The Coming of Age for an Orange Pegasus

“What in Equestria am I wearing?” was the only thing the orange filly had in mind to say at her new look.

“Well, Scootaloo, dear…” Star Hunter started saying as he scratched the back of his head.

“Yes daddy?” She asked, fearing the worse.

“Well hun, It is a…” He gulped down as this was his greatest fear, how will he explain this to his beloved daughter, hoping that swallowing will make the horrid word disappear, but alas, it only made his beautiful love child only stare at him deeper, seeking for comfort, and after ten seconds that felt like eternity he spat it out, “Diaper!! You’re wearing a diaper!! I’m so sorry but there wasn’t really any choice.” right after confirming to his only offspring that her fears are true, he broke into tears.

Scootaloo just stared into space, blinking from time to time, trying to get her mind around her current state, that she was in a, it can’t be... she is 8, she got potty trained at 3 and stopped wetting the bed at 5, why would she be dressed in this foalish attire? It just didn’t made any sense, she looked at herself in the mirror, the bulge was still there, she touched it with her hoof, it was soft to touch, and she heard a faint crinkle, it had to be.. but it can’t! Why would fate play such a cruel joke on her? Why such a thing is needed? Why? That was also the only thing she could speak as she looked at her father with a face that could cripple even the strongest of hearts, “Why?”

“Honey, you got to know, I didn’t asked for it, I have nothing to do with it, please believe me Scooty.” Star Hunters voice broke, it was almost impossible for him to keep calm, how would he explain such thing to his bundle of joy? As he tried to figure out just where to start, a nurse came in the room, a young white earth pony mare with a light pink mane. “Miss Redheart! Scootaloo has some questions for you!”

“Sure thing, just let me do my work first, and then I will answer everything she wants to know.” The nurse said as she went to Scootaloo's side, examined the cast, checked the IV drops and wrote some notes on the clip board that was on Scootaloo’s bed.

“Now that you’re done I would like to ask you..” Scootaloo started talking as nurse Redheart lifted the rear of Scootaloo’s gown and gave her rump a good look, “Hay!!! What was that for?!”

“I was just checking if you need a change,” Redheart replied as it was the most normal thing in the world, “You are still bone dry though, now what was that you wanted to ask?” she asked while taking a sit next to Scootaloo’s head, her eyes at the same level as Scootaloo’s head. Years of experience in addition to a natural gift for this job, as her Cutie mark showed, made her aware that this would help if she wanted her patients to feel comfortable talking and to fully open up with her.

“What I want to know is…” Scootaloo gave Nurse Redheart a good look to know she wasn’t kidding. “WHY I’M IN A FREAKING DIAPER??!!!!”

The respond wasn’t what Scootaloo expected, instead of blushing, it seem that nurse Redheart was quite enraged as she said in her most stern voice that almost made Scootaloo use her diaper. “Firstly Young lady, you will NOT raise you voice on me, you hear? I am in charge of you for all the time of your stay, and even that I can’t treat you differently cause you upset me, If you want any smiles, or the best treatment from me during your stay, you shall not patronize me, You hear? I have the power to make your stay here tolerable or wonderful, and If you want the latter you should be kind to me as I’m kind to you. got that?”

“Y… y… yes Miss.. I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me…” Saying that Scootaloo was on the edge of breaking down in tears at this point would be lying, as she was weeping like a fountain.

“Now about your diaper.” Nurse Redheart said calmly as she gently petted Scootaloo’s head and cooed her till she calmed down, “You must remember that you are to stay in this bed for 3 weeks, and you can’t move for that time, so we can’t expect you to hold your numbers one and two all this time now can we?”

Scootaloo, now all calm, although she learned her lesson, asked, “But why a diaper? can’t you put tubes or something to take my, ahem, number one and two away?”

Nurse Redheart gave a little giggle, only to be stopped by the sad look on Scootaloo’s face, “Oh, you’re serious, well you see darling, if we, as you say, put tubes in you, it could leave to infection, as your holes meant to be closed most of the time, beside the fact that it will be very uncomfortable and will make your stay a living hell, plus we don’t have such tubes in your size.”

