Trinity: Shadows of the Past

The Everfree Forest was infamous throughout all of Equestria for being a place of untold danger. Indeed, unlike how other woodland areas across the land were nurtured and cared for by ponykind, the Everfree was the very definition of 'wild'. The animals and monsters, the unpredictable weather and natural hazards, not to mention how the forest seemed far larger on the inside than it did on the outside.

Time and again, explorers had attempted to map out the Everfree, only for those maps to be rendered useless no more than a month later as the environments seemed to shift and grow and change all-too-quickly and seemingly randomly. Very few places seemed consistent, such as the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, as well as Zecora's home.

The zebra mare was on her way to Ponyville, her baskets strapped to her barrel filled with her wares and herbs to be traded and bartered. She did this at least once every two weeks to obtain fresh supplies necessary to her work that she couldn't get in the forest itself, not to mention some ponies looked forward to Zecora's visits because she brought such amazing elixirs and remedies that seemed like miracle cures, more than once Zecora had sold or traded her wares away in a matter of hours. Especially her... aphrodisiacs.

Walking along the path that led out of the forest to Ponyville, Zecora heard a noise that didn't belong in the Everfree Forest, a noise that filled her with confused alarm. Hurrying forward, her eyes fell upon the source of the noise, a crying baby unicorn!

"My oh my, what have we here?" Zecora hurried over and picked up the baby, "There's no need to cry, my dear."

The baby sniffled and snrrk'd but Zecora's kind and warm voice calmed him down as she stroked his mane gently to comfort him before looking around.
"Where is your mama, I wonder. To leave a foal alone is a terrible blunder."

Holding the colt, Zecora looked around the area, but saw no signs of anypony else nearby. The only thing she did find however, was the remains of what must have been a predator's kill. She made sure the foal didn't see it and quickly stepped back, "Perhaps you wandered here from town. I'll help you find home, so don't you frown."

The foal looked up at Zecora with upset eyes, and Zecora gave him a closer look, with his sapphire blue coat, dark mane, and turquoise eyes.

"A handsome little foal you are. Let's be off, it is not far."

At Town Hall, Spike had just dropped off some scrolls for Mayor Mare, "Thank you very much for bringing me these scrolls, Spike. I have to say, it is indeed helpful to have a correspondence with the Princess's court, even if it's privileged."

"Happy to help, Mayor," replied Spike, "now if you'll excuse me, I gotta-"

But before Spike could finish that sentence, the front door to Town Hall opened and in walked Zecora plus one, "Mayor Mare, a moment of your time. Your help for this matter would be most sublime."

"Well, hello, Zecora," greeted Mayor Mare, "it's not often we see you in Town Hall. I take it this visit has to do with that little foal you have with you?"

"Indeed it does, I am afraid," Zecora admitted as she held the baby foal, "To find his parents, I request your aid."

"Say..." Both mares turned to Spike who walked up to Zecora to give the foal a closer look, "This little guy looks an awful lot like Midnight."

Noticing Spike, the baby giggled as mana seemed to concentrate up his little horn and all of a sudden the mares and dragons felt apprehensive as Spike cried out, "He's casting a spell!"

"But he's only a baby! He can' know any spells!" Mayor Mare's eyes widened in disbelief as the baby's horn created a burst of light ,and then a sudden chill!

Looking around, they noticed the whole lobby of Town Hall was coated with frost. Not only that, but Zecora's black stripes were now a pale icy blue, Mayor Mare's mane was big and floofy, like a pile of snow, and Spike's spikes had icicles on them! The baby giggled again before scurrying out the front door, which opened by a turqouise aura, allowing the foal to escape.

"Uh-oh!" Spike had a bad feeling about this, and looked to Zecora and the Mayor, awkwardly saying, "I, uh... I'd... better go after him."

And out he ran, leaving them to deal with the mess, with a heavy sigh.

In Ponyville Park, Fluttershy giggled as she gently threw pieces of feed to the ducklings in the pond.
"Come on, little duckies, come eat your fill. Just don't swim too far from Momma Duck, okay?"

