A/N: This chapter may or may not be a little disturbing. So if you don't like innocent ponies uhh... sleeping? yeah, they're just sleeping-- that's right, skip to the next appropriately named chapter.

Scootaloo walked cautiously around the corridor. She didn't know exactly why she trotted quietly, and her heart nearly stopped whenever her hoof steps made an audible sound. Scootaloo's silence gave her more of a chance on listening for any foreign noises, but all she was able to hear were random tapping sounds.

"Hello? Is anypony there?" Scootaloo called out, knowing that asking whatever was out there was a mistake. The floorboards groaned and hissed loudly. Scootaloo stood still again, turning her head and scanning the room for anything. The hall began to expand, and the length of the room got bigger by the second. Scootaloo sprinted as much as she could to catch up to the door at the end, but each step she took did not make any progress on getting closer. It took Scootaloo a good three seconds befor she figured out what was happening.

She was shrinking.

Scootaloo looked up into the air and watched the ceiling disappear from her sight. Random tables grew larger, hiding the shrinking filly in the expanding shadow. The Gigantic door on the other side now seemed like an eternity away. There was an odd chill that was sent through her spine, accompanied with the feeling that something was watching her.

Behind her was a low, menacing laugh that seemed to be following her. The mocking noise echoed loudly with its volume growing steadily. "Found you." The voice was harsh, cold, and slightly annoyed. The voice's low tone was muffled and was unable to register itself in her mind. "Quite the stunt you pulled there. I almost lost you for a second." Paralyzed, Scootaloo couldn't run or face the voice.

Hoofsteps clicked slowly, taunting the shrunken filly with the amount of silence between each step. A giant shadow slowly crept up along and engulfed her. "It could've been over quickly, but..." The voice was closer and finally became clear. Scootaloo's throat tightened and kept her from letting out a desperate cry for help.

Memories flashed through her mind, but she hasn't lived any of them. Each thought felt fabricated and made up, conjured by her mind alone, but she was still terrified. Scootaloo was unable to tell if she was awake, because everything seemed vivid. Shivers were sent through her body, and it served as another piece of evidence for Scootaloo believing the reality of the dream. Putting the pieces together, Scootaloo finally narrowed down the pony that had her trapped.

Her captor was none other than Rainbow Dash.

***

"Do ah have to help?" Apple Bloom asked, her voice rising to emphasize her discontent. Applejack only deepened her frown and made a small, but still scolding comment about Apple Bloom's newfound laziness. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and let herself be hoisted into the air. The swift rush of the air no longer disoriented the tiny filly, and Applejack began to feel comfortable with lifting her sister quickly and recklessly.

Applejack huffed quietly before looking to her sister, "ya can start off by mopping the kitchen floors." Applejack instructed informatively, placing a wet rag on one of the farmhouse's counter tops. The dirty rag landed with a soft squelch, and Apple Bloom plopped right above it. Applejack chuckled as Apple Bloom tried to untangle herself from the sloshing mess of fabric. After Apple Bloom freed herself, she dragged the cloth and was hit by the taste of soap. She gagged for a quick second before getting over the taste and moving on.

Apple Bloom slowly dragged the rag around while Applejack worked on cleaning the kitchen. Apple Bloom would frantically dodge her older sister's incoming hoof-falls. The tiny filly would use her size to get in between the small crevices of the cooking areas. Applejack would sometimes loom above her sister and watch the filly struggle at pulling the worn out fabric. At times, Applejack's blonde tail would carelessly swing around, accidentally knocking around Apple Bloom. This continued for about half an hour before Apple Bloom finally grew frustrated with Applejack's antics.

"AJ, Stop!" Apple Bloom nearly begged, using her rag as a sort of shield.

"Hmm?" Applejack woke up from her trance and pointed her head down, noticing Apple Bloom struggle to get back up. The bigger of the two smiled sheepishly, extending an orange hoof behind her head. "Sorry." Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, begining to believe that her sister's actions were intentional.

