If there was one downside to summer vacation it's that no school to attend meant that many school aged ponies had a considerable portion of their days that were now freed up. For some that was a problem because it would mean nothing to do. But for others, like the Cutie Mark Crusaders, it was time they could spend tending to their booming business of helping other ponies (and even some non-ponies on occasion) with cutie mark problems.
That wasn't to say they didn't still take time for themselves though, because they did. In fact a day like this was actually part of a dry spell for their business. Not very many ponies were coming to them. The Crusaders didn't mind, that left them plenty of time to hang out with some of their friends. And today that involved Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, the two fillies they had once resented but now considered among their closest friends.
Diamond Tiara had a smile upon her face as she and Silver Spoon met the Crusaders a ways away from the Rich family mansion. Her mother might not approve of it, but hanging out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders was something that made even the dullest of days more fun. It beat etiquette and piano lessons with her mom, or boring business meetings in stuffy offices with her dad. And having Silver Spoon accompany her made it even better. "Hey, Crusaders!" She cheerfully waved a hoof. "Always nice to see you three. How are things with your club, I mean business?"
"I bet you're up to your necks in ponies with cutie mark problems," Silver Spoon smiled. "You're totally welcome by the way, because I may have let it slip about what it is you three do."
Apple Bloom shook her head. "Business has been slow lately. I guess we got a little too good at what it is we do."
Sweetie Belle just smiled in a chipper tone of voice. "But that means more time to just hang out with you girls."
Scootaloo buzzed her tiny wings in excitement. "Enough chit chat! Whaddya say we head to Sugarcube Corner for milkshakes?! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"
"We do that every day we hang out, Scootaloo," Diamond unhappily sighed. "And your tab is almost overdue."
Scootaloo sheepishly massaged the back of her neck with a hoof. "I promise I'll pay you back as soon as get my next allowance."
The headgear wearing filly didn't press further. "Well, if we're going to do something like that again, why don't we make it interesting? How about a race?"
"I was thinking the same thing, Di. Mother says exercise is good for you." Silver Spoon declared as she adjusted her glasses.
Apple Bloom nodded her head. "A race sounds good. I guess the losers buy the winner milkshakes?"
But a glint seemed to come into Tiara's eyes as she suggested. "Well actually, how about we make things a little more interesting? How about a bet?"
Silver Spoon jumped up and down in a manner that could've been easily mistaken for Pinkie Pie's bouncing. "Ooh, what a great idea, Di! And I've got the perfect bet in mind! The losers have to do the winners' bidding, whatever it is," She eyed the Crusaders. "I'm thinking that if Diamond and I win, you three have to do all our chores for a week. Don't worry, Mother's pretty generous about my chores."
Diamond Tiara then commented. "Wish I could say the same for my mother. But if I didn't do it she'd probably just make the hired help do it. And Celestia knows they're overworked and underpaid as it is, especially Randolph. That old butler deserves pay several grades above what he gets."
"I suppose that's fair. There are three of us and two of you," Sweetie commented as she looked at her fellow Crusaders. "Besides, I sometimes do chores when I'm staying with Rarity."
Apple Bloom shrugged her hooves. "I do a lot of chores as it is around the farm. But as long as Spoiled Rich ain't yellin' at me I could probably put up with it."
Scootaloo made a gag face. "As long as I don't have to do things like clean the bathroom or wash the dishes I guess I'm onboard too. But what about if we win? You know, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and I?"
Diamond put a hoof to her chin, deep in thought. "A good question actually, Scootaloo."
But Apple Bloom commented with a smile. "I know! I've got a potion I want to test out. If we win, you two can be my taste testers. Don't worry, I promise it ain't poison. And I'll have you know I ain't blown anythin' up for weeks."
Silver Spoon gulped. "I don't know about that. Are you sure we couldn't just do your chores instead?"
But Tiara shook her head. "I've seen Apple Bloom's potion skills first hoof during science class. You don't think her good grades were a coincidence, did you, Silver Spoon?"
Silver reluctantly commented. "I.... guess not," She quickly shook her head to regain her confidence. "But it doesn't matter, we're not gonna lose!"
