Chapter 3: Shrinking for Ponies

 

The Royal Guards charge at the heroes who dodge their attack. Megan yells out, "Evasive action!"

Everyone dodges the Royal Guards who fire their weapons. Rainbow remarks, "Time these guys go out like lights!" Quickly, the gang attacks the Royal Guards, some of the heroes kill them instantly.

Once the fight is over, Megan's group leaves the room, heading to some doors. Sweetie comments, "I sure hope we hurry."

The group enters the doors to another room, which is the library that Zecora spoke of. Speaking of which, the zebra herself appear, heading to a bookcase and use some tricks to make the bookshelf. Zecora then disappear as the group arrives.

"Come on." Megan said to her friends with a nod.

The group head up the stairs and took the left path, following it to the end. Rarity said with a nod, "So far, so good...wait, what's that?"

Rarity saw some sort of croquet mallet. Megan takes it while saying, "A croquet mallet. What is it doing here?"

Twilight teleports into the room, smiling insanely while saying, "Here's a riddle: when is a croquet mallet like a Billy club? I will tell you: whenever you want it to be," The pony then teleport out of sight.

"Ah don't git it." Apple Bloom said puzzled.

"I think Twilight wants Megan to use the mallet as a weapon." Fred explains to Apple Bloom with a shrug.

"Ah didn't think thinking was yer strong point!"

"It wasn't???"

"We must get going." Lorcan said as he spots some double doors nearby. "We shall use the double doors on the right side."

The group heads off through the double doors on the right side. They saw two Earth Royal Guards appearing, attacking them. Megan uses her mallet to smash one of their heads in while Luna fires a blast through the other, killing him.

"Glad to see you're on our side!" Rarity exclaims to Luna with a grin.

"When it comes to saving Equestria from the darkness, hell it's kill or be killed." Luna said to her friends seriously.

The gang now goes through the next set door, arriving at the library, much to their amazement.

"Well, if there's a place to find mom, this would be a place to do so." Nyx remarks with a giggle. "She's a bookworm."

"Yeah, tell me about it. It's wonderful and beautiful." Megan said with a smile; Pity that a great place like this is in a crazy world like Equestria.

"Can we eat some of them?" Ed asks stupidly while looking at the books.

"No, stupid; we read them! I doubt we need a light meal anyway!" Fred snaps to Ed for his own stupidity, yet is ironically being stupid himself.

The group now goes to the left, continuing down the path. Then they go left, seeing a Pegasus Royal Guard there. Scootaloo exclaims, "Kick his flank, Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow nods as she attacks the Royal Guard, hitting him a few times then send him through a wall, cracking his neck in the progress. The Pegasus pony glances as she comments, "Eh, dead end anyway."

"How appropriable."

"This way," Luna said as she motions to a direction. The group goes back to the main part of the area, following another part until they reach the main library room.

Eventually, Megan's group saw two Unicorn Royal Guards and two Earth Royal Guards there. Megan frowns while snapping, "Let's get those buckers."

"Finally, someone who spoke my language," Lorcan exclaims excitedly.

Megan and her friends fought off by the Royal Guards, attack viciously until they are killed or defeated. Fred exclaims, "I love mayhem...that isn't us!"

"Yeah," Ed exclaims with a stupid nod.

The group continues through the main part. As they move on, Nyx saw something to the left, making her asks, "Is that the Book of Forbidden Spells that we must find?"

"Must be," Scootaloo said with a nod while glancing at the book. "But how the hay are we going to get up there? I mean besides Rainbow and Luna flying of course."

Megan touches a book, activating something. The girl announces, "I think we activated something. Come on."

The group heads back the way they came and found a lift, which they rode to the top. Upon arrival, they saw Twilight near a bookcase, saying, "Steps to enlightenment brightens the way, but the steps are steep. Try to take them one at a time."

Twilight shot a blast at the bookcase, causing it to tip and look like a ramp. Once she teleports away, Fred comments in confusion, "I'm still confused."

"Yeah, I am." Ed said with a nod, misbelieving the comment.

Megan touches a few books, activating them. The girl said, "Perhaps if we were find more books like these, we could get to where we need to go."

"Then let's climb up the damn ramp!" Rainbow exclaims with a smile.

"Please, don't curse too much...especially in front of the foals." Rarity scolds Rainbow in annoyance by the use of language.

