diaperfur Mother's Little Magicians

[Panther Cub]

Oh my goodness, hi there everyone! I'm so excited to bring to you all this little side story that takes place in the world of A Mother's Love. Now, this will be a mini-series, but it will still be a fun ride! At least it feels like one to write! I hope you enjoy it!

 

Mother's Little Magicians (Chapter 1)

 

by

 

Panther Cub

"And now, for my final act," the jackrabbit in the splendid azure blue pinstripe suit and matching fedora and domino mask said, standing atop the brightly lit stage before the audience. Once more, the theater had been packed to the max, his fans eagerly awaiting his final illusion. "The Flaming Swordsman!"



With a snap of his fingers, his lovely assistant, the buxom blonde wearing her stunning red sequin dress, began wheeling out the tank filled with the deadly piranhas. Jayce the Astounding began to ascend the steps leading to the top of the open tank. He snapped his fingers, an elegant jeweled rapier appearing in his hands. With a twirl, the blade became wreathed in blue flames. He opened his mouth to speak when his lovely assistant looked up to him and spoke instead.



"Jayce!"



"Not now, sweetheart," Jayce whispered with a wink. Usually his assistant should be giggling right about now, but instead she furrowed her brow and planted her hands on her hips, the audience begging to chuckle.



"Jayce! Get up already!" she said, her voice sounding annoyingly like Melissa's. Wait, wasn't she a human? And wasn't she twenty? Now she looks just like Melissa, a red panda who, like him, was in her thirties.



"M-Melissa?! Where's Tiffany?" Jayce said, the audience now laughing hysterically.



"GET UP, JAYCE, YOU DUMMY!!!" Melissa shouted, making Jayce angry. Suddenly he blinked and he was laying on his couch, with the annoyed red panda standing over him, paws on her hips, wearing her sequin red pantsuit. Realizing it had all been a dream, Jayce sat up, the jack rabbit man was now agitated.



"Oh, why'd you have to go and wake me up! I was having a great dream!" Jayce said, throwing his paws up and sighed. He looked between his and Melissa's stage outfits. Both were very worn, having been torn and sewed, and in some areas patched over. Why, there were spots on Melissa's coat where teh sequin had been rubbed away. She flicked her big bushy tail in annoyance.



"How can you sleep at a time like this?" she asked, incredulous.



"Well, I was tired, and so I slept," Jayce said with a roll of his eyes. Getting up, he groaned and stretched, heading straight for the coffee pot.



"Jayce, the venue cancelled on us! What're we going to do for money?!" Melissa asked, her tail flicking again. Jayce exhaled, not having a good answer to her question. He looked over at his business partner and felt a pang of guilt for dragging her into debt with him. Even though she was a year younger than him, she had somehow become the older sister he'd never had, or asked for really. But he still cared for her. Ten years ago, they had met in community college. Jayce had just been starting out when Melissa had approached him after one of his little campus shows. She'd been learning stage magic too and the two had decided to partner up.



Unfortunately, striking out in Las Vegas as a pair of magicians hadn't been Jayce's brightest idea. The market was already saturated with magicians. The fact that Jayce and Melissa were actually talented only got them so far, when it came to securing work. So, despite Melissa's objections, Jayce had taken out a loan in order to help with their brand. Securing merchandise, which hardly sold, obtaining props and items for bigger and better tricks, where the audience tended to be so small that it made little difference, and even paying someone to help set up an official website, which didn't pan out as the guy that Jayce had approached without Melissa's approval or knowledge had simply taken the money and ran.



To make matters worse, Jayce hadn't been able to get a loan from a bank. Instead, he had gone to a "friend"... said friend actually being a loan shark. So now they were in debt to a group of people known for breaking legs when payments tended to be late. It is putting it mildly that Melissa was not happy when Jayce finally told her the truth. But, to her credit, she didn't simply leave him holding the bag all by himself. Still, as far as Jayce was concerned, she didn't have to be so bossy about it.



"Well... we could do some street magic out by the bus station, at least before the cops tell us to move along again," Jayce offered, pouring himself a mug and slurping it up.



"Jayce... we're in trouble here, and I don't know how to fix it," Melissa said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Jayce had become her little brother over the years they'd been together, the annoying reckless kind.



"We can try running," Jayce said, though not sounding too sure of himself there.



"With no money, we won't get far," Melissa countered, noticing Jayce's ears perking up and twitching, a serious look on his face as he moved to gently peek through the blinds of a nearby window. "What is it?"



"... We've got company..." Jayce said it, a note of fear in his voice. Melissa hugged her tail to her chest, a habit she had developed when she was little, and stood there, frozen in fear. They didn't have to wait long before there was a pounding on the apartment that they shared's door.



"Open up, Jayce," called a gruff voice. "We gotta talk about the money you owe." Not responding, the pounding became harder, and both Jayce and Melissa were wondering how long the door would hold up when the collector knocking decided to try kicking it in. They doubted very long. A whimper escaping her muzzle, Melissa spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw a plain white door that hadn't been there before. The wall it was set in had nothing but open air three stories up behind it. On it was a sticky note that the red panda lady walked over and grabbed.



Hi there, sweeties! I normally don't like to get involved without being invited first, but I'm afraid time constraints have forced my hand. Please, please hurry through the door as soon as possible! I cannot stand the idea of any of my babies getting hurt! There's a whole world of love and care waiting for the both of you on the other side, I promise!



With love,



Mother (i.e. Mommy)



The pounding had gotten even worse, and Jayce was still just standing there, dumbstruck. Confused, Melissa then had a spark of memory. The entity in Chicago. It referred to itself as 'Mother' and actually regressed a whole group of people, and claimed to have its own realm.



