private That Shrinking Feeling

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@Blue,

@,

@@Kay Dreamer,

 

 

Scribblegroove followed Blaze and caught up with him. He then stood still in front of him. "Listen Blaze, I don't think crossing that stream is a very good idea. I am afraid that Kay is not in a state to cross it, and I don't have good feelings about it either." He began, looking straight into Blaze's eyes to get his point across. "It's dangerous, and I feel like it's a hasty descision." He continued, hoping to convince Blaze to turn off this path.

 

"Safety first right?" He said as he looked at Kay. He then looked back at the street.

 

"Why don't we look for somepony to help us... Or otherwise find a safer route. I don't mind having to sleep one night on the street if it guarantees our safety..."

 

He placed his right forehoof up to his chin. There was nopony to be seen right now, so if they wanted help they'd have to go look for it. And even walking small distances would be exhausting and time costly for them, being small as they were.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Scribblegroove

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

@@Blue,

@@Scribblegroove,

@@Kay Dreamer,

@@DukeofCanterlot,

 

Anala listened to Scribblegroove. With a grim face, her glance shifted over to Kay's frail and injured body, and then back to Scribblegroove, and she knew that the ivory unicorn stallion was right.

 

"Dangit! Out of the five ponies that fell victim to that STUPID magnifying glass, none of them were Pegasi?! It'd be easy to fly Kay over!" she blurted out.

 

It was then that she had an idea. "Perhaps Scribblegroove and Cruncher could work together to levitate Kay across with his magic, or someone could carry her!"

 

"It would probably be you carrying her, Blaze. You do have the 'big bones' for it, after all!" she teased Blaze, referencing the hole from earlier.

 

But she was actually quite worried that she might have hurt Blaze's feelings with just that remark. There were certain traits that, if you made fun of someone for, it could be considered harmless teasing. But other traits, well, that would just be being a jerk.

 

She noticed she seemed to be coming up with lots of ideas to bail the group out of problems. The tower of ponies, ducking under the railroad tracks...

 

"I don't mind having to sleep one night on the street if it guarantees our safety..."

 

Anala wasn't sure she liked the sound of that idea. She could have listed all of the possible bad scenarios that they could get into, but that would take her far too long.

 

"Uh, well if it does come to that, we should take turns keeping guard while everyone else is asleep. Except for Kay, of course; she needs all the rest she can get."

Edited July 10, 2014 by Rainbow Eclipse

[Kay Dreamer 884]

Kay Dreamer watched with increasing distress as the arguments flew back and forth in front of her. It seemed nopony could agree on a course of action, and it was all her fault. 'Oh, why couldn't I have just landed properly when I jumped...' she thought, upset. 'They're all arguing and it's all because of me.' Kay's feelings were torn. She was flattered that they were all concerned about her, but she didn't like being the topic of debate while not being able to get a word in. What's more, her friends didn't seem to be listening to each other at all. Anala and Scribble seemed to think they were swimming, Blaze had mentioned something about an attic and a possible bridge, Number Cruncher hadn't said anything at all and to make matters worse, they were now standing outside the little alley in an area far too exposed to be safe. They needed to settle on a course of action, and they needed to do so quickly. Drawing in the deepest breath she was able to, Kay recalled the booming voice the master minstrel would use to cut over the cacophony of his apprentices.

 

"EVERYPONY, PLEASE, STOP."

 

Covering up a small wince with a fierce frown, she eyed each pony with as much severity as she could muster. Truth be told, Kay hated shouting, but she'd been on the receiving end enough times to know how effective it could be. She allowed a few seconds before continuing to speak, in a much quieter voice. "We can't afford to be standing here and arguing all at once, or we'll never reach the Princess's Library. I'm... flattered you're all concerned, but I'm not sure Blaze said anything at all about swimming. We all just assumed." She looked to the big stallion. "You said something about an attic and something about a bridge. The attic would probably be safer, but we could barely climb over a railway line. I'm not sure how we'd get up there."

 

She looked at Anala next. "I'm sure Scribble and Numbers could probably levitate me together, but... Unicorn magic is harder than you think. Even a pony my size is quite heavy to levitate, and it gets more difficult the greater the distance. If swimming were the only option, I'd take my chances and have Blaze carry me."

 

Finally, she turned her gaze to Scribble. "I'm glad one of us is the cautious type... But I really don't want to spend the night out here." She shivered slightly. "We should listen to exactly what Blaze proposes before we decide it's a terrible idea."

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

Blaze blinked.

 

"...Did I forget to mention the building next to Sugarcube Corner had candycane-swirly bannisters all the way up to its raincatchers?" The rest looked at him, some nearly incredulously. "...Yeeeaaaahh, now I'm kicking myself. Let's--" Blaze was cut off by a sudden loud buzzing noise, that stopped abruptly at about the same time a bee landed on his head. The insect was about the size of a dog were Blaze his regular size. It's bulbous form and large roundish eyes would've been probably seen as cute, were it not coupled with the less adorable droning buzz sound that came whenever it flapped its wings. Blaze held perfectly still, completely unsure of what to do next.

