Peanut Butter wakes up and finds himself in a new bed as he looks around the room he is in. Between the sky blue of the walls with planes and birds painted on them and the furniture being the same sky blue with the bed being shaped as a plane. He looks down to see him in a set of Mare-Do-Well pajamas and sheets. Just then the door opens to reveal Luna in her usual formal work clothes.
"Good morning little guy." Luna greets as she enters the room.
"I'm not little."
"I know, now get up and let's get ready to see everyone downstairs."
"I don't wanna."
Peanut Butter lays back down turning over to one side as he pulls the covers over him. Luna giggles a bit as she pulls the covers off of him.
"Now now P.B., be good and get out of bed or no TV for the week." Luna warns.
"Okay, okay."
He gets up as Luna picks out a outfit for him and sets it on the bed. She leads him down the hall to the bathroom near by and lets him in.
"I think you're a big enough boy to take a bath and get ready, right?" Luna asks.
"Yep!"
"Good, I'll be in your room waiting little one."
She shuts the door as Peanut Butter gets ready. He gets up on a stool and looks in the mirror and sees himself as a young child no more than seven. The scars on his face and body gone except for the one on his cheek as he brushes his teeth. He takes his shower then leaves the bathroom once he finishes.
He returns to his room where Luna laid out his school uniform with extra clothes for after school. A blue shirt, black pants, white socks, a pair of superhero underwear and white shoes. She leaves the room to let him get dressed.
After five minutes she checks on him to find him with his shirt and pants on backwards as he tries to put his shoes on. She giggles a bit before entering. Peanut Butter looks away blushing as he pouts.
"Better luck next time champ, let me help you with that." Luna teases.
Peanut Butter looks away as Luna helps to get him dressed. After she finishes putting his shoes on him she stands back up with a small smile on her face.
"Remember what I taught you?" Luna asks.
"Bunny ears, Bunny ears, playing by a tree. Criss-crossed the tree, trying to catch me. Bunny ears, Bunny ears, jumped into the hole, Popped out the other side beautiful and bold." Peanut Butter sings as he ties his shoes.
"Good boy!"
Luna hugs Peanut Butter before he hugs her back giggling. He slides off the bed onto his feet as Luna holds his hand and leads him to the dining room downstairs. Once downstairs he sits next to Sunset Shimmer with his feet off the ground looking over the table as Luna puts his cereal in front of him before pushing his chair towards the table. He and Sunset eat as they swing their legs back and forth as they eat. Luna sits at the table with Celestia.
"So what are we doin' today mama?" Sunset asks.
"Well, after school I thought we could go see Santa." Celestia answers
Both Sunset and Peanut Butter start bouncing in their seats with wide smiles on their faces.
"But you two need to be good, especially you P.B.." Luna warns.
"I will, I pwomithh."
"Good boy, now finish eating your breakfast so we can go."
Peanut Butter and Sunset quickly finish their breakfasts and get their book bags and jackets with Luna and Celestia leading them to the car. Luna puts them on the back seat and buckles them in and gets in the car as Celestia gets in the driver's seat and opens the garage door by pressing a button on a small device on her sun visor. She starts the car and heads to the school. Peanut Butter looks out the window as they drive by seeing the rolling hills of snow in people's yards as they drive past them along with Harth's Warming decorations in town. Once they reach the school Celestia parks the car and helps Sunset out. Luna does the same for Peanut Butter as they enter the school and takes them to their classroom. The classroom is decorated with crafts and projects with the theme of Harth's warming. A corner of the room has bean bags with a couple book shelves against the walls of the corner while the back wall has cubbies for the students with their names on them. Celestia hugs Sunset as Luna hugs Peanut Butter.
"You two be good, okay?" Celestia states.
"We will." Sunset and Peanut Butter say in unison.
"Good."
Luna and Celestia both leave as Sunset and Peanut Butter go to their cubbies and put their book bags and jackets in them. They see Applejack and Rarity in the corner on the beanbag chairs and go towards them. Peanut Butter sits next to Applejack as Sunset sits next to Rarity. Applejack hugs Peanut Butter before she leans back into one of the chairs. He sits on the same beanbag chair as her and hugs her back.
