Simultaneously, all three Crusaders woke up screaming. Their collective cries managing to wake their respective elders. There was a small click and the light immediately responded by turning on. A quiet shimmering sound echoed as Rarity lifted her silk eye cover telekinetically.

"What's wrong, girls?" Rarity asked, genuinely concerned for the two fillies that had nightmares. Both girls were hesitant to look at Rarity, horror clear in their faces. Scootaloo was the first to act, wiping away the small amount of tears that she formed subconsciously.  

"I- I had a bad dream." Scootaloo spoke up, receiving a look of sympathy from Rarity. The massive mare brought the orange filly on the covers of the bed, making sure Scootaloo did not trip over her steady breathing. The giant unicorn turned her head to face her little sister, asking her if she had the same. Sweetie Belle did nothing to add to the conversation, finding it too difficult to look at her sister, the one who crushed her without any effort. Her mind drifted to the strange vividness of the nightmare, recalling Rarity's words that seemed to haunt her.

"What about you, Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked softly.  Sweetie Belle stayed silent, keeping he face placed against her makeshift bed. "Sweetie Belle?" Rarity peered to her left, looking at the traumatized unicorn. Sobs quietly came from Sweetie's corner, dying out quickly as she realized how loud she was being. Rarity's heart lurched as she watched the small, curled up form shiver in fear. The terror-struck filly burowed deeper into the covers of her bed, trying harder to be unnoticed.

Warmth enveloped Sweetie Belle as Rarity's magic began to lift her. She let out a loud cry as she was lifted up faster than she would have liked. Rarity's rough, nearly negligent levitation brought back Memories of Sweetie's dream, getting worse when she was lifted to Rarity's gigantic face.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Rarity asked simply, finding it hard to watch her baby sister cry. Sweetie Belle kept her eyes fixated away from her sister. "Sweetie, it's okay." A large hoof placed herself under the tiny filly, catching her from a short drop. All the air dropped from Sweetie's lungs, and Rarity didn't even know how much pain she was unintentionally causing. Nothing bout hoarse, raspy breath came out of her mouth.

"P-please..." Was all that came out of Sweetie Belle's mouth. "Leave me alone." Sweetie's words hit Rarity harder than anything else. Fear adorned the voice, quivering and faltering with each syllable.

"Oh my, Sweetie, I can't imagine what you're going through." Rarity attempted to comfort her sister, but whatever she tried did not work.

Rarity began to bring Sweetie closer to her heart, hoping that the gentle rhythm of her heartbeats and the slow rises and falls of her chest. Instead, the loud, droning tremors only served the opposite. Each thud reminded her of her slow, interminable demise under the weight of her sister.

"I- I'm scared," Sweetie choked, finally voicing her feelings.

"Whatever you're going through-- just remember, I'll protect you with al-"

"No!" Tiny sobs followed Sweetie's exclamation. Another sickening tug to her heartstrings. "Leave me alone-- I'm, I'm just scared..."

"Of what?" the older sister asked, using the softest voice she could.

"You!" Sweetie screamed, forcing her head against the soft fur of her sister.The frightened filly broke whatever eye contact she had with her sister. Rarity opened her mouth to speak but couldn't think of a single word that might comfort the sobbing filly on her chest. It didn't help that she could feel her sister's tears on her coat, further emphasizing Sweetie's situation. Sweetie began to scream muffled words in what she experienced in her lifelike dream.

"Shh, Sweetie, just calm down." Rarity consoled. "Scootaloo and I are here for you. Now, slowly tell me what happened." Rarity kept her voice soft. Sweetie, still riddled with fear, stopped her crying and began to compose her her dream into intelligible words instead of incoherent whining and crying. Sweetie recounted on how she was shrunken even more than she was now, reaching the point where her inch tall friends were titans compared to her. She briefly explained the moments she had with her sister and focused more on her death at the hooves of her caretaker.

Rarity followed the story closely, stroking Sweetie's mane to ease the filly whenever she would tense up. Sweetie would continue her story but would wind up hiccuping and stifling another wail.  "And then, you-- you..." Sweetie couldn't bring herself to finish her story, although the end was obvious to both Rarity and Scootaloo.

