“Nnnnnfffff!! Grrrrrghhhhh…”

A pair of dirtied, light gray hooves were constantly skidding across the dusty ground, leaving several thin divots wherever her weight beared down the most. The bottom of the worn-down keratin, as well as the bushy fetlocks that went up those muscular legs, were covered with a deep shade of brown to match all the dirt being kicked around. The trail of skids and divots went off quite a ways in the distance, indicating that the hard work was certainly showing a positive effect. But alas, by the time those last few strenuous groans were given from the mare in question, her successful efforts amounted to merely moving a carriage-sized boulder across the rocky field.

“Whew!~” The young mare breathed a deep sigh of relief, and finally dropped her hooves to slump against the side of the gargantuan boulder. Her purplish gray coat was matted in sweat, which meant that most of the dust she kicked around was sticking to it and making her look even dirtier. Her cutiemark of a lime-wedge and two rocks were partially hidden beneath all that dust, not that she seemed to mind after so much work. Her long, straight silver mane was clinging to her head and the back of her neck, while her face had several dirty smears where she had to continuously wipe her fur. She took several deep, panting breaths after such an intense session, which would’ve usually taken her and half the family to complete safely. Unfortunately, outside circumstances meant that Limestone was forced to do the brunt of the work on her own that weekend.

“Haaaa… Haaaaahhhhh…” Limestone hung her head, which made her sweaty mane cover her face and put it under a makeshift shade from the blistering sun above. Ever since her sister Maud left for college earlier in the Spring, she and the rest of the family had to pick up her share of the work; granted, she was certainly proud of Maud getting an education, but she still wished her parents hired some helping hooves. Even on that particular weekend, when the two had to make an emergency trip to Baltimare for a cousin’s intervention (again, something that Limestone couldn’t blame them for doing), she had to bite her lip to keep from cursing at their stinginess. Instead of asking for help from neighbors, or just paying some high schoolers to come by and learn the intricacies of rock-farming, Limestone could only shake her head and mutter to herself, “Jeeze… W-Where the heck is Pinkie at?”

She finally looked up while leaning against the boulder, and her eyes widened when she realized how silent and desolate the farm was. While that certainly wasn’t something worth complaining about, she didn’t realize how long it had been since she last heard her sister’s cheery voice. Pinkie Pie had only arrived the previous night, but Limestone remembered her distinctly saying she would help “as hard as she could” alongside herself and their sister Marble. But instead of hearing her bubbly laughter, or a plethora of impromptu songs to fill the monotonous void all around, Limestone’s ears perked up before growing a bitter sneer on her muzzle.

“Nnnnghhh…” Limestone regained more than enough energy to not only pull away from the boulder, but to hop on top of it so she could better scan her surroundings. The Pie Family’s rock farm went out for dozens of acres all around; but at the same time, it was all flat and bare enough for Limestone to see the farm’s borders without many hiding spots. It only took the mare a few minutes to stare around the entirety of the farm grounds, only to be met with nothing but the sight of rocks all around. If it was just her sister Marble, Limestone would’ve just assumed that she was hidden somewhere among the thicker regions of rocks similar to her gray coat. But when she wasn’t able to see a speck of pink anywhere on the premises, Limestone quickly got agitated.

“Grrrrr!!! WHERE ARE THEY?!” Limestone stood up on her hind-legs atop the massive boulder, and she shouted out loudly enough to make her voice echo all around. “PINKIIIIEEEEE!!! MARBLLLLLEEEE!!! WHERE ARE YOU TWO?!”

Limestone expected to hear some galloping hooves, or maybe even a scared shriek from Marble in response to her booming voice. But alas, as the seconds of deafening silence passed, the mare’s teeth gritted tightly to reveal a more angered expression. She eventually hopped off the huge rock, and stormed over towards the opposite end of the fields where her sisters were supposed to be at. She muttered under her breath, “I swear, if those two tried to leave me with all the morning tasks before lunchtime…”

In a span of ten minutes, Limestone’s anger went from slightly miffed to absolutely furious. As soon as she reached the eastern fields, where Marble Pie was supposed to be, she was met with only a half-finished pile of sedimentary stones that should’ve taken an hour to complete. Marble may have not been nearly as productive as herself, but Limestone couldn’t fathom how she managed to screw up a task so simple. And when she ventured over towards the southern end of the fields, where Pinkie Pie was usually the best at tending to in her earlier years, Limestone was appalled to see that her rock pile was only a quarter of the way finished.