"Mornin' P.B., mornin' Sunset." Applejack greets cheerfully.
"Morning A.J.." Peanut Butter and Sunset say in unison.
"I heard the teacher has a surprise for us today."
"I wonder what it is."
"I dunno." Sunset says.
"What do you hope Santa brings for Harth's Warming?"
"I'm hoping for a new bike!" Sunset answers.
"New fabric so Granny needle can teach me more sewing." Rarity answers.
"I, don't know really." Peanut Butter answers before looking away.
"Really? I'm surprised P.B.."
Just then the bell rings as they all get up and go to their seats. The door opens and Prim Lifestyle walks in and stands by the table. She smiles and looks at the class.
"Good morning, children." Prim greets in her usual high class tone.
"Good morning Principal Prim." They all greet in unison.
"I know you were expecting your teacher to be here, but due to some bad things, we had to let him go, but you all have a new teacher."
The door opens as Luna comes in heading to the desk and writes her name on the board. Peanut Butter blushes and hides his head in his arms. Sunset shortly follows his lead. Luna notices and giggles slightly at them both.
"Hello everyone, I am Miss Solstice, your new teacher." Luna greets as she sets her folders and papers down.
"I will leave you all to learn, have a good day." Prim says before leaving the classroom.
Prim walks back to the office and knocks on Proper's door.
"Who is it?" Proper asks.
"It's me sister."
"Come in."
Prim opens the door and comes in before siting down on a chair on the other side of Proper's desk.
"Everything is going to plan sister, they are physically regressed and the chips are working great."
"Very good, any signs of change from the boy?"
"None so far."
"Good, we finally got him, after all this time of him being a thorn in our side we finally won."
"Yes, we were so close in Manehatten now we will succeed."
"I want an eye on him for the rest of the week at least, just to be sure."
"Of course."
"Our dream has finally come true."
"Sister, there is a question I have been meaning to ask."
"That is?"
"Why are most of his scars gone besides the one on his cheek?"
"Honestly, there are some things I can't explain."
"I see."
"When do we start phase two?"
"Not for a while, remember it was phase two that our plans fell apart."
"Do you think he'll catch on?, even if he is in our control?"
"Don't know."
"The more I think about it, maybe phase three would be a bad idea sister."
"Maybe you're right, he won't be in our way, even if he broke from our spell he might not do anything."
"Remember what he said in Manehatten?"
"Yes I do, I think it would be good to just keep things the way they are for now."
"Maybe, but let us see what happens."
Back in the classroom the students are at their desks with Luna at the board teaching them basic math. Peanut Butter looks up to see Luna still teaching and writing problems on the board. He rests his head on his hand as she continues her lesson. He draws on another sheet of paper. Luna calls up some students to the board as he draws. She looks at him quickly before standing in front of his desk. She taps her foot on the floor before knocking on his desk. He looks up to see her and scrambles to get his worksheet out.
"There's no point in hiding it P.B., maybe if you spent more time studying and less day dreaming, your grades would be better." Luna scolds.
"Sorry."
"Now come up to the board and solve this problem since you seem so bored."
Peanut Butter, Sunset, and Twilight get up from his desk and goes to the board and faces it before taking a dry erase marker to solve the problem. As he tries to he recoils his arm and drops the marker. He looks at his hand moving his fingers before picking up the marker again and writes on the board. He returns to his desk afterwards as Luna checks the answers. She looks at Peanut Butter then to the board.
"Peanut Butter got them all right, along with Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle, good job to you three." Luna compliments.
They all smile at the praise as the rest of the class goes back to focusing on the board and Luna.
A minute later Peanut Butter’s back starts to spasm, like a shiver before going stiff and arching his back and neck in the same direction. Just then a small pop is heard. He leans forward, his breaths light though deep. He looks around the room and to himself before his eyes go wide and starts to hyperventilate.
