Twilight saw Sunset and all of the other pixie-fied girls staring out into the rest of the nursery. Cooing and smiling, she fluttered her wings and flew over to them, while at the same time, unintentionally blowing them all away with each flap. But when she saw them hanging on for dear life, fighting against the force of her miniscule gusts, Twilight couldn't help but giggle and clap her hands.
"Twilight!" Sunset flapped her wings as hard as ever she could, trying desperately not to splat against the wall and turn into a pixie pancake. "Stop that! I'm very delicate!"
Twilight eventually landed in the crib right in front of the wind-battered pixies, drooling as she hunched her body down and reached out for Sugarcoat.
"H-hey! Watch it!" Sugarcoat squirmed and wriggled around in Twilight's grasp, but she couldn't free herself from the giant purple hand. Seconds later, she found her entire top half wedged into Twilight's mouth, saliva drizzled down as it smothered her and made her feel sticky all over. She groaned and shivered, kicking her legs about in an attempt to slide out of the infant's mouth, before she was spat out and landed with a coat of spit all over her.
"Sugarcoat!" Sunny Flare flitted over and reached an arm out for her, only to have her own hand covered in the gooey drool too once Sugarcoat took it and stood upright. "Eww! Gross!"
"Sucked on by a magical baby..." Sugarcoat groaned as she shook herself down in a feeble attempt to remove most of the residue. "This is a new personal low for me..."
"Twilight! Bad!" Sunset stomped up to Twilight with her hands balled up into fists and her forehead lines bent into waves. "We don't treat our aunties like pacifiers in this house!" She pouted and puffed out her chest. "Now, apologize to Sugarcoat right now, missy!"
But Twilight lit up her horn and levitated Sunset into the air. Using her magic, she brought her mama close to her chest and hugged her tightly, suffocating Sunset Shimmer with each second. Cooing and babbling in incoherent baby gibberish, Twilight flailed her stumpy feet, banging against the tiny crib mattress. The shockwaves caused all of the Shadowbolts to fall to their bellies with loud thumps.
"Twuhlughmmph!" Sunset's cries were muffled behind Twilight's arms. "Lmmmphmmmphm mmph!"
"Sunset!" Indigo Zap flew as fast as her new wings could carry her and tried to pull Sunset out of Twilight's grip. She strained and struggled until her face turned dark blue, and when Twilight finally let go, they both catapulted out into the air. "WHOA! THIS WOULD BE AMAZING IF I WEREN'T SO TINY!"
Twilight guffawed as Sunset and Indigo crashed against the ceiling and fell towards the ground. She reached up for the two tumbling pixies and lit up her hand with a bright purple aura. Her little hand created a ghostly arm that stretched out and grabbed Sunset and Indigo, and shook them up as Twilight wiggled her own hand.
"TwIiIiIiIiLlLlLlLlLgHt!" Sunset was jiggled around so much that it was almost impossible for her to speak normally. "StOoOoOoOoOoP tHiIiIiIiS!"
"Hey. We're magical pixies now, so shouldn't we have, oh, I don't know... MAGIC?!" Sour Sweet screamed from the crib's mattress.
"Oh yeah! Totally forgot about that." Lemon Zest rubbed her hands together and made herself glow brightly. Her entire body twinkled and shone as she channeled magic inbetween her fingers. "Alright, tiny me. Let's see what this new body can do..."
Lemon shot out a trail of green mist at Twilight, making her float into the air. As her magic got a good grip on the oversized magic baby, she had to use both of her hands to keep her suspended in the air. Groaning and gritting, Lemon Zest started to step forward with her arms out, as if she was pushing a massive stone block. Twilight flew out of the crib and back down to the ground, where the other babies gave her a massive group hug, pushing their cheeks into hers as they nuzzled and squeezed her.
Sunset and Indigo fell back down to the crib normally and landed on their wings, bouncing into the air. They tossed and turned on the bounce and landed face-first into the fluffy mattress. As they tried to stand up, they were still shaken up by the shocks of landing and felt their knees wobble and wiggle. Just as they were about to fall again, Sunny and Sour helped prop them back up just as their legs gave way.
