The Pie Sisters could only stare at it. One with the blank expression she always wore, one with a near roll of her eyes at the fact that it’d come to this, and the final one with shame and anxiety.
A pack of adult diapers was sitting at the door to their shared bedroom. Dropped down not five minutes ago by their mother, Cloudy Quartz, who’d been very strict about all this.
“We shall not wash linens every day anymore.”
Limestone was just grateful, in a way. The three of them had always had to share a bed due to the small arrangements of the house. For the most part, it was fine. Maud was a filthy blanket-hogger, but it was fine.
Until the nighttime accidents had started.
The memory was fresh in her mind. Waking up to find half the sheet soaked in urine, the stench, the stains, all of it pointing back to one culprit: Marble.
Had it just been one night, it would’ve been fine. Limestone was pissed off about being pissed on, but it would’ve been fine.
But it just. Kept. Happening!
Their bed hadn’t had a dry night in nearly two weeks. And clearly Limestone wasn’t the only one miffed, if their mother’s reaction was anything to go by. She’d gone so far as to buy a pack of Cloudies Extra Bulk Nighttime Diapers. There was no way Marble was getting out of this one. And quite frankly, that was fine by Limestone. She was looking forward to not having to disinfect the mattress every morning.
But for Marble, she looked as though she would’ve preferred a death sentence. Her head was pointed down, curtain of hair drawn over her eyes in shame. But she couldn’t stop her tiny pupils from catching a glimpse of the pack of padding before them. Each second she spent staring, her mouth wiggled and twitched like she was about to cry.
Limestone sighed, and made a move to tear to plastic packaging. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”
A whimper, and Marble scuttled back.
A groan escaped her lips. “Come on, Marble. You have to. Mom said so.”
“B-B-But I…” Even with the hair to hide behind, it was obvious she was blinking back tears.
Maud crossed to her, putting a hoof out to gently pat her back. “There there.” Her monotone voice wasn’t the best for comforting, but she was trying.
“I’m an adult!” Marble squeaked out. Her distress was enough to get Limestone to pull back.
“C’mon, don’t cry.” An effective way to stop someone from sobbing if ever there was one. Limestone tried again. “It’ll be alright.”
Her vague platitudes were about as useful as Maud’s. Both could tell their little sister was on the verge of tears over this.
“It’s just until you can get back to normal,” came Maud’s next attempt.
“I-I don’t want to wet the bed,” Marble insisted. Her voice was cracking. “I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me!”
“Hey, nothing’s wrong with you!” Limestone stamped her hoof to the ground. “There’s nothing wrong with a little nighttime protection. You just… you have to ride out whatever this is, okay?”
Marble sniffled. It was a sign that they were coming back from the brink, but it was still shaky ground they were treading on.
Maud took a break from comforting her for a moment and motioned to Limestone. When she followed, she found her sister moved them to the other side of the room. A private pow-wow.
“I think I know how to make her feel better,” Maud said. “But you will not like it.”
“Ergh.” Limestone rolled her eyes. Already she wasn’t on board. But, when she cast a glance over to Marble, who’s attention was still swallowed the diapers causing her so much shame, she knew it was worth at least hearing Maud out. “What?”
“We should both wear diapers too.”
“WHA--” Limestone caught herself. She switched from apocalyptic shout to enraged hiss. “What?”
“She feels like she’s being singled out,” Maud elaborated. “If we show her we’re willing to do this with her, it might help.”
Might help. Limestone couldn’t believe her sister was even suggesting this. “Maud, you must have rocks for brains.”
“I assure you I’d be quite happy if I did.”
“I am not putting on a freaking diaper! If you wanna be a big weirdo then go right ahead, but leave me out of it.”
Maud’s mouth twitched to her approximation of a frown. “You just told her there’s nothing wrong with them. If only I do it then she’ll know you don’t feel that way. And that’ll just make her more upset.”
“Clearly when I said there’s nothing wrong with it, I meant if you needed them. I don’t. I’d just be putting on a diaper for nothing and look like a big idiot!”
“Good.” Just that one word sent Limestone boiling like a kettle. “If we look dumb, it might make her laugh. And that would cheer her up.”
The kettle released a little steam. “You… ugh!” She hated Maud for making some good points. But was she really going to have to go through with this? “I don’t want to,” she finally just admitted.
Maud shrugged. “Well now you understand a little bit how she feels.” Another good point; Limestone had definitely lost this one.
“Fine!” She grumbled. “Fine fine fine.” It wasn’t fine, but that would be fine. It was for Marble after all.
Having sequestered themselves for two long, they moved back to Marble, who was containing her existential crisis over all of this. When she looked and saw that she was flanked on both sides by her sisters, she whimpered. “Please don’t make me do this…”
“It’s okay, Maud assured her. “Limestone and I will show you it isn’t a big deal.”
“Yeah, cheer up. Or whatever.” She could’ve been more half-hearted. A lot of Limestone’s good-big-sister energy was tied up in what she was about to do.
Luckily, Maud went first. She slipped out of her frock and left it folded on the ground. Marble watched first with suspicion, then surprise as her big sister laid down for a diaper change.
Maud looked to the package of diapers, then Limestone. Her stone-cold expression betrayed no embarrassment over what was about to happen. But Limestone blushed for both of them.
“Alright, alright.” Anything to get Maud to quit hounding her.
Limestone ripped into the plastic, and selected a square of padding for her sister. She had to assume that their mother hadn’t paid much attention to the design when purchasing. This diaper had a pattern of little clouds dotting every inch of it. Based on the picture on the front of the packaging, they were wetness indicators. Once somepony wet them, they’d turn into rain clouds.
Geeze, she thought to herself. Could these things get anymore foalish?