"Could it really be?" Melissa asked out loud. Shocked by a sudden cracking sound, she looked to the door to see a large crack near the bottom. Without any further hesitation, she grabbed Jayce by the arm, shocking the surprised jackrabbit out of his stupor. She dragged him to the door and threw it open, leaping through and pulling Jayce behind her. The door slammed shut behind them and winked out of existence just before the apartment door was kicked in.



"Melissa!" Jayce called out in sheer terror. The jackrabbit was tumbling alongside the red panda in the darkness. There was light coming from somewhere, bright enough for the two of them to be perfectly illuminated, but otherwise there was just blackness. They both felt an odd pressure pushing down on them. Closing her eyes, Melissa hugged Jayce close to her, and he hugged her back, tears in both their eyes.



"Just hold on, Jayce!" Melissa called out, she could feel their descent slowing. There was a scent in the air, it smelled familiar like... baby powder. "It's all going to be alright, I promise!"



"What is this?" Jayce asked, his eyes tightly shut too. Suddenly, the pressure abated... but he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. Melissa felt it too and, when their feet touched down on a soft carpeting, their knees buckled. Opening their eyes and looking around, the two blinked, their movements sluggish. Eyelids heavy and drooping, they took in the sight of some kind of... pastel-colored reception hall. There were murals of smiling suns and clouds and rainbows on the wall. In front of them was a brand new, polished mahogany desk, with a sign hanging from it that read Welcome!



Blinking, and finding it harder and harder to remain awake, Jayce slipped unconscious first, his ears twitching at the sounds of hurrying footsteps. Melissa wasn't far behind. Before her eyes shut and stayed that way, she saw a very tall bear woman running over with a look of concern on her face. Eyes closed, she felt a pair of strong, yet gentle arms, scoop them up.



"Phew! We weren't sure just where you two would be ending up. We've never pulled mortals in like this without establishing contact first." Melissa felt a gentle kiss on her forehead, and the gentle swaying of whomever this was carrying them suggesting she was carrying them somewhere.



"But that's not for either of you to be concerned about, sweeties. Now, I think a nap will do you both some good. Then I'll see about fixing up those cute little outfits of yours. Oh, but first we'll have to get you into some cute jammies..." Melissa nodded off completely and fell into a dreamless slumber.





One restful nap later...





Melissa stood there on stage in front of the packed audience. She smiled, her red pinstripe sequin pantsuit and matching fedora twinkling in the light. Through her red domino mask, she winked. With a twirl of her magician wand, it burst in a shower of red and gold sparks, allowing Jayce behind her to finish setting up the illusion. She always loved how like a well-oiled machine their act was.



"And for our final feat... The Slaughter Saw!" The red panda snapped her black gloved fingers and from above, a giant gleaming circular saw descended. The had she had tucked behind her back she motioned for Jayce, who was quick to activate the saw. Above, with a roar, the circular blade wirled, flames erupting around the serrations. The audience ooh-ed and ahh-ed Jayce, with a flair, wheeled out the large metal table with the arm and leg restraints out. It was a simple table like a gourney, with the underside completely exposed... or so the angled mirror and false legs would make it seem.



"My lovely partner shall strap me down to the table, and ensure that my arms and legs are completely secure. Then, the blade shall descend!" Melissa twirled, flicking her tail. "And, while most magicians would attempt to escape from such a predicament... I shall be doing no such thing!" She sauntered over to the table and proceeded to lay down on it. As Jayce went to her arm restraints, he smiled down at her. He was wearing his matching blue sequin pinstripe suit and domino mask.



"Hey, Melissa, wake up!" he said, his voice sounding frustrated, despite his warm and happy smile.



"Huh? What're you talking about Jayce?" Melissa asked.



"Melissa WAAAAAKE UP! We gotta figure a way out of this!" Jayce said, now looking cross at her as he finished putting on the restraint.



"Jayce," Melissa whispered, "there is no way out! There's just the hidden panel for my legs to go into that will cover my lower half and replace it with the fake lower half before the blade touches down! Remember?"



"Melissaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Jayce whined, pushing on her. The stage and the world around them seemed to melt and become distorted. And then the red panda girl opened her eyes and sat up, blinking.



Looking around, she saw that she and Jayce were both in a crib built for giants, with alternating red and blue bars. Above them was a mobile with plush bunnies and top hats slowly spinning. Looking around, the room was some kind of nursery, built for some kind of gargantuan children. The walls were a light blue, with the ceiling being a dark navy. There were red glow-in-the-dark stars. Looking at the floor, which was some kind of red and blue puzzle piece-theme, all with bright colored numbers or letters of the alphabet on each piece. There was a red and blue wardrobe next to a changing table with a half red and half blue padded top, stocked full of diapers and changing supplies. There was a toy chest and a dresser and a rocking chair in the corner, next to a bookshelf. And then Melissa looked within the crib.



There was a soft and warm fleece red and blue checkered blanket around her legs, that she quickly kicked off. She started when she noticed she was wearing a bright red footed sleeper with crescent moons patterning it. She blushed when she took notice of the bulge around her waist. A squish from the diaper she had been put in suggested that it had been thoroughly soaked. Looking over at Jayce, the red panda girl saw that he was dressed the same, but his sleeper was a bright blue with stars all over it, and a very noticeable bulge around his own waist. The tan-furred jackrabbit was frowning, his arms crossed, looking at her.



"About time you got up, sleeping beauty!" Jayce snarked. He sifted as he sat, wincing, and the sound of a squish when he moved suggested that he too may have wet in his sleep.



"Where are we?" Melissa asked sleepily, making Jayce throw his hands up in the air in exasperation.



