Doctor, I shrunk the Fillies...

Chapter 4: A Lesson in Packing and Planning

Sweetie Belle came awake with a start. She could still remember the nightmare with startling clarity. She had been swimming in a lake, with her friends. She went underwater, and when she came up, she hit her head on something hard. While she had been under, the surface of the lake had frozen solid. Worse, the ice didn't distort vision like it normally did; she could see her two friends looking down at her, and no doubt they could see her looking back up at them. Except, they didn't make a move to break the ice. Scootaloo shrugged, and they turned in tandem to walk off. The last moments she could remember was the feeling of your lungs finally bursting, of icy water flowing into her lungs. And the sensation that marked when you had to go to the bathroom. Hastily, she checked her pallet for signs of leakage, and thankfully there was none to be had. But she still had to go. She looked around, small panels on the wall alight every so often. But it wasn't the panels or the still-glowing electric lantern in front of her that caught her gaze. It was all the spaces in between. What could hide between each set of lights?

She went over to where Applebloom lay, and stopped herself just short of waking her friend up. She didn't want to wake her friend up over some silly little excuse, such as being afraid of the dark. If you spent any time around the Apples, it was no secret what happened if you interrupted Applebloom's sleeping. She backed away, and tripped over her pallet. She fell backwards, hitting the heavily-carpeted floor with a dull thud. Quickly, she sprung back into her pallet, and lay as still as she could. Steady breaths...Steady breaths...It was a relief when nopony stirred, and she quietly slipped out of her pallet and simply stood there, torn between her need to relieve herself and her inability to wake up one of her friends. Shaking her head with determination, she marched - quietly - to where Applebloom lay asleep. She nearly tumbled backward when the tiny voice flared from the dark.

"Sweetie Belle?" Every thought in her head scattered when it said her name. She couldn't even bring herself to flee in a senseless terror; it was the kind of terror that all-but nailed you to the ground, and told you not to go anywhere. Applebloom's pallet rustled, and her sleepy-eyed friend rolled over to greet her.

"Sweetie Belle? That you?" Applebloom sat up, and rubbed the sleep out of one eye with a hoof, stretching with the other, and all while she let out the biggest yawn she thought she had ever seen. Applebloom sat and stared at her, eyes still unfocused.

"What the hay er y-awwn...ya doin'? Ah thought ya mugrogndrogn..." Her sentence faded away into a mumbled garble as she made to lay back down. Sweetie Belle reached out to shake her friend, as Applebloom tried to swat her hoof away.

"Applebloom, please! This is an emergency!" She hissed in her friend's ear, hoping with every other fiber in her being that nopony else got woken up. Applebloom's ears perked, and she sat back up with another yawn.

"Wayl...Ahm waitin'..."

"I, er...Gotta 'go'. Y'know? 'Go'? 'Go' go?" Applebloom's face was impassive, and she gave another large yawn.

"Ya mean t' tell me that ya woke me up 'cause ya gotta use the li'l filly's room?"

"No! Well, not exactly. It's just-"

"Aht with it, Sweetie Belle. Ah cain't keep m'self 'wake all naht..." She emphasized this with another yawn.

"Er...I'm scared." Applebloom's deadpan stare seemed enough of an invitation to continue. "..Of the dark." This seemed to sate the other's need for an excuse. Applebloom hauled herself off the ground with another deep yawn.

"Well...'At settles it. C'mon, let's go."

"Wai-wha?"

"Seems I'll getta go back ta sleep faster if ah getcha up the stairs, rather'n letcha muddle through it yerself." Sweetie Belle nodded, and Applebloom nodded back. They both made for the stairs, and began the inevitably-long climb.

On their way, they passed the room from today's tour. There had been discussions about another tour the next day, and apparently there were already plans in the making. Maybe that's what Rarity and Derpy were doing for so late? Even amongst themselves had there been thoughts about another tour of a different lab. Applebloom apparently thought Applejack trusted Derpy to watch her where she couldn't watch herself. Scootaloo only said that she wouldn't be missed for another look around. Ditzy was a non-issue, as it was her mother who was acting as the tour guide. That only left herself. Maybe she could persuade Rarity to let them have another look around before they had to leave?

