Once Twilight and Sunset arrived at the park, they immediately saw Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. However, Sunset's messages had been confirmed to be true after all; Applejack was absent, as if she had vanished without a trace.
"Hi, girls," Twilight greeted the girls rather disappointedly. "I guess you've all heard about it as well..."
"Yeah, we know," Rainbow Dash wasn't mad or disappointed with the news. In fact, her emotions seemed to be non-existent. "We tried calling Applejack on the phone, but her voicemail was changed into the one Celestia and Luna kept getting."
"We then tried going to visit the poor dear in person, but when we went up to Sweet Apple Acres, she was gone completely," Rarity said. "All that could be seen were her garish hats and country clothes, and the bass she cherished..."
"How could Applejack possibly disappear?" Fluttershy said, holding back tears as best as she could. "She's one of our friends... who would do such a cruel and evil thing to her?" unable to hold it back anymore, she let out waterfalls of tears from her eyes. Her sorrow was met with hugs from Pinkie Pie and Rarity.
"Listen, Fluttershy, I know that it's sad. But right now, we can't lose hope," Sunset began to rub Fluttershy's cheeks in circular motions, causing the butter yellow girl to reduce her tears down to sniffles. "Applejack can't be gone forever, right? And if she is missing, then we'll just have to start looking for her..."
"But where do you think we should start looking?" Rainbow Dash asked once Fluttershy had calmed down.
"I'm not sure, but I'm certain that we can find some clues somewhere. Are there any sources of news in this world?" Twilight asked.
"There's newspapers and radio, but people these days just usually look it up on their phones and computers," Pinkie Pie said, pulling out a rectangular tablet. "And then you have these things. Just use your fingers and you can do all kinds of amazing things. The news is just one of them, but I usually download games where you have to match candies and bake cake." Pinkie then handed Twilight the tablet.
Twilight looked at the tablet with curiosity. She had never seen such a device before and peered closely at each different application. Taking in what Pinkie Pie had said, Twilight used her finger to tap one of the boxes. Looking at the one for newspapers, Twilight opened it up and saw a bunch of articles appear in front of her eyes.
"Whoa... incredible..." Twilight marvelled at how advanced the technology was in the Human World. "To think that Equestria hasn't seen devices like this yet..."
"So, what do you see, Twilight?" Sunset asked as her friends leaned in to get a closer look at the news. If there was anything that they could find together, then they would be one step closer to uncovering the truth behind the disappearance of Applejack and the other students.
"Well, all of the news does look enticing, but none of it ties into the mystery at hand..." Twilight said as she peered at each different event. "However, there is one that I have my eyes on right now..."
"Oh? And what is it, Twilight?" Rarity asked.
"Look here," Twilight tapped on the news that she was interested in. Once she had done, the news took up the whole tablet's screen. "In the wake of the kidnappings, a rather large number of newborns were delivered to the city's new orphanage. Though the person who gave these babies wishes to remain anonymous, they said, and I quote: Children of this age deserve all of the finest treatment, the best care, and the greatest amount of friends they could ever wish for..."
"How does reading about a generous person donating infants to an orphanage have anything to do with this mystery?" Rarity asked whilst tilting her head.
"Let's think back for a second here, Rarity. The voicemail said to call the students when they grow up again," Twilight reminded the group. "All of the students who went missing had this voicemail, and they were all involved in this kidnapping... And if I know anything about this wave of missing students, the man who stole the Staff of Time has to be at the center of it all. There's no-one else that could have stolen the students and made them disappear without a trace..."
"Unless that man's part of a really mean mafia group! Then there'd be perfectly good reason as to why the students would have vanished," Pinkie Pie spoke up. "That man could have made the students sleep with the fishes, or have them take a nap in a car."
"But then, why would there be a sudden increase in the number of babies at the city's orphanage?" Twilight found an interesting point in their investigation. "I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure that people in this world can't just have babies all of a sudden. Something's not right..."
Wait a second... The message said to call them when they grow up again, and the man with the Staff of Time told me that age was a curse that everyone was afflicted with... Twilight began to think to herself. Are these kidnappings and the baby donations related in a way? And if so, how is that mysterious man even doing it? I need to find out more before I come to an answer. But for now, me and the girls will just have to keep looking and finding clues...
"Do you think that there's something fishy about this article, Twilight?" Sunset looked at each different paragraph. "I mean it looks like a regular paragraph to—" when she used her finger to scroll down to read more, she saw a rather shocking picture. A mysterious figure was giving the orphanage a baby that bore a striking resemblance to Applejack "—me..."