"Are you two alright?" Sunny Flare rubbed Sunset and Indigo's faces. When she brushed their foreheads, she could feel the heat on the back of her hand. "Oh my. You two seem to have been through some intense Gs. Maybe you should just take a rest on the pillow over there."
"It does look pretty comfy..." Lemon Zest's eyes drifted over towards the pillow and could see just how soft and welcoming that it was. She felt like just flying over there, chilling out, and grabbing some Z's while she was at it. She let out a loud yawn and waved her hand over her mouth. "Actually, don't mind me, girls. I'm just gonna take a load off. Wake me up if something bad happens." And she glided over the crib and onto the pillow, curling up into a tiny ball as she fell fast asleep.
"Typical Zest. Always dozes off." Indigo Zap watched as her bestest friend in the whole world was just napping on a massive pillow. "If she weren't good at being awesome, I'd call her a slacker."
"That sounds a little bit harsh, doesn't it?" Sunset tilted her head.
"So? Crystal Prep isn't as lovey-dovey as Canterlot High is." Indigo Zap put her hands on her leaf-shrouded hips. "Listen, Sunset. I know that your school's all full of happy smiling people who just get on with their daily jobs without any bother like that, but at Crystal Prep, we gotta work our asses off. And at the end of the day, we're still groaning when we have to drag them back onto those seats—even without Cinch running the show anymore!"
"Indigo, I think that the only one complaining about Crystal Prep is you." Sour Sweet crossed her arms. "Honestly, I love going there. It's so much fun to study, make friends, and enjoy the suffering of freshmen when it comes to gym class and Mr. Sombra's screwed-up regime of sit-ups, push-ups, and upside-down chin-ups!"
"Really? I would've thought that you would complain about Crystal Prep too, Sour Sweet." Sunset cocked an eyebrow. "You don't really seem to be the most stable when it comes to emotions, so I can imagine that some of the tiniest little things would make you mad."
"If I had a dollar for every time someone told me that, I'd be rolling in dough by this point..." Sour grumbled and huffed.
"Anyway..." Sugarcoat walked past Sour and Indigo and stepped up to Sunset. "Sunset. If you're still worrying about the trials, don't. Hesitation will only make it worse for you."
"Sugarcoat, only half of that day's gonna be bad for me." Sunset sighed, sat down, and rubbed the tips of her fingers across the mattress. "I'm with all of you on getting Cinch a guilty verdict, but when Timber's trial comes, I don't think I'm gonna be able to save him. The truth is that Gloriosa hurt Filthy Rich with her new magic, and now there's not a whole lot I can do to win it for them both."
"Even so, you have to tell the truth." Sugarcoat's eyes widened as she tenderly rubbed her arm down Sunset's back. "Lying will only make it worse. If the court asks you to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, you have to obligate and agree. I know that it's a bitter pill to swallow, but the truth always is."
"Easy for you to say." Sunset turned her back to Sugarcoat. "You use the truth like it's a pencil on paper. Here, the truth is going to get Timber and Gloriosa's camp torn to pieces. I can't do it. I won't do it. I'm not going to let Timber and Gloriosa down like this!"
"Sunset. You're lying to yourself." Sugarcoat grabbed Sunset and twisted her around. Her glare was so sharp that Sunset thought that her eyes were going to get impaled. "Lying is one thing, but when you lie to yourself and change because of it, then it makes you a worse person in the long run. Stop it. Be who you are. Don't be afraid to tell the truth, and don't let anything stop you from being as honest and open as possible."
"Sugarcoat. As much as I appreciate your tough love, I'm really not in the mood for it right now." Sunset broke out of Sugarcoat's hold and flew off out of the crib. "I've gotta check on Twilight and the others. You're welcome to come and help me out if you want."
As Sugarcoat watched Sunset fly off into the vast expanses of Twilight's nursery, the other Shadowbolts approached from behind and watched Sunset fly off to tend to her demon daughter. The silver-haired teen turned to the others and asked, "What? Too much?"
"Yep. Too much." Indigo shook her head at Sugarcoat.