The group climbs the bookcase and finds another book there, along with two Pegasus Royal Guards charging at them. Sweetie grabs the mallet and whacks them hard with the weapon until they are dead. Apple BLoom then touches the book, resulting in another lift to be activated nearby.

"Come on, Ah done betcha 'dis lift can take us 'ta 'de last book." Apple Bloom comments with a smile.

The group rode the lift to the top, seeing a Earth Royal Guard. Lorcan jumps at him and breaks his neck, killing the pony. He spots another book, saying, "There's the final book."

Megan and Lorcan touch the book, activating all the books that floated up to the level that they were in. Nyx nods while saying, "This oughta be fun. I just wish daddy was here."

"Who's your daddy?" Megan asks Nyx curiously.

"Ben Mare...and that's a long story for now."

As Luna and Rainbow flew, the others jump from one book to another and reach the other side, where the Book of Forbidden Spells is at. Megan looks puzzled while sighing. How will she get this book to open?

As Twilight appears, Megan explains to her friends, "There is no lock but I don't think it will open. It's stuck."

"Great, just great," Rainbow exclaims in frustration.

"Treat it like a Neighese box or a stubborn lid." Twilight suggests to Megan. "A tap in the right spot might do the trick."

"Hmmm...maybe." Luna said thoughtfully. Megan, Lorcan and Rainbow have the same idea. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh yeah," Lorcan said with a smile. The four begins pushing the huge book together and push it off the shelf, causing it to fall to the bottom floor. That causes it to open up.

Twilight frowns in disapproval while asking, "You call that a tap? Glad that I didn't suggest force. Otherwise, you might have destroyed it."

"We got it opened, didn't we?" Fred protests to Twilight in annoyance.

"Don't get that way with me, Changeling!"

"Well, time we ride down." Ed said as he points a hoof to the books that float up and down.

The gang begins jumping onto a book, each one float down while Rainbow and Luna flew downward. Once everyone came to the bottom, they got off their rides and head to the book.

"Let's see..." Megan said as she begins to read the boom, "'Mushrooms, poppies, sugar and spice. All those are very nice. When combined the proper mixture makes a getting-small elixir'."

"I am not fond of sweets to be honest." Rarity said with a frown at the potion ingredients.

"We do, sis." Sweetie said happily to Rarity.

"Wait, this book looks like a..." Scootaloo begins to say. But the pony is too late as everyone got sucked into the bool, causing them to scream like mad.

 

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Megan's group found themselves in another part of a school with a Boojum flying around. The human said, "I got this one." She jumps up and attacks the monster with her mallet, killing it.

As Megan returns to her friends, they saw an Earth Royal Guard trotting around. Lorcan remarks, "I will handle that asshole." The dragon jumps forward and slices the Royal Guard's throat, killing him, "Told ya so!"

"Ah still can't git used 'ta 'de idea o' killing." Apple Bloom said with a sigh. "Ah mean, Ah know they're out 'ta git us but..."

"It's all right, Apple Bloom." Scootaloo said while hugging her friend. "Let's continue on."

The group moves on as they saw a Unicorn Royal Guard on the top level. Rainbow flew up and hits the pony, causing him to scream and fell all the way down to his doom.

"Wow, that's a nasty fall." Rainbow said with a cringe.

"But cool!" The Changelings exclaims with smiles on their faces.

The group together went to the left door and head down the stairs. Then they jump over to the floating platform. Fred saw something and pick up a pair of dice, asking, "What are these dice for?"

Twilight teleport in on the other side, smiling madly as she explains, "Oh, yes the diabolical dice. Better be careful. Do not use them when you're alone as the fiends lack loyalty...and their notion of nourishment is very disturbing."

"What do you mean?"

Twilight of course teleports away from the area instead of answering; Ed yelps as he screams, "Yikes; Boojums at 12 o'clock!"

"But it isn't even ten yet!" Fred exclaims in confusion by what Ed just said.

"That means they're coming you idiot!" Lorcan snaps to Fred in annoyance. "Use the dice!"

Fred nods as the Boojums arrive to attack the heroes. The Changeling roll the dice and it came to the side of the ones marked 'evil'. Luna blinks as she asks, "What does that mean?"

Suddenly some Tartarus Demons appear, attacking the Boojums and ripping them apart. Sweetie gasps, "Goodness! What are those things?!"

"Of course! Now I remember! Tartarus dice Demons!"