"Applejack?!" the girls all looked at the picture with their eyes widened. The sight of one of their friends as an infant was a complete shock to them all.
"Why is she a baby? And why is she a cute one at that?" Pinkie Pie said, remaining slightly energetic, despite her reaction to the picture.
"When did this article come out, Sunset?" Twilight asked.
"Today!" Sunset pointed to the date of when the article was published. The date was clear as day: May 28, 2015.
"But how is that possible?!" Twilight looked shocked beyond belief, then gasped when she thought of an explanation. He must have taken Applejack, and regressed her age with something. Then, when he turned Applejack into a baby, he must have opened up another time portal and delivered her to the orphanage the night before. There's no other way!
"Girls, the situation just became dire. I think that this man will likely steal you away one by one, in the dead of night when we can't be together," Twilight said. "He spoke to me last night and said that he would see me again, when you've all been taken. He said that he would do the same thing to Sunset Shimmer right in front of my eyes, and that I would have no choice but to willingly accept his methods and be re-united with you all..."
"If we split up, it could very well be the last time we see one of us again," Sunset said, taking Twilight's statements into account. "This man could strike when we least expect it, and use the Staff of Time to stop everything else in place so that we can't help each other out. And before we'd even know, he'd steal us away..."
"So, splitting up's a big no-no now?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Yes," Twilight said. "Anyone's absence could very well leave them open to being stolen away by the mysterious man, robbed of all of their friendships and regressed to make new ones..."
"But how are we going to stick together if that man has time on his side?!" Rainbow Dash asked, throwing her hands out in frustration. "I can't believe that that stupid thing even works here!"
"Well, believe it or not, Rainbow Dash, we're all at great risk now, and anyone could be next. Even Celestia and Luna are in danger of losing their age..." Twilight told them. "If any of you split up, and you see a man with the Staff of Time, run away as fast as you can, and don't even bother listening to what he has to say. He'll only bait you into giving up your friendships so that he can transform you to an infantile state..."
"Alright, girls. We move as one now," Rarity said as each of the girls got into a tight group. "If anyone leaves, the man will take them away from us. So, if one person needs the toilet, then we all do. Understand?"
"Good idea, Rarity," Twilight smiled. "If we're all together at the same time, then that man won't be able to pick us off like cherries..."
All six of them walked together, moving towards another area of the city. With how dangerous the threat was becoming, they had every reason to be huddled to tightly together. However, they then wondered what the man's ambitions were, and the reason why they thought he was turning their friends into babies.
The group walked into a mall together. Seeing that there was such a large amount of space in a place like this, they thought that it was in their best interest to loosen up their huddle. Though the shops did look interesting to them all, they all had to decide that they would enter each one together, instead of splitting up to do their own personal business.
"I always love coming here, you know," Pinkie Pie sighed in content as she looked at the mall. "Shops for almost everything, crowds of people talking about stuff, and the food they serve in the food court is just heavenly... In fact, I can just smell the cotton candy right now..."
"We can get something to eat later, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash said. "Right now, we need to make sure that we're altogether, and to make sure that that one incident with Applejack last night was just a one-off. If it wasn't, then there's a high chance that any of us, even me, could be next..."
"Twilight, do you think that the man's going to try and steal us away when it turns to night?" Fluttershy asked with slivers of worry beginning to show on her face. "We can't stay together forever, and we will have to go to our own houses eventually. So there's really no point in us being together forever..."
"We'll drag this day out as long as possible, Fluttershy. With all that's happened, we have to stay as close to each other as possible now," Sunset said, alleviating Fluttershy of her worries the best that she could. "Going home might be dangerous, but we need to make sure we don't lose anyone else before the day's done."
"Hey, check it out, girls..." Twilight said, looking at a mysterious tent in one of the parts of the mall. "What do you think that tent's doing there?"
"Hold on! If we're checking that thing, we'll do it together as friends," Twilight reminded them. "If just one person goes in there, it could very well be a trap for them."
"Alright. Let's do this..." Rainbow Dash said as the whole group began to walk towards the tent.
Once they got inside, a certain fragrance hit their noses. It was a scent of rosemary, tied in with another scent that smelt partially foul, but didn't ruin the scent too much for them. They could see a table and a number of cushions around the table. On the table was a crystal ball with clouds inside, being used by a man in a hood.
"Ahh... Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Sunset Shimmer... The stars told me that you would arrive here today," the man said as he pulled his hands off of his crystal ball. "I am here to tell your futures, and all for nothing..."
"A fortune-teller?" Twilight asked.
