//------------------------------// // Sweet Dreams/Lower Class // Story: Little Jolts of Shadow // by Shadowmane PX-41 //------------------------------// “Good night, everyone.” Sunset stood by the door and had her hand over the light switch. From the outside, the sun had long set and the dusk skies were beginning to set in “Night, Sunset.” The five Shadowbolts called from their cribs, all tucked under the covers. “Try to get a good night’s sleep, you five.” She flicked the lights off. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow, so no trying to wake up while I’m gone.” “Not like we can do anything like this.” Sugarcoat flopped back onto her pillow, gazing up at the ceiling. “See you in the morning.” Sunset closed the door and walked off, plunging the Shadowbolts into darkness. Sunny and Lemon fell asleep first, with Sugarcoat following suit. Indigo and Sour Sweet stayed awake, however, not comfortable with the idea that they were babies. But that wasn’t the only thing that kept one of them awake. “Indigo?” Sour whispered in the darkness. “You still awake?” “How could I not be?” Indigo pouted. “I don’t wanna sleep this early! I’m not a baby!” “But we have to go to sleep, Indigo. We can’t go anywhere or do anything with these cribs.” Sour reached over to the bars and rubbed them gently. “So tall, so close together, so secure…” Suddenly, a frown washed over her face. “And we’re just sitting ducks in here.” “Huh?” Indigo turned to Sour. “What do you mean?” “I’m sc-sc-scared of the dark…” Sour shivered. “I mean, I could do it when I was a teenager, but now that we’re babies, it’s much easier for us to get hurt by something nasty…” She looked out at the lightless room. “There could be monsters in here, waiting to gobble up little babies like us. I don’t wanna get eaten, Indigo.” “Wait. You’re seriously afraid of the dark, girl?” Indigo smirked, “I can’t help it, Indigo!” Sour shouted in her tinny baby voice. “We’ve got nothing to defend ourselves with and there are all kinds of scary things in the dark!” “You’re probably just a bit paranoid.” Indigo flopped back onto her pillow. “Look, if anything does get us, then Sunset’s just a scream away. She’ll save you.” “B-b-but… you must be scared too.” Sour’s eyes shot all over the place. “Not knowing where anything or anyone is. With things hiding behind our toys and building blocks, it’s far too dangerous to sleep. So terrifying…” Sour put her thumb in her mouth and nervously sucked on it as she felt the air around her grow colder. “Sour, I grew out of being afraid of the dark when I was five years old.” Indigo rolled over onto her side. “And besides, just look at the others. They’re asleep, aren’t they?” “Indigo, first of all, you’re now five months old.” Sour cocked a brow. “And second of all, the others aren’t afraid of the dark like I am.” “Just think of some baby things or whatever and you should sleep fine.” Indigo buried her face into the pillow. “Like, imagine yourself playing with those toys or sucking on something. Anything that takes your mind off of the darkness is a good thing. In fact, don’t you have a pacifier or a teddy bear with you?” “I do.” Sour reached to her feet and picked them both up. “Your point is?” “Just suck on the pacifier, hug the bear, and shut your eyes.” Indigo pulled her face up. “Besides, it’s not like it’s gonna get any darker, right?” “I… guess?” Sour just tilted her head. “Sour. You’re a baby, but that doesn’t mean you’re a scaredy-baby.” Indigo just laid her head on the edge of the pillow. “Trust me. Once you get into this kinda cutesy-wutesy cuddles and sucking thing babies do, then you’ll have no problems sleeping.” She tried to stay awake, but the comfiness of the crib was finally starting to overwhelm her. “Just—“ she let out a big yawn “—do what I said.” And she finally fell asleep. “Al...right.” Sour, still shivering from head to toe, wriggled into her covers and laid down ever so slowly. She put the pacifier in her mouth and began to hug the teddy bear. As she suckled on the pacifier and closed her eyes, her grip on the toy got ever so tighter. “Is it good to be a scaredy-baby?” she asked herself in her sleep, still haunted by the blackened room. Just as Sour was sinking deeper into her sleep, a loud crashing noise came from downstairs and she jumped back awake, clutching her covers tightly. She was shivering from her head to her tiny toes as she felt hopelessness creep into her head. She did the only thing she could do at the time: Cry like the baby she was, calling for her parent’s help. Tears formed in her eyes as her lips started to quiver. She whimpered, moaned, and eventually bawled loudly. “SUNSET! I’M SCARED!” she screamed through her tears. Footsteps charged towards the room as the other Shadowbolts were shaken from their slumbers. Sunset opened the door and came over to Sour, scooping her up straight away. “Sour? What’s wrong, sweetie?” Sunset asked, tightly hugging her close. “I...I’m scared of the dark!” Sour whimpered and sobbed, feeling safer already in Sunset’s embrace. “Monsters everywhere and we’re so small… so tiny… and so helpless!” “I’m sorry.” Sunset pulled Sour into a tight hug. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that, Sour…” She patted her on the back. “Say, would you like to sleep with me tonight?” “Y-yes…” Sour whimpered. She knew that it was embarrassing enough that the other Shadowbolts knew of her phobias and that they had been magnified by her infantile body. But at this point, she needed something to make her feel more comfortable. “C’mon then.” Sunset took Sour by the hands and carried her off out of the room. Before she left, she turned back to the other Shadowbolts. “Anyone else afraid of the dark?” She was met with four heads shaking side-to-side. “Alright. Sleep tight, everyone.” She turned the light back off and shut the door behind her, taking Sour away. “I’m sorry, Sunset.” Sour Sweet cooed softly. “I wanted to prove that I was still a big girl like Indigo, but it turns out that I’m a baby both ways now.” “What’re you apologizing for, Sour?” Sunset smiled. “It’s not your fault. It’s perfectly fine to be scared of the dark at times.” “I know, I know!” Sour gently tugged at Sunset’s pyjamas. “But I’m supposed to be this girl that’s not scared of anything, then here comes the darkness to ruin that streak. I feel like I’m even less of a big girl now…” “Sour Sweet. Who you were before this magic incident isn’t gone.” Sunset sat Sour down on her bed. “She’s just tucked away. Sleeping. Right here…” She gently tapped on Sour’s forehead. “This magic’s not a curse. It’s a blessing.” “Wh-what do you mean?” Sour asked, tilting her head. “You and the others are very lucky.” Sunset smiled and laid down on the bed. “It’s not everyone who gets to be a baby twice in their whole lives. Usually, they just get the one shot and that’s that.” She pulled Sour in and tousled her hair. “B-B-But we’re—” She tried saying more, but Sunset just put a finger to Sour’s mouth and made a shushing noise. “You should save that energy for tomorrow.” Sunset curled up under the covers and pulled Sour close into her. “And again, you’re lucky. Babies don’t have to do anything. You can just play, build, and be happy for as long as you want without any repercussions. It’s like a massive vacation.” “You think so?” Sour asked. “I know so.” Sunset tucked Sour under and patted her on the head. “Sleep tight, Sour.” And she flicked off the lamp beside her bed. Sour felt the darkness creeping up all around her once again, but this time, she had Sunset Shimmer by her side. She looked towards her and then towards the window, gazing at all of the twinkling stars in the night sky. She always had wondered what they really were, always illuminating the cosmos without fail. But that was a question for another day. With Sunset’s hand around her body, Sour now felt a sense of peace. Her eyes began to close and she easily found herself in the realm of dreams. The next morning, Sunset was carrying all five of the Shadowbolts in an oversized carrier. Due in part to the car didn't have any seats that'd fit them, or if she could even be trusted to drive them around at all given her reckless habits. She didn't mind, though. She'd always walked to Canterlot High on days like this. Today, she had to make a quick stop, though, as she couldn't bring her little 'friends' to school with her. That, and trying to carry them around all day would've made her ripped by the end of it. The Shadowbolts, on the other hand, found it rather cramped to be so close to each other. Tiny hands and feet were being unintentionally pushed into faces and other parts of their bodies, they couldn't find a single comfortable spot, and all in all, the only thing that was keeping them from throwing a fit of tears was their higher intelligence. "So, why do we even need to go to daycare, Sunset?" Lemon Zest asked, popping her head out of the pile of babies. "Can't we just stay home and play in our room more?" "As much as I'd wish that was possible, I don't trust you to behave yourselves for that long. That, and you'd need to eat and drink too," Sunset replied. "If only we all didn't have to go to Canterlot High together, then I could've gotten one of my friends to look after you instead." "Y'know, I