Without thinking, Rarity brought her shrunken sibling even closer but later realized her mistake as Sweetie let out another scream. "I'm so sorry, Sweetie Belle. I didn't know how bad it was. But I want you to know that I would never even dream about laying a hoof on you in a malicious way. I love you too much, and I'll just die if I ever hurt you." Rarity smiled warmly and telekinetically lifted her sister's head by her chin, wiping away the tears and looking gently into the puffy, red eyes.

"I love you..." Sweetie Belle whispered into the coat of her caring sister, drying her face against the warm fur that easily absorbed the tears. She kept the same nuzzling motion, eventually lulling her self to a calm rest, still fully aware of her surroundings but much more at ease. Finally allowing the heartbeats that seemed to threaten her life calm her down to a tranquil feeling. Unfortunately, Sweetie's statement of love fell upon deaf ears as Rarity was unable to hear the words. Believing that Sweetie Belle was asleep, Rarity looked towards the other filly whom she shared the room with.

"And you too, Scootaloo." Rarity whispered, capturing the attention of the other tiny pony.

"Huh?" Scootaloo found herself being lifted by Rarity's magic, and she was brought up to the same area where Sweetie rested.

"I mean, I'll never live with myself if I found out I hurt you." Rarity restated.

"Thanks, I guess." Scootaloo said. The filly bit her tongue on how rude she might have sounded, but she didn't know what to feel or what else to say to her best friend's sister.

"I mean it." Rarity reassured gently, making sure not to have any threatening undertones. "Sweetie treats you and Apple Bloom like sisters. And the same goes for me and Applejack. Sure we bicker and fight like you three sometimes, but we always get along afterwards." Scootaloo nodded in understanding, still finding it hard to say something appropriate, but she was finally glad that she had a basic understanding of Rarity's affection.

"Scootaloo, do you want to talk about your nightmare?" Rarity asked, remembering that Sweetie Belle's screams also coincided with Scootaloo's.

"I kind of don't want to talk about it." Scootaloo answered after a moment of silence.

"If you don't mind, was it anything like Sweetie's nightmare?" Scootaloo nodded and refused to say anything else, feeling that she was fine as long as she doesn't see Rainbow Dash. "Okay then. Good night, Scootaloo." Scootaloo yawned in response and laid her head against Rarity's chest.

About fifteen minutes later, the giant unicorn lifted Sweetie and Scootaloo with her magic. She made sure not to wake either while they were held in her aura. She lifted Sweetie to her lips, kissed her softly on the head, and placed her back on the improvised pillow-bed. She did the same with Scootaloo shortly after.

"Good night, girls." Rarity said, closing her eyes and later falling asleep.

~~

"Shh, Ah'm here for ya, Apple Bloom." Applejack quietly consoled. Applejack was sitting up, her head resting on the head of the bed. The tiny filly rested her own head against Applejack's chest for support. Apple Bloom had woken up seconds earlier, screaming and crying about her nightmare. The older sister knew exactly how to handle her sister and waited until the initial fear of the night terror subsided. "Just let it out."

Apple Bloom was much more vocal about her nightmares, explaining what happened in short, slightly ambiguous sentences. She would reach the conclusion of her death by Applejack's hoof, and the giant mare began to do her work on cheering up the shaking Apple Bloom.

"You and I both know that I'll be more cautious than that." Applejack said bluntly, choosing a calm, collected, and straightforward approach to cheering up her sister.

"Except, you..." Apple Bloom mouthed the word "crushed." Applejack nearly doubled over as she got her sister's drift. She placed her hoof gently on Apple Bloom's mane, immediately retracting her motion when she remembered the events of he dream.

Apple Bloom's quiet sobs faded as she began to calm down. Applejack smiled comfortingly when Apple Bloom buried her head deeper into her coat. The sight of the burrowing filly reminded Applejack of her earlier years, letting the wave of nostalgia wash over her. She let out a small but noticeable giggle, letting Apple Bloom raise her head in curiosity.

"What?" Apple Bloom asked while wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Apple Bloom began to get distracted

"Nothin'," she answered, "just something ah remembered." Apple Bloom reiterated the same question, wanting to know what made her older sister laugh.

"What is it?"

"Remember when you an' ah were little?" Applejack reminisced. "And whenever the timberwolves howled, I'd wake up with you in my bed." Apple Bloom smiled and recalled the nights she spent with her older sister.

"Ah remember," answered the little sister. Her frown began to disappear as the memories became more apparent.

"You were scared and lonely." Applejack stated calmly; her chest rising and falling evenly.

