Taking the path of less travel turned out a good idea.

Scootaloo and Fluttershy got a nice view from an elevated walkway, of countless heavy cargo wagons crunching by underneath. The detour was a way of separating travellers from shipments and facilitating traffic to and from the terminal complex.

Beyond only the first decorative cloud, the walkway joined into a larger street, which looked marginally more normal. Ponies on the streets no longer looked like they’d fallen out of the sky just now, and the houses were beginning to look habitable.

There even was a store. Literally, it was a large warehouse with a sign that said store. The open doors gave the impression of public business.

The inside was, in fact, a warehouse, but stacked to the roof with crates and shelves. There was no apparent theme, other shoppers were seen carrying wheels, utility clothing, magic wands and paper. The store owner was only distinguishable because he wore a fancy hat that also said store. And the fact that he was the only diamond dog in the room right now.

“Welcome to the store,” he chirped, “don’t mind me, I’m just trying to help folks find what they’re looking for. So, what are you looking for, folks?”

“Um, hello,” Fluttershy said, “I’m looking to buy some baby diapers.”

“Baby diapers!” the owner said, “Oh, yes! Baby diapers! Snuggies, Cloudies, Softies, Cuddlies, and whatnot. We’ve got ‘em all! From your mommy magazines straight to our shelves.”

“Um, yes,” Fluttershy said, “what is the biggest size that you carry?”

“The biggest size? Hmmm … “ he made, “Well, we got all the regular sizes, but ... they send us all kinds of dust collectors, that much I know. How many years was it again? We got a shipment of baby diapers outside the range of your typical info flyers. There might still be some of those left. I got told to put them up as a size small adult diaper, but I never did. Because hey, the package says baby diaper, right? I hate it when things aren’t in the category where they belong. Anyway, back of the small room, right over there. It’s the small room. That’s why it’s called small room. Think you can find your way?”

“We’ll find it,” Fluttershy said, “thank you very much.”

“Creative names they’ve got here,” Scootaloo commented.

The small room wasn’t small, only cramped. Laundry detergent and paper towels took up most of the space. There was also an earth pony browsing air sickness pills.

The furthest shelf flagrantly carried the baby diapers. Countless brightly colored packages struggled to decide whether to display larger the image of the laughing foal or the schematic drawing of a diaper, but the message was unanimous. Comfy diapers make happy babies.

Scootaloo had never seen so many diapers in one place before. The only light in the room came from a few windows, but the gleaming packages still seemed to outdo each other in the war for attention. Scootaloo stuck close to Fluttershy, as they walked along the row, browsing the selection.

“Hmmm ... “ Fluttershy made, “Softies diapers. The touch you can’t feel. Size 1, 2, … hmmm … 6. No, too small. Let’s see. Snuggies diapers. There’s nothing like it. Size small, size medium, … oh, what’s this?”

Stashed behind a package, there were some with obviously different design.

“Snuggies diapers, size extra extra large,” Fluttershy said, “that’s it! Look, I think I found them. Where’s the size chart, um … waist size … body weight … Yeah! Seems like these will fit you easily, Scoots.”

“Wow, that’s so cool,” Scootaloo marvelled.

Showing through the packaging, a neat stack of diapers. And they were all just for Scootaloo.

“Ah, Snuggies. That takes me back,” the store owner laughed, “My better half is a Snuggies mom too, you know? And it was much needed. Can you believe it? An entire litter, in our tiny apartment? I’d been changing diapers from sunup to sundown. Couldn’t keep the little runts to stay inside. We moved pretty soon after. Ah, those were the wild days. Anyway, here’s your receipt.”

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, stashing the purchase in her saddlebags. “Say thank you, Scoots.”

“Thank you,” came meekly from behind Fluttershy’s tail. The store owner was still laughing as they left.

The street continued to meander between varyingly jumbled assortments of buildings, although it couldn’t seem to decide between being a street or a plaza. There were ornaments and relaxing greenery adorning the cobblestone trail, but ponies were also pulling all manners of carts and busying themselves on, above, and sometimes even below, Scootaloo and Fluttershy’s level.

Squat passages opened up into little alcoves of free space, which ponies not only used to land and take off, but they also seemed to make trade and purchases inside apparently completely arbitrary buildings. It smelled of food everywhere, but Fluttershy couldn’t see, or recognize, any restaurants.