 

"What do I do next?" asked Blaze, his entire speech slowed with bewilderment. The bee extended its proboscis out its mouth, and poked Blaze in the eye. "OW!" Blaze shook his head and neck, trying to fling the bee off. It clung to his mane, pushing Blaze off kilter. Blaze began to run down the street, flailing his head with the bee still holding on like clutching cat, refusing to let go and occasionally fluttering its wings to try and stay.

 

Blaze could roughly see where he was going between his head-shakes, but his primary concern at that point was not getting himself stung by the bee, so he kept moving, at the very least, tomake himself an awkward target.

 

~~~~~Turn 9~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Player Actions

Blaze

Dodge the bee

 

Kay, Scribblegroove, Number Cruncher, Anala

Follow Blaze, do not get stung

Edited July 12, 2014 by Blue

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

"...Did I forget to mention the building next to Sugarcube Corner had candycane-swirly bannisters all the way up to its raincatchers?"

 

Anala simply stared at Blaze incredulously as he said that completely random thing. It sounded very much like something Riley would say. Heck, she was imagining it being said in his voice!

 

Just then, she heard a buzzing sound. 'Oh, dear Celestia... curse you and your wildlife,' she thought, as she looked up to see the bee hovering.

 

To her horror, it poked Blaze right in the eye! It didn't seem to be the stinger that the bee used, but she could still tell that Blaze was in a lot of anguish, judging by his blood-curdling "OW!" and his pitiful attempt to flee.

 

'Karma, I guess,' she thought. 'He's the one who touched that magnifying glass, after all.'

 

Aghast, she instantly shoved that thought out of her head. Granted, she was still a little mad at Blaze for touching that magnifying glass, but he couldn't have known what it would result in. And he certainly did not deserve to be assaulted by a giant insect - especially one that could sting. And if it could cause a fair deal of pain to a pony a thousand times its size, just imagine what it could do to a pony not even twice its size!

 

"Hang on, Blazey!" called Anala, and she ran after Blaze and the bee, determined that she would save Blaze.

 

She took her bow and an arrow, and prepared to fire.

 

"Look, Blaze, I can understand you must be very nervous of what I'm about to do, but I know what I'm doing! If you act like a chicken and try to move, then that'll mess up my aim and you'll probably get shot!"

 

She said those words with noticeable stress and doubt in her voice. She turned that stress into determination, and got ready to fire...

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

"If you act like a chicken an.....ove, then that'll mess up m.....you'll pr......et shot!" is all Blaze heard.

 

"You're going to what?" said Blaze, sort of looking up while running. His canter took him face-first into one of the legs of a chair, throwing the bee clear off.

He sat upright in a daze, his mind filled with spinning birds about his head.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

It took Kay Dreamer a few moments to realise what Blaze meant when he mentioned swirling banisters. "Oh!" she exclaimed as she caught his meaning. "So you think we could just walk up there - ?" She stopped abruptly as a large bee perched itself on Blaze's head.

 

"Aww, a honeybee! It's enormous, just look at how cute and fuzzy it is..." she cooed. Any other insect would likely have had Kay running and screaming, but she'd always had a fondness for bees. Possibly because they made her think of flowers, and honey, and springtime. It wasn't that she'd never been stung before. She had, but she knew each time it had been her fault for making the bee angry. She nudged Scribble playfully. "I'm surprised it didn't land on you, what with all that pollen you had covering you earlier." Catching Blaze's bewildered question, Kay turned back toward him and the bee. "Just stay still, Blaze. It won't hurt you if you don't pani- ohdear."

 

Kay's warning seemed too little too late as Blaze started running about, trying to dislodge the bee. She noticed Anala lining up to take a shot with her bow. "Wait! Anala, NO! Don't hurt it!" There wasn't much Kay could do other than to watch the spectacle unfold before her. She hid her eyes, unable to look and simply hoping Anala would miss.

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

Anala had actually been rather fond of insects as a filly. What, did you think she held magnifying glasses over ants during hot days? She'd actually been rather fascinated with the fuzzy little things. When most of your childhood is spent around your dad and two older brothers, you don't really harbour 'girly' interests.

 

Anala turned around to see Kay protesting. "Quiet, Kay! You'll mess up my aim! I don't care what childhood memories it brings you; if that monstrosity stings him..."

 

Truth be told, she too felt bad about what she was about to do to the bee, but protecting the group was more important.

 

Fortunately, Anala didn't have to resort to violence, as Blaze went tumbling into the leg of a chair, and the bee retreated.

 

Anala went to help Blaze up, concerned for his well-being.

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

The bee was thrown clear onto the ground. It flipped over and hobbled on its spindly pollen-covered legs before buzzing away, concluding small brown equines are definitely not sources of flower nectar.

 

All Blaze's memories of being hit on the head flashed through his mind. From when he was a colt, he could remember all the times his absent-minded curiosity or focused fixation could lead to a bonk on the noggin. On the kindergarden playground, following a trail of buttercups until it lead to him wedging his skull between the bars of a fence. When he was old enough to work in the family soda-making shop, the innumerable times he'd hit his forehead on the top edge of the giant storage barrels as he scrubbed out their insides. His mind slowly stopped spinning, unraveling into an unfocused look between the two mares looking over him with concern, and beyond them at the little bee zipping off into the sky.

 

"You.. BARN-RIPPIN' FLIPPIN' FLUTTERING BUMBLER!" he blabbered with a red face, jumped to his feet. His own sense of self was more hurt than anything else, and he snorted indignantly as the bee disappeared from sight. His eye stung from being poked, and he began winking and tearing up in the left. Blaze took notice the reactions of his friends. His mouth clenched a little, embittered. "...C'mon."

 

The way down the street was easier going than in the tall grass of the field. For the most part, the group of ponies stayed to one edge of the street, going around doormats and crossing the narrow gaps between cobblestones fairly easily.

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

@@Blue,

@@Kay Dreamer,

 

Anala looked at Blaze as he lay on the ground, writhing in pain from the assault.

 

He was just lying there, staring between Anala and Kay as he clutched his face in pain. It seemed like he was recalling something...

 

"You.. BARN-RIPPIN' FLIPPIN' FLUTTERING BUMBLER!"

 

Anala took a step back at Blaze's sudden outburst. And she had to admit, she agreed with the poor stallion. She cast an angry glare at the colossal bumblebee as it flew away.

 

"Yeah!" she called up at it. "You're lucky your friend here is standing up for you!" She pointed at Kay Dreamer while still keeping her glance fixed on the bee. "Or you'd be nothing but a pile of bee guts by now! Y' hear me?!"

 

Anala could tell that Blaze seemed humiliated as much as he was physically hurt.

 