"That's what I wanted YOU to tell me! You're the one who dragged me through that stupid door with you! I figured that you knew!"



"Well, there was a note... from Mother..."



"I thought your mom died when you were a little kit?" Jayce asked without any thought. Melissa winced but ignored it.



"She did! It was a note from Mother!" she noticed the lack of recognition on Jayce's face and rolled her eyes. "You know, Mother! The entity that appeared in Chicago not too long ago and regressed the age of a bunch of people? Claiming to be an entity with their own Realm? It was all over the news."



Jayce looked at her blankly for a few moments, before he shrugged, causing Melissa to facepalm. "Ugh, of course you never watch the news."



"Why would I want to be depressed?!" Jayce asked, annoyed. "But fine, okay, so we've been abducted by what, some kind of baby goddess or baby obsessed alien?"



"More like a goddess of motherhood it seemed. But... yeah... but what would you have had me do?! That guy was kicking the door in and we couldn't have run anywhere!"



"Well... we would have thought of something! Something that didn't involve being dressed like toddlers, complete with diapers! That we were clearly forced to wet from some chemical or something!" Jayce then paused and, putting both of his paws on Melissa's cheeks, he started turning her head up and down and from side to side, looking curious. "Woah... did you get younger?"



"Huh?" Melissa asked, suddenly looking at Jayce in a new light. He didn't have the worry lines that were starting to form around his eyes, or the early greying on the sides of his headfur. Even the cute little puff of a tail sticking out the back of his padded butt looked fluffier and fuller. He even seemed to have lost some weight... and maybe height? All in all, she would guess his age to be around... seventeen? "Did you?"



They then started examining themselves and both came to the conclusion that they had been regressed. Spying a mirror facing them from next to the wardrobe, Melissa stood up, needing to grab the bars of the crib to help her due to the very thick bulk around her waist. Steadying herself, her legs feeling a little weak still, she used the bars, the top of which were still a foot over her head. She looked into the mirror and saw a face she hadn't seen since high school. She smiled a little, using her free hand to grab her even bushier and soft tail, to hug it close to her chest.



"Okay... we're younger now... but not young enough to warrant diapers!" Jayce complained, trying to stand, and instead fell onto his bottom with a squish. He blushed and started to move to stand again. As he did so, he let out a reflexive grunt without noticing, and managed to stand. Shortly after, Melissa sniffed and started to smell something... icky.



"Uh... Jayce... did you just... take a poopie?" Melissa asked without thinking, pausing as she realized what she had said, and knowing that that had not been the word she was going to say.



"Don't be ridiculous, Melissa," Jayce said, puffing out his now scrawnier chest. "If someone here made a big stinky, it was you!"



"Now, now, no bickering you two," a voice filled with warmth and love cooed at them from the open doorway. Jayce and Melissa simultaneously turned their heads to see the female bear giant from before. She was wearing a yellow apron, a pair of khaki slacks, a red and white striped turtleneck sweater, and a happy smile. "We'll get you changed and ready for a fun day of playing in no time!" She walked over to teh crib, towering over it and its occupants. Despite the two instinctively cringing back, she reached in and scooped them both up, nuzzling the tops of their heads as she carried them over to the changing table.



"Wh-while we appreciate the help, we can take care of ourselves... uh... Miss!" Jayce said, trying to sound tough.



"Awww, it's just so cute how often you silly mortals say that!" Sarah said with a lighthearted giggle. She laid the two of them down on the padded surface. With expertise, Sarah whisked the sleepers off of them in what seemed to the shocked duo like the blink of an eye, despite how much Jayce was trying to struggle. Sarah blushed and covered her, admittedly, small chest. A gentle brown paw pushed her down into a laying position and pulled a soft but secure strap across her tummy. She repeated the process with Jayce, who was whining like a real toddler.



"No! We're not babies! We don't need diapers!" he said, a red pacifier pushed between his lips silencing him. His eyes went wide in surprise, and he moved to pull it out, but his movements slowed. Then he began to suck on it, calming down.



"There we go, would you like a binky too, Melly-welly?" Sarah asked, holding up a blue one. Melissa bit her lip but, looking over at how relaxed Jayce was, she gave the slightest of nods and opened her muzzle for the rubber nipple that she almost instantly began to suckle on, feeling a sense of warmth spread through her. "Such a good girl!" Sarah praised, taking a moment to rub both of their bellies. She hummed as she reached under the changing table and pulled out a canister of baby powder, a tub of wipes, and two diapers. One was a simple white with red trim around the waistband and leg gathers, the other similar, but with blue around the waistband and leg gathers.



"Now, I know that this must all seem scary, being in a new place and in a new situation... or rather, an old situation in your cases. But you have nothing to worry about. You are where you shall be loved and cared for, forever more!" Sarah then set about opening up Jayce's fully loaded moon-themed night-time diaper. He whined a little at the feeling of the baby wipes cleaning him, but didn't struggle. Sarah hummed as she cleaned him with no qualms about it. Soon, the used diaper was balled up with the wipes in it and dropped into the diaper pail by the changing table. Soon, Jayce's diaper area was thoroughly powdered, and the blue diaper was laid beneath him and pulled up between his legs, finally being taped on, nice and snug.



"There, one messy jackrabbit all sorted. Now for the soggy red panda!" Melissa blushed just a little, no longer covering her chest. As her diaper was opened, she thought back to when she was this age the first time around, and how she had been so self-conscious about the size of her chest, and how she had been made fun of by the more "developed" girls back in school. Now, after all she had seen and experienced she lay there, sucking her pacifier and having her diaper changed, she couldn't be bothered enough to care. Although, she recognized that that might be from the possibly enchanted pacifier. Smiling at the scent of the baby powder, she found that she wasn't afraid or angry. The diapers were embarrassing but... it had been a long time since someone had fussed over her, and care for her like this.



