“Come on, sis!” Pickle Barrel impatiently called from the other side of the bathroom door, frantically knocking a hoof against it. “Hurry up in there! I wanna get to flying already!”
“I’m almost done, Pickle! Just be patient!” Barley Barrel growled. She exited the bathroom a moment later. “You can go now.”
But Pickle Barrel shook his head and turned away from the opened bathroom. “Nope, don’t need to. Now come on, we’d already be out flying if you didn’t take so long!”
Barley blinked in surprise at her brother’s comment. She knew that their house only had one bathroom, and she was always the first to make use of it every day. Her brother Pickle usually waited far longer than he needed to before even trying to make it to the bathroom, which sometimes resulted in accidents. Just what did he mean by him not needing to use it?
Well, that was not a detail to really worry about right now. Pickle in particular was really excited about the flight practice they were going to get in today. They were finally ready to attempt what Rainbow Dash had called endurance training. Apparently it was something that the Wonderbolts in Cloudsdale did all the time.
So Barley went out to join her brother behind their house that sat on a hill overlooking the lovely, vibrant community of Hope Hollow. To think that only a few weeks ago it had been grey, dull and void of hope. All it had taken to fix that was a visit from Rainbow Dash and her friends.
Now it was possible to see all the colors of the town and the beautiful blue sky that surrounded it. Barley’s eyes were drawn to it briefly, but quickly came back down to the ground as her ears managed to pick up a faint but distinct rustling sound.
Strapped around Pickle Barrel’s rump was an unmistakable white diaper, just the plain foal brands you might find at a store. “Okay, ready!” Pickle declared as he noticeably waddled over to his twin sister.
Barley frowned at the padded undergarment her twin brother was wearing. “Why the heck are you wearing something so… so…” She couldn’t really think of a good work to describe it and finally settled for. “Foalish?”
Pickle wasn’t bothered by the remark as he shook his head. “It’s not foalish, it’s practical. Just think, I don’t have to stop for bathroom breaks while I’m flying,” He gestured a hoof to a nearby package of diapers that had just been opened. “They fit pretty snuggly, you should totally try one on. It’s like wearing a cloud, a really fluffy cloud.”
“Besides,” Pickle added. “I'm positive the Wonderbolts wear these all the time during their shows and training. I can't possibly see them actually using the potty during their shows." He spat out in apparent disgust the word "potty"
Barley wasn’t swayed for even a second. “There is no way I’m wearing those things. I’m not a two year old, and you aren’t either. How in the heck do you even expect to be able to fly with something so heavy weighing you down?” "
Pickle just flapped his wings, able to lift himself off the ground with no trouble despite what he was wearing. “Like this, obviously. It really doesn’t weigh all that much. If the whole point of this training is to test endurance, then I want to keep flying for as long as I can. That means no bathroom breaks.”
The filly only frowned. “I’m still not wearing them. It really doesn’t take that long to stop for a bathroom break.”
"You took like four hours in that bathroom! It definitely takes a long time, diapers are a must!" The colt protested, although he might not of been completely sure how long she actually took using that potty. “This way I’m carrying my bathroom,” He declared in an unconcerned tone. “I made sure to get the most absorbent brand possible, it even says so right on the package.”
Barley just sighed in disapproval, knowing that when her twin brother got into one of these moods there was little that could be done to convince him otherwise. “Whatever. Just don’t expect me to change you. I’m going to be using the potty like all big ponies do.”
“I can be a big pony too!” Pickle insisted! “I bet I’ll be a much better flyer than you!”
“Well, why don’t we see which is better?” Barley commented as she got an idea. “We can even swap after a while so we can both compare?”
“Whoa! You mean you’d wear a diaper, sis?!” Pickle exclaimed as he blinked his eyes.
“Only if you agreed to use the bathroom like you’re supposed to! Like a big foal should!” Barley corrected. She hoped Pickle didn’t notice her refusal to commit to using the diaper, the idea was far too repulsive to the filly.
Never one to back down from a challenge (especially when he felt he could prove he was right), Pickle spat on his hoof, and grabbed his sister’s hoof and firmly shook it! “You’re on! It’s diapers v.s. the potty, and when this day is over we’ll see which is truly better!”
Barley quickly wiped her hoof off with a napkin. "Ew! Next time just a hoof shake is fine." She commented, only to receive a giggle from her brother.
So the bet was made and there was only one thing left to do, see it through to its inevitable conclusion. Both twins were confident that they could sway the other to their way of thinking as they flapped their wings and took to the skies. They couldn’t wait to practice all those awesome tricks Rainbow Dash had taught them during her last visit.
Zooming through the sky above Hope Hollow the pegasus twins did all sorts of tricks that most foals their age could only dream of: Flips, dives, mid-air turns, even a bit of upside down and backwards flying. It was a good thing their parents weren’t here, they would surely frown at such displays and lecture the two on how unsafe it was to be doing what they were doing.
They flew together for what seemed like ages, but eventually they had to stop as Barley felt a familiar urge start to build inside her. The first bathroom break had arrived. She landed on the ground in front of their house just seconds before her brother. “I’ll be right back.” She told Pickle as she trotted inside.
“Just don’t fall in.” Pickle teased as he plopped down onto his padded rump, causing the padding to compress and crinkle.
