The Other End of the Rainbow - Chapter 13 (Patreon)

Lucy stepped forward into the circle, thrilled to have finally made it, yet still cautious, afraid this was a joke of some kind. If it was, though, whoever had done it moved quickly... It had felt like quite the trek, but she knew it hadn't really been all that far. It had been more of a whim than anything, something to give her an excuse to take a walk, although there had certainly been a part of her that held out hope she would make it, and find... something.

In a million years, she never would have expected to find this, though. There, in the middle of the rainbow, sat a huge, black, metal pot, overflowing with golden coins, glistening in the multi-colored light showering down around them. And, right in front of it, was a small man, dressed all in a green, with an old-timey suit, strip socks, buckled shoes, and a top hat that had a buckle of its own. 

It was too hot outside - and to late in the year - for it to be St. Patrick's Day, and her to have forgotten. That, and she had no doubt her friends would have taken her to a bar, if that were the case. That meant either this man had come up with this himself, and had everything ready to go just in case a rainbow hit nearby, or whoever else was behind this knew this little person, and was able to get in touch with him, get him a costume, and get him in position before Lucy had arrived. Or, as a third alternative, it could be real.

Whatever the case, she realized she'd been standing there, frozen, for too long, and began to move again, approaching the man. "Hello?" she called, blushing pre-emptively. Would he be offended, or think she was dumb, if she treated him like an actual leprechaun, or was this what he wanted? Or, if, by some slim chance, he truly was a leprechaun, would it tick him off if she thought he was faking, and make him take him pot of gold and leave? 

"Hey," she pulled out her phone, holding it up, deciding to go with an option that hopefully wouldn't bother him in either case. "Do you mind if I take a picture? It's really pretty here."

"Oh, it's all right," the man winked, tipping his hat slightly. "As rainbows go, I've seen better."

"Do you... see many?" she did her best to try and sound like she was simply making conversation, while snapping a photo, for proof she hadn't been hallucinating when she told her friends about this later.

"Oh, aye," he nodded. "Whenever it rains."

"Cool," she inched closer, feet gently moving from the asphalt of the path, onto the soft ground, peering into the pot. Maybe the park had set this up, she pondered; they'd made this nice, circular clearing in the middle, surrounded by trees to block out as much traffic from the city as possible, yet more than big enough for several groups to spread out picnic blankets and eat separately. But how could they have known the end of the rainbow would wind up here, to be able to prepare?

She was hardly an expert on these things, but the nearer she got, the more certain she was that it was real gold, sitting in the pot, at least the top layer. The way the light was hitting them... They weren't just plastic coins, as she'd assumed at first glance. There was no way... 

"Do you want one of me coins?" he asked.

"I found you," she replied, trying to sound a little like she was teasing, even though, the longer this went on, the more convinced she was, despite how impossible it seemed, this was real. "Doesn't that mean I get the whole pot?"

"A greedy one, eh?" he chuckled. "We can't go giving out a whole pot to everyone who finds us, not these days. It's up to you, though, lass... I can give you a coin, or I can give you a wish."

"A wish?" Lucy had to admit, it had been a long time since she'd thought about leprechauns, certainly in any kind of serious way... The wish thing did sound familiar, however.

"Oh, aye," he grinned. "If you want to wish for a pot of gold of your very own, you could do that. I've found most people have... other things... they want more."

"Isn't it three wishes?" she honestly didn't know; was that some other mythical creature?

"Well, you haven't exactly caught me, now, have you?" he asked. "I'm offering up this one out of the goodness of my heart, but if you'd like to forfeit it, and try for three..." In an instant, he vanished from beside the pot, appearing on top of the pile of gold, moving so nimbly he barely disturbed the coins. A few slid under his shoes, though none far enough to tumble out onto the ground. 

It was still possible this was a prank; if it was, it was the best Lucy had ever seen, however. Her heart began to speed up, her mind racing with ideas. "N-No, I'm sorry!" she sputtered. "Just one is fine!"

"Good, then," he said. "Now, what is it you want, lass?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"This isn't right," Lucy shook her head.

"Lulu, I don't think we should be here," Kari tugged at her arm, although, given her size, there wasn't much she could do to move the bigger girl when she was determined to stay still, and, after everything she'd been through, Lucy wasn't going anywhere.

