A/N Hi readers! This is my new story and second one so far! Hope you like the first chapter! Once again saying, not normal internet, so posting might not happen that often… Read and Rate! If you read, please review so other ponies like you will be able to find it easier! All criticism is welcome, especially negative because I like hearing what I am doing wrong! Enjoy chapter one. Peace :P
P.S. Revisions! This chapter is my fifth attempt(second I've posted) at the first chapter! I really hope it's better... Enjoy!
Chapter 1: The Little Ponies
"Starlight! Stop! You're killing him!" Dex screamed at Starlight. I could barely hear the muffled words that he cried through everything I was going through. There was a simple order of the jungle here in Starlight's house; The smallest and weakest are on the bottom, and the largest and strongest are on top. Unfortunately, me and Dex, Dex and I, whatever doesn't matter, are the smallest. I don't mean like a runty small like some colts are, in our case it's something completely different. I understand all the younger siblings getting picked on by older ones and that kind of stuff, but Starlight isn't related to me by any means (Thank Celestia I might add).
Starlight was my brother and I's caretaker assigned by Princess Celestia. Here's a good question: Why do two fully grown stallions need caretaking? Well I'll tell you. About a thousand years ago, my ancestors were living their peaceful, normal lives, but one day all of this nonsense started. Princess Luna, who was so jealous of her sister's day and how everypony loved her while her own night was ignored, transformed into an evil beast; Nightmare Moon. Rampaging across the countryside in an agitated frenzy, Nightmare Moon stumbled across my family and neighbors families hosting a dinner party and having a great time. My family's founder, my great-great-great-great-great-some more greats-great grandpony, was a powerful unicorn, taught by Princess Celestia herself, and he thought he could stop Nightmare Moon. Being a powerful alicorn sister and all, she easily defeated him, but seeing one of her own subjects rise against her, she was infuriated beyond the point of mercy. Before smashing him beyond recognition, Nightmare Moon cast this dreadful curse on my family and the neighbor's families. A curse, no big deal right? Wrong, the curse she put on our families was a really small curse. Another point, why would such a tiny-weeny, smidgen of a curse be bad? Well, I meant it when I said a small curse.
The families, including my ancestors, were all shrunk down to the size of about half an apple, small enough to be swallowed whole, stepped on, eaten by small predators, eaten by bigger predators, crushed, and a lot of other brutal deaths that've happened over the years I really don't want to mention. Probably the only reason we survived this long was because of Celestia and the caretakers.
Too many of us died in the first few months of our shared ailment, so the remaining Princess came up with a way for us to be protected from our environments. She founded the caretakers. Caretakers are really just glorified foal-sitters in truth. Princess Celestia would give one or two siblings to each caretaker so that they could protect the fragile lives of my family. Some caretakers were nice and did their job well, but others… I won't finish that.
Also, in addition to the caretakers, she made sure to give each of us a magical protection which helps us grow stronger and be more resilient to pressure. The spell was the strongest the Princess could muster on each of us, but is still breakable. After all, a spell made on something small is made small itself.
Even with all these factors, the family still died out slowly. Dex and I were orphaned when he was seven, and I was five. Mom was one of the nicest ponies you would ever meet, but most ponies never knew she existed. Her caretaker was a high official and snooty Canterlot snob. He would never take her anywhere in fear that it might ruin his social status, so she was scorned as a burden, and so were we. He ended up killing her when she was seen by one of his associates. To cover up his slip, he pretended she was a mouse and he was heroically saving his mansion and guests from the vermin infesting it. Poor mom... I can at least say he never walked free again...
Over time, the families that Celestia entrusted with caretaking corrupted, leaving us in a difficult position. In fact, I think Dex and I are the last ones left. The last "Little Ponies" of legend and pretty soon, it would be just Dex.
