“Ooh sweetie, you’re such a little angel.” The mother said, looking down at her child. She noticed every small detail of her tiny figure. The way Scoot’s rosy cheeks were relaxed, the way her small pink plaid covered tummy rose so subtly whenever she took a breath, and the way her tiny arms clung so lightly to her mommy’s naked body.
She smiled, running her small fingers through her child’s well-kept purple hair. It was incredible how such a young child looked as beautiful as she did. Then again, she was a very special child.
A cold breeze alerted her spin as she fidgeted a little; she just realized that she was half naked. She rocked the chair forwards and carefully stood up. She stepped across the nursery, grabbing a pink throw blanket from her daughter’s crib. Carefully, she wrapped the blanket around her daughter’s top; she didn’t want her baby getting chilly.
She looked down at her baby then back at the crib. It was obvious that she wouldn’t be out for too long, it was too early in the evening. She lifted her child over the crib rails and gently unto the soft mess of blankets and pillows on the inside.
Smiling, she looked in admiration at her child. It’d been so long since she started letting Scootaloo sleep in that crib. A bit beneficial given her child’s condition, it gave her the luxury of protection in case of a schizophrenic trip. Sometimes the prospect of being railed off gave her a more easily relaxed mindset.
Her shoes mashed the plush rug beneath her feet as she made her way to the rocking chair. She calmly reached down and picked up her bra, lacing her arms through the bra straps and wrapping it firm around her back. Picking up her pink tee, she slipped it over her body and adjusted it to cover her tummy.
*Bzzz… Bzzz…” A sudden vibrating alerted her, making the women jump up in a sudden reaction.
Answering her phone, she did a double check to make sure her baby was asleep. She didn’t want to wake her baby up, about the only time she got to rest was when her child was calmed down. Between homeschooling and play she had no time to just settle down and relax.
“H-hello?”
“…”
“W-what? A-are you sure?” Fluttershy asked.
“…”
“Mmm”
“…”
“I know. I heard you the first time. I-I’m so sorry, w-why are you sending it to me?”
“…”
“Ooh, it’s for Scootaloo. I-I’m sure she’ll love it.” She panned, looking in dread at her child.
“…”
“Yeah, it’s nice talking to you too Rainbow. I-I’ll be sure to tell her.” She said, hitting a button on her phone. She closed her eyes and ran out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.
Her chest started to hurt, he mind raced, and worst of all she knew she deserved it. She was the one to drive away her friend, she was the one to baby her child this much, and she-well she was the one that was responsible for the decision she had to make.
She picked up her phone and dialed the only person she could trust…
***
“What do you mean, she sent the photos?” Mrs.Cake asked in a concerned voice, before taking another sip of her coffee.
Taking a deep breath, a cold wave shook the mother at her core. “I-I mean, Rainbow Dash sent them over. I-I don’t know how to explain it to Scootaloo, or should I even at all?”
Noticing her friend’s clear fragility, Lynn scooted closer and wrapped an arm around the girl. “Listen sweet heart, Scootaloo is only ten years old. The sooner you break the news to her, the sooner she’ll cut all of this stuff out.”
“I-I know b-but. What if she freaks out, how can I tell her I abandoned her? I-It’s so dumb, I-I don’t want her to hate me.” Fluttershy said, tearing up a little bit.
The baker rolled her eyes, “its simple sweetie, just tell her you were in a tough financial spot and you couldn’t afford a child.”
“B-but I could! I bought everything and I was ready to take care of her and then… well I couldn’t handle it. I was so young and I definitely didn’t want to balance taking care of her and myself and I-“ the young women was cut off.
“She’ll understand.” Mrs.Cake restated.
Fluttershy shook her head, “N-No she won’t. She’s such a delicate girl, if I tell her she’ll never understand why. It was a dumb decision giving her up and I know it was but she doesn’t know that I know that!”
Mrs.Cake nodded, “It’s alright. What even brought up the adoption in the first place. Also are you telling me that she’s never heard about any of this in therapy?”
Her hand moved from Flutterhshy’s shoulder to her back as she began soothingly rubbing it up and down the soft pink t-shirt. Over the years it seemed that her ‘daughter in law’ had gotten much older; maybe not physically, but emotionally for better or for worst. No doubt taking care of Scootaloo as long as she had was starting to age her.
“I told the consular my reasoning. S-she advised me to wait until an appropriate time to break the news to her.” The young mother said, smirking a little. She hadn’t really ever thought the situation would have come up so quickly. At that, she would have assumed Scootaloo wouldn’t have been so emotionally vulnerable at this age.
A small murmuring came from a monitor on a nearby stereo. The sudden activity caused the two women to jump up in surprise. It was obviously Scootaloo, although the drawn out moaning could have convinced them otherwise.
“Let me deal with that…” Fluttershy giggled nervously, blushing a little. She never felt comfortable dealing with Scootaloo’s problems in public. It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to them, but she didn’t know how her baby wanted to be treated.