Lucy was hardly an expert, but she was pretty certain she had more experience with this than most people. She'd gone the other direction this time, though, went to the other end of the rainbow... Were things different here? If so, why had she never heard stories about the witch that guarded that side? Could it be because nobody left alive?

She bit down on her bottom lip, fidgeting in her diaper as she took another step into the clearing. What if she was wrong? What if there had been a leprechaun here, too, and the witch had killed it, taken over? Maybe that was why her journey here had been so strange, and long, and difficult... Or that might have been explained by the fact she was coming here for the second time, and people were only meant to reach the end of the rainbow once, if ever...

"Yes, come closer, child," the witch cackled. "You're an obedient one... Bring me your friend, and we can use her, and maybe you can be my assistant. There may be enough of her to satisfy the spell."

It wasn't her intention, but she was, indeed, dragging Kari along. "Lulu, stop it!" she ordered, her voice a bit higher, more desperate this time. "We need to go!"

"That's right, little one," the witch grinned, showing her crooked, discolored teeth. "We're going to drink your blood, and grind your bones to finish my spell... It was so nice of your friend to bring you along..."

Lucy heard Kari whimper softly, start to pull her hand away. Without thinking, she tightened her grip, felt the girl tug, and, by the time she turned back towards her to try and tell her it was all right, she could see the diaper beneath Kari's skirt sagging slightly more under her skirt. She couldn't stop herself from smirking, despite still not knowing if she was making the right call here; at least she knew she was right about Kari needing diapers, sometimes, anyway. Of course, if Lucy had thought she was about to be handed over to a witch to be killed, she'd probably be scared enough to wet herself, too.

"I'm sorry!" Kari squealed. "I-I'm sorry I said I should spank you, and that I made you wear a diaper! Y-You just looked so cute, I couldn't help it! Y-You can't let her do this to me!"

Maybe she should have calmed the girl down, let her in on her plan, but there was no way to do that without also alerting the witch. Besides, it would be lying to pretend she wasn't enjoying the chance to be the one in charge for once. "I can do whatever I want," she informed Kari. "You're the baby here, not me!"

"Good, good..." the witch chortled. "Give her to me..."

"With pleasure," Lucy grinned, pushing Kari towards the woman. At the same time, she reached out, grabbing the witch's cloak and giving it a tug, really hoping she was right about this. "Grab him!" she ordered.

She'd been right; there, under the cloak, as she ripped it off and tossed it aside, was the leprechaun. Whether he was the one from her first time or not, she wasn't sure, and didn't want to assume, and make it look like she thought they all looked the same. She had no doubt he was a leprechaun, however, not this time around. Unfortunately, Kari stumbled and fell to the ground, not having time to adjust to the smaller target, if she was even grabbing for anything, as opposed to simply attempting to keep her balance after the perhaps too-hard shove she'd been given. It was hard to judge what her intention was, although the fact she didn't have the leprechaun firmly in her grip was undeniable.

Lucy gave a swipe at it herself, but she was too slow, the leprechaun blinking away, appearing on the opposite side of the cauldron, the bubbling concoction it had been filled with before replaced with a mound of golden coins. "Not bad, lassies," he acknowledged. "Not good enough, though."

"Wh-What is...?" Kari shook her head, still on the ground, having plopped herself down on her padded bottom, stunned and overwhelmed. "What is happening?!"

"Don't worry about it," Lucy patted her on the head, stepping slightly closer to the pot of gold. "Listen, we're not going to try and catch you again, I promise... I just want one wish." It would have been nice to get three, of course, especially now that she had someone to help, if she could calm Kari down enough to do her any good, but she was running out of time, and if she messed this up, the whole journey would have been for nothing.

"Well, I suppose you did find me," the leprechaun nodded. "That's worth something."

"Actually," Lucy said, "I don't even want a wish... I want you to reverse one."

"Do you now?" he smiled. "And what wish do you want to undo, then?"

Kari blushed, glancing down at Lucy beside her. "Th-The only one I've had granted!" she squirmed, not wanting to have to say it, definitely not in front of the other girl.

"If you want me to do anything about it, you have to tell me," the leprechaun shrugged. "And I'd suggest doing it quickly, lass."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There were plenty of things Lucy could have asked for, most of them far more practical than what she had in mind. In fact, she wouldn't call what she was thinking about 'practical' at all... It was silly, maybe even stupid, but she couldn't help herself. 