The adorable little ducklings peeped happily as they ate up the feed Fluttershy threw to them, as their mother swam nearby, keeping watch. Fluttershy was glad her new feed was such a hit with the ducklings. It was actually a bad idea to feed pieces of bread to ducks, and after Fluttershy had brought that up with the Mayor, she'd had a sign that read 'Do not feed bread to the critters' in the park, only for several ponies to ignore it. So Fluttershy spoke with her old mentor, Dr. Fauna, and together they had whipped up a suitable kind of feed that would be better for the local critters in the park.

Now there was a vendor who sold the feed at the entrance to the park, where every baggie of feed was just two bits, and the money went into the funds meant for the park's maintenance.

Fluttershy never tired of watching these fluffy little sweethearts swim on their own and hearing their adorable peeps, though she became distracted by a shuffling in some grass at the edge of the pond. It was on the other side, and even though Momma Duck seemed relaxed, Fluttershy couldn't help but feel something was lurking-

*KRA-ZAP/"RAWR!!"*

What appeared to be a flash of lightning flew skyward, and Momma Duck quacked in alarm. Her babies peeped in terror as they splish-splashed their way back to her as she led them away, and Fluttershy yelped in alarm when she heard baby-ish giggling, and saw a tiny blue foal roll out of the grass, laughing his little head off.

"Now that wasn't very nice," Fluttershy softly said in a maternal lecturing voice that the baby couldn't help but notice. "Wherever did you come from, little one, and where's your mama? Wait, you look..."

"Fluttershy, stop him!"

Fluttershy and the baby looked towards the path that led to the edge of the park, and they saw Spike hurrying their way. The baby went "Uh-oh" and started to hurry away.

"Hold on there, little one," Fluttershy went to pick him, "We need to get you to your-"

*FLASH*

Just before Fluttershy had been about to pick the foal up, to her bewilderment, he'd teleported!

"Oh dear, where's he gone?" Fluttershy started looking around as Spike came up to her.

"Fluttershy, you're not gonna believe this, but I think that baby is Midnight!"

"Midnight? Oh my, are you sure, Spike?" Fluttershy asked, sounding a tad skeptical.

"I'm telling ya! He looks exactly like Midnight," Spike swore, "and the way he's using magic when he's only a foal right now?! It has to be him!"

"Well, in any case, we should find that little one and figure out what to do," Fluttershy conceded shortly before they heard somepony yelp in another direction.

"And... that's our cue. C'mon!" Spike and Fluttershy hurried off, hoping to catch up with the rambunctious little rugrat.

Today was Applejack's turn to sell the literal fruits of her family's labors at the marketplace in town. Only today, she'd gone the extra-mile and had brought along several apple-based goods, and they were selling like hotcakes.

"Thank y'all, have a good'un," Applejack wished her latest customers as they walked away with a few jars full of apple sauce. Sighing with satisfaction, Applejack thought, Yesiree, ain't nothin' can ruin mah business t'day!

Then she noticed something out the corner of her eye and gawked to see it was one of her apples, floating in turquoise colored magical aura, "Wha' in tarnation?!"

She looked around, but no unicorns appeared to be using their horns to snatch her apple, so she quickly grabbed it and put it back in the basket along with the rest of the bushel. She nodded and was about to get back to minding the stand when more apples levitated out of the basket and started bobbing around in a circle above Applejack's head, to her bewilderment... when the apples suddenly flinged away in all directions..
"Hey!"

Applejack hurried off to get back her errant apples, leaving her stand completely un-ponied... and one of her glass bottles of apple juice levitated up and then floated under the stand table, vanishing under the table cloth.

Grumbling and complaining about how some of her apples had been bruised as she collected them, Applejack was walking back to her stand when she saw a frantic-looking spike and Fluttershy come her way.
"Howdy Spike, Fluttershy! What's got y'all so hot-hooved, need an outhouse?"

"AJ, you're not gonna believe this," Spike exclaimed, "but Midnight's a baby!"

"Wha'? Now Spike, Ah'm sure wha'ever y'all 'r arguin' about, there ain't no need fer name-callin'," Applejack responded with a raised brow.

