A Threat As Old As Time

by Shadowmane PX-41

Chapter 8: Time Disturbances

Sunset was shaken from her sleep by the distinguishable noise of her phone. She slowly and groggily opened her eyes and reached out for her phone, knocking over other items on her bedside table in the process. When her hands finally got the phone, she opened it up and put it by her ear.

"Who's there?" Sunset asked through a loud yawn.

"Sorry for getting you up this early, Sunset. But we've got a lead," Adagio said through the phone. "Shake off the rest of your bed-head, then come meet me, Aria, and Sonata at the school."

"You found something already?" Sunset's eyes widened.

"Well, we'll see you there..." Adagio said before the phone hung up.

"Twilight. Wake up," Sunset said as she shook Twilight from her sleep. "We've got a lead on Black Cosmos."

Twilight slowly woke up from her sleep and cooed lightly as her eyelids swung open. She looked up and said, "Morning, Sunset. What's the news?"

"The Dazzlings found something relating to Black Cosmos. They said to meet them at the school," Sunset said once Twilight had fully awakened. "Come on, let's snag him before he makes another regression!"

"Wait, Sunset..." Twilight's head wasn't entirely looking straight up once she had dressed herself. "This could be a trap."

"A trap? The Dazzlings agreed that they would help up capture hi—"

"Not a trap from The Dazzlings, a trap from Black Cosmos..." Twilight said as her face turned pale. She was completely unaware of what Black Cosmos was capable of now that he wielded the Staff of Time. "The five of us could be walking straight into a trap of sorts. He could take out The Dazzlings on the spot. Or he could take you, me, and Adagio all at once..."

Sunset's face tightened. She hadn't taken into account that Black would have been preparing an ambush for her and Twilight. Though she began to lower her head as well, she then clenched her fist and looked up with a ferocious look in her eyes.

"It might be a trap, but we'll just have to shoot at it now, won't we?" Sunset's gaze was complimented with a smile as she held out a hand for Twilight. "What do you say, Twilight? Think we can handle another battle together?"

Twilight smiled as well. "Yeah..." she took Sunset's hand and shook it. "The chips might be down, but we're still here. If Black wanted to finish off the Magic of Friendship, why didn't he do it when he had the chance?"

"You're right. He missed his shot, and now's the time to penalize him for it!" Sunset ran out with Twilight close behind her. The looks on the girls' faces was undeniable, they were going to finally put a stop to Black Cosmos.

---

Celestia was seen in her office at CHS filing in missing student reports. Ever since Black had upped his game and taken The Rainbooms away, both she and Luna were on high alert. In fact, she had already told the rest of the students that the school was under investigation.

As Celestia tapped away on her new desk computer, she looked at many of the papers she still needed to file. Seeing a large stack left, she sighed and put her hand to her head. It was going to be a long day for her.

Suddenly, hearing knocking on her door, Celestia said, "Come in."

The door opened, allowing Vice Principal Luna to walk inside. She quickly walked up to the desk, pulled up a nearby chair and sat down.

"Sister, we need to do something about these disappearing students," Luna said. "The parents are starting to get worried sick, and the media is getting relentless. If we can't find a way to come back from this, it might be the end of Canterlot High School as we know it..."

"I know, I know, I'm trying!" Celestia said as she threw her head back and put her hands over her eyes. "But the thing is, Sister, the students who vanished left behind cryptic voicemails. If we could just decipher the meaning behind those messages, that could give us a clue on what happened to the students..."

"Sister. It was just a voicemail, nothing more. Probably so that the kidnapper could hide his or her tracks," Luna said. "Eventually they'll come back. I know that something that is lost is not gone forever."

"If that were the case, the students would be back by now," Celestia said as she peered out of the blinds behind her. "Whoever this fiend is, he or she has done a great job on hiding them, I'll give them that..."

"And if you like, I can take you to them," another voice came from outside of the office door. As it opened up, Black Cosmos strolled inside and shut the door behind her. "I know where the students are, and I can easily take down the kidnapper and return them to you," he lied.

"Who are you?" Celestia asked as soon as Black walked over to Luna's chair and watched her stand up to let him sit down.

"My name is Black Cosmos. And I am the key to reuniting you with all of your lost pupils, and to provide you with eternal happiness," he took out the Staff of Time and placed it on his laps. "You see, the criminal likes to hide out in shady areas and strikes only at night. I myself know this for a fact as I hear lots of your children scream at night when they walk into him."

"That could be vital to our cause..." Celestia whispered to herself, then looked back at Black. "Do you know anything else about this kidnapper, Black?"

"Yes. I do know that he implies a powerful otherworldly force to steal away your students. But then again, after what has happened at this high school, otherworldly has blurred the line between itself and reality," rubbing the staff, Black's face had a somewhat malicious grin growing on it. "Tell me, ladies. Are you familiar with the concept of Age-Regression?"

