Biting the tip of her pen, Twilight Sparkle patiently waited for her new ‘helper’ to arrive. It’d been weeks into development- this project she’d had in mind. She had already written down as much stuff as she needed to about her helper prior to arrival, nothing but a couple problems Rainbow Dash had told about her before.
*Knock, knock, knock* The sound protruded from the door, followed by a meek, “Hello?”
“Oh, you’re here!” The perky researcher chimed, opening the door way to her friend. She looked down and saw a young girl, standing about 2/3rds of her height. “Scootaloo, I see you decided to do the project after all?”
“Well, yeah.” Scootaloo said, stepping inside the house. “I thought it over and I’d really like to help you out, especially after you got my friends and I out of all of those jams. Plus my scooter has never worked better!” She said, happily.
Smiling in kind, Twilight took to shutting the door. “You know, I’ll give you a bit of money for all this; I wouldn’t feel right otherwise.” She admitted.
Scootaloo kicked off her trainers and looked up at her new guardian. She wasn’t exactly sure what Twilight needed her to do, short of being told she’d be acting ‘younger’. She knew she’d be acting as young as a baby, but to what extent is what she really didn’t know.
“What is it?” Twilight asked.
“C-could you tell me what we’re doing here? Like, what’s the plan, I’m gonna be here for a while you said. W-what do you want me to do first?” Scootaloo asked, nervously adjusting the bottom of her t-shirt, it was a bit small on her.
Resting her hand on the kid’s shoulder, Twilight smiled. “Well Scootaloo, we’re going to be testing the effects of regression and tendencies and whatnot in young children. I had my institute grant me a nursery-esc room full with the luxuries of being a little kid…” She said, walking her way upstairs. “While I’m not going to force you into anything, you’re encouraged to do as much as possible and do things organically. I won’t pressure you into anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
Gripping the golden door handle, Twilight twisted it then pushed it open to reveal a room much much nicer than the one Scootaloo had at home. “It’s worth noting that your real name won’t be included in my final report, so there’s no pressure to do whatever you’d like.” She added, with a sheepish grin.
“Ooh… wow.” Scootaloo said, stepping onto the room’s plushie white carpet. Everything looked new and polished. The walls were covered in a cutsie stripped turquoise wallpaper that matched the black-finished wood furniture. The bedding and padding to the bed, the crib, the rocking chair, the changing table, and the couch all followed a similar white theme with a turquoise ornate pattern thrown in.
“It’s fancy isn’t it?” Twilight said, walking up to a baby walker half her size. Unlike the rest of the room, the ‘activity stuff’ was part of a separate set and was mostly white plastic with an explosive rainbow of colors on the otherwise white padding. “We sorta had to cut cost somewhere, re-designing baby activity stuff for a girl your size is a challenge on it’s own, so we found some fabric and a carpenter and let him have fun with it.” She said, smiling as she looked around at the room with a hint of pride.
“Man, this stuff is so-young.” Scootaloo paused, mentally taking in all the stuff to do. “I mean, I never had much growing up. I still don’t have this much, it’s-exciting!” She exclaimed, looking around. “I’ll be honest, this all is gonna take some time to ease into. Rainbow did say I was allowed to stick around for a while right?” she questioned.
Twilight giggled a bit, “Hehe, yes Rainbow said she was perfectly fine with some of this stuff. I’m sure once you get used to this stuff, the time will just fly by she added.” Walking over to the dresser, she opened its doors and looked back at the kid. Scootaloo appeared to be wearing a pair of simple black running shorts, and a basic orange t-shirt with matching socks. She knew Scootaloo was never one for ‘pretty clothes’, so she purchased the wardrobe accordingly.
“Do you want to try something on, before we have lunch?” She asked, peaking back out the various outfits in hanging up in the dresser.
Scootaloo walked by the baby-walker, running her hand acrossed it. She blushed, there was something oddly embarrassing about being around anything ‘babyish’ to her. “I guess I wouldn’t mind, I’m here to do that sorta thing aren’t I?” she asked as she walked up to Twilight.
“Well, the question is…” Twilight paused, grabbing a bright pink shirt and visually trying it on for the girl. “Will it fit you? I think it will actually! Thank goodness you’re such a cute wittle girl.” She giggled, handing it to Scootaloo.
Blushing, Scootaloo looked down and looked at the cheaply designed princess characters and the glittery mess that surrounded them. “Am not…” She said, turning her back to Twilight as she took off her top and replaced it with her new ‘younger’ shirt. “It’s actually a bit comfy.” She admitted, “It fits better than my other one too!”
“Hehe, that’s good.” Twilight said, crouching beside the young girl. “Now tell me Scootaloo, how does the shirt make you feel? Tell me about it, then I’ll make you something for lunch.”
Puckering her lips for a second, the child looked down at her shirt and examined it. She was honestly pretty unaffected by the shirt as long as she didn’t think too much about it. It hadn’t been that long ago that she secretly like princesses. Panning her head to the side, the child spoke, “Well… I dunno. The shirt makes me feel a bit younger I guess. I wear t-shirts a lot, so I think the princesses are what I don’t like about the outfit.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow as she asked her next questioned, “Why don’t you like the princesses?”