Eventually, a loud cry rung out across the room, very quickly reaching the ears of all of the Shadowbolts. It even woke Lemon Zest, who jumped up from the pillow and made karate chops and kicked thin air as she scrambled off of her butt and onto her feet.
"It's okay, Twilight. I'm here..." Sunset zipped over to Twilight, who was crying and moaning loudly. An acrid stench rose up from her diaper, and it wrapped around Sunset's nose. "Ew!" She jolted backwards, pinching her nose shut. "How am I supposed to change her while I'm so tiny?"
As Twilight continued to bawl, magic began to form in her hands again. She raised them up to the ceiling and caused a sudden updraft to throw Sunset to the ceiling, nailing her directly on the light fixture at the top. If her body were any bigger, she would have shattered the lightbulb into pieces.
"Ow..." Sunset groaned as she pushed her back straight again, hearing a slight cracking noise. "Just how powerful is this kid anyway?"
"I dunno, but I don't wanna see you in pain like that, Sunset!" Indigo Zap zoomed through the air and caught Sunset as she fell once more. "C'mon, girl. We'll get Twilight changed. Don't know exactly how, though, but we'll do it."
"How, Indigo?" Sunset was lifted down towards Twilight. She held her ears shut so as not to let the deafening wails of Twilight pop them. "Look at us! We're tinier than the babies now! How are we supposed to take her clothes off, get her into a new diaper, and dress her back up when we can be crushed by one of her thumbs?!"
"I don't know! That's why I said it, didn't I?!" Indigo exclaimed as the other Shadowbolts glided down towards them both. Indigo sighed, set Sunset down on the floor, and facepalmed. "Look, Sunset. I know that we're not the best when it comes to childcare, but ya gotta at least give us a chance, y'know..."
"Indigo, you can barely take care of your own plants." Sunny Flare cocked a brow and tilted her head. "How do you expect to handle Twilight and the other babies?"
"Cut me some slack, Sunny! Geez!" Indigo snapped her head towards the ceiling and walked off. "Kick a gal for trying to show interest in something she's never done before..."
"Sunset does have a point, Indigo." Sugarcoat folded her arms. "Twilight's much bigger now that we're so tiny. Changing her is going to be an arduous task for all of us."
"Especially considering you have to take the squirt's clothes off first, then carry her giant butt up to that changing, lay her down, get that massive stench-filled diaper off, and oh, did I mention the fact that she's SCREAMING OUR EARS OUT?!" Sour shrieked and made claw gestures with her hands. "Magic or no magic, there's nothing we can do that can stop a baby Twilight from making us all die from bleeding ears!"
As the Shadowbolts all bickered and complained, Twilight felt the mushed poop in her diaper as she shuffled around, still wailing and sobbing. Unable to cope with it anymore, she simply flapped her wings and flew off, still with a poop-filled diaper sagging behind her. She tried to open the door and ended up pushing down the handle with her tiny feet. Now, free from her room, Twilight flapped off, leaving a trail of tears behind her.
As Lemon Zest watched the others throw words and insults out at each other, she couldn't help but watch. Shivers ran through her hands and feet the whole time, and a new sensation began to build up inside of her. A fiery flame ignited in her heart and she clutched the air, bending the muscles in her forehead and flexing the ones in her arms as she stomped forward towards the other Shadowbolts.
"Look, girls. Girls. GIRLS!" Lemon Zest pushed each of the Shadowbolts onto their butts and hung her head. "This. Is. Not. Who. We. Are. Anymore. Do you WANT to go back to the pre-Friendship Games personalities we used to have?!"
"Whoa..." Sour Sweet watched as Lemon Zest's hair covered her eyes. When she bent herself down to get a look at her eyes, all that she could see was a seething golden gleam in her pupils. "I'm just gonna shut my mouth and fly away..." And she ran away, tripping over her own legs as she tried to get as far away from Lemon as possible.
"Yeah. You'd better run alright." Lemon hissed with venom in her voice. It had been an eternity to her since she had felt so much anger and spite inside of her. "Think you're so tough, Sour Sweet? If there weren't children in the room, I'd show you a whole 'nother layer of hell..."