was willing to put up with all of the other stuff attributed to this whole baby nonsense, but I have to draw the line here." Sugarcoat folded her arms across her chest. "I'll have you know that I was to be a valedictorian in all of CPA's classes, become a professor at university and live a happy life as one of the one percent in the world of knowledge. And now, you're stuffing me in a room full of babies with no escape until you come back." "Oh, you'll be fine, Sugarcoat." Sunset just blew a raspberry, casually rolling her eyes. "Who knows? You might just make some more friends there. You kinda need them, given how much you've been isolating yourself." "Just for the record, I can keep Mr Cuddlebutt, right?" Sour Sweet asked. The teddy bear was still in her hands, yet buried underneath the others in the carrier. "Yes, Sour. Yes, you can. But just be sure you don't leave it behind." Sunset nodded. It took a few more blocks for Sunset to slog through, but in the end, she finally arrived at a small little building that looked akin to a cottage, with a brightly coloured sign that read "Little Miracles." Hauling her carrier through the door, she walked up towards the reception, where a lady with bright blue hair and lime-green skin was casually typing away at a computer. As soon as she saw Sunset with the carrier, she quickly turned from her work to face her. "Hello, there, miss." She said, with her hands clasped into each other. "Welcome to Little Miracles. A special day-care where we believe that every single child is one in a billion. Walk-ins and their babies are always welcome. And I can tell that from what you're carrying, you're looking to leave them here for the day, right?" "Y-yeah." Sunset put the carrier down on the desk, freeing her hands from the titanic weight that had previously shackled her down. "See, I've gotta get to school and my parents are out of town. Do you think you can hang on to these five while I'm gone?" "Well, of course." The lady gave Sunset a nod, before reaching back over to her computer. "Have your parents decided on names for these little ones?" "Yeah. Their names are Indigo Zap, Sour Sweet, Sugarcoat, Sunny Flare, and Lemon Zest." Sunset pointed each of the five baby Shadowbolts out for the woman, who wasted no time in pounding the names into the computer, cataloguing them for future reference. "Wonderful. Now, if you could just follow me, I can show you all to the playroom where we'll take the utmost of care with Lemon, Sour, Sunny, Indigo, and Sugar." The woman stood up from her chair, came around the side and gestured towards Sunset, prompting her to pick the carrier up, lifting the baby Shadowbolts off down the corridors. It didn't take long for them to make it to the room, which couldn't have stuck out more if it had tried. With bright paint splattered all over the door, a small, blurred window where they could just faintly see inside but not enough to make out overly specific details, and a handle that was only high enough for adults to reach. The sign that said "Playroom" might as well not have been there at all, yet still was as the point hadn't been hammered home enough. The woman opened the door and both of them walked inside to a colourful sight. A brightly-lit room with painted walls depicting cartoons and other infantile stuff surrounded them. The floor was padded and squished beneath their feet, and the other babies and the toys that held their attention were already in there. A head count revealed at least fifteen other babies, with three other women watching over them, tending to their needs, making sure that they were happy. A glass door lead to a fenced garden, with grass so small that it almost wasn't visible and beams of wood so tall that no-one else could see inside. "Whoa..." Sunset almost couldn't believe how much space there was for the Shadowbolts. "This is perfect." And without another word, she put the carrier down on the nearby table behind her and unloaded the Shadowbolts, with the help of the receptionist. "Now, are there any specific times that you want to come in to collect the babies, or do you want to walk-in again to pick them back up? We don't mind." The receptionist asked, as Sunset took Indigo out last and put her down with the other Shadowbolts. "Yeah. School should be done for me at around three, so I think that 3:15 would be a good time to pick them up," said Sunset. "Also, before I go, I wanna make some things clear. The teddy bear that Sour Sweet's holding? That's her bear from home. She'll go ballistic if she loses it here, so do you think you could let everyone else know that it's hers to keep?" "Oh, of