(Collab with Matt11. WARNING!: Contains diapers, diaper useage, and AB/DL themes! Do not read if such material is outside your comfort zone!) When Scootaloo acts up in school, Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty decide to try an unusual punishment.
WARNING!: If you couldn't tell from the title, this IS a padded pony fic! And as such it will contains diapers, diaper useage, and AB/DL themes! If such material is outside your comfort zone, then please click elsewhere and DO NOT CONTINUE READING! You have been warned. Rated Mature to be safe. Has a sequel on DeviantArt and Fanfiction.net. Check out Diapered Crusader Sleepover: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14287125/1/Diapered-Crusader-Sleepover.)
Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty find themselves facing a predicament when Scootaloo is placed in their care for a week. Scootaloo has been getting into trouble at school, and her parents are worried, while Holiday and Lofty wonder what could be causing their niece to act up.
On a whim, Auntie Lofty suggests that Scootaloo perhaps needs some tough love and proposes an unusual idea to Aunt Holiday to get their niece under control. After some reluctance, Aunt Holiday decides to give it a shot for the week.
But is the treatment what Scootaloo needs to learn her lesson? And how will she react to being diapered and babied by her aunts, two ponies she trusts so dearly?
School may have let out for the weekend, but for Cheerilee there were still some things that needed to be cleared up before she could call it a day. One of these involved talking to Scootaloo's aunts, for the filly's behavior had become quite a concern in the school yard.
And so it was that Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty, were currently seated in the empty classroom, talking to Cheerilee. Cheerilee tried her best to keep a straight face. "I'm sorry I have to talk to you like this," She apologized to the mares. "Normally, I'd be consulting Scootaloo's parents about her behavior. But it's my understanding she's in your care for the week?"
Aunt Holiday nodded. "It's a busy time of year for them, Scootaloo's let Lofty and I know that in no uncertain terms. So then, what did you want to discuss with us, Cheerilee?"
With a sigh, Cheerilee looked at the couple and informed them. "Scootaloo has been... acting up in and out of class lately."
"What do you mean by 'acting up'?" Auntie Lofty asked. "She's still a filly, a growing one at that. And you know, fillies will be fillies."
"The thing is, her behavior's not normal. Scootaloo's usually a sweet filly, if a bit rough around the edges," Cheerilee explained. "But lately, she's been on edge. She always wants to eat by herself, she complains whenever I call on her, and more than once I've caught her falling asleep during class. To make matters worse, today she got into a fight on the playground."
Holiday and Lofty both gasped! Holiday then exclaimed! "Oh dear! I thought Scootaloo was raised to be better than that! What did she do?!"
"Well, it wasn't anything too serious, I was able to break it up before it could escalate," Cheerilee informed the two. "However, she threw a punch at Snips and Snails, just because they made a remark about the fact that she can't fly yet. And she was about to do the same to Featherweight when he snickered. I had to give her detention because of that fight."
"Not saying what Scootaloo did was right or anything, but you know how sensitive she is about her wings," Lofty commented. "Holiday and I usually try not to bring it up often. The doctors say there's nothing wrong with her wings that they can determine, everything seems fine and she's probably just a late bloomer. But I know it pains her when so many of her fellow pegasi are already flying circles and doing tricks, and she can barely lift herself off the ground."
"Believe me, I'm well aware of how Scootaloo feels about her wings. And I made sure Snips and Snails apologized for teasing Scootaloo about them," Cheerilee replied with a sigh. "But Scootaloo's never let that bother her so much before. She acts tough, but even she never picks fights, not even when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were always teasing her. Apparently, this has been going on for some time if what her parents told me is true. They're starting to get worried, and so am I. This is very unusual behavior from Scootaloo."
Holiday and Lofty were silent for a few moments, as the information slowly sank in. When Cheerilee had called them to discuss Scootaloo's behavior, they hadn't expected the problem to have such a long history. At last, Holiday broke the silence as she told Cheerilee. "Well, we'll do our best to get Scootaloo's behavior under control by the time she comes back to school on Monday. With any luck, maybe she'll feel comfortable enough to tell us what this is all about. If worse come to worse, I may have to sign her up for some of those etiquette lessons sponsored by my travel agency."
"Holiday, dear, you know those lessons are very strict," Lofty commented with concern. "Are you sure that's really necessary to get Scootaloo under control?"
"It's more of a last ditch effort if nothing else works," Holiday replied to Lofty. "But we can discuss Scootaloo's punishment later," Turning to Cheerilee, Holiday asked. "So, where is she now? I hope she's not getting into more trouble."
"I told her to stay in the schoolyard, she's probably on the playground." Cheerilee informed Holiday.
Holiday got up from the desk she'd been sitting in, and shook Cheerilee's hoof. "Thank you, Cheerilee. Lofty and I will take it from here."
Lofty reluctantly nodded. "Hopefully, a week with her aunts is just what Scootaloo needs to learn her lesson." She thought to herself. And the bulky pegasus mare followed her lovely wife, as the two of them went to get their niece.
Sure enough, Scootaloo was on the playground, sitting in one of the swings and looking down at the ground. She still noticed her aunts approaching her though, and she could tell by the frowns on their faces that they were anything but pleased. "Hey Aunt Holiday, hey Auntie Lofty." She reluctantly greeted, trying to force a smile.
"Scootaloo," Holiday sighed. "You're coming home with us this instant, young mare. And effective immediately, you're grounded for the entire week you're in our care. So that means no Cutie Mark Crusaders activities, no hanging with your friends, and no visits to Rainbow Dash or her parents. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Aunt Holiday." Scootaloo reluctantly replied, as she got off the swing and accepted Holiday's hoof. Aunt Holiday was not a pony you wanted to get on the bad side of. A lesson Scootaloo had learned the hard way (last time she'd angered her Aunt Holiday, she'd been enrolled in an entire week of dance classes. Though that had been sweetened a little when she ended up in the same class as Apple Bloom).
Holiday and Lofty led Scootaloo across town to her home. Since her parents were away, Holiday and Lofty had been tasked with foalsitting and house sitting, as they often were assigned when Scootaloo was in their care (whenever that wasn't the case, they'd be at Holiday's cottage near the town windmill). Immediately, they instructed Scootaloo to go to her room, and stay there while the two adults debated what sort of punishment to give their niece.
Scootaloo obeyed, but only after a stern glare from Aunt Holiday silenced any will she had to protest.
Once Scootaloo was in her room and the door locked tight, Holiday and Lofty sat at the kitchen table downstairs to begin a rather difficult conversation. How to properly punish their niece so that her bad behavior at school (and possibly at home) would cease.
"Maybe just the grounding will be enough?" Lofty suggested to Holiday. "An entire week with none of the activities she likes to do, or the ponies she likes to hang out with, seems like it would easily straighten her out."
Holiday shook her head. "I'd like to believe that, my dear. But this isn't an isolated incident. If it's gotten to the point where Scootaloo's picking fights, the punishment needs to be strong enough for her to understand the gravity of her actions and how wrong they are. A simple grounding isn't going to suffice, we did that the last time she acted up in our care. But the punishment can't be too harsh either, Scootaloo's a good filly. And we need something that'll let her know we still love her, even though we don't approve of her behavior right now."
