//------------------------------//
// Chapter IX - Get on Board, Little Pony 
// Story: Snack-Sized Sweetie 
// by Autismo555 
//------------------------------//

Sweetie Belle kept to the corner of the wall and the cot's leg as she observed her surroundings inside the Friendship Express train car.

She was in a car packed with equine royals all from all over and outside of Equestria, all of which could accidentally reduce her into bug paste without giving as much as a single thought. Sweetie Belle recognized two Saddle Arabian horses at the left end of the car, the same delegates representing their exotic desert country, introduced by Princess Celestia herself to Ponyville. The pink mare and the brown stallion, garbed in their native clothes, sat apart from each other, separated by a pale brown middle-aged stallion wearing a red-and-white keffiyeh, a red cape and a white robe, and a mare, her whole body, save for her eyes and hooves, both of them having fur colored light lavender. The four horses were guarded by two other Saddle Arabian equines, a turban on their heads and swords sheathed and ready to strike against any attacker, as well as four others for security measures.

As Sweetie Belle trailed her gaze down the car, she came to an middle-aged zebra mare. Like Zecora, the elderly zebra wore gold rings around her neck, some on her ears and shared the same black-and-white color scheme. However, the zebra was paler than Zecora, seeing how her mane was silvery and gray, reaching down to her foreleg shoulders. Next to her was another zebra, about the same size, but half an inch shorter. She wore a green cloak with a hood on top of her head. There was something about the cloak and the zebra's muzzle that brought familiarity to Sweetie Belle, though she couldn't place her hoof on what.

It didn't matter, anyway. Watching the zebras wasn't really Sweetie Belle's priority.

The tiny unicorn then cast her gaze towards the right side of the car, where she spotted two crystal unicorn ponies, clad in silver armor and holding a spear in their hooves, both of them standing guard at the door. If Sweetie Belle didn't know better, she would say that the next car belonged to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, also known as Cadence to her friends. It must've been a private suite with Cadence inside, along with Twilight's older brother, Shining Armor. 

This gave Sweetie Belle the perfect opportunity. Shining Armor and Cadence were both of Twilight's closest relatives; if she could somehow grab their attention, then she could get easy access to Twilight more easily and she would be normal-sized in no time!

There was only... one small problem (and Sweetie Belle used that term loosely).

The crystal pony guards. They were trained hard to guard the room of the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire to the point where they wouldn't let even a small bug walk under the door of the car. Unfortunately, Sweetie Belle was that small bug and there was no way of getting in the car to Princess Cadence. The question was, how was she going to sneak past the guards?

As if by perfect timing, one of the doors opened, the one not guarded by the guards, and revealed a unicorn mare pushing a food cart with her magic, filled with cuisine food from all over Equestria, with a taste of Saddle Arabian and Zebrafrican dishes. Sweetie Belle perked. It was as if the universe was opening another window of opportunity for the shrunken unicorn.

Sweetie Belle had to first assess how she would get onto the cart. The wheels of the cart are easy turning, becoming a major hazard for Sweetie Belle. One wrong turn of the wheel and she would become a stain on the prestigious train carpet that might be scrubbed away and reupholstered in the following month. So she needed just a surface she could easily climb up on and climb onto the bottom tray. That way, she could be wheeled into the next car where she could grab Cadence and Shining Armor's attention.

Sweetie Belle looked around the car for something to climb on. She trailed her gaze down the aisle and spotted, at the zebras' seat, a green sack, just big and sturdy enough to support the unicorn's weight and size. Perfect. Sweetie Belle did a double-take down the aisles, seeing the only obstacle being time and the wheeled cart. Nopony else was watching; that was good. Then she galloped across the aisle to the bag, immediately quickening her pace as she and the cart got close enough to the sack.

Sweetie Belle yelled as she jumped, belly-flopping onto the sack....

...only to be fall on something squishy and bouncy.

"Huh?" Sweetie Belle poked the bag she laid on. The sack wasn't as sturdy as she predicted, but more like a water mattress, squishy and sloshing with liquid. Sweetie Belle didn't like the feeling she was getting. It was a foreboding feeling, like whatever was in the sack might contribute into yet another situation at her puny size.

That feeling came true when the cart stopped at the zebras' seating.

"Would you like something to eat?" the mare pushing the cart asked.

