Trixie tries to use magic to win the talent show. But when Equestrian magic interferes, she might get more than just applause...
Canterlot High is hosting a talent show, and Trixie Lulamoon—as great and powerful as she always says she is—is trying to win first place. She's been polishing her magic tricks, improving her craft, and preparing herself for the competition.
But when one of her spells takes an entirely different turn, Trixie needs to see if she can control her three tiny helpers before they make a mess of Canterlot High...
Inside Canterlot High's hall, students were all gathered around on bleachers while Celestia and Luna sat at a small table in front of them. It was a similar set-up to how the crowd and judges were during the Battle of the Bands, but this time, everyone else couldn't help but smile and chatter among each other as they waited for the next act to come on and please them.
Backstage, various acts had gathered their equipment and stood in line, waiting for their turn in the spotlights. Some were dressed in bright outfits while others were dressed in casual clothes. In front of the group was Trixie, who had a plain magician's wand in her hand. She was practicing flicking her wrists, smiling all the while.
"That last contest was a bit of a washout," she mumbled to herself. "All that nonsense about magical sirens completely threw off my mojo. But when it comes to a talent competition, my illusionist prowess is unmatched." She sandwiched her wand in her hands. "I'm especially glad that the Rainbooms aren't participating this time. Maybe for once, I'll be able to bask in the glory of victory."
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Trixie." Fuchsia Blush stood next to Trixie, perched up against the wall with her friend, Lavender Lace. "Remember, you're going out there alone. You won't have either of us to back you up or help you out if something goes wrong."
"Yeah. Usually our acts are all together, Trix." Lavender Lace gently tugged on the curtains and poked out at the crowd. "And you're gonna be out there without us. There's no guarantee that everything will go your way today—especially considering everyone else we're up against."
"Lighten up, girls. Trixie has got this in the bag." She tossed her hair backwards and slipped on a bright purple witch's hat. "You're just expecting the worst is all. Think about the positives. Trixie always says to always look on the bright side of things, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, but you've got some real competition out there." Fuchsia pointed to the competitors on the other side of the stage, who were putting their equipment away. "Sure. None of them are the Rainbooms, but they're still pretty good. That Tennis Match girl was able to perform some pretty sick tricks with her bat."
"Not to mention that Flash Sentry and his band completely rocked the socks off of everyone out there." Lavender watched him bump fists with his band-mates. "I know it's not a music competition anymore, but still, do you know anyone else here at Canterlot High that can perform rock and roll like that?"
"Not exactly." Both Trixie and Fuchsia shook their heads.
"Even so, I hope you've brought out your best tricks, Trixie. That crowd's already seen some good stuff today." Lavender watched Celestia reach for the microphone. "Ah, who am I kidding? You're the best magician I think we've ever seen! Not counting those pony-obsessed Rainbooms, of course."
"Thanks for the pep talk, girls." Trixie smiled. "Now then. Let's give these Canterlot High students a show they'll never forget!"
"And now. Performing some tricks that will bedazzle and wow the crowd, the 'Great and Powerful' Trixie," said Celestia. "But we know her better as Trixie Lulamoon! Come on to the stage!"
Trixie was met with a few cheers as she came on to the stage, wearing a heavily-layered purple dress with golden boots. She gazed out towards the crowd and took out her wand once she made it into the spotlight. The house lights dimmed, a smirk crossed her face, and she pulled out a bright red blanket from her sleeves.
"Now then. Some people say that magic comes from sheer willpower, or from the skill that you have alone," said Trixie, pulling out a microphone from the blanket. "But to me, true magic comes from imagination!"
With a powerful flick of a blanket, Trixie was able to create a rectangular podium with various props decorating it. She took a set of five rings and held them all in one hand. She let go of most of them, but instead of hitting the floor, the rings linked together and hung onto each other. A chorus of "Oooh"s escaped from the crowd as Trixie took the rings and slipped them back together, separating them as she slid them onto the rack again.
"I gotta say, she's actually pretty good." Rainbow Dash leaned in closer and watched Trixie pull her wand out and tap on a small box, causing it to open up and reveal an apple. She closed it up and gave the box another few taps, and when it opened again, the apple was gone. "Whoa! How did she do that?!"
"Trixie's really been upping her game." Pinkie Pie smiled as she watched the magician take off her hat and place it down on the table. With a few swishes of the wand, she pulled the hat up, revealing a single cupcake. "Ooh! How did she make that cupcake appear?! I want to know how!"
"I'm sure that you're all eager to know how I make all of these tricks possible, but a magician's one rule is that they never reveal their secrets; no matter how much their friends, family, or even the general crowd want to know." Trixie gave the students a wink as she dropped her blanket over the cupcake. With another quick yank, the food had disappeared. She bathed in the applause and moved the podium away. "But now, Trixie is in need of a few volunteers. She's been practicing this new trick of hers for over a month, and is hoping that with your help, that she'll finally be able to make it a success."
"Volunteers?" Celestia lifted a brow and turned back towards her students. "Well, I suppose that it couldn't really hurt now, could it?" She held her ear to the students, who all gave her big cheers. With a little grin of her own, she turned back to Trixie. "They seem fond of the idea, Trixie. Go ahead. Pick anyone you like."
"Hmm..." Trixie scanned the audience and watched as people put their hands and waved them around frantically. She scratched her chin and put her wand down on the floor. "Let Trixie think here..."
"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo tugged on Rainbow Dash's shirt. "Why aren't you putting your hands up?"
"As much as I've been enjoying this performance, I'm not really a fan of Trixie's volunteer acts. Remember that whole thing where everyone thought that Derpy really had vanished? It took us a whole week for us to find her. I thought she was gone forever!"
"Yeah. But we did find her in the end." Scootaloo nodded. "What could go wrong?"
"She does have a point, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy put her hand on Rainbow's shoulders. "Besides, we've had to stand up to the forces of evil magic four times now. I'm sure that Trixie's trick is gonna be a success. She can't possibly do anything worse than the stuff we've fought before."
"True, true." Rainbow Dash put her hands behind her head and kicked her feet up. "Besides, Trixie's doing magic. There's no way this could go wrong."
"Trixie has made her decision!" She jabbed a finger towards Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo. "You three! You are all Trixie's lucky chosen few! Come on up to the stage, and prepare to be part of a trick that will change your lives!"
"Oh, I'm not so sure about the whole changing lives part, but OK." Fluttershy stood up with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, and walked over towards the stage with them.
Once the three girls jumped onto the stage, Trixie led them to their proper places. She put Rainbow Dash in between Fluttershy and Scootaloo before retrieving her wand.
"Now then, you three. Trixie's fairly new to this sort of spell. So, if at any point, you feel something wrong, don't hesitate to let Trixie know." She brushed their bodies down and polished her wand. "I would never do anything to you if it made you feel uncomfortable."
She says, after the Battle of the Bands... Rainbow Dash thought. You know, we're only doing this because you chose us.