~~~

 

"Shrinking powers! It just had to be shrinking powers, didn't it?!" complained Anala, as the group trekked on. "Why couldn't it have been a maximization magnifying glass that turned all of us into giants? Like in that movie 'Attack of the 50 Foot Mare'?"

Edited July 15, 2014 by Rainbow Eclipse

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@Kay Dreamer, @@Rainbow Eclipse,  @@Blue,

Scribblegroove had stood mostly still throughout the entire ordeal that Blaze had to deal with. All he could look at was the huge stinger the bee had. How it was almost as big as his horn. How it could impale blaze and kill Blaze with it's deadly poison immediately. How it might fly off and sting him instead. He was terrified of insects in general, but this thing was on a completely different level of scaryness.

 

It's entire appearence screamed danger. Yellow and black. There was a reason those symbolised hazard zones. Everything with those colors in particular was dangerous. Though bees didn't really kill ponies when they were at normal size, they could hurt badly! He had lived through several stings of bees, wasps, hornets and all other sorts of annoying and painful critters that just wouldn't leave him alone. He thought of all the bees he had swatted. He thought of all the times that he had been made fun of for his irrational fear of tiny insects.

 

Then Kay nudged him, something he hadn't seen coming as he had been staring at the bee absentmindedly. Yet again he yelped in surprise, afraid that yet another bee was about to land on his back. He jumped to his right, away from Kay and shook his entire body to make sure the 'bee' couldn't get a hold anywhere, closing his eyes in fear. Then he looked up and saw it was Kay all along. Inside he crumbled of embarassment. That hadn't been very stallion-like behaviour. He looked away to hide his blushing and still stepped away from Blaze a little further to make sure the bee wouldn't catch him by surprise.

 

What Kay had said hadn't made him feel any better about himself however. He really did wish all the pollen had washed off mostly in the rain. He forgot a little about the bee and tried to think of an excuse for reacting so stupidly on Kay simply nudging him. He didn't want her to think he was some kind of wuss. That would be awful.

 

Then the bee let loose off Blaze's head and flew right over Scribble's head. The zooming noise of it's wings blasted straight into his sensitive ears and he could've sworn one of it's legs touched his horn. Instinctively he yelped again and cringed closer to the ground, holding his forehooves above his head, hoping to dodge the bee that had already zoomed past him.

 

He looked behind him and saw the bee flying out of view. He let out a nervous chuckle as he got on four hooves again. That chuckle faded away very quickly as he realised how much of a fool he had made of himself. He just pretended like it all didn't happen and looked away from all the others as much as he could as he followed Blaze down the street.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Scribblegroove

[Kay Dreamer 884]

^{_{@@Scribblegroove, @@Rainbow Eclipse, @@Blue,}}

 

Kay Dreamer heaved a sigh of relief as the bee buzzed away into the distance. She felt a little guilty. Anala had been right; the bee could have really hurt Blaze, though if Blaze would have just stayed still... 'At least everypony is okay now,' she thought to herself, trying to dispel her own sense of embarrassment at having immediately defended the fuzzy insect. Glancing at Scribblegroove, Kay tried not to show too much outward amusement at the proud stallion's own antics regarding the bee. Scribble was far funnier than he realised, though she very much doubted it was intentional. She also didn't fancy receiving a second lecture about laughing at other ponies from him, so she transformed her giggles into a slight cough and hid her smile as best she could.

