Invasion of the Diaper Elves: Strawberry Bootlaces, Part 3 (Finale) (Patreon)

In a place that connects to the mundane realm through a series of green doors rather than by any conventional spacial relationship, a woman wearing a pink cowgirl costume and a thick, white diaper opened a pink door marked with pictures of several teddy bears. Taking a deep breath, she floated inside. Due to the standard dress code of the area, the hallways smelled of baby powder almost all the time. Even as used to the smell as she was, the one with the pink cowgirl hat found the smell overpowering at first when she crossed the threshold. She didn't like this room much. It was a pleasant place for the most part, but she greatly preferred the more popular hang-outs, such as "Coffee" or "Cheese", or, if she was in an especially good mood, "Vagueness". There were a few cliques that used the Nursery as their main base of operations, but the one with the pink cowgirl hat wasn't in one of them. Mostly, she viewed this place as more of a hospital than a place you went to have a good time.

Like most rooms here, the walls stretched away into the distance. At least the floor plan was simple. No one ever had a hard time navigated here once they had signed the contract, but this place was designed for comfort, so the layout needs to appeal to simplified minds. The air was warm, if not exactly fragrant. The walls were painted in various shades of pastel blue, pink, and  lavender, and were decorated with cuddly images of stuffed animals and cartoon characters. There was a surface that was clearly and unambiguously the floor, covered in thick blue carpet and dotted with random toys. Out of politeness, the one with the pink cowgirl hat reoriented herself so that her feet were both pointed toward the floor.

The room was decorated to resemble a typical nursery on Earth, but the fact that the staff all wore diapers and the charges were all grown women gave it a surreal air . It was hard to tell the caregivers from the care receivers except by demeanor. Everyone wore their own unique signature outfit, regardless of what role they were playing at the moment.

Knowing the layout from previous visits, she flew past the scores of diapered women playing tag or relearning their ABC's, then further in, past the ones who were busy fingerpainting and building towers out of blocks. The Nursery was arranged with a simple hierarchy in mind: The closer you were to the door, the closer you were to leaving and rejoining the work force. Sighing to herself, the one in the cowgirl hat floated forward, until she could see the rear wall. A short barrier of inflated plastic separated this back room from the rest of the Nursery. This was the infamous Playpen, where only the most severe cases were kept.

There were all sorts of ways to end up here. Everyone was put here when they first signed up, until they got used to the feeling of their diapers. Some got fed up with the entire endeavor, and took a trip to "Clarity" to have their sense of perspective removed. Others ended up here by running afoul of the council of Oracles. But usually, it was that most hated and despised of enemies: red licorice. Even mentioning the stuff could earn you a dirty look in some circles.

The one with the pink cowgirl hat scanned the vast floor for someone who moved like they worked there. She spotted a slightly older woman who seemed to be making the rounds, offering comforting pats, whispered words and diaper checks to the dozens of charges who sat playing on the floor. The fact that this woman seemed to be in her late thirties meant absolutely nothing. Among the ageless, physical age only indicated when you had signed on, not how long you had been here. The fact that she was wearing a pink shirt with a unicorn on it was likewise meaningless. Nobody would have guessed that the one with the cowgirl hat was intelligent or mature by examining her outfit. She approached the woman as she was putting down a giggling charge who was dressed in a yellow cape.

"Excuse me. I'm looking for a new arrival. She wears a red racing jacket with a bunch of corporate logos on it." She said to the one in the unicorn shirt.

"Oooh, I know who you mean. She's right over here." said the one in the unicorn shirt. She spoke with hushed tones, probably afraid that some of her charges might be napping. "Bad case. She must have been going all out when she got hit by the red stuff. Poor little thing. Still, it always happens to Collectors sooner or later. Live by the sword, and so on."

The one with the pink cowgirl hat decided not to mention the fact that she was also a Collector. In fact, according to the latest scoreboard, she was an even bigger Collector than her friend. Still, she didn't want to get dragged into a political debate right now. She had more important things to worry about.

Sitting at the back corner of the playpen, staring merrily up at the star-covered ceiling, she found the one in the red racing jacket.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't realize she was napping." said the one with the pink cowgirl hat.

"She's not. She's just like that most of the time now. She was harvesting willpower when it happened, so she doesn't have much interest in playing."

