother had intentionally gone over the portion limits for meals, but strangely enough she didn't mind. "I don't understand why I always have to have such small portions all the time. I'll bet even Silver Spoon gets to eat more than I do." She thought, suddenly jealous of her friends. At least they were allowed to eat proper sized meals, and have snacks or treats on a frequent basis (Spoiled never gave Diamond any treats, it always fell to Filthy to take his daughter out for ice cream or candy).
Spoiled, for her part, seemed to be resisting the urge to giggle. At first, Diamond didn't know why, but she soon found out when she got a good look at herself. The filly's face was covered with smudges of peanut butter and zap apple jam, some of which had found their way onto her bib. "I'll bet Mother knew this would happen." Tiara thought to herself, only now remembering how much of a messy eater she was when it came to those sandwiches (but in her defense, they were delicious).
"It's a good thing I put that bib on you, Diamond. If that stuff had gotten all over your coat, instead of your bib, it would've been a one way trip to the bathtub. And it wouldn't have been a bubble bath either," Spoiled said, once the giggling urge had died down. She then got up from her spot at the table, and went to fetch a rag. "Just sit tight, Mommy will be back shortly." And indeed she was, in a matter of moments she came back and set to work on cleaning her daughter's coat.
Spoiled was quite thorough with the rag, and in seconds she had cleaned off every smudge of left over peanut butter and zap apple jam. After washing off the plate and setting in the dishwasher, Spoiled removed her daughter's bib and allowed her to leave her spot at the table.
"Thanks for lunch Momm…. Mother," Diamond said, despite feeling a bit unhappy that she'd lost the bet. "It was yummy!"
"I'll bet it was! I only serve the best of meals for my little filly," Spoiled replied. "Now then, why don't we head back to your bedroom so you can play with your toys?"
"Sounds good, I guess." Tiara shrugged, she was still not entirely certain if she liked the idea of acting like a foal. A part of her enjoyed it, but another part of her mind was thinking. "Why do I like the idea of wearing a diaper, playing pretend with my teddy bear, and playing with rattles and alphabet blocks? I should find such things far too childish for me, after all I outgrew them years ago. So then, why am I so eager to play with them again?" She shook her head (something she'd been doing a lot of lately, her neck was beginning to get a bit stiff) to clear her thoughts. She'd agreed to go through with this, and like it or not there was no turning back now.
"What would you like to do first, my little Diamond?" Spoiled asked her daughter, once they had entered her bedroom. "I've got plenty of toys you can play with, or I can fetch some of your other stuffed animals so you and Theodore have some company. Heck, we could even throw a tea party with Theodore, and just have it be between the three of us."
"I think I'll try my luck with another alphabet block tower." Diamond replied, reluctantly crawling over to them. As she did so, she could've sworn she heard her mother let out an audiable "Aw". But when she spun around to look, she couldn't see any signs that such was the case. "I'm probably imagining things," she thought to herself, as she quickly gathered up the various alphabet blocks and began to stack them. "Since when does my mother ever 'Aw' at anything? Even as a foal when I did something cute, at best she'd just said 'That's nice, dear.' or at worst just plain ignore me."
But Diamond hadn't heard things, her mother had indeed been unable to resist letting out an "Aw" at the adorable sight that lay before her. "I still can't believe this is happening to me," Spoiled thought to herself. "The only reason I even did this was so that I could prove to Filthy I deserved a second chance. And yet, when I look at Diamond now, I can't help but feel guilty for not letting her cherish her foalhood as much as she should've. I tried to make her grow up too fast, probably because I never had a proper foalhood myself."
And it was true, Spoiled's memories of her own past (at least prior to meeting Filthy) were not very pleasant. Her parents had been incredibly stern and harsh, always placing incredible demands on their daughter and constantly reminding her that they expected her to marry into a wealthy family and move into the upper crust of society.
Filthy had been the first good thing about Spoiled's life, having been a childhood friend of her's during a time when most ponies refused to come near her. The few ponies willing to befriend her, had been driven off by her behavior, but not Filthy. "You may not believe it, but I know there's a good pony inside of you," he always told her. "Just because your parents are putting pressure on you, doesn't mean you have to always act so snooty."
Yet Spoiled hadn't listened in the end, she convinced herself that the only thing that mattered was the approval of her parents. And to that end, she had married Filthy Rich as soon as possible. That did the trick, on the day of her wedding her parents finally told her how proud they were of her for 'fulfilling her destiny'.
"Was I really so mad at myself and my parents, that I allowed myself to become just like them?" Spoiled thought to herself. "Am I really only doing this to prove a point to Filthy, or am I trying to make up for robbing my own daughter of the opportunity to experience what I never got to enjoy?"
