Regression

“You want me to what, Dusk?” Scootaroll said, dumbstruck by my preposition.

“It’s simple, Scootaroll.” I explained, holding up a collar with my magic. “I’m doing a study in how a pony’s mind reacts to being assigned a role. I’ve already done this experiment with all manners of sentient beings, but I have yet to make a pony pretend to be a domesticated housepet. I’d like to study the effects of you being treated as such.”

The young colt stood in front of me, his expression that of pure confusion. I tapped my hoof patiently, knowing that he wasn’t the most scientifically inclined pegasus. The light filtering through the library windows was enough to illuminate his two friends, Soothe Belle and Apple Blossom. All of them seemed confused by what I was proposing, but none more so than the pony I had in mind for the main test subject. Scootaroll was downright unable to comprehend the conjecture, so I sighed and resorted to a more exact method of explanation. Though Soothe Belle seemed to have a good idea of what I was saying, I conjured a small chalkboard, about the size of my chest, and held it up with my magic. Since words seemed to be quite lost on them, I’d have to use something a bit more on their level.

“Now, ponies are what you’d call ‘high-thinking’ or ‘sentient’ creatures, since we can imagine, remember, and do all sorts of marvellous things with our minds.” I explained, drawing a pony with a brain next to it, with an IQ number of 89. “Domesticated animals are a few steps lower, lacking the exact accuracy we possess with our mental capacities.” I drew a cat, then put an IQ number of 57. “I want Scootaroll to act, and I want you two to treat him, as if he was a common housepet. While doing this, I’d like Scootaroll to try and give himself the mentality of a pet. With this test, I’d like to shed new light on how a pony responds to being given a title, and how he reacts given that title.” I finished, drawing a pony between the two creatures, then arrows between them and, in the centre, the word ‘correlation’. “I want to know if he will mentally regress or not. In layman’s speech, if he’ll start to take on the role as a housepet.”

“Why are we doing this, though?” Soothe Belle asked, tilting his head to the side. “It sounds like a waste of time. And kind of embarrassing for Scootaroll, too.”

I sighed, putting my hoof on the bridge of my nose. Of course, being foals, they’d need incentive. “Hmm… whatever you want from me, I’ll give it to you at the end of the experiment.” I promised.

“Do we have to do this all the time, like, even in public?” Scootaroll asked, eying the collar derisively. “Because I don’t want to go around being treated like I’m Apple Blossom’s pet cat.”

“All the time.” I repeated in a commanding tone, handing over the collar and leash to Scootaroll, who accepted them with a look of loathing. “If I find that you’ve been treating Scootaroll like a pony, then I’ll have to take my business elsewhere, including your rewards.”

“Can we get a definitive list of what we are, and aren’t, allowed to do?” Soothe Belle asked, wanting specifics.

I smiled, having known that he would be the one to ask such a question. I summoned a list I’d prepared beforehand, taking out a pair of reading glasses. “Scootaroll isn’t allowed to do any of the following; speak, make any other sound than what a cat would, take off his collar except during bathing, be off a leash if outside, do or use anything that would require a higher thought process, engage in any game except for those that require extremely simple actions, such as fetch, and finally he is not to eat any food reserved for a pony. Wheat only.” I concluded, smiling a bit at Scootaroll’s mortified expression. “In a nutshell, he must act as a pet would.”

“How long do I have to do this?” Scootaroll asked, seeming much less enthusiastic. “A few days? A week or two, tops?”

“About a month.” I shrugged, knowing that it was probably the longest they could manage considering the restrictions. “Also, there are things that you two have to do, too.” I said, motioning to Soothe Belle and Apple Blossom. “You two are to feed him, bathe him three times a day after the third day of the experiment, since during those he can wash himself. You must play the aforementioned simplistic games with him for at least an hour every day to keep him in shape, prevent him from breaking the above rules, have a cage for him if he misbehaves, and overall you must care for him as any good pet owner would.”

Both of the colts looked at each other uncomfortably, as if they were being asked to do something vile. I could see it on their faces that they didn’t feel right, treating their friend in such a manner. I rolled my eyes; they didn’t seem to realize how lenient I was being, considering all the things I could be asking of them. Instead of rebuking them for their lack of resolve, or faith in the scientific process, I decided to reassure them.