“Surely you could give me a bed pan, or carry me to the toilet?”

“You really don’t get the ‘you can’t move from this bed at all for 3 weeks’ now do ya?”

Suddenly an alarm went in the young filly’s head, “Then how I’m going to shower? If I won’t bathe for 3 whole weeks I will..” the ranting stopped as the nurse raised a soft yellow sponge in front the filly’s head with her right hoof, her left hoof was busy hiding a small giggle, “Great, sponge baths for me.” The sarcasm was so thick on the last statement you could almost hear it drip on the floor, followed by the crash of that line as it wouldn’t be able to hold the mass of all the sorrow that was embedded in it.

“Oh don’t be sad, you will only get the cutest diapers we got in our hospital, here let me show you.” With that Nurse Redheart went to the back of Scootaloo’s bed and raised her gown so Scootaloo could get the first look of what was taped to her back. “See? it got cute butterflies and rainbows all over it, now isn’t that nice?”

Scootaloo wanted to choke herself with her pillow, it was worse then she thought, she looked like a foal in that thing, but she couldn’t even growl when a knock was heard on the door, followed a very high pitched squeaky voice that she known all too well, “Scootaloo, me and Apple Bloom are here to visit you, we even got you gifts, I made Rarity saw you a lovely new top with clouds, so you could disappear in the sky once you get out of here and start to fly.”

“And Ay got yah some apples! So yah could grow big and strong.”

“Why do you always bring apples? Can’t you think of something else?”

“Well apples are good for everything, and besides, we got loads of ‘em left after last’s weeks harvest.”

“So now your giving her leftovers? What a good friend you are Apple Bloom.”

“At least Ay know she don’t like frue-frue stuff like your sister's clothes, Sweetie Belle.”

“Girls the door is open, don’t you want to come in and say hello to your friend?” Nurse Redheart said as she opened the door, “I will be out of your manes, I've got other ponies to care to.”

Scootaloo felt she pulled her gown back down so fast that her foreleg might fall off, “Hi girls, what are you two doing here?” Scootaloo asked while putting on a smile that in her mind screamed ‘nothing to worry about here.’ but really said ‘I’m hiding something huge, please don’t poke around.’

“We ya friend’s, of course we will all come to visit yah after your big surgery, what kind of friends we’d be if we didn’t?”

“Really bad friends, that’s what.” Sweetie Belle answered.

“Ay was askin’ a rhetorical question, Sweetie Belle, yah didn’t need to answer that yah know.”

“Well Scootaloo must be tired after her SURGERY Apple Bloom, maybe she can’t take rhetorical questions right now, Thought of THAT?!”

“Guys, guys, I’m fine, no need to argue, I understood it the first time.” Scootaloo tried to calm their spirits down, If they had one of their arguments right now they could be bend from the hospital, and who knows how they will try to meet her then, probably by injuring themselves so hard they will be sent to the hospital as well.

“Yah sure yah fine? Yah really didn’t expected us to come visit yah!?”

“Maybe they hurt her brain during the surgery?! Scootaloo! Do, You, Remember. Us?”

“Sweetie Belle I’m fine, and Apple Bloom you know I was joking right? Of course I know you will visit me, but shouldn’t you be in school right now?” Scootaloo then remembered what Cheerilee said she would do to students who will miss school for no reason, the size of that ruler and how massive it look sent trembles down the filly’s spine even as a memory. “Girl’s you got to go, I don’t want Cheerilee to be mad at you cause of me, I don’t worth it.”

“Yah kidding right?” Apple Bloom then looked at Sweetie Belle, “She’s kidding right?”

“Cheerilee walked us to the hospital. She wants to visit you after us; she even got Twilight to replace her in School for the day.

“OK class, today basic math class is canceled.”

The class exploded with cheer.

“Cause today we are going to learn calculus!”