"Age-Regression?" they both said together before looking at each other.

"When humans like you and I grow up, that's what's known as Age-Progression. But by simply taking this simple concept and reversing it, you can reclaim your long-lost youth and enjoy a carefree life," Black said. "Age-Regression can be unpredictable at times, but the most common form of it is being youthened down to a child, toddler, or baby. With that concept in your minds, imagine how wonderful the world would be if we could just rub away our age like it was a stain on our plates..."

"What are you implying? That this kidnapper turns his victims back into children?" Luna asked as she watched Black stand up and begin to spin the Staff of Time.

"Yes. That is precisely the case. Ageing is a curse, one that kills people whether they are in good health or not," Black said as he tightened his grip and clenched his teeth. "The only way to find true happiness is if Age-Regression is welcomed and accepted as the only principle of friendship!"

"Who are you?!" Celestia said as she and Luna stumbled back and had their backs against the wall. Black's Staff of Time was now collecting energy, ready to turn the two women back into infants and send the whole school into turmoil.

"I am merely a prophet of the salvation of friendship. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fail to see the true essence of friendship. I suppose since you are their couterparts in this world, you believe the exact same thing," Black's gritted teeth loosened, and his grin quickly became an evil smile. "You two must know that you were truly meant to be babies. When I am done with you, the only work you will have to focus on is the work of playing and building with plastic and wooden blocks," Black then shot the energy from his staff, impaling both Celestia and Luna with two radiant beams of light. As he heard their cries of pain, he said. "Oh, and those students that go missing? That was me. But look on the bright side of this. At least you won't hear the voicemail saying to call them when they grow up again anymore. Because now you will be able to be with them for eternity!"

---

Meanwhile, The Dazzlings were standing at the horse statue that linked Equestria to the school. The three of them then saw Twilight and Sunset running towards them.

"So, what have you found out, Dazzlings?" Twilight said once she and Sunset had arrived.

"Well, we can't exactly pinpoint Black's location, but we can feel when he's using the Staff of Time and when it's about to be used," Adagio explained. "You know how people usually get chills when they think of an imminent danger? Well, we can get chills whenever time is disturbed here."

"Disturbed?" Twilight asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"It means that whenever Black screws around with time, we're able to feel it and act as a sort of compass," Aria explained as she flicked her hair. "Honestly. Equestrian artefacts these days..."

"So, how can we tell when you feel Black's power?" Sunset asked.

"Well, first of all, Sonata will quote a random scientific fact..." Adagio looked at Sonata.

"The sum of the square root of two equal sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side!" Sonata said once Adagio had finished talking. She turned to Aria and Adagio and said, "What? That's what I heard one of those techies say last week."

"Then there'll be a slight gust of wind by our feet..." Adagio's words were accompanied with the exact actions that she described. A gust of wind hit their legs, decreasing the temperature by a slight amount. "Then, it's like we all have a sixth sense and can see him through walls..."

The Dazzlings eyes flashed for a brief second, and from their point of view it was as if they could see a blueish blob inside Canterlot High. When it held out the staff and began moving it's arms out to talk to someone, that's when they identified the target as Black Cosmos.

"There. He's in Principal Celestia's office!" Adagio pointed towards the area where Black was talking.

"Not Celestia and Luna... This is bad..." Twilight's legs quickly bent as she opened her hands. "If he takes the two of them and sends them to the orphanage, there'll be no-one to tutor the rest of the students!"

"Better hurry, girls. It looks like he's spinning that staff..." Adagio said as the group all took off into the school's front doors.

As the five teenage girls bolted down the hallways, they saw that everyone else was busy in their classes. However, they paid no mind to this and continued their dash towards Celestia's office.

---

When they had arrived at the office door, they saw little white slivers of light through the edge of the door. When they charged through it, they saw that Black had already done his dirty work. Their faces fell when they saw the fruits of his labour.

Celestia and Luna were completely devoid of any and all age. They were wearing white diapers on their butts, and had special t-shirts with their Cutie Marks on the front. Their hair was also small, as to fit their new states. The two infants were each given teddy bears from Black Cosmos, which they immediately took into their arms and cuddled tight.

"Black..." Twilight was at a loss for words. Seeing that Celestia and Luna were now infants, it was as if all of the colour had been drained from her face. "Why do you have to do this?"

"Because, Twilight Sparkle. Friendship and Age-Regression are exactly the same as Alchemy. Destruction and then rebirth," Black said as he picked up Celestia and Luna. "We are all phoenixes, waiting for the day when the magic of Age-Regression ignites us, enabling us to start our lives anew..."

"Technically, we're sirens. Completely different thing." Sonata said as stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, well... The Dazzlings? My, my, Twilight Sparkle. You really are getting desperate now, aren't you?" Black taunted as he opened up another time portal. "But even they know that they are not long for death. Soon, they will wither out and die, and only the power of Age-Regression can save them..."