 

It was then that Blaze launched into a tirade at the retreading insect. Kay's eyes went wide as she cringed backwards. She'd not thought the big, gentle stallion capable of getting so angry. She sympathised somewhat, but it still came as quite a shock. Even Anala's little joke about her being friends with the bee wasn't quite enough to shake it. As Blaze stomped off, Kay limped after him along with the rest of the group, rather more quiet and subdued than before. She wondered what Anala meant by the 'Attack Of The 50 Foot Mare,' but she didn't ask, concentrating instead on keeping up with the pace the others had set.

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

@@DukeofCanterlot, @@Kay Dreamer, @@Rainbow Eclipse,@@Scribblegroove,

 

The group walked down the street, took a left and a right and looked out across the town square in front of a large gingerbread house with what looked like a cupcake for a crown. Blaze had calmed down from the bee incident, and his personal quiet gave him repose to consider his attitude. So easily he felt compelled to be cheerful, and it was nearly frustrating how he never quite knew why. Perhaps it was something to do with destiny, like his cutie mark. Regardless, just a glance at a familiar landmark was enough to inspire him back into his regular self.

 

"Sugarcube Corner!" he exclaimed, as the building came into view. Blaze remembered all the times he had gone in and out of there, asking and always getting expert advice on sweetness and flavor from Mr. and Mrs. Cake--whenever he wasn't being assailed by the insatiable, incurable, inevitable party pony Pinkie Pie and her bubbly fun attitude. In his life, Blaze had thought himself a happy-go-lucky sort of fellow, but when he moved to Ponyville, he realized he was entirely out of his league. The bakery itself looked not completely unlike a brown snow-capped mountain because of the icing rimming the rooftops and window ledges. At the front door, some green pony was making conversation with Mr. Cake, who held a doughnut box. As Blaze looked, he recalled how he had mentioned the plan earlier. Sugarcube Corner was the building next to the one with the attic they needed, but it was the one with swirly candy cane bannisters up to it's roof. He frowned, mixing and jumbling his plans of how to get across the river he knew was just beyond the row of buildings he could see behind the bakery.  Then an idea popped into his brain, when he spotted a cable swaying between the roofs of the Attic-building and Sugarcube Corner. His smile, and the pep in his step returned. "C'mon! We'll be there before you know it!"

 

The square was mostly empty. It was near about lunchtime, and any ponies who were out and about were mostly either indoors or outdoors already sitting down to eat or order at cafes and restaurants. As Blaze and the rest approached the bakery, the green pony thanked Mr. Cake for the doughnuts and they went on their ways. Blaze hopped from the cobblestone square floor onto the flowerbed beside the small stairset in front of the door, and walked nearer to the candy-cane bannister.

Just like I remembered it... That time I had too much cider and tried to lick it like it was a giant candy. I should probably keep that memory to myself... Blaze's eye twitched weirdly.

 

The twist of the bannister was tight, and the red-painted portion of the candy-cane pattern had an inset bevel. It made a perfect spiral staircase, assuming one was willing to fore-go actual stairs, and a side rail. He looked up to see where the bannister met the ceiling. It looked like it connected right into the joists of the awning over the front door.

 

"Probably enough room to squeeze in there," he said, still looking up. "And sneak into the ceiling. It'd be a cinch to go through there and find a way across the cable on the other side of this place, to get to the other attic." Blaze faced Scribblegroove. "Sorry if I didn't make any sense before."

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@Blue, @@Kay Dreamer, @@Rainbow Eclipse, 

 

Even though Scribblegroove couldn't really appreciate the situation, he couldn't help but smile a little at Kay's attempts to hide her amusement. She was really watching her step, but she seemed to have a lot of trouble with it. Picturing the event in his mind made him see how ridiculous it had really looked, and he couldn't help but smirk a little. "Ok fine, that was silly." He said, trying to stop himself from laughing more. That didn't seem to be very hard, because they had just found their next trial to get to the safety of Twilight's library.

 

Scribblegroove looked up at the sweet structure towering out above them, his eyes suspisciously scanning the path they had planned out to see if any danger could occur. A fall from that height could be very dangerous, even in their current size. Getting constricted in spiderwebs and cables, suffocating in the dusty attic. More than just a few things that made Scribblegroove doubt Blaze's plan. Then again, the provisional staircase was ideal in their situation, and besides asking other ponies for help, which included the risk of being stepped on by an unexpecting pony, they didn't have a lot of other options. After all, everything was dangerous at their size.