Baffled looks were exchanged in the class room until a pink earth filly with a violet mane and a Diamond Tiara raised her hoof, “Princess, What is calculus?”

“I’m glad you asked Diamond Tiara, calculus is the math subject that contains complex equations that allow us to calculate with very high precision areas that have non liner edges.”

Even more baffled looks were exchanged. until a yellow unicorn colt with a snail as a cutie mark asked, “What?”

“Maybe it’s best if I show you,” Twilight Sparkle then levitated a piece of chalk and started scribbling numbers and lines on the black board until a few minutes later there was no more room left to write, seeing that Twilight added a little note on the top left corner of the black board that simply said: ‘1/20’, and turned to the class, “OK class, write all this down in your books, when when you are done do tell me so I could erase it all and write the next parts, and do hurry up, we got 19 more boards to go.”

And at that moment a new record was broken as 27 fillies and colts sighed at the same time.

“I’m sure she is doing a good job.” said Sweetie Belle. “Wish I could be there now.”

“Yah can’t say yah would rather study with Twilight then to visit a sick Scootaloo?”

“Of course not, I’m here now, am I Apple Bloom!?”

“You guys know I’m not sick right?”

“Of course we know that, y’all just try to get some rest now ok?” Apple Bloom rubbed Scootaloo’s front leg while she gave the apples to Star Hunter.

“Maybe you would like to try out the new top Rarity made for you Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle then showed her a sky blue top with fluffy clouds stitched on it.

“Wish I could Sweetie Belle, I really do, but I can’t cause of my wings.” Scootaloo was happy she could let her friend down so easily without hurting her feelings, but that top had Rarity stitched all over it, It looked like the girly-est thing that Scootaloo ever seen, with lacy trim, the pop-out fluffy clouds and the way it was cut; it just screamed girly.

“Oh, I see, It’s OK, that hospital gown do suit you anyway,” Sweetie Belle said as she hung her head low, only to rise again with a puzzled look on her face. “Was your plot always that big?”

“Ay don’t remember it being so big as well, and puffy. what yah got there Scoots?” Apple Bloom also noticed it and was wondering why it grown so much.

“It’s… it’s… it’s… Pillows! Yes, pillows, for… amm.. support.. yes. It’s pillows for support, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” Scootaloo replied while giving a huge fake smile.

“Right…” Apple Bloom replied while the thought that her sister, the element of honesty, was a better liar then Scootaloo here crossed her mind, “We don’t want to disturb yah, so we got to go, Cheerilee probably want to talk with yah by now anyhow, bye!” With that, the yellow earth filly with the red mane and huge pink ribbon left the room. She was quickly followed by Sweetie Belle; who screamed her goodbyes as she left the room.

A few short moments after her two best friends left, the purple earth mare who answered the name Cheerilee and worked as the town’s teacher, entered the room, “Hello Scootaloo, how are you doing?” at that moment her gaze crossed the tangled mess that was her student’s wings, “Oh my. that look like a mess, how bad does that hurt?” she trotted to Scootaloo’s side and laid her hoof on the closest thing she could find for her back, in this case, her rump, which felt all too familiar to her, she quickly laid her foreleg back on the ground.

“My head hurt when I woke up, but it’s very dull now. Besides that the wings felt awful too but oddly now I can’t feel any pain at all; so I will say that I’m doing alright.”

Cheerilee looked at all the IV bags that were hung around the bed and connected to Scootaloo, “No wonder, you are pumped full of strong painkillers, You shouldn’t feel anything for awhile. Anyway I just came to see that you are alright and to drop off your homework for the next 3 weeks. We can’t have you falling behind, now can we?” With that she went to the door and came back with a huge pile of papers on her back, which were given to Star Hunter, “I trust you will remember to make sure she will do all of her school work like we talked in the latest Teacher- Parent conference?” she whispered to his ear.

“You can trust on me. Scootaloo won’t fall back on her studies, or my name isn’t Star Hunter,” he replied.