"Perhaps we could make her write sentences about how sorry she is, and how violence is wrong?" Lofty proposed. "It always worked for me whenever I did bad things as a filly."
But Holiday only sighed and replied. "She already got detention for the fight, and I'm sure Cheerilee made her right sentences on the blackboard. We need something she hasn't already been subjected to," Holiday then reluctantly added. "Maybe I should just go ahead and sign Scootaloo up for those etiquette lessons after all? Her manners could definitely use some improvement, especially her table manners."
"She barely tolerated the dance lessons you signed her up for, Holiday," Lofty protested. "And you said those etiquette lessons would only be a last ditch resort!"
"Well, if you have a better idea, my darling Lofty, I'd sure like to hear it." Holiday commented, putting her hooves on her hips. She loved her wife with all her heart, but sometimes Holiday felt that Lofty had a little bit too big of a heart. Lofty hated being the bad guy (or girl in this case).
Lofty flinched! She hadn't been expecting her wife to put her on the spot like this! "Come on, Lofty! Think! Use that brain of yours!" She thought to herself, and started to rack her brain for possible punishments.
"I'm waiting." Holiday remarked, tapping one of her back hoofs on the kitchen floor.
"Just give me a moment, please!" Lofty pleaded, then went back to her brainstorming. All of a sudden, she got an idea. It was an unconventional idea to be sure. But to Lofty at least, there was a chance it could work. "Holiday, you know how Scootaloo's been having some..." She paused and coughed into a hoof. "'Issues' with wetting the bed recently, right?"
Holiday nodded ever so slowly. "Ah yes, it's gotten to the point where she needs to wear 'protection' so she doesn't stain the sheets. She is getting a little bit better though, now that we've cut out all liquids before bed. What does that have to do with how we're going to punish her?"
"Well," Lofty continued, tapping a hoof to her chin. "You have to admit, it was pretty foalish of Scootaloo to pick fights over her wings, right?"
"Not sure if 'foalish' is how I'd describe it." Holiday commented, but suspected nothing.
"So, if she's going to act like a foal, we should treat her like one. One who needs some tough love at that," Lofty explained to her special somepony. "It'll only be for the week, and only while she's here in the house. But I think once she gets the message that her immaturity means she's gonna be treated the same age as she chooses to act like, she'll hopefully start changing her ways."
Holiday wasn't entirely convinced. "Are you sure that's a good idea, dear?" She asked Lofty. "What if treating her like a foal only makes her behavior worse? Or what if she grows to hate us because we decide to treat her in such a fashion?"
"Well, that's why we're gonna lay down a few ground rules first," Lofty told Holiday. "She'll still have a little bit of her independence, and we don't have to go over the top with things. But, there will be diapers involved, and diaper changing too probably."
Holiday quickly protested. "Out of the question, we're not taking away Scootaloo's bathroom privileges! Diapering her is one thing, but expecting her to use her diapers is another!"
"Fine, she can still use the bathroom. Truth be told, I wasn't entirely thrilled with the idea of changing diapers myself," Lofty commented with a chuckle. "But, she is gonna need to ask for permission whenever she wants to use the bathroom. She'll just be a little bit older of a foal than she would be otherwise, probably about the same as a potty training three year old."
"And you're sure nopony else will see her like this?" Holiday asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't want ponies to think she's incontinent, or getting the wrong idea about her."
"Relax, we'll make sure to keep her away from any windows. And keep her hidden if guests come over," Lofty reassured her special somepony. "And if it really makes you feel better, we don't have to do it for the whole week if Scootaloo's really uncomfortable with it. How does that sound?"
For several moments, Holiday didn't reply. Even with the new "limitations" Lofty had set on the treatment, Holiday wasn't entirely sure she was comfortable with the idea of diapering her niece and treating her like a three year old foal. But at the same time, the earth pony mare had to admit it seemed better than her idea of etiquette lessons (which would last a lot longer than a week). At last, with a sigh, she reluctantly said to Lofty. "Alright, I suppose we can give your idea a try. But just so we're clear, the instant Scootaloo says she wants us to stop, we stop! Got it?!"
Lofty nodded. "Got it. Now then, dear, let's get everything ready. And then we'll inform Scootaloo of our decision. I have to admit, it'll be interesting to see her all padded up again during the day after all these years." Lofty grabbed some paper and wrote down some things she'd need, “Diapers: check, pacifiers: check, foal pajamas: check, baby food: check, crib… well, no need for that.” She thought with a smile.
Scootaloo was in her bedroom, staring absentmindedly at her walls and wondering just what sort of punishment was in store for her. It had seemed like forever since her aunts had sent her up here.
But then the filly's thoughts (or lack thereof) were interrupted by a light knock on her bedroom door. "It's open." She called, knowing full well who would be behind it.
Sure enough, Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty trotted in with what seemed to straight forward punishment faces. Though was it Scootaloo's imagination, or did Auntie Lofty's expression seem close to breaking?
"We've decided on your punishment, Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday informed her niece, her tone of voice not changing.
"And?" Scootaloo nervously asked, already dreading the possible outcomes.
"Well... it's probably better to show you than to tell you," Auntie Lofty commented, as her punishment face faded and was replaced with a smile. "Can you do me a favor, slugger, and lay down on your bed?"
Scootaloo was a little bit surprised at the request. The only time either of her aunts asked her to do that... was when they were putting on her diapers before bed. But it wasn't anywhere close to nighttime yet. Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty had to know that, right? Still, she reluctantly obeyed, suspecting nothing. "Maybe they're going to put an embarrassing dress on me, and they want me on the bed so I can't struggle out of it. I'll bet that's what Aunt Holiday is going to do." The filly thought to herself.
But as soon as Scootaloo was laying rump first down on the bed, she saw Aunt Holiday go for the package of Silly Filly diapers that were stored beneath Scootaloo's bed, not to mention the changing supplies (or rather just the foal powder). Then the mare instructed. "Hold still please, Scootaloo."
"Aunt Holiday, w-what is that?!" Scootaloo shivered with fright.
Aunt Holiday couldn't help but giggle. "It's a diaper, Scootaloo."
"I know that," Scootaloo snapped back, her body still shaking a little. "W-why are you holding one? It's not my bedtime yet."
"This is your punishment, Scootaloo," Aunt Holiday informed her niece, as she carefully slipped the diaper on and fastened the tabs. "Auntie Lofty felt it might help you learn your lesson."
"Picking fights over your wings and acting up in class, that's pretty foalish of you, Scootaloo," Auntie Lofty chimed in. "And I think you're a foal who could use some tough love. So, as your punishment, a foal is what you're going to be for the rest of the week you're in Holiday and I's care. Only while you're at home of course."
That little detail did nothing to settle Scootaloo's nerves. All it did was make the pegasus filly even more anxious. Folding her hooves across her chest in a pout, she firmly protested. "I am NOT wearing those things! It's bad enough I still need them at night! No way am I wearing diapers all week long, I'm NOT a foal!"
"You don't have to wear the diapers if you really don't want to, Scootaloo," Holiday spoke up. But as soon as Scootaloo moved her hooves to the tabs of her diaper, Holiday lightly removed them and added. "But if you don't, I'll tell your parents about your fight with Snips and Snails when they get back. I imagine they won't be pleased to hear their daughter acted like a bully. And something tells me they'll be far less generous with the extent of your grounding. Wouldn't surprise me if you ended up grounded for a whole month, or even longer."