"No, Applejack, really!" Fluttershy spoke up, "Somehow, Midnight has been turned into a little foal, and he's running around getting into mischief."

"Huh... Y'know, mah apples wer' actin' funny jus' now," Applejack explained how her apples had been levitated around the marketplace but she didn't see any unicorn messing with her. The looks on their faces caused Applejack to ask, "Y'don' think...?"

"He's gotta be around here somewhere!" Spike looked around and groaned, "But this place is so big and busy!"

"Hold on, Applejack, one of your pies," Fluttershy pointed to Applejack's stand where they saw one of the apple pies levitating and then floating to underneath the table, which was obscured by the table cloth.

"Hmm," Applejack raised a brow and then gently shhhh'd her friends as she gestured them to follow her quietly.

As they got closer to the stand, they heard little mmm's and messy licks and slurps, and then... a foalish groan and whimper of discomfort. Spike reached down and held the table cloth up, revealing Baby Midnight, along with an almost empty glass of apple juice, and the pie was nearly half-eaten. Baby Midnight himself ad a messy and sticky face, that was grimacing and beginning to tear up as he held his little tummy.

"Uh-oh, little colt needs some help," Fluttershy's maternal instincts took over as she gently reached under and picked up little Midnight, who fussed and whined. "There, there, let Auntie Fluttershy take care of it."

She held Baby Midnight just so and gently began to pat his back-

*BURP*

-and the little scamp sighed in relief.

"Heheheh, excuse you!" Spike chuckled.

"Yeah, excuse you fer messin' wit' mah food," Applejack grumbled.

Taking notice of her umbrage, Baby Midnight's horn lit up, causing the half-eaten pie to levitate... and go SPLAT onto the farmer's face, Fluttershy gasping, Spike stifling his laughter, and Applejack sputtering as she wiped off the mess. Then...

*FLASH*

Gasping again, Fluttershy worried, "Oh no! He's gone! I was holding him and then-"

"He's teleported, and there he goes!" Spike pointed down the way, and they saw Baby Midnight once again scurrying off as fast as his little hooves could carry him.

Growling, Applejack yelled, "After him!"

Unfortunately, the chase of Baby Midnight led Spike, Fluttershy, and Applejack through the Marketplace, which was still a little crowded with shoppers and vendors. Though Applejack caught sight of Midnight scurrying out of the Marketplace to one of the main streets of Ponyville, upon getting out of all the hullabaloo, they soon saw that Midnight was nowhere in sight!

"Oh no, where'd he go this time?!" Spike fretted.
"Oh dear, he could get hurt, or-or what if he catches a cold?" worried Fluttershy, "The chill of Fall has been settling in lately!"
"Now calm down, y'all," Applejack tried to assuage them, "so far, he's been kinda naughty. Ah'm sure if we keep our eyes open he's bound t' cause some kind o' ruckus."

Almost as if on cue, they all flinched at the sound of chaos and turned to see Carousel Boutique, from which they heard screaming, flashes of light coming from its windows, the building itself appearing to shake and shiver as if it was experiencing extreme discomfort before a sewing machine was launched out one of the windows, shattering the glass, and several dresses flew out and around as if they were ghosts, and Applejack lamely said, "Ah think we may have found Midnight."

"Augh, come on!" Spike urged and they hurried to the boutique, able to hear the screams inside more clearly.

"STOP! EEEK!! PUT THAT DOWN- I'M WARNING YOU, YOUNG COLT!! COME BACK HERE!! Wait... What are you- No... No. NO! NO!!!"

*CRASH/RIP/SHATTER*

The front door blasted off its hinges, Spike, Fluttershy, and Applejack diving to the sides to avoid the errant piece of wood... when out ran Baby Midnight, looking upset as he shook off what appeared to be a baby colt's sailor suit, and Rarity came out as well, her mane disheveled, her work glasses askew, and looking like she'd just been through such an ordeal.

"Where is he...? WHERE IS HE?!" Rarity seethed with outrage.

"Rarity, what th' hell happened?" Applejack asked as she, Fluttershy, and Spike hurried over.