"Can I stop?" Apple Bloom asked. Apple Bloom wiped her hooves across their tongue as an attempt at wiping away the taste of the accumulated dirt and left over soap mixed into a strange flavor.

"We still have a lot of work to do." Applejack said, looking down at her tiny sibling. Whatever compromising smile Applejack had, disappeared quickly as Apple Bloom whined loudly.

"Quit your whining. We'll get it over with." Applejack demanded, stomping her hoof to emphasize her point. The larger pony's disapproving step sent a shockwave; it's force strong enough to knock Apple Bloom off of her hooves. One simple gesture was enough to humble the filly. With fear being an excellent motivator to the shrunken filly, Apple Bloom only nodded and jumped on her sister's extended hoof without hesitation. The corner's of Applejack's lips lifted in content, and she turned toward style exit of her home.

The tiny filly laid down and gripped the roots of Applejack's bright, blonde mane. The rumblings of Applejack's light canter had left Apple Bloom shaking around the inside of her sister's hat. Once again, the scent of apples wafted through the air, and Apple Bloom found it slightly funny that her sister had apple-scented mane products.

***

Sweetie Belle felt an undying sense of dread. Giant light blue eyes stared at Sweetie Belle. Details of Rarity's eye were magnified by Sweetie's size. "Sweetie, are you okay!" Shockwaves so large that they were visible to Sweetie Belle, knocking over the frightened filly when they reached her. The tiny pony fought for breath as the wind in her lungs was forced out within seconds. Rarity's expression had a worried feel, and a loud gasp escpaped from Rarity's lips.

"It seems that your sister's magic reserves have caused her to shrink even more than the other girls." The cold, professional voice sent an imaginary pin through Sweetie's heart. For some reason, fate has decided to look down upon her and force the filly into an even tougher predicament.

"Lucky me..." Sweetie whispered sarcastically. The tiny unicorn glanced in the direction where her fellow Crusaders were sitting. Both had a guilty look but had no reason to feel like it was their fault.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo carefully approached their shorter friend, keeping a straight face for the sake of Sweetie's feelings. Sweetie's head barely reached up to the joints of her friends' legs. Whatever embarrassment she faced while looking up at her sister increased from her new size that was even smaller from her previous minuscule stature.

"Don't worry, Sweetie. I'm pretty sure we could find something to change you back." Scootaloo reassured awkwardly, crouching down to Sweetie Belle's eye-level. Apple Bloom out a forced yet comforting smile, hoping to lift Sweetie's spirits.

"I'm fine." Sweetie said, feeling resentment to her condition.

"You're not fine." Rarity's voice boomed from above, "You're shrinking away and we can't do anything about that. Rarity's words did nothing to help Sweetie's mood and only made her feelings worse.

"But no mater what, I'll always be here for you."

***

"Wake up!" Rainbow Dash's cruel voice ordered. The giant pony shifted a cyan hoof and rolled Scootaloo on her back. Scootaloo began to stir from her unconscious condition, but had trouble standing up. Why? Scootaloo thought wearily. Scootaloo tried to come up with any reason why Rainbow Dash would do this to her. She tried to stand up again, but another sprain in her spine had caused her to collapse under her weight.

"How many times are you going to try?" Rainbow Dash questioned hauntingly, her voice growing raspier and demented by the word. Try what? Scootaloo almost screamed, rubbing her aching back. "I was generous to let you be normal, even for a short time... maybe too generous. Give 'em an inch, and they'll take a mile. luckily for me, you will never reach the inch." Rainbow Dash uttered a slow, maniacal chuckle, watching Scootaloo struggle in fear.

"Please..." Scootaloo begged quietly, crawling closer to the laughing form.

"What was that?" Rainbow Dash interrogated, placing a hoof next to her ear. She leaned in closer and had a sick smile on her face, finding a sadistic joy in Scootaloo's pleads for mercy. "I'm sorry, but I guess you should have thought about that before you ran." Her voice remained eerily calm, and a certain stillness in the moment added to her increasing terror.