"Ah was not. The bed was just stiff an' scratchy." Applejack chuckled at her little sister's excuse.

"Sure it was," teased Applejack, poking her sister with her giant hoof. Apple Bloom toppled over again, but this time, she laughed along with her sibling. "Next thing you're gonna tell me is that your tears was just the rain."

Apple Bloom laughed and nodded playfully, "eeyup!" Beginning to forget her previous nightmare, the younger sister continued to take solace with her sister's kind and distracting words.

"You look every bit as fragile as the day you were born." Applejack referenced; Apple Bloom blushed at her sister's comment, clearly embarrassed by Applejack's statement.

"AJ, stop," requested Apple Bloom, feeling embarrassed by Applejack's words.

"Ah mean it-- so small, tiny, and just plain-"

"Ah get it!" Apple Bloom said, annoyed by her sister's antics.

"Cute," Applejack finished, causing her sister to roar in frustration. Another laugh came from Applejack's mouth. "You look so adorable when you're angry." Apple Bloom huffed indignantly and planted her face on her sister's chest.

Apple Bloom then muttered, "Ah'm not cute." She pouted while speaking, successfully proving the opposite as her brows furrowed in annoyance. Apple Bloom's tone and face managed to make Applejack laugh a bit louder.

"See what happens when you're with your big sis?" Applejack asked, quickly changing the subjects. She reveled internally at the fact she managed to break her previous record of consoling her sister. "Ain't a thing that'll get ya while ah'm with you." Apple Bloom didn't say a word, silently appreciating the moment she shared.

"Thanks, AJ." Apple Bloom yawned after thanking her sister. She rested her head and slowly closed her eyes.

"Good night, Apple Bloom." Applejack said, yawning slightly herself; her words coming out muffled and nearly unintelligible. The younger sister bid her own good night, but it was masked by her sleepy voice and her giant sister's loud breathing

***

"Everything is okay, my children." A regal voice called gently. The fillies didn't recognize the voice at first. Taking a few seconds to piece together the slightly different accent and identify whose voice it was, despite the dead giveaway that there is only one pony that could visit and speak through ponies' dreams, Princess Luna.

"P-Princess Luna?" The three ponies stammered in unison. The stood together, looking up at a dark silhouette that floated above them. The princess of the night gracefully lowered herself down to greet the children. The crusaders bowed instinctively, remembering the courtesy that was practiced to show respect to the princesses of Equestria.

"No need for that, my subjects," she ordered gracefully, raising her hoof as a cue for them to cease their bowing. "You three are the first fillies to agree to my terms and conditions in over a thousand years."

" 'bout that, Princess," the earth filly stated; her southern accent as humble as can possibly attempt, "we kind of didn't pay attention to that." The other two crusaders nodded, adding in pointless but confirming commentary.

"How does one just skip over something as serious as this?" Luna asked, genuinely confused by the lack of investment in the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Had this been a thousand years before, you three could have faced death sentences."

"We kind of died earlier..." Scootaloo remarked smartly, receiving a slight, yet painful kick from Apple Bloom. Luna nodded understandingly, acknowledging the trials that the three went through.

"Yes, dear Scootaloo, but it was simply a test to collect the most strong-willed and emotionally stable ponies available." Luna answered, remembering past tests of other ponies that attempted to join her legion. Some passed and became powerful warriors, and others lost their sanity in minutes. "Sometimes, being thorough can lead to an unfortunate title placed upon you."

"But why a shrinking potion? Why is it linked to you? if you don't mind me asking." Sweetie Belle asked, waiting for Luna's short and educated reply.

"Experimental magic and potions can be used maliciously. So as a safeguard, my sister locked it and many other magic of destruction to the Lunar Republic long after I was gone, where the bravest of ponies would fear to attempt the spells.

"I once locked certain spells to my group before I was sent away, so that ponies found using it had the choice to betray Celestia or perish with loyalty to the crown. Seeing that a spell like this could be used for mischief and hostage tactics, leads one pony to keep it out of the hooves of the prank-pulling fillies." Luna glanced over to the three somewhat shamed fillies sternly. Her face had a clear expression that she wasn't taking any excuses. The crusaders stared at their hooves as they waited for somepony to explain their reason why they did what they did.

"We meant for nopony to get hurt," Sweetie stated first.

"It was all in good fun," added Scootaloo.