A purple, earth pony mare named Starlight was our caretaker. At first it was her cranky, old grandma, but after she passed from old age, we were inherited by her. I don't think she wanted to take care of us, because really, being a caretaker is a burden. Princess Celestia was oblivious to the fact that she didn't want to help us; caretaking is supposedly an honor. However, Starlight wasn't one of the nice caretakers I mentioned before, so Dex and I learned to fear from her. If you broke a rule, something bad would happen to you, if you tried to escape, same thing, if you disobeyed, same thing, and most importantly, if you tried to tell the Princess, this would happen.
"Get off him! He can't breathe!" Dex continued yelling at Starlight, but to no effect.
I struggled and screamed under her bulk, but she would not budge, and I had broken the number one rule.
"Quiet you!" Starlight yelled back," Or I might just have to snuff out you once I'm finished with Shrink here!" My name is Shrink, Shrinking Thunder, sort of ironic name for my condition, but my parents wouldn't change it for the world. "It's cute!" they said, I didn't believe them. Besides, it doesn't matter that much anymore.
In my monthly letter to the Princess, I tried, well Dex tried, to tell her that Starlight was not what she seemed, but Starlight's expert eyes spotted his secret message. I took the blame, and now I was being punished.
"I told both of you!" she continued,"If you tried to tattle on me, you would get it! I'm not getting up until Shrink is DEAD! You hear me! D, E, A, D!"
"But," Dex started.
"NO! I warned you! And if you tell the Princess what really happened here, then I'll crush you flatter than the letter paper you would write on!" Starlight cut him off.
By now, I was running out of air. Dex was continuing to argue and ran over to where I was trapped. My hoof was sticking out from under the massive lump of pony, and Dex rushed to try and help. I felt somepony tugging on my hoof, but I still didn't know what was taking place outside. All of a sudden, the pulling stopped, and I began to panic. I could tell Starlight flicked Dex across the room for trying to help me.
She really wasn't going to get off me this time, I was going to die here underneath her. The only hope I had was that the Princess would get worried her monthly report was a few days late for the first time ever. There was no where else to turn, so I hoped Celestia would figure it out. The truth is, I don't really care what happens to me, I'm worried what will happen to Dex when I'm gone.
We've both been through a lot, and I don't know if he could take another loss. So far, we've been lucky enough. Dex hasn't had many accidents which is pretty good for our size. I can't say the same thing about me however, I've been through so many injuries that it's a miracle that I'm still alive.
I couldn't die now. I was needed, and so I fought every last strained breath with a zealous attitude, wishing for the best.
Dex was crying, I hated when he cried. The only time he ever cried like he was now was when we were told Mom was dead. The only thing I could think of, was stay alive for him. Several minutes went by, each slowing down the longer I was under here. I felt free from life, detached from everything and floating by in the darkness.
I began to pass out from the lack of oxygen, but I sorta felt... Nice... As I passed sluggishly into the void, my mind wandered to other, not important thoughts. What most ponies don't know is that being suffocated under something heavy is that breathing is immensely hard, but not impossible. It adds an extra minute or so to the time you have to live and let die. I had no idea why I thought of this at the current time, seems like a waste, but there's nothing I could do about it now. Drifting in a sea of darkness, I smiled at my bad trivia and closed my eyes.
I awoke slowly in a vast, cloudy expanse colored only with shadows and light. The pressure on top of me disappeared, freeing my limbs and allowing movement once more. Surprisingly, I felt strangely calm with regards to what happened, or is happening? The serenity of the landscape was breathtaking, and I had never felt so alive and alert! But then again, was I dead?
The shadows shifted across the fog bringing whispers and murmurs along with them. They were easily audible, but for some reason I couldn't understand the words.
"Hello?" I called out hoping for an answer. The talking intensified slightly upon hearing my shout and the shadows flickered around me. I could feel other ponies near me, that was certain, but I couldn't find them as I wandered aimlessly.
Ahead, there was a clearing in the fog with a small glow being emitted from the center. Inching closer, the murmurs in the distance became understandable for a brief second. I thought I heard in the wind,"Do not be afraid my son. Go back to where you are from, it is not your time yet..."