Barley paid her brother’s teasing remark no attention as she made her way to the bathroom, scrambling up onto the toilet with the help of a special child’s seat and sighing as she relaxed. She really didn’t understand why her brother thought this was a waste of time. If you did it properly it wouldn’t take long at all, certainly less time than it would take to change a diaper as far as the filly was concerned.
She finished after only a little bit of time, hopped down and washed her hooves. Then the filly exited the bathroom and came out just in time to witness her brother clumsily dispose of his diaper in the trash. She giggled as she strolled up to him, reaching out a hoof when he tried to take out another diaper. “Ah ah, a deal’s a deal. You have to use the potty the next time you have to go.”
Pickle just humphed. “Yeah, but that means you have to wear a diaper. Think you can keep up with me with something so heavy? Or are you just a big baby?”
“I’m not a baby! Give me the stupid diaper!” Barley demanded as her brother promptly hoofed one over. She laid down on the ground and awkwardly tried to slip it over her rump, which was hard considering it had been years since she’d worn one.
“Need some help, sis?” Pickle not so slyly inquired as he came over.
With a raging blush on her cheeks the filly groaned. “...Maybe a little. But if you say a word about this to anypony, I’ll make you regret it.”
“Now sis, that’s no way to talk to your older brother,” The colt waved a hoof as he helped slip the diaper on. “Since you’re wearing the diaper and I’m not that means I’m older than you.”
“No it doesn’t!” Barley protested as she stood up only to stumble the moment she took a step. The added girth of her new padding was going to be difficult to adjust to.
Pickle only grinned. “After a display like that I’d say it does. Now come on, don’t think you can get out of the deal that easily!”
Barley stood up very reluctantly. “Fine, but this changes nothing.” She had no idea how her brother made walking with a diaper on look so easy, it wasn’t.
Pickle flew like nothing had changed, but Barley found it very difficult to do any kind of tricks or even simply fly with such bulky padding. It was only made worse by how much it seemed to crinkle and distract her every time she so much as moved.
Again they flew for what seemed like a long time, first stopping for a brief snack of juice boxes and crackers to replenish their energy, but then stopping much later for a more important issue. The juice and crackers meant that something else needed to be taken care of.
Barley noticed how much her brother seemed to be struggling not to go as he led the flight back to their house and landed on the ground in front of it. “I have to go, sis.” He declared as his face seemed to turn red for a brief second.
“Well, you know where the bathroom is, right?” Barley asked him. “You don’t need me, just go. Or are you too scared?”
“I’m not scared!” Pickle protested as he clumsily rushed in and to the bathroom. He still remembered how to use a toilet despite what he’d done earlier in the day. So use it he did, hopping down and washing his hooves when he was done. It actually hadn’t taken as long as he had thought it would take.
"Watch out for the potty monster." Barley said with a small giggle, reviving a glare from Pickle who roared back. “There’s no such thing!”
“So, how was it?” Barley inquired when her brother came back out a short time later.
Pickle reluctantly acknowledged. “Okay, so maybe it didn’t take me that long. But you must admit it’s still a hassle having to stop mid flight and come back here every time you have to go. With diapers there’s no fuss, just go and then change when you land.”
The filly was quick to shake her head. “Yeah, but it’s such a hassle to do all of that. There’s no way I’m ever going to actually use my diaper.”
“Why not? You just did, and you didn’t even notice.” Pickle pointed out as he noticed a discoloration in the padding’s pristine white color.
Horrified, Barley looked back! When she saw what her brother had seen she was speechless! “I didn’t even feel it! Well, okay, maybe I kind of did but I thought it was something else!”
Pickle grinned. “Isn’t it great to have that feeling? To just go when you have to go and not even worry about cleaning up until you’re ready?”
“S-shut up!” Barley growled! “So I had one accident, it doesn’t mean you’re right! You have to admit the potty isn’t all bad.”
Pickle nodded. “Yeah, and neither are diapers. So I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree,” Then as his grin grew wider he suggested. “We should probably get you changed though, huh? Don’t want you to get a rash.”
The change was done as quick as a flash for poor Barley, who actually did kind of appreciate the calming sensation produced by the wipes and the powder in their infantile scents of lavender and cornstarch. Still, she was glad to have the old diaper tossed away and not have to think about the implications associated with it.
The rest of the day was relatively uneventful for the twins after that. Both had proved their point, but neither seemed willing to accept that the other had made an equally valid point and so they pretty much didn’t speak to each other all day.
Out of caution Barley reluctantly wore diapers just to ensure she would be protected from further accidents. And thankfully she suffered no more.
Pickle, on the other hoof, really didn’t appreciate having to be forced and compelled to use the bathroom whenever the need arose. If not for the fact that there was only one diaper package between him and his sister he probably wouldn’t have bothered.
Despite their differences in opinion both twins were exhausted by the end of the day, and after fixing themselves dinner they decided to call it an early night instead of waiting up for their parents to come home. In fact neither of them even remembered to take off their diapers.
Next morning came and both twins awoke to a rather unfortunate surprise, especially in the case of Barley Barrel who was most displeased to feel her padding squish as she sat up in her bed.
“Guess we both need more potty training, huh, sis?” Pickle questioned as he fluttered down from his bed.
“Might have to tell Mom and Dad to install another bathroom. It’s gonna be hard sharing one toilet again.” Barley reluctantly replied while she watched her brother leave to fetch the changing supplies. She wasn’t sure how they would explain this to their parents if either of them found out.
