Author's Note

I wanted to try to go for a bit more realistic of an outcome here, where the one who indulges isn't outright accepted and the one (or in this case ones) they want to be their caretaker (or in this case caretakers) doesn't agree to take up the role. Not everyone will be willing to step into such roles or accept that someone they know has this other side to them.

Acceptance?

Armed with the knowledge they had gained and a realization about the role their parenting had played in driving their only daughter to seek refuge and comfort, Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood boarded a train bound for Trottingham the very day when they had originally planned to be leaving with Scootaloo for Shire Lanka.

It was funny how life worked sometimes.

Meanwhile in Trottingham, Scootaloo had long since been padded up. In fact, she was wearing nothing but a diaper while she sat in a special chair that had been modified specifically for when she was in her current state. It was basically a make-shift high chair (which was Wonderbolt designed with blue and yellow stripes) that even had a bar that could be swung open or shut. It was also high off the ground and made her bottom sink more into her diaper, causing it to compress and crinkle audibly.

Scootaloo delighted in poking at her diaper with a hoof from time to time to make it crinkle anew, giggling with delight every time she did so. Her Rainbow Dash plushie rested nearby, gazing at her while the filly had a bib with pink hearts tied around her neck by her Auntie Lofty. "Don't need you making a mess on me, slugger. Especially not after that little surprise you gave Holiday and I this morning."

Scootaloo blushed as she gave a cute, foalish response. "It was an accident, Auntie Lofty. I was going to use the potty, honest."

"It's alright, what matters is that you're nice and clean now, and you're going to stay that way," Aunt Holiday declared as she trotted over with several jars of different flavored foal food on a small tray. "I went down to the local foal store this morning to make sure Lofty and I are all stocked up."

Lofty then cooed. "Now, Scootaloo, if you eat everything without making too much of a mess or causing too much of a fuss, I'll let you have some cookies. And wait 'til you see the new blanket I'm sewing for you, you're gonna love it!"

The tomboyish diapered filly smiled as she then eagerly opened her mouth in anticipation of the savory flavors about to greet her taste buds. She just hoped Mashed Peas wouldn't be on the menu, she always hated those even though her aunts insisted they were necessary for a 'growing filly' to get her nutrition.

Holiday brought the tray close and then sat down in the chair next to Scootaloo's make-shift high chair, unscrewing the lid of the first jar and dipping a plastic spoon into the mush. "Okay, Scootaloo. Here comes the Canterlot Express." The plump earth pony cooed while making train noises.

Scootaloo let the spoon be deposited on her tongue, savoring the taste as the colored mush slowly made its way downward.

The process repeated itself multiple times with differing spoon feeding gestures from Holiday, yet the filly fully cooperated and didn't make a mess. She even remembered to say "Excuse Me" when she let out a burp near the end.

At last, the jars were empty and Holiday moved the tray away. "Well done, Scootaloo. You kept your bib clean." She patted the filly on the head.

Lofty smiled. "Well, a deal's a deal, slugger," Then she proposed. "But you can't have cookies without milk. Would you like me to make you a bottle to wash down your cookies?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Baba!" She declared in a foalish tone of voice.

"Okay then, one nice, warm bottle of milk coming right up! Just stay there." Lofty instructed as she went to go make a bottle of formula mixed with regular milk for taste. Heating up the offered bottle.

The bottle was ready a short time later, and several chocolate chip cookies that had been freshly baked by Lofty were put on a plate to go alongside said bottle. The diapered filly immediately began devouring the cookies, causing crumbs to pile up everywhere on the plate. Once done, she moved for her bottle only to find herself being unlatched from her high chair and brought into her Aunt Holiday's loving embrace.

Holiday plopped onto a couch and held Scootaloo's head up, as she plopped the bottle into her niece’s mouth and cooed in encouragement. "Go on, Scootaloo. Drink it all up. I know you're thirsty."

Scootaloo didn't need to be told twice. She wrapped her hooves around the bottle's rubber nipple and began to suckle. She was soon rewarded for her efforts as warm, creamy milk worked its way down her throat. It was times like this that truly made her feel little and without a care in the world.

All good things must come to an end, however. The bottle was eventually drained all the way, and Scootaloo felt nice and full as she had her back patted by Aunt Holiday. The filly letting out a belch almost on cue. "Excuse me." She said again, pretending to be embarrassed.

