//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: Waiting // Story: Holding Onto You // by AlliePastel //------------------------------// Scootaloo road in the passenger seat, curiously observing as the rather densely packed forest area suddenly cut off as they switched lanes onto the interstate. “I’m not gonna lie Fluttershy. This is actually pretty cool of you.” The girl confessed, looking over at her caretaker clad in her bright yellow sundress. You couldn’t tell it from underneath her polarized sunglasses, but Fluttershy watched the road like a keen hawk as she watched the traffic flow on the highway. A smile cracked on her face and she spoke, “Oh, well you’re welcome dear- anything to help you out.” “Well, thanks.” The child said, looking down at her outfit. Having no clothes of her own to sport, she borrowed an old solidly coloured turquoise t-shirt and some newer sandals from her godmother. They were both relatively soft and simple compared to the complex synthetic material of her black running shorts. Curiously, Scootaloo looked to her side again and asked the question, “Say Fluttershy. Don’t take this the wrong way, but why do you dress so simply?” “Hmm? What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked, making a right turn on an off ramp. She smiled a bit at the thought of the child’s innocent curiosity. Rolling her eyes, the child huffed. “You know, like when you picked me up yesterday? You were in nothing but jeans and black t-shirt or something.” “Oh, haha. I’m surprised you have such a keen memory.” Fluttershy said, getting on the street that the mall resided on. Smiling, she looked down at her dress before refocusing her attention on the road. “To be honest, I just don’t like people to assume to much about me just based on what I wear.” She answered quite honestly, “Especially being a Doctor, I just don’t want to come off as anything but typical. I mean, first they see you nice clothes, then they ask your occupation, then they’re asking for free medical advice for the rest of your life.” “Hehe, I guess that makes sense.” Scootaloo agreed, watching as they pulled into the heavily crowded lot. Scootaloo witnessed as every car in the lot amplified the sun, causing a visible heatwave to surface. Fluttershy grinned, laying back in her car seat for just a split second, “Ooh Scootaloo, I don’t wanna go. It’s so cold and comfy in here.” She said, basking in the blissful cool air that engulfed the inside of the car. Imitating her godmother, Scootaloo leaned back and did the same. “I don’t blame you.” Scootaloo said, crossing her arms and enjoying the cool climate of the car. She closed yawning just long enough to garner a temporary blackout, “Oh… I don’t think I’m cut out for life in the summer.” “Well… we do live in Britain dear. If it’s not raining today it will be tomorrow.” She snidely remarked, nudging her niece’s shoulder in a playful way. Smirking in kind, the child nodded. “Haha, I guess you’re right.” The child said, unbuckling her seat. She opened the door and hopped out, stepping onto the hot concrete parking lot. She could feel it, the asphalt radiated UV rays better than a tanning bed ever could. “Oh wow!” Fluttershy grimaced, feeling a literal wave of heat roar through her open car door and hit you in the face, “This is just what you’d expect from a day with as much sunlight as this. Still though.” She said, idly looking around the parking lot for her little one. To her surprise, Scootaloo just so happened to be around the other side of the car. “What?” Scootaloo questioned, looking up at her guardian. “Hehe, nothing. I hadn’t realized it until now, but you’re kinda a short girl aren’t you?” Fluttershy giggled, patting Scootaloo on the head. Unamused, Scootaloo stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry. “Haha, come on.” Fluttershy said, patting Scootaloo’s shoulder. She kept a look at for cars, but aside from a couple moving around in the distance there really weren’t any. That being said, the some 200 feet of walking was still pretty uncomfortable despite the lack of traffic. Scootaloo in a cordial act opened the massive glass door for her caretaker. “After you.” Walking through the entrance way, Fluttershy nodded her head. “Why thank you.” She answered, happy with her niece’s manners. It was clear that she didn’t take after her mother. Behind her mother, Scootaloo emerged to the discovery of just how big the mall was. There was rows up rows of white tile that divided the elegantly crafted sections of boys, girls, and women’s clothes up into their own respective style. Not that other stores she’d shopped at in the past didn’t do the exact same thing, but this