The one with the pink cowgirl hat floated into her friend's field of vision. Her face lit up with recognition.

"Hey! Heeyyy! Me wike ooo!" said the one in the red racing jacket excitedly.

The one with the pink cowgirl hat sat down beside her stricken friend and smiled as she stroked her hair affectionately "I like you too, babe. How are you feeling?"

"Aye toopid now!" announced the one in the red racing jacket, wiggling happily on the floor. As though to drive the point home, a juicy squelching noise erupted from deep within her enormously inflated rear.

"Man, you can say that again." said the one in the unicorn shirt wearily. "Can't imagine what she was thinking. At least she has a nice Nursery to look after her. I wonder what would have happened to whoever she was visiting if they hadn't had red licorice."

The one with the pink cowgirl hat rounded on her. "Who asked you! Shouldn't you be changing this diaper? It's your job, isn't it?" She knew there was no point in arguing about it, but the woman's words had landed too close to home for her.

The one in the unicorn shirt crossed her arms and spoke in the calm voice of those who are both very angry and very patient. "Looking after those who can't look after themselves is one of the jobs I do here. I find the work quite pleasant and fulfilling for the most part. But I'm really sick of seeing Collectors ending up here. The fact that I have to spend my valuable time wiping the butts of people like your friend here when they screw themselves up by their own bad choices makes me sick. Especially in this case. She made her own butt twice as big, and her digestive system is now ridiculously overactive. I changed her barely half an hour ago, and she's already messy again. She can't even get a diaper rash, so I don't see why I should spend extra time on her when there are innocent people I ought to be helping. I'll change her when I get around to it. Till then, she can stew in her own mess for all I care."

The one with the pink cowgirl hat seethed. "How can you say that! This woman is a hero! She helps keep all of this, everything we enjoy, running! She keeps the lights on so that you can live a comfortable life, and you're sitting in judgment on her? Forget it. I'll take care of her myself. Come on, babe. Let's get you changed."

She lifted her friend into her arms, and began carrying her toward one of the many changing tables that dotted the nursery.

The one in the unicorn shirt floated along behind them. "Great. I can always use a hand around here. Just know, I've heard this one before. Go on, give her a change. You'll get bored eventually. Then you'll wander off and forget about her. Your sort always do. She can't be a source of fun and excitement anymore, so you'll move on and find another playmate."

The one with the pink cowgirl hat settled her friend down on the padded surface of the changing table with a squish. "I can see you're busy, so don't let me take up any more of your valuable time." she said bitterly. "Since my best friend is such a burden for you, I guess I'll handle her myself. Off you go."

The one in the unicorn shirt departed, sadly shaking her head. The one with the pink cowgirl hat broke open the tapes on her friend's diaper. "Damn! What do they feed you down here, anyway?" she asked as she conjured a wipe out of thin air.

"Yay! Aye tinky!" cheered the one in the red racing jacket as her friend got to work cleaning up her huge ass. She clapped and cheered and kicked her feet as her friend wiped her. On cue, a fresh diaper materialized on the table, complete with her signature racecar decorations and sized XXXL. The one with the pink cowgirl hat blew into her friend's belly once she had finished banishing the foul-smelling mess from existence.

"There you go, babe. All clean." said the one with the pink cowgirl hat. Her voice was softer now.

"Aye wuv ooo! So nice!" cheered the mentally reduced woman as she was sealed into her diaper once again.

Tears appeared in the one with the pink cowgirl hat's eyes. She pulled her friend into a hug. "I love you too, babe." she whispered. Her voice trembled. "I know it'll be a few years before we can go out harvesting again. I just wanted you to know, even if you can't understand me, that the time I've spent with you has been the best time of my life! I meant what I said. I'll visit you every day. I'll change you, and feed you, and play with you until you're better. I know you would have done the same for me. You're the only part of this crazy world that makes sense to me! No matter how long it takes, I won't forget about you. I won't."

The one with the pink cowgirl hat held her friend in her arms, sobbing softly to herself. It was some time before she realized that her friend wasn't sharing in her emotional turmoil. She was rubbing her face lustily against her silver sheriff's badge.

"You're hungry, aren't you babe?" she asked finally.

"Tiddies!" squealed the one in the red racing jacket.

The one in the pink cowgirl hat rolled her eyes and started undoing the button on her pink vest. "Sure thing, babe. All yours."