"How much farther is it, Rainbow?"
Rainbow Dash gave a smirk back to her partner as they flew, opting to let that silent gesture be her answer. She could have very easily provided an actual answer, as she was the only one of the two who knew it, but she was feeling particularly playful today. Besides, Twilight Sparkle was used to discovering her own answers through research and testing anyway. If she provided the quick and easy answer of "just a few minutes more," then she would have been depriving Twilight of a learning experience, and she just couldn't do that to her.
Rainbow grinned to herself as that thought wafted through her head. The learning experience alluded to earlier was far from the only learning experience she had in mind for her lovely marefriend. What she had in mind for her was likely much more learning than Twilight would have ever expected. Finally, she would exact her revenge for what Twilight made her go through weeks ago.
It was only a scant few weeks ago that Rainbow had been tirelessly training for Wonderbolts tryouts. "Tirelessly" was the key word in that sentence, as in truth she was anything but. It was a combination of her stress and fatigue that had led Twilight to worry about her well-being, and it was said worry that spurred her on to direct Rainbow towards an ad for a new business in town: Sweet Dreams Relaxation Center. Twilight had perceived it as a simple place for ponies to take a load off and rest their weary bodies, but as it turned out, it was a bit more complicated than that.
The center was run by its namesake, a kind and gentle pony named Sweet Dreams. Miss Sweet's demeanor was quite maternal, which fit perfectly with the odd type of business she ran. Her mission statement was to help ponies relax and forget all of their troubles, and with her potions, she managed to do exactly that. Due to a volatile mixture of a short attention span, a little white lie, and a stubborn streak a mile wide, Rainbow had agreed to her peculiar form of treatment: a potion which reduced her motor control and mental capacities to that of a toddler. Rainbow spent the rest of that night and part of the next morning being coddled and cooed at, a diaper strapped around her waist and a mind devoid of cares and troubles. The potion in her system ensured that she would think and behave like a foal, from simply being more playful all the way to using the diaper she wore for its intended purpose. Needless to say, it was a very unique and bizarre situation for Rainbow, one which she would have found very embarrassing.
And yet she didn't. Not at the time, at least. It was a little embarrassing thinking about it now, but she had to admit that she actually enjoyed it. Enjoying it while it was actually happening was one thing; that was an intended effect of the potion. While she was regressed, she was meant to be happy and enjoy being, for all intents and purposes, a foal. But even when thinking about it afterwards (after she got over the awkwardness of regaining her adult mind and having the memories of being babied fresh in her head), she found that she was looking back on the experience fondly. She normally wasn't one to enjoy being coddled, but the more she thought about it, the more she found herself wanting to go back and experience it again. She'd finally made the decision to go back today, but this time, she was bringing somepony with her.
Rainbow wasn't quite sure why she was looking at this as revenge against Twilight. Revenge typically wasn't meted out via enjoyable methods; such an idea was a direct contrast to the very concept of "revenge." But the fact remained that she had ended up spending roughly 18 hours in diapers because Twilight had suggested the relaxation center to her without doing any research into what happened there. The irony of Twilight not researching something wasn't lost on her, but it also wasn't her concern at the moment. And whether or not she enjoyed it, it was still mostly Twilight's fault that it happened. Sure, she could have actually read the release form that Sweet had handed her which contained all the information about what was in store for her, but she still wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for Twilight. And so revenge was necessary, with the added benefit of Rainbow having an excuse to experience it all again.
"This is the place!" Rainbow said with a smile as she touched down at the center's familiar sign. She felt her heart flutter as she looked at it. She really was excited to do this all again, and hoped Sweet would be happy to see her again.
"Heehee...you were right, Rainbow," Twilight said with a grin. "This place does look a little dull."
"Well hey, looks can be deceiving!" Rainbow responded. "Take me, for example. I look awesome, but the truth is I'm actually super-awesome!"
"Point taken," Twilight responded with a little roll of her eyes. "Now come on, let's go inside."
"After you!" Rainbow said through a grin as she held the door open for her. This was going to be a cinch. She would convince Sweet to give Twilight the treatment without having to read the release, and then not only would she be able to get her own treatment again, but she'd be able to watch Twilight get diapered up as well. It was the perfect plan, and she couldn't help a devious smile as she followed Twilight inside.
"Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow's ears perked as she heard that soft, familiar voice for the first time in a few weeks. She turned her head to see Sweet trotting towards her.
"Hey Sweet!" Rainbow said cheerfully. She chuckled lightly as Sweet wrapped her forelegs around her, and retuned the hug in turn.
"My goodness, Rainbow!" Twilight said, holding back a giggle. "You really left an impression on your last trip, didn't you?"
"She sure did!" Sweet responded, giving Rainbow a little squeeze. Even without any potion affecting her, Rainbow felt almost like a child in her nana's safe embrace as Sweet hugged her. It was only a matter of time before she was happy and infantile, accepting Sweet as her nana until the next afternoon.