"Aw man, that's not fair!" Scootaloo complained, pouting once again! "This stinks, I don't like either of my punishment options! Can't I just be grounded for the week?!"
Holiday and Lofty both shook their heads, and then Lofty spoke up in a gentle tone of voice. "Well, how about this, Scootaloo? You give the diapers a shot for the rest of the weekend, and if you really don't like wearing them all the time, you can go without them starting on Monday, and the rest of your punishment will just be the grounding?"
"I... guess just wearing them for two days won't be so bad," Scootaloo considered. "You're absolutely sure I don't have to wear them after the weekend, except for bed?"
Lofty nodded, reassuring her niece. "Of course. But before you start celebrating, there are some ground rules Holiday and I laid out, that we need to clear up with you."
"Precisely, Lofty," Holiday nodded in agreement. "The first rule is simple. Once the diapers are on, you can't take them off by yourself no matter what. Only Lofty or I can remove your diapers, because foals can't just run around without protection."
"Great, you're treating me like I'm two years old again." Scootaloo griped.
Lofty chose to ignore her niece's remark, as she said with a smile. "Funny you should mention that, Scootaloo, because that brings me to rule number two," The bulky pegasus proceeded to explain. "While you don't have to use your diapers, if you need to use the bathroom at any point, you need to ask either Holiday or I for permission. And for rule number three, you'll eat what Holiday or I put out for you, and you'll go to bed when Holiday or I say so."
"What?! You're not seriously going to enforce all those dumb rules on me, are you?! I can use the bathroom just fine!" Scootaloo complained, kicking her legs. All she managed to do, however, was make her diaper crinkle loudly (which made Auntie Lofty 'aw' a bit).
"Well hey, I thought it would be a better punishment than what my darling Holiday came up with," Lofty advised, revealing her trump card. "Holiday here was going to sign you up for etiquette lessons, some very strict ones at that."
"Aw man, I can't win in this situation!" Scootaloo thought to herself. But at the same time she couldn't believe that Aunt Holiday would even consider signing her up for those lessons. "Those etiquette lessons would be a humiliation I'd never live down! Auntie Lofty would probably take a ton of embarrassing pictures to show to my parents, and Diamond Tiara's mother would probably rub the lessons in my face if she found out! I can't believe the alternatives are being grounded for Celestia knows how long, or wearing diapers all weekend!" But the filly was unable to think of a fourth option, so she just sighed. Resigning herself to her fate, she reluctantly asked. "Are there anymore rules I should be aware of?"
"Just one," Holiday said with a wink. "As long as you're all padded up, you'll have to stay where Lofty or I can watch you. After all, we wouldn't want our precious little angel wandering off and getting an owie, would we?"
Scootaloo made a gag face at the foal talk. "Please don't talk like that around me. I'll put up with the rest of the punishment if I have to, but please don't make such embarrassing foal talk to my face," And then the filly told her aunts. "And I swear to Celestia, if you take me out in public at all while I'm like this, I'm running away from home and never coming back! Assuming I don't die of embarrassment first."
"Oh relax, Scootaloo," Holiday sweetly replied, patting Scootaloo on the forehead. "Lofty and I would never dream of taking you outside in your diapers. That just means all the more cuteness for us."
Scootaloo pouted again. "I'm not cute, and don't you dare say otherwise. I may be wearing these diapers, but I'm not going to like the fact that I have to do so."
"Never said you had to, Scootaloo," Lofty cooed, as she helped her niece off the bed. "This is still a punishment."
"Whatever." Scootaloo retorted as she stuck out her tongue. She then tried to walk on her own power, only to discover that the diaper pushed her legs apart and this caused her to stumble. "No wonder foals only ever crawl in these things, they're so ridiculously poofy," She thought to herself. "But I guess I should be glad nopony except my aunts are around to see this. This is gonna be a long weekend."
Holiday then took Scootaloo by the hoof, and carefully led her to the kitchen. "Go ahead and take a seat, Scootaloo," She advised her niece. "I'll get dinner started for you shortly. You must be starving."
Scootaloo didn't need to reply with words, the loud rumble of her stomach spoke volumes. She found getting into her usual chair a tad difficult with her diaper, but somehow she managed. "At least Aunt Holiday's not making me sit in a high chair," The orange coated filly then mentally pondered. "Do they even make high chairs for big ponies? Wait, why would I even think that?! Of course they don't make them for anything bigger than foals, only foals need high chairs! And I'm no foal!" She was snapped out of these thoughts as she sat down, causing her diaper to produce a series of crisp crinkles.
Meanwhile, Lofty came over and tied a bib around Scootaloo's neck. "Foals always wear bibs at the dinner table," She told her niece. "Besides, we both know you're a messy eater as it is."
"Am not!" Scootaloo protested.
Lofty just giggled. "Oh really? What about the time Aunt Holiday caught you with a face smeared with peanut butter and zap apple jam?"
"That was just the one time!" Scootaloo complained as she kicked her legs and made her diaper crinkle more. "Besides, those sandwiches were really really good, I couldn't help myself."
Lofty only giggled some more, before she turned and called to Holiday. "Don't bother waiting on me before you feed Scootaloo."
"Oh, are you going somewhere without me, my darling Lofty?" Holiday teased, she had a pretty good idea of where her wife would be going at a time like this.
Lofty simply replied. "Just picking up some 'supplies' is all. I shouldn't be gone for too long though." And then, whistling a cheerful tune to herself, the bulky pegasus mare trotted out the front door.
Scootaloo was instantly curious as to where her Auntie Lofty might be going. But she had little time to dwell on these matters, as she spun around and saw Aunt Holiday approach her. The filly's eyes were quickly drawn to a series of jars, all of them containing different colored goop like substances.
"I hope you're not a picky eater, Scootaloo," Holiday said with a wink, as she set the jars down on the table along with some metal spoons. The earth pony mare than sat down in the chair to Scootaloo's right. "Because if so, that's going to be a problem."
In response, Scootaloo immediately stuck out her tongue and turned her head. "No way am I eating foal food, it's disgusting! Can't I please have something else, Aunt Holiday?" She pleaded.
"Remember rule three, Scootaloo?" Holiday replied, dipping a spoon into one of the jars. "I'm afraid this is all you're getting tonight. So you can either eat all the helpings of foal food, or you can go hungry. And don't think about trying to raid my fridge, I learned long ago to lock up my fridge when living with Lofty if I didn't want to be eaten out of house and home."
"Does it have to be foal food though?" Scootaloo complained, still refusing to turn her head.
"Yes," Holiday answered with a giggle. "It's better than all those sugary snacks you like to stuff your face full of. And it's less of a hassle to prepare than a pasta and potato sandwich on sourdough. Besides, if I served you that, this wouldn't be much of a punishment now would it?"
"Well no, but..." Scootaloo began, only to be silenced by her Aunt Holiday.
"Ah ah ah, no buts, Scootaloo," Holiday protested. "As my mother used to say: 'Buts are for sitting, not for protesting'. Now come on, open wide."
"No!" Scootaloo rudely remarked.