"Yeah, we were supposed to have the cure ready an' everything before we actually did something." Apple Bloom added, hoping that her recently cooked up excuse would work and prove that they at least thought ahead.

"If you really thought ahead, you would have created the antidote first." Luna retorted, seeing through Apple Bloom's reasoning. The crusaders kept their faces down in intimidation, refusing to look at what might have been the disappointed face of the lunar princess. Luna only kept a small smirk as she eyed the fillies with memories coming back to her mind.

"Yes, Princess Luna," the three recited at the same time.

"Maybe I should tell you three why Celestia hated the potion in the first place." Luna said aloud, warming up to the charm of the fillies. The three girls nodded and took up on Luna's offer.

"It was a long time ago, and 'Tia and I were teenagers by our standards." Luna started, recounting the origin of the potion. "Although we were millenia old, we still had mind of children as the heavy burden of governing an entire nation became apparent. We had the same mindset as any other filly. Like common ponies, we shared the same energy, arrogance, and irresponsibility.

"Celestia, being the eldest and the next in line, chose to take on the task earlier than I had hoped. She nearly buried herself in the politics, flocking to our mother and father whenever they delegated to the neighboring nation. She grew more and more serious, claiming my attempts at connecting with her 'foalish,' and that I was nothing more than an 'incompetent child.'

"I was angry to be honest, but my sister would hear none of it. 'Tia was only a few years older than me, yet she carried herself as an adult whenever she was with me. I was often alone in my room, reading books or staring at the night sky. I thought of my sister every time she left, and I thought of the times where we played as fillies."

"So you turned you and Celestia into foals?" Sweetie Belle guessed.

"No, I needed something more than just regressing me and my sister. If I had chosen that, she would have hated me even more. She was never the one for coddling, and I was no where near as powerful enough to conjure the age spell at that time. I looked around for any inspiration and finally stopped when I spotted a recreation of Canterlot Castle for dolls.

"I had decided to create the shrinking potion. I slaved away at the compounds while Celestia padded herself with a thicker exterior, hiding herself from her youth and taking on a maturity younger than anypony expected her to.

"When I had finally committed the deed, she detested me with every fiber of her being. She chose to avoid me, trying several escape attempts. And each time I'd catch her, only to be bombarded with another onslaught of hurtful insults.

"It took days, but I had finally gotten to her. She opened up to me, and I did the same. She told me her fears on running Equestria alone, and I told her about my worries of losing her. We made a pact that we would support each other-- that 'Tia would never rule alone with my support, and she would always be there for me."

The Crusaders sat there, completely captured by Luna's story. Luna created the potion for nearly the exact same reason why they wanted it. The crusaders thought of the potion as a simple spell to have fun with their sisters and effectively curing their boredom.

"None of that really matters now-- what I care about is you three and your sisters." Luna stated, changing subjects quickly. "I watched today's events, and it seems you all secretly enjoy being in your sister's care."

"Well, not exactly," retorted Apple Bloom.

"Yes, you did!" Sweetie accused.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

The two proceeded to name call, sticking out tongues, and just bickering. Scootaloo found a way into the argument, siding with Sweetie Belle and joined in on the name calling. Luna stood on the sidelines, waiting for the initial frustration to fade out and step in when necessary.

"Girls, stop!" Luna screamed, using her Royal Canterlot Voice to stop the fight. The ears in all fillies dropped quickly. Each pony ashamed of their unneeded fight.

"Sorry, Princess Luna," all three crusaders apologized. Luna nodded curtly before getting back into gear.

"And as for your size restoration, I notified Twilight Sparkle about your actions-- and she will be heading back to Ponyville with the antidote recipe as soon as possible." At the mention of the librarian, Apple Bloom Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo collectively groaned. Luna cocked her head in confusion as she caught on to the moan.

"What's wrong?"

"We kind of... trashed the library while making the potion." Apple Bloom answered.

"I don't think Twilight would mind. She is a kind and forgiving mare you know." Luna reassured. The crusaders nodded thankfully, hoping that Luna could find a way to either clean the mess or get Twilight into a good mood.

"Thank you, Luna." The three said together, nodding their heads and bowing. Luna's horn glowed with a sparkling aura and sent a small orb of magic to each filly. On contact, they began to feel drowsy, losing balance and nodding off.

"Goodnight, my little ponies." Luna hummed, disappearing from the fillies' dreams.