Scootaloo eagerly declared. "Feeling's mutual! May the best fillies win!" And then all five fillies took off as fast as their hooves would let them!
The race to Sugarcube Corner didn't last very long, it wasn't too far from the Rich family mansion and all five fillies knew their way around town by now.
The first one to make it there was actually Scootaloo! Scooter or not she was pretty fast, and had been building up her endurance from all the times she'd tried to fly.
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara reached the front step at roughly the same time, both were used to running all around for whatever reason (Apple Bloom because of the harvest, and Diamond Tiara because she was trying to get away from her mother before she could be dragged into something she wanted no part of).
So it all boiled down to Sweetie Belle against Silver Spoon! The two fillies had lagged far behind the others and were almost out of breath as their destination came into view. They were sweaty and panting heavily, appearing to be evenly matched. Their friends watched with anticipation and anxiety, whoever made it to Sugarcube Corner first would determine the winners and losers of the race (and the bet).
Sweetie Belle surged ahead briefly, then Silver Spoon, then Sweetie Belle again, then Silver Spoon again. The miles were getting shorter by the second and yet they seemed nose to nose. It could be a photo finish, maybe even a tie!
But at the last possible second, Sweetie managed to stick out her head and push forward ever so slightly. By what could only be described as a split second, her front hooves made contact with the first step just before Silver Spoon's could! Sweetie had won the race and the bet for the Cutie Mark Crusaders!
Silver hung her head in shame. "Sorry, Di," She sincerely apologized in between pants. "Tried to make it... couldn't keep up.... my bad..." She paused to catch her breath and push her glasses back into place.
Diamond didn't scowl or glare. She couldn't be mad at her friend. "It's okay, Silvy," She declared as she trotted over and gave her fellow rich filly a pat on the back. "I know you did your best. Sweetie Belle was just a little bit better," And then she added. "But a bet is a bet, and unfortunately as Mother would say 'Rich ponies always keep their word'. We have to agree to be Apple Bloom's potion testers."
Apple Bloom nodded. "Eeyup," She chortled at how well she mimicked her brother's way of speaking (or rather not speaking). "But you can worry about that another day. Let's get our milkshakes now, and you two can stop by the clubhouse tomorrow as soon as you can. The Crusaders and I will be waitin'."
The next day came sooner than either Diamond or Silver would've liked. It was true they had given their word when they lost the bet, but that didn't mean they were exactly thrilled with it. Silver Spoon especially couldn't help but feel nervous as she and Diamond Tiara made their way up the steps to knock on the clubhouse door. There was no telling what Apple Bloom's potion she wanted them to taste test was meant to do. And the possibilities that came to the filly's mind made her uneasy: Images of her coat turning a variety of ill fitting and mis-matched colors, her voice changing to sound really high or low pitched, or even her appearance changing into some horrid monstrosity all flashed in her mind and made her shudder.
Diamond Tiara put a hoof around her friend to comfort her. "It's okay, Silver Spoon. Whatever it is, we'll get through it together. I'm sure Apple Bloom wouldn't have us taste test anything too dangerous." Then she brought a hoof to the door and knocked three times.
The door swung open and Apple Bloom pulled both fillies inside! "Great, you're here! Got everythin' all set up for ya," She gestured a hoof to a nearby table where two paper cups of a strange, green liquid stood. "Already poured the potion I want you to drink. I promise it'll only taste funny for a second or two."
"Okay, let's just get this over with." Silver Spoon sighed and trotted forward.
Diamond threw up a hoof to block her friend. "Wait, Silver! Mother and Father always taught me to know all the details about something before you do it!" She eyed Apple Bloom. "What's that potion of yours going to do to us? Is it going to make us talk funny or look funny?"
Silver gulped. "Is it gonna change us into something horrible?!"
The farm filly shook her head. "No, it ain't gonna do anythin' like that. It's harmless, really. I promise."
Diamond wasn't convinced, she arched an eyebrow upward to convey her skepticism. Apple Bloom was being incredibly vague.
"Well, I guess you have a right to know what you're gettin' into. That way if you wanna back out you can. I won't blame ya if you do," Apple Bloom cautioned and cleared her throat. "This here potion's a regression potion. It's supposed to make ya younger."