There was a reason she liked to talk about it with her friends so much, whether it was true or not. In her mind, it was real, every word of it, and she loved it... Imagining Kari really was a bedwetter, that maybe she even had accidents during the day sometimes, but that nobody would care, because she was so cute and little that it was practically expected... There was something so sweet, and wholesome, and appealing about that... And something that made Lucy a bit jealous.

If it was her all those rumors were about, after all, everyone would think it was weird, and maybe a little sad... She was tall, and always had been, and, whether anyone else thought it or not, she'd assumed that meant everyone saw her as more mature, more grown-up, definitely too much so to be a bedwetter. It certainly wouldn't be something that could be laughed off, the way any story about Kari needing to wear diapers to bed was.

"I-I... I want to know what it's like to be Kari," she said, finally. "Or, you know... The way I imagine her."

"The way you imagine her, eh?" the leprechaun nodded. "Aye, I think I can do that. Of course, I don't think the Kari you imagine would ever be on a trip like this, would she? Her mother would never let her head into the city with her friends, and no adult supervision." 

Lucy had to admit, that did make sense. She'd never met the girl's parents, but she assumed part of her immature style was because her parents didn't want to let go of her as a little girl... And, thanks to her size, they didn't have to. She'd always imagined them as overbearing, and overprotective...

"Pleasure to meet you, lass," the leprechaun tipped his hat, winked, and, in a flash, Lucy was back home. It took her a long moment to realize that, though, and only because she recognized the view from her window... Everything else was different, most importantly the bars stretching up from the sides of her bed - not tall enough to truly trap her inside, since she had no doubt she could climb over them if she wanted, but enough to make it clear it was a crib - and the diaper bulging out from beneath her cutesie, pink nightshirt, something she would have normally been too afraid to buy for herself, afraid it would make her look silly, like she was trying too hard to prove she was still a girly girl, despite her height.

Everything was different, however, her movie and band posters replaced with ones of cartoons and ponies, a changing table in place of her desk... It was a bit more extreme than she realistically thought Kari's room would be, yet she couldn't deny she'd fantasized about being invited over to the girl's house to help her with a school project, and finding something very much like this. 

Lucy herself was not among the things that had changed, though. Her mother bustled in after a couple minutes to get her up from her nap, and change her from her diaper into training pants until bedtime, and she didn't seem to find anything strange about any of it... But Lucy had to admit, it wasn't quite what she had in mind, and she still felt too big, and out of place, in the childish clothes her closet was now filled with... And, especially after having Kari hired as a babysitter for her, she realized she wasn't so curious about the girl's clothing choices, and whether she could keep her bed dry, because she was jealous of her; it was because she wanted to take care of her. Of course, when she was the one being babysat, and struggling not to have too big of an accident, and wind up in diapers herself, that wasn't exactly feasible...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lucy glanced down at the ground, not looking in Kari's direction, hoping, from her silence, she hadn't heard what she'd said. Perhaps she was still too shocked at everything else; maybe the leprechaun had made it so they were talking privately. Or Kari might not know what to say to all that, to knowing magic existed, and had so thoroughly remade the world she lived in on the Lucy's whim.

"All right," the leprechaun nodded. "I can un-do that for you, lass. Now, what would you like?"

"Wait," Lucy's eyes widened. "Do I get to make a new wish, too?"

"Not you," he chuckled. "A greedy one, aren't you? Your friend here got to me on time, too, didn't she?"

Lucy's eyes darted over to Kari; she hadn't even considered that. Kari climbed to her feet, brushing herself off, glaring at her, suddenly looking much taller than anyone her size ought to. "That's what you thought I was like?" she shook her head. "Just because I'm short, you thought I should be treated like a baby?"

"N-No, I didn't mean..." Lucy tried to explain.

"I've seen your room... I knew what you meant," Kari rolled her eyes. "I want you to make her into a kindergartener again," she declared, jabbing a finger at Lucy.

"W-Wait!" Lucy gasped, gulping as she saw herself starting to shrink already, her breasts and hips melting away, arms and legs growing a little chubbier, re-gaining baby fat. "Kari!"