Sweetie Belle looked up at the cart, stretching up nearly as tall as the mare, the size of the statue of Manehattan on all fours. Up above, she could hear the two zebra mares converse with each other with their native language. With the liquid-like bag, Sweetie Belle struggled to find her footing before she could find a nearly steady position and aimed at the bottom tray. Wiggling her rump, Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes at the tray before she reeled her hooves back to jump.

Then a shadow loomed over Sweetie Belle. She looked up to see the sole a black hoof come down at her like a meteor. She screamed as the hoof made contact with the squishy sack. Fortunately, the hoof never hit Sweetie Belle and only missed her by a mere foot. Unfortunately, the hoof squeezed one part of the sack too fast, creating a big puff that launched Sweetie Belle backwards into the air. The tiny unicorn screamed, something that sounded more like a tiny mosquito buzzing to the ears of some ponies. 

With an "OOF!" the micro filly fell on the bedding of the cot. With a groan, Sweetie Belle held her hoof up to her head and looked around, seeing herself on the cot next to the elderly zebra. Sweetie belle turned her head and saw whose cot it belonged to, and more specifically, who the zebra was. She recognized the supposed Cutie Mark on the zebra's flank, the shape of a swirl with little lines poking out from all sides, giving it the appearance of the sun.

It was Zecora. The hooded zebra was on the Friendship Express.

She stepped down from her cot while she looked at the many cuisine choices dating back to her homeland in Zebrafrica. She hummed as she looked for which dish she wanted to take until finally, she found one. "This particular dessert my mother won't take, having eaten before this ride. Perhaps I will bring this cake and carry it by my side."

It was official. Sweetie Belle knew that underneath the hood and cloak was Zecora, using the same rhyming scheme she spoke most of the time. By her guess, Zecora was invited to Canterlot for the royal convention. From what Sweetie Belle also heard, the elder zebra was her mother. Maybe she was royalty, maybe she was an ambassador, she didn't know. What she did know was that Zecora's mother must've been really important back at her homeland.

The cart mare levitated the cake to Zecora as she lowered her flank onto her cot, unaware that a tiny filly was directly underneath her rump. Sweetie Belle screamed and began to run to the edge, hopefully to avoid becoming paste under the zebra's butt. She looked up to see the elderly zebra as she ran. It was though the zebra cast her a glance back down on her as she was suddenly flattened underneath the posterior of Ponyville's only zebra, nearly knocking the wind out of her lungs.

Zecora adjusted her seating a little, wriggling her flank to do so, also grinding Sweetie Belle into the seat. Looking back up with only her eyeballs, Sweetie Belle saw the elderly zebra cast one glance at her before looking ahead, smiling. The amount of pressure built on Sweetie Belle became tremendous and dangerous. It would take one more wiggle of Zecora's flank to finally turn Sweetie Belle into paste... or in someplace very, very disgusting. Sweetie Belle managed to drag herself inch by inch with her hoof, until her head, hooves and torso was popped out from underneath the soft, yet deadly mounds. Sweetie Belle gasped for breath and brought in the precious air, relieved that she was partially still alive from being crushed underneath Zecora's flank.

"Geez! Every opportunity I take just comes right back in my face!" Sweetie Belle shouted to herself. "It's like the universe is just one dirty, stinking mule!" She turned to a donkey about her size, standing leg-high in a giant piece of chocolate cake, though he made no effort to escape the pastry. "No offense."

"None taken," the mule said simply.

The plate with the cake and the donkey inside was lifted up by Zecora's black hoof, another hoof used to navigate the fork stuck in the cake. Zecora lifted one piece of the cake with the fork into her mouth, chewing it and savoring it while she moaned to the flavor. With a graceful gulp, Zecora set the plate down. To Sweetie Belle's disturbance, the donkey was gone.

"The cake I have tasted was deliciously moist," Zecora told her mother. "Savor it and you will be rejoiced."

The elderly zebra held up a hoof and shook her head, replying through a language that only zebras could understand. Zecora nodded understandingly and continued to eat the cake, savoring it for only a little bit before she swallowed down the delicate dessert, down to her grumbling stomach. Sweetie Belle dug her hooves into the cot and slowly inched herself out. She was up to her lower torso when she felt Zecora's flesh wriggle, completely engulfing Sweetie Belle underneath the pressuring flank. There was a sweaty smell to it which burned Sweetie Belle's nostrils and made her cough. Luckily, she was wriggled underneath the crack of the flank, so she had some space to breath and a little bit of light peering from what seemed to be miles from the shrunken filly.