 

Sighing as he put his eyes down on the ground. "Well, I can't come up with anything less dangerous..." He scratched his head and closed his eyes for a moment, holding in a groan of frustration and a little bit of fear, and then looked at Blaze. "So we might as well get on with it. Assuming that Kay can climb that thing." Turning to the green crystal pony. "I... Hope she can. Can you?" He said a bit doubtfully, but mostly concerned. She had adressed that she could mostly still take care of herself, but he decided that consulting her first on her own confidence of the situation every time was still the best approach to her predicament.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

^{_{@@Scribblegroove,@@Blue, @@Rainbow Eclipse,}}  

 

Puffing slightly at the exertion of keeping up with the others, Kay Dreamer had to resist the temptation to stop and stare open-mouthed at the building Blaze pointed out. It looked like a house from a foalhood dream, the kind you'd find in a world where everything was made from gingerbread and sweet cream and toffees. 'I absolutely need to pay that place a visit,' she thought, slightly giddy, before turning her attention back to hobbling along with the rest of the group.

 

After crossing the square and hiding with the others in the flowerbed beside the door of the dream-like building, Kay was relieved when they finally stopped. That relief quickly fizzled away as Blaze pointed out the bannisters which towered over the tiny ponies, their red and white swirls extending all the way up to the roof. The height looked absolutely dizzying. Worse still, the little bevel Blaze wanted them to climb was like an enormous, steep, slippery ramp. Kay would be nervous climbing that thing with four working legs and hooves coated in sticky honey. As she was now, she doubted she could go more than a few steps.

 

Hearing Scribble express concern over her once again, she hung her head, not meeting anypony's eyes. She swallowed her pride, her cheeks reddening as she mumbled a response.

 

"I... I don't think... I mean... I-" she took a deep breath before closing her eyes and speaking quickly. "I'm-going-to-need-some-help."

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

@@Kay Dreamer, @@Blue, @@Scribblegroove, @@DukeofCanterlot,

 

Anala forced herself on through the newfound humongous world, convinced that the library could not be too far off now. Her attention was diverted when Blaze pointed something out; a house that looked like it was made of confectionery. Man, did that building make her mouth water. She knew the house wasn't made of real candy, of course, but it was pretty darn convincing.

 

Anala listened intently as Blaze explained his plan: climbing something that, from their point of view, was like some sort of staircase.

 

She smiled warmly. That was a quality she liked about the pudgy big-boned brown stallion. His curiosity and desire to know more about things was what enabled him to be imaginative, always brainstorming ideas to get them past obstacles.

 

"Well, I can't come up with anything less dangerous..."

 

The first hazard that came to Anala's mind was slipping and falling off the makeshift staircase. "Well, if we survived the first fall when Blaze touched that magnifying glass, we'd probably be able to handle a little tumble off that banister-thingy, right?" she said optimistically.

 

She listened to Scribblegroove express concern of Kay's fractured state. She decided to wait for the crystal green unicorn's answer before she interfered.

 

"I'm-going-to-need-some-help."

 

'Poor old Kay Dreamer,' thought Anala. 'If this story ever gets on the headlines, she'll probably earn extra sympathy.'

 

She got in front of Kay Dreamer and crouched down. "I'm all yours, Dreamy-Girl," she said. "Just try not to stab yourself." While that last line was more of a joke, she did actually often get concerned for the well-being of those who got near her, the pony who often carried sharp equipment around with her.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

^{_{@@Rainbow Eclipse,@@Scribblegroove, @@Blue,}}  

 

Kay Dreamer couldn't help but smile at Anala's silly nicknames. 'Dreamy-Girl'. Whatever trials the day may have presented, or was yet to present, Kay was glad she was facing it with these ponies. The presence of friends made everything seem a little brighter.

 

"If you're sure..." Kay said, a little nervously. Anala had proven herself very strong, but she wasn't that much larger than Kay. Still, Kay was quite light, and Anala was an Earth Pony. Placing a hoof over her friends' shoulder, Kay pulled herself onto Anala's back, carefully avoiding the arrows and bow. She balanced there as carefully as she could, finding that the position of the bow and the arrow sheath actually helped to hold her in place. "Okay, I'm up," she said. "Just promise me you won't fall..." Kay was more frightened than she wanted to admit, but she couldn't resist a tiny joke. "If the ground doesn't kill you, I may."

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

@@Kay Dreamer, @@Blue, @@Scribblegroove, @@DukeofCanterlot,

 

Anala let out a small 'Unngghh..." as Kay Dreamer made herself comfortable on the white mare's back. She couldn't help but feel that sometimes, she bit off more than she could chew, because she hated to be seen as weak. Still, Kay was lighter than Number Cruncher. And not many ponies could ferry such a stout pony such as Blaze on their back.