"Now then. Trixie's newest spell, designed to rejuvenate and revitalize a person is very new." She turned to the audience. "It's a complicated process and one far beyond anything you could think of, but I'm about to make these three girls look a year younger."
"You know, you don't need to use a spell to make us like th—"
"And now. Let's begin." Trixie slapped Fluttershy's mouth shut and readied her wand.
As Trixie slowly began moving her wand, a faint aura resonated from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. It glistened dimly in the light, almost invisible to the naked eye, before moving around Trixie's wand. The few twinkles and sparkles started to appear as Trixie raised her wand high and began to utter the magic words, "Mighty magic wand of truth, give these girls the gift of youth!" She snapped her wand down on the three teenagers.
A small, yet powerful beam of light struck the ground around the three girls, causing a magical rune to appear beneath their feet. Bright lights sprung up all around them before smoke began to rise from the seal, shrouding the girls within it. The crowd looked on with interest, they wanted to see whether or not Trixie's trick was going to be a success, or whether it was all smoke and mirrors.
Well. This is new. Trixie thought as she watched the gas continue to spiral around the girls. She promptly gave herself a slap to the face. No. Don't even assume that, Trixie. You know you're better than that. If this spell works, you'll win the contest. Stop being so nervous!
Eventually, the smoke began to clear and the lights began to stop. Once everything had calmed down, the crowd let out a large gasp as they saw the results of the spell.
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo all came out of the smoke gurgling as they tapped their hands to their faces. Their clothes had been transformed into tiny shirts with their logos stitched into them. Around their waists were three thick diapers, all taped up and properly secured. They took a look at the audience and put their hands into their mouths, sucking on them deftly as they stared bug-eyed at them all.
"Well, It's a bit of a stretch, but there you have it, ladies and gentlemen." Trixie began to sweat frantically as she forced a curved smile. She stretched her arms out towards the three babies and meekly said, "Ta-da..."
The crowd could only watch in awe as Trixie began to pace around the babies. None of them knew how to react at the sight. They were all very impressed that she had been able to turn Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo into infants, but now they were wondering if the effects were permanent.
"Dashie!" Pinkie Pie jumped up from the bleachers and ran as fast as she could towards the three babies. She gave them all a massive hug and carried Rainbow Dash gently in her arms. "Oh, don't you worry, little Dashie-washie... Pinkie Pie's here to make it all better."
Rainbow Dash simply reached up towards Pinkie's chin and grabbed onto it, spouting out gibberish and spit.
"Trixie. If we could borrow you for just a second?" Celestia waved her hand and attracted Trixie over towards the table. "Are you sure that this spell is going to be permanent?"
"Yes. We don't want these three to go back through their infant years this close to graduation." Luna reached over and gently plucked Scootaloo from the stage, tousling her hair as she brought her to the table. "Despite how cute they are, I don't think it would be fair to leave them like this."
"Well, uh..." Trixie rubbed the stage with the tips of her boots. "Like I said, it's a brand new spell. I've never really tried it out on a real show before." She let out a weak chuckle and saw Celestia write down notes about her performance. "W-wait! I can fix this, Principal Celestia! Just you leave it to me! Don't disqualify me just yet!"
"I never said that I was going to disqualify you, Trixie. I was just writing down some marks based on that last spell." Celestia tapped the paper with the tip of her pen. "Now, I know that the Rainbooms decided not to take part in this talent show, but it still doesn't mean that we can excuse some of their magic meddling in the affairs of the other students' business."
"Even if it is accidental, we still have to make sure that everything proceeds as normal." Luna nodded and put the lid of her pen back on. "Now, because we are merciful, we will allow you to make this right. If you can turn these girls back into normal by the end of the talent show, then we will let this whole thing slide and still mark your age-reduction spell down positively."
"If not, then we will simply have to mark it against you. And we don't want anything like that, now do we?" Celestia lifted her brows.
"No, Principal Celestia." Trixie picked up all three of the babies and struggled to keep hold of them all. "You have Trixie's word that she'll fix this whole thing."
"I hope so." Rarity waltzed down towards the babies. "I'm sure that you meant to put on a great show this time, Trixie, but this just doesn't seem right."
"Yeah. You can't make Dashie a baby again, or Fluttershy and Scootaloo for that matter!" Pinkie threw her arms down in front of her. "I know that being a baby's a super-duper fun time, but the principals are right. We don't want to leave them all like this when we're so close to graduating..."
"I know, I know! Do you think Trixie doesn't know this?!" Trixie hissed at Rarity and Pinkie. "I was only trying to make them one year younger, not eighteen years younger!"
"Don't panic, Trixie." Twilight Sparkle came up towards Trixie and gently patted her back. "Sunset Shimmer's got to have the answers to this little problem. I'm sure she'd be able to help you out."
"Well, whatever you're all planning on doing, do you think that you could do it outside of the hall?" Luna asked, pointing towards the students back on the stage. "We've still got some acts to get through before the end of the show. And your clock for fixing Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo just started. Better not waste any time, Lulamoon."
"Gah! C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! We've gotta get going!" Trixie jumped and bolted out of the room with Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight following closely behind her. They charged through the doors head-first before skidding on their heels and darting down towards another room. It wasn't long before she came back, though. "Uh. Where is Sunset Shimmer again, Principal Celestia?"
"She's in room B105. Filling out some important extra credit for her chemistry classes." Celestia pointed upwards.
"Thank you!" Trixie ran off again.
"Well. That was certainly... something." Luna sheepishly turned back towards the stage and banged her papers together. "Anyway. Our next act is Derpy Whooves and her bubble-catching skills. Please welcome her on, everyone!"
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo bounced around giddily as Trixie shot down the corridors, trying to hold on to the three baby-fied teenagers. In their euphoria, the babies reached up and grabbed Trixie's cheeks, playing around with them as she tried to run.
"Stop it! The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't like her face being touched!" Trixie shook her head rapidly and pried it from the babies' grip. "Once we get you three to Sunset Shimmer, we'll be able to make this all right. Then Trixie will win the talent show, be bathed in applause and cheers, and finally get some recognition around here!"
The babies simply cooed at Trixie, tilting their heads to the side.
"Uh, Trixie? I don't think they understand..." Pinkie Pie lifted a finger.
"Well, of course they don't understand! They're babies!" Trixie snapped her head backwards towards Pinkie. "Teaching them anything is like trying to teach a dog how to do your taxes!"
"Trixie, I know that this seems like a bad time to ask, but how did this happen?" said Rarity. "Your magic tricks usually revolve around sleight of hand and illusions, don't they?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?" Trixie turned towards the stairs and hopped up them one after another.
"Well, if your magic is all trickery, then I've got a bit of a hunch that it wasn't just your magic that messed up your last act. Now, I know that it's almost impossible to grasp, but I think that something else gave you a helping hand in making Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Trixie into babies."