"And who might this be?" Sweet asked, eyeing Twilight and smiling warmly at her. "As if I didn't know already...this must be the pretty little marefriend you told me about last time! I didn't know you were dating a princess!" Twilight smiled a timid little smile in response, giving her wings a little ruffle. She had mostly gotten over the slightly-embarrassing feeling of being recognized as royalty in public, but something about the mare's tone made her blush. Her tone was just so sweet and gentle. Despite the fact that she and Twilight looked to be around the same age, her tone reminded Twilight of her mother's.
"Heehee...yes, I'm Rainbow's marefriend," Twilight responded, feeling almost like she did when Rainbow was introducing her to her father. "Twilight Sparkle. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss..."
"Sweet Dreams," Sweet said. "Should I bow? I wouldn't want to offend."
"Oh no no, not at all!" Twilight told her, grinning. "Please, treat me exactly as you would anypony else."
"Aww...and so humble!" Sweet cooed. "You really found yourself a good one, missy." She patted Rainbow on the head, and Twilight was surprised to see the smile on Rainbow's face. She was never one to react positively to being treated like that. She would usually even roll her eyes when Twilight did something like that. Sweet must have really left a big impression on Rainbow as well.
"So!" Sweet said. "Are you just bringing Miss Dash here, or are you here for treatment as well?"
"Oh, I'm here for the treatment too," Twilight responded. "Rainbow seemed to be so relaxed after her visit, and truth be told, I'm a bit stressed out over an upcoming delegation with the Griffon Kingdom. I figure a night of relaxation is in order." Rainbow's grin grew as she listened to Twilight. The idea of seeing her put into diapers was an oddly intoxicating one. Seeing Twilight's shapely rump padded up as hers was, watching Sweet treat the Princess of Friendship like a tiny foal, all while Twilight was happy to be receiving said treatment...she tried to convince herself that she was enjoying these thoughts simply because it meant getting revenge, but she couldn't help but admit that wasn't the case.
"Excellent!" Sweet gushed. "I'll be more than happy to take care of the two of you. You're all mine until tomorrow afternoon!" Rainbow had to hold back a squeal of delight as she heard those words. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost failed to notice Sweet producing the release forms.
"Now," Sweet said, approaching Twilight. "Since this is your first time here, Miss Sparkle, I'll just need you to look over and sign—"
"No!" Rainbow suddenly shouted, giving her planned sense of subtlety a swift kick out the door. "You don't have to do that!"
Both Twilight and Sweet stared at Rainbow, confused. Rainbow looked between the two, blushing a bit. Her brain worked as quickly as it could to try and save the situation, and she gave the first answer she could come up with.
"I...uh...filled Twilight in on it already!" Rainbow blurted out. It was a blatant lie, and she instantly felt terrible for it. The plan might have been to trick Twilight into the treatment, but that didn't mean that she felt good about a bold-faced lie to her marefriend and to Sweet. Twilight raised a brow towards Rainbow, but didn't say any more, which only made Rainbow's guilt grow more.
"Well," Sweet said, breaking the awkward silence. "Either way, we require that anypony who comes here for our treatment has to fill out a release form before we begin their treatment. Makes things more safe, you know?"
Rainbow tried to come up with a response for this, but found herself at a loss for words. She watched as Sweet passed the form to Twilight and sighed. She'd have to figure out another plan.
"As I was saying," Sweet continued. "Please look over and sign this form while I prepare the tea. Hopefully you're a better reader than your marefriend here." She gave a wink in Rainbow's direction before heading out of the room and towards the kitchen.
Rainbow watched as Twilight's eyes began scanning over the release form. Twilight was possibly the fastest reader she'd ever met, so she had to act fast if Twilight was going to be left in the dark about what was going to happen tonight.
"Eh, you really don't have to read all that," Rainbow said, sidling up to Twilight's side. "Trust me, it's a whole lot of boring nonsense. Totally unnecessary." One hoof reached towards Twilight's form, but Twilight's magic pulled it away.
"Come now, Rainbow," Twilight chided. "You know me too well to think that I won't fully read something like this. And Sweet seemed to think it was important." She gave Rainbow a playful little nudge. "Besides, it sounded like you didn't read adequately enough for her tastes."
"I read it!" Rainbow shot back defensively, once again lying through her teeth. If Twilight read that release, there was no chance that she would agree to it. "And since I've read it all, I know that it's totally safe to just skip the whole reading thing and just sign it." Rainbow made another attempt to grab at the form, but this time it was her hoof that Twilight's magic grabbed.
"What has gotten into you, Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "I would have thought that you'd know by this point in our relationship that I love to read and I have to follow rules by the books. What would make you think that I'd want to just sign without reading the terms and conditions?"
"But nopony reads those!" Rainbow whined.
"Nopony but me then," Twilight responded, looking back down towards the form.