"And done! My, what a couple of little angels I have here!" Sarah said, unbuckling the two of them and pulling them into a hug. "Now, I've got a special surprise!" Sarah said in a sing-song voice as she sat them both back down in sitting positions on the padded surface. Melissa poked her white and red diaper, Snuggies brand it appeared, and looked up as Sarah pulled from within the wardrobe something that caught her eye. In Sarah's left, massive, paw was what looked like Melissa's red pinstripe jacket and vest with the white undershirt and red sequin tie, with her red fedora on the tip of the hanger. Jayce was being held in the right paw, and Melissa noticed that neither outfit seemed to include the pants. With the same care and speed as before, Sarah dressed them in their outfits, leaving their diapers on full display. She then finished off their outfits by putting their red and blue domino masks on them, clasping her paws together as she looked them over.



"Awww, you two are just so cute!" Sarah practically squealed, pulling out two simple purple lanyards and attached them to the binkies, clipping the other ends to their shirts. "Now, let's go introduce you to your new Mommy! And then we'll get you two something to eat, and then you can play with your new brothers and sisters!"



Cuddling the two close, she carried them out of the nursery and out into the brightly colored hall. They passed by other rooms with cribs, everything looking brand new and clean. Jayce and Melissa both spotted other occupants sleeping in some. Some seemed to be actual children and toddlers, others seemed to be around their current ages. Some were sleeping, some were sulking, some were happily playing with the toys in the chests or reading books or even exploring, even wandering out into the hall and waddling in their juvenile outfits to and fro. And not one of them was human.



"What is this place?" Jayce asked, absentmindedly, his binky having fallen out from his mouth hanging open in shock.



"Your new home! Loving Paws Daycare!" Sarah said, the giant motherly grizzly leaning down to nuzzle the cute jackrabbit boy again, making him blush. Rounding a corner, they entered a bright white kitchen that seemed massive to the two. There were multiple fridges, ovens with stovetops, pantries, and rows and rows of colorful highchairs, with different 'children' milling about, some in the chairs enjoying their meals, others walking out with bottles. Humming as she moved about, Mother was seeing to the hungry little ones, looking overjoyed.



Jayce and Melissa's eyes went wide as they looked upon the mysterious figure. Melissa saw a giant happy pink red panda, while Jayce saw a giant pink jackrabbit. Whatever doubts that may have been in his mind winked out of existence. He was in the presence of a deity. He was in the presence of something he had been searching for his entire life... REAL magic! Mother then turned and saw them, freezing where she stood. Her paws shot to her face and she let out a squeal.



"Oh my goodness! They are just too precious!" Practically leaping over, she took the two from Sarah and cuddled them in her arms. Both Melissa and Jayce felt a warmth emanating from the giant pink goddess, and visibly relaxed. "I'm so happy that you two were able to come before something bad happened!" She said, before raining down kiss after kiss after kiss on the two, both squirming a little at the fawning. When it finally let up, the two were both surprised to find that they'd been securely buckled into two high chairs. A red one for Melissa, and a blue one for Jayce.



"Now, let's get some food in your little tummies!" Mother said with glee, her glowing pink eyes twinkling.



"This is humiliating!" Jayce said, blushing furiously, while Melissa simply took her binky out, still not speaking.



"Oh, Jayce, honey-bunny, it's okay," Mother said after securing the trays to their seats, and slipping red and blue bibs around their necks. "Now, what's your favorite food in the whole wide world?"



"Well, a pepperoni and olive four cheese pizza, but I don't see what that has to do with anything!" Jayce said, crossing his arms and trying to glare, but only managing to look pouty.



"And you, Melly?" Mother asked, looking at the nervous red panda girl, who was swinging her legs a little.



"Uhm... cheese ravioli?" she said, blushing under the loving gaze.



"Coming right up, sweeties!" Mother turned away and went over to the nearest fridge and rummaged around in it. Sarah was busy seeing to the other little ones, especially a wolf boy around sixteen who had decided to wear his mashed potatoes like a hat.



"Oh Toby, that goes in your tummy, not on your head!" she said with a giggle, going to a sink and getting a washcloth.



"It's more fun to eat it this way!" Toby said in excitement. The entire time this was happening, Jayce was trying to undo the buckle, but it just wasn't responding to his paws.



"Jayce, calm down. We're safe here," Melissa said, chewing on her thumb absentmindedly.



"Mel, it doesn't matter if we're safe or not! This is humiliating! Also, there's ACTUAL magic here, and I'm gunna go and find out how to use it myself!" Jayce finally gave up trying to open his buckle and sat there, pouting some more. Melissa could only giggle at how cute he looked. He looked over and stuck his tongue out, which a giggly red panda returned.



"Alright you two, enough of that," Mother giggled as she walked over, carrying two plates of food. Both Jayce and Melissa's eyes went wide. The whole pizza that was set on Jayce's tray looked so perfect and delicious, like it was the very essence of what pizza should be. The smell that hit his nostrils had the jackrabbit salivating. Melissa's plate of cheese ravioli drew her attention. Each flawless ravioli looked hand made, and fit to bursting with flavor.



She didn't object when Mother speared one with a fork and held it up to her mouth. She simply opened up and accepted the sauce-dripping ravioli, not hearing the praise from Mother for being so good. The taste that exploded in her mouth could only be described as blissful, spreading a warmth throughout her entire body. She didn't even notice when some of that warmth went into her diaper, nor would she have cared in that moment. While Melissa was being fed, Jayce, without any hesitation, dug into his pizza. Cheese and sauce and chunks of pepperoni and olive lined his lips and cheeks from the speed at which he wanted the tasty goodness in his mouth and tummy. His reaction was similar to Melissa's, the glorious taste taking him to realms of flavor he never knew could be experienced.