"I don't remember her being this difficult to feed when I and Lofty watched her when she was a foal." Holiday thought, but she was not deterred even a little. It took some effort, but she was able to work around Scootaloo's head turns and deposit a spoonful of yellow colored foal food onto her niece's tongue.
Scootaloo reluctantly swallowed the contents, and found herself overwhelmed by the strong taste! "What is that stuff?! I... like it?"
"That was Pureed Banana, Scootaloo," Holiday answered. "I also have Mashed Peas, Cream of Carrot, Blueberry Delight, and Apple Surprise. I want you to try at least one serving of each, and then you can tell me what ones you like and don't like. Okay?"
"Do I really have to?" Scootaloo whined. "Can't I just have the Pureed Banana?"
Holiday shook her head. "Until you eat at least one serving from each of these jars, you're not getting out of your chair. Now then, you've already tried Pureed Banana, so what one would you like to try next? Better hurry, before I decide for you."
With a gulp, Scootaloo told Holiday. "Could we... maybe try the Cream of Carrot?"
"Excellent choice, Scootaloo," Holiday smiled, as she dipped a spoon into the jar of orange mush. "Here comes the aeroplane!"
Dinner passed pretty quickly for Scootaloo after that, for the filly reluctantly realized that it was probably better to cooperate with her Aunt Holiday instead of disobeying her. The pegasus actually liked most of the foal food, the only flavor she found to be "yucky" (and she couldn't believe she'd said such a childish phrase) was Mashed Peas. Even Sweetie Belle's parents' cooking tasted better.
But before Scootaloo was allowed to get out of her chair, she had to have her face wiped clean with a wet rag, courtesy of Holiday.
Holiday just smiled, as she wiped away the last traces of foal food on Scootaloo's face. "Looks like Lofty made the right call on that bib, Scootaloo." She commented.
"That's only because you were making all those ridiculous spoon feeding gestures." Scootaloo complained, hopping down from her chair.
Holiday only laughed. "Whatever you say, Scootaloo," And then she led her niece out of the kitchen and towards the back of the house (thankfully away from the front door and any windows). "Now, how about we..." But the rest of Holiday's sentence was cut off as there came a knock at the door.
The door opened a short time later, as Scootaloo hid behind Aunt Holiday to avoid being seen. But the filly needn't have bothered, it was only her Auntie Lofty, who was carrying a huge bag.
"Oh, hello, dear," Holiday greeted, opting to give Lofty a quick kiss on the forehead. "Where have you been?"
"Just buying some 'supplies' for Scootaloo," Lofty explained, as she set the bag down in front of her niece. "Figured you might like some toys to play with. You know, to pass the time and all." The bulky pegasus mare told Scootaloo.
"Toys?" Scootaloo asked with a puzzled expression. She already had a couple of those (though they were all unfortunately in her room at the moment, which was a long trot down the hallway and then up the stairs).
Lofty sat down on the floor, opening up the huge bag. "Yes, toys. Some really good ones at that," One by one, Lofty took out some alphabet blocks, a foal's coloring book, some stuffed animals in bright hues of blue and pink, and most embarrassing of all, a rattle. She set them all down on the carpeted floor before her niece, and cooed. "Here you go, enjoy."
Scootaloo felt her fur crawl. These were toys for two year olds, maybe even younger. The coloring book wasn't so bad, and some of the stuffed animals were 'tolerable' (but none of them could take the place of Scootaloo's plushie of Rainbow Dash, a gift from her big sister on her eighth birthday). But the alphabet blocks were so foalish, what with their giant letters on the front, and their alternating blue and pink colors.
And the rattle. Dear Celestia the rattle. Of all the things her Auntie Lofty could've given her, why a rattle? "Does she really expect me to play with that?!" The filly thought to herself, before she felt an ominous gurgle in her stomach. She knew what it was, and she instinctively stood up and began to trot off.
This 'waddle' did not go unnoticed, Aunt Holiday quickly moved to block Scootaloo's movement. "And just where do you think you're going, little filly?" She half asked, half cooed.
Scootaloo groaned, she did NOT have time for this! "To the bathroom, I have to go." She flatly answered.
"Did you forget about rule number two already, Scootaloo?" Holiday replied with a shake of her head. "You have to ask for permission first. So, would you care to rephrase your sentence? I'd rather not have to change diapers if you wouldn't mind."
"I don't need your permission, now let me through!" Scootaloo stubbornly protested, as she tried to move past Aunt Holiday. A task that was easier said than done because of her diaper.
Holiday just insisted again. "Not until you ask, Scootaloo. And I'd do it soon if I were you."
Scootaloo just groaned, putting a hoof to her stomach. Now she really, REALLY had to go! Reluctantly, she realized that the fastest way to take care of that problem, was to play her Aunt Holiday's little game. "Can I please use the bathroom?" She asked, putting on her best pair of pleading puppy dog eyes.
Before Holiday could answer, Lofty got up and taking Scootaloo by the hoof said to her. "Well, since you asked nicely, of course you can. Come on, let's get you to the potty, champ in the making."
Lofty quickly but carefully guided Scootaloo down the hall to the nearest bathroom, and pushed the door open. "Okay, Scootaloo. Now, let's take off your diaper, and sit you on the potty. Don't worry, I'll give you privacy until you're done with your business." The pegasus mare cooed.
"A-actually, that won't be necessary anymore." Scootaloo sheepishly replied, her cheeks turning bright red.
Lofty was going to ask what Scootaloo meant, before a powerful stench reached her nostrils. Looking at Scootaloo, it was pretty easy to figure out what the source of the foul smell was. It definitely bothered Lofty a little, but she tried her best not to show it. But mentally, she was thinking. "Holiday, what did you feed Scootaloo?!"
Scootaloo was completely embarrassed and refused to say anything else. She looked up at her Auntie Lofty, while trying to hold back tears as a result of what she'd just done. "I-I... I'm sorry, Auntie Lofty. I... didn't mean to... you know." She eventually commented and hung her head. She fully expected some sort of teasing remark or embarrassing coo to come from her Auntie Lofty as a result of this.
But Lofty didn't do either of those things. She just sweetly said to Scootaloo. "Oh, it's quite alright, slugger. Sometimes, accidents happen, even to big ponies like you."
"R-really?" Scootaloo asked.
Lofty nodded sincerely. "Oh of course. Now, we'd better get you changed before you get a rash. You don't want that, do you?"
"No, that would be the worst thing ever." Was all Scootaloo bothered to reply with.
Lofty then turned her head out towards the hallway and called. "Holiday, honey, we have a bit of a situation here. Can you fetch me some gloves, a clothespin, wet wipes, foal powder, rash cream, the changing mat, and of course a new diaper?"
"Oh dear," Holiday called back. "Did what I think happened happen?"
"Yes, and our little filly's very torn up about it," Lofty responded. "I'll take care of changing her for you, this time. But next time she does this, it's your turn to do it."
"Fair enough, thanks for taking over diaper duty for me. I'll get those things right now." Holiday replied.
A short time later, Scootaloo was in the bathroom, but not sitting on the toilet like she had hoped to be doing. She was instead laying down on a light green changing mat, gazing up at the ceiling.