"Correct. My name should not be spoken, as it will go against my way and damage the futures that are laid out for each of you," he said. "Which of you wishes to know what the future has in store for you?"
"Tell our futures?" Rainbow Dash scoffed. "What a load of—"
"Me first!" Pinkie Pie's hand shot straight up and she quickly sat down on the cushions. Now she was sitting in front of the mysterious fortune-teller and his crystal ball.
"Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?" Twilight said through a closed mouth.
"Aww, lighten up, Twilight. He's just an honest man hoping to make us entertained by guessing our futures," Pinkie said with a smile. "I say that everyone should make people happy, not just me. And that's something you can take to the bank!"
"You have chosen very wisely, Pinkamena Diane Pie..." the man put one of his hands on the crystal ball, seeing the clouds return. "Now then, to know your future, I must ask you to hold my other hand, so that the stars can align themselves and allow me to see into your future..."
Without hesitation, Pinkie grabbed onto the man's hand and held it rather tight.
"Thank you, Pinkie..." the man then held out a third hand from beneath the hand on the ball, showing that the hand on the ball was a fake. "You will now be shown the future..." the man's real hand swung the Staff of Time, making Pinkie Pie gasp when she saw it.
"Girls! He's got that spooky staff!" Pinkie spoke to her friends, but was shocked to see that they weren't even blinking or gasping in fright. "Uhh? Hello? Girls?" she waved her hand in front of their faces, but there was still no response.
"Do not bother. I have stopped time," the man said, pulling off his cloak. "Your friends are still under the impression that I am reading your future, and they have been stopped at the precise moment when I was about to reveal it to them all..."
"What did you do with Applejack?!" Pinkie Pie remembered that he was the one who stole Applejack now that he wielded the Staff of Time.
"Relax yourself, Pinkie. I have done no harm to her whatsoever," he said in a serene tone. "Applejack has been saved from her curse. And once you listen to my words, you too will be freed."
"Nuh-uh! Twilight said that you were a big meanie pants and that I wouldn't even have to listen to you!" Pinkie said. "Not even cakes and balloons are gonna win me over, you jerk!"
"Twilight is a commoner who has no grasp on the concept of friendship!" the man said, making Pinkie gasp. "She believes in unstable friendships that will crumble away with age. Even now, you and your other teenagers will mature into adults, and when you do, your friendships will instantly be destroyed. The only real life-forms that can grasp the concept of age are babies, toddlers, and children. Teenagers and adults will only walk down a path of heartbreak and misery as each of their friends leave them!"
"Not gonna happen!" Pinkie said, pointing a finger at the man. "We'd never lose each other, not even when we're miles away from each other and too wrapped up in work to see each other!"
"That is what you believe in, but because of this, you have lost Applejack to the power of time," the man said, watching Pinkie's expression suddenly change to a mournful one. Seeing his acquaintance was about to cry, he walked over to her. "However, you can still have her back if you want..."
"What do you mean by that?" Pinkie asked through a sniffle.
"I mean, I have the power to not only bring Applejack back to you, but also the power to give you as many friends as you could possibly imagine..." the man said as he held up the staff. "I assume that Twilight Sparkle has already told you of the Staff of Time, correct?"
"She said that there was also a third property, one that was lost when my pony self accidentally damaged the book on it..." Pinkie said. "But what can a third property do with reuniting me with Applejack and the other students?"
"The Staff of Time's mystical third property is hard to understand, but in a long-story-short way, I can reverse or accelerate your age by manipulating your own timeline," he explained. "In your words, with a magical power, I can turn you into a baby, or make you an old lady with the power of this staff. This power will reunite you with Applejack, and bring back all of the students that were taken away from you and The Rainbooms..."
"But if I choose to be turned into a baby, you'll have to promise that you'll bring my real friends back as well." Pinkie Pie said, with as much honesty as she could muster.
"I promise you, Pinkie Pie. I shall bring all of The Rainbooms along with me once they too see the light..." the man said. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye..."
"Twilight, Sunset, Dashie, Flutters, Rares... I'm sorry to do this, but he makes a good point..." Pinkie said to her friends, who were still frozen in time. "Do it. Youthen me and give me lots of friends, mister..."
"Excellent choice, Pinkie Pie. I'm glad that you saw it my way..." the man smiled and spun the staff counter-clockwise again. "And when you think about it, your new life as an infant isn't bad. There's always going to be someone to look after you and take care of you, whereas your teenage self had to fend for herself before all of this..."
"Yeah, and when I'm a kid, I'm no work and all play. It's pretty much my dream every day to have a life like that," Pinkie smiled as she envisioned what was about to happen. "Well, besides the dream where I was frolicking through the land of the cakes and trying to defeat the dragon of mouldy food with my dream party cannon..."