Okay... I can search for magic later! he thought to himself as he smiled and munched down on the crust, that was just as good as the rest of the slice. And he was already reaching for another.







 

That's all folks!  Please consider leaving a comment or review, as they are just so lovely to read!

[Kaleros]

Interesting start and concept. It was good despite a few typos. 

[Panther Cub]

1 hour ago, Kaleros said:

Interesting start and concept. It was good despite a few typos. 

Thank you!

[Sarah Penguin]

Now I want my favorite pizza too it was good hoping for more.

[Panther Cub]

5 hours ago, Sarah Penguin said:

Now I want my favorite pizza too it was good hoping for more.

Me too! Wants Pizza Now

Thank you so much! More will be coming!

[Panther Cub]

Heyo, readers! I'm here with another chapter of Mother's Little Magicians! I am also currently working on chapter 4 of the main story A Mother's Love. I hope you like it!

 

 

 

 

Mother's Little Magicians

by

Panther Cub

 

 

 

"Aww, no need to be embarrassed, honey," Mother cooed down at Melissa. The red panda girl was laying on a changing table, hiding her face behind her paws as her fresh pawpers were taped into place.

"Easy for you to say," she mumbled around her thumb. She had to admit that while being diapered wasn't something she'd ever wanted, it felt good to be in a nice clean one as opposed to a messy or soggy one. Although being given a bath at the same time as Jayce was more than a little awkward, especially since they had both been in the same tub. The giant pink red panda scooped Melissa up into her arms and nuzzled her. Before quickly dressing her in her baby magician outfit once again.

"You are such a good little girl. You and your brother are going to be so happy here," she said, practically squealing in delight. Said 'brother' made that statement seem like a long shot. The jackrabbit boy in question was sitting in a playpen and pouting, ignoring some of the other 'children' playing near him. This included two boy chameleons, one pink and one purple, both wearing nothing but diapers, busy playing with a set of Armgos, a black cat who was driving a firetruck and making engine noises as she did so, she was wearing a pink t-shirt and a denim skirtall, and a raccoon girl wearing a cute sailor dress. Just like with Jayce and Melissa, all of the others in the playpen were in their teens. He looked up at Melissa and stuck his tongue out at her, which she was quick to reciprocate. "Now, now you two, enough of that," Mother said as she gently set Melissa down next to Jayce. She leaned down and kissed the tops of both their foreheads before heading off to attend to the other 'babies'.

"You just had to snitch on me," Jayce said with a huff, turning his back to Melissa, his own pawpers crinkling as he did so. They were once again wearing their matching red and blue sequin stage suits and ties, complete with matching fedoras and red and blue domino masks, their diapers on full display. Melissa rolled her eyes. In the week that had passed since their arrival, the two had been dressed in sleepers, legless onesies, nothing but shirts and diapers, and a whole slew of other juvenile outfits. They had been fed mostly baby food and formula, admittedly both so delicious it was incomprehensible, actually. All the while, Jayce had become increasingly annoyed at how well Melissa made the transition from independent adult to veritable toddler-hood.

"Mommy explained that since she's still renovating her realm it's too dangerous to go wandering off in out of bounds areas. And since for all we know doing so could land you who knows where, of course I told her that you'd go explorin' those places! I'm sorry that I care about what happens to you," the red panda girl said, smiling as she grabbed a rainbow stack ring and started to play with it, giggling as each ring lit up with an inner light when she slid them on the pole. Jayce turned around and, after a second of glaring, slowly started to join her in playing with the baby toy.

"She probably just said that so we won't go searching in the right places to find the source of magic," Jayce said, sounding a little sullen.

"Jayce, she is the source of magic here, or whatever you wanna call it. Going off into those creepy dark areas is just asking for trouble."

"It could be a lie though," Jayce said, defensively. He shifted as he played with Melissa, wincing as he felt a warm squish coming from his diaper, but chose to ignore it. He'd wet himself three times since breakfast, and filled his diaper once already, each time without realizing it until he had felt the squishiness, or had been picked up and set on the nearest changing table by either Mother or Nanny.

"Mommy is a literal goddess with seemingly infinite power," Melissa countered, briefly chewing on the large orange ring she was holding, "she doesn't need to lie to us."

"Maybe..." Jayce said, sounding unconvinced. He looked down at the small green ring he held and, without considering it, also brought it up to his mouth and started chewing on it. Melissa watched him closely and frowned, stopping chewing on her ring. She recognized that twinkle in his eye.

"Jayce," she said, using her stern 'big sister' voice that always irritated the jackrabbit, especially considering that he was a year older than her. "Promise me that you won't go off exploring the out of bounds areas without me."

"I plombise," he said, looking away, suddenly unable to make eye contact.

"Jayce, you said plombise, not promise. That doesn't count and you know it," Melissa said, then holding up her paw, with her pinky extended. Jayce sulked at the sight of it. Melissa knew he never went back on one of their pinky promises. He was about to say no, when he saw that Melissa was giving him her sad puppy-dog eyes, made much more effective now that she and he were both teenagers again.

"Melmel, stop it, that isn't fair," he said. He stopped as she seemed to somehow make her eyes look even bigger and sadder. He bit his lower lip in frustration, feeling his resistance weakening. Then she started to make her lower lip tremble, and his resolve failed him. "FIIIINE!" Jayce whined before reaching forward and gently wrapping his own pinky around hers.

"Say it," Melissa said, back to her usual bossy self, at least as far as Jayce was concerned. He sighed and rolled his eyes before meeting hers.