Auntie Lofty, meanwhile, had laid out all the changing supplies and was currently in the process of slipping on her disposable gloves and pinning a clothespin to her nose. Once she was sure the gloves was secure, and the clothespin was on tightly, she sighed and took a deep breath. "Scootaloo, sweetie, can you do me a favor and hold still please? Auntie Lofty's gonna get you all nice and clean." She instructed.
Quick as a flash, Lofty worked to undo the tabs and remove Scootaloo's old diaper, tossing it into the trash can without fanfare. She then grabbed some wet wipes and set to work on wiping Scootaloo's rump clean.
Scootaloo shivered at the cold touch of the wipes, even though she was trying her best to hold still. "I can't believe I actually did that," She thought to herself in complete shame. "I haven't had an accident like that since I was three and a half."
Fortunately for Scootaloo, her Auntie Lofty was no slouch when it came to diaper changing. In a matter of seconds, she had wiped Scootaloo's rump so clean it was as if she'd never had the accident. Then, she slipped a new diaper under her niece's rump and fastened the tabs. Pulling the seat back, Lofty proceeded to sprinkle in some foal powder, and work in the rash cream, before she let the padding snap back and send a cloud of foal powder billowing out. "Oops, guess I overdid it on the powder a little," She giggled, hoping to lighten the mood. "But at least now there's no chance you'll get a rash, Scootaloo."
Lofty then went over to the trash and pressed up on the hamper, tightly sealing the trash bag that she then ran out back. "Good thing the trash goes out tonight." She thought with great relief, as she came back into the bathroom, took off her gloves and clothespin, and washed her hooves in the sink. Then she helped Scootaloo to stand. "Well, it's getting quite late. I know it's a weekend night, but I think it's time for you to go to bed. After all, foals get cranky if they don't get enough sleep."
"But I'm not tired!" Scootaloo protested. "Can't I stay up for just a little bit longer, please?"
"Only if you want Aunt Holiday or myself to feed you a bottle of milk." Lofty replied in a tone that Scootaloo couldn't decide if it was trying to be silly, or serious.
"No!" Scootaloo loudly protested. "I'll do anything but that!"
Lofty just winked, leading Scootaloo out of the bathroom. "Then, bedtime it is. But, before you're tucked in, do you need to go potty again? It might not hurt to try."
Scootaloo shook her head. "No, I'm good."
"You sure? Not even for number one?" Lofty suggested.
Scootaloo shook her head. "I said I'm good! You don't have to keep asking every five seconds, Auntie Lofty!"
Lofty just shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just know that, if you need to use the potty at all during the night, just come get Holiday or I, okay? We'll leave our bedroom open just a crack."
Scootaloo hoped that bedtime would be a normal affair compared to everything else she'd endured since coming home with her aunts that afternoon. Alas, the filly's hopes were dashed when she saw that her Aunt Holiday had unmade the sheets, but had not left the room like she normally did.
To make matters worse, Aunt Holiday was now holding up Scootaloo's bulky light blue, hoofie pajamas. They were designed to have extra room in the back to accommodate her diapers, which unfortunately meant a tell-tale bulge in the back.
The filly was soon dressed in her nighttime attire, and deposited on her bed. Both her aunts then kissed her gingerly, before Holiday pulled the sheets up to the filly's head, and Lofty turned out the light. Then the two mares left the room, carefully closing the door. With nothing else to do, Scootaloo reluctantly went to sleep.
“I wonder if Scootaloo needs a nightlight?” Auntie Lofty thought as they exited the room, she didn't want her niece getting bad dreams. “I'll talk with Holiday about that later, see if she thinks our foal needs some light.”
Scootaloo woke up the next morning, yawning as she momentarily forgot about the padding around her legs. Of course, a familiar damp sensation quickly reminded her, causing the filly to let out a small groan. "Not again. I thought Aunt Holiday said if I cut out all liquids before bed, this would stop." She complained, even though there was nopony but herself around to hear.
With a sigh, the orange coated pegasus threw back the sheets of her bed and hopped down. An early morning change was not the best way to start off a day, especially not a weekend day, but it was better than waking up to soaked sheets.
Scootaloo was firmly convinced that yesterday had all been nothing but a dream. As if her aunts would ever go as far as to diaper her and treat her like a foal. They loved her too much to do that. Though, if it was a dream, why had it felt so real?
The filly just shook her head. "All my dreams feel real when I have them, why would that one be any different? I just wish I knew what would make me dream that," Scootaloo mentally pondered. "It's not like I want Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty to baby me or anything. My parents practically treat me like one as it is, especially since this whole bed wetting problem started. My aunts know me enough to know I'm not some stupid baby!"
But just as the pegasus was retrieving wet wipes, foal powder, and a fresh diaper, her bedroom door swung open. And who should come trotting in, but Auntie Lofty? Scootaloo mentally groaned, she'd forgotten that her Auntie Lofty tended to be an early riser (compared to Aunt Holiday, who often slept in and tended to be a very deep sleeper).
Auntie Lofty just looked at Scootaloo, who had one hoof on her wet diaper, and made a tsking motion as she approached her niece. "Now now, remember the rules from yesterday, Scootaloo? You're not allowed to change yourself, only Holiday or I can do it."
So it wasn't a dream, all that stuff from yesterday had actually happened. Just great.
Scootaloo was quick to protest. "Auntie Lofty, I can change myself. I don't need help. It's not like that one time I accidentally got the clean one stuck to my head."
Auntie Lofty wasn't convinced. "It's not up for debate, Scootaloo. It's lucky for you I decided to bring the changing mat," The bulky pegasus mare then rolled out the light green mat, and carefully set her niece down on it. "Now, hold still for me, okay sweetie? This will only take a few minutes." She instructed.
Lofty was as good as her word. With practiced precision, she removed the old diaper and tossed it clean across the room into the waiting trash can near Scootaloo's bed. Then she took some wet wipes, and cleaned her niece's coat until it was spotless. And with a little bit of delicate hoof work, she was able to tape up the new diaper quick as a flash, before she sprinkled in some foal powder, and for good measure worked in a helping of rash cream.
With the diapering job complete, Lofty washed her hooves with hoof sanitizer, then helped her niece to stand. She couldn't resist giving the padding a few light pats, which made Scootaloo's tail swish, as the filly let out an eep!
"Auntie Lofty, what was that for?!" Scootaloo commented, as a few puffs of foal powder escaped the diaper.
Lofty just giggled. "Just checking to make sure I did a good job. I don't want my favorite niece getting an ouchie diaper rash, now do I? Whatever would Holiday think of me?"
"Whatever, just please don't do that again. It's so embarrassing." Scootaloo whined.
Lofty smiled, and nodded. "As you wish, Scootaloo. Now, let's get those hooves washed clean. And then we'll see if Aunt Holiday's awake."
By the time Scootaloo had finished washing her hooves in the bathroom sink (the memories of her foul deed from last night still lingering, causing her to blush. She felt sorry for her aunts for having to deal with that.), Aunt Holiday was indeed awake.
The earth pony mare just smiled, glancing briefly at her niece's padded bottom. She had to struggle to remember that this was a punishment, no matter how cute Scootaloo looked. "Good morning, Scootaloo," She greeted in a warm tone. "Did you sleep well last night?"