Scootaloo got a bit red face and paused. “I-I dunno- I guess I just don’t like looking too ‘weak’.” She admitted.
“What about being a princess makes you ‘weak’ though?” The Science student asked, as a fellow question.
Scootaloo threw up her arms and looked puzzled, “I dunno, princesses are always the target it seems. They always need rescuing.”
Twilight smirked, reaching out her hand and running it across the side of the kid’s face, “Well princesses are really strong while they’re waiting for their prince too you know? It takes a lot of courage to stay calm in a situation like that.”
Rolling her eyes, the child huffed, “I guess.” A second passed before she looked down at her outfit. “Hmm, if I’m supposed to be younger, why am I wearing what I want to wear?” she asked, curiously.
“Huh…” Twilight paused, astounded by her ‘helper’s’ comment. “I guess you’re right. Looks like someone I know is gonna be wearing the cutest wittle pink shorts I can find!” She said, pulling out a pair of pink running shorts similar to Scootaloo’s.
“…” Scootaloo was silent.
*****
The child sat in a chair, swinging her legs as she patiently waited for her lunch. After some twenty minutes of waiting, Twilight set down a PB&J sandwich with sliced apples and milk. Her eyebrows heightened, Scootaloo blinked a few times. “It took you nearly a half hour, to make that?” She questioned.
“Well...” Twilight paused as she took a seat next to the kid. “I kinda ate a sandwich while I was getting all this food stuff done. Besides, I had to make everything in accordance with your physical/’mental’ age.”
“So right now, what age am I?” Scootaloo asked, taking a bite of the sandwich.
Tapping her food, Twilight yawned a bit. “Ahh- According to your ‘age chart’, your developmental age right now is about five. Enjoy it while you can, because this bit is when you get to do fun stuff. You know? Watch movies, albeit kiddie movies, ride a bike with training wheels, or play with hard toys. When you decide to give one of those things up, well- you’re kinda going to start going on a downwards slope. I might need to step in and do a few uh- uncomfortable things.”
Finishing her sandwich, Scootaloo looked up at Twilight. “What do you mean by uncomfortable?” She asked, nibbling on an apple a bit.
“Well… let’s just say I’ll probably be seeing that apple again.” Twilight giggled, blushing a bit.
Scootaloo’s face turned pale and she stopped her bite into her apple. “You know what, I think I lost my appetite.” She said, pushing the remaining half of the sliced apples away. Grabbing the milk, she slowly drank it.
“So, according to my ‘growth chart’ you can choose between riding a nice bike or scooter. I’ll just go out and say you probably want to ride the bike, I don’t want to make you resent scooters for the rest of your life you know?” She said, picking up the dishes.
Nodding, the child hopped off her seat and hung around close behind Twilight the entire way to the sink and eventually out into the garage. “There you are sweetie…” She heard, as the garage door opened. She noticed the bike immediately, it was pink and yes it had training wheels.
“Look, it even matches your shirt.” Twilight laughed a bit, thinking cynically for her client. “Now, I’m going to need you to wear these, come over here.” She said, grabbing a few black padded pieces from off a wooden work bench.
“Do I have to?” Scootaloo asked, looking at the shoulder and knee pads with contempt. She didn’t ever wear pads, not usually at least. Pads were too ‘wimpy’ for her. Even if she was only a little older than eight, she didn’t like looking unskilled enough around others to justify wearing protection.
Twilight shrugged her shoulders, “You know what, because I’m gonna need to start playing the mommy card as soon as you take another step back I’ll allow it. Just please, if you’re getting ready to crash, please try to land in the grass.”
Scootaloo hopped on the bike, sporting only the rainbow-colored helmet that she wore on the scooter trip over to the house. There was no way she was gonna wear anything else, the training wheels already teased her enough.
Twilight watched as Scootaloo went back and forth on the dirt path behind her house. Scootaloo was doing alright, seeing as she usually didn’t ride a bike. An hour or two of watching the child proved disastrous though, as Scootaloo started getting more ‘daring with her jumps’. What started off as a need for speed soon turned into the child going off into the lowered garden areas and jumping over the dirt paths that seperated the plots.
Looking at the rather steep incline that rose up to a dirt path, Scootaloo back up the bike and raced it forward. As she speeded forward, a sudden ‘wait!’ in the distance distracted her as her front tire sunk into the hill and she found herself flying across the air. A sudden painful roll and her arm felt like it’d been cut bad.
“Ooh no!” Twilight said, rushing over to Scootaloo picking her up. “Awe sweetie, are you alright?” she asked, hugging the child close in her arms. From the feel of it, Scootaloo’s fairly tan skin was starting to feel pretty badly radiated too.
“I-I-C-cut my arm.” She said, tensing up in her guardian’s arms.
“Shh…” Twilight said, holding up Scootaloo’s arm and kissing it square on the spot where it got scrapped. “You’re alright, how about we get you inside and out of your uh- dirty clothes.” She said, taking notice of Scootaloo’s shirt; the entire side where she crashed was covered in drying mud.