"Ugh! This is so humiliating!" Sweetie Belle groaned while a drop of sweat dripped off from the fleshy ceiling mound. "I just hope Rarity has any luck of finding me than I am finding Princess Twilight!"

====

"SHE'S WHAT!?" Rarity screeched, her voice becoming as loud enough for all of Ponyville to hear. Surely, Princess Luna couldn't have done better in terms of Rarity's heightened volume. "GRAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!!"

A flicker of lights flashed in the ground floor windows of the Carousel followed with a BOOM! Smoke bellowed from the cracks of the windows while the front door blew open, shattering it into splinters. Out from the smoking doorway came a crazed, yet concerned Rarity with a wide-eyed, tooth-gritting, twisted face and a galloping speed that would put Rainbow Dash to shame.

"RARITY! HOLD UP!"

Applejack came galloping out of the smoke after the unicorn, following with Fluttershy in her graceful flight, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo running side-by-side, and Rainbow Dash trotting out as fast as she could, whimpering like a dog while her rainbow tail covered her bare area on her flank. The ponies, save for Rainbow Dash took off downtown in their fastest sprint, doing their best to keep up with Rarity's unimaginable speed. With that speed and her bull-like charging, Rarity left behind a fiery trail behind her as other bystander ponies stepped away from the fashionista, all frozen and wide-eyed while the other ponies galloped after her.

Rarity turned a sharp left around the corner, made a beeline towards the train station and came to an abrupt stop to the ticket window. The stallion sitting behind the bars had a combination of half-asleep and half-awake, a perfect contrast to Rarity's near-psychotic meltdown. "WHEN IS THE NEXT TRAIN TO CANTERLOT AVAILABLE!?!" she screamed.

The stallion calmly picked up a clipboard and checked the train schedule, despite Rarity's snorting breathing. He hummed as he checked the times for the train stops on the next day under each thin layer of clipped paper. He set the clipboard down, crossed his forelegs over each other, looked Rarity into her bloodshot eyes and sighed. "Unless you're a part of the royal families of Equestria, I'd say until Sunday morning."

"WHAT!?!" Rarity slammed her hooves on the counter. "I CANNOT WAIT ANOTHER TWO DAYS TO GO TO CANTERLOT!! I HAVE TO GET THERE IMMEDIATELY!! MY LITTLE SISTER IS LOST ON THAT TRAIN TO CANTERLOT AND I HAVE TO FIND HER!!"

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but regulations are regulations," the stallion said. "If you want, I can contact the Equestrian Royal Guards so they can conduct a 'search-and-rescue' party, but all the while, we can't interfere with the convention going on in Canterlot. I'll have it sent by mail immediately."

"BUT HOW LONG WILL THAT TAKE!?!"

The stallion looked over another clipboard and checked the timesheet, humming while doing so, before he looked back up to Rarity. "I'd have to say two days." 

"TWO DAYS!?!" Rarity bellowed. "I CANNOT WAIT IDLY BY FOR TWO WHOLE STINKING DAYS!! I HAVE TO GET TO CANTERLOT NOW, CELESTIA DARNIT!"

"Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to calm down and watch your language. This is a public area," the stallion said, motioning his eyes to a few fillies watching Rarity's outbursts. "Now, ma'am, I understand that you're concerned for the wellbeing of your sister. That's why I'm going to contact the Royal Guard for the 'search-and-rescue,' but it won't take me more than three days to hear back, what with the royal convention happening in Canterlot and all."

Rarity gave a frustrated moan and stormed away from the ticket window, her hooves stomping holes in the wood floor. It was around the same time that Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and two of the CMC members arrived, a mixture of shock and concern as they saw Rarity's face contorted to resemble that of a raging bull.

"I simply cannot believe the shape of this mail delivery system!" Rarity complained. "Everything has to be two or more days before it arrives to Canterlot! The nerve of that stallion to keep so calm while I'm concerned for Sweetie Belle's safety! I ought to slam him until his face is the same color of my mane!" Rarity turned to her tomboyish friend, cowering more timid than Fluttershy. "Rainbow Dash, go track down the train and find Sweetie Belle. She has to be somewhere on that train!"