course. We'll make sure that Sour keeps it close to her at all times," one of the assistants; namely, one with bright-green jagged hair and skin of a similar shade spoke up. "Leave it to me, Warm Embrace. And my sisters, Loving Embrace and Sweet Embrace."She pointed out the other two workers. Loving Embrace had cool red hair and a golden skin-tone, while Sweet Embrace had pink hair and turquoise skin. "Alright. Also, Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap might be a bit fussier than usual, but that's fine. They'll eventually succumb if you stay patient with them. Aside from that, I think that we're good to go." Sunset walked over to her five kids and squatted down. "Now, I've gotta go, you five. Behave yourselves and try to have fun. Heaven knows that you need it after all you've been through." She gave each and every one of them a kiss before they could get a word in, then started to walk off towards the door, waving them off as she left with the receptionist. As the door closed, a faint locking sound could be heard over all of the other commotions within the room. The Shadowbolts were all alone, trapped within baby bodies, with this day-care as their cage until Sunset came back from CHS to retrieve them from it. Naturally, they huddled up together, unsure of what would happen as they eyed up the room, examining all of the other babies and their escapades within. Most, if not all of them were lost in their games, playing around with their toys and blocks, while uttering absolute gibberish. "Well, now what do we do?" Sunny Flare asked, breaking up the silence between the group. "Since we can't get out, and there's no point in sitting around, we might as well try and survive until three," said Sugarcoat. "But I want to make it perfectly clear that I don't enjoy this. Not one bit." "You're not enjoying it because you don't want to enjoy it. Please, Sugarcoat, just learn to live like a baby a little." Lemon toddled off to a group of three babies with their backs turned. One of them had a large ball of gold hair with yellow stripes while wearing a lavender shirt and booties, the second had a purple and green pigtail style haircut with a bright green shirt and booties, while the third one had blue hair and dark blue stripes, while dressed in a pink shirt and booties. All of them had giant bows that held their hairs up and they were seemingly lost in their playtime. That was until Lemon Zest came over and tapped on their shoulders. The three babies turned around to face Lemon and the group, revealing the pacifiers in their mouths and the strings that draped from them around their little necks. All three of them had a red, crystal design on the back that glowed in the room's lighting. Curious, they turned away from whatever they were doing and moved towards Lemon and her friends, prompting her to move back. The pacifiers never left their mouths the whole time as they cornered the five baby Shadowbolts, the rhythmic suckles almost like some kind of war chant in the language of infant. When they were within touching distance of the Shadowbolts, they stopped, still with the pacifiers in their mouths. They tilted their heads, examined their five new 'playmates' and crawled around them, looking at them from top to bottom. It went on for what seemed like an eternity when at last, the gold-haired one reached for the pacifier and took it out, letting it hang from the string around her neck. "Who are you?" It spoke, not in garbled baby talk, not as if she couldn't properly pronounce the words, but as if she was all grown up like them. This caused the Shadowbolts to jump in shock, nearly causing them to topple onto their backsides. "Are you new here?" "You... you can talk?!" Indigo Zap replied, pushing herself back up into a seated posture. "B-but how?!" "Well, duh. We can talk," the second baby, the one with the purple and green hair spoke next. "Did you think that we were that dumb?" "N-no, we just thought that..." Sugarcoat waved her hands in front of her face, trying not to earn the ire of these three new faces. She took a deep breath, pushed her arms out and said, "You know what, never mind? Who are you?" "Well, I don't know about you two, but I think these girls are cute," said the third baby, finally freeing her mouth from the rubber bulb that had once closed it tight. "You don't normally meet other babies who were hit by some rogue magic." "Rogue magic?!" The five Shadowbolts repeated, this time, causing all of them to tumbled onto their backs, arms and legs splayed out as if they had been run over by a truck. "Looks like we're not the only ones then. How interesting..." The