“What happened to me?” He mumbles as he looks over himself while not trying to bring attention to himself.
After a few seconds he sighs softly.
“So I’m a kid again, but how old am I?” He mumbles to himself again before looking over his shoulder.
Under his shirt the Changeling tattoo is barely visible by the top of it. He sighs before turning his head around.
“So I’m about seven or eight years old.” He mutters before looking up and seeing Luna looking at him.
“Peanut Butter, what are you doing?”
“I had an itch on my back.”
Luna raises an eyebrow before shrugging.
“If you say so, but please pay attention.”
“Okay.”
Peanut Butter looks up at the board from his desk as he starts spinning his pencil in between his fingers while Luna lectures the class of now first graders. He raises his hand.
“Yes P.B.?” Luna asks.
“Can I go to the, um.”
“Yes you can.”
Peanut Butter gets up and takes a small wooden stick that that reads “Hall Pass” on it and leaves.
He speed walks to the bathroom and checks the stalls.
“So I’m a kid now and the last thing I remember is passing out from, the, gas.” Peanut Butter explains while his fists clench.
“Damnit!”
He punches the wall in front of him.
“Damnit, I was set up, played right into their hands.”
He turns on the sink and splashes water on his face.
“But how was I like that?”
He puts his hand on the back of his neck and stops as soon as he touches his neck towards the base of his skull. He pulls as he winces a bit. He returns his hand back to his front. He looks closely at the black box he is holding, little metal tabs stick out of the sides.
“So a microchip that goes on the spinal cord and is a receiver to a signal somewhere here, just have to poke this enough to find where it is and shut it down.” He mumbles to himself before putting it in his pocket, going to the bathroom, washing his hands and returns to class.
He opens the door and quietly steps in as the room is darkened with students huddled in one spot in the corner looking up at a TV.
“Go sit with the rest of the class P.B., the video just started.” Luna instructs.
Peanut Butter goes with the others and looks up. He raises his eyebrow and looks at Sunset Shimmer who is looking up at the black screen. He looks back at the screen, only to see nothing. He nudges Sunset.
“What are we watching?” He asks.
“It’s about manners.”
“Ah.”
He closes his eyes before he places his hands on his knees and breathes deep. After a few breaths his body starts to tingle slightly like if a stream was going through him. The middle of his forehead starts to tingle as well. The sounds around him fade as the sound of running water take over. A small breeze is felt on his body.
“You must complete your task.” A female voice whispers.
Peanut Butter opens his eyes as what he experienced vanishes and he grunts from landing on the floor as he was an inch above the floor. He looks around to see he is back in the classroom, the students still watching the TV. He looks around and Sees a red light on Sunset’s neck. He reaches into his pocket where the chip is and notices a small tab on top. He looks back at Sunset and sees the chip on her neck and the tap at the top by her hairline.
He reaches out his arm as if he was stretching, his hand above Sunset’s neck and flips the switch with his finger before returning his arm to his side.
Sunset goes limp, slouching forward for a couple seconds before she sits back up. She presses her hand on her head and groans.
“Ugh, what happened? I feel like I have a hangover.” Sunset mentions.
“Oh thank God, I thought I killed you for a second there, now I need you to not flip out at this next part.” Peanut Butter whispers.
Sunset looks around the classroom slowly.
“Why are we with the elementary kids?”
“Now, this is where I need you to at least not freak out in the open, we’ve been turned into kids again, this is our class.”
“W,what?”
“Yeah, I’m still wrapping my head around it, there’s a computer chip on your neck, I suggest pulling it off, but be careful, I need to research it or get Twilight to do it.”
Sunset reaches for her neck and gently removes the chip and hands it to Peanut Butter.
“Thanks, this will be a lot of help.” Peanut Butter thanks, still in a whisper tone.
“So does this mean Mom and Aunt Luna have these too?”
“Good chance, yeah.”
“We have to save them, I’ll just,”
“We can’t do anything right now, Prim and Proper have all the cards now, I tried to warn everyone.”