"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Do you think maybe some kooky Equestrian magic got mixed into the spell, Rarity?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Because if it did, then we've totally got this. We've fought against some pretty bad things before, but this is the tamest thing yet. Although, now that I say that, little Pound and Pumpkin can be a bit of a handful back home..." She scratched her chin. "Eh, I'm sure we've got it all under control."
"Now, now, Pinkie Pie. You can't just go around and blame Equestrian magic on everything." Rarity wagged her finger at Pinkie. "Even if what happened to Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo is a little... bizarre, there's still no proof that someone used Equestrian magic to turn them into infants."
"But it's still gotta be the most likely cause of the whole thing, right?" Pinkie lifted a brow. "I mean, this kind of wacky stuff only happens to us, right? The Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands, the Friendship Games, Camp Everfree, and now this!" Pinkie used all five of her fingers to count off the events. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if our magic got into this little trick."
"Look, girls, I couldn't really care less about what happened back there, alright?" Trixie shook her head vigorously, almost shaking the babies out of her grip. "All that matters now is fixing this before we run out of time. Only then will Trixie win the talent show and be cheered for by the students of Canterlot High!" She ran so fast that she almost missed the door. She skidded on her heels and felt Rarity and Pinkie Pie bump into her as they came to a stop as well, with Twilight being the only one who didn't crash. "Here we are, girls. Room B105."
Trixie balanced on one foot and opened the door with her foot, making sure that the three babies stayed in her arms. As she tried to get it open, she wobbled and struggled to balance. "Wh-whoa... Oh-no!" Trixie eventually slipped, tossing the babies up into the air as the door moved open a few inches.
Rarity, Pinkie, and Twilight all watched their infantile friends fly into the air, laughing as they came hurtling back down to earth. Rarity and Twilight managed to grab Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo safely, while Pinkie Pie did a running dive and caught Fluttershy, rolling forward as she held her up in the air like a football.
"Phew. That was a close one..." Twilight held Fluttershy gently in her arms as she followed Trixie into room B105.
"Too close." Pinkie and Rarity chimed in harmony.
Room B105 was chock full of chemistry beakers, distillation tubes, and test tubes littered around the decks. Some had some concoctions simmering on low heat, while others remained clean and clear, waiting to be used. Motivational posters were planted around the walls, with some telling students to take care when handling the materials, or which formulas would grant them success.
Sunset Shimmer was at the back of the room, doing chemistry while writing down notes on stacks of papers. More specifically, she was being given questions and answering them once she had completed her work. She wore a white lab coat and safety goggles as she used a pair of tongs to carry a phial of red liquid over a beaker and pour it in.
"Sunset? Do you think we could talk with you for a second?" said Twilight, walking over towards her with Fluttershy restlessly trying to reach for stuff, cooing and babbling as she grasped at air.
"Well, of course you can, Twilight. I'm always open to talk." Sunset pulled her head from her studies. "What's going on with—" She immediately stopped when she saw Fluttershy in Twilight's hands, along with Rainbow Dash in Rarity's arms, and Fluttershy hugging Pinkie as tightly as possible "—you? What the HECK happened to Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo?!"
"Well, basically, Trixie tried to win the Canterlot High talent show using some pretty complicated magical tricks. Granted, she doesn't really have Equestrian magic like we do, but somehow, she managed to turn Dashie, Flutters, and Scoots into cute little babies," Pinkie spoke up. "Now, Trixie's got until the end of the talent show to turn the three babies back to normal, otherwise, she misses out on winning the prize, which would totally crush her reputation and make it so no-one would ever want to see her tricks ever again!"
"Hey! That last part doesn't count, Pinkie Pie!" Trixie scowled at Pinkie. "I managed to turn three teenagers into babies! I'm sure that the whole WORLD would want to see my tricks after this whole thing ends!"
"Girls! Calm down. We're with Sunset Shimmer now, and I'm sure that she'll find some way to fix this mess." Rarity set Rainbow Dash down on the ground and squeezed both Pinkie and Trixie's shoulders. "Ahem. Anyway, I know that this is all so sudden, Sunset, but this just happened out of nowhere. Do you think you could help us out?"
"Well, I wish that I could, but if you say that it just happened out of nowhere, I'm not sure I could come up with an easy way of trying to fix them." Sunset returned to her experiment, pouring another liquid into the distillers. "They could've been transformed in a number of ways. Equestrian magic surge, someone we don't know of trying to take them out of the picture, or heck, even Trixie's spell actually did some real magic for once." As she worked, she didn't notice that Rainbow Dash was waddling off towards the nearby blackboard on wheels. "I might have some time once I get this finished, but until I do, there's really nothing that I can do for the time being."
"Listen, Sunset, I don't have time to wait for your help." Trixie threw her arm towards the door. "The talent contest could end at any moment, and if I don't get Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo back to normal by then, I'm going to lose the talent show!"
"So?" Sunset didn't even look at Trixie.
"So?! Trixie needs to be famous!" Trixie's mouth opened wide. "The Dazzlings opened Trixie's eyes, and now Trixie must become the most popular and successful wizard ever created! And if I fail this talent show because I can't change these three back to normal, then I'll NEVER be able to reach my true potential!"
"Trixie. The Dazzlings were evil villains. Don't try and be popular." Sunset shook her head and carried her distilled potion and poured it into the red liquid, resulting in the whole concoction turning white. "At Canterlot High, we don't have stereotypical students like most other high schools. We have people who love each other as much as they love themselves. Don't try to be the popular kid, the bully, or the nerd. Just be who you are, and you should be perfectly fine."
Before anyone else could say anything, a loud crash came from the side of the room. When everyone looked over, they saw that the blackboard had crashed into the desk, and some of the equipment on it had been tossed onto the floor, where it was either shattered or standing upside down without a crack. Some small giggles came from the corner of the room from Rainbow Dash, who pointed towards the chaos that she had created.
"Dashie!" Pinkie tossed Scootaloo into Trixie's arms and ran over to Rainbow Dash, sweeping her off the floor in a single scoop. "Bad dashie! Bad!" She shook her finger in Rainbow's face, but she pulled her finger into her tiny mouth and began to suckle on it. "Eww! Baby spit!" She rubbed her moist finger down on the side of her dress.
"Even as a baby, Rainbow Dash is still a troublemaker..." Rarity sighed as she watched Pinkie try to control Rainbow Dash, but all in vain as Rainbow climbed up on Pinkie's head and began to pull at her hair. Pinkie's scream pierced everyone's ears, and Rarity held her hands to her ears. "Oh dear. This might be trouble." She ran over to Pinkie and Rainbow to try and calm them both down.
As Scootaloo watched Rainbow mess around with Pinkie Pie, yanking and tugging at her hair, forcing her to move and stumble around the room, she looked up at Trixie and tried to have some playtime of her own. She grabbed Trixie's bra and took her hat off of her head, slipping it down over her body.