"Oh-ho-ho! I'll you what happened, my friends," Rarity responded with a slightly unhinged smile, "I've just decided that I will never become a mother! EVER!!"

"Now, now, Rarity, I'm sure Midnight didn't mean to cause trouble," Fluttershy assured, only to get a stink eye from Rarity.

"Midnight?! Whatever are you talking about, Fluttershy?!" the diva demanded, "I just happened upon this young foal with nary an adult nearby, looking lost, upset, and dusty, and I offered my compassion to the little one. I brought him to my home to give him a bath, and then I had one of my... I-DEAs and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to model some foal clothes I'd been tinkering with! But the first outfit I put on him, he raises a fuss, I try to calm him down, and then he has a magic surge! You can see the results for yourself!!!"

She gestured to her broken window, the ruined sewing machine and dresses, and looking in the path Baby Midnight had fled, she sighed, "And he threw off that darling little sailor suit I made!"

"Well, uh, Rarity," Spike chuckled nervously as he started picking up the clothes for Rarity, "We think that baby colt is actually Midnight and something's happened to him to turn him into a baby. Maybe he's just... confused or upset?"

Rarity narrowed her eyes, "I suppose... Be that as it may, if that is Midnight, then once he's returned to normal I intend to have a word with him!"

"Well, we'd better get a move on an' catch up wit'em," Applejack advised, "We gotta find him an' get `im t' Twilight. Maybe she can figure out how he's been... foal-ified an' turn him back t' normal."

"C'mon, sweetie, open up for Auntie Pinkie Pie!"

"No!"

"Eep!" Pinkie ducked as the baby colt threw a cupcake at her. "Okay, no go on cupcakes... What about a doughnut? You like doughnuts?"

She offered a doughnut to the colt who was sitting in the middle of the floor in Sugarcube Corner, but the baby gave it one look and said in his foalish voice "No!" and took it in his magic to throw it at Pinkie, who caught it in her mouth this time.

"Nopony's ever turned down one of these before," Pinkie wondered after eating the doughnut.

Earlier, Pinkie had been hopping back to the bakery after making a delivery for Mr. Cake when she'd spied this little guy out in the open, shaking off some funny little hat that he obviously didn't like. Seeing the little one not looking happy, Pinkie had snatched him up and declared that nothing turns a frown upside-down like something sweet.

Alas... her theory appeared to be getting debunked, as she offered treat after treat to the baby, and he just kept throwing them at her.

"C'mon, Pinkie, think!" Pinkie puzzled as she turned around to look at the Sugarcube Corner cook book, "I tried cupcakes, doughnuts, muffins, pies, candy, chocolate, cookies-"

*CHOMP/"EEP!"*

Pinkie turned around and saw the baby unicorn was chewing on her long floofy tail, "Now, baby, let go now. That's not cotton candy, even though I know it looks like cotton candy! I mean, it'd be really interesting if it was cotton candy but then I'd eat it and I wouldn't have a tail at all and- Ow!"

The colt was now pulling on Pinkie's tail with surprising gusto, Pinkie trying to reach him but the little foal somehow kept his distance and his mouth secured onto Pinkie's tail.
"C'mon now, baby, that's really starting to hurt! Let go of Auntie Pinkie, please?!"

She kept turning around in a circle, trying to reach the unicorn foal but the foal kept moving back and staying out of her reach, ignoring her pleas as he continued to chew on Pinkie's tail. Very quickly did they pick up the pace, going round and around faster and faster, until finally, Pinkie was going nuts and not thinking straight. She had started to go so fast that she was swinging around, the foal hanging onto her tail for dear life, and starting to tear up in fear. But the pain and ridiculous situation was getting to Pinkie, her eyes starting to see red as she finally gave a mighty swing of her tail shrieking, "Get... OFF!!!!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee......." cried the foal as he was sent hurtling out the window after finally losing his grip on Pinkie's tail...

...

...

...

"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!!?!" Pinkie screamed in abject horror just a few seconds after realizing her whoopsy before she hurried outside-

"OOF!" "OW!" "AUGH, MY HOOF!" "Ouch..."