"You can let her grow up," Kari said, her one pointing finger turning into two, "but make sure she's always the shortest kid in class... And that she never gets taller than me. I want to make sure I can always babysit her, and know she'll never be able to pull anything like this again," she jabbed at her diaper with her other hand.

"Th-That's not faiw!" Lucy whined, blushing, her own hands shooting up to her mouth as she heard her old lisp returning. "That's mowe than one wish!"

"Aye," the leprechaun agreed. "But she did touch me... You made sure of that, throwing her at me like you did. Her hand brushed against me, and I'm a fair man, I'll count that as good as 'caught'. She gets three."

"B-But...!" Lucy stomped her foot. "I was the one who knew to come hewe! I knew you wewe faking! It's not faiw!"

"And for my third wish," Kari held up another finger, "I want her to know what it was really like for me. I want there to always be rumors about her being too little and immature for big girl panties, and how she has to wear diapers to bed every night... And make those rumors true."

"That's anothew wish!" Lucy crossed her arms sulkily. "That's fouw! She can't do that!"

"Well..." the leprechaun shrugged in the fading light of the rainbow. "I might just allow it. Good night, then, lasses."

He tipped his hat, as the multi-colored lights faded away, and, before Lucy knew what was happening, the clearing vanished, and she was falling, falling....

"What are you doing up?"

Lucy gasped, sitting up in bed with a start, glancing over to see her mother standing in the doorway. She looked down at herself, stomach churning to see the childish form under her blankets, tucked around her tight enough to show the huge bulge of her diaper. This wasn't her old crib, one made for someone adult-sized... She was pretty sure this was a real crib, meant for a baby, and she fit into it perfectly, so much so that she had a feeling, unlike before, she wasn't going to be able to climb out if the side was put up.

"That's my fault!" Kari hopped up from the chair she'd pulled over to the edge of the crib, shutting the book she'd been holding. "I am so sorry... She got so caught up in her bedtime story... And, well, so did I... And I lost track of time..."

"That's all right, dear," Lucy's mother smiled. "It looked like she was starting to nod off anyway... And you know how hard it is for her to get to sleep before I get home." She paused, sniffing the air, then stepping over to the crib, giving the lump of Lucy's diaper a probing pat, one that revealed to both of them that the leprechaun hadn't given her a fresh one. 

"Lucy!" her mother scolded. "I know Kari just put you in that before she tucked you in... And you had a stinky accident already? Honestly, young lady... If you can't stay clean through a bedtime story, I don't know if you're really ready for Pull-Ups at school." 

"Mommy!" Lucy squealed unhappily. Going back to kindergarten was bad enough... Having to do it in Pull-Ups would have made it worse, but diapers?! She glanced over at Kari, tears in her eyes, realizing this was only the start, that it would only get worse as she got older, and went through school all over again, especially once she was old enough that the occasional accident wasn't as easily excused as it would be in kindergarten... 

"I can't believe I didn't notice that!" Kari shook her head. "I am really slipping tonight, I don't know what..."

"It's fine," Lucy's mother promised. "It happens. You're still the best babysitter I've ever had, dear."

"That's very sweet," Kari smiled modestly. "I'll get out of your hair and let you take care of this... You can just get me my money next time, okay? I don't want to make her wait too long for a clean diaper."

"If you're sure," the woman said. "You're such an angel."

"I don't know about that," Kari chuckled, grinning down at Lucy, bending down to kiss her on the forehead. "Welcome home," she whispered, before straightening back up, saying a cheery, "Good night!," and practically skipping out of the nursery.

This was her home, Lucy mused, as her mother picked her up easily, for the first time that Lucy could remember. Her own tiny size was disconcerting, to say the least, realizing how easily her mother, or anyone else, could do anything they wanted to her, that she was as helpless as a real child, that it was very unlikely anyone would trust someone as small and fragile as her to try and repeat that trip on her own, for a third time, not until she was much, much older, if ever, so she could try to reverse all these wishes, if she could even get rid of them all at once...

Everything was different, but this was what her life was now. This was her home, such as it was... And, as they said, there was, really, no other place quite like it. Considering what it had become, that was probably a good thing, though, boy, did she wish she had just stayed there and played dress-up, like Kari wanted, to begin with. She could have at least pretended to be a grown-up, then... Now, that was so far out of her reach, so ridiculous, she didn't think anyone would believe it, even in a game. Nobody... Least of all, herself.

The End