"Sorry, Rarity. I can't..." Rainbow Dash whimpered.

"WHAT!? You're the fastest pegasus in Equestria and a member of the Wonderbolts reserves!" Rarity thrust her angered face into Rainbow's, a look of rage written in her bloodshot eyeballs. "Why in the name of Tartarus can't you just zoom in and out of the train in just ten seconds!?"

Rainbow Dash's timid face temporarily changed back to a scowl as she listed the reasons why she couldn't, in a way, catch the train. "One: That train is guarded is by guards from the inside and out who could easily get the drop on me in three seconds flat. Two: That train is already halfway to Canterlot and by the time I get there, it'll already be to late. Three..."

Rainbow Dash reluctantly removed her wing spread across her flank, revealing the naked spot while looking at it with a saddened expression. "My pride got stripped away with my flank," she said, nearly on the verge of tears.

For a long, suspenseful moment, Rarity simply stared at Rainbow Dash, her face devoid of emotions. Her left eyelids twitched, and a slight giggle escaped her mouth. "That's it? That's the whole reason why you can't chase after that train? Because your Cutie Mark got shaved off and you're too embarrassed to fly with a naked spot exposed?"

Rainbow Dash force a sad chuckle. "Yeah."

Rarity let out another chuckle, her eyelids now twitching. Everypony swore they saw Rarity's head twitch the same way in a split second. Then Rarity pounced towards Rainbow and roared like a predatory cat, only to be stopped by Applejack's forearms clasping her like a vise as she tried to thrash herself out of her grip. "Get ahold of yerself, sugarcube! Sweetie Belle is probably worried fer you as she is fer herself!" Applejack assured.

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom nodded. "From what Ah heard from her, Sweetie Belle is tryin' her hardest ta survive at her size!"

"Oh, I hope nothing bad happens to her," Fluttershy said, drawing her head into her mane with worry. "What if she's been stepped on, sat on or eaten again? I can't bear to think of what Sweetie Belle is going through right now."

"Well, that's just stinkin' thinkin'!" Scootaloo declared. "Sweetie Belle's already made it this far, so she should make it to Canterlot no problem!"

Rarity struggled in Applejack's hold and growled, her frustration reaching near its peak. She struggled and tried to wiggled herself out from the hold of the orange hooves until she realized there was no point in going on with it any longer. Applejack was the best in Equestria when it came to holding somepony down, and her forelegs were no exception. Rarity sighed. "Fine. I hope that you're all correct about this. Sweetie Belle has a tendency for finding trouble, even when it's not intentional."

====

Sweetie Belle was in definite trouble.

First off, she was trapped underneath Zecora's flank, rendering her immobile and covered with trickles of her sweat, all while she began to drift away from the heat. 

Second, the food cart and the unicorn mare pushing it already moved into the car where Princess Cadence presumably resided. What she didn't know was the unicorns did a thorough magical scan for any unwanted visitors, weapons or poison inside or out of the food. Luckily, there wasn't anything in the food, so the unicorns allowed entry for the unicorn mare. 

Finally, Sweetie Belle knew how long the train ride took from Ponyville to Canterlot. It took a few hours, which to Sweetie Belle seemed like days already. Another hour-like minute underneath Zecora's flank and she would've been asphyxiated from suffocation, ground into paste at the very least. It seemed all hope for Sweetie Belle was lost.

GUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGLLLLLEEE!

Sweetie Belle went wide-eyed as she heard a familiar sound amplified and muffled from Zecora's bottom. She heard the grumbling of Zecora's tummy and intestines push her food through her digestive system, a clear sign that she was about to go to the bathroom. That theory came to confirmation as Sweetie Belle felt the immense pressure lifted up and off from her. Zecora apparently stood up on all fours and jumped off of the cot, her black hooves making a distinct BOOM! sound as they touched the floor.

"I will be off for a moment or two. The food has driven me to the loo."

"Well, I suppose that's what happens when you eat a mule in your cake," Sweetie Belle thought as she took in the oxygen once more, coughing the excess carbon dioxide imprisoned in her lungs.

Zecora's mother nodded and let the zebra go to the lavatories, a series of earthquake-like rumblings to Sweetie Belle coinciding with each step she took. Sweetie Belle managed to gather enough oxygen for her to push herself up on the endless plain of the cot, nearly stumbling with the sagging fabric but eventually kept her balance in check. A humming tune caught her attention, and Sweetie Belle looked up to see a cloud of green diamond dust spray on her. The tiny unicorn coughed and wheezed from the burning smell the dust produced into her lungs. Then she felt something come up from under her hooves that knocked her down and lifted up and over in the air.