There was a little tug on her jacket. Scootaloo pointed toward a row of cloud benches. Beside them was a cleanly labeled public washroom building. The architecture didn’t fit at all, it looked wide and spacious and actually quite inviting.

“Good thinking, Scoots,” Fluttershy said, “and look, they’ve even got a family restroom. That’s just what we’re looking for. Come, let’s go.”

Inside the building was remarkably clean. Everything was tiles and metal, and obviously well maintained. One of the doors led to the family room.

The family bathroom provided access to various washing equipment, as well as stools, toilets and basins of various sizes, for the younger colts and fillies. Everything a family with younglings could need. Especially the elevated niche in the wall lined with a smooth soft mat that Fluttershy was already inspecting with a hoof.

“Looks like this is the changing table,” Fluttershy said, “Come on, Scootaloo. It seems to be quite comfortable.”

It was a bit too high up. Scootaloo jumped, but couldn’t hold on and slipped back down.

“No, silly,” Fluttershy giggled, “foals don’t get onto the changing table on their own. Come here.”

With that, she grabbed Scootaloo under the forelegs, lifted her up and sat her down on the soft mat.

“Wow,” Scootaloo said. The mat was otherwise plain, but gave that amazing muffled rustle underneath her weight.

The package of diapers opened easily under Fluttershy’s pull. It squeaked ever so slightly as she slipped one out. The immaculate white plastic’s gleam was almost dazzling in its marvellous smoothness.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, “it’s really pretty. And look, there’s little decorations along the sides. What could they be? Little clouds maybe, or powder puffs? This shade of baby blue’s just adorable.” She turned the diaper to its front and gasped. “There’s even cute little animals printed on. Look, Scootaloo. Can you tell me what animal this is?”

In the faintest pastel colors, the silly cartoon character was smiling with exorbitant enthusiasm. “It’s an elephant,” Scootaloo said.

“Good job, Scoots,” Fluttershy said, “here, hold this for a moment.”

She reached around to undo the buttons around Scootaloo’s tail and pull off her skirt to the side. Meanwhile, Scootaloo stretched the amazingly soft bundle of plastic out as far as she could, but when she released one side, the diaper immediately curled back up.

“Look, Fluttershy,” Scootaloo said, “how springy it is.” She pulled it out, and it bounced back together again.

“Let’s see what the package says,” Fluttershy said, “Extra elastic waist bands and leg gathers for extra tough playtimes. So, it seems to be so stretchy in order to remain snug even after heavy movement.”

Scootaloo willed herself to relax when Fluttershy held her head and hind legs and gently laid her flat on her back. Scootaloo could barely keep up. Was this really happening? The clouds, the street, the store. She felt like all of it deserved more attention, but in this moment, she had eyes only for that fantastically crinkly white plastic in her hooves. Fluttershy proceeded to roll up Scootaloo’s jacket and undershirt, past her belly button and up to her chest.

Then, Fluttershy reached around Scootaloo’s hips and pulled down her pantyhose, all the way down past her knees and to her boots. Scootaloo couldn’t have made herself any smaller if she had tried, the thin cotton layer of her underwear less than a laughable attempt at modesty. She got mad goosebumps all over.

Fluttershy grabbed Scootaloo’s panties along the sides.

“Do you want me to go on, Scootaloo?” Fluttershy asked earnestly.

Those word things. Scootaloo couldn’t seem to use them right now, so she nodded her head yes with such ferocity, she almost knocked the head board off the changing table.

“Okay, okay,” Fluttershy giggled, “Let’s get this done with and go have some fun, shall we.”

She pulled Scootaloo’s panties down, and gently guided them along her hind legs, downward, all the way to her hooves. Then Fluttershy gave Scootaloo’s belly a soft stroke.

“There, that wasn’t too bad, now was it?” Fluttershy said softly, “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes,” Scootaloo squeaked, “Thank you.”

The calming effect of Fluttershy’s serene demeanor was miraculous. She moved and talked so normally and naturally, despite the fact that Scootaloo was blatantly and unabashedly lying butt naked in front of her.

“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy said, “Now, I’m going to need that diaper back.”