store really went all out to promote a seasonal summary vibe. Smiling, Fluttershy gestured with her hand for her daughter to move forward. “You’re free to get whatever you want.” She said, looking down at her niece in a joyvial manner, “Although, I’d prefer you get atleast like seven pairs of pants- and a ton of tops. I mean, we can shop around this mall if you want, but all the stores basically have all the same stuff. “S-seven pairs of pants?” Scootaloo questioned, turning her head in confusion. “Umm… how are we going to carry all the stuff?” The women blink for a brief second as the thought caught up with her. “Huh- I guess you’re right.” She said, looking around the store. “Ma'am” A sales clerk announced, walking up to the Fluttershy. “Carts are over there. Although I must apologize, the only carts this mall offers for lease are the twin carts meant for children. They’re allowed throughout the Meadow Field Mall and if you’re planning on going to any other departments today, I’d recommend nabbing one. Of course, the members of our clothing department would be more than happy to assist you in taking out the bags to your car, if you so request.” “Oh- well that’s okay I guess.” Fluttershy said, staring blankly at the carts. She pulled out her phone to double check on something. Panicking, the manager pulled out a coupon of sorts. “H-here you go ma’am. I’m sorry if our store caused any inconvenience to you or your child. If you need anything, I’ll be around.” “Huh-oh. Why thank you.” She said, walking over to the row of carts and hoisted one off the lot of them. She swung it around, looking down at the twin-seat for just a split second before looking up with a smirk, “Ooh Scootaloo, do you wanna- Scootaloo?” She stopped, questioning the whereabouts of her niece. Knowing that she couldn’t have gotten far, her maternal instincts kicked in and she walked to the nearest apartment; the women’s department. She did a quick peak around the gist of the major attration stands, but found no sign of the child. “Oh God, did I seriously just loose Scootaloo?” She thought to herself, turning the cart around. To her astonishment, she could actually see Scootaloo’s magenta hair peaking out from atop rack of the much more colorfully decorated ‘girl’s section. Humping the cart over the plastic guard that divided the tile rows from the decadent wool carpeting, she strolled over to the girl. “Huh? Oh, hey Fluttershy.” Scootaloo said, letting go of a rather glittery pony shirt. Relieved and a bit excitied, the women simply raised an eyebrow at the shirt; it looked at least five years too young for Scootaloo to wear. “Hehe, I’m not going to lie. I didn’t expect you to be over here.” She admitted. “Well, you said it yourself.” Scootaloo replied as she casually picked the shirt off the rack, “I’m no NBA or even WNBA player. I’m still only like a size 14- if you happen to find anything you think I might like.” “Hehe, what do you like? You seem to be effectuated with bright colours and cartoons it seems.” She said, referencing the pack of diapers she curiously investigated earlier, “I always thought you’d like something a bit more pop-punky. You know, band t-shirts, natural colours, leather and denim?” The child nodded, “I do, but let’s face it. I don’t want to seem like I’m obsessed with music.” She said, walking up to a rack of colourful denim shorts, “I-I still like bands and stuff like Greenday or All Time Low. But I wouldn’t mind showing off, you know? Look bit more ‘girly’.” “Hehe, I understand.” The women smiled, looking down at the child and playfully ruffling her hair, “When you’re done though. Just toss everything in the cart and bring it on there. I’ll be waiting.” She said, waving a hand to the girl. “Gotcha.” Scootaloo answered, turning her attention back to the isles upon isles of clothing racks. Brands like Joy, New Age, Play Girl, Fashion By Design, and other fashions lined the walls. But aside from the occasional cutsie t-shirt, romper, or doll dress, she stuck with her roots. Instead picking out very colorful to natural coloured shorts and matching them with t-shirts, cardigans, and more form fitted khaki coloured bomber jacket. Upon finishing her shopping, the girl used a good part of her physical strength simply to push the cart over to the resting bench where her aunt was sitting. “Alright. I-I got a new wardrobe.” She said, letting her guardian take the cart. “Oh wow, you definitely did, didn’t you.” She said, picking up the various pieces of clothing. Smiling, she smirked, “Alright. So I see you definitely went heavy on the band shirts- and apparently walking around underdressed. Hehe- you uh, you forgot to buy any