“Look, I know this seems… strange, and probably feels instinctually wrong, but it’s actually quite logical. Part of the reason that I chose you three is that you’re so close, and your friendship will survive through this, no matter how awkward things get. Besides that, a lot of ponies wouldn’t trust themselves to be at the total mercy of their friends, which is what sets you all apart. Scootaroll can trust you to take good care of him later in the experiment, considering that you’ve been friends for so long.”

“But it doesn’t feel right, Dusk Shine.” Scootaroll protested, holding the collar and leash as if they were hot coals. “It’s demeaning, thinking of Soothe Belle treating me the way you’re suggesting.”

“Soothe Belle, how often do you give Opalescence a bath?” I asked, turning to the young unicorn.

“About three times a week.” The colt said, looking at me curiously. “Why are you asking?”

“Does it ever seem strange, or awkward, whenever you give her a bath?” I asked, dodging his question so I could make my point.

“Well, no. She trusts me, and it’s totally normal.”

I turned to Scootaroll, gesturing to Soothe Belle. I knew this base of logic was being used out of context, but it would make sense to him, and further my goals towards persuading him. “See, Scootaroll?” I exclaimed. “It isn’t awkward giving his pet a bath, and if you’re doing your job, it won’t be whenever either of them give you one. Besides, Apple Blossom washes cows sometimes, and they’re practically ponies, aren’t they? It isn’t awkward when he does it to them. He also herds them into pastures, and sometimes he milks them. During none of those daily routines it’s never odd, or uncomfortable. It’s just him doing his job, and the cow accepting its position. If you did that, then none of this will be even remotely strange, I promise you.”

“Are you sure, Dusk Shine?” The colt asked, still not quite convinced.

“I’m adamant on this, Scootaroll.” I replied sternly. “After the first few days, it’ll practically feel natural. Just give it a chance, and if you don’t like it, you only have to do it for a month. I swear on Solaris’ mane.”

They exchanged looks, cementing their resolve towards the project at last. I exhaled at how much work that had been, knowing that it would have been made much easier if they weren’t so stubborn. Of course, they’d need to know specifics on how to do this, and I’d need to know where Scootaroll was at all times. I looked at each of them in turn, knowing that it was probably too soon to be asking. Still, I needed them to follow the plan perfectly, and in order to do that I needed a schedule.

“Okay, it’s summer, so none of you have school.” I began, pulling out a piece of paper. “What’s your typical week?”

They stood there, halting as their minds switched gears. It was Soothe Belle, as usual, who was the first to respond. “Since it’s summer, we’ll be staying at my house with Elusive, Apple Blossom’s barn, and Butterscotch’s cottage. Sometimes we can be found at our treehouse, too.”

I wrote down each location respectively, nodding. “Which location will you be staying at the most? Do you have a specific time when you’re at these places?”

This time it was Apple Blossom speaking, as if he’d memorized their schedule. “On Mondays through Wednesdays we’re at my barn. Thursday and Friday is when we’re at Elusive’s haberdashery, and then we spend the weekends at Butterscotch’s cottage.”

I jotted the new information down, nodding. “Now, I’ll send out letters to Butterscotch, Applejack and Elusive that this is happening. That way you don’t get strange glances toting Scootaroll around on a leash.”

“I think we’ll get some funny looks regardless.” Soothe Belle commented. “It’s not like what you’re asking is something ponies just do on weekends. This is grade ‘A’ weirdo material.”

“Seconded.” Apple Blossom piped up.

“Thirded?” Scootaroll said, not quite knowing how to express his agreement. “I mean, I’m on their side.”

“I won’t deny this is a little strange.” I sighed, tapping a hoof on my desk. “But this is in the name of science, and the worst that can happen is one of you getting embarrassed. If that’s the most malignant factor in this equation, then I see no reason not to do this. Besides, you already agreed. The experiment starts tomorrow. I’ll check on you sporadically, once every few days to see if you’re sticking to the plan.”