*****
“Alright Scootaloo, before I get you ready for your bath I’m gonna need you to answer three things for me.” Twilight said, sitting the child on the changing table. “When you crashed, did you think not wearing the padding was a still a smart idea, was it your fault?”
“N-no.” The child said, swallowing hard. She didn’t like being questioned over something like that, it felt too preachy.
Twilight nodded, “Would you like me to help give you a nice warm bath, or do you wanna do it all by yourself.”
Scootaloo thought for a second, she actually didn’t know how to run a bath; at least not a nice one. She really didn’t want any more pain today. “N-No.” She answered, sorrowfully.
Nodding again, Twilight smirked. “Alright, one last question. Would you like me to be a bit more careful with you? I’ll watch over you and make sure you’re nice and cozy for the rest of your stay, at the cost of some of your freedom.” She asked, giving the child an empathetic smile, as her book recommended.
The stinging in Scootaloo’s arm was still a bother and she really didn’t want to deal with another incident like that again. “A-are you saying you’re going to like, take care of me? Like you were my personal maid?” she questioned.
“A bit like that-more or less like a nanny. Kinda like Rainbow Dash, but a bit more responsible.” She giggled, trying to keep a straight face. “I would have to eventually anyway, although I figured a tough girl like you would’ve lasted a bit longer.”
Blushing a bit, the child swallowed her pride and nodded. She had her own reasons for letting Twilight be more motherly. It wasn’t like her friends were there to judge and it most certainly wasn’t like the stuff she was allowed to do already was that ‘mature’.
“Alright…” Twilight said, avoiding eye contact with the child as she moved a pair of swimming nappies unto the table. “I might be required to have you wear these.” She admitted.
Scootaloo picked up the plastic package and looked questioningly at it’s cover. “Well… I haven’t worn these ever before. Do you know what they feel like?” She said, ripping open the top of the bag.
Twilight pulled one out and handed it to the kid, “I take it you can get yourself dressed for now. Just take off your clothes and stuff and hand them to me when you’re done. Also I’m technically not supposed to do this, but I’ll let you wear your shirt or something inside the bath.”
Nodding, the child watched as her now caretaker walked out of the room. She scanned down her legs and to her socks. Without saying a word, she slowly peeled her socks off with her other food.
As she looked around the room, she noticed the incredible amount of detail that went into the room. The atmosphere despite being oddly ‘refreshing’ to her was only complimented by her curiosity. She wanted to explore thing in a perspective she didn’t really remember having. Her life in the Orphanarium was always spent in dull rooms, with a select rotation of toys circulating throughout the building.
This room however was different; the wide range of things to play with and the comfort to be had far outstretched something she could ever imagine as an eight year old. Perhaps it was just the adrenaline from the scrape talking to her, but everything seemed so much more open ended and exciting.
She grabbed one of the swim diapers and held it tight in her hand. It wasn’t far from what her regular underwear felt like, just a bit more bulky. Lowering her pride, she smiled as she changed out of her dirty princess based clothes.
*****
“There you a-“ Twilight paused, noticing the Scootaloo in her nappy. She was expecting the child, but not one with such an eager expression on their face. “I take you found the nappy ‘comfortable’?” she asked, allowing her the child time to walk into the bathroom.
Scootaloo had a heavy red blush to her face, but she nodded in a kind of happiness. There was something liberating to her about walking around in just a nappy, even if it was a swim nappy.
Twilight adverted her eyes, watching as the skinner girl made her way into the bathtub, climbing inside and sinking in. The layer of bubbles covered the entirety of the child’s body and left only her neck peeking out. “Awe, haha! You remind me of tank right now.” She laughed.
“Hehe, why’s that?” Scootaloo asked, confused. “If anything I look like a gopher, or something that lives in the ground.” She said, sinking further into the bath’s warmth. Her scathed arm didn’t even feel affected by the bubbles or water.
“It’s nothing, just my imagination getting ahead of me I suppose. You’re right though.” Twilight said, pulling out the shampoo and running it through her hands. She rubbed them, creating a few bubble than reached over and started massaging Scootaloo’s scalp.
Without a single word being said, Twilight foamed up Scootaloo’s perky short hair, giving it time to settle in. She grabbed the shower head and gently started to run luke warm water over the child’s head. When she was done, the child had started to look dreary eyed.
“Awe, is Scootaloo being a tired little girl?” She teased, grabbing a towel from the rack.
“Nah, this is just nice I guess…” Scootaloo said, staying nearly perfectly still. “I-I don’t think I’ve taken a bath before, definitely not one this relaxing.”
“Well, there’s no rush.” Twilight said, sitting against the drawer opposite of the bath. “We’ve got plenty of time for you to have some relaxing fun, no more bikes though.” She giggled.
Scootaloo let out a little giggle too. She didn’t know why, but the bike crash didn’t seem so bad for some reason. She didn’t even get the bike out of the ditch, she was just taken away from the whole situation. It was strange, but she felt kinda confident in Twilight’s ability to make her feel young.
“C-can I get out now?” she questioned.
“Of course, here you go!” The caretaker replied, handing the child the towel. To her surprise, when Scootaloo finished drying herself off, she heard the her utter the words, ‘C-can you carry me too?’.