 

"Just promise me you won't fall... If the ground doesn't kill you, I may."

 

"Are you implying you're fat? Because you definitely aren't," she reassured.

 

"If you don't stop putting yourself down mentally, you might put me down physically," she joked. "A little optimism never hurt anypony."

 

"If you inexplicably do become too much for me to handle..." She turned to Blaze. "I'm sure Blaze here would be more than happy to give you a ride."

 

She continued to talk to Blaze. "I honestly can't see why you were so terrified of getting beaten up by me. Look at you! You're such a... hunk! I don't mean that in a bad way, either." Anala didn't see many ponies with a big, bulky body type like Blaze's, save for that red stallion who worked at Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mcintosh, was it?

Edited September 4, 2014 by Rainbow Eclipse

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

@@Kay Dreamer, @@Blue, @@Scribblegroove, @@DukeofCanterlot,

 

Blaze tried his hoof on their 'spiral staircase' on the bevel. The red house-paint that coated it had a tough and grippy sort of feeling. It wasn't exactly sticky but it did feel plush and oily from being heated by the morning sun. Blaze found it rather easy to step a little up the bevel.

 

"I honestly can't see why you were so terrified of getting beaten up by me. Look at you! You're such a... hunk! I don't mean that in a bad way, either." said Anala.

 

"Said the pony with a bow and arrow." said Blaze, with a half chuckle. "Thanks for the compliment. But no, it's not my style to throw a punch."

 

He leaned over on one side to see how well he could balance. Suddenly, a pillowy bubble formed under one of his hooves and he leaned even farther than he could balance. The paint's surface didn't crack or break, and Blaze sort of fell over, with two of his hooves still imprinted into the paint, holding him onto the bannister. The brown stallion felt as ridiculous as he probably looked, with his head, rump and one rear leg dangling off one side of the bevel. "...Okay. This is... probably the ninth... or tenth most embarrassing thing I've ever done." He pulled at one of his front hooves, popping off the imprint and leaving one of his rear hooves still anchoring him. He lurched, and slowly his body swiveled around, still attached by his rear hoof to the bevel, with more than half his body still gripping against the side of the bannister. His upside down head gave a befuddled look back at his friends, before his rear hoof popped free, dropping him head-first a tiny distance into the dirt.

 

His body jerked spastically, trying to get his hooves on the ground and stand back up. Once he had and shook a pebble out of his mane, "Okay! Enough screwing around, let's go!"

 

He started up the bannister for reals this time. It was like walking in a circle, constantly coming to view the same little patch of the garden over and over again, except each time he rounded, he was two inches higher.

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

@@Kay Dreamer, @@Blue, @@Scribblegroove, @@DukeofCanterlot,

 

"Said the pony with a bow and arrow. Thanks for the compliment. But no, it's not my style to throw a punch."

 

"Not my style to shoot people either," replied Anala. "I got into archery for the beauty of the thing, not so that I coyld go around shooting innocent creatures. Perhaps I can share a little sob story with you guys." Anala reflected on her childhood a lot, because as she was still quite young (technically even young enough to be referred to as a "teenage girl"), she did not have much else to look back on, save for leaving school and starting up her archer classes. But all the same, this adventure was something she'd be rubbing in the faces of just about everypony she met.

 

Anala watched as Blaze began to make his way up the 'staircase'. He leaned a little too far, and before the archer mare could let him know, the brown stallion fell over. He was quite a sight, with his head, rump, and one hind leg dangling off the side. Anala attempted to suppress a snicker, but failed miserably. Ironic, given the look on her face.

 

"...Okay. This is... probably the ninth... or tenth most embarrassing thing I've ever done."

 

"What are the higher-ranked things on the list, then? Perhaps one of them goes along the lines of, 'accidentally shrinking yourself down to bug size'. Oh, and 'dragging four other ponies into it with you'," teased Anala from below.

 

The swivelling decoration proved not to be a reliable climbing surface, for Blaze's hoof popped free, sending him a small distance down into the dirt.

 

Blaze began Take Two and started to make his way up the staircase.

 

"Up we go," said Anala to Kay, and with the Crystal Pony minstrel in tow, Anala began to make her way up the staircase slowly, for two reasons - so as not to topple over and send Kay tumbling off, and because Kay was hitchhiking on her in the first place. The paint was soft and imprinty for her hooves too, but not nearly enough to hold her down.

 

"Alright, now for that story of mine." Anala cleared her throat.

 

"It was back when I'd recently started using my bow, and I was a careless gal. I  started to shoot at a tree, and when my arrow hit it, I saw a squirrel that had been right next to the tree scurried away. I hadn't noticed it, so I guess its coat blended in with the tree."

 

"I was horrified at how close I was to impaling that squirrel, and I'm pretty sure I threw my equipment down, bolted home, and buried my head in my pillow while screaming and sobbing."

 

Each time she walked a circle, she saw the same garden over and over, except it was roughly a few inches taller than the previous time.