“Oh, for CRYING OUT LOUD!!!” Limestone stormed back towards the Pie Family farmhouse, her dirtied face as red as a sunburnt beet. She may have known the three of them had a hefty workload to handle for a single weekend; but with the number of geologists and rock specialists the family has to work with, who all require strict deadlines and harsh penalties for late deposits, the last thing she needed was to deal with those headaches due to other ponies’ faults. Part of her wanted to crash into the house at full-force, and raise total Tartarus against her sisters for slacking on the job. But just as she was about to reach her home’s front porch, the mare paused briefly enough to close her eyes and take a couple breaths.

“Wait a minute, Limestone,” she muttered to herself in an attempt to keep from snapping. “Think about what Doctor Elderberry taught you… Breathe in… Breathe out…”

Limestone spent a good minute practicing her breathing techniques, which helped significantly to decrease her anger and keep her from doing anything drastic. Doctor Elderberry may have been a court-appointed therapist, but she couldn’t deny how helpful his advice may have been since that grocery store incident. If it wasn’t for that crotchety old stallion, Limestone would’ve likely put her family under even more financial heartache from that potential assault lawsuit. And even with some of the doctor’s more… unique therapy techniques, which led to some unusual methods of relaxation on Limestone’s end, she wasn’t one to ignore his methods when they showed so much progress already.

After a brief moment of much-needed reprieve, Limestone didn’t feel nearly as violent when she let out a calming sigh. In fact, the mare was able to keep herself quiet when she entered the farmhouse all dirty and sweaty. She took her time as she trotted through the modest home, which laid completely still like the rock fields outside. Part of her was trying to justify her own silence as a logical response to her breathing techniques, and not just as a means to catch her sisters with whatever they were doing aside from work. But even with her muzzle shut, it clenched tightly the moment she saw a distinct mess in the kitchen.

All across the kitchen counter, several bottles of fresh farm-made milk were strewn about and emptied from their distinct glass containers. Limestone’s left eye twitched when she saw how many there were, which she could only assume were purchased by Pinkie earlier in the morning from the dairy farm next door. Sure, it would’ve been easy to assume that Marble bought so much fresh milk, or even her parents before went off to Baltimare; however, Limestone could see clear as day that several of the bottles had brown and pink tints on the inside of the glass, which indicated that they were flavored with sugary syrups.

“Nnnnnghhhh!!!~” Limestone bit down hard on her hoof, nearly drawing blood. Fortunately for the mare, that was the only outburst she gave at seeing the aftermath of Pinkie Pie’s milk binge. She had no idea how the fresh milk in Ponyville compared, but she could only assume it wasn’t the same quality as it was around this region. Nevertheless, that was no excuse for the mare to drown herself with dairy when so much work had to be done. Limestone dragged her hoof down her face in frustration, but she managed to keep herself from blowing up and giving her sisters a chance to hide. By the time she took a couple more breaths, she was calm enough to go up the stairs and see if they were on the second floor.

Limestone didn’t need to look far to discover where Pinkie and Marble were hiding. Of course, she couldn’t say that neither of them were “hiding” in the slightest. As soon as she peered into the open doorway of their shared bedroom, her muzzle dropped when she saw Pinkie and Marble sprawled out on the bed and completely asleep. Pinkie Pie was snoring louder than a tugboat’s engine, with the outside of her muzzle matted with a thick coat of lingering milk that made her breaths reek of chocolate and strawberry. Marble Pie, who usually had a stronger worth ethic compared to her twin sister, appeared equally as comatose with a small milk mustache of her own. Both of them were nestled together on the bed, since apparently a little “nap” seemed more appealing than actually getting work done. Limestone didn’t say anything at that moment; although, that was most likely because she was too enraged to speak through her gritted teeth.

Her agitated groan was nearly silent, and her face grew red enough to nearly singe the hairs of her fur from how enflamed her rage was getting. It took every fiber of her being not to yank those two lazy-bones off the bed, and drag them by their ears to the fields to get their work done. But just as she was about to lift a hoof, Limestone froze with her eyes widening in an instant. As a look of revelation grew across her face, Limestone recalled a specific quote that Doctor Elderberry recommended to her during one of their most recent sessions.

“Just remember, Miss Limestone… Before you think to act impulsively, I want you to think to yourself: ‘What would be the best means to solve a problem without violence?’”