Rainbow began to panic. Her entire plan was falling apart before her eyes, and if she didn't do something about it, everything would be ruined. Something drastic had to be done, and in typical Rainbow Dash "act before thinking" fashion, she found herself hurtling towards Twilight. In a flash, both ponies were on the ground, the papers flying every which way.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shouted. "What in the hay is wrong with you?!"
Rainbow stammered. She hadn't even thought about pouncing Twilight at all, let alone a viable reason for doing so. Her mind raced, but every ounce of thought she put into it was wrecked when she caught sight of the angry glare that Twilight was giving her. Twilight's eyes were lethal weapons, but their usual function was to induce feelings of happiness. Their secondary function was guilt, but this time they'd picked up a healthy dose of intimidation along with it. There was practically nothing that scared Rainbow Dash. She was tough and typically fearless, but something about the fury in her marefriend's eyes shook her to her very core. The mighty Rainbow Dash cowered before Twilight, and she wanted nothing more than to cool Twilight's fiery rage. As such, she went with her first instinct, and even though part of her knew that it would likely just get Twilight angrier, she found herself spilling the beans.
"I'm sorry!" Rainbow said. "I just wanted to get back at you because you didn't look into what kind of place this was when you told me to go and it's a place where Sweet uses a potion on you to make you think and act like a foal, and that's what happened to me last time so I wanted you to have to do the same thing so that's why I brought you here! I wanted to get you back and if you read the release form and saw what was going to happen then you never would have agreed to it!" She got up off of Twilight, shrinking back in shame. "And I'm really sorry, and we can leave if you want. At least let me tell Sweet first though."
Twilight didn't respond at first. She was completely flabbergasted at Rainbow's sudden admittance. Had her jaw possessed the capability to detach itself and drop to the floor, it likely wouldn't have, but Twilight was still quite surprised. Rainbow watched in nervous silence as Twilight silently picked her form back up and looked at it, looking more and more surprised as she read.
"So...you spent that night and the next morning in diapers, thinking you were a foal," Twilight said, less as a question and more as a statement.
"Yeah," Rainbow responded, hanging her head.
"And instead of telling me about it, you decided to get revenge on me by bringing me here to put me in diapers too," Twilight continued. "Thinking I just wouldn't read the form."
"Uh-huh," Rainbow responded with a sigh.
"And I'm guessing you didn't read the form, which is why Sweet said what she said about you," Twilight said.
"Right," Rainbow mumbled.
"And you were still going to come back and do it again?" Twilight asked, this one more of a genuine question.
"It...was actually kind of nice," Rainbow responded, blushing brightly. "Sweet's really nice and took care of me really well, and I was so relaxed and stuff..." Her blush became brighter and brighter as she went on, now fully realizing that she was digging herself deeper and deeper, but her guilt had gotten a hold of her something fierce. Her tension only grew as the silence resonated through the room, a silence that was eventually permeated by a sigh from Twilight.
"What am I going to do with you, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked, smirking lightly. The existence of amusement in the question was lost on Rainbow, who was looking down at the floor in shame.
"We can just go," Rainbow said dejectedly. "I'll tell Sweet we've changed our minds." She turned to leave, but she was stopped by a purple wing.
"Oh no you don't," Twilight said. "You came here to be babied, and you're going to be babied." Rainbow smiled a little, glad that Twilight hadn't judged her as harshly as she'd expected for admitting her interest in Sweet's form of treatment, but the majority of the enthusiasm in her actions was gone.
"Alright..." Rainbow said. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Wrong again," Twilight said with a playful grin. Rainbow looked up at her curiously.
"...Are you dumping me?" Rainbow asked. In a move that she had become infinitely more familiar with since beginning to date Rainbow Dash, Twilight rolled her eyes.
"No, silly," Twilight said, turning the release form to the last page. "I'm staying here with you."
Rainbow Dash woke up. Or, rather, she would have woken up had she been dreaming like she thought she was when she heard Twilight tell her that she was staying.
"What?!" Rainbow exclaimed, her wings flaring out. "Seriously? Why?"
"Well," Twilight began. "I do feel bad about putting you in that situation the first time, even though it was more your fault for not reading the form. And even though you apparently enjoy being treated like this." She grinned a satisfied grin as she watched Rainbow blush. A Rainbow Dash blush was a rare sight, and seeing one was akin to catching sight of a unicorn in Cloudsdale.
"Besides," Twilight continued, readying her pen. "If you enjoyed it so much, I suppose it's worth trying. I could use the relaxation. And it'll certainly be a unique experience that I can learn from. Not many grown ponies get to experience things from a foal's perspective, and I might be able to learn how she makes those potions." She gave the still-shocked Rainbow a playful nudge as she signed the form. "So are you ready to regress then?"
Rainbow could hardly believe her ears, but she managed to anyway through sheer force of will. She gave Twilight a tight hug, nuzzling her cheek lovingly.
"Ready."