"Hey! Give Trixie her hat back!" Trixie tried to grab the hat, but any time she moved her arms, Scootaloo tried to slip through the crack and fall onto the floor. "Uh, I, um. Sunset? Could you give me a hand?"
"Trixie, I'm in the middle of making a highly combustible formula here." Sunset's eyes were fixated on the potion. "Can't you just try and set her down somewhere?"
"I'd love to take her off of your hands, Trixie, but Fluttershy here's really getting into this." Twilight felt her chest tighten more and more as Fluttershy wrapped her tiny arms around Twilight's body. "Can't you just set her down somewhere out of trouble?"
"That's the problem! Every other place here is full, and Rainbow Dash is really giving Rarity and Pinkie a hard time!" Trixie watched the small rainbow-haired infant hang off of Pinkie's hair and pull at the pink locket around her neck. Rarity tried to free Rainbow Dash, but she spat up in Rarity's face, causing her to let out a shriek that could have been heard at the opera.
"Not the dress!" Rarity whined as she looked down at the mushy projectile on her clothes. "Now I look ugly!"
"Oh, get over it, Rarity! Those are the exact same clothes you wear EVERY DAY at Canterlot High!" Trixie scoffed and watched Rarity try and get the spit off of her without making it worse for herself. Her attention was returned to Scootaloo, when she burrowed her head into Trixie's breasts and blew a tiny raspberry. "Hey! Hands off of the merchandise, kid! Trixie doesn't let anyone get in there unless she feels they deserve it!"
Sunset Shimmer let out a gruff sigh and put a small cork onto the test tube, then ran over to Pinkie and Rarity. She took Rainbow Dash from both of them and sat her down on one of the decks. She used the side of her lab coat to clean up whatever residue lingered on Rainbow's lips before rubbing her belly in small circular motions.
Rainbow Dash felt Sunset's finger run over her body, causing all of the muscles in her body to relax with every passing second. Her laughter had degraded down into gentle coos as she waved her hands in the air slowly. Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to grab Sunset's hands, but with no avail as she felt sleep begin to creep into her body. Her eyes closed, she put her thumb in her mouth, and she soon drifted off, suckling deftly as her dreams began to form.
"Man. I've never seen babies get that out of hand before." Sunset Shimmer turned back towards Rarity and Pinkie, who both stared at her slack-jawed with their hairs standing on end. "Now I feel really sorry for all those people who work at day-care centers..."
"At least not all of them are out of control." Twilight Sparkle came up to Sunset, gently rocking Fluttershy back and forth as she looked down at Rainbow Dash. "I know that we're trying to get them turned back to normal, but I think that Fluttershy here's really cute when she's like this."
"Look, Trixie. I'm shocked by this whole thing just as much as you and the others are, but I've still got a lot of work to be done." Sunset lifted Rainbow Dash up and gave her back to Pinkie. "I'll tell you what. I'll finish up my work as quickly as possible, then regroup with you to try and find a solution to this little mishap." She looked over to the door. "But until you do, could I please have some privacy? This is some really important stuff I've gotta get done."
"Come on, Sunset? Can't you just pull some strings for us this one time?" Twilight asked. "I promise that we'll owe you one once all this is over."
"Yeah. We could throw you a party in your honour, carry your groceries to your house for a month, even get you dinner absolutely free!" Pinkie Pie nodded. "Just please help us out with this. Dashie can't be a baby when we're so close to leaving CHS forever! She's gonna feel so mad if we get her back to normal and realize that she's still gonna be stuck here while we're all out getting jobs or going to university! She's gonna be such a grouchy little grouch pants..."
"It just feels wrong to rob the three of them the chance of graduation, even though at the same time, it's also a blessing to go back to being a baby again." Rarity plucked the hat off of Scootaloo's hat and put it back on Trixie's head. "Please, Sunset? We've done so much for you ever since the Fall Formal. Now do you think that you could do something in return for all of us? For your friends?"
"Hmm..." Sunset looked back at her little experiment and saw that everything was stable. She then turned back towards the group and looked down at the three baby-fied teens. In the end, she let out a sigh and smiled at the girls. "Alright. Looks like you've rope me in, girls. Let's see what we can do."
"Yay!" Pinkie jumped into the air.
The other girls all shushed Pinkie and pointed towards Rainbow Dash, who lightly stirred in her sleep, but then went back to snoozing quietly.
"Yay." Pinkie Pie whispered, lightly raising her arms.
"Not to sound too overprotective, but even Trixie thinks this is too much..." said Trixie as she watched Sunset Shimmer hook Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo up to a machine. The entire group were in the same room that Sunset had once used to try and figure out the deeper workings of Equestrian magic in the other world, but now, she was planting small squishy receptors onto the babies' bodies, while cords spiraled out and traveled towards a large device.
"Don't worry about it, Trixie. This is a completely harmless experiment." Sunset gave Trixie a smile as she did up the buttons on her lab coat. "If we're going to find out a way to fix Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Scootaloo, then we need to figure out just what caused them to turn into this. And I have a hunch that it was Equestrian magic that did this, but I just want to be sure."
"If we calibrate the device to the optimal settings and adjust the wavelength to decipher incremental DNA, then we can figure out exactly what's wrong with these three and figure out an optimal path which can return them back to normal just in time for the end of the talent show." Twilight was already tapping away at a nearby computer, which was also hooked up to the other machine. "In less confusing language, we're going to figure out what caused the babies to transform into babies and we'll find a quick way to fix them."
As the girls outside were all talking, the babies looked down at the pads on their bodies and tilted their heads. Fluttershy plucked one off of her belly and brought it to her mouth, suckling on it as if it were a pacifier. Rainbow Dash began to pick them off one by one, while Scootaloo tried pulling on the wires with her tiny hands.
"I've gotta admit, they're super-cute when they're like this." Pinkie Pie watched the babies continue to play with the equipment as Sunset tried to calm them down. "I kinda wanna keep one for my own, but our little Dashie's close to graduating and leaving CHS, and I don't want her to go from high school back to day-care. Although, that would be pretty fun..."
"Alright, girls. Just stay still for a minute or two..." Sunset rubbed the babies' stomachs on small circular motions, making them giggle lightly. "We're gonna have you all put back to normal soon. But you need to co-operate with us. If we can't fix you, then you could stay like this for a pretty long time. And we don't want that now, do we?"
Each of the babies looked into Sunset's eyes, cooing as they felt her compassion transmit onto them. Despite their minds being tiny, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo couldn't help but obey Sunset. They drooped their arms down to the sides and stared at her, reaching their arms out like they wanted her to pick them up and hold them close.
"There we go. Good babies." Sunset brushed her hand down their faces and put all of the pads back on their proper places, cleaning up the ones that had been laden with drool. "Alright. We're ready to go here, Twilight."
"Alright. Just make sure that they're not tempted to pull the pads off while I'm working." Twilight tapped away at her keyboard, activating the machine. "Try and keep them occupied. Make some silly faces or blow into their tiny bodies. Anything that keeps their attention on you and not on this experiment would be wonderful."