With that I ushered them out, glad to have finally set my plan in motion. This experiment would garner the most interesting data yet, if I knew those three. Besides that, I’d made a good choice making sure they knew exactly what to do. They’d need to follow the plan strictly if this was to work, and the results were to be legitimate. I turned back to the desk, taking out my wax seal and a few sheets of paper. The biggest challenge would be explaining this to Solaris, and my friends. However, this was a revolutionary study, and I had to do my best. I dipped my quill in ink and began to write, noticing that Barbara was still in bed, even at though it was past noon. I made a mental note to wake the sleepy dragoness, but only after I was finished with the task at hoof.

“So are you ready to be our pet, Scootaroll?” Soothe Belle asked as he trotted beside me.

“I don’t know guys.” I sighed, the leash and collar in my saddlebag suddenly seeming much heavier than they were. “It feels weird, y’know? It’s like I know you two are okay with this, but at the same time I don’t know if I want to. I know you won’t do anything to me during this experiment thing, but then again… sometimes you two mess up on accident. I’m just having a hard time figuring out if I can trust you two.”

“You can trust us!” Apple Blossom said, jamming an elbow into my shoulder in what was his version of a pat on the back. “Have I ever let you down, Scootaroll?” He questioned in his sultry southern accent.

I cast him a doubtful look from under my brow. “The time you let all the cows stampede, the time you suggested knot-tying as a Cutie Mark, that other time the cattle escaped, the time Grandpa Smith sat in bed for hours because you forgot to go and help him up, when you left a nail protruding through the floorboards in the clubhouse, the incident when you-”

“It was a rhetorical question.” He interjected defensively.

“What I think Apple Blossom was trying to say, is that we’ll try our hardest to make these easy for you.” Soothe Belle elucidated, smiling comfortingly. “We can’t tell you we won’t slip up sometimes, because we’re only ponies, but we can tell you that we’ll do our best.”

I nodded, glad that he’d taken the time to explain it so smoothly. Things always seemed a bit better coming from Soothe Belle. For some reason he always had an aura of calm, as if he was completely confident in what he was doing at any given moment. Despite that, I couldn’t help but have a few lingering doubts. After all, Apple Blossom wasn’t renowned as the most conscious of his friends’ comfort. He didn’t really have a particularly keen sense of personal space, and though his morals were cast in iron, he could sometimes be a bit stubborn. How this would factor into the coming weeks, I didn’t know. All I knew was that we would have to be prepared for this.

We made tracks to Elusive’s haberdashery, the thoughts of what we’d be doing for the next month lingering in our minds. Apple Blossom always wore his emotions, and one could see that he was a bit more than uncomfortable. I knew he’d get over it eventually, but for now all of us were still confused as to why we were even agreeing to this. The whole experiment seemed to focus on me making a total foal of myself. I had the utmost of respect for Dusk Shine and is vast intellect, but this was pushing the moral boundaries. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d done something ridiculous for the scholar, though. Only a few weeks ago he’d asked us to watch a young wyvern, and as a result we’d nearly burnt down his library. His ‘experiments’ oftentimes led to questions over the scientist’s mental integrity, and always led to us doing something dangerous and absurd, oftentimes in equal measures.

Despite his bad track record, we each got letters of commendation from Solaris, saying that we’d ‘made major contributions to the field of psychology’. Exactly how we’d done that, I never knew. All I knew was that all these strange things we did for Dusk seemed to earn us major points with the king of Equestria, and that was enough to keep us doing these outlandish favours. Soothe Belle in particular liked doing these experiments, since he had the brains of a college professor. It didn’t bother me, but he was often encouraged our participation, volunteering us for things we never asked for. This led to situations much like the one we found ourselves in, with all of us second-guessing whether Dusk was a scholar or a mad scientist, with little sympathy for his test subjects. It sure seemed that way, considering how demeaning this latest scheme was. I could only imagine how I’d feel in a few days’ time, with Apple Blossom scrubbing my mane. I felt my ears folding to my head in embarrassment and irritation at the thought.