 

"Almost like we're slowly growing back to normal, eh?" she commented.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Rainbow Eclipse

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@Blue,  @@Kay Dreamer, @@Rainbow Eclipse

 

 

 

The moment Kay had climbed on top of Anala's back Scribble felt a lot less concerned about the situation. They would be able to move a little faster now, and get to safety earlier. His biggest concern had been that Kay would injure herself even further, but the momentum of their little group also suffered under her injury. Scribblegroove stared at the top of the building in front of them with big eyes. Intimidating as the thought of climbing to the top was, he was sure they could reach it without much trouble as long as they stayed calm.

 

Sadly, the moment Blaze had stepped on the makeshift staircase he fell on his face and almost injured himself. Scribblegroove had trouble with keeping himself from facehooving and groaning at the sight of Blaze's clumsiness. All confidence has been blown away now. Scribble had always been a little scared of heights, and Blaze falling off the moment he set hoof on the staircase hadn't been encouraging. "Yeah, Anala, please don't fall... It's a long way down." He muttered a bit absentmindedly as he stepped on the spiralling staircase.

 

As they got higher and higher a feeling of fear began to cling to Scribblegroove. His heart started to pound faster and he stepped more slowly and carefully. He tried to keep his eyes forward, or upward for that matter, as long as he didn't look down. Every circle they had walked, the surroundings had gone down a little around him, thus he was still aware that he was going up. Eventually he had to stand still and breathe deeply for a second. He kept his eyes closed to make sure he didn't look down. Since he was the rearguard of their group on the staircase he wasn't stopping the others from going on without him. He was shaking, but he got a grip of himself again. He opened his eyes again and started to slowly move, not wanting to make the others think that he was a wuss and couldn't handle a little height.

 

When Anala mentioned it was feeling like they were slowly growing back to normal, Scribble was inclined to disagree. "It would help if we had some more reliable ground to stand on." As he said, he accidently looked over the edge of the surface he was standing on. He gasped and yelled as soon as he saw the immense depth below him, or moreso the great heigth they were at. He put his hoof to his mouth and stepped away from the edge, silencing himself. He looked at the others in front of him. "I... I'm sorry. I uhh... I'm afraid..." He stammered. He swalled and took a deep breath. "Never mind... Let's go." Even though he tried to speak as calmly as he could, fear could still be heard in his voice. His eyes were big, he was breathing heavily and he was sweating, but he didn't want to make the others wait for him so he tried to ignore his fear. Not with much success, since he had to force himself to take steps at all, and they weren't very big.

 

Deciding to distract himself with something, he looked at Anala. "Soo, Anala. Throwing down your bow and arrows can't really be the end of the story can it? Since you're pretty great with it and all now. How and where did you train? Did you train yourself or did somepony else train you?" Still his fear was trembling through his voice. Normally Scribble wasn't terribly interested in Anala's stories, but he knew she enjoyed telling them, and he needed something to listen to, so he was distracted from the immense drop below them. He swallowed again slowly and tried to take slightly bigger steps, shivering every time they swiveled around the edge, uncontrollably shaking his limbs in irrational fear.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

^{_{@@Scribblegroove, @@Rainbow Eclipse, @@Blue,}}  

 

Kay couldn't resist a faint giggle at Anala's comment about her weight. "Hardly," she said. "I meant if we somehow survived the fall from such a height, I'd murder you myself for scaring me half to death!" As she spoke, Blaze was making quite the show of 'testing' their 'staircase', ending with him dangling halfway over it, his hooves somehow embedded in the paint. Between the hilarious sight and Anala's even funnier comments, Kay was having a difficult time keeping her mostly silent fits of laughter in check. Though truth be told, she was relieved their 'staircase' wasn't as slippery as it had first appeared.

 

Kay gripped Anala's shoulders slightly tighter as the little group began climbing their ascent. She trusted Anala, she really did; but as they climbed higher, she felt herself becoming slightly delirious. Kay wasn't usually afraid of heights. One doesn't get to be afraid of heights when one plays the Faire Fanfare from the balcony of the Crystal Palace every other year. Perhaps it was because they were so tiny, perhaps it was the stress of the day catching up with her, or perhaps it was her injuries... Kay wasn't sure, but she tried to keep her mind on the conversations around her, worried that if she didn't, she may very well fall off Anala's back.

 

Kay sympathised with Scribble as she heard him speak behind her. The tone of his voice was suffused with fear. She found herself wondering how many of these ponies had been in... well, not similar situations, but had experienced the kinds of adventures that she had. True, Kay had got herself hurt, and she had cowered before that snake at first, but she had found herself facing dangerous plights of her own before. She'd overcome them without a problem, had she not? Kay sighed softly. She couldn't help but feel she'd been a much braver pony before... 'No. Stop it, Kay,' she thought angrily to herself. 'The only difference between the trials of then and now is that then you were not one inch tall while facing them. Nothing else.' She sniffed slightly, pulling her thoughts back to the present.