"Applejack! Fluttershy! Rarity! Spike! We gotta catch the baby unicorn!!" Pinkie hopped out of the pony pile and the others all HUH?!'d in response before they disestablishment themselves and followed after Pinkie and her line of sight and all yelled and cried out in panic to see the sapphire blue Baby Midnight still hurtling through the air.

"Pinkamena Diane Pie, what in Faust's name did you do?!" shrieked Rarity.

"I didn't mean to! He was hurting my tail!" whined Pinkie with a guilty grimace.

"Fluttershy, ya gotta fly up there an' catch `im!" Applejack

"Hold on, look!" Fluttershy pointed with her hoof and everyone saw it.

Baby Midnight was hurtling straight towards a little cloud... with Rainbow Dash napping on it!

Spike cupped his mouth and shouted, "Rainbow Dash! HEAD'S UP!!!"

All the excitement disturbed the slumbering pegasus' blessed wink and she groaned while sitting up and yelling, "Hey! Can you jerks keep it down?! I'm trying to-"

"Rainbow Dash! Catch him!" Fluttershy called to her friend.

"Catch whooooAAAAUUGGGHH!!!" Rainbow Dash cried out in alarm to see a baby foal coming her way. "I gotcha! I gotcha!"

She pumped her wings to take flight, held out her forelegs and....!

"GOTCHA!!" Rainbow Dash caught the baby and held him up victoriously, though his terrified crying was ruining the moment. "Uh- Oh, it's okay, little guy! No need to cry!"

The Baby just kept crying, too scared and wound up to hear any words of comfort, to Rainbow Dash's own discomfort, "Augh, whadoo I do, whadoo I do?!"

"Rainbow Dash, bring the poor dear down!" Rarity suggested, "He's scared to death, as it is."

"Oh, right," Rainbow Dash carefully placed the crying foal on her back and very gently and slowly flew down to her friends, "See? Easy-breezy, you can stop crying now! Anypony know whose foal this is?"

"Uh, that's the thing, Rainbow," Spike spoke up, "I'm pretty sure that's Midnight."

"What?! Heheh, no way!" Rainbow Dash chortled at the absurdity.

"Really? This is Midnight as a baby?" Pinkie gave Baby Midnight a closer look, then noticed the little guy looking uncomfortable. "Hey, he's making a funny face."

"What is it now? Upset tummy? Nausea?" Rainbow Dash scoffed, only to freeze and drop her jaw when she felt something warm and wet on her back, where Midnight was sitting.

The others all grimaced in disgust as well, Rarity sympathetically assuring, "I'll arrange a visit to the spa for you."

"He did not...!" Rainbow Dash began to shake with outrage, and Baby Midnight took that as a cue to skedaddle as he hopped down from Rainbow's back and hurried off as quickly as his teeny hooves could carry him.
"Oh, you are DEAD, kid!!!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy admonished her friend, "He's just a baby, and he doesn't know better right now. Besides, when a baby has to go..."

"Speaking of, looks like he's going that way," Spike pointed down the street Baby Midnight was hurrying. "C'mon!"

The five mares and little dragon pursued the baby unicorn, who was surprisingly quick for a tiny guy. Growling in impatience, Rainbow Dash snapped, "Oh forget this, I'm nabbing that anklebiter now!"

Rainbow Dash spread her wings and launched herself upwards before diving towards Baby Midnight. Hearing her coming, Baby Midnight gasped and covered his eyes, his horn lighting up in response to his fear. A nearby pan from a pots & pans vendor pony levitated up and over in front of Baby Midnight-

*KLANG/plop/"...ow!"*

The others winced at the sight of Rainbow face-planting herself into that pan at such high speed as she plopped down to the ground, dazed and black-eyed. The pan dropped, Baby Midnight peering between his hooves and couldn't help giggling at the funny faced rainbow pony, when he heard, "Rainbow Dash!" "Are you okay?"

Seeing the other big ponies and the dragon coming, Baby Midnight immediately turned tail and ran. Pinkie followed after him, yelling, "Wait up, Baby Midnight!"