The aforementioned door was sealed tightly shut. She thought that, had there been anything that needed to breathe in there, it would have died long before. She heard faint whirrs and beeps from within, and she guessed the rogue robot was just opposite the door. Maybe listening in on whatever might be there to listen to? The sight of the door and the sounds of the robot sparked a memory in Sweetie Belle's brain, and she turned to her midnight traveling companion.

"There was a weird-looking thing in there."

"Yep. Lotsa weird lookin' things." Even the following yawn was laced with cynicism.

"No, no. I mean there was one that stood out."

"Bah standin' up? Yeah, there were a few lahk that. What 'bout 'em?"

"Tomorrow, if it's okay for me to stay, I wanna check inside that room again. You think Derpy'll let us back in to catch the robot?"

"Maybe. Not on mah agenda; raht now I jus' wanna be sleepin'..." Sweetie Belle nodded, and they continued climbing the stairs.

They found the right room without further notable incident, and descended stairs in much the same manner. There was one part where Sweetie Belle thought there was an extra step, and almost tripped -earning a scoff from the thoroughly-tired Applebloom - but nothing else worthy of mention. Applebloom literally fell onto her pallet, and from Sweetie Belle lay, she could hear the other's snores. She snuggled up into her blankets, seemingly trying to project her desires to her peacefully-sleeping sister. Hopefully, she'd get another chance to look at that machine.

Morning came too quickly for Rarity's liking. When she managed to drag herself from her cot - in a most undignified manner, at that - everypony else was already awake. Derpy was cooking breakfast on some sort of portable stove, and the girls were chatting quite contentedly over the small lantern. Shadows flecked the walls; the room had no windows, and that meant no sunlight. Rarity shivered despite the warmth. This did nothing to help her claustrophobia, strange though that she should feel it even though the ceiling stretched beyond her vision.

Her rustling caught Derpy's attention, and the pitiable mailmare turned and gave her her biggest lopsided smile. Rarity smiled back, tendrils of nervousness creeping into her. How could Derpy smile so much? It was unnerving, given her 'condition'. Rarity was almost certain of her course had she awoken one morning with googly-eyes and an unkempt mane. Would it technically be considered solitude if you brought your pet into exile with you? Derpy reached down and flicked off the portable stove contraption, and scooped its contents out onto a paper plate. Plate-in-mouth, she wobble-walked over to where Rarity was just now sitting upright. Now that was just unsanitary. She's seen Derpy using her hooves to pick things up, a strange talent that seemingly only Earth ponies display with any regularity, so why not now? She took the plate with her magic, and gave Derpy another small smile.

"Er, thanks."

"Oh, you're welcome!" Derpy plopped down beside her cot, like Opal would on occasion.

"You don't know how glad I am to hear that today."

"You feel under-appreciated? Anypony could see what a help you are with their eyes closed."

"Pfhah! No, I tend to bungle more than anything else. But thanks for the compliment; it goes a long way for my ego." Derpy kneaded her back, apparently trying to ease some muscle or other.

"Did you...Do something to your back?"

"Huh? No, not on purpose. It might have something to do with all the heavy lifting I've been doing lately."

"Heavy lifting? You...Lift weights?"

"N-no! Nothing like that! Work-related stuff; some ponies think it's okay to send their entire life savings through the mail, and then there are other kinds of large packages, mostly appliances."

"You know," Rarity pursed her lips in thought. "I know a few ponies who know a thing or two about backs. I might be able to get you an appointment; they're fairly exclusive."

Derpy shook her head.

"Not in my budget you don't. Thanks anyway, though." She got up to leave, and Rarity grabbed her by the shoulder. Derpy turned around in surprise. She motioned Derpy closer, so they could whisper.

"If you've no other option, I'm also a fully-qualified masseuse." Derpy's eyes went wide in surprise.

"Really? You'd do that?" Derpy steamrolled over her feeble retort.

"Has anypony told you how generous you are?"

"Countless, to be sure."

"Well, add another name to that list. You're really giving, you know?" Rarity couldn't help but smile.

"To a fault, darling."