"I guess I won't be as generous next time... if there is one." Scootaloo's heart nearly stooped at Rainbow's comment. "I have every reason just to crush you on the spot!"

"Don't... please." Scootaloo pleaded again. Rainbow Dash slammed a hoof  onto the table; large vibrations spread across the flat surface and hit Scootaloo, reigniting the aches and bruises on her sides.

"Please? Please? You don't get to ask." Rainbow Dash said,dragging her large hoof closer to the filly, emphasizing her power over her. "It's easy. All I have to do, is pull my hooves close together until I hear a 'pop.' " A sick, vivid image flashed through her head, and she tried to let out a cry for help with no results.

Scootaloo watched her idol's hooves come crashing together. She closed her eyes and felt an immense pressure on her back...

***

Apple Bloom let out an entertained giggle, staring down at her working sister. Applejack skillfully worked on the orchard while Apple Bloom sat on a nearby tree branch. Applejack would carefully tap against the bark, turn her back on it, and position herself in a position to kick the tree. Time slowly moved as Apple Bloom observed her sister's finely-tuned muscles kick the tree, falling apples followed Applejack's experienced kick.

Tap, turn, poise, kick. The process repeated itself several times, and with each time, another basket of apples would fill. Applejack moved from tree to tree, working quickly in the orchards. Apple Bloom cheered words of encouragement, while happily observing from a safe distance.

Applejack finished bucking the trees, admiring her work as she gathered the large baskets of apples together. Upon studying her baskets, Applejack noticed a lone tree, filled to capacity with many large, shining apples.

"Ah wonder why I never bothered to harvest that one." Applejack mumbled to herself, like she often did when she was alone. Applejack cantered to the large apple tree that stood centered in a circle of the recently-picked trees.

Applejack sized up the tree while a terrified Apple Bloom watched from above.

"Applejack, don't!" Apple Bloom kept her eyes pointed towards her sister, hoping that she would be spotted. Unfortunately for her, Applejack failed to notice the filly that flailed her hooves wildly for attention.

Apple Bloom screamed out words to grab her sister's concentration, but all her attempts were in vain as Applejack turned her back towards the giant apple tree. "Jus' one more tree, and Ah'm done for today." Applejack rubbed a hoof on the ground, pulling the grass from its roots and creating a decent amount of traction. Applejack looked back up to the tree and eyed the luscious apples that was on the urge of falling.

Applejack put all of her weight on her forehooves, lifting her hind legs and sending them straight towards the tree. The impact had caused dangerous amounts of vibrations to be sent up the tree quickly. The tiny filly struggled to stay on her hooves with the tree branch bobbing up and down. The apples would fall down slowly. One by one, each apple would fall by the force of her kick.

The pace that the apples fell was to slow for Applejack's liking. Feeling the need to buck the tree again, Applejack lifted her hind legs again. The stocky earth pony put even more force into the second kick. The fact that it took another mighty kick just to dislodge more apples were enought for Apple jack to say, "stubborn apples."

Apple Bloom was knocked off of her hooves the second tìme around, gripping the branch for dear life. She painstakingly endured the onslaught that was just another one of her sister's harvesting techniques. Even after Applejack's strong kick, only a small amount of crops fell. The farmer sighed, kicking the tree a third time to remove another equally stubborn pair of fruit.

Apple Bloom's grip began to falter, feeling the adrenaline die out and the weight of her body straining her strength. She shrieked in surprise as the branch below her broke. Apple Bloom felt the forces of gravity act upon her, heading straight towards another branch. She landed roughly, finding herself nearly impaled by a loose piece of wood.  Apple Bloom took a deep breath of relief when she had nothing more than a bruise.