The voice tickled a memory inside my head of when I was only a little colt.
"Mom?" I asked nopony, but I received no response. The expanse faded around me gently, but quick and soon enough, I was back under Starlight running out of air.
The fear returned as soon as I wrapped my head around what just happened. Did I see Mom? Where was I? The sound of Dex crying reached me again. Did I mention that I hated that? I focused on the sound of his sobs and resumed fighting.
The sound of the door bursting open broke my concentration and I lost my breath in surprise. Luckily for me, Starlight jumped up, seemingly scared at something. I gasped for air and started coughing violently, still laying in the area I had been pinned. Dex rushed over to my side and hugged me tighter than he ever had before.
"Thank Celestia! It's a miracle! Oh," Dex cheered still squeezing me to death.
"It won't be a miracle in a second if you don't loosen your grip." I managed to wheeze through Dex's bear hug.
I was bombarded with questions from Dex until I heard a powerful voice I knew so well.
"Prin, uh, princess Celestia! Wh, what are you d, doing here? Starlight stammered panicky.
"Starlight Meteor," Celestia said in an angry voice,"what is going on here?"
"Um, I, uh..." She squeaked holding her ears down and trembling.
"Have you been abusing your powers as a caretaker?" Celestia stated with a icy fury in her eyes.
I didn't think Starlight could get any lower at the moment. One of the things that the Princess hated most was corruption.
Princess Celestia came closer pinning Starlight to the wall with her gaze.
"You are now relieved of all of your caretaker duties along with any contact with these two. Also, I hereby charge you with attempted murder and abuse accounts. Your trial will begin in a week at noon, and if you even put a hoof out of line, I will take it upon myself to banish you to the moon."
"Bu, but I..." stammered Starlight in response.
The Princess turned around to exit signaling Dex and I to come with her. Dex helped me walk along as we too left the room. I was very surprised Princess Celestia didn't blow her stack and pummel Starlight, but I was free from her reign! Before we got to the door, however, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Starlight lean over to her desk and grab a dictionary. She was mad, her life was ruined by us and that filled her with a cold, merciless fury that could only be quenched by achieving her goal: killing us. Whirling around, she threw the heavy book at Dex and I, but Dex had no idea what was happening behind him! I took the heat for the second time this hour. I pushed him to safety out of range of the tome, but was unable to escape myself. Frozen in place, I muttered a small, "Eep," widening my eyes as the projectile reached its destination.
With a thundering crash, the dictionary knocked me over, and crushed my front left leg and shoulder underneath its volume. The first sensation was not one of pain, but only a limp, deadened feeling like my entire leg wasn't there. I began to unscrunch after realizing I wasn't dead. "Woah," I said as I examined the wound. Dex looked in shock still sitting in the place I pushed him to. Slowly as to not damage anything more than it already was, I brought my other hoof to my leg and touched it.
Boy was that a stupid idea. I screamed in pain with tears flowing out my eyes as the feeling came back to life. Celestia spun around, but she was too late to catch the book before it fell. Instead she fired a golden beam of energy directly at Starlight hitting her with the force of three or more times than the full amount a normal unicorn could produce. Starlight crashed into the wall behind her breaking a large hole leading straight through two walls into her bedroom, but the damage was already done. I lay there oozing in a puddle of my blood on the floor while the others rushed to my aid. Dex threw himself into my field of vision with a face which relayed shock and guilt.
I smiled back at him with a look that said it was for the best. He didn't agree. Blood loss had me in a headlock now, and I slowly faded into unconsciousness in the presence of the two ponies I loved the most. One thing I thought about before the inevitable was that Dex was safer now. I could now sleep peacefully for a while until I either woke up, or not.
Luckily for me, life choose the later.
~A Fictionbrony certified revision. You're welcome, I mean, if you're okay with that... :P