"I promise that I won't go exploring the out of bounds areas without you, okay?" he said, letting go of her pinky and crossing his arms in another huff. He stuck the green ring back in his mouth to resume chewing on it, surprised to find that it tasted like sweet sour apples.

"And since we both know that I won't be exploring those areas anytime soon, I now no longer have to worry about my precious baby brother going off, doing something stupid, again, and getting hurt." Melissa had a smug smile on her face before she resumed chewing her orange ring, happy to find that it tasted like orange flavored candy. She bit down a little harder, and the soft odd substance tore off from the rest of the toy. As she ate it, she was delighted to find that it was made of some kind of candy.

"I'm a year older than you! If anyone is an older sibling in this relationship, it's me!" he said, before enjoying his own candy ring, not questioning why the plastic suddenly became a sweet confectionary. "And I care about you too." Seeing the two eating the colorful stacking rings, the raccoon girl looked down at the multi-colored wooden block in her paws. She gave it a sniff, and then excitedly began chewing on it. "MMMM! Chocolate!" It wasn't much longer before Nanny Sarah appeared and began scooping those within its confines, excitedly declaring it to be naptime, saving Jayce and Melissa for last. She picked the pair up and deposited them into their crib, turning on the mobile overhead. The two laid there, with Nanny tucking them into their blankies, and giving them kisses on their foreheads, soon falling asleep, snuggled up to one another.

 

A short time later...

 

Melissa groggily opened her eyes. She felt herself being jostled, and whined a little around her binky. She felt something tugging on her legs while something else shifted beneath her head.

Is the mattress moving? she thought as she slowly blinked away the confusion. She looked up above at the darkened wooden ceiling, spotting some cobwebs, and taking note of an utter lack of any and all red glow in the dark stars. She shifted to look, still swaddled in her soft fleece blankie, spotting Jayce, her bundled up legs under his arm. The jackrabbit boy was happily walking along, dragging his red panda sister behind him. Looking around some more at the dilapidated hallway they were in, it was easy for Melissa to deduce where they were. She promptly spit out her binky.

"JAYCE!!! YOU PROMISED!!!" she screamed, practically snarling. This made the jackrabbit in question stop and turn, flashing her a smug grin that infuriated her further.

"To be fair, Melmel," he said, looking very pleased with himself, "you specifically said for me not to go exploring the out of bounds areas without you. You never said anything about you being awake when we did it."

"Jayce, let me out of this, right now!"

"I will when you calm down," he said, matter of factly. Melissa stopped her thrashing and laid there, glaring at him. "That's better." Jayce then began to un-swaddle Melissa. "Now that we're here, we might as well take a look arou--ARG!!!"

The second that Melissa was loose enough from the confines of the blankie, she expertly performed a flying tackle, bowling Jayce over. She ended up sitting on his back, pinning him to the ground in a full nelson, letting out a growl of frustration.

"We are going back to our nursery and getting back in our crib before we get in trouble for sneaking out, got it?!" she snarled. Jayce had forgotten how irate Melissa could be when she was woken up early.

"OUCH! Melmel, that huuurts!" Jayce whined, ineffectively kicking his legs and trying to squirm, with no success.

"If I let you up, will you agree to go back to our nursery with me on your own volition? Or am I gunna have to hogtie you and carry you back like that time you got drunk outside The Kraken casino and kept almost wandering into traffic?"

"I wasn't THAT drunk! OWCH! OKAY I PROMISE!" Jayce said, feeling some of the pressure abate. But he found that Melissa was still pinning him to the ground. He turned his head to see her smiling smugly down at him.

"While I have this opportunity," she said with a glint in her eye, "I think we should go ahead and set the record straight. I'm the big sister and you're the baby brother."

"But I'm oldeeeeer!" Jayce whined again, once more kicking his legs in displeasure.

"Say it and then we can go."

"Grrr... FINE! You're the big sister and I'm the baby brother!" Jayce said with a huff. Instantly, he felt the weight of Melissa lift off his back right before she helped him to his feet. The two stood there in the gloomy hallway, wearing their sequin vests, hats, domino masks, and their blue and red trimmed diapers; with the discarded blankie at Melissa's feet. The red panda girl was quick to gather it up in her arms with her big bushy tail and hug it all to her chest. Jayce pouted and crossed his arms, looking away.

"Jayce... how did you get us out of our crib?" she asked. At this, he looked back at her with his usual smirk.

"Melmel, while in our career, you only focused on simple illusions, I set out to study various techniques of the master magicians. In case you have forgotten, the skills of an escape artist are within my repertoire." Melissa rolled her eyes.

 

Back in the nursery...

 

"Hmmm..." Nanny Sarah said as she looked down at the crib, frowning in disapproval, while Fluffy stood on the ground, looking up at her expectantly. Before them was Jayce and Melissa's crib, one of the sides laying on the ground. "It looks like you were right, Fluffy. Someone definitely kicked the side of the crib from the inside until the latches broke," Sarah let out a sigh. "I knew that we should have double-checked the cribs we pulled out of storage. There's probably a number of them with defective parts from when the section they were in fell into ruin. Well, let's inform Mother so that we can look after all the babies while she goes searching for our little escape artists."

Fluffy nodded and scurried off.

 

Meanwhile in the out of bound hallway...

 

Jayce was leading Melissa by the paw as they walked back, taking several turns.

"How were you able to drag me this far before I woke up?" Melissa asked, amazed at the distance they had walked already with no end yet in sight.

"You're a heavy sleeper, ring-butt," Jayce snickered, right before the red panda girl reached over with her semi-free paw, as she was still cuddling her blankie, and flicked one of his ears in annoyance.