But that was the last of her luck as she looked upwards. A giant red apple loomed above her, hanging loosely by its wiggling stem. Another tremor was almost enought to give Apple Bloom a heart attack, but the apple seemed more life-threatening at the moment. The movement stirred the large fruit, nearly succumbing to gravity and ending Apple Bloom's life.

The filly, heart now racing, rolled to her side and landed on a softer branch that was covered in leaves. Apple Bloom sighed in relief as the shaking stopped, leading her on to believe that she was safe.

Below, Applejack wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, refusing to let the tree's products get away unpicked. "Ah can get them down. It's just a lot harder than ah thought." Applejack once again prepared for another kick. This time, putting all of her energy into the buck. The result was a shattering blow to the tree, hurting Applejack's hooves in return.

Apple Bloom tried her best to protect herself from her sister's earthquake, going deeper into the forest of soft leaves. Apple Bloom heard a sickening snap as she realized the apple that threatened her life earlier was now loose. The apple landed above her and the fortress of leaves Neely crumbled under its weight. Silence, another snap, and the tree broke through the blockade of branches.

The mountainous fruit rested on top of her; the weight not as apparent as the leaves behind her served as a cushion. Seconds later, the shattered branch fell apart due to Applejack's kick and the weight of the fruit. Time slowed down as her mind processed the information quickly, noting every detail, sound, and sight.

Pain. That was the only thing that went through Apple Bloom's mind when she hit the ground. She was surprisingly alive against the odds that weren't in her favor. The tiny filly had her back on the ground, facing upwards and getting a view of her sister that towered over her.

"Applejack!" Apple Bloom cried weakly. Applejack didn't respond, picking up the other fallen apples.

"Shoot, this one's bruised." Applejack cursed casually, forgetting about Apple Bloom.

She doesn't even know. Apple Bloom thought morbidly. She called out her sister's name again, this time slightly louder.

Suddenly, it felt that a great weight was lifted off of Apple Bloom. She watched the giant, monolithic fruit being lifted up without any strain. Apple Bloom let out a relieved and strained smile as she saw the caring face of her worried sister. The older sister lifted a hoof to her mouth, refusing to believe what happened.

"Apple Bloom? Oh, Celestia, please, no!" Applejack begged, looking at the body of her sister.

"Sis," she called out, "it hurts."

"Ah know it does, Sugarcube." Applejack comforted sweetly. "Ah'm sorry."

"It's okay-- you didn't know." Apple Bloom choked.

"No, Ah'm really sorry."

"Ah can't feel my legs!"

"Ah love you." Applejack nearly cried, fighting back the tears that formed in her eyes. "More than you'll ever know." The older sister couldn't bear to see her sister in that much pain. The twisted, mangled legs were the first hint that Apple Bloom might die an excruciatingly slow demise. Only one thought came into mind.

Put her out of her misery. Applejack grimaced, feeling grief at the grim thought that came into her mind. She choked back a cry, staring back down at her sister. Applejack knew her sister was too far gone, but she closed her eyes to avoid the sight.

"AJ? What are you..." Applejack's hoof lifted high into the air. "Please, don't! Ah'm okay! Look, I can walk!" The filly tried hard to lift her legs, feeling that they were unresponsive. She screamed many words of denial, watching her sister's emotional face that was high above.

"Ah love you, Apple Bloom." Applejack said a final time. She brought her hoof down, trying her best to ignore the sickening crunch that followed.

***

The moon managed to rise without either the sisters noticing. So far, Rarity managed to keep her even tinier sister from being killed; Sweetie marked the events of the day as a success. Knowing that she was safe under the watch of her sister was all that the shrunken filly cared about.

Sweetie Belle watched her older sister brush her hair. Each long stroke took seconds and was methodically executed to keep it neat. Rarity hummed softly, sometimes announcing the number stroke she was on, and each time she would announce the number, Sweetie would awake with a start.

"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred-- one hundred and one..." Rarity went back to humming.

"One seventy-six, one seventy-seven..."