The others checked on Rainbow Dash, whose eyes wouldn't stop spinning as she moaned in a daze.

"C'mon, Dash, snap out of it. How many hooves am Ah holdin' up?" Applejack prodded while holding up one.

"No, Daddy, I don't wanna dance in the air recital..." mumbled Rainbow Dash in response.

"She's fine," Spike sighed wearily before he realized, "And Pinkie's gone after Midnight!"

"I'll stay with Rainbow, you all go ahead," Fluttershy suggested, "we;'ll catch up."

"C'mon, Baby Midnight! I'll make you lots of yummy treats if you'll just stop!" pleaded Pinkie Pie as she hopped after the felonious foal.

Baby Midnight peered over his shoulder and blew her a raspberry when he noticed a pony pulling a wagonful of sacks of potatoes, and the devious little stinker lit up his horn. One of the sacks spilled open, causing dozens of potatoes to roll out onto the ground... and in Pinkie's path! Seeing the hazard before her, Pinkie cried out in alarm as she couldn't stop herself mid-hop and slipped on a potato, shrieking, "LOOK OUT!!"

She scrambled to keep steady but the potatoes beneath her hooves caused her to fall into the wagon with such force several potatoes were mushed up, bits of them flinging through the air. Shaking off the daze, Pinkie noticed some mashed up potato on the curled forelock of her mane and gave it a lick.

"Hmm, needs gravy," she commented.

"Pinkie Pie, y'all okay?" Applejack hurried over to her friend while Rarity continued the pursuit.

"See to Pinkie, darling," Rarity called out over her shoulder, "I'll handle this!"

Noticing he was still being chased, Baby Midnight was finally beginning to panic, because he was already getting tired from so much running, magic, and mischief. He finally began to slow down and pant, only to be levitated up in Rarity's magic. Unable to get loose and starting get scared, Baby Midnight began to wail as Rarity levitated him closer to her.

"Now, now, darling," Rarity responded in a parental manner akin to how she sometimes spoke to her little sister, "It's time to calm down and be a good little foal."

Baby Midnight started to fuss and then his horn lit up, alarming Rarity, "Oh dear... Now darling, let's all just calm down on-"

Her sentence was interrupted as something cold and wet poured over her head and then what appeared to be a bucket came down on her head, causing discomfort for her horn and making her unable to see! She shrieked as her telekinetic hold on the foal faltered, allowing him to drop down onto the ground and scurry away while Rarity was too distracted to notice.

"AUGH!! What is this?!" she screamed, forcing the bucket off of her head and then smelling it. "Lemonade?! AAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHH!!! My beautiful mane is going to be so sticky! Wait! My mane.... A mirror, I need a mirror!!"

Noticing a mare looking at her compact, Rarity took it without asking to see her reflection... and shook at the sight of herself! She could already feel her mane getting stick from the lemonade in it drying under the sun, her makeup was beginning to run, and her face twisted into an ugly expression of outrage, as she seethed, "When that foal is a stallion again...!!"

"Um..." Rarity looked at the mare who gave her a look, "Can I havce my compact back? And if you're looking for a foal, a little blue unicorn colt just ran down that way."

The others caught up and before long the five mares and dragon hurried down the street the mare with the compact had pointed out to Rarity, but only saw passerby.

"Where'd he go this time?" Applejack panted as she fanned herself with her hat. It'd been a long day, after all.

"I dunno, but I'm gonna-!!" Rainbow Dash paused mid-sentence when she saw the look Fluttershy was giving her. "I'm gonna... make sure he's safe and sound."

"Nice save..." Fluttershy deadpanned.

"Hey, there's the library," Pinkie pointed out. "I think we should tell Twilight what's going on."

"Good idea, Pinkie Pie," Applejack led the others to the library and knocked on the door, "Twilight! We gots us a situation tha' needs yer attention!"

"Just a minute!" answered Twilight and a few minutes later, she answered the door... and she wasn't alone. "Hi, everypony. do you know if anyone is missing their foal?"

The rest of the Mane Six and Spike were a little speechless to find Twilight was gingerly holding Baby Midnight, who was sleeping softly and quietly in Twilight's gentle hold, like a little angel.