She unwrapped it and quickly slapped the cloud covered part on the ground. Maud lifted her hindlegs for her, which was at least a little convenient. Limestone had some experience changing diapers, occasionally helping out when Pinkie and Marble were little, so she knew what to do from here.
Under Maud’s plot, tail threaded through the hole in the back, legs down, fold, and tapes. They were done in less than a minute.
“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Limestone said to Marble. Mostly she hoped to nudge her sister into accepting this already so she wouldn’t have to wear one.
Unfortunately her baby sister’s mouth was still hovering above a frown. The infrequent twitch told her that this was at least working. She was almost smiling, if only from how goofy Maud looked.
Which was pretty goofy when Limestone took it in. Maud struggled to sit up from the sheer poof between her legs, the diaper crinkling with each little motion. Her gait was so wide, and Limestone doubted she’d be able to close her legs anytime soon. She might’ve laughed… if she wasn’t doomed to the same fate.
“Okay Limestone, your turn,” Maud said as she wobbled up.
Limestone grumbled. “Yeah, yeah.”
There was genuine surprise on Marble’s face as she saw her other sister get down on the floor. As Maud crinkled over to the diaper pack, Marble’s eyes just followed Limestone.
“What?” she asked, now lying down. “Did you think I wasn’t going to wear one too?”
“Uh…”
“I told you Marble, it’s no big deal.” It was a big deal. It was a very big deal.
Limestone did not want to do this. She didn’t have Maud’s poker face. She was going to be blushing up a storm the second her plot touched a diaper. Already her face was getting hot!
Why did I have to agree to this? Do I really have to wear it all night? Celestia dangit Marble why couldn’t you just wear the stupid thing and be done with it?
Even with all that boiling inside her, Limestone didn’t let any of it bubble over. She just patiently waited for Maud to finish unwrapping the diaper. Her diaper.
Maud set it on the ground. “Legs up, please.”
Limestone’s hindlegs barely inched off the ground.
“A little higher, please.”
They went another half inch higher.
Maud blinked disapprovingly, before grabbing Limestone’s legs and forcing them ninety degrees up. “H-Hey!” Limestone’s face already exploded red. Maud didn’t have to treat her like a filly for pity’s sake!
The diaper slipped under her. Maud turned to Marble. “Can you hold her legs while I get her tail through the hole?”
Limestone’s cheeks burned. “I can keep them there myself!” But a quick, stern look from Maud shut her down. They were still easing Marble into this. It was best to let her help with the change. “F-Fine.”
Marble took over holding Limestone’s legs, while Maud took her sweet time fiddling with the tail hold. Finally it went through, and Maud had Marble guide Limestone’s legs back down.
She winced as her plot touched the badding. It was hard to be blushing much more than she already was, but humiliation finds a way. And it wasn’t even technically on her yet.
“Do you want to finish it?” Maud asked.
Marble blinked in surprise. “Uh… Mmmhmm.”
Limestone just chewed the inside of her cheek as Maud swapped with Marble. Now her younger sister went to work, folding up the sides of the padding to trap Limestone’s pelvis within.
She tried very, very hard not to cringe as the diaper closed it. It’s fluffy interior was warm and cushy, practically swaddling her. Marble was unfortunately competent too, making sure it was on nice and snug before she pressed the tapes down, locking Limestone inside.
“T-Th-There, see?” Limestone asked. “N-Nothing to it.” Maud gave her a look to let her know she was blowing it.
But Marble seemed satisfied. “Okay… um… my turn now?”
Limestone rolled over onto her belly and started to stand. Her hindlegs were so far apart that she could barely get them to touch the ground at the same time. Not to mention her diaper crinkled noisily the entire time. Even if she ever became able to ignore the sensation of it against her flanks, Limestone took solace in the fact that the sound would never let her forget it was there.
She had to waddle out of the way for Marble to sit down next. Maud made short work of her change, and by the end of it Marble wasn’t blushing nearly as hard as Limestone had been. She still looked uncomfortable as she stood back up, looking back at her padding with gritted teeth. But she wasn’t about to cry. Progress.
“Thank you.” Her head was pointed to the ground, unable to make eye contact with her sisters while they were all padded.
It was a symptom of embarrassment Limestone shared in when she replied: “No problem.”
Awkward, awkward silence.
Without anything needing to be said beyond that, the three of them started toddling towards their bed. The crinkly chorus that followed them was like a soundtrack, and Limestone wondered how they were ever meant to fall asleep with all the noises these things made.
Once they’d all climbed in under the covers, the real difficulty started. It was like they had an extra pillow wrapped around their flanks. It was difficult to find a position to actually sleep in.
All the shuffling and bumping that commenced only caused more crinkling. Limestone made it most of the way there to just ripping her diaper off. But she knew Maud would not approve and Marble probably less so. She was in the long haul for this diapered slumber party.
Finally they all managed comfortable spots, all resting on their sides with Limestone wedged in the middle. The crinkling finally died down as they stopped moving around so much. But it never truly stopped.
Marble, facing Limestone, managed to whisper one more time: “Th-thank you. Y-You didn’t have to do this.”
Oh now you tell me! But Limestone kept that remark to herself. She just gave her little sister a hug. “Like I said, no problem.
“We don’t mind doing this for as long as you need diapers,” Maud added in. Limestone’s face got hot. She didn’t remember signing up for that! But it was a little late to back out now, Marble giggling her approval.
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
They actually managed to fall asleep before too long. And Limestone managed to make hers pretty restful with the knowledge that she wouldn’t have a rude awakening with damp sheets anymore. But she was going to wake up to something damp.
When their mother would come in to check on them in the morning, she was going to be equal parts surprised and disappointed to find three sets of rainy clouds waiting for her.