Back when he first told her that, the mare assumed it was just a bunch of hogwash to keep her from getting another assault charge. But in that moment, with her two sisters still lying about in the middle of a deep sleep, Limestone blinked a couple times before growing a rather devious grin. She had no idea what came over her, but she no longer felt upset upon seeing Pinkie and Marble sleeping on the job. Instead, the mare went over towards the nearby desk, and grabbed the wooden chair before leaving the room silently.

She carefully closed the door, before propping the chair against the knob so it couldn’t open from the inside. After making sure the chair’s back-legs were secure, and the back of the chair was tightly nestled underneath the knob, Limestone trotted back downstairs so her sisters could get their “much-needed” rest. By the time she went back outside towards the fields, Limestone was able to estimate that she could get both of their work done in less than three hours time. Hopefully by then, both of them will come to terms with what was likely to happen next as punishment…

The sun was much closer to the horizon by the time Limestone returned to the farmhouse, her fur completely matted in a mixture of dust and sweat. Even though the shared tasks that Marble and Pinkie were supposed to do took a bit longer than expected, the mare felt rightfully content with her hard work. As soon as she entered through the front door, she huffed with a devious grin when she heard the muffled sounds of banging upstairs. But instead of tending to her sisters’ dire pleas, she went straight towards the downstairs bathroom to freshen herself up.

Upstairs, the sounds of Pinkie’s violent banging reverberated throughout the whole house. “LIMESTONE!!!” shrieked the pink mare desperately, “PLEASE LET US OUT!! WE’RE SORRY!!”

“We’re SO sorry!” cried out Marble’s voice, which was probably the loudest she ever yelled. Limestone could hear both of them clear as day, but that didn’t stop her from running a cold shower for herself. While the pipes could be heard running outside the bathroom, Pinkie still yelled like a banshee from upstairs.

“LIMESTONE, PLEASE!!! We’ve been in here for SO long!!!” A deep, desperate-sounding groan could be heard through the bedroom door. Pinkie and Marble may have tried their hardest to break out, but the chair didn’t budge an inch while wedged against the knob. And since the drop from the second floor was far too high for either of them to escape through the window (especially when a bunch of jagged rocks were positioned underneath the window outside), they were hopelessly trapped until Limestone finished her shower. “Urrrghhh… C-C’MON!! Limestone, I… I-I really need to go!!!”

When the hard-working mare finally finished her long, refreshing shower, she stepped out of the bathroom with a brisk smile while hearing the banging upstairs. She took her sweet time as she walked her way up the stairs, paying no heed to how dire or agitated Pinkie and Marble’s voices may have sounded. Instead, all that the mare did was walk over to the upstairs bathroom, and retrieve a small bag she had hidden underneath the sink. All the while, she was smirking to herself while hearing her sister’s cries for help upclose.

“LIMESTONE, I CAN HEAR YOU!!! LET US OUT RIGHT NOW!!!”
“P-P-PLEASE, Limestone! We’re sorry!”
“I CAN’T STAY IN HERE FOR MUCH LONGER!!!”
“N… N-Neither can I!”
“Okay, I’ll admit it! I drank too much milk! I’m SORRY!!! Is that what you want to hear!?!”
“I-I’m sorry too…”
“LET US BOTH OUT RIGHT NOW!!!”

“Hmph…” Limestone was still grinning to herself by the time she emerged from the bathroom with her bag over her shoulder, and a small metallic key hanging from a chain around her neck. She made sure that the bathroom door was closed tightly shut, before using the key to lock the knob from the outside. After testing how sturdy the lock was, she smiled in satisfaction before walking over to the bedroom. She was impressed with how well the chair held up, even against Pinkie and Marble’s combined strength. Regardless, she waited only a moment for the banging to stop before speaking up with a cheeky tone. “Well, well, wellllll… I’m guessing you and Marble had a nice little nap, huh?~”

There was a brief moment of silence from the other side of the door. Limestone waited patiently for a response, which came after Pinkie gave a long and accepting sigh. “Ughhhh… O-Okay, I… I’m really sorry, Limestone. I was just super, duper excited to have some local milk again, and I… I didn’t mean to pass out, alright?!”

“M… M-Me neither,” muttered Marble with an equally guilty tone.

Limestone tilted her head while staring at the door separating them. “Well, that doesn’t make up for the fact that I had to do ALL of your tasks today! By MYSELF! Are you aware how long I was out there on my own while you two slept the day away?”

“WE SAID WE’RE SORRY!!!” Pinkie banged on the door a few more times in frustration, not that it seemed to faze Limestone in the slightest. Instead, the mare stood with a smug smirk while waiting for any further response. “Nnnnnghhh!!! Okay, what do you want from us, Limestone?! We apologized and we feel really bad, what more do you need?!”