"You're excused," Holiday declared before she got a closer look at her niece's face. "My goodness, you really chowed down on those cookies!"

Lofty grinned. "What can I say? I'm a whiz in the kitchen! Nopony bakes the way I do!"

Holiday untied Scootaloo's bib as she retrieved a wet rag, using it to wipe down Scootaloo's face so there were no traces of crumbs. "Alright then," She declared as she set her diapered niece down on the floor. "Let's get you into those hoofie pajamas you love so much. And then you're going to take a nice little nap."

"Aw, but Aunt Holiday, I'm not tired." Scootaloo protested.

The plump earth pony mare just smiled. "Well, you can just cuddle up on the couch with Lofty and I until you do fall asleep. And when you wake up, maybe I'll let you do some hoof painting. No painting on the walls though."

Scootaloo was soon dressed from head to hooves in the cyan colored pajamas that felt snug around her body. She especially loved how the back of them bulged out due to her diaper. It had a comfy embrace around her rump that seemed to relax her into a state of bliss. It felt even better once the rear was zipped shut as her rump felt the full embrace of her diaper.

However, as the filly was brought back down from her bedroom following the dressing, there came a knock at the front door. Scootaloo instinctively went to hide upstairs, unwilling to let anypony besides her aunts see her in her current foalish state.

Only once Scootaloo was safely out of sight did Holiday and Lofty both trot to the front door to answer it. To their surprise, Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood stood on the other side. "Little brother. And I see you brought your wife too," Holiday innocently greeted. "To what do Lofty and I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready to move Shire Lanka?"

"We've had to call off the move," Mane Allgood explained. "We're looking for Scootaloo. We know she's here."

Snap Shutter added. "And we know what she's been up to with you two. We know about her little secret, though it ain't really a secret anymore."

Lofty protested. "Then you know why the kid never told you about it. So why don't you two just mind your own business and go back to your adventures? Scootaloo's safe with us. Holiday and I have made sure her secret stays a secret."

Holiday put up a hoof to block her special somepony. "Lofty, there's no need to cause a fuss. Let's at least hear what my brother and his special somepony have to say. We owe them that much for letting us be Scootaloo's foalsitters in the first place."

"We really need to talk to Scootaloo if you don't mind." Mane pleaded as she and Snap entered the cottage.

Snap promptly called out. "Scoot, if you can hear us, you'd better come out right now. And don't bother tryin' to hide your diaper either, or anything else for that matter. You know we're no drongos."

Scootaloo slowly waddled out from hiding, her hoofie pajamas and their obvious diaper bulge doing little to conceal the tell tale crinkles that broke through the silence. She still had her Rainbow Dash plushie clutched tightly in her hooves, and it was clear to all that she was still far from confident about the situation despite the tone of voice that had been used. "Um... hello." She greeted, unsure of what else to say.

Snap cleared his throat to speak up first. "Now Scoot, there's a lot we need to discuss. But you should know before we begin that your mum and I aren't here to make you move to Shire Lanka with us. In fact, the whole move's been called off."

Scootaloo's grayish-purple eyes widened in surprise! "No way! You really mean it?!"

Mane nodded as she motioned for her daughter to come closer. "Your father and I have come to the realization that the way we've been raising you has caused some... issues. We may have had good intentions in leaving you in Ponyville while we went off on adventures, but somewhere along the line I think we let our work get in the way of quality family time."

"That's what caused ya to start developin' this uh... interest of yours," Snap explained. "Personally, your mum and I still don't think it's right. But we've come to realize that it's a part of you and that it ain't somethin' we can force you to give up. You're not harmin' anypony by doin' what you do, and you're still able to function as a growing filly when you need to."

"O...kay?" Scootaloo replied as she blinked slowly. She was certain this had to be a dream even though it felt so real.

Looking her daughter square in the eyes and lowering herself to her daughter's level, Mane declared. "We know you didn't mean to yell at us that night when your secret was discovered, and we probably shouldn't have raised our voice at you before giving you a chance to explain. Just because we may not accept what that secret involves doesn't mean we don't still love you."