Spoiled's thoughts were snapped back to reality when her daughter called "Look, Mother! Look what I did!" Spoiled's eyes widened, and her mouth nearly dropped open in shock!
Tiara had managed to stack all of the alphabet blocks together neatly, creating a small tower. Despite leaning a bit, the tower looked pretty sturdy.
"That's amazing!" Spoiled commented. "And you did this all by yourself?!"
Tiara nodded. "It wasn't easy, but I realized what I did wrong last time. However, now that I've built it and show it off to you, there's just one more thing I have to do with it."
"Oh, and what would that be?" Spoiled asked.
"Rawr!" Diamond bellowed, pretending to be a monster. "Diamond Monster smash puny tower!" Stomping her hooves and swinging her front ones as if they carried a weapon, the pink coated filly made short work of her creation. Alphabet blocks had one weakness in what was otherwise a good building material, they could be easily toppled over. Tiara continued to make monster noises, as she scattered the blocks about all over the floor, occasionally giggling in delight.
"Oh no, Alphabet Block Tower has been destroyed!" Spoiled said with exaggerated worry. "Everypony run for your lives, mares and children first!"
"Rawr! Run all you like, nopony escapes Diamond Monster!" Tiara roared once again, continuing to stomp her hooves. She kept the act up for a little while longer, only finally halting her "rampage" when the clock struck the hour.
"You must be thirsty after all that playing, my little Diamond," Spoiled said sweetly, once the clock had finished striking the hour. "Since it's tea time, why don't I have Randolph boil us a nice kettle, and we can have a tea party with Theodore?"
"Really? You'd do that for me?!" Tiara asked.
"Well it's either that, or you can take an afternoon nap. After all, foals get cranky if they don't take their naps." Spoiled cooed.
"But I'm not tired." Tiara pouted.
"Then it's settled, tea it is," Spoiled replied. "You get Theodore and yourself ready, and I'll have Randolph start making the tea, okay darling?"
"Okay." Diamond nodded, and waddled across the floor of her bedroom to fetch Theodore.
Theodore was quite surprised when he learned about the tea party. "Are you sure your mother said I could come? I don't really drink tea." he said to Diamond.
"Somehow, I don't think Momm… Mother will mind," Diamond replied. "In fact, she's been acting pretty weird lately, almost as if she were a different pony."
"Well she is your mother," Theodore commented. "Mothers are always weird."
"But I'm talking really, really weird," Tiara protested to Theodore. "So weird, I don't think there's a word that describes it. And the worst part is, I'm actually starting to enjoy it."
"And what's so wrong about that?" Theodore asked in his usual gruff voice.
"Because what if this is all just Mother's twisted sense of revenge? Last night I had a nightmare in which her acting sweet and innocent was an act to get me to lower my guard, so she could shrink me to a foal and brainwash me." Tiara explained.
"You said it yourself though, it was a nightmare," Theodore told Diamond. "Maybe your mother has turned over a new leaf, and just wants to prove that to you?"
"And what if she's still the same mean old Mother, and this is all just her attempt at revenge?" the pink coated filly nervously asked. "What then?"
Much to her surprise, Theodore said to Tiara in reply. "She's had plenty of chances to get revenge on you since this whole thing started, and she hasn't taken any of them. Even if her change in heart isn't complete because she's doing it for you, you shouldn't look this gift horse in the mouth. You agreed to give her a chance, and you still have all of tomorrow to find out if she's sincere about all of this. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like your help getting everything ready for our tea party."
Reluctantly, Tiara sighed. "I guess you're right, Theodore. But I'll worry about Mother later, for now we have a tea party to prepare for."
Since the tea party was "fancy dress only" Tiara reluctantly put her new pair of pajamas on, even though she wasn't planning to take a nap after the tea party (at least, not until she had a chance to use the bathroom. She wasn't about to chance having anymore 'accidents' in her diaper). Then she put a top hat and a tie on Theodore, making him look like a true gentlebear.
When Spoiled came trotting into the room with the tea kettle, and some miniature tea cups, Diamond had to blink and rub her eyes just to be sure she wasn't seeing things. Her mother was wearing one of the many lavishes dresses she liked to wear when entertaining company. It was an elegant alternating shades of white and yellow, complete with a small crown for the head. "Mother only wears that outfit for special occasions," Tiara realized. "Why would she wear it to a pretend tea party?"