After cleaning up the mess from breakfast, Derpy held a private counsel with Rarity. Apparently, there was to be another night tacked onto the original sleepover plan, and as a whole, Rarity didn't mind. Derpy was in good spirits, since the hinting of a remedy for her aching back, and as good moods tend to be infectious, Rarity soon found herself in a much more agreeable mood. But there was an eensy-weensy problem; she hadn't packed for two nights! Telling Derpy to watch the fillies, she made a quick trip over to where they sat talking.

"Sweetie Belle. I'm going back to the Boutique to get a few essentials. Do you need anything?"

"No, but how many is a 'few'?" Rarity didn't feel much like elaborating, so she skirted the question.

"Alright then; I'll be back before too long. Do whatever Derpy tells you to, and for Luna's sake, try not to get into trouble."

A few minutes later found her at the top of the spiral stairs, winded. They needed some kind of elevator for this thing! No time to stop now; she could feel her mane, sticking up at all angles like a pincushion. She also noticed that one of her lashes was missing; that'd have to be taken care of, too. And her hooves were likely to be grimy by the time she got back to the Boutique; it had rained the night before. Never let it be said that Pegasi were the only ones who had a feel for weather, but one of the telltale signs was the still-pouring rain and the occasional thunderclap. She opened the door and found her worst fears confirmed; you could barely see the road from the porch for all the rain. She was about to make do with what she had brought, when she remembered something crucial. Two something's actually. One, these storms were supposed to last the remainder weekend, to make up for an earlier drought. Secondly concerned Opalescence. The normally-placid cat was actually very excitable, and thunder storms were the worst. Rarity cringed, picturing the workshop in her mind. It was hardly a pretty picture.

Steeling herself for the worst, she plunged into the rain. It hit her like a tidal wave, which for all intents and purposes, it was. This was a fine way to start the day, undoing all the work of primping with what minimal tools were on hoof in a sudden wash of frigid rain and howling wind. She found herself slipping and sliding down the hill - how was she ever to get back up there? - until she finally found the road. It took far longer than she would have thought; heavy rain did have a tendency to obscure distances. Now, which way was Ponyville? A sudden crack of thunder was heard through the trees, and she bolted in the direction she thought was Ponyville. Careful deliberation in the middle of a thunderstorm was daft, especially if you're in a hurry to begin with, and horseapples to those who say otherwise!

Eventually, she felt the familiar flagstones of Ponyville. Thank goodness she had gone the right way the first time! She picked her way among the houses, surprised to find a scattering of ponies still about in this dreadful weather. And every single one of them wearing a raincoat. She fought the urge to slap herself in the face - hard. How could she have forgotten that in her packing? She had known about the storms.

She found the front door of her shop, and entered without pausing to admire the building's design. Quickly, she made her way up to her bathroom - after wiping her hooves, of course. A quick 'fresh-up, touch-up' was called for, even though the trip itself called for haste. She forwent her usual bath in favor of a quicker and more efficient shower, deigning to use her towel to actually dry her mane for the first time in ever. Mid-way through drying, she wondered if this was Applejack's usual routine; it suited her, in as much of a way one cleans suits them. It was a silly thought, but a curious one as well; she'd have to make a note to ask Applejack some time later.

As she expected, the workshop was a mess of spilled fabric and clawed curtains. She would have fumed if she hadn't felt so bad for the poor dear, curled up in a small furry ball over in the corner. She drew closer, and Opal hissed at her, swiping a claw in her direction.

"Now, Opal! Shame on you; you don't scratch Mommy." The cat growled throatily before sitting up. She started licking her paw to clean her ears. It was strange, how quickly Opal's moods swung. But helpful, here. Rarity picked up the cat, and began to soothe it. Another clap of thunder, but Opal knew she was safe. She even begun to purr! Suddenly, an idea sprung into Rarity's head. From what she gathered, this 'Dr. Whooves' wasn't allergic to cats, and neither was Derpy. From what she understood, that meant Dinky wasn'y allergic either. And since both of Sweetie Belle's friends have been inside her workroom, she knew they weren't allergic to cats as well. But she knew Opal was going to hate this.

"Come on, Opal. Momma's got an idea; you don't have to be left alone any more."

End of Chapter 4