"Uh, yeah.... Twilight?" Spike raised a claw, "You're probably gonna wanna sit down for this."

After a long and detailed story, it was Twilight's turn to be speechless as she gaped in disbelief at the baby colt she was holding, who'd woken up a little ago and was smiling at her with an adorable baby laugh.
"Well... he certainly looks like Midnight, but he doesn't have his cutie-mark."

"But Twilight, all the magic he's done?" Spike brought up, "Even for a baby unicorn, that's really unusual"

"He's made a mess of my work and my mane!" whined Rarity.
"He messed with' mah apple stand," added Applejack.
"He peed on me!" Rainbow Dash snapped indignantly.

"Oh, speaking of which," Fluttershy held up a diaper, "I asked Mr. and Mrs. Cake for a spare before we arrived."

"Let me take care of that," Twilight gently laid Baby Midnight down, accepted the diaper from Fluttershy, and secured it around his little bottom as he squirmed a little with a cute giggle.
"Now that that's taken care of... Let's say you're all correct, that this is Midnight. How did he get this way?"

"We don't know," Fluttershy replied. "We just saw him running around like this, and when we tried to get him and calm him down, he started getting into mischief."

"Maybe Midnight did this to himself by accident," Twilight theorized, "he does like to experiment with his magic. Hold on..."

Twilight lit up her horn and everypony watched as she levitated out several magic books and started leafing through them, obviously looking for an explanation or perhaps a solution to this infantile issue. After a few minutes of researching, she nodded and set the books aside before asking, "Fluttershy, can you please place Midnight on the floor in front of me?"

Fluttershy did so, Baby Midnight babbling curiously at everypony looking at him as Twilight said, "If this is the work of a spell gone wrong, then this counter spell ought to undo the effects and turn him back to normal. Silence, please..."

They all watched quietly as Twilight took a deep breath and concentrated her mana to her horn while focusing on the counter spell. Baby Midnight's little turquoise eyes widened with wonder as he went, "Oooh...!"

Then, ribbons of magic unraveled outwards from Twilight's horn, before they moved forward, encircling around Baby Midnight with an eerie motion, a radiance lighting up the space within, causing Baby Midnight to glow and begin to rise up as he happily clapped his hooves, loving the pretty lights and floating like a bubble. Everypony held their breath as the ribbons of magic enfolded around Baby Midnight, hiding him from their view. The atmosphere in the library intensified, as did the magic while it formed a sphere around Midnight...!

And burst into a shroud of sparkling luminescence, causing everypony to shield their eyes from the brightness, and then moments later, it dimmed. Everypony looked and saw that Midnight... was unchanged!

He was still a baby, and now he was napping on the floor, looking adorably peaceful.

"Well that didn't work," Spike deadpanned, and the mares all groaned.

"I was afraid of this," Twilight gently levitated Baby Midnight onto her sofa and cast a muting sphere around him so their conversation wouldn't wake him up. "If my counter spell didn't work, it can only mean that this didn't happen to Midnight because of some kind of spell."

"A potion perhaps?" Rarity suggested.

"Maybe? I'm just not sure at this point," Twilight fretted, "If I can't figure out how to return Midnight to adulthood, I might have to contact Princess-"

"Up-bup-bup!" Pinkie Pie piped in, giving Twilight the stink eye, "You Pinkie Promised, Twilight!"

"I know, Pinkie, but if I can't figure out how to undo what's happened to Midnight, I don't know who else I could talk to!" Twilight reasoned.

"Hold on... I think I might know who else you could! "Spike perked up, all eyes turning to him, "I first saw Midnight the way he is over at Town Hall. He was brought in by Zecora, who was asking Mayor Mare if somepony had lost their foal!"

Gasping, Twilight smiled, "Spike, that's brilliant! Maybe Zecora can figure out how to change Midnight back!"

"Uh, do you mind if Rarity and I have a quick shower, Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked with a grimace on her face.

That's when everypony finally started to notice the unpleasant odor of urine.

Later, at Zecora's hut...