Scootaloo refused to say anything. She was still mad at the fact that her aunts had the audacity to do THIS to her. Yes, she'd done a bad thing and had expected to be punished, but this seemed far beyond what was necessary.
Holiday didn't acknowledge her niece's little "temper tantrum", she'd expected some resistance from Scootaloo. "Well, she only needs to be diapered for the next 36 hours at the minimum." She thought, and set to work on making breakfast.
Lofty just escorted Scootaloo to the kitchen table and sat her in her chair. Then she tied a new bib around the young pegasus. Instead of just being a plain white, this one had a cutie picture of a little bunny on it, greedily devouring a carrot. "Sorry," She apologized to her niece. "This is the only other bib we have on hoof at the moment. I could go shopping for more if you'd like."
"No! I'll die of embarrassment!" Scootaloo protested in horror.
"Oh come now, Scootaloo. Nopony would know the bibs are for you," Lofty replied with a chuckle. "If anypony ever asked, I'd just tell them Holiday and I were foalsitting one of our little cousins."
Scootaloo was not convinced. "I don't need more bibs! I'm not a messy eater, despite what you and Aunt Holiday think!"
Lofty said nothing more. She just looked across to Holiday, who gave her a knowing wink.
"Breakfast is ready!" Holiday called a short time later, and sat down in the chair to the left of Scootaloo (Lofty was currently occupying the chair to the right of Scootaloo) as she presented a bowl of oatmeal.
"Thank goodness, some normal food for a change!" Scootaloo exclaimed with relief, forgetting that she hadn't wanted to talk to her Aunt Holiday. "I thought for sure you were gonna feed me foal food again."
"You're a growing pony, Scootaloo, and you need your nutrition," Holiday cooed. "Just eating foal food or junk food all the time isn't good for you. You need balance, variety."
But Scootaloo payed no attention, she just went straight for the metal spoon next to the bowl. Only to be stopped by a hoof from her Aunt Holiday.
"Now, Scootaloo, foals aren't allowed to feed themselves. You know that. Besides you might make a mess on yourself. Foals always throw they're food, just like Pound and Pumpkin," Holiday protested, as she grabbed the metal spoon. "Just relax, I will feed you."
Scootaloo pouted and turned her head, just like she'd done last night. "Not if you're gonna make those embarrassing spoon feeding gestures. You're treating me like I'm one of the Cake Twins, and even they don't have to wear diapers anymore."
"Oh my, it seems we have a fussy foal in the house today," Auntie Lofty spoke up, looking across to Aunt Holiday. "Whatever shall we do, Holiday?" She asked with exaggerated worry.
"Maybe a little quality time in the time out corner will suffice." Holiday replied with a wink.
"You wouldn't dare!" Scootaloo protested, though a part of her mind couldn't help but wonder. "Would they really stick me in time out like a foal?"
Holiday just looked at Scootaloo with a straight face, and told her niece. "Maybe I would, and maybe I wouldn't. It all depends on whether or not you cooperate," She then added. "I'm sure even the Cake Twins still have to be spoon fed occasionally. They're still toddlers after all."
"But I'm not!" Scootaloo complained.
"Look, Scootaloo," Holiday spoke up, her face morphing into a stern glare. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. It's your choice. Either way, you're not getting out of this chair until you've had your breakfast. So if you cooperate, we won't be here all day."
Reluctantly realizing the situation she was in, Scootaloo sighed and turned slowly back towards her Aunt Holiday. "Fine, but only if you promise you won't make any of those ridiculous spoon feeding gestures. And the next time I eat, I get to feed myself. Deal?"
"Deal. Though I hope you won't object to a bib, just until I know for sure you won't make a mess," Holiday agreed. "Now open wide."
After making the agreement with Aunt Holiday, breakfast passed quickly for Scootaloo. But she was most embarrassed when she inadvertently let out a huge burp right in her aunts faces. With her cheeks blushing bright red, the filly apologized. "Excuse me."
"You're excused, Scootaloo. Nice to see you still remember your table manners." Aunt Holiday replied, as she retrieved a rag and wiped a few smudges of oatmeal from Scootaloo's face.
Helping Scootaloo down from the table, Auntie Lofty opted for a quick diaper check, pulling back the padding with a hoof.
"Hey, I'm dry! I think I'd know if I needed a change!" Scootaloo protested, as the padding snapped back and a loud crinkle echoed down the hallway.
"Well, with foals, you can never be sure," Lofty cooed as she patted Scootaloo on the forehead. "And remember. If you have to go potty, just tell either Aunt Holiday or I. We wouldn't want anymore accidents like the one you had last night."
Scootaloo said nothing, her face just flushed with embarrassment.
"Now then, we have an entire day to spend together, Scootaloo," Lofty smiled, as she led her niece down the hall to where the foal toys still lay scattered from the night before. "What would you like to do?"
Scootaloo eyed all the toys with nothing but contempt and scorn. Did her aunts actually expect her to play with foal toys? Why not give her something she might actually play with? (It never occurred to the filly that doing so would defeat the whole purpose of her punishment.)
"Well, aren't you gonna play with something?" Auntie Lofty innocently asked, eyeing Scootaloo with a smile. "Or maybe you'd like to play tickle monster or got your nose instead? You used to love playing such games when you were a foal."
Scootaloo recoiled with slight shock! The last thing she wanted was to play such juvenile and foalish games! But, she also really didn't want to play with stuff like alphabet blocks or a rattle. And she wasn't much of a stuffed animal kind of pony, especially not with stuffed animals clearly intended for three year olds. "What am I gonna do? I gotta think of something I can play with, or Auntie Lofty's gonna decide for me and is sure to embarrass me," Scootaloo thought. "Maybe she'll even take a picture for her and Aunt Holiday to remember?"
Looking at the toys again, the filly found herself drawn somewhat to the coloring book that had been included amidst the collection of foalish toys. Now, Scootaloo wasn't interested in a foal's coloring book, but it did give her an idea. "Could I maybe do some painting instead?" She pleaded with Auntie Lofty.
Much to the orange coated pegasus' surprise, Auntie Lofty nodded and said with a bright smile. "Oh of course, Scootaloo, anything for my favorite niece," She returned shortly with a miniature art easel and a wide assortment of washable paints, not to mention different sized paint brushes, and an art pad to store all the paint colors. "Why don't you paint your Aunt Holiday and I a pretty picture?" She suggested. "We can hang it up on the fridge, and even show it off to your parents."
But Scootaloo protested. "No way, don't you DARE show such a thing to my parents! They don't need to know!" Then she added. "Besides, Mom already has some of my preschool paintings on the fridge."
"Well, I hope you won't object to your Aunt Holiday and I taking whatever it is you paint back to our place," Auntie Lofty chimed in. "We've very little to remember your early years by, aside from the baby pictures your parents were kind enough to share with us. You were really cute as a foal."
"Whatever, that's only like the hundredth time I've heard that." Scootaloo partially gagged. And then she turned her attention to the easel and her paints. Inspiration was always a difficult thing for the filly when it came to painting.
Aunt Holiday observed the scene from a distance, and smiled as she looked across to Auntie Lofty. This was the most behaved either mare had seen Scootaloo be. Often, their niece would be in a rush, barely paying attention to anything but whatever her mind was fixated on. "This treatment is working better than I thought it would, even considering Scootaloo's resistance." Holiday thought to herself.