"What are they?" Megan asks Luna, looking for an answer.

Luna looks seriously to Megan as she explains to her adopted mother, "Those Demons help the ones who summon them as long as there's evil in sight. But if not one shows up...they attack us instead."

"Yikes!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders exclaims in worry and alarm. They decide that it's best to use the dice when there's bad guys to kill!

"Time for us to jump now."

Megan's group jumps back to the main part with Megan grabbing some Meta Essence before the heroes go back into the door. Soon they ran into more Royal Guards. Megan destroys them with her mallet while Luna and Lorcan uses their attacks to get rid of them.

Nyx opens a door that is labeled 'Grayd', seeing a Unicorn Royal Guard coming. Lorcan snaps, "Not today!" The Dragon rips the minion in half, killing it.

Once the Royal Guards are dead, the gang goes to the doors. Rarity looks around as she asks, "Which door shall we use?"

"How about all of them," Megan suggests to her friends thoughtfully.

The ponies open the door, each one of the heroes enter the gym area. As they look around, Scootaloo spots a lever and pulls it, asking, "I wonder what this lever does."

Soon the gym took some sort of shape of stairs, leading upward to the rafters. As they climb up, the group saw a familiar Zecora waiting for them at the top.

"Hey Zecora," Apple Bloom calls out as the gang jumps onto the wooden planks at the left part. As they follow it, the heroes dodge the lamps that are swinging in the area.

Once Megan's group arrives to Zecora, the zebra spoke, "The gym should be safe. The guards never exercise; can't afford to lose the weight after all."

"Lame pun," The Changelings exclaims in annoyance.

"I never cared for sports at school." Rarity explains to Zecora with a frown.

"Some of us do, Rarity." Megan said as Rainbow smiles a bit while flying around. "So do I have to put on a pinny?"

"What the hay is a pinny?" Rainbow asks Megan, a bit puzzled by the comment.

"No, it won't suit you at all." Zecora assures Megan while ignoring Rainbow's question. The zebra gave a mushroom to the group. "Here you go. I remember one of the potion's ingredients: mushrooms, such lovely texture...wait, what's that?"

Zecora ask the last part as three Boojums appear. The zebra disappears as Megan saw a familiar rage box. The girl frowns while saying, "Well, may as well use it now than never."

Megan jumps to the box while most of the others gasps in protest, "Megan, no!"

Too late, Megan touches the thing as she begins to transform like before. Twilight appears while saying to the human girl, "How fine you look when dressed in rage. Your enemies should be lucky that your condition isn't permanent. You're lucky as red eyes suit a few."

"Shows what you know!" Rarity snaps to Twilight who disappears from sight once more.

Megan growls at the Boojums coming to her and her friends. The monster jumps at each one and slashes at the other monsters, killing the three. Once the fight is done, she changes back to normal.

"Megan, are you okay?" Nyx ask Megan in worry.

"I'm fine, wow, that is crazy." Megan said, amazed by what she's doing so far which involves turning into some sort of monster.

"Let's go." Lorcan said with a nod. "We better leave before more of those freaks show up."

The gang returns to the main room while Zecora arrives in the lab. As Megan's group came out, they saw two more Boojums. Rainbow flew up and trick those freaks into hitting one another, allowing them to fall and get killed by Luna and Lorcan on the way down.

Once that's done, the heroes head to the spiraling stairs, heading up; Fred begins to get a bit dizzy while groaning, "Ugh, I feel like I'm sick."

"Me too," Ed exclaims, getting a bit dizzy himself.

The group arrives at the door, seeing a door that is labeled '2nd Grayd'. It opens up as two Earth Royal Guards and a Pegasus one came out. The Cutie Mark Crusaders exclaims, "Get them!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders attack the Royal Guards, distracting them enough for Megan, Luna and the Changelings to finish them off. Rainbow chuckles a bit, "Another one bites the dust, yeah!"

The group enters the lab where Zecora is at. Rarity frowns as she comments, "Zecora, you are lucky that we all passed by."

"Luck has nothing to do with it. I was about to say that you are all lucky to have found me. I have found the last ingredient which is sugared-spice drops." Zecora explains as she gave the item to the group.

"It seems whenever we meet up, we always find a bit more trouble. Zecora, have you seen any Jumbo Grow about?" Megan asks Zecora sarcastically. The zebra chose to ignore the wise ass remark as she points to the flask inside the opened cabinet door.