She ran behind her couch and up the stairway, quickly making her way back into the baby’s room. Scanning around the room, she noticed her groggy daughter lazily rolling back and forth in her bed.
Scootaloo stretched her legs outwards while simultaneously extending her arms to the furthest of their reach. She readjusted herself and smiled, looking up at her mommy. She blushed as she kicked her legs playfully, “Hehe, morning.”
“It’s actually afternoon sweetie.” The mother giggled, reaching inside the crib.
A set of hands wrapped around the child’s sides, pressing down as they lifted her out of her spot, making her drop the blanket that was wrapped around her in the process. Clinging to her mother, she wrapped her arms around her stomach and relaxed her head on her carrier’s body.
A cold finger pulled back the elastic that clung to her side and swept her the inside of her thighs. “Eep!” she yelled, fidgeting a little. She pouted a bit and looked at her mommy annoyed. She hated the feeling of diaper checks.
“Hehe, sorry sweetie pie. I can’t have you getting a rash again. You’re dry by the way-oh, also Mrs.Cake is here. Although, I don’t think she’ll be sticking around for lunch. She has to make it back to the bakery soon.” Fluttershy said with a slight sigh, despite the mask she felt a lot less confident around her daughter.
Not only was the information coming up even more frequently than it used to, but Scootaloo was getting to an age where she needed to be given more credibility. But with a mindset so foreign to her own, the reaction might be completely different.
With her daughter in her arms, she started walking slowly out of the room and down to the living room where her company was waiting patiently. The clock seemed to tick slowly, the room seemed eerily tense, and the presence of Scootaloo’s high-strung social situation made breaking the silence more painful for everyone.
“Say hi, Scootaloo.” Fluttershy said, lifting her child unto the couch as she approached it. Somehow Scootaloo had astonishingly kept from removing her shoes the whole length of time she’d been home.
“Well how’s my favorite little Scoots doing?” Mrs.Cake cooed, grabbing the child from under her arms and lifting her onto her lap. She nuzzled the girl, smelling the innocent scent of the baby powder that’d splashed onto her clothes. Bouncing her knee up and down ever so slightly, she grinned at the small kid.
“I’m doing fine.” Scoots said, looking more than proud at the women. She’d known her for years and this visit would prove again just how much she admired Mrs.Cake. The lady seemed really nice and she never paid attention to the little mistakes she made from time to time. It was weird, but she actually screwed up less when she was around.
Giving the child a light squeeze, the baker shook her from side to side, “Ooh, you’re getting so big. Your outfit looks really cute by the way!”
“Hehe, thanky!” Scoots said, nervously. “Ah-hem, I mean thankyou.” she muttered, covering her diaper flap. She knew that her mommy’s friend knew of her problem, it was still a bit blush worthy.
The baker smiled, reaching over and rubbing the child’s head. “Hehe, you’re too cute Scootaloo. You know, your mommy won’t admit this but she used to love dresses like you; she was a little bit of a girly girl too.”
Scootaloo didn’t say anything. Her mouth dropped a little bit as she looked for a response from her mother.
“Yeah a little bit.” The mother said, walking over and sitting down beside her child. “Like mother like daughter I suppose.” She looked over at her friend and gave her a sheepish grin. She balled her hands up and started playing with her fingers.
There was a brief moment of quiet with the three people as the dust continued to collect on the nearby bookshelves. Scootaloo was busy being engrossed in a smile with Lynn while Fluttershy tapped her foot. Infact, the only thing keeping the silence at bay was the young mother’s obsessent tapping. The tension drove her wild, despite there being no real need for it-still.
The oldest of the three leaned in, wrapping her arms around the child and hugged her tightly. Her eyes closed as she smelled the mix of air-freshener and baby powder on the young girl. “Alright sweetie, Auntie Cake has to leave. But before I do…” she panned, digging into her apron.
Scootaloo watched in awe as she was handed a small pink sucker. Watching as it was unwrapped; it was stuck in her mouth.
“It’s a sucker. I know you like pink and bubble gum and what not. It’ll help keep you all fed up until lunch is made. Now if you excuse me, I need to go…” the baker nodded, standing up, “Love you two. Bye!” she waved her hand.
Watching from a distance, the young mother tensed up inside. She closed her eyes and left out a short sigh. It pained her on the inside, like carbonation building up for years; it was a surprised thought, the punishment for her denial.
She wanted to spit at Mrs.Cake for pretending this was such a little problem. It wasn’t a little problem. What if Scootaloo hates her, what if she ruins everything, what if it didn’t really matter anyway? It didn’t matter up til’ this point, so did it really matter if it ever happened?
***
“Open wide sweetie…” Fluttershy said, smiling warmly at her daughter as she scooped the last bit of the mush into her baby’s mouth. She dinged the spoon on the side of the plastic jar, a trick she’d learned over the years to get rid of any excess stuff.
Reaching for a cloth on her lap, she gently wiped her baby’s face. She couldn’t help but smile at her baby’s smile. The lively expression- a happy one, along with the radiance of her pale skin tone helped insure her that she was happy just being with her.