"Alright." Sunset shrugged and limbered herself up. "The only time that I've played with babies was when I was helping Pinkie babysit Pound and Pumpkin. So forgive me if I'm a little bit rusty."
She bent her knees and squatted down to the babies, giving them a goofy smile as she put her hands on the ground. "Hey, girls," she said. "Don't worry about all of this weird squishy stuff on you. It's all for your safety. Let's have some fun while we're waiting." She put her hands in front of her eyes. "Where's Sunset?" she sing-songed.
Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo began to look around, cooing as they tried to find Sunset, despite her being right in front of them.
"Here she is!" Sunset pulled her hands from her eyes and beamed down on the three babies.
The babies turned towards Sunset's face again and cheered, laughing giddily as they flailed their arms around.
"Aww... you're just the cutest little teenagers-turned-babies I've ever seen..." Sunset pulled out her phone and took a picture of the laughing babies. Once that was done, she put her phone away and picked Fluttershy up, blowing a little raspberry into her, causing the pink-haired infant to laugh even more. "Especially you, Fluttershy. I just wanna gobble you up right now." She brought Fluttershy into a small cuddle, nuzzling her body.
"It's so cute that it's almost sickening..." Trixie scoffed as Sunset played with the babies. "Trixie just wants this to be over soon... We must be halfway into the talent show by now and the acts must be getting shorter and shorter." She bit her lip. "If we can't save these girls, then Trixie will lose, and be responsible for having three of CHS's best students go back to day-care! Oh... I'm never gonna live that down..." She slapped her head and groaned.
"Alright. It's time for some tickles!" Sunset exclaimed, beginning to tickle both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo's armpits, reaching up through their tiny baby clothes. "Coochie-coochie-coo!" Her response was even more laughter from her little audience.
"Keep it up, Sunset. I'm getting their vitals in now. All good here," called Twilight from the computer. "Just keep them happy while I read their DNA. If Equestrian magic got into their systems, then I'm sure that we'll be able to research a cure."
"Alright, Twilight." Sunset nodded. "Now, everyone. It's time for something that'll get these babies really hysterical." Sunset took her hands and messed around with her face, moving her arms in big, flamboyant movements. Once she took them away from her head again, she puffed her cheeks out and stuck her tongue out at the infants. "Ta-da!"
The babies looked up at Sunset's silly face and squealed in delight, crawling up to her. They clambered up her body and put their own hands on her face, beginning to play around with it. They pushed and pulled at her skin, trying to shape her face into something else entirely, smiling all the while.
"H-Hey! Stop it!" Sunset tried to pull the babies off of her face, but they were also messing around with her eyes. Her speech was also slurred because of the babies stuffing their hands into her mouth and playing around with her cheeks. "Ra—ry, Pin—mmph. Smm mmmmh!"
"Dashie! Flutters! Scootsy!" Pinkie smashed through the door and plucked the babies off of Sunset's head. "Bad! Bad babies! Apologize to Sunset!"
The babies recoiled at Pinkie's anger and began to sniffle, whining quietly under their breaths. Soon, tears began to form in their eyes as they began to whimper, then cry, and then explode with sorrow, screeching as loudly as their bodies would let them, right into Pinkie's ears.
"JEEZ LOUISE!" Pinkie pressed hard against her two ears. "I'M SORRY, GIRLS! I DIDN'T MEAN TO MAKE YOU SAD!"
"Pinkie! Why are you shouting?" Sunset asked. "They aren't even crying that loud."
"I KNOW, BUT I LIKE SHOUTING WHEN BABIES ARE CRYING!" Pinkie still had her hands planted against her ears as she turned towards Sunset. "IF I DON'T SHOUT, THEN HOW ARE YOU ALL SUPPOSED TO HEAR ME DOING MY SUPER-SILLY ANTICS?"
"Pinkie! Stop it!" Sunset shook Pinkie as hard as she could. "You're not helping the situation!"
The babies opened their eyes and watched as Sunset shook Pinkie around wildly. Some of their tears began to subside, but they still frowned, sniffling weakly. They crawled over to Sunset and climbed her once again, hugging her as tightly as they could as they buried their little heads into her body.
"Sssshhhh." Sunset shushed the crying babies. "Don't be sad, little ones. I'm here. Nanny Sunset's here to take care of you all..." She patted their backs and brushed their tears away from their eyes, ending their sorrow almost instantly. "Auntie Pinkie didn't mean any of you any harm either, but she did scare you, didn't she?"
The babies nodded, then turned their heads to Pinkie and blew raspberries at her, holding their thumbs downward at the bubbly pink CHS student. Fluttershy even babbled incoherent gibberish at her as if to insult her.
"There, there." Sunset pulled the babies back into her cuddle and let them fiddle around with her face again, only this time, they did it more gently. "We'll soon have you back to normal, then you can forget that any of this ever happened."
"Speaking of getting them back to normal," Twilight walked into the room and unplugged the babies from the padding. "I've got all the readings back now. And I can confirm that it was Equestrian magic that turned these three into babies."
"Oh, good." Trixie sighed in relief as she walked into the room. "So now, you and the rest of your friends can use your magical powers and fix them for me? Please, Sunset... Time's running out, and Trixie fears that her position as number one will go up in smoke!"
"Trixie. It's just a silly little talent show." She rocked the babied gently. "Don't think too much about it. There's no way that we'll be able to fix these three in time."
"Better luck next year, Trixie." Pinkie nodded.
"Next year?! There won't BE a next year!" Trixie roared, her face tightly scrunched up as her hands were balled into fists. "The Great and Powerful Trixie MUST be adored and respected! She will not be put in her place by the Rainbooms, or thrown to the side like a piece of plastic wrapped from a peanut butter cracker packet! SHE. WILL. BE. FAMOUS!"
"No. She. Will. Not." Sunset pushed her face into Trixie's. "You NEED to stop this, Trixie. The Dazzlings are evil, and anything that they said is also evil. So in a sense, because you want to be popular, that means that you want to follow in their footsteps and be evil like them." She crossed her arms, squeezing the babies against her chest. "And, if anything, you'll get booed and jeered off every stage if you keep up that attitude of yours."
"Tch! You're just saying that because you were once on a high horse yourself, Sunset Shimmer. But now that you've put yourself with those Rainbooms, you've gotten soft." Trixie snarled.
"Don't. Trixie." Sunset's face got hotter and hotter as the memories burned into her head.
"Trixie can and she will." She crossed her arms. "Trixie will find a way to turn the babies back to normal, but she certainly isn't putting her faith in you and the rest of your miserable friends anymore!" She yanked the three infants out of Sunset's grasp and ran off. "I hope that for your sake, you wake up and become a mean and horrible person again, Sunset Shimmer. Nice isn't your shtick in this world."