"There's a bit in that flask on the sideboard, see? We should be set. Now bring back some poppy blooms and we will mix up the potion."

"I guess we have to find it without you, huh?" Rainbow asks Zecora dryly. To her frustration, the zebra nodded.

"No worries, Zecora! We will done get 'dat poppy blooms fer yew!" Apple Bloom exclaims to Zecora wth a smile. "Yew can count on us!"

Sweetie takes the potion while saying, "Thanks for the potion."

The gang now dash out of the room to look for what they need to find. They arrive in a room with 4 different doors in each direction. Lorcan points to the left, saying, "I say we go to the door on the left."

The group enters the left door, seeing a Pegasus Royal Guard and an Earth one; Megan and Lorcan kill them in an instant. They enter a door labeled '3rd Grayd'. Upon doing so, they ran into two Unicorn Royal Guards. Megan hits them with her mallet until they are dead.

The gang enters the next room where two Unicorn Royal Guards and a Boojum are at. Fred groans in frustration, "Give me a break!"

"Do we have more of these weirdoes waiting for us all over?" Ed asks in disbelief by the foes that the group is facing.

"Just help us kill them!" Scootaloo snaps as the group attacks the Royal Guards while Luna fires a blast at the Boojum, destroying them.

Soon the gang enters another room. Megan found the seeds nearby and takes them. The girl said, "All right, let's see if this works." Megan pours the seeds into the potion, causing a giant lollipop to appear.

"Looks yummy," Sweetie exclaims happily at the treat.

Sweetie takes the treat while Rarity opens the door, seeing a Boojum. The unicorn dash towards it and fires a bolt, killing it. Rarity calls out, "This way; come on!"

The group rushes out, heading back to the lab.

 

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Upon returning to the lab, Megan's group heads to Zecora. The girl gave the last ingredient to the zebra while saying, "Here you go, the last ingredient."

Zecora nods as she place the last ingredient of the potion into a condenser, adding, "This condenser shall make the potion. Not sure if it's good for anything else though."

"No duh!" The Changelings snaps a bit.

The gang waits a while as the machine went to work. It took a while but soon the potion was done for them. As they take it, Zecora hands over a star to Megan.

"Time for you all to leave, but not the way you came." Zecora said to her friends in precaution. "Go to the observatory. This star is for your stellar performance. It may open some doors for you."

"Thanks." Megan said. She and her friends watch as Zecora disappear for the last time. "Well, there she goes, maybe for the last time."

"At least she helped us." Luna said with a nod. The group goes through a portal nearby, ready to head to the observatory next.

 

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Megan's group return to where they found the mallet. That isn't the only thing that they found though.

"Yikes! Two Unicorn Royal Guards," Fred and Ed exclaims at fright as if wanting to piss whatever they use for pants.

"Well, time to kill them!" Nyx exclaims in determination.

The gang attacks the Royal Guards at each side, getting rid of them. Now they went to the double doors on the right side on the second floor while getting rid of two Boojums along the way.

Megan's group goes into the next room, following the path while getting rid of the Boojums and a Pegasus Royal Guard in the way. Next, they all rode the lift on the left and climb the bookshelf on the left too, where they kill two Earth Royal Guards.

"Ugh, when are we going to get to the portal and be small?" Rainbow asks with a groan of annoyance. "This is heavy."

"Weight has nothing to do with this." Ed said to Rainbow, much to the pony's annoyance.

The gang found a door with a star mark which opens upon Megan showing the star. The girl said, "Wow; Looks like the star that Zecora gave us has worked!"

Everyone went into the next room, riding the lift and entering the next room. Upon entering, three Royal Guards awaits them. Megan, Lorcan, Luna and Rainbow kill them all.

Finally Megan's group went over to the telescope where the girl takes the potion out while saying, "All right, here goes."

Each one of the group took a sip of the potion. During this time, a round table with an eye opened, revealing a portal that they all jump into while shrinking. Hopefully, they can catch up to Spike at last.

 

Author's note
The gang are now small as Spike now, at last. In the next chapter, the gang deal with small enemies then meets up with Derpy Hooves who wants their help in saving her daughter Dinky Doo from being turned into a meal by Gilda in exchange for helping them find the Moochick. Also, who is Alpha Prime? Read, review and suggest!