"How young are we talking? A few years?" Silver nervously questioned.
Sweetie Belle explained. "More or less. It's supposed to turn you into foals. Apparently, it's so that Apple Bloom can make trees that stay young and healthy, so they produce fruit for longer."
"But when I tried it on trees nothin' worked. It doesn't even last a week, the trees stay as they are," Apple Bloom unhappily sighed. "I wanna know if maybe it only affects ponies or somethin'. I thought you two might enjoy bein' foals again, or at least maybe you, Diamond Tiara."
Scootaloo was quick to point out. "You told us how your mom didn't really care for you as a foal, just kept unloading you onto anypony and everypony else. And your dad wasn't much better 'cause he was too busy with his work to really spend time with you. So we thought you make like a foalhood where you have ponies who aren't simply paid to care for you. And if Silver Spoon did it too, you'd have a playmate."
"It should only last a week, if it actually works at all," Sweetie added. "But if you two don't want to taste test it, you don't have to. We'll forget about the bet and we can do something else."
However, Diamond Tiara would hear nothing of such a suggestion. "I gave my word, Crusaders! I agreed to do whatever it was you wanted if I lost the race. And I'm not gonna go back on my word!" She also couldn't help but smile. "Besides, being a foal again could be fun. I didn't get to enjoy it as much thanks to Mother forcing me to outgrow everything foalish as soon as she didn't want to have to deal with it anymore. And I'm being honest, Silver Spoon was the best thing about those years."
Silver Spoon grinned. "Yeah! We've been B.F.F.s since we were in diapers! And if Di's gonna go through with it, I am too. Might be interesting to relive my foal years for a while, at least this time I won't have to worry about Mother and Father yelling at me not to break things," But then a thought struck her. "Are you three actually prepared for us to be foals if the potion works, though?"
Apple Bloom nodded. "Got some foal supplies just in case. Borrowed 'em from the Cakes, Pinkie says they don't need 'em now that the twins are older."
"Besides, how hard can a couple of foals be? Especially since you'll be able to tell us if you need anything," Scootaloo encouraged. "If Pinkie Pie can foalsit twins, we can totally handle a couple of regressed fillies if we have to!"
So Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon reluctantly trotted forward and drank of the potion, knowing full well what it could do to them. The potion had a slightly fruity taste to it for some reason as they drank down every last drop in their cups.
The two fillies stood in the clubhouse after they had finished. The Crusaders watched and waited, wondering if anything would happen.
A few moments passed and there seemed to be no reaction. It looked like the potion had been a dud. But then suddenly, Diamond and Silver let out burps at the same time. Green bubbles escaped from their lips and their bodies started to tingle.
"What happening?" Diamond wondered as she felt something strange take hold of her. All of a sudden she and Silver began to shrink in stature! They eventually became no taller than the Cake Twins were now, in fact they were a little bit shorter than the twins.
"We foals again?!" Silver blinked as she looked up at the CMC who now seemed to tower over her.
Apple Bloom nodded very slowly. "I think so. It looks like this time the potion worked like it was supposed to."
"Which means we'd better get you two diapered right away! Can't have you making messes on the clubhouse floor!" Scootaloo frantically declared as she rushed over to a corner of the clubhouse and returned shortly with two diapers.
Sweetie Belle used her magic to pick up the regressed fillies and gently slip the diapers under their rumps, then taping them up nice and secure before she set the two back down.
"Now wha?" Tiara questioned in a high pitched, squeaky voice. "Ya not gonna be abwe ta cawe fow us in ya cwubhouse."
"Good question, actually," Scootaloo commented as she looked at the other Crusaders. "We can't just care for them in the clubhouse, we need someplace where they can be safe and where we can set up a nursery."
Sweetie spoke up as she remembered something. "Didn't Rarity say something about Twilight having a spare nursery set up for Flurry Heart whenever she stays in Ponyville? Maybe she'll let us use it for the week?"
Apple Bloom nodded. "It's worth a shot. Plus, she'll be able to help us out if these two don't go back to normal in a week."