"TRIXIE!" Sunset watched her dart out and started to give chase. "You get back here right this instant!"
"What was that? I can't hear you, Sunset!" Trixie jeered, sticking her tongue out at her. "Maybe I would listen if you were a mean girl again!"
"Ugh! That girl is really starting to grind my gears..." Sunset gritted her teeth together and pulled out her phone. She started stamping in the numbers as fast as she could and made a secure connection. "Applejack! I need you to get over here right this instant! Something's gone wrong to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo, and Trixie's trying to kidnap them from us because she thinks I should be evil again!"
"What?!" Applejack's voice burst through the phone's speakers. "Ah'll be right there, Sunset!"
"I'll provide some assistance as well!" Rarity took her own geode and shot out a shield that would have cut Trixie off, but she dived through the open gap in time and skidded down another corridor. "Get back here, you tramp!"
"Stop this, Trixie!" Twilight took her geode at last and clapped her glowing hands together, smashing the lockers against each other. When she slammed them back into place again, Trixie was still running, only now, she had leapt off of the top of them with the remnants of a smoke bomb lingering behind her.
"If you want me, you're going to have to try harder than that, Rainglooms!" Trixie didn't turn back and kept holding onto the babies as tightly as she could. She wasn't even fazed by the noise they were making as they began to cry out again, desperately reaching out for Sunset and the others. "Trixie will win. Trixie MUST win. Trixie cannot be ignored by the students of CHS any longer!"
"Well, after this, Trixie's going to get ignored by EVERYONE at CHS." Sunset began to pick up the pace and slingshotted herself off of the lockers and corners. "You're never going to win anything if you have such a mean and nasty attitude. If anything, you're not original, you're not clever, and you're no celebrity like you think you are. Now give back the babies and stop thinking about winning, Trixie, because you've LOST!"
The chase continued as Trixie dashed through corridors, leaving nothing behind her while handing the infant teens at the same time. Through the shenanigans that Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo did to her face and body, coupled with the speed that her pursuers were chasing her at, and the fact that her deadline for failure was fast approaching, she could not afford to slip up any time soon.
She fumbled around for her smoke bombs, but Fluttershy got there first and tossed some haphazardly around and in front of Trixie. As she blindly ran through the cloud of smoke, she arrived back in the foyer, seeing the front door once she broke free of the mist. Thinking that she was home free, she charged like a furious bull towards said door and towards the street, only for a car to pull up and cause her to stop in her tracks.
There, standing before her, was Applejack. And calling her unhappy would have been a kind thing to say. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists and her eyebrows were firmly rooted to her eyes as they were lowered viciously. She took her hat off and hastily tossed it into the back of her wagon, before giving Trixie a menacing glare.
"What do you people have against magicians?" Trixie asked, turning away from Applejack, only to see Pinkie, Rarity, and Sunset cornering her. "Do you just hate the way they dress? Or the fact that their magic acts are all smoke and mirrors? Well... maybe not entirely that, but still—"
"Can it, Trixie." Sunset didn't even lower her voice as she took a step forward. "I'm not about to let you get away with all of this just because there's some stupid, insignificant talent show going on. Now. Give our friends back, or so help me, Celestia, there will be heck to pay."
"Stupid? Insignificant? I'll have you know that this is the ONLY WAY Trixie will be able to succeed in life!" She barked, not even caring that the babies were trying to climb off using her legs. "What job do you think that Trixie will have once she leaves Canterlot High? Some dead-end one at the local burger shop, a janitor at a place that's actually successful and has a wonderful atmosphere? Or maybe something even more degrading and meaningless like a trash collector! Do you want me to have a future like that?!"
"Oh, give me a break already." Applejack wrapped her arm around Trixie's head immediately, as the rest of the Rainbooms took back the rest of their group. "Ya need to STOP this, Trixie. The future ain't gonna be served to you just through some fancy-schmancy magic tricks and hooey like that. Ya need to EARN your future, through hard work AND your hobby; not just by waving some stick around and making it so you're some kinda performer."
"Yeah. And stealing our friends is only gonna get you a one-way ticket to a nasty, grey, party-less jail cell!" Pinkie glowered as she turned shielded Fluttershy from Trixie. "Magic or no magic, they're not yours. You don't own them, so why do you even need to go through all this trouble?"
"Because..." Trixie tried to think of an excuse to win back her prize, but no matter what came to mind, the looks that the Rainbooms were giving her immediately caused that response to evaporate into thin air, along with her hopes of winning the show and furthering herself as a magician.
"Nothing to say?" Sunset asked, holding on tightly to Rainbow Dash. She looked down at Trixie and just let out a long sigh as she held her hand. "Trixie. You can't just make your future entirely out of magic; especially Equestrian magic like this. It's only going to end up making you an underachiever, getting low grades and being shut out of the good paths in life. Do you want to get constant Fs and never get recommended to any kind of college or university because of some hobby and penchant for sleight of hand?"
"No... But—"
"Then WHY do you even need to take part in some silly show like this?" Sunset asked, looking Trixie in the eyes with a much less violent stare. "And why rope our friends into all of this? It doesn't help you as a person, and if anything, it just inflates your ego much larger than it already is." Sunset then released Trixie's hand and turned away. "You're a talented person, Trixie, but don't go chasing silly things like our school's contests. If you want to perform and try out for some magical group, then by all means, go ahead. We're not going to stop you. But if you do that here at a SCHOOL, where the main point of it is to learn the stuff you need for the working world, then you're not really helping your cause at all. It's only going to drive people away and drag yourself down in your grades. And we don't want to have any of that at CHS, now do we?"
Now that all of the cards had been laid out before her, Trixie was beginning to feel doubts form in her mind about the contest. What had she really accomplished through her magic? Turning three innocent teenagers back to infancy without a way to fix them, as well as severing their connection with their families, friends, and any others that might have been helping them out. As she looked back at the school one more time, then back to Sunset, and with one final glimpse of Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo playing gently in the arms of their friends, she could only give in and swallow, knowing that there would be no way out of this.
"Alright." Trixie hung her head and felt Applejack release her arm. "You win, Sunset. I'll forfeit the contest and let you and your friends figure out a way to return the others to normal."
"Good. That's what we were hoping to hear." Sunset glanced back at Trixie once again and gave her a smile before heading back into the school. "Now, you'd better let everyone else know that there won't be a way to turn the others back in time for the results. We don't want any of them believing that you're going to chase after this crazy dream."
"Especially not when said dream is nothing more than a nightmare in disguise, spelling trouble for you and your real future." Rarity added, before accompanying Applejack and carrying Scootaloo back into the building. "In the future, try doing what you love outside of CHS, instead of regressing to a one-trick pony the second you walk through those doors."
"It's the only proper thing to do, Trixie." Applejack crossed her arms as her former headlock-victim turned to face her. "There ain't no point in chasing something that doesn't exist; even if you think you've got a good shot at trying to get it."