"It's because of that love that your mum and I have taken up jobs in Ponyville that aren't as exciting," Snap told Scootaloo. "It'll still give us plenty to discover, there's lots of places around town that could benefit from the knowledge we have on exotic plants and animals. And it'll be interesting to see how much the town's changed since we last left it all those years ago. But we'll be able to spend more time watching you grow up, and your aunts won't have to constantly come and foalsit you."

Reluctantly, the tomboyish filly then questioned her parents. "So, does this mean that you're going to... well, you know?"

"Not quite, Scootaloo," Mane cautioned. "We aren't going to make you give up your diapers or any of your foal supplies. But there are going to be some changes, and your father and I aren't going to indulge you as your caretakers. If your aunts want to do that on their own time, that's fine."

Snap proceeded to lay out the terms. "If you wanna keep doin' this, Scoot, you're gonna have to agree to a couple of things. You're gonna have to pay for all your... er... supplies on your own."

Holiday pointed out. "Well actually, as she is still a minor she can't legally have access to any adult foal stuff. Lofty and I could agree to sign off for her, and deliver the supplies to you if you'd like."

"Well, Scootaloo will still have to pay for 'em either way," Snap explained. "They're her supplies so she can pay for them."

Mane then added. "You obviously can only do it around the house, and not when we have guests or when you go to sleepovers with your friends. That is, unless you want everypony to know you wear diapers."

Scootaloo gulped at the idea. "Nah, I don't think I'd feel comfortable telling anypony else, not even my fellow Crusaders. They'd think I'm weird."

"Then the diapers stay inside the house and only while it's just us three around," Snap agreed. "That brings up the next point, actually. You're wearing your diapers and obviously... well, I don't think I need to say it. But if you're gonna be doing that you're not asking your mum or I to change you, you'll have to do it yourself, same goes for taking care of the evidence."

"And while we will agree to tuck you into bed or occasionally heat you up a bottle, that's as far as we're willing to go in caring for you while you're wearing your... you know whats," Mane declared. "Also, your father and I reserve the right to change the terms or ask you to stop at any point if we think it's becoming an unhealthy or destructive habit for you."

Snap finished the proposal. "So, whaddya say, Scoot? Deal?"

Scootaloo didn't answer right away, she needed time to think about all of this. It sounded too good to be true, despite the fact that her parents hadn't fully come around and were drawing the line at taking care of her like an actual foal.

"It's your decision, Scootaloo," Holiday pointed out to her niece. "You don't have to say yes if you'd rather this just be something you, Lofty and I do."

Lofty added. "Although we may have to limit the amount of changes you can have, can't be going through diapers too often."

But the tomboyish filly didn't immediately reply to that offer either.

Snap and Mane prepared to leave. "It's alright if you need time to think about it, Scootaloo," Mane reassured her daughter. "Snap and I will be waiting in Ponyville whenever you're ready to come back. And you can just send us word letting us know what you wanna do with your secret."

"Come on, hun," Snap advised as the two headed for the front door. "We can't stay here all day. Gotta be at the train station to catch the next train back to Ponyville. Don't need to be taking advantage of my big sis' hospitality."

Yet neither parent had taken more than five steps at most before Scootaloo came running up to them, hugging them tightly. "I think I'm willing to agree to your terms. I've already pretty much gotten used to changing myself, but Auntie Lofty always insists on doing it for me."

"Just don't need you getting a rash, slugger." Lofty pointed out.

"And you're willing to forgive us for not being there for you like we should've?" Snap asked his daughter. "You have every right to be mad at your mum and I for that."

But Scootaloo replied. "I could never be mad with you guys, honest. I know your jobs were important and that you couldn't take me with you. I just wish you'd have asked me about moving to Shire Lanka before dropping the bombshell on me."

Mane promised. "Trust us, Scootaloo. We won't make that mistake again. From now on, decisions that affect the family will be discussed with all members, you included."

Snap then advised. "But if you're comin' back with us, mate, you might wanna get changed."

The tomboyish filly stepped back and blinked in surprise. "What do you mean? I haven't had an accident, and I'm pretty sure there's bathrooms on the train."

"He means your wardrobe, Scootaloo," Mane explained as she gestured a hoof. "At least you should take off the diaper. We'll make sure the rest of your supplies are loaded up discreetly."

"Oh, right," Scootaloo realized as she blushed. "Guess I've just gotten so used to wearing diapers that it's almost like second nature to me. Just give me a few minutes and I'll change and pack up." And she went away to do just that.