After a few blocks of walking we found ourselves at Soothe Belle’s house, the flags on the roof fluttering in the late afternoon breeze. We hardly ever stayed there due to Elusive’s strict rules regarding guests, but this summer he’d decided to lift the ban on unscheduled visits. We trotted inside, the air conditioning washing over us, making us all feel as if we’d been doused in ice-water. I skipped over saying hello to Belle’s older brother and went directly through the kitchen, making fast tracks for the stairs. Apple Blossom kept even pace with me while Soothe Belle lagged behind, calling a hasty greeting to his sibling before jogging to catch up. We were already halfway up the stairs before he once again walked beside us, blinking in confusion.

“Aren’t you guys excited, though?” He asked, smiling enthusiastically. “I mean, this is another chance to get our Cutie Marks, and do something fun!”

I threw him a scathing look, irritated that he’d even suggest this activity was ‘fun’. “Do you think I want to act like a total foal for a month?”

His face fell from ecstatic to concerned as he replied, seemingly taken aback. “What’s wrong, Scootaroll? This isn’t anything to be ashamed of, if that’s what you’re thinking. We’re doing this for study purposes only, and besides, you’re amongst friends. We promise we’ll never think bad of you for it.”

“It’s still demeaning.” I growled, turning into Soothe Belle’s bedroom. “It doesn’t matter if you can justify it, that doesn’t change what it is. I don’t want to act like I’m somepony’s pet for a month. ”

“Why not, though?” Soothe Belle asked, taking a seat on the edge of his canopy bed. “I mean, we know it’s just acting. You’re only pretending you’re a pet, we all know that you’re still Scootaroll. Why are you making it out to be so bad? It’s not like we’ll treat you awfully or anything. It’ll be the same as Apple Blossom and Winona, or me and Opalescence. We keep our distance from each other, and if you need something, you just ask and we’ll give it to you.”

“I shouldn’t have to rely on you like that, though.” I sighed, sitting down in a high-backed chair before continuing. “I can perfectly capable of being independent… and now I’m not supposed to do things for myself.”

“The moment you stop thinking about it like a burden, and more like an opportunity, you’ll be a lot happier.” Soothe Belle insisted. “You can’t change the fact that you agreed to this, so why are you still moping? I’d be thinking about all the fun things I could do while I’m a quote on quote ‘pet’.” He explained, making airquotes with his hooves.

“What could I possibly do as a pet that I couldn’t as a pony?” I asked sceptically.

“Well, you’re not bound by social norms.” He extrapolated. “You don’t have to confide by what ponies considering ‘normal’. That means you can nap on top of a dresser, or wag your tail, sleep whenever you want… you basically get to ignore everything that makes you a pony.”

“So if I wanted to lick your face, I could?” I asked, knowing that he hated germs.

“If you really wanted to, there would be nothing stopping you.” He admitted, albeit uncomfortably.

I smiled deviously at that and sat back in the chair, my back hooves dangling a few inches off the soft carpet as I mused. Perhaps he was right, and I was just being a sourpuss over nothing. The things he’d listed all sounded pretty fun, if only for how strange they were. He’d made a fairly valid point, although the fact that I was to be largely dependent on him still irritated me.

“And remember, if you really don’t enjoy yourself, then it’s all over in a month.” Apple Blossom pitched in, shrugging his shoulders. “Knowing you, though, you’ll probably have a good time.”

Soothe Belle was about to say something, but a knock on the door downstairs halted whatever words about to pass between us. He stopped and perked his ears to the side, trying his best to hear what was going on. We all heard a door open, then the smooth, educated tone of Dusk Shine’s voice. We could vaguely make out voices through the thick floors as we eavesdropped, eager to hear just what Dusk would be doing here so late in the day. The clock on the wall read nearly seven, meaning that he should have been cooped up in his study, reading.

“Sorry about coming over right before dinner like this.” Dusk Shine said, his voice only just reaching us through the sturdy floorboards. “You got my letter, I assume?”

“Of course.” Elusive replied, his regal tenor slightly more audible. “I don’t know why you’d put them up to something so… odd, but it’s honestly better than them running all over town looking for their Cutie Marks for the whole summer. They’re upstairs, and be mindful that I heard them arguing about it earlier.”