"Five thousand, eight hundred and sixty-four." Sweetie Belle immediately shot up on her sister's callout, believing that she had slept for an hour or two. Rarity smiled warmly at her sister and said, "I'm kidding." Sweetie smiled back and giggled loudly, attempting to convey her feelings to Rarity.

Eventually the dusk faded , and the early glimpse of the moon transformed to a bright light that caught the attention of anypony that was privileged to view it. Rarity stared into herself in the mirror, brushing her teeth with a monolithic toothbrush that dwarfed Sweetie's stature. Again, the fussy unicorn meticulously spread the minty paste in every corner of her mouth. The shrunken filly sat on the edge of the basin, observing massive globes of paste rush down the drain.

Sweetie Belle didn't like it, but she was forced to accompany her giant older sister in one of her nightly bed-time rituals. She had no other option, refusing to even consider joining the toothpaste down the black abyss that was the drain. Sweetie's mind drifted to her younger years, remembering her fear of the bath. She recalled running towards her mother, yelling that she was going to get swallowed by the drain; her mother only chuckled and explained that she was too big to be sucked down.

And now that she was small enough to fit, her fears began to become much more apparent.

Sweetie Belle found herself back on the bedside counter. Slight tremors shook the tiny unicorn as Rarity carefully shimmied into her bed, making sure not to disturb the expertly made bed.  Once Rarity was satisfied with her position on the  bed, she turned and lifted her little sister with her light-blue aura.

"Is everything alright, Sweetie Belle?" Rarity inquired, dropping the filly on her stomach. Rarity chuckled lightly, causing the tiny filly's ground to shake and knock her off of her hooves. Sweetie Belle eventually caught her footing against the shifting floor, letting out a triumphant shout. After her small feat of balance, Sweetie finally put her concentration on answering her sister's question.

"It's kind of boring," she answered quietly, knowing well that she was lying. Feeling as if she wasn't telling the whole truth, Rarity raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Right... Uh, Sweetie, do you mind if you walk around for a bit?" Rarity asked, "it's cute watching you bounce around on my stomach." Sweetie Belle nodded and began to trot around, sometimes jumping on the fleshy parts of her sister's belly.

"Sweetie Belle?" Rarity called out, "what do you really think about being this small?"

"Uh, like I said, boring..." Sweetie answered quickly.

"Sweetie." Rarity said unconvinced. The tiny pony huffed in nervousness, "I know when you're lying."

"No, really, I'm fine-- I actually think this is kind of fun." Sweetie Belle lied again, each fib less convincing than the last. Rarity lost her smile and replaced it with an emotionless look.

"Oh really, you're not scared of being like this?"

"No."

"I don't believe you." Rarity scolded, catching the lie before it was even effective. A large lump formed in Sweetie's throat, finding it hard to  swallow under the accusing gaze of her sister.

"What's there to be scared of?" Sweetie asked, trying to pass off her phony bravado as something genuine.

Rarity stopped speaking and lifted her sister up in the beam. The room grew silent, and the only noise in the room was the sounds of Rarity's magic. "Rarity, what are you doing?" Sweetie chuckled anxiously as her giant older sister grinned enough to show her teeth.

Rarity opened her mouth wide, allowing Sweetie to get an unpleasant view of Rarity's mouth. Sweetie Belle was placed right in front of the monolithic maw. Rarity's ice-cold, minty breath  seemed like a better alternative to Opal's ripe cat breath.

"This isn't funny, Rarity!" Sweetie screamed. She fought against the restraining grip with all of her strength, but it didn't work at all. Rarity kept a low, monotonous hum through the air, chilling the spine of the pony she had in her mercy.

"I know you're lying... I detest liars." Rarity remarked harshly, "and I'll never approve of my own sister being one." Sweetie was whisked closer to the large, fleshy tongue.

"Heh, Rarity? You can stop now. You-you're not getting to m-me." Sweetie's obviously anxious tone made it clear that she was afraid.