"I..." Trixie choked on her own words and tried to raise her hand, only to let it fall back down to her side as she watched the babies finally disappear from her sight. "Applejack... do you think that I'm a... good person?"
To that, Applejack immediately flinched, lifting her brows at the sound of Trixie's question. "Well... you're not exactly the worst person there is, but at the same time, you're not the best person either. Always running your mouth and saying your name instead of 'I', 'me', and 'my' like you're part of some kinda storybook character."
"So I'm average?" Trixie lifted a brow of her own. "A simple, by-the-numbers human like all the rest?"
"No! That's not what I said at all!" Applejack waved her hands in front of her face. "You're not ordinary at all, Trixie. You're always flaunting those tricks like a real magician should, and I think you have a lot of potential to become some big name in that line of work, but if you just keep on doing it here at Canterlot High with a limited audience, it'll become harder and harder for you to learn new things and make yourself a better magician in the process. And, like Sunset said, you need to focus more on your grade work at a school; not lollygag and think that you're going to win every single competition you put yourself in. Remember the Battle of the Bands?"
"Oh yeah... That was a thing that happened." Trixie just blushed, coiled up, and wrapped her finger around the curl at the front of her hair. "Not one of my better moments, was it?"
"Nope. And this is very similar to that. You're just letting your ego run away with you, and that's not gonna go down well with everyone else here at this school. Heck, I bet those other two girls you hang out with must be tired of hearing you say, 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' this and 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' that," she said, her voice firm, yet cold as ice in the process. "Ego is going to be your downfall someday, Trixie. If you can learn to get rid of it and just act like a normal girl, but still keep up with the magic you've got outside of Canterlot High, then I think you'll be on the right path to a happier future."
Trixie had never much been one to take life lessons to heart. Most of the time, she was just focused on proving how good she was at misdirection, sleight of hand, and all of the other tricks of the trade that a magician like her would use to draw a crowd. But now that her world was crumbling down before her eyes thanks to the words of the Rainbooms, she reflected back on all of the times she had tried to show off, instead of letting anyone else show how good they were at what they did. From her days when she was in kindergarten, to grade school, and even as a freshman at CHS, it was the one thing that she focused on, because it was the one thing that she was good at and she knew that she was good at. She never considered trying to branch out, multitask, and try letting someone else take the limelight.
"All this time... I've been letting magic and prestidigitation rule my life," Trixie's voice became hoarse, her usual boastful tone a whimpering one as she looked down at her hands. "And now, because of it, I've caused nothing but grief for Sunset Shimmer and her friends. I should be suspended for this, shouldn't I?"
"Well, if you own up to your mistakes before they get out of hand, then I'm sure that Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna will understand. And hey, they might even commend you just for trying to put on a good show. Might being the key word there."
"I... I..." Trixie couldn't find the strength to speak anymore and just turned back towards Canterlot High's doors. "I need to go, Applejack. I need to set the record straight before it's too late!"
"Alright then. But I'm coming with you. Just to make sure that you don't end up going off the rails or say the wrong thing." Applejack ran after Trixie, and the both of them made their way towards the hall.
"And thank you, Snips and Snails for... whatever that act was supposed to be." Principal Celestia was leading the two boys off stage, along with what appeared to be an assortment of cans and pipes that resembled a plumber's attempt at making an instrument out of scratch.
"Yes, and with that being the last act of the night, and with the fact that Trixie hasn't returned yet, I think it's time that we announce the—"
"Wait!" Trixie barged through the doors, immediately being met with a swarm of eyes. "I have something to say. I-If you'll allow me, that is."
"Trixie. Did you manage to fix the others? We haven't seem them return to their seats yet." Celestia walked over to Trixie, her hands by her side. "Are you sure that your magic is reversible?"
"No. My magic isn't fixable. Truth be told, it isn't even my magic. It was just a freak accident that I have no idea happened before it was too late to repair it." Trixie slumped as Applejack came back to her side. "So because I can't fix Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo in time for the results, I'm going to have to say sorry to you and to the students, but I'm forfeiting from the competition."
Gasps and murmurs followed, as the other students took notice of Trixie's act of resignation. They took their eyes off of her and focused more on their neighbouring audience members, talking almost inaudibly. Celestia and Luna on the other hand kept a stern glare on her as they watched her turn away.
"Trixie. This was never really a competition to show that you were good at what you do, but rather a showcase of everyone's talents, not just your own." Celestia put a hand on Trixie's shoulder and turned her back. Though, instead of feeling fury for what had happened to her students, she could only let out a smile. "Everyone is good in their own ways, Trixie. And no matter what happens, you're never going to be noticed by everyone all the time. Take a good look at the Rainbooms, for example."
"Yes. Those girls have faced magic before, and have had their time to shine more often than we can count. Both here and away from CHS." Luna added, being the next to place her hand on Trixie. "If they wanted, then they would be the most noticed and popular students in the whole school, but they choose to be humble with what they do, and don't brag about their accomplishments or go around fighting the forces of magic on a daily basis."
"Wait. You're not going to get mad at me for what I did? Turning your students into babies?" Trixie asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Well, if I know these girls like I think I know these girls, they should be working on the solution right now." Celestia turned to the doors. "Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle are especially talented girls, and I think it would be a good idea if you followed in their footsteps, taking time to learn more from your peers, as well as more in your lessons."
"Not everything in life will be about performance magic, Trixie Lulamoon. At times, you'll have to come back to reality and face the world that you live in. And here at Canterlot High, we're planning on giving you and everyone else here a path to follow, so that you may grow and blossom into a truly remarkable human being." Luna's other hand went on Trixie's chest, as her eyes locked with hers. "All you need do is do what you love, but make sure to rein it in when it's not necessary. Do you think you can do that?"
"Y-yes, miss." Trixie nodded, a small tear forming in her eyes. "And I'm sorry for causing you all that trouble with my act."
"Oh, it's nothing, Trixie. If anything, that could single-handedly be one of the greatest magic tricks that I've ever seen in my life. Just as soon as the others manage to find a way to reverse it, that is." A much wider smile grew on Celestia's face as her voice became more playful. "Do you think that you could try and teach me your secret? What I wouldn't give to get back a few of my lost years."
Applejack wanted to find something wrong with what Celestia said, but she couldn't help herself. She just let out a small chuckle that was soon followed by laughs from Luna and Celestia, leaving Trixie caught in the middle of their giggles.
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo were all squirming around the other girls. All clambering and gurgling as they played around with their giant caretakers' bodies. Their baby selves were in full control now, and there was no physical proof that they had even been grown-up in the first place anymore.
"It's a bit of a long shot, but if my calculations are correct, this should reverse the spell." Twilight fiddled around with a blaster-shaped device in her hands, detaching and reattaching wires accordingly. Once the wiring was done, she adjusted the polarity and wavelengths of the device.
"Twilight, PLEASE tell me that you're almost done. I'm beginning to lose my breath." Rarity said, trying to keep Fluttershy from falling off of her shoulders.