Lofty just looked back at Holiday with a look that seemed to convey: "I told you this would work."
"Well, since things seem to be under control here, I think I'll go upstairs for my morning shower," Holiday informed Lofty. "You can keep an eye on Scootaloo by yourself until I get out, can't you, dear?"
Lofty chuckled. "Of course I can, my darling Holiday. Scootaloo will be no trouble at all."
"Alright then, I shan't be long," Holiday called, as she made her way upstairs. But not before she warned Lofty. "Make sure our little artist doesn't make too much of a mess. And also make sure nopony else sees her like this, we don't need ponies getting the wrong idea."
"Holiday, it's like you don't know me at all. I can manage a foal for a few minutes." Lofty half snorted/half giggled.
"I can't help worrying, it's who I am." Holiday replied. But convinced that her wife could handle things more or less, the earth pony went upstairs without another word. As she entered the bathroom and hopped into the bathtub, a part of her began to wonder. "Maybe Scootaloo would like a bubble bath later on? We didn't exactly get a chance to bathe her after her little 'accident' the previous night."
While Holiday was in the shower, Lofty was watching Scootaloo, as the filly held a brush in her front left hoof. Currently, the pegasus was deep in thought, no doubt searching for inspiration.
Lofty wanted to help, but she wasn't much of an artist. The artistic talent primarily fell to Holiday, she even sketched the brochures for her travel agency and did so very well.
Still, Lofty felt that maybe she could try to steer her niece towards an idea on what to paint. But before she could offer any suggestions, there was a knock at the front door. "Odd, I wasn't expecting company today," She commented, looking at her niece for a moment as she then instructed. "Hey, slugger, do your Auntie Lofty a favor and just stay put, okay? I'll go see who that is."
"Okay." Scootaloo replied, barely acknowledging her aunt's request. The filly had finally figured out what she wanted to paint. She figured that just a simple picture of her and her aunts under a sunny sky would suffice, and dipping her brush into the blue paint, she set to work on her "masterpiece".
The pegasus carefully stroked the canvas, taking great caution not to dab too heavily at the paper or mix her colors (like she'd done that one time in art class). The sky and the ground took very little time to complete, and she could save Celestia's sun for last, that was the easiest thing to paint.
Scootaloo sketched the rough outlines of herself and her aunts with her brush, giggling a bit at how she'd unintentionally exaggerated her Auntie Lofty's bulkiness. "Oh well," She thought, allowing her mind to wander. "It's not like I'm being graded on this, Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty won't mind a little sloppiness."
But as Scootaloo moved to start coloring in the shapes, her brush slipped out of her hooves! Fortunately, Auntie Lofty had had the foresight to put several layers of paper on the floor to catch any drips. The filly tried to bend down and retrieve her paintbrush, only for her diaper to overcompensate and cause one of her hooves to plant itself firmly in the wet paint pad. More specifically, the color Scootaloo had planned to use to color in Aunt Holiday.
It was then that a particular cheeky idea came into Scootaloo's mind. "If my aunts are gonna treat me like I'm a foal, I might as well act like one," She thought with a smirk. "A little bit of hoof painting never hurt anypony." Now, the filly knew that she couldn't paint on the walls, not unless she wanted her Aunt Holiday to throw a fit. But she could easily finish her art project with her hooves. It would certainly be faster than carefully coloring things in with a brush. Besides, the paint was washable, so the pegasus could just rinse her hooves off afterwards. No harm no foul, right?
With her mind firmly made up, Scootaloo giggled, and started to color in her Aunt Holiday with her hoof. She was surprised that, as she did so, her diaper moved and crinkled a little. And to the filly's surprise, she actually didn't mind it so much anymore. In fact, she liked it. "It feels so weird, to not mind that crinkling sound anymore. Am I actually starting to like wearing diapers?" Scootaloo thought to herself, only to quickly shake her head. "I'm just liking it because I'm acting like a foal, and I'm only doing it for this hoof painting session. Though, I guess the foal food wasn't so bad. And I did need that bib, even if I'll never admit it out loud."
Auntie Lofty came back a short time later, breathing a sigh of relief. "Okay, Scootaloo," She called. "How's my favorite niece's art project coming along?"
Rather than reply with words, Scootaloo just turned the easel around and presented her painting to Auntie Lofty. "Tada!" She beamed in an exaggerated foalish tone.
Lofty examined the painting, and her eyes lit up. Aside from the somewhat blobish shape of the sun, and Lofty herself, Scootaloo had done a fantastic job. Sure, it wasn't on the same level as Holiday's sketches, but for a painting worked on by a filly for less than half an hour, it was pretty good. "This is amazing, Scootaloo!" Lofty beamed! "Wait til I show this to Holiday, she's gonna love it!"
But after carefully setting the painting aside, Lofty got a good look at her niece. And what she saw, caused her happy mood to fade.
Scootaloo's front hooves were covered with paint, several different splotches dripped onto the paper, and a few spots of paint had somehow found their way onto Scootaloo's face, coat, and even her diaper. "Scootaloo, you're a mess!" Lofty scolded quite firmly.
"Sorry." Scootaloo apologized as sincerely as she could.
"Just wait until your Aunt Holiday sees this," Lofty added with a frown. "She won't be pleased."
"Pleased about what, Lofty?" Holiday asked, as she trotted onto the scene. And once she saw what Lofty was seeing, she too frowned. "If you wanted to do hoof painting, Scootaloo, you could've asked, I would've gladly given you a smock," Holiday said with a shake of her head. "Now look at you, you've got paint all over yourself, and the papers," Then she looked at Lofty and asked. "How did this happen? I thought things were under control."
"They were when I left," Lofty confessed. "I was only gone for a minute, I swear. I had to answer the front door, so I told Scootaloo to stay put. I didn't think the kid would do something like this."
Holiday sighed, putting a hoof to her forehead. "Lofty, you know you can't just leave a foal unattended like that. That's basic foalcare 101. We're just lucky Scootaloo was well behaved enough not to make even more of a mess. Just imagine what could've happened if she'd gotten wet paint all over the walls."
Lofty gulped. The mental image of that was a nightmare she wouldn't wish on anypony.
"But I'm not a foal!" Scootaloo said only for her remarks to be ignored. "Though it would’ve been funny if I did paint on the walls."
"Well, I think our little artist here, has earned herself a free bath." Holiday sternly commented.
"A bath?" Scootaloo froze, suddenly regretting that she'd resorted to such foalish behavior.
Lofty nodded. "Yes, Scootaloo, a bath. We've got to get that paint off you somehow," And then she added. "Besides, you're getting kind of stinky." She illustrated that point by dramatically fanning a hoof across her nose.
Scootaloo blushed bright red, she knew what her Auntie Lofty was referring to. "Oh yeah... that," She commented. Then, almost before she realized what she was saying, she asked. "Can it... be a bubble bath, please?"
"I don't see why not," Lofty replied, looking across to her wife. "What do you think, Holiday?"
"I... suppose a bubble bath couldn't hurt, just this once," Holiday proposed, tapping a hoof to her chin. "Now come on, we'd better hurry before that paints drys. And I promise I'll look at your painting later, Scootaloo."