panties, bras, or socks.” She said, picking a pleated flannel skirt and dropping it back into the container. Scootaloo’s eyes opened wild and she smiled, “Oh yeah! I completely forgot. Sorry, my mom always bought my underwear. It’s why it’s always so ugly. I mean- you’ve seen the bra I’m wearing.” “Hehe, do you even know what size bra you wear.” Fluttershy asked, quite impressed by the child’s apathetic take on her fashion. Blushing, the child chuckled, “Hehe… no.” *** “Wow. That was expensive. You have expensive taste.” Fluttershy giggled, watching the girl pace alongside her as they made their way towards the exit. “Hehe. I’m sorry it cost so much.” Scootaloo blushed, continuing to hold unto the railing of the cart as they stepped out of the clothing store. She looked over at Fluttershy, “If you want, I could pay for lunch. I still have money from cleaning the neighbors-“ Humbled, the mother made a shewing motion with her hand, “You’re good Scootaloo, you earned that money and your clothes.” She said as she pushed the cart through the big glass door that divided the store’s precious AC from the rest of the practically smoking earth. “Oh wow.” Scootaloo said, setting onto the stubbornly hot concrete sidewalk that surrounded the mall, “No joke. Are we going through some sort of heat wave right now?” “I think we might be.” Fluttershy commented, stopping in her tracks. Reaching in her brown messenger bag, she tug around for a bit and eventually pulled a travel sized blue bottle. “Hold out your arms.” She said, ducking next to the child. Scootaloo’s eyes widened as far as they could go with the sun as bright as it was, “Sunscreen? I thought we were just going to lunch after this?” Rubbing the topical gel between her hands, She gently gripped Scootaloo’s forearm and started rubbing it in. “We are just going to lunch. But, I know you have sensitive skin Scootaloo- remember that time at the Zoo when you were younger and you got burnt walking in and out of the exhibits; and that was mostly all indoors.” Scootaloo cringed at the relatively cold gel absorbed its way into her skin. “Ooh- oh, that actually fells nice” She said, easing up to the feeling as her aunt started rubbing at the back of her neck. The smell hit her nose like a gas leak and let out a small forcible cough, “Ech- ow. Isn’t this still a bit excessive?” “Nope.” Fluttershy said, finishing up. Throwing the gel back into her bag, she rubbed the reminents off on her dress, “I know you might be used to the rough and tough method of doing everything yourself. But I’m a little bit more- I’m a bit more ‘protective’ of kids than your mom is.” Following from behind, the child more or less clung to her aunts side as they made their way back to the car. “What do you mean ‘protective’?” Fluttershy approached her car and lifted her key ring up in the air. Clicking a button, she smirked watching the trunk door fly open. “I mean, that I’m more concerned about your well-being than your mom will or would be.” “How come?” Scootaloo asked, picking up one of the heavy colourfully decorated shopping bags with both hands and tossed it into the car. Fluttershy thought about it for just a second as she moved the other two clothing bags as well as the one with electronics into the rear of the Tesla. Shutting the trunk, she nodded, “That’s a good question. Let me go get this put away and I’ll get back to on that.” Acting in occurrence with Fluttershy’s wishes, Scootaloo walked over to the passenger side of the car and got inside. She waited for a minute, silently tapping her little flip-flops against the rubber ground mat; just waiting for the answer. “Alrighty.” Fluttershy answered as she climbed in. She stuck the key in the ignition to turn the A/C on, then leaned back in her leather seat. Smiling, she turned her head to the girl, “Because I can recognize that while you’re not a baby anymore, you’re also not an adult either. And while I'm sure you have plenty of life experience, you guidence is still an important part of growing up to be a healthy person.” Curious, Scootaloo looked down at her lap and then back over at Fluttershy. “G-go on?” she asked, swallowing rather harshly. The mother nodded, “I know you’ve been raised differently from most kids, Scootaloo. Your home life was a bit colder than most, you didn’t always have the most money, and – well you know what I’m saying.” She deliberated as she focused thought on getting the car back onto the street. The child sat in her seat, tensing up at the thought. Her mind rising, she seemingly burned on the inside as her face flared up in a bright red hue; she looked embarrassed. The mother made a quick glance at the girl at the