We all heard hoofsteps, and we hurried to make ourselves look casual in the relatively vacant room. I rearranged my limbs on the chair, sitting politely while Apple Blossom took a seat on the guest bed. By the time Dusk was at the door we all had assumed relatively bored expressions, as if we’d been talking about nothing in particular for the past half an hour. He regarded us coolly as he trotted in, taking out a pen and a notepad before he spoke.

“Well, Scootaroll.” He said, clicking the pen on the pad before he started writing. “Before we do this I think it’s an important safety measure to check your current mental health. In order to do that, I’ll just be asking you a series of simple questions, and you need to answer them. It’s really simple, and I could be out of here before dinner if we make this fast.”

I nodded and sat forward on my seat while he conjured an exact replica of the chair I sat in, making himself comfortable before we began. He honestly didn’t seem at all perturbed by the fact that we’d been talking about it, or even that Elusive had mentioned our disagreements. On the contrary, he acted as if everything were normal as he drew the ball-point pen over the paper a few times, getting the ink running before he addressed me again. The questions began simply, he asked me how old I was, my future goals, a simple starting point for a basic psychological evaluation. That was, until he brought up something that seemed a bit odd in the midst of his mundane questions.

“Have you ever considered getting wing training for your lack of wing strength?” He asked, staring at me keenly, observing every reaction.

I shifted uncomfortably at the question. I wondered if he could tell that it was one of my biggest insecurities, or that it bothered me a lot more than I’d probably let on. He jotted a quick note, nodding. What he said next continued the trend of odd questions, except this time he got a response.

“It is common for young pegasi who lack the proper flight prowess for their age, in their frustration, to pluck their wings. Have you ever done this before?”

“Why would you ask me that?” I said defensively, unconsciously tracing a hoof over my wings.

“Because I need to know how you deal with stigma.” He explained, his pen scribbling loudly as he registered my reactions. “If you aren’t good at addressing insecurities, it increases your likelihood to suffer mental degradation during the experiment. You need to have a strong sense of core self before you get go acting like something else, otherwise you might lose yourself in a persona.”

“I’ve never plucked myself before.” I insisted, becoming uncomfortable. “You should know better than to bring that up to a pegasus.”

He nodded understandingly and jotted a few more notes down before he got up, tucking his pen into the notepad before closing it. “Well, that’s all I need for now. You’re stable enough to go through with this, and I’m sure you’ll do fine. If you want to start the experiment tonight, get your hooves wet so to speak, then go ahead. It will take some getting used to after all, and judging by how much you’ve been thinking about it, you’re all just as eager as me to get this under way. Elusive told me that you’ve been discussing it amongst yourselves, but I’d like to impart a friendly reminder towards the test subject.”

With that his horn flashed, causing an extra-wide scroll to appear in front of him. He set it on the bed before he nodded, smiling as he trotted out of the room. The moment he left we glanced at each other, as if to confirm that he was indeed gone.

“I don’t mean to invade your privacy, Scoots, but…” Soothe Belle asked nervously. “Have you ever actually plucked your wings?”

I cast him a look, having hoped that he’d have the tact not to bring the uncomfortable subject up. Since he had, though, he deserved an answer.

“Yes… I have. I don’t want to talk about it, though.”

We lapsed into silence, none of us wanting to speak. As if he could sense an awkward silence settling upon us, Apple Blossom stood, picking up the scroll that Dusk had left. He opened it, revealing a list of exact instructions for how we’d be acting during the experiment. The colt shrugged and rolled it up again, tossing it up on the bed before he trotted over to the dresser, where I’d stashed my saddlebag. He picked it up, his long days on the farm allowing him to handle the heavy bags as if they were paperweights, and tossed them at the foot of my chair. I picked them up and opened the one containing the collar and leash, biting my bottom lip. The full extent of what I was about to do came crashing over me as I held that length of leather, the bell jingling lightly as I held it up to the light.

“You know you don’t have to, Scoots.” Apple Blossom said. “If you don’t feel comfortable, we won’t hold it against you.”

“No… I said that I would, and Dusk would be upset if I just quit now.” I sighed, my hooves tracing over the collar’s buckle.