"I mean, I'm a big fan of playing with little kids like this, but even I've got my limits too. These girls are just restless as the most restless thing from Restlessville!" Pinkie pulled Scootaloo away from some apparatus in the room, while also using her legs to keep Rainbow Dash from crawling under the table.
"Is the device ready yet, Twilight?" Sunset asked, walking into the science lab with Applejack and Trixie by her side.
"Almost. I just need to fix a few more things and then we should be good to go," Twilight lifted her hand without turning to the others. "In the meantime, I think the others need a hand in trying to shepherd Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Schootaloo."
"Y'know, I'm to blame for this, but I'm also incredibly lucky for them," Trixie couldn't help but smile as she saw Rarity and Pinkie handling the babies. "Not many people get a second chance at being a baby like they did. If this were under less... confusing circumstances, I'd have definitely taken them in as my own. Then I'd have someone to teach all of my tricks to."
"I agree with the lucky part, but it can be a little bit jarring; especially when they're getting closer and closer to graduation day," Sunset added. "I know that you meant well and that this was all a magical misfire. Y'know, someday, I really do have to find the source of all that magic and close it up."
"At the very least, this will all be over and we can go back to a normal life." Rarity looked into the eyes of the babies. "Or at least, as normal as it can get with us."
For a while, time seemed to stand still for everyone. Twilight, in her voyages into the world of science, kept checking, double-checking, even triple-checking to make sure that her device worked perfectly. In the background, the babies just sat their, cooing and babbling to themselves as the other girls kept a close eye on them, walling them off from edges and keeping them out of the reach of hazardous materials.
For the three infant teenagers, the whole ordeal was much more mystifying than anything. Everything became a mystery to them, everything became interesting, and everything they saw was begging for them to touch. No-one could resist the urge to do so. Heck, none of them even knew what resisting—or what anything else for that matter—was. To them, everything was deemed fun.
"You know, I always wanted to wonder what it would be like to relive the primordial stages of our lives. Would we keep our old mind intact, or would it give way for an entirely new one? Would we even remember our old lives with our new ones or the fact that we were regressed?" Twilight muttered to herself. "Y'know, I might just make a copy of this device once all's said and done and reverse the effects of that one. Just for reference."
"Don't get any funny ideas about going ham with that device, Twilight." Rarity cocked a brow with folded arms. "The last thing we want is you opening a day-care centre in the pursuit of science..."
"Oh, Rarity. The downfall of scientists is the lack of restraint." Twilight just blew a raspberry as she applied the finishing touches to her little gizmo. "There we go. Now, it's just a matter of getting them to sit still for just a little bit longer."
Sunset, Trixie, and everyone else turned the babies around so that they were facing Twilight, their arms gently holding their little friends down. Not even the drool that the infants slathered on them would get them to let go.
"Now, it only works for one of them at a time, so we'll need to do this step by step." Twilight held the device out towards the babies. "Rarity, could you bring Scootaloo forward? Then, we'll have Sunset give Rainbow Dash the treatment, and then Trixie'll do the honours of letting Fluttershy grow up last."
Rarity did as she was told, lifting Scootaloo up and setting her down in front of Twilight. The small, orange-skinned, purple-haired baby babbled gibberish at Twilight, tilting her head and planting her thumb in her mouth as the giant girl activated the device, energy thrumming and growing in pitch all the while.
With one push of the button, the device fired a corridor of white and purple energy at Scootaloo, with rings encapsulating the beam. The feel of energy washing around baby Scootaloo made her giggle with glee and even try to reach out and touch some of the twinkling particles inside. As soon as the light consumed her, the room was blinded with a brilliant flash. When that died down, Scootaloo was back to her teenage self once more.
"Uh... My head." Scootaloo rubbed her forehead as she looked around the science lab. "Hey. Where am I? What happened to the talent show?"
"It works!" Twilight threw her arms out in jubilation the smile on her face from ear to ear. "We reversed age-regressive magic!"
"But we're not done yet. Next, we've gotta fix Rainbow Dash," said Sunset as she helped Scootaloo off of the table. "In case you're wondering, Scootaloo, yes, the spell did work. You all did turn into babies. Unfortunately, Trixie couldn't reverse it straight away so we've had to get Twilight to cook up a new gadget to fix things."
"You're welcome." Twilight nodded as she aimed the device at Rainbow Dash, who crawled inquisitively towards her. One blast later and she too was enveloped with light and energy. The teenage Rainbow Dash emerged afterwards, promptly falling off of the edge of the table due to her poor core muscles.
"Did someone get the number of that truck?" Rainbow Dash asked, rubbing her strained forehead. "Seriously, though. That's the last time I volunteer for a magic trick that isn't one of our own."
"Only one left." Twilight assisted Rainbow Dash in standing back up, then turned her gaze to Fluttershy, who just sat there with her thumb in her mouth and the biggest grin on her tiny face. When she looked up at the giant Twilight, she let out a high-pitched coo that, when coupled with her eyes made her transcend beyond regular levels of cuteness. "Must... resist... urge... to swoon!" Twilight's grip on the handle shook as she looked more and more at the tiny, innocent, infantile Fluttershy. In all her years, she had never seen someone so cute before; even as a baby.
"Twiwi..." Fluttershy spoke, almost not being able to make any coherent speech with her lack of teeth.
"I... I... I.." Twilight's whole forehead was drenched with sweat, her hands shaking as she reached for the button. "I can't watch this!" She fired the last beam, which struck Fluttershy directly. The small girl looked blown away by the blast, whimpered, then began to cry as the light devoured her and restored her back to her regular teenage self.
Fluttershy groaned as she woke up from whatever abyss that she had stumbled into from being afflicted by Trixie's spell. She flitted her eyelids, rubbing them with her hand as she sat up with crossed legs. Her eyes were met with Trixie, Sunset, and all of the other Rainbooms' eyes as well as Scootaloo's.
"Welcome back from dreamland, Fluttershy. Did you have a nice nap?" Sunset asked, propping her back up with her hands.
"S-Sunset? Where are we?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes darting around the room. "This doesn't look like the CHS Gym..."
"Long story short, my spell kinda... backfired." Trixie rubbed the back of her head, catching Fluttershy's attention in seconds. "My spell did make you all young, but it was a freak accident. I couldn't reverse it myself, so Twilight and the others had to cook up something to do it for you." She clasped her hands together, planting them by her waistline. "I've learned my lesson from now. I shouldn't try to cast spells that are beyond even my comprehension. I hope that you can forgive me."
"As long as you promise not to pull another hair-brained stunt like that again, Trixie, I'd say that everything's forgiven." Applejack gave Trixie a pat on the back that felt more like a slap than anything.
"Best to leave some of the real transformation magic to some of the professionals." Twilight nodded, slipping the device she had made into her pockets. "The magic of science, for one."
To that, everyone just let out a laugh with each other.