Not even acknowledging Black's last sentence, Twilight screamed and ran towards Black with her hands balled up into fists. She was suddenly stopped when Black blinked, causing time to stop once more.

Black merely moved out of the way and put Celestia and Luna onto the chair. Once he had freed up both of his hands, he picked up the Staff of Time, lightly knocked Twilight onto the ground, and started time up again.

"Pitiful Princess of Friendship. She fights against the one thing she stands for," Black said as he saw Twilight on the floor. He then watched and laughed as Twilight got up and tried to attack him. "But in the end, her actions will only beget her eternal childhood..." Black sidestepped and avoided every single one of Twilight's attacks. "Trying to physically harm me is impossible, Princess Twilight. I have forseen the future and I know every attack you will make before you even pull it."

Twilight was eventually shot back when Black banged the Staff of Time on the ground and violently kicked her in the chest. She was caught by Adagio and Sunset, who helped her up rather quickly.

"You know, ladies. There's room for one more infant to join Celestia and Luna in the orphanage," Black said as he held up the staff once more. "Just say the word and I shall regress you down to the first year of your existence. And with the body and mind of a baby, you won't have to worry about anything strenuous or world-threatening ever again..." his words made Twilight and Sunset grumble. "So, who is it going to be? The Princess of Friendship? The former She-demon? Or maybe one of the three witches of the musical arts?"

"Black, you won't get any positive answers out of us now," Sunset said as she walked up and got up close to his face. "Even if you try to con us with the positive side of being an infant again, we still won't buy any of your lies and slander."

"I wasn't asking, Sunset Shimmer," Black began to spin the staff once again. As soon as he began this process, he saw Sunset try to take the staff away from him. "I was telling you that one of you had to go!" he spun his staff all around him like a cheerleader's baton, making it impossible for Sunset to grab onto it.

With one last jump onto the desk, Black Cosmos fired another bolt of white energy at the group. The shot curved all around them erratically, until it finally impaled Sunset Shimmer. He watched with another insidious grin as Sunset screamed out in pain and began to undergo the affects of the Staff of Time.

Sunset could feel her age was decreasing and that her clothes were rapidly changing. She looked back at Twilight and said, "Twilight. I'm sorry..."

"Sunset, not you too..." Twilight began to shed a tear as she watched the process.

"It's alright, Twilight. As long as you're still a grown-up, you can still defeat him," Sunset was still able to speak to her, even as she began to enter the stages of her single digit ages. "You can defeat him and save us... save us and both of the worlds!" with one last scream, Sunset was engulfed in a bright light.

When the light died down, Sunset was wearing a plain red t-shirt and a white diaper. Her hair and body had shrunk phenomenally, and she now had the mindset of an infant. She giggled when Black picked her up and carried her over to Celestia and Luna.

"One by one, you lost your friends, Princess Twilight Sparkle," Black said in triumph as he carried the girls over to the portal. "Your efforts to defeat me and take the Staff of Time have failed, and all of The Rainbooms are now infants. And with Sunset Shimmer in my hands, you are all alone..."

"Not exactly!" Aria said as she, Adagio, and Sonata threw their hands around Twilight in a way to protect her. "We're still here, Black. Twilight and Sunset promised us that we'd be returned to our true selves if we could defeat you and aid her in her desperation!"

"But without you, what is Twilight in this world?" his words managed to make Twilight's head hang low, with tears beginning to fall from it. "Don't you see now, Twilight Sparkle? You are forever alone in this world. Always have been, always will be. Still, here you are. Trying so desperately to save the people of this world, refusing to accept the true principle of friendship.

"You may dwell on this moment, Twilight Sparkle," Black Cosmos arrived back at the time portal with Celestia, Luna, and Sunset in his arms. "Let it sink in. Then, when you decide that you wish to be liberated of your heartbreak, come and find me again," Black jumped through the portal saying, "Your friends will all be so happy to see you again..."

As the portal vanished, The Dazzlings allowed Twilight some breathing room.

"We'll find him again, Twilight. I just know we will," Adagio had her own fist balled up. She tightened it, then saw that Twilight hadn't snapped out of her funk. "Uh, Twilight?"

"Hello? Earth to Twilight? Is anypony home in there?" Sonata asked as she gently knocked on Twilight's forehead with her knuckles.

"He's right..." Twilight slowly raised her hands and held them out so that everyone could see. "Even if it's not a physical being, the blood is all on my hands. It's my fault that I lost everyone..." she began to cry again. "It should have been me, not Sunset!" she finally threw her head back and screamed, "I'm all alone!"

To Be Continued...

Comments

[FlufferNutters]

Don't give up Twilight, You'll find a way.

*Summons a Keyblade black and white with the yin and yang symbol at the end of it*

Even if you need a bit of help.

[Yoru no Seishin]

Can't wait to see how Twilight gets out of this mess.