"Liars and cheats are nothing but pests, and I think they shall be dealt as accordingly." Rarity said, voicing an opinion that sent chills to Sweetie's spine.

"But I'm not lying!" Sweetie tryed to convince her sister, but it didn't work as her twitching ears and eyes told the truth.

"I'm so sorry, Sweetie..." Rarity stifled a sob, "it has to be done." Sweetie found herself engulfed in the mouth of her older sister. The cold ice replaced by a warm, humid environment.

"Okay! I admit it! I hate being this small! Everything's so, so big-- and-- and scary! I'm scared, Rarity! Please don't eat me!" Sweetie Belle begged, tears streaming down her face. Rarity's mouth closed, and Sweetie Belle was left in a dark void.

"Eat you? Who said anything about eating?" Rarity asked casually, trying hard not to giggle.

"What!? You just put me in your mouth!" Sweetie Belle interrogated indignantly.

"But I never intended on eating you." Rarity retorted, miraculously keeping her straight face.

"But you, you said--"

"By 'it has to be done,' I meant, I needed to teach you a lesson about lying. Did you really think by killing you that it would serve as a sort of good lesson?" Sweetie opened her mouth to respond but had absolutely no words to combat her sister's answer.

"And why would I ever want to eat you? You're my baby sister, and I'll do everything to make sure that you are safe." Rarity comforted, causing her sister to breath a long sigh of relief. "Just trust me when I say that I'll protect you with all my heart."

"Cross your heart?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking up into the caring eyes of her sister.

"And hope to fly." Rarity responded, adding to Pinkie Pie's notorious swear. The unicorn gently levitated the shrunken filly and placed her on the bedside table. Letting out an audible groan in discontent, Sweetie Belle called out to her gigantic guardian, "Rarity, do you mind if I sleep closer to you?" Rarity smiled warmly, nodding her head and bringing the tiny pony closer. Sweetie eventually joined her sister in bed and slept soundly.

Thump! Sweetie Belle woke up with a start, sweating profusely. Her surroundings were hot and dark. Thump! "What was that?" Sweetie looked around but saw nothing, growing more worried by the second. "Oh, Celestia, where am I?" Millions of questions raced through Sweetie Belle's mind, finding it increasingly difficult to figure out the answers. After the initial adrenaline, Sweetie Belle felt an immense pain on her back, each loud, earth-shaking beat hurting her even more.

Thump! "Please make it stop!' Thump!  "Oh, Celestia, it hurts!" Thump!  "It's so dark!" Thump! "Why?"

"Hmm? Oh, no. Sweetie, that shade just isn't your color."

"Rarity! Help!" Sweetie pleaded, hearing the drowsy, muffled voice. There was another loud sound in the area. Sweetie stopped her screaming to listen to the rhythm. The beat seemed slow and stable, a loud bang followed by a quieter one. Sweetie paid close attention to the beats, piecing the familiar noises together. The tiny filly's jaw nearly dropped when she figured out where she was.

She was being crushed under her sister's massive body. And the explosion-like noises were her heartbeats.

Luckily, (or unluckily), Rarity had an extremely plush and soft mattress, saving her life, or completely prolonging her demise with a slow, painful end. Sweetie Belle began to feel that she was breathing the same stale air, the idea dawning on her that she was going to suffocate.

Each thud felt like it was threatening to Sweetie's life, thinking that the next tremor might be her last. Minutes turned to hours as her breaths became more strained, and she felt hope giving up as there was no signs of Rarity waking any time soon. Each minute felt like Rarity's weight was going to crush her completely, and the constant assault of her heartbeats only added to the pain.

Sweetie tried her best to conserve her air as long as she could, but found it harder with each passing sigh. The pain seemed to be unbearable, growing exponentially by the heartbeat. Sweetie Belle eventually gave up and before she lost consciousness, one last thought went through her head.

"I'll protect you with all my heart."

Thump!