I unclasped the buckle, nervously struggling with the mechanism before it came undone, and the hoop came undone. Soothe Belle got up and trotted over to me, seeing that I wasn’t going to be able to get to buckles back together again. His horn flashed and held the collar for me as I relinquished my hold on it. He seemed to bear an equally unsettled expression as he worked, and I stiffened as the collar met my neck for the first time. It felt strange; it made me feel every breath that I took with how it pressed against my windpipe. The collar gave me an uncomfortable, confined sensation, as if I was somehow trapped by it. The smoothness of the leather felt soothing to my skin, though, and the bell helped to ease my nerves as he buckled it in place. A few moments passed of the constriction around my neck, until at last Soothe Belle had it on properly. He took a step back, seeing that I needed space.

“How does it feel?” He asked, tapping his front hooves together nervously.

I was still adjusting to the feeling of it on my neck, but managed to stutter a reply. “W-well…it feels… I don’t know, really. I don’t like the way it’s always there, like I can’t get used to it. Wearing anything else will make it fade away, like wearing it feels natural, but this doesn’t. At the same time I like it, because the bell is sort of reassuring. Like everything’s going to be alright, even though it makes me feel confined. It’s… kind of hard to explain.”

“Well, as long it’s not too bad.” He said, letting out his held breath. “Do you want to start the experiment tonight, or tomorrow?”

“I can start tonight.” I confirmed, knowing that the collar was already on, and there was no going back anymore.

Apple Blossom pulled the scroll open again, taking note that there were step-by-step instructions on how we were to begin. “It says here that the very first thing is to stop talking as a pony does. Constrict your speech to the vocalizations of a common housepet. This is the most important part of the process, since speech is the main facet of a sentient being.”

“Is that really the first thing?” I groaned, wondering why it had to be my only way of communication. “How will I tell you if I need something?”

“I think we should work out a system now, that way we can work around the whole ‘no talking’ thing.” Soothe Belle suggested. “In the interest of being able to show us when you want something, I propose that you simply say ‘nyan’ twice, then move to whatever you want us to interact with for you. It’s pretty simple, but it works for Opalescence all the time.”

“Wait, cats don’t say ‘nyan’, they ‘meow’, everypony knows that.” Apple Blossom interjected.

“No, they say ‘nyan’ too.” The young unicorn countered.

They both looked at each other for a moment before turning to me, seeking my opinion on the subject. Honestly, both of them sounded demeaning, but in the interest of keeping things as non-cliché as possible, I sided with Soothe Belle. Besides, cats did tend to make the noise ‘nyan’ a  lot more than ‘meow’.

“Okay… I guess Scootarall can’t talk anymore.” Apple Blossom shrugged, looking over at me. “As of right…” he glanced at the wall, waiting for the clock to strike eight. “Now, he can’t speak.”

I wanted so much to grumble something under my breath, but I knew that they’d be holding me to the ‘no talking’ rule as strictly as possible. No sooner was I unable to speak did Elusive call up the stairs, signalling that dinner was ready. Both of them looked at each other, the nightly function having been completely forgotten in the wake of the situation at hoof. I looked at each of them, waiting for either of them to plan out a course of action. I hoped they wouldn’t ask me to come downstairs and eat at the table, considering I couldn’t speak, and I had a collar around my neck. Both of them looked at each other for a moment longer, thinking of what would be in my best interest. They knew I’d probably refuse to attend dinner as long as Elusive was there, since he was oblivious to exactly what we’d been doing upstairs. At the same time the formal stallion would most likely string us up by our hooves if we didn’t hurry up and crowd around the food that he’d painstakingly prepared for us.  The result was both of them drawing a total blank, just blinking dumbly at the other in an attempt to express how lost they were.

I stood and began to trot out of the room, knowing that I would inevitably have to explain what that we were starting the experiment tonight. My two friends fell into step a few paces behind me, warily observing my grumpy march out of the room and down the steps. It wasn’t until I was in the kitchen did I turn to them, seeing their uncertainty written on their faces. I rolled my eyes at their lack of courage and trotted out onto the main floor of the shop, where Elusive was hanging a myriad of tailcoat suits on an extra-tall rack, so they wouldn’t scrape the floor. I strode up to him and took a breath before I began to explain, in as simple a manner as possible.