"Hmm, indeed I found Midnight this way," she said after examining the squirmy foal, who giggled from the way Zecora's examination had tickled him. "though I thought him a lost foal astray."

"Can you change him back, Zecora?" asked Twilight, everypony else behind her. "I've already tried a counter spell but I don't think a spell is what caused him to turn into a baby."

"A spell did not do this, true," Zecora nodded before saying, "I believe it might have been those leaves of blue."

"'Leaves o' blue'?" echoed Applejack in confusion.

But Twilight got it as she gasped, "Poison Joke!"

"Then all he needs is the cure," Spike added.

Twilight floated Spike onto her back and said, "Guess we're going to the spa!"

Lotus and Aloe got to work preparing the bubble bath cure for Poison Joke, bringing out a modest wooden tub at Twilight's request.

"If this is the work of Poison Joke," Twilight reasoned, "then once Midnight turns back, he'll have enough room in the tub to grow in."

"I'm going to have some choice words to say once Midnight is himself again," Rarity frowned at the little colt that Spike was holding, as Baby Midnight was sucking on his hoof, looking around the spa with foalish curiosity.

"Now, now, Rarity, he's only a foal," Fluttershy tut-tutted, "we can't hold anything against him for the things he did today."

"Speak for yourself," Rainbow Dash harrumphed, "you weren't involved in his 'accident'."

"Ah'm still a lil' saddle-sore muhself, Dash," Applejack spoke up, "but we don' even know if Midnight'll remember wha' he did as a foal."

"Yeah, after all, colts will be colts," Looking back, Pinkie thought it was kind of fun how her little one-on-one experience with Baby Midnight went, and how cute it was the way he said 'NO'.

"Ze bath is ready, Miss Sparkle, and ze water is warm," Aloe declared.
"Plus we ze bubbles will make it fun for ze little darling," Lotus added while giving Baby Midnight a tickle on the tummy.

"Alright, everypony, here goes nothing," Twilight very gently lifted Baby Midnight up from Spike's hold in her telekinesis and slowly lowered him into the tub.

Baby Midnight fidgeted a bit from getting wet but was quickly placated by the fluffy white bubbles around him. He giggled and began to enjoy himself as he splashed around, sending bubbles up into the air, blocking him from everypony's view. They still heard his giggles, which began to deepen a little before turning into a confused "Huh?" The bubbles finally cleared, by popping or floating out of the way, and there he was.

Midnight was a stallion again, sitting in a tub a little too small for him, wet and covered with soapy bubbles, looking dazed and confused, looking around in an absentminded manner.
"Wha... where am I?"

"Midnight? Are you okay?" asked Twilight, concerned.

"I think so, I just..." Midnight rubbed his head. "I feel like I woke up from a really long sleep."

"Well, take a moment to clear your mind," suggested Twilight, "and think back. What were you doing before you... fell asleep?"

"I..." Midnight furrowed his brows as he concentrated before perking up, "Oh yeah! I was on my way to meet Zecora in the Everfree Forest. I was gonna talk potions with her and see if she'd be willing to sell me any of hers, or at least some ingredients."

"And then?" pressed Spike.

"And then..." Midnight put his hoof to his chin, trying to remember, "I think I saw... some blue plants. Yeah, I gave them a look, then I felt woozy and... I guess I dozed off."

"Well that explains everything," Spike held his hands up in an 'oh well' manner.

"WHY AM I WEARING A DIAPER?!?!"

All eyes turned back to Midnight, who'd stood up from the tub and was gaping in abject horror of the diaper on his backside, sagging from the bathwater... and everypony burst out in laughter.

"Y'know, I was gonna read him the riot act for all that he did today..." Rainbow Dash leaned towards Rarity and Applejack, whose laughing smiles mirrored hers.

"Quite, dear, I think this little embarrassment is punishment enough," agreed Rarity.

"Sweet mother o' Celestia, wha' Ah wouldn' give fer a camera right now!" added Applejack, the three of them laughing harder as Midnight was looking almost as red as Big Mac while trying to rip the diaper off, ignoring Twilight's giggling attempts to calm him down.