child then frowned sympathetically. “Oh honey, no. There’s not a single thing wrong with you. I’m just saying that it’s important to me that I treat you better than your mother did because you do deserve to be treated rightly- like a child.” She said, reaching an arm out to her niece and patting her shoulder. There was a part of the child’s psyche that wanted to freak out, but at the same time there was a calm serenity to her godmother’s touch; almost like watching wind blow behind storm proof windows. Of all the emotions she was feeling, she decided to express happiness.” “Y-you remember how last night I-I said I wanted to get something off my chest?” The girl asked, in a very half confident manner, with a very half happy smile. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, “Does it have to do with your mother's fight with you?” Scootaloo’s face kept it’s blushed shade of red and her heart rate picked up again, but that didn’t stop her nodding. “Y-yeah. I-I guess she told you. I-If I’m going to be living with you for a while- I-I think you outta hear it from my mouth though.” she said, twittering her fingers against the car's leather window-sill. “Sure thing.” Fluttershy agreed, looking at the Ponyville exit sign. “Do you want to wait until we get to the restaurant to talk about it? I could understand if you did.” “Actually, C-could we just skip the lunch out and buy pizza or something tonight? I’m already feeling a little woozy just thinking about telling you.” The girl replied, sinking back into her seat a little. Nodding, Fluttershy simply patted the girl’s shoulder again as she kept a curious eye planted on the traffic on the highway, “That’s perfectly fine Scoots." The child nervously smiled as she muttered, “T-thanks. Well basically, I uh- I wanna be babied. Not like necessarily dressed like a baby and not like talked to like a baby. But still-“ “You want to be pampered like a toddler?” Fluttershy interjected, quite sure of Scootaloo’s intent. She kept a straight face, “I'm no physiological expert, but from the way your mothers' been talking about you, it seems like you've been missing a stable parental figure. I didn't want to say anything until I found out for sure, but I assumed the diapers your mom busted you for last night might be a form of succorance. Um- I guess I right." The child turned amber red at the face, but felt strangely relaxed by the presence of her Godmother. Looking up at rather bushy green foliage that surrounded her on each side, she smiled quite hopeful. “C-could you do it? C-could you treat me like baby?” she turned her eyes to her guardian. “Well of course I can baby you; if that makes you feel more comfortable that is.” Fluttershy replied, turning off into the heavily forested back road where her cottage lay. She kept one hand on the leather exterior of the wheel and the other one in her lap. Her emotions simmered down a bit as the child simply patted her lap with both hands. “I-I’m not gonna lie. I was excepting you to freak out a little bit more than this. A-are you sure you’re alright with it.” Giggling, the godmother nodded. “Hehe, I’m sure I’ll be alright babying you. I mean, I'll have to get used to talking like a baby to someone your age, but I know it's something you'd have to feel genuine about to admit it. If you want to wear diapers, suckle on a binky, and have me keep you on a short leash like when you were a toddler, I won't judge; as long as doing it keeps you feeling proactive." “W-wow. T-that’s such a relief.” Scootaloo admitted, quieting her hands movement. Curiously, she looked over, “Wait, what do you mean by ‘keep me on a short leash’?” Fluttershy watched as the silver end of the Telsa stopped a few meters in front of the garage and smiled, “I mean I’d treat you more like one of the kids I baby sit. You know, I’d feed you, hold your hand in public, make you ask to use the bathroom- err, or change you if you want me to.” Scootaloo’s face flushed red again, “You would? Wouldn't that be like- gross?” The aunt nodded as she lay back in her seat. Staring the blushing child in her now very white eyes, she smirked in a somewhat proud manner, “Scootaloo. I’ve changed baby diapers and I’ve changed old lady diapers. I’ve cleaned up vomit. I’ve cleaned up blood. And I’ve stitched open wounds shut. There’s pretty well nothing you acting like a baby that'd disgust me.” Beaming in a gaze of child like innocence, she practically cheered, “Ooh- could you diaper me?” The godmother blinked for just a second before give her niece another smiling nod, “Sure things Scoots, it’ll be just like old times. Who said that 2005 had to be the end of your diaper days.” She giggled.