"Yeah... Suddenly, I really wanna chill around the others." Indigo Zap backed up and bumped right into her infant self's foot. The second her gazes locked with her baby clone, she was stuffed into her mouth. "But not like this!" She mumbled from within baby Indigo's mouth. "Anything but this!"
"Uh... Lemon Zest?" Sunset saw the fires in Lemon's pupils and lightly rapped on her shoulders with a finger. She could just see from Lemon's shuddering and shaking that she wasn't a normal teenage girl anymore. "Hey. We'll get through this. No need to worry."
Letting off a big sigh, Lemon Zest stopped jiggling and turned to face Sunset. Small droplets of water formed at the bottom of her eyes. "It's not Twilight I'm worried about, Sunset. It's the Shadowbolts," she said. "Are we really that mean and cruel to each other?"
"Hey. No-one's perfect, Lemon Zest." Sunset put her hand to Lemon's heart and looked her in the eyes like a mother. "Trust me, my friends and I were just like the Shadowbolts are now. We were disjointed, broken, and not good friends to start, but thanks to Princess Twilight back home in Equestria, we're much better friends than ever before."
"Technically, if we're going by the harsh truth, you were once a ruthless and hateful school bully, but you quickly devolved into a friend once Twilight Sparkle and her friends ruined your chance at ruling the world and by zapping you with a magical beam of light." Sugarcoat adjusted her tiny glasses.
"You stay out of this!" Sunset snapped at Sugarcoat, causing her to jerk backwards. Then, she returned her sights to Lemon Zest. "Sorry about that, Lemon. But it's all true no matter what way you wanna look at it. We all start off confused, angry, or just alone. but if you and your friends just try being nicer, embracing friendship more, and just learn to give a little leeway to the people around them, then I'm sure that they'd be able to make lots of new friends."
"Sunset, I wish that we could be as good as you and your friends are, but the problem we have is that we've still got a few teeny tiny little bite-size bits of Cinch's old ways inside of us." Lemon Zest looked at the others. "Sugarcoat's still got her harsh honesty, Sour's still struggling with her bipolar syndrome, Sunny's just not got enough character, and Indy still gets a little bit too into things sometimes."
"Well, none of them are really ways Cinch told you to behave." Sunset shook her head. "I'm sure that, despite being a bit cold-hearted and iron-fisted, Cinch wouldn't teach you all how to hate others and act so negatively towards them. It's just the way you all want to act, and you're all free to go ahead and do that. We're not gonna try and stop you from being who you are; even if you're more rough around the edges than most people."
"B-but..." Lemon tried to say something else, but Sunset's arms coiled around her shoulders.
"Hey. Don't worry about it, Lemon Zest." Sunset gave her a gentle pat on the bag and hugged her tightly. "I know that you're a good-hearted person; even if you have little... moments like that." Sunset smiled. "You're just as sweet and innocent as Pinkie Pie. Wouldn't be able to hurt a fly."
"Looks like you're a poet and didn't know it, Sunset." Lemon stifled a giggle behind her hand. "But you're right. Even if the rest of my friends are negative nancies, I'm not gonna end up going back to the way I was back at Cinch's Crystal Prep." Balling her hand up, her smile grew ever wider. "In fact, I'm gonna try my hardest to stay away from being a meanie-bo-beanie and be more of a kinder, sweeter, and much more bubbly Lemon Zest!"
"Good for you." Sunset patted Lemon's back. "Now, let's focus on trying to get Twilight cha—" but when she turned around, she saw that Twilight had gone and that the other babies were now beginning to crawl out of the room through the open door "—AAAAAHHHHHH! THIS IS A DISASTER!" Sunset took to the air and zipped through the nursery, She went so fast that by the time she had flown out of the room, she was already beginning to pant and gasp for breath.
"C'mon, girls! We've gotta hurry!" Lemon Zest grabbed onto Sugarcoat's arms and Indigo Zap's legs, pulling them through the air. "The babies are breaking loose! We gotta stop 'em from falling on their heads and getting dumb!"
As Lemon carried her two teenage anchors with desperation washing over her body, Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet saw what had happened and took off after them. They all knew that unsupervised infants was a recipe for disaster, tears, and chaos; something that they had all had quite enough of for one day.