 

"I'm interested in how you learned the bow as well, Anala," Kay said, hoping her voice sounded somewhat normal. "Archers were common in my time, however they seem much rarer now. You're the first I've seen since... well, since I awoke in this time, I believe."

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

@@Kay Dreamer, @@Blue, @@Scribblegroove, @@DukeofCanterlot,

 

~~~

 

"Hardly. I meant if we somehow survived the fall from such a height, I'd murder you myself for scaring me half to death!"

 

"Oh, you're going to send me up to the land of the angels, are you? And who's going to save your sparkly derriere next time you get in trouble?" retorted Anala playfully as she began to walk up the stairs.

 

~~~

 

Anala looked behind her at Scribblegroove, who made the mistake of looking over the edge of the banister. He began to panic , it was clear from the widening of his eyes, the tone of his voice, his body language...

 

Anala snickered for a few seconds, but stopped and frowned when she realised how cruel her behaviour must have looked. Everypony, even the brash and bold ones such as the archer mare herself, had their own fears, and there was nothing wrong with that.

 

Kay and Scribblegroove began to express interest in Anala's story, and how she came to be the great shooter she was that very day.

 

"It helps me train my senses," she explained. "Archery requires your undivided attention of the bow and arrow and the target, so that you don't make a bad shot. If there's a wind blowing, you have to judge how to alter the aim of your shot so that it corresponds with the strength of the wind and you hit the target in a good spot."

 

"And you know what else? Because of how much time I spent in the great outdoors, hanging out in a field just on the outskirts of the city, I got in tune with nature. For example..."

 

She whistled a peaceful tune.

 

"That tune belongs to a bird called the Cerulean Warbler. If I'm close enough, I may hear a Cerulean Warbler repeat it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't." She shrugged. "That species of bird is common in the small forest in the field."

 

What was surprising her is that the group had barely said a word about the magic magnifying glass ever since they had started their journey.

 

"I have a wagonload of questions about that magnifying glass. How did it come to be in the first place? What idiot left it lying around? How close do you have to be to be affected by it? Has it affected anypony else before? Or even after? Maybe some other poor shmucks the size of marbles are trekking a few yards behind us as we speak!"

Edited October 7, 2014 by Rainbow Eclipse

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

Kay Dreamer, @Rainbow Eclipse, Scribblegroove, DukeofCanterlot,

 

"Maybe some other poor shmucks the size of marbles are trekking a few yards behind us as we speak!" said Anala.

 

"I sure hope not." replied Blaze. He poked his head out beyond the verge and looked down. They were around half way up, and in comparison to just seeing the streets, the view was spectacular. Or at least, it looked epic to the degree that his vision was more micro- than macro, of seeing the Sugarcube Corner courtyard. He continued up along the spiral, for the nth time rounding the view of the very pink front door. As he did, he pondered the enigmatic magnifying glass. "That field is sort of out and away from Ponyville. Fillies and colts don't really play over there because it's on the other side of the train tracks. If anypony goes there, it's almost always only folks going on walks around..." He looked up to see an ivy vine following their path up the spiral in unison, latched to the underside of the layer above them. Blaze shook his head, trying to keep his mind to task, rather than letting himself become dizzied by flora again. "Maybe there's a wizard pony or something who was experimenting with magic. Or it's a relic that somehow got lost there."

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@Blue, @@Rainbow Eclipse, @@Kay Dreamer

 

The higher they went and the greater the depth below them became, the more terrified Scribblegroove became. The voices of his friends around him calmed him down a little, but he couldn't wait to get off this spiral and onto a somewhat more safe ground. Although the view was astonishing, he didn't dare look further down than straight ahead, afraid that he might topple off the side of the spiral. Anala's stories gave him something else to focus on, thankfully, and now that they had dawned the subject of the magnifying glass, it gave him something new to ponder about.

 

"Well, what it went in against all the laws of magic I learned about... The ones I can remember at least." He said, scrathing his head, his voice being slightly more powerful than it was a moment ago, though it still trembled a little. Taking his surroundings in perspective, he felt how small he really was in this world. "It reduced us to... about one fiftieth of our size?" Trying to do the calculations from the top of his head, he raised one eyebrow and looked upwards in a thinking fashion. "At any rate it must be a very powerful artifact of magic. I think the magic researchers in the land would pay a fortune to get their hooves on it!"

 

Finally having gotten used to the slanted surface he was walking on, he picked up the pace. He wanted to get off this spiral as quickly as possible. He streched his neck to look over to the front of their pack. He coughed. "Hey guys, could we please hurry up a little? Uh..." Again he was tempted to look over the edge, feeling the vast drop below him in his stomache. "Please?" He had a pleading look on his face, and also a bit of shame could be detected. He really did felt ashamed being terrified of such a trivial, thing, but he just couldn't help it.