Spoiled didn't seem to be aware of her daughter's puzzled look, as she carefully poured the tea from the kettle, into three small china cups, each with a flower pattern of blue, yellow, and pink. She then set the cups and the kettle on top of a small but sturdy table in a corner of the bedroom, before she sat down in the seat closest to the door. "Well, shall we start this tea party or what?" Spoiled asked her daughter.
Diamond opened her mouth to ask her mother why she was wearing such a lavish and expensive dress, but quickly shut it. "You did say it was "fancy dress only"," a part of her mind told her. "That may have just been the first fancy dress she could find." Reluctantly resisting the urge to ask a question, Tiara sat down in the seat facing directly across from her mother. While Theodore occupied the seat off to the left of Diamond, and to the right of Spoiled.
"Thank you both for coming to my tea party, and remembering the dress code," Theodore addressed his guests. "I hope you'll both enjoy the tea. It's special tea, my speciality. Get it?" That prompted everyone at the table to have a good laugh, much to Tiara's surprise as she couldn't remember the last time she'd heard her mother laugh that heartily, especially at such a woeful joke.
The tea party passed in relative silence for all three of its guests, even if Theodore preferred not to drink his tea and simply let his guests drink theirs. Only the occasional comment such as "More tea please." was spoken, as the minutes slowly ticked by.
At last, Diamond asked her mother "Can I drink Theodore's tea for him, please? He doesn't really drink tea."
"Certainly," Spoiled nodded. "That is, if Theodore agrees."
"Oh I know he will," Tiara beamed, but still asked anyway. "Theodore, do you mind if I drink your tea for you?"
"Go right ahead, Diamond. I don't mind at all." Theodore told his devoted owner.
"Thanks, Theodore, you're such a good friend!" Tiara replied, hugging him tightly, before helping herself to his tea. She downed it in the blink of an eye, relishing in the delicious taste it left on her tongue. "Not nearly as good as a bottle of milk though. Wow, I never thought I'd say.. or rather, think that!" Tiara thought to herself.
"So, did you enjoy your little tea party, Diamond?" Spoiled asked, as she got up from her spot at the table and began to clear the empty kettle and tea cups.
"I sure did, Mommy!" Diamond said eagerly, then she gasped! How had that word managed to slip out so easily?!
"Ah, I was wondering when you were going to say that again," Spoiled replied with a knowing smile. "You didn't really think I wouldn't hear it the first time, even if it was muffled behind a pacifier, did you?"
"Um… yes?" the pink coated filly nervously said.
"Incorrect answer," Spoiled said with a fiendish smirk. "And a wrong answer deserves a penalty. I've been waiting a long time to get my revenge for the humiliation you inflicted upon me at the school! And now I've finally come up with the perfect idea."
"Mother, please, don't!" Diamond pleaded.
"Too late, ready or not here I come!" Spoiled grinned, as she tackled her diapered daughter, took off her pajamas, and rolled her onto her back. "Say hello to my little friend, The Tickle Monster!" Spoiled declared, before she took a deep breath and blew a raspberry onto her daughter's exposed belly.
"Stop, please!" Tiara pleaded with her mother in between fits of laughter, as she was tickled relentlessly. She kicked her legs in a vain attempt to break free.
"Oh no, I'm not about to stop now!" Spoiled replied, before she continued her barrage of tickles and the occasional raspberry.
Diamond continued to laugh and kick her legs, until an all too familiar sensation struck her. "Mother, stop, I'm gonna…" she shouted, but it was too late. All of a sudden, a loud hissing noise filled the air!
Spoiled finally stopped her assault, as she realized what she'd done. "Oopsie." Was all she could say, as her daughter's cheeks immediately flushed the brightest shade of red possible.
In a matter of seconds, it was over. Diamond looked down at her diaper, not surprised to see how damp it was. Her padding had acted like a sponge, readily absorbing the pee, yet it still felt very soggy. "Two accidents in less than 24 hours, I can't believe this is happening to me," she thought to herself. "But at least this time I didn't mess in it as well." And she mentally hoped that she wasn't tempting fate by thinking that.
"My goodness, that tea went right through you, didn't it? My tickles couldn't have helped either," Spoiled observed, as she carefully trotted over to her daughter and helped her to stand. "Come on, we'd better get you changed."
But just then, the bedroom swung open, and who should come trotting in but Filthy Rich? "Daddy's home!" he greeted. "So tell me, Diamond, how was your we…" But the rest of his sentence was cut off forever, as he saw the scene that lay before him. His daughter, his pride and joy, was standing in a soaked diaper. While his wife was holding his daughter's hoof, all the while wearing the most lavish dress in her collection.
"Just great!" Diamond thought to herself. "Now my father's seen me in a used diaper. How am I supposed to explain this to him?"