"Look, how much farther do we have to go? I'd like to get back before we get in trouble!"

"Oh geeze, wouldja calm down already? What are they gunna do to us? Make us sit on a couple of naughty stools? Stand in a corner in time out?" Jayce asked, incredulous.

"How about not giving us any dessert!" Melissa shot back. Jayce said nothing, but she noticed that he was suddenly picking up his pace. They were quickly walking around corners and through doors. Left, right, right, left, right, left, left. It was all starting to blur together to the red panda.

"Jayce, are you sure that this is the way we came?"

"Uh... yeah... mostly..."

"WHAT?!" Melissa stopped and tugged on his arm making him stop as well. "You mean to tell me that you GOT US LOST?!"

Jayce held up his paws defensively. "N-no! We're not lost at all! ... I just don't know where we are..."

"I can't believe you! Of all the boneheaded things you've done over the years, this takes the cake!" Melissa said, letting go of his paw and throwing both of hers up into the air in exasperation. Then she started to sniffle, her eyes tearing up a little. "And now we're lost and we're gunna get in trouble and it's scary!" she said, her voice breaking. Jayce looked at Melissa and frowned while rubbing the back of his head. Then when she started to sniffle, he began to feel guilty.

"Melmel... I'm sorry... I just... I wanted to find the magic so badly... and I swear that this place got bigger somehow..."

"Well I hope you're happy!" Melissa said, stamping her foot. Now Jayce felt his own eyes start to prickle with hot tears as his ears began to droop. He hadn't wanted to make Melissa cry. He tried to blink the tears away, but then was hit with a wave of guilt far more powerfully than he could ever remember feeling in his adult life. He'd felt bad for the things he'd done in the past, yes, but never this intensely. It was like there was a buildup of all the frustration and guilt and embarrassment all in his chest that was about to explode. Falling to his padded bottom, with a slight squish, the jackrabbit inhaled a shaky breath and began to sob. The tears just weren't stopping as they rolled down his cheeks, his breaths hitching as he sat there and cried. He saw a blurry Melissa, who was also still in the midst of her crying fit, pull him into a sitting hug. The two sat there, crying and letting out their emotions. For how long, they didn't know. But after a while, the storm died down to just the two of them sniffling, still hugging each other.

"So what do we do now?" Melissa asked in a quiet voice.

"I don't know... sit and wait?"

"What if they never find us?"

"They'll find us," Jayce said, giving her a forced smirk. "They're magic." Melissa nodded at that, and then thought for a second. She then draped her blankie over the both of them as they cuddled each other close. Together they sat there, both suckling on the binkies that they could never seem to lose. Not that they minded at that moment, the soothers bringing them both a sense of comfort. That was until they started to hear a shuffling sound coming from behind them.

Jayce's ears perked up as he and Melissa whipped their heads around towards the source of the noise. There, over by a corner a ways away, they could both see what appeared to be some kind of bright fuzzy hand puppet with large googly eyes, looking almost like it could belong on the children's educational puppet show, Flax Avenue. The fact that those eyes were shining with a strange green light made the two both begin to feel a sense of unease. There was a skittering back the way they had been looking, and they both turned to see some kind of pine of dark green wooden limbs and a circular body, all with patches of green fur, and several googly eyes, also all shining with a green light.

It took Melissa only a second to realize she was looking at some kind of tarantula marionette. She spotted the strings leading away from the body to the cross brace. She recognized it so quickly due to her practicing with them for years before ever meeting Jayce. There was the shuffling again, and a look back showed not only was the felt hand puppet now closer, but there were more, in a multitude of patchwork colors and materials, right behind it. They whipped back around at the skittering sound just in time to see the tarantula marionette flop to the tiled floor, more similar puppets back the way it had come as well.

"They move when we don't watch them!" Jayce said suddenly. "back to back!" He and Melissa crinkled as they quickly did just that, with the red panda girl watching the marionettes, and with Jayce watching the felt puppets. In the brief moment they had taken their eyes off of them, more had arrived. Jayce let out a sudden whimper.

"I'm s-sorry, Melmel!" he said, sniffling.

"It's okay, Jaybird!" Melissa said, grabbing Jayce's paw and squeezing it, using the nickname he hated. She had come up with it one night after a show when he had accidentally entered her room and gotten undressed, looking for his pj shorts. The two sat there in the dim light, looking at all the puppets, each one with the glowing green eyes.

"Melmel," Jayce said in a quiet voice.

"Yeah?" Melissa responded, worried.

"Wh-what if they don't find us before we start to get tired?"

Melissa was quiet, but internally grateful that they'd at least had some of a nap first. "We'll worry about that if we get to that moment, for now, just don't take your eyes off them."

"'Kay," Jayce said around his binky. After a few more minutes with the two fidgeting, Melissa's tail slowly hiked up and, letting out an involuntary grunt, she promptly filled her pawpers. "Eeeew! Melmel! You just had to do that now?"

"I can't control it anymore, you know that!" she said, blushing. "Besides, it's not like you haven't done the same thing in our crib!"

"This is different! Also, why have you been so quick to call that room our nursery, and that crib our crib, huh?"

"Well they are ours!" she answered, now being the defensive one.

"It just seems like... you kinda like it here, being treated like a toddler."

Melissa was silent for a moment. "I do, Jayce," she said, collecting her thoughts. "Ever since my mom died, it had just been me and my dad. But he worked nights so he was usually asleep all day. I more or less had to... grow up pretty fast to help around the house... especially when he got sick not long after. I bounced from foster home to foster home after my dad died and, well, it wasn't exactly easy. Ever since I first heard about Mommy on TV, I was shocked, yeah... but also... I dunno. I guess maybe I was also a little excited... that maybe there was someone out there who... wanted me, to take care of me, to kiss me and make everything all better. And then when we got here, I was nervous at first... and yeah, embarrassed, it's still all been so... nice, and warm. I don't know if I love Mommy as much as my old parents, but I know she loves us. Plus, now I get to have a second childhood with my unofficial baby brother... when he's not dragging me into labyrinthine halls teeming with possessed puppets that move when you don't look at them."