“Oh come on, I’m in a cast! Can’t I get a brake for three weeks? I should have known you would do something like that.” Scootaloo protested at the sight of the massive pile of homework that she will need to do.

“Oh don’t complain, with that diaper on you won’t need potty brakes and could finish all this in 21 days. bye now.” and with that Cheerilee started walking to the door.

“Wait, how you know what I’m wearing? Did Dad tell you?!” Scootaloo didn’t know how to feel, she was raged that her teacher knew what she was wearing, but on the other hoof, her teacher knew what she was wearing, and it made her feel humiliated.

“He didn’t, I foalsat enough ponies before I was hired as a teacher to know how one feels. Now I've really got to go. I can’t let Twilight replace me all day, she do have things to do to.”

“Come on, how hard can it be? You just put the the Sine of the angle of the elevation at the assumed, not real, point in the graph line.”

A gray earth colt with black main raised his hoof, “A what to the what of the what now?”

“Why we can’t use the real point?” Asked a gray filly with silver mane and glasses.

“Cause..” Twilight was cut short by the class room door opening up and Cheerilee entering the class.

“Hello students.”

“Cheerilee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The class shouted with joy.

“Twilight, you can go back to your daily life now, I got this.”

“YAY!!!!!!” again the classroom was filled with gleeful screams.

“Fine, they don’t seem interested in my teaching anyway,” said Twilight as she packed her stuff and left the building.

“So how far did you made it today?” asked Cheerilee as she look at the board, “Oh my…”

“21 days?! that's like all my stay here!, wait a minute…” Scootaloo started doing some math in her head.

“Come on dear, you can do it,” encouraged Star Hunter.

“Carry the 1…”

“You’re almost there.”

“Dad, I can do it, OK? stop nagging me, it’s not helping, and by my math 21 days are 3 whole weeks, I won’t have a day’s rest, this is the worst!” Scootaloo cried as she sunk her head in the pillow.

“It’s not that bad.” her dad said as he untied the string that held the package of papers, “Most of it is reading, I guess she will be OK if me or one the nurses will read it out loud for you, and by the structure of the questions I bet she meant you should answer them verbally, I bet it won’t take you more time time then normal school does, might be even faster.”

“How you know she want me to answer the questions ver… verb… by speaking?” Scootaloo said as he gave her dad a puzzled glance.

“Easy, there is no room for writing answers.” her dad said with much confident.

“That doesn't mean…” she started to say only to be cut short by her dad.

“Also she left a note that say: ‘Please read out loud the text to Scootaloo, then have answer her the questions and let her answer verbally, since she can’t really write in her state.’” Star Hunter finished his sentence with a smug look on his face. “You said what now dear?”

“Never mind. this is going to be an awful stay, first the diaper,” she gave her rump a little poke, only to be replied by a crinkle. “And now the school haunts me even to here.”

“Oh, don’t be sad Scootaloo,” her dad said as he stood up and walked to her bed. “It’s not all that bad.”

“Really? do tell me how it’s not all that bad, I could use some entertainment.” Scootaloo replied with a tone that could only be described as ‘sarcasm as dry as the streets of Applelosa after the hottest summer in history’.

“Well…” Star Hunter said as he raised Scootaloo’s gown and exposed her diapered rear, “You do look very cute in a diaper, reminds me the time you wore them all the time. When your mum wasn’t so busy with work; and you weren’t so worried on being tough; and I could hug and kiss you all day long; and give you butterfly kisses on your belly every time I changed you.” he sighed, “Everything was better back then.”

“Good, now I look like a foal as well,” Scootaloo hissed, “Well, that does it for me, there is no way this will get any worse, I have hit rock bottom.”

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and a voice was heard from the other side. “Hey Squirt, just came by to see how my favorite crusader slash honorary little sister is doing, also Captain Spitfire or as you call her, Mum, while I call her Yes Ma'am, sent you a package, so watch out, I’m coming in.”

“It can always get worse…” Scootaloo said as her brain came to a stop.