first one said, pulling up Indigo and Sugarcoat with her hands, prompting the other two to move in and lift the others back up. "Who knew that after that little stunt we pulled, magic would still find its' way back to us?" "So... you're magical babies as well?" Lemon Zest asked as she was hoisted back up. "Mmhmm. I'm Sonata Dusk. Nice to meet you, new friend!" She threw her arms around Lemon Zest, hugging her as tight as could be. "I'm... Lemon Zest." She said, the hug compacting her lungs and making her gasp for breath in between words, but she still pulled through. "Nice to... meet you too." "I guess if we're introducing ourselves, then my name is Sugarcoat." She said, pointing to her chest. "And forgive me if I'm not as overenthusiastic as the rest of you, but magic has pretty much ruined my chances at university." "Eh, we all get messed up by magic sometimes. I'm in the same boat as you," said the baby with purple and green hair. "Name's Aria Blaze. Good to know there's not just one punching bag for magic to pick on around here." "And I'm Adagio Dazzle," said the golden-haired baby as she looked at the rest of the group. "Name's Indigo Zap," Indigo said. "Sour Sweet," Sour added. "Sunny Flare," Sunny finished. "Anyways, now that the intros are out of the way, let me give you the lowdown on what's happened to you," Adagio said, putting her hand on the crystalline pacifier once again. "The five of you, much like us, were struck with Equestrian Magic. And for whatever circumstance, it turned you all into babies, yet allowed you to keep being who you were. The only other people who can understand you are other talking babies, I.E. us. You try talking to anyone else, be it one of the grown-ups here or another baby, they're not gonna understand a word you're saying." "For example." Aria took in some air, turned to Sweet Embrace and said, "Do you know what time it is, Sweet?" "Aww... Such a sweet little girl you are, Aria..." Sweet just came over, tousled her hair and gave her a tender kiss. "Do you want to play a game with your new friends?" "See? What'd I tell ya? Everything just flew over her head like that." Aria used her hands and made a whistling noise as she let one finger shoot over her hand. "No use trying to ask them to let you out. All you can do to get any point across is if you point out whatever you need." "Like this!" Sonata toddled over towards Warm Embrace and said, "Can you get me Mr Stuffington?" And pointed to a bear so as to show to the others what Aria meant. Sure enough, her request was granted, as the bear was given to her, which she promptly cuddled with. "So, like it or lump it, you're stuck. You can't do anything for yourself unless you point out what it is that you want. The only ones who can really understand you are yourselves and us. If anything, it's both liberating and humiliating at the same time, depending on how you want to look at it." Adagio nodded. "But wait, what about Sunset Shimmer?" Indigo Zap interjected, lifting a finger of her own in response. "Sunset and her friends can understand us just fine. You just said that no-one else could. So... how is that even possible?" "Sunset? I... prefer not to talk about her or the Rainbooms after what they did to us." Adagio blushed, looking away from the five girls. "Same goes for Aria and Sonata. We want to forget about the past. Forget about her." "Every time I see that girl, all I see is hate and suffering," said Aria as she reached for her pacifier as well. "You would too if you were in our boots." "Well, maybe not literally, but you get the idea." Sonata showed her booties off to the group. "Besides, the less you think about anything, the better it is when you're this small, cuddly, and free from everything. Though I do wish I could at least try tacos again. Just once..." Her hand drifted off, reaching for the pacifier around her neck too. "In fact, girls, let's just change the subject before we start getting into a contest about whether or not Sunset Shimmer is a good person or not. Why don't we give you the grand tour instead?" Adagio asked, making a move with her hand that prompted Lemon, Sour and Sunny to follow them. "Come along now, everyone. No point in sitting around filling your diapers when there's so much to see." Indigo and Sugarcoat hesitated for a while, but followed regardless, letting everything sink in. These three new babies, their opinions on Sunset, the fact that they knew about and were afflicted by magic as well made them worth their time. If anything, it would prove to be the one interesting thing about this whole day-care thing; and one that warranted a lot more observation.