Published: October 10th 2022, 12:00:07 pm
"Th-Thank you," Valerie forced herself to say, yet again, a glare from Nanny she could feel even with her own eyes cast down at the floor managing to dig a smile up from somewhere. She certainly didn't feel like doing so on her own, not after this 'party.' She'd been given a bunch of baby stuff, stripped down to her diaper, which she'd filled in front of all of them, spanked, and put into the corner where she could only listen as they all enjoyed her birthday cake to feel sorry for herself, and overhear snippets of conversation about how well this new life suited her.
Now, at least, Nanny had given her something else to wear after letting her out of her time-out, though it wasn't her party dress, with any slight hope she might have had to hide her drooping diaper with its skirt... It was a pink t-shirt with a unicorn on it, cut high enough to guarantee that her bulky padding - and the state of it - was on full display as she was led to the door to say goodbye to every one of her guests as they filed out, one final reminder to them of what she, the former class president, had become.
"Oh, sweetie, you are so welcome," Anita replied, kneeling down in front of her to tickle her chin. "You know I'm always happy to... help... you out."
Valerie glared at her, having so many things that she wanted to say, but she didn't have the courage with Nanny right beside her... And, honestly, even if the woman hadn't been there, she wasn't sure she would have... Anita had been scary enough on her own before Valerie had shrunken down to the size of a toddler, and she'd been humiliated enough today; she didn't need to give Anita a reason to do anything else to her.
"So cranky!" Anita giggled. "Do you need me to stay and get you changed while your parents clean up?"
"There's no need for that," Nanny told her. "Thank you, though dear... For everything."
"No problem!" Anita smiled up at Nanny, giving Valerie a wave. "I'll see you later, squirt!"
"Have a good time at college!" Valerie winced at Nanny's words, at another reminder that her friends were all getting to go there, while she was stuck in kindergarten... And, looking at the differences between them now, between her outfit and the nice, grown-up clothes they were all wearing, between their sizes, and their apparent maturity levels, it was hard not to think that they were all right where they belonged.
"Good girl," Nanny patted Valerie on the bottom, the girl's nose wrinkling as the contents of her diaper squished. "Why don't you go to your room and wait for me there so I can change you and get you ready for bed?"
Valerie looked around, letting out a sigh of relief to see that she was finished, that all of her guests were gone, the house empty except for her family and Nanny. "Yes, Nanny," she nodded obediently, toddling away. It felt like it was early for bedtime, especially for her birthday, but she was honestly pretty worn out after everything, and didn't have the strength to argue about it.
As she approached her room, however, she recalled what Summer had told her during the present opening, and peered towards her bedroom door. Surely she could stop by there for a minute... It hadn't sounded like Nanny was planning on following her right away...
"Hello?" She tapped on the door timidly, blinking up at her big sister when she opened it. The room - a room she'd been in countless times - seemed unfamiliar to her now, both oddly large, with so many things taken down and deconstructed, and oddly small, with all the boxes stacked around it, filled with Summer's things. She was almost done packing now, just about ready to move out...
Valerie had known that was the case, or that it should be, considering how close they were to Summer's move-in day at her own place, yet that didn't stop a sense of melancholy from washing over her at the sight of it. It had happened once before, when Summer had gone off to school... That hadn't lasted long, though, before that fateful summer, after which she'd gotten ten more years with her big sister, even if, by then, she'd been the little sister of the family.
And now, Valerie was once again the little sister, in every sense of the word, and Summer was leaving, like all the friends she'd just said goodbye to, moving on to the next phase of her life, while Valerie had taken a huge leap backwards, into diapers and a third round of kindergarten.
"Hey," Summer said. "What's wrong?"
Valerie blushed, reaching up to wipe her eyes, shaking her head. "N-Nothing," she lied.
"Poor little thing," Summer smiled gently, stroking Valerie's hair. "Well, I promised you a real present, didn't I?" Valerie didn't want to seem greedy, but she nodded, unable to deny that was why she was here. What did Summer have in mind? If she was doing it here, and not at the party, it must be something good, right? "Well," Summer told her, reaching into her pocket. "I think you're really going to like this..."
Valerie's eyes widened as she saw the ring, the one that had started this whole mess, that had ended with her as the baby she now was. "W-Wait!" she squealed, feeling her bladder letting go, flooding her already well-used diaper in fear, until she remembered that, after she'd tried so hard to get ahold of that ring before, it had been completely dead when she finally had. "Wait," she repeated, more resignedly. "That doesn't even do anything anymore... I don't care about that."
"Oh, you don't, huh?" Summer chuckled. "Well, if you don't want to be big again..."
"B-Big?" Valerie tilted her head. "L-Like..." What did she mean? Did she just mean going back to her regular size, or undoing all of this, going back to being an adult? Or, more likely, was this all a trick, and she was planning on some further way to humiliate and infantilize her? Valerie wouldn't have thought there was any further for her to sink, but she could always been in daycare instead of kindergarten, or she could lose her ability to walk, or talk, or... There was still plenty Summer could take from her, if she wanted.
"Do you like being so tiny?" Summer asked. "It is convenient for taking care of you, but I assumed..."
Valerie was a bit disappointed that was all she meant, although it was better than nothing. "No," she shook her head.
"It'll be a good first step towards growing back up," Summer told her. "Maybe it won't take you ten years."