“Oh, sorry,” Scootaloo said. Nothing to hide her face behind anymore.

Fluttershy grabbed both of Scootaloo’s hind hooves and lifted them, and her rump, high in the air. Then she shook the diaper fully open with her free hoof and placed the back part under Scootaloo.

“Why’s it blue in the middle?” Scootaloo said.

“Hm, the package says,” Fluttershy said, “Super absorbent core with twice the absorbency and twice the thickness where it’s needed the most.”

Fluttershy lowered Scootaloo back down onto the unspeakably gentle fluff. It was like the endless mounds of supple softness were made specifically for the comfort of her buttocks. Fluttershy spread Scootaloo’s legs far apart so she could properly pull the diaper flat and adjust it.

“I guess it’s blue so that I can make sure it really is placed ... um, like they say, where it’s needed the most,” Fluttershy said.

She lifted the bulk of the diaper with a hoof and pressed it gently against Scootaloo. Indeed, the extra thick blue patch cupped her form perfectly.

The diaper smoothed out neatly on Scootaloo’s lower stomach. Broad, stretchy side wings came around her hips, and provided large sticky tapes, which were ripped open and affixed securely to the front plastic.

It sat perfectly. Soft, white, stretchy, comfy, secure. Surely this must have been the work of some higher power, because something so pure couldn’t have been from this world.

“Liking your new looks?” Fluttershy smirked.

Scootaloo had been gaping at her lower half like a plum. She cringed slightly, but Fluttershy was in no way trying to tease her.

“I couldn’t help it,” she said, “see, he looks so happy.” The elephant seemed pretty content in his new position. Fluttershy and Scootaloo giggled.

Scootaloo’s poor little panties stood no chance though. Not even halfway over the diaper, and the pair was already bulging at its limit, crinkly plastic copiously sticking out on every side.

Fluttershy decided to try her luck with the pantyhose instead. Despite being considerably larger, the woolen legwear only just about barely fit over the diaper, and Fluttershy had to pull out every trick up her sleeve in order to wiggle it over Scootaloo’s bulging butt.

“There,” Fluttershy said, “we’re done. How do you like it?”

Scootaloo was sat up, and Fluttershy reached behind her to stick the third tape shut above her tail, fully sealing her posterior, and quite a sizeable portion of her back, into the cushy padding.

“I ...” Scootaloo said, “I don’t think I’ve felt anything like it, like, ever before.”

It was way too much to take in at once. But it struck Scootaloo just how prominent the newfound plush thickness was. Her pants were bulging egregiously between her legs, and it didn’t seem like she would be able to fully bring them together anytime soon.

Luckily, the skirt was re-fastened around her and straightened over her flanks before anypony could see.

Fluttershy packed up and lowered Scootaloo back onto her shaky hooves.

All was well. She had her diaper, she had her clothes, and nopony had noticed. Now she needed only to act natural, and she would be all set.

A single step was as far as she got. Her butt exploded with muffled crinkles.

“I can’t go out like this,” Scootaloo said, “Everypony’s going to hear.”

But Fluttershy showed no mercy. “It will be fine,” she said softly, holding the door open, “Nopony’s going to think anything of it. Come on, Scoots, let’s go explore the city.”

The prospect of being found out was suddenly much less alarming than the increasing distance to Fluttershy, and so Scootaloo quickly waddled after her.

Scootaloo froze in horror, from the, fairly unsurprising, fact that the public restroom entrance wasn’t empty. There was another pony in the hallway. If Scootaloo just kept very, very still, maybe she wouldn’t be noticed. It would be just like she wasn’t there, and nopony would ever find out.

“Um, excuse me, little filly,” the stallion said, “but I need to get through here.”

Oh. Scootaloo was blocking the entire hallway.

With no way out but through, Scootaloo scrambled over to Fluttershy to hide behind her tail, rustling and crinkling furiously the entire way.

The stallion had already vanished without a second look.

“Calm down, Scootaloo, no need to get so excited,” Fluttershy giggled, “everything’s just fine, see? Nopony gives a second thought about a little filly being a little filly. Look, you can stay close to me if you want, and you’ll see everything’s going to be great.”

“I think I’ll take you up on that offer,” Scootaloo said with her mouth full of long pink hair.