She grabbed her baby’s fork, a rounded plastic one coated pink. Jabbing a banana on her daughter’s plate, she brought it up to her little lips and helped it into her mouth. “Hehe, who’s momma’s little cutie pie?” she teased, booping her daughter’s little nose as she watched her eat.
Scootaloo giggled, clapping her hands and babbling happily. She loved playing baby with her mommy; it made feel more liberated to play with everyone and she enjoyed the freedom. She grabbed two of the bananas with her hands in a clumsy manner and stuck them both in her mouth as she kept laughing.
“Awe, such a wittle sweetie. You’re too cute to ever grow up.” The mother said, wiping off her daughter’s face again. Curious of the change in her baby’s expression, she questioned, “Um, is everything alright sweetie? Are you gassy again? Do you want momma to burp you?”
The child blushed, feeling a warm mush relieve the tension in her stomach. Her expression suck as she filled the seat of her diaper. She denied her action and shook her head
Fluttershy puckered her eyebrow, “Scootaloo, d-did you just have an accident?” she ask, giving her baby girl an empathetic smile. She paid attention to her daughter, her sunken expression and subtle fidgeting was enough evidence to know what happened.
She reached her hands out and undid the straps to the highchair and lifted her daughter into the air. Smiling, she teased her daughter, “Awe, does some baby girl have a mushie tushie?”
Scootaloo vaugley smiled, trying hard to not to look at her mommy. It embarrassed her to no end but she was so glad to know her mom wasn’t mad at her. “Hehe.” She giggled a little bit, hugging unto her mommy as she was brought up to her waist.
“Don’t worry sweetie.” Fluttershy said, walking her daughter through the bedroom. Her steps slowed down as she turned several corners and started her way upstairs. “You don’t have anything to worry about. I’m not too happy that you lied to mommy about pottying, but I understand.” She said, looking down at her daughter as she made her way to towards the nursery.
“Wadda you mean?” Scootaloo asked, looking up with a curious expression.
Smirking a little as she entered the room, Fluttershy panned her eyes towards the crib and eventually towards the blinded window. Taking a deep breath, she walked her daughter over to the changing table and set her down.
“Y-you know how sometimes you wonder what those voice are-those creeping feelings of despair and sadness and a longing to be held tight…” She tensed up as she started working her daughter’s snaps and moved onto her diaper.
The child cocked her head to the side like a curious puppy.
The mother sighed, pulling out the wipes and cleaned off her daughter’s bottom for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past couple years. “I mean, you know those uncontrollable things in your life that make you so confused yet so sad…”
Grimacing a little bit, the child felt the cold cloth run across her bottom before a puff of baby powder filled the air around her. She shook her head before coughing a little.
Fluttershy rolled her eyes, pulling out a diaper and pushed it underneath her child’s bottom. She lifted the front and taped the tabs from the back to it. She looked her child in the eye and then looked around the whole area of the nursery, “Scootaloo, does it ever bother you that your life makes no sense?”
She gave her daughter a curious stare, it was obvious that she made no sense to the girl; sometimes she hated how poor her daughter’s reasoning was. It made her think if Scootaloo even remembered her baby days. Did she remember being held at night, being fed early in the morning? Did she remember their bond, or worse their separation?
“Mommy, I’m confused.” The muttered as she rested her hands on her chest. Her eyebrows puckered as she tried her best to understand her mother’s word. She closed her eyes and shook her head; she was starting to get a headache for some reason.
“That’s alright I suppose.” Fluttershy said, disappointed. She redid her baby’s bloomers and helped Scootaloo sit up on her padded backside. “You’ve gotta understand, I’m just a bit frustrated at the moment…” She picked up her baby, “not at you though.” She said, smiling warmly.
The child nodded, “It’s okay. C-can I play some more in with my dolls, I’ll promise I’ll be good.”
Fluttershy nodded in kind and walked over to the fenced off area of the room. She set her daughter over the mesh gateway and onto the area of stuffies. “Behave sweetie…” She said, reaching into her jean pocket. She stuck it into her mouth and cleaned lint off the nipple with her tongue, then handed it to her baby.
Scootaloo stuck it in her mouth and giggled a bit, “Hehe, that’s so gross.”
Giving her daughter a warm smile, she giggled as well. “Hehe, I needa take care of some stuff sweetie. In the meantime, you just play with your dollies and watch a bit of T.V” She said, walking over to the T.V on the wall. She turned it and the cable box on the mount on.
It was amazing how long that T.V lasted; it was a gift from her father nearly seven years ago. She would’ve kept it in the living room, or in her room, but it seemed to entertain babies pretty well. Besides, she wasn’t really much of a T.V person, if she really wanted to see something she'd look it up on the internet.
“Well baby, I’ll be back in an hour or so. Just shout if you need me, the baby monitor is on and I’m right around the corner.” She said, waving her hand to her baby as she closed her door.