Peanut Butter’s eyes start welling up as he looks down. Sunset moves closer and hugs him.
“I’m sorry for not listening P.B., I should have heard you out, so what’s the plan?”
“Step one is get my, our friends and family back, then we figure out the end goal, finally we stop them.”
“Good news is that a good chunk are here, bad news is that I have no idea where the others are or how old they are.”
“True, we can’t do it so drastically either, we have to plan out how to do this.”
“Who’s next?”
“Twilight I think would be the most help.”
“Where is she?”
Peanut Butter scans the room.
“There, in the front by the wall.”
“She’s too far from us.”
“Then we’ll have to bide our time.”
“Wait for the right moment then?”
“Bingo, there is a small switch on the top, usually by the hairline that turns it on and off.”
“So what do we do?”
“Act like we are, we can’t raise suspicion now.”
“Okay, and thank you for saving me, you’re a good cousin.”
“You’re welcome.”
Just then the other students get up from their places and return to their seats with Sunset and Peanut Butter following behind. Luna stands at the board.
“Did you all learn something?” Luna asks.
“Yes Miss Solstice.” The class answers in unison.
“Good, now line up for lunch, children.”
They all line up by the door, Sunset gets behind Twilight and Peanut Butter gets behind Sunset. The line moves forward with Sunset looking forward. Peanut Butter looks around towards the ceiling and halls. As they turn a corner his eyes go wide and taps Sunset’s shoulder.
“Now.” He whispers.
She nods before reaching for Twilight’s chip and hitting the switch. Twilight goes limp for a couple seconds and stands up.
“Quick, just follow and we’ll fill you in.” Sunset whispers.
Twilight quickly catches up and Sunset fills her in on the situation.
“Thanks for saving me Sunset.” She whispers.
“I can’t take all the credit, thank P.B., without him, I’d still be in their control, oh, I almost forgot.”
Sunset quickly removes the chip from Twilight’s neck and hands it to Peanut Butter.
“We’ll need your help later to research these, I need to find where the signal is coming from, hack it or destroy the box sending it.”
“Sure, I’ll need the chip though.”
“I’ll pass it to you at lunch, can you use your magic?”
Twilight closes her eyes and nothing happens.
“No, I can’t.”
“Something must be suppressing it or absorbing it.”
“Yeah.”
“Our geodes are missing too.”
“Oh, those little lockets?”
“Yes.”
“Probably with Prim and Proper.”
“Yeah, oh, and thank you P.B., sorry for doubting you.”
“You’re welcome, A.J. and Rarity are next, but they’ll have to wait a while.”
“Why?”
“Don’t need to draw attention just yet.”
“Got it.”
“Say, if I found a way to get a sample of whatever did this to us, could you reverse it?”
“I could, but it’s too much of a risk.”
“Damn.”
“Sorry.”
“No, no, it’s fine, just wishful thinking is all.”
They reach the cafeteria and line up to get their food. The room is full of other students, all different ages from kindergarten to fifth grade. Peanut Butter’s eyes go wide.
“Why do I think they’ve kidnapped recent graduates?” He asks.
“Now that I think about it, there are a lot more kids here than there were before.” Sunset mentions.
“Did they do this before?”
“Not kidnapping adults, no, that’s new.”
“People would have noticed by now.”
“Not if they got the whole of Canterlot.”
“Is that possible?”
“It can’t be, signals can only go so far.”
“They did it in Manehatten, crude, but it happened.”
“So they perfected it.”
“Looks like it.”
The trio sit down next to each other and sigh. Peanut Butter looks at the food, staring and lifting it up to his nose and smells it.
“Don’t eat it.”
“Why?”
“It smells off, nine times out of ten, that means something is off.”
Twilight and Sunset follow his example. Sunset raises her eyebrow while Twilight’s eyes slowly go large and sets it down.
“Do you two remember what happened between this morning and now?” Twilight asks.
“Yeah, I do, why?”