Valerie groaned at that idea; it was hardly the first time it had occurred to her that she might be stuck like this for as long as Summer was, but hearing her say it out loud as a possibility made it feel all the more real. Was she going to repeat kindergarten ten times? Or would she get to move up a grade or two eventually? Would that actually be any better, when she knew she belonged in college, instead, and then grad school, and then the real world, as the years ticked away?
"Because, sweetie, I found a way to recharge this ring, just a bit... Just enough for one little spell... So I thought you might want it back after all. But, if you don't..." She started to slip it back into her pocket.
"No!" Valerie shook her head, reaching her hand out. "No, I want it!"
"I had a feeling you might," Summer smirked, bending down and putting the ring into Valerie's waiting palm. "Happy birthday, Valerie."
Valerie could tell right away that something had, indeed changed from the last time she'd held the ring... Before, it had felt like a hunk of metal, nothing more, but the same spark, the tingly sensation that had come over her the very first time she'd held it, so long ago, was back, if a bit weaker. She slid it slowly over her finger, marveling as it fit perfectly, despite definitely seeming far too big for her tiny toddler fingers just a moment earlier while Summer was holding it.
She heard a giggle escape her mouth; small as she was, she hadn't felt this powerful in quite a long time... She felt like she could do anything... Making herself big again would be nice, sure... After her disastrous senior year, after her summer with Anita, after that awful birthday party she'd just lived through, however didn't she deserve some revenge? Never mind that Summer had been through far worse than she had, in her time as the family baby... All Valerie cared about was what had happened to her.
There was a lot she would have liked to do with this power, but if Summer was telling the truth, if she only had one spell, she'd have to make it count... Fortunately, she was smart, and her brain was aching for a change to exercise itself, to think about something other than 'learning' her ABCs at school. The perfect solution came to her like a bolt from the blue, and she grinned as she closed her eyes and envisioned it, waiting for the magic to work, like it had when she was a kid.
She was going to switch bodies with Summer. She'd get to be the grown-up, moving out on her own, able to do anything she wanted, and Summer, for everything she'd done to her, for turning her into this baby, would get to enjoy the fruits of her labor... first-hand. Maybe Valerie would even get Summer's powers when she was in her body, would be able to do whatever else she wanted with her magic... She couldn't believe Summer hadn't thought of this, had just handed over the tool Valerie needed to make it happen... Valerie really was smarter than her, and always had been; she deserved to be the big sister, and Summer deserved to go right back into diapers.
She could feel it worked, felt the ring around her finger heating up, gathering its magic or whatever it was doing... Getting warmer and warmer, and... "Ow!" she squealed, eyes popping open, disappointed to see, instantly, that she was still in her own body, still looking out from her shrunken viewpoint, as she lifted her hand, right in time to see the ring burst into blue flame and melt away into thin air, leaving only a burn mark on her flesh.
"Oh, Valerie," Summer sighed, kneeling down, cupping her little sister's hand between hers. "You couldn't just take your present and be happy, huh?"
Valerie blushed, squirmed. "Wh-What are you going to do to me?" she sniffed. A trap... Summer had known Valerie might try something like that, and set up a trap with the ring, somehow, to keep her from using it against her... And now, the ring, and any chance Valerie had of using any magic herself, was gone.
"You wanted to turn me into a baby again, huh?" Summer raised an eyebrow, Valerie wanting to deny it, yet unable to, knowing it would be a lie, that Summer probably knew the truth already. "Sorry, sweetie... I only wear diapers for one person now, and only when I feel like it. I'm not about to go back to them full-time."
"I-I'm sorry!" Valerie squealed. "I-I didn't mean to!"
"Yes, you did," Summer smiled softly. "And that's okay... It just means that you're right where you belong, for now." She moved her top hand away from Valerie's, revealing that the burn had healed.
"Y-You don't need the ring!" Valerie reminded her, as if she hadn't proved that a split second earlier. "Y-You can make me big again!"
"I can," Summer nodded. "And one day, when you prove to me that you're ready, I will... But that's not going to be today. Maybe at Christmas, if you can behave yourself... Or your next birthday..."
"Next birthday?!" Valerie stomped her foot. Even Christmas was too long to be stuck like this! Summer could fix her in the blink of an eye, like she had with her finger, and she refused to do it! It wasn't fair!
"Oh, there you are," Nanny poked her head into the room. "Is she giving you trouble, Summer? Throwing a tantrum, getting in the way of you packing?"
Valerie gulped, looking up at her sister, knowing that she could easily say yes and have Nanny believe her, and earn Valerie another punishment. "No," Summer shook her head, ruffling Valerie's hair. "I called her in here... I just wanted to tell her goodbye, since she'll probably still be at school when I finish moving everything out tomorrow... And happy birthday."
She gave Valerie a hug, then sent her over to meet Nanny at the door with one final diaper pat. Valerie toddled over, glancing behind herself, hoping that her sister would change her mind, would take mercy on her and cast one more spell before she left, give her one final birthday present... But she knew she'd already gotten all that she deserved.
"Don't forget," Summer called, "Be a good girl! Santa Claus is always watching!"
Did that mean she was going to make good on her promise? That she'd undo at least part of this magic on her, if she could behave herself until Christmas? That was a long ways off, but... Maybe she could do it. Maybe she could keep from getting into trouble at school, because she was so bored with all of her lessons, and so frustrated that, despite knowing all of it, she was completely unable to prove it when the time came... And maybe she could do everything Nanny wanted, without making a fuss, no matter how much of a baby it made her feel like... She was going to have to, or her next birthday party might look an awful lot like the one she'd just had...