Both Pinkie and the man shared a laugh at that remark.
"Alright, Pinkie Pie. The staff is ready to begin warping your age," the man said once the staff glowed bright white as he spun it. "Now, you might feel a slight tingling sensation when the magic strikes you. And when it's all over, you'll suffer from loss of voice, balance, bladder control, intelligence, memories, and hair. But other than that, you'll be perfectly fine..."
The Staff of Time finally fired a white bolt at Pinkie Pie's stomach, making her giggle as it began to transform her. As she was laughing, she was levitated off of the ground, and she began to feel the effects of the staff already kicking in. As Pinkie Pie shrunk down, her clothes rapidly changed from one outfit to another, one that matched the age she was wearing it in. Her hair also shrunk as she changed, and her teeth began to retract into her gums. Pinkie's laughter could still be heard, but it was quickly silenced when a big flash of light enveloped her.
The man walked over to Pinkie Pie, seeing that she had been regressed to an infant. She was now wearing a plain pink t-shirt and a diaper, and didn't wear any shoes on her feet. Her eyes had changed as well, and were now nothing more than massive blue dots. Her youthened state was suckling on her left thumb, feeling quite content as she did so. Seeing that his task had been completed, the man picked up the baby Pinkie Pie and opened up a time portal.
"Come on, little Pinkie," he said in a calm voice as he slowly began carrying Pinkie towards the portal. "You've been freed now, and I've got a nice nursery with lots of friends waiting for you. Does that sound good? Yes it does..." as he made Pinkie giggle in her smaller state, he jumped through the portal with her and started up time again after he had left.
Suddenly, Twilight, Sunset, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were hit with a bright flash of light, and they covered their eyes to try and readjust. However, when the light had disappeared, both Pinkie Pie and the hooded man had disappeared from their sight.
"Pinkie!" Twilight shouted in shock when she noticed that her friend had vanished.
"You got her phone number, Sunset?" Rainbow Dash asked. "If we can call her, then we might just know what happened!"
Sunset quickly turned her phone on, opened a contacts page, and tapped on Pinkie Pie's name. The phone rang for a while, but no answer came through.
"Hello, Rainbooms," the man's voice came through on the phone. "If you're looking for Pinkie Pie, call her when she grows up again..."
"You monster!" Sunset shouted back through the phone. "What have you done with—"
"I shall speak only to Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. This is a matter that only she will understand." the voice said as Sunset put the phone onto its' speaker setting and gave it to Twilight.
"You have me now. What do you want?" Twilight calmly addressed the phone.
"Twilight Sparkle, now do you see what I'm trying to accomplish? Friendships are in jeopardy, and your friends blindly believe that their friendships will remain throughout their aging process," the man said so that all of the girls could hear him. "There are many things that friendship can be made eternal by, but you don't understand them yet," his voice was venomous, yet quite calm. "Tell me, are you familiar with a miss Starlight Glimmer?"
"I don't even want to remember that thief anymore," Twilight said to the man. "Why bring her into this conversation?"
"She and I share the same visions. Friendships cannot be blindly maintained by the friends themselves. They need to understand that there are certain principalities that ultimately leave their friendships in danger," the man explained. "Differences can destroy friendships, like she had envisioned. However, I envision that friendships are doomed anyways, because we are all cursed to grow up and become mature."
"Starlight and I have ways on making friendships last forever, no matter the consequences. You might have stopped equality, Twilight Sparkle, but can you stop the unstoppable process of age?" he said.
"No, but I can sti—"
"Then you and your friends are doomed to lose each other and your friendships along with them!" the man shouted back, making Twilight drop the phone onto the table. "Everyone has friendships that are only temporary in the end. Even your Rainbooms have friendships that will end with time. And if you can't see that for yourself, then I shall show you first-hand..."
"I don't follow." Twilight said back.
"You will know my suffering, Twilight. Just as I have lost all of my friends with age, you shall lose all of The Rainbooms with you and Sunset's age!" the man's voice got Twilight and Sunset to bare serious expressions of fury. "One by one, I shall take away Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. Then I shall take you, Sunset Shimmer!" he made Sunset grunt with his remark.
"Finally, when you are all alone and friendless, you shall see what I have suffered, Twilight Sparkle!" the man was about to finish. "After you see all of your friends as drooling infants, you will be so torn apart by sadness that you will have to join them! And once my pain has been shared, I shall relieve you of your burden and give you youth, your friends back, and sustain your friendships for all of time!"
To Be Continued...