“P-Please!” squeaked Marble in addition. “I… I really… mnnnghhh…”

That half-finished statement made Limestone grin even wider, although she was grateful neither of her sisters could see that. “Oh, is that so? Well, let me ask you this… Do you know WHY I’m so upset?”

“YES, CLEARLY!!!” screamed Pinkie angrily. “You made your point!!”

“Oh, I don’t think I did…” Limestone got up closer to the door with her smirk lessening to an angry sneer. “You see, I was the ONLY pony today who cared enough about this farm to act like an ADULT!!! What do you think Mom and Dad would say?! Do you think they’d approve of you two sleeping around like a couple of babies?!”

Another awkward bout of silence came between them. Pinkie and Marble eventually relented with a shared tone of guilty voices. “... We’re sorry, Limestone…”

“Well, we’ll see about that~” Limestone unzipped her bag, and began to unload the items inside to lay outside the door. “Now, before I open this door to let you out, I need you to PROMISE you don’t back down from this punishment, alright?”

“WHAT?!” Pinkie sounded outright pissed by that point. “YOU ALREADY LOCKED US IN HERE!!!”

“Yes, but you two need to learn how to be adults! Maybe you’ll come to appreciate it after this~” Limestone had to keep from snickering to herself, but was able to stay silent as she laid out a large rubber mat. After making sure everything was in check, she stood outside the door and repeated her insistent claim. “Now… if you two agree to do this punishment, I’ll unlock the door and let you out. But if either of you refuse, you’ll stay in there without dinner! And you KNOW I’ll do that if necessary!”

Nearly a minute of uncomfortable silence lingered between the ponies on both sides of the door. Limestone waited patiently, and kept her confident smirk while staring at the knob. Pinkie and Marble Pie didn’t say anything for a while, but she was sure they were contemplating their options. After a long moment, Pinkie could be heard sighing through the door in a mixture of defeat and desperation. “Oh… O-Oh alright, ALRIGHT!!! If… If you let us out, we’ll do whatever you say!! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

Limestone’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting her sister to make such a serious pact to show her sincerity. It may have not been enough to avoid punishment, but she was especially glad Pinkie did it. She waited only a second or two before asking through the door, “Marble? Do you Pinkie Promise too?~”

Usually, she wouldn’t think to subject Marble to this kind of thing. But after all the grueling work she did outside, she was happy to hear her sister mutter through the door, “Ummmm… C-Cross my heart, hope to fly… s-stick a cupcake in my eye…”

“Okay, that’s good to hear…” Limestone finally went to pull the door away from the knob. “Now, as soon as I unlock this door, you’re going to do EXACTLY as I say. Do you two understand?~”

Despite how agitated Pinkie’s groan may have sounded, she was happy to hear her and Marble agree without hesitation.

“YES, WE’LL DO WHATEVER YOU SAY, JUST LET US OUT!!!”
“P-Please… Mnnnghhh…”

Limestone silently pulled the chair out of the way, which left the door completely unlocked. She then grabbed two items she had laying on the floor, and stood on her hind-legs with one in each hoof. “Alright, open up the door slowly…”

With that insistent detail, the knob slowly turned before finally opening up. Pinkie Pie and Marble Pie were already blushing deeply, clearly in need of certain functions that their bedroom couldn’t provide. Unfortunately for the two, they froze up the moment they stood at the doorway and saw what their sister was holding. Limestone grinned even wider, and made sure both of them could see the plushy white rectangles held in both hooves. Marble Pie blushed even deeper, with her eyes growing as wide as saucers. Meanwhile, Pinkie’s pupils shrunk quite a bit before she tried to ask worriedly:

“Uhhhh… are… are those diapers?”

“Yes they are~” Limestone motioned down to the changing mat she laid out on the floor, right beside her fully-loaded diaper bag. The items may have been for her own personal use; but in that moment, her focus was entirely on her two lazy sisters as she grinned like a madpony.

“And since you two want to doze around like a couple of babies, I’m gonna make sure you act like them too~”

Author's Note

Just in case anyone was curious, the entire five chapter story (as well as an extra bonus chapter) are already up on my Official Patreon Page.
I also wanna give a big thanks to PokemonVictor for commissioning this story, which helped pay multiple bills while my boyfriend and I prepare to move cross-country. If any of you want to help with our upcoming travel plans, I'm accepting any and all donations via Paypal