“Same here, what’s going on Twi?”
“They cooked Devil’s Breath and LSD into this stuff.”
“I’ve heard both, the Changelings used it on targets.” Peanut Butter mentions.
“What is Devil’s Breath?” Sunset asks.
“Devil’s Breath is also known scientifically as Scopolamine, with a large enough dose, you’re under someone’s control and wake out of it not knowing what you did, it’s usually odorless and tasteless, but cooking it changed that it seems, but there is more than that in it.”
“Shit, that means we’ll have to bump up our time frame.”
“Looks like it, by my calculations, we have until the end of the school year to stop this.”
“Shit.”
Peanut Butter sighs and pushes his food away.
“You can’t go fasting P.B., your blood sugar will get too low.” Sunset mentions.
“I’ll have to until I can get to my stash.”
“You have a stash?”
“Yeah, in my closet in a hole in the wall.”
“You better get me in on that stash.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks.”
Just then the bell rings and the trio gets in line with the rest of their class and heads back to the classroom.
Upon returning the students sit at their desks before Luna continues with her lessons.
After school ends Celestia and Luna with Sunset and Peanut Butter following her meet at the front and go into the car.
After being buckled in they head towards the mall. Sunset looks over at Peanut Butter.
“How are you feeling?” Sunset asks in a whisper.
“Tingly at my hands and feet.”
“Want me to get Aunt Luna to give you something?”
“Yeah, she keeps something with her in cases like this, remember to act your age, that includes vocabulary.”
Sunset nods and turns towards Luna.
“Auntie Luna, P.B. is feeling all tingly in his hands and feet.” Sunset mentions.
“How bad is it?”
“Pretty bad.”
Luna puts her hand in her purse and pulls out a small mint, unwraps it and gives it to Peanut Butter who puts it in his mouth. She then picks him up and carries him. Without Luna looking he raises his eyebrows in an impressed fashion.
They walk around for a few minutes, looking at the decorations before Luna looks at Peanut Butter.
“Feeling better?” She asks.
He nods and Luna sets him down.
They reach the display of a snow covered field and a path with half of a large house at the end of the path, inside is a bearded man in a red suit with white trim, black boots, white gloves, and a hat with white trim and a white ball on top with a kid on his lap. Peanut Butter hides behind Luna, shaking slightly. Sunset grabs Celestia’s hand and leads her to the line with a smile on her face. Luna looks down to see Peanut Butter hiding.
“Scared little guy?” She asks.
He nods.
“Want to get hot chocolate instead?”
He nods again.
“Okay, let’s go.”
The two go to a near by stand and get hot chocolate before sitting at a bench not far from the display. Peanut Butter takes little sips from his cup and smiles up towards Luna. She looks down and smiles back before taking another sip.
Twenty minutes later Celestia and Sunset meet back with them at the bench as Peanut Butter finishes his drink. They go towards the food court and go to a restaurant in the food court and sit down. The walls are covered with things like canoe paddles, a trophy of a moose, kick knacks, memorabilia, and posters. They all sit down, with Peanut Butter and Sunset in booster seats.
A waitress dressed in her uniform, a green top, long tan skirt, and black shoes comes to their table. A smile on her face as she takes out a pad of paper and a pen.
“Welcome to Nickle Knack’s, I’m your server Star Tracer, what can I get you to drink?” She greets.
“Two waters and two apple juices please.”
“I’ll bring those right up.”
Star Tracer leaves as Luna and Celestia look at Peanut Butter and Sunset with a soft smile on their faces.
“Are you two having fun?” Celestia asks.
They both nod just as Star Tracer returns with the drinks and places them out.
“Are you ready to order?” She asks.
“I’ll have a garden salad with grilled chicken and my daughter will have chicken strips.” Celestia orders.
“I’ll have chicken Cesar salad and so will my son.” Luna orders.
“I’ll get those out for you.” Star Tracer mentions before leaving the table.
A few minutes later their food arrives and they all eat.
After the bill is paid they all go to the van and head home.