"Sorry again about that," Jayce said, eyeing the felt puppets. "I guess maybe it isn't so bad here. I mean, the food is beyond amazing, even if it is baby food, and the TV's have EVERY channel! I could live without the diapers or the juvenile clothes though. But... ever since I was little, I've always believed in magic. That, in some form, it existed, somewhere out there. And now we're here, in the realm of a literal goddess, who can alter reality with a snap of her fingers. I just... I just wanna be the greatest magician, and I figured if we could find real magic... and find some way to harness it ourselves..."

"We make a great pair, don't we," Melissa said after Jayce trailed off. The two shared a chuckle and squeezed each others' paws.

"A great pair of little cuties, I'd say," said a familiar voice right next to the two. Looking to the side, there stood Mother. The glowing pink red panda or jackrabbit woman, depending on which of the two you would happen to ask in that moment, knelt down and held her arms open. Without any hesitation, Jayce and Melissa scrambled up and practically leapt into her arms, both bursting into tears and they buried their faces into her chest, their pent up fear finally finding release. "There, there," the loving deity said, nuzzling the tops of their heads. "Mommy's here now, and everything's going to be alright."

The two tapered off their sniveling and looked up as Mother gazed around at all the puppets, which had surrounded her and the babies. She shook her head and snapped her fingers. A bright golden aura began to flow from her thumb and forefinger, rippling outwards like waves in a pond. Wherever the light passed over, the puppets' eyes would flash, becoming a bright gold instead of green. Their patchwork hides became soft lush. Broken wooden arms were mended, and missing googly eyes popped into existence.

With another snap of her fingers, the puppets all began to levitate, surrounded in a golden aura, before zipping off away. All except for two. The fuzzy green tarantula marionette with which she grabbed the crossbeam of, and the fuzzy felt hand puppet that she stuck her free hand into, with the babies safely tucked into the crook of her arms. She then hummed a lively tune as she walked, taking only a couple of seconds to exit the out of bounds area and into the main hall.

"Now, Jayce, Melissa," Mother said in a slightly stern voice as she walked them back to their nursery. The two gulped and held each others' paws as they were set back down in their crib, with Jayce taking note that this crib's side appeared to be solidly attached to the rest of it, with no latches. This was a crib where they would be picked up out of and set down into, with no way to open it. "You both know not to go exploring in the out of bounds areas. That was very naughty. So I think ten minutes in time out is appropriate."

"But Melmel didn't go there of her own choice! She was asleep and swaddled and I dragged her there!" Jayce said, hopping up from his sitting position.

"He's lying to try and let me off easy!" Melissa said.

"Melmel!"

"Shush it, Jaybird!" Melissa said with a wink.

"Hmmm..." Mother said, not looking too convinced, but giving the two a playful smile. "Well now, maybe five minutes would be more appropriate. Besides, it's not like you two will be alone..." she then dangled the tarantula, which in the light and with all its faux green fur returned wasn't nearly as creepy as it had been in the hall. "I reckon these little pardners could use some additional supervision," Mother said in a deep falsetto, speaking with a drawl that brought a cowboy to mind. This made Jayce and Melissa giggle a little.

"Huh-huh! That's right Mr. Walker!" Mother said, now voicing the goofy and zany voice of the orange felt puppet, his googly eyes twirling every which way. "These little cuties are far too little to know any better, so we should keep them company, hooray!" That made the two giggle even more. When both puppets were set down in the crib, Jayce and Melissa were quick to pounce on them to play with... or rather, Melissa tried to be, until she found herself quickly rising through the air, taking a second to realize Mother had picked her up again.

"But first thing's first," Mother said, nuzzling Melissa some more as she carried her over to the changing table, "I have me a very stinky girl in need of a fresh diaper! Yes I do, oh yes I do!" Melissa let out a happy squeal as her tummy was tickled while Mother cooed and fussed over her.

"That's for sure, Melmel knows how to make a big stink," Jayce said with a smirk, making the tarantula dance.

"You're one to talk, Jaybird!" Melissa called over from the changing table, her diaper already opened with Mother beginning to clean her with baby wipes.

"Don't tease your big sister, Jayce," Mother lightly chided, balling up the used diaper and wipes before tossing them into the diaper pail, which was quickly nearing its limit.

"Also, you're next, my soggy little boy, and then it's time-out for the both of you." While Mother had a fresh diaper unfolded and held Melissa's legs up with one hand to start dusting her bottom with the baby powder in the other, the red panda girl, a slight blush on her face, turned to make eye contact with the jackrabbit boy, and smiled, before sticking her tongue out at him. He giggled and smiled back, returning the gesture. While Mother was still seeing to Melissa's diaper change, Jayce then turned his back to the two.

He snapped his fingers, and there, flickering between his thumb and forefinger, was a little glowing blue flame. His eyes twinkled with excited mischief. Unbeknownst to Jayce, as Mother turned to check and see if the diaper pail could accept one more diaper before it would have to be emptied, Melissa took the opportunity and snapped her own fingers, and a glowing red flame sputtered to life in the same way as Jayce's.

Gamechanger, the two both unknowingly thought simultaneously.

 

 

Woah! What could this possibly mean for Jayce and Melissa? And what does it mean for the realm itself?! Tune in next time to find out!