Just a minute later, Scootaloo was stripped of her diaper and was sliding into the warm bath waters. The bubbles made things more relaxing, at least for the filly.
Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty took turns carefully washing off the paint, and scrubbing the spots their niece always had trouble cleaning properly (namely her wings and the bottoms of her hooves). Then they gave a bar of soap to Scootaloo, to let her take care of the rest of her body.
"Make sure to scrub hard, I want a nice, squeaky clean filly." Holiday instructed.
Scootaloo sighed, but obeyed. She was glad that she was still allowed to bathe herself for the most part, even though she knew a new diaper would be put on her as soon the bath was over.
Once Scootaloo had finished with the soap, Auntie Lofty trotted over to the sink, bent down beneath it, and presented the filly with some bath toys. "Why don't you play for a little while?" She offered. "It'll give me time to go get the changing supplies."
Scootaloo nodded, and let her mind wander a little as she played alternatively with the toy ships and the rubber duck. She had to take care not to splash water out of the tub though, even if it would just land on the towels. Aunt Holiday wouldn't like that.
All of a sudden though, the filly stopped playing with the bath toys, and turned to face her aunts (Auntie Lofty was just about to leave the bathroom). "I'm sorry." She apologized with a deep sigh.
"Sorry for what, Scootaloo?" Holiday asked her niece.
"About the fight at school the other day," Scootaloo explained, looking her aunts in the eye. "I know Snips and Snails didn't mean to make fun of me. It's just, what they said, it hurt. The fact that I seem to be the only pegasus my age who can't fly yet. Even Featherweight flys more than I do."
Holiday and Lofty just looked at each other in surprise, before Holiday responded in a serious yet sweet tone. "Well, regardless of who said what, that doesn't give you the right to lash out and hurt others. That's being a bully."
"Besides," Lofty added, trotting towards Holiday and closer to the tub. "It's like Rainbow Dash told you, maybe you'll fly someday and maybe you won't, you're awesome either way. You should know that by now."
"I know, I know," Scootaloo sighed. "But it still hurts. I'm pretty sure I'm a late bloomer, but being the only late bloomer my age, really stinks," She then added. "And, I'm sorry about the hoof painting earlier. I just thought if you were gonna treat me like a foal all week long, then I should act like one, make you see what it's really like to deal with a foal. And then, you'd stop treating me like this."
"Scootaloo, if the treatment was bothering you at all, you just had to say so," Lofty replied. "Holiday and I gave you the option to stop."
"At the expense of telling my parents or making me take etiquette lessons," Scootaloo frowned. "I was in a no win situation," Then the filly paused for a considerable length, before she reluctantly added. "But the thing is, now, I don't entirely mind it so much. At least, not the diapers part. I don't exactly like how much they push my legs apart, and using them is just gross, but they do feel... kind of nice I guess."
"Are you saying that if we kept you in diapers around the house for the rest of your punishment, but toned down the rest of the treatment, you wouldn't mind it?" Holiday asked. "Because I hope you realize that, even though you've learned your lesson, you still need to go through your punishment. And you also have to apologize to Snips and Snails when you go back to school on Monday."
Scootaloo reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, I know that stuff. And, I guess I kind of am saying that when it comes to the diapers," Then she pleaded. "But promise me you won't make me wear them when my parents come home. In fact, unless I say otherwise, please don't make me have to wear them again during the day after my punishment is over. I know I still need them at night for... obvious reasons."
"If you're sure that's what you want, Scootaloo," Lofty smiled in response. "And don't you worry. It's like Holiday and I promised when this treatment began, this stays between the three of us."
"And from this moment forward, we'll be changing up some of the rules," Holiday explained. "You won't need to ask permission to use the bathroom anymore, though you'll still need to get either Lofty or I to remove your diapers. And you're still going to have whatever's on your plate, and go to bed when you're told. But you won't have to play with foal toys anymore, and if you can prove you don't need it, you can go without a bib during meals. How does that sound? Better?"
Scootaloo blushed a bit, before she nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
That night, shortly after Holiday and Lofty had helped their niece into her pajamas and tucked her into bed, they were surprised to see their own bedroom door swing open. And who should be standing in the doorway, but Scootaloo herself?
"What's the matter, slugger?" Auntie Lofty innocently asked. "Did you have a bad dream?"
Scootaloo shook her head. "I haven't gone to sleep yet. I just thought, since I'm kind of being treated like a foal and all. Would it be okay if I slept with you two, just for tonight?"
"I guess there's no harm in it," Aunt Holiday sweetly replied, as she patted the side of the princess sized bed she and her special somepony shared. "Of course, you know we can't do this all the time. It's only this once, and then you're sleeping in your own bed from now on. No ifs, ands, or buts, got it?"
Scootaloo nodded, and hopped up next to Aunt Holiday, before she carefully lay down next to the earth pony mare.
"Hey, Scootaloo?" Lofty asked. "You did remember to use the potty before bed, right? Holiday and I don't want you stinking up the room."
"Of course I used the potty, no way could I forget! And I only had that one accident since you diapered me!" Scootaloo firmly replied.
"Well, just thought I'd be sure," Lofty sweetly called. "Good night, Scootaloo. Sweet dreams."
Holiday was about to do the same, before she got an idea. "Here, Scootaloo, why don't you have this?" She suggested, presenting a light purple pacifier to Scootaloo. "It'll complete the look. Besides, you do tend to snore sometimes."
"I do not!" Scootaloo flatly protested. "I may have agreed to wear diapers for the rest of the week, but I never agreed to things like pacifiers!"
Holiday just giggled, stroking Scootaloo's mane. "Oh, I think your friends would disagree with you when it comes to snoring."
"Nu-uh, Rainbow Dash is the snorer, not me!" Scootaloo protested again, turning her head.
Holiday sighed, but still backed off. "Okay, okay, you don't have to put it in for tonight. But your Auntie Lofty and I won't think any less of you if you do. I'll just leave it on the nightstand for you," And she did just then, before she then kissed her niece on the forehead and whispered. "Sweet dreams, my little Scootaloo."
"Good night, Aunt Holiday. Good night, Auntie Lofty." Scootaloo called back. But the filly found that she couldn't fall asleep, not even after her aunts had done so. Turning to the nightstand, Scootaloo eyed the pacifier. No, what was she thinking? She didn't need it. she was not a foal even if she was wearing diapers.
But then again, Aunt Holiday was technically correct. Scootaloo didn't snore often, but when she did the filly could be quite loud. And during her most recent sleepover, Apple Bloom had made at least one request for Scootaloo to tone it down the next night.
Briefly turning her head back to the bed, Scootaloo made double sure that her aunts were asleep. They were, nopony was around to witness what the filly was about to. Carefully, the tomboyish pegasus reached out a hoof towards the night stand, grabbed the pacifier, and after a moment of hesitation she inserted it carefully into her mouth. It definitely felt weird, but as she reluctantly gave it a few suckles, something about it became almost hypnotic and soothing to her.
And whatever the reason, be it the pacifier, or even that warm cup of milk she'd reluctantly drank, Scootaloo found herself unable to keep her eyes open. She nodded off, to the rhythmic sound of her pacifier, bobbing up and down in her mouth.