“Okay, this is going to seem really weird, but we’re starting this whole experiment thing that Dusk if having us do tonight. It’s moreover to get used to the whole idea of it, and technically I’m not supposed to be speaking to you right now, but you kinda need to know. Alright?”

The stallion blinked down at me, unable to formulate a proper response for almost half a minute before he finally spoke. “That’s fine, dear.” He confirmed, still looking confused. “It’s fine if you don’t attend the table; just make sure to bring your plate down so Soothe Belle can wash it.”

I nodded and strode back into the kitchen before looking over at my friends, who had taken shelter from Elusive’s expected rant inside a clothing rack. The stepped out, wondering why the typically ultra-strict stallion had been so lenient towards me. I shrugged at them, as if to say that I didn’t know, and trotted over to the counter. Soothe Belle just shook his head, glad the whole situation hadn’t fallen apart. He levitated our three plates off the table and we went back upstairs. We were all seated in a circle on the floor before any of us spoke again, and it was Apple Blossom who broke the silence.

“You know you broke the rules, right?” He said, his tone serious.

A light ‘nyan’ was my only response, shrugging before digging into my food. Soothe Belle seemed to turn a slight shade of pink, as if the noise was the source of some embarrassment. He stood still for a moment before picking up his fork with magic, flustered as he took his first bite. His reaction was curious, seeing as how he’d been the one to volunteer me for the experiment. I smiled, imagining all the ways I could use that against him. I made the sound again, except this time at a higher pitch, glancing in his direction. Yet again he turned a slight shade of pink, looking over at me for a moment before he hid his face behind a glass.

“Thirsty, Soothe Belle?” Apple Blossom asked, having noticed the unicorn’s blushing.

“U-um, yeah.” He stuttered in response, setting his cup down.

The rest of the meal proceeded in muffled crunches as we ate, the sound of our forks on the glass plates the only noise. Occasionally Soothe Belle would look over at me, as if checking that I was still there. I did my best to act as if I didn’t notice, but it was hard to ignore considering how frequently his gaze passed over me, his eyes resting on the collar around my neck every time he thought I wasn’t looking. At first it was tolerable, after all he was struggling to rewrite his perception of me before the experiment began in earnest, but by the time we were done eating he was practically staring in my direction, the silver bell chiming against the nape of my neck the centre of his attention. Apple Blossom observed this as well, but didn’t have the courage to ask what had his friend so absorbed. After what felt like forever, I finished the final bite of my meal. I stood quickly to take my plate down the kitchen, but Soothe Belle stopped me before I could take another step towards the door.

“I can take you plate down, Scootaroll.” He said quickly, levitating my plate over to him with magic. He picked up Apple Blossom’s dish as well before he left, doing his best to avoid my gaze as he passed me.

“Does Soothe Belle seem a bit… off to you?” Apple Blossom asked, knowing that I could only answer direct ‘yes or no’ questions.

I nodded, wondering just what had the normally composed unicorn so nervous. Was it the collar, or the whole situation in general? I pondered that as I trotted over to the bed, wondering what would happen in the morning. I knew for a fact that the moment the sun came up I’d be considered a pet, and although that felt demeaning, I knew that it was for Dusk Shine, and for science. It hadn’t driven us to do anything overly uncomfortable before, and this would be no different. I was about to take a leap up onto the soft, comfortable guest bed before Apple Blossom stopped me, one of his legs darting in front of me to bar the way.

“You’re a pet now, Scoot.” He said, shaking his head. “You can’t sleep in beds. You can have the chair, it’s plenty big enough for you.”

I gave him a scathing look before turning, grouchily hopping onto the seat of the chair before settling down, glaring in his direction as he tucked into the warm blankets. I knew that this would happen, but I’d at least been expecting a little leniency from them. What I was getting was the polar opposite; they were holding me to these rules as if I genuinely was an animal in their care, and I was to be treated like one. I sighed before closing my eyes, knowing that Soothe Belle would be along to turn off the lights in a moment.