Sweetie Belle coughed the dust out and opened her eyes, only to be met by a pair of dark grey eyes belonging to the elderly zebra as she held her in her hoof. The little unicorn filly yelped in surprise and tried to scuttle away, only to be blocked by another hoof acting as a protective barrier to prevent her from falling at such an unbearable height.

Sweetie Belle found herself backed into the corner, afraid of the Zebrafrican goliath who held her in her palm. She had the unsatiable urge to cry in fear. Then Zecora's mother hummed another tune which helped flush Sweetie Belle's fears away like a toilet, calming her down by the second. Using her free hoof, Zecora's mother gently stroked Sweetie Belle's mane as gently as she would a mouse. Eventually, the tiny filly's whimpering simmered down from the gentle strokes and the humming. When all of her fears were lifted by Zecora's mother's gentle song, the zebra took her free hoof and placed it next to the hoof holding Sweetie Belle and began to speak.

"You have a brave heart, little one," she said in fluent Equestrian. "My daughter has told me much about you and your friends. I sensed your presence underneath from underneath her seat and I have been waiting for you until you were free."

Sweetie Belle perked up. "Hey! You can speak Equestrian!?"

Zecora's mother shook her head, smiling. "No, little one. In the ears of these ponies, I am chanting a song in my native tongue. The dust I have sprayed onto you was to help hear my voice in your own tongue."

"Oh..." Sweetie Belle had no words to express what she felt. "That's actually convenient."

"Indeed, little one, and it gives me a good opportunity to take a closer look inside your minuscule form."

Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow. "Inside of me? Like an x-ray?"

Zecora's mother laughed. "No, little one. I am going to look into your soul and see the path that has been laid before you by the stars above."

"Whoa. Are you like a psychic or something?"

"In a way, little one, I am. In my land, I am referred to as a shaman, able to cast spells with a single chant, dance and charm. My special talent is to see into one's future by looking deep into their soul." Sweetie Belle gaped up in wonder as Zecora's mother squinted her eyes. "Now, calm yourself, little one. In order for me to see what future lies ahead for you, you must clear your mind, empty it of any thoughts or feelings and I will the path you tread on."

Sweetie Belle ultimately complied with the zebra's orders. Closing her eyes, Sweetie Belle cleared her head of any thoughts running through her head, conscious and subconscious, leaving her mind totally blank. Zecora's mother squinted at the tiny unicorn in her hooves, closing her eyes as well as she began to peer into her soul. As a shaman with the power to look into somepony's future, Zecora's mother could only see fragments of one's future ahead, but the whole future. As she looked deeper, the zebra could see those fragments in Sweetie Belle's future, like a montage of clips on a projector screen before they ended. Zecora's mother opened her eyes and lightly tapped Sweetie Belle, who woke with an abrupt jolt. Sweetie Belle took her bearings for a moment or two before she looked up to the elderly giantess with hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"Hey, did you see something!? Did you see what's going to happen to me in my future!?"

"I have glimpsed into the future laid before you," the zebra said, her face grown forlorn. "But I fear it will be a short one."

"What!? What do you mean a short future!?" Sweetie belle squeaked, tears brimming in her eyes. "Am I going to... going to...?"

Zecora's mother gently lifted the tiny filly's chin with her hoof up to her face. "I am not certain, little one. All I see in you are obstacles that you will face in a short time. When you surpass those obstacles, you will be faced with a perilous trial, one that even you may not survive." Sweetie Belle jerked her away from the zebra, who continued to reveal what she saw in the micro unicorn. "Unless the strings of your fate have been tampered with, the future I saw will cease just as I see it."

"Wait, so I'm not gonna bite the dust!? Is there a way for me to be saved from that future!?"

"Unfortunately, I am not certain of the outcome. I could only see far ahead to where your future possibly ends," the zebra shaman said. "What you must to do prevent your own end rests on you and you alone, little one. All I can do wait and wish you the best of luck."

"But you HAVE to do something!" Sweetie Belle shouted, jumping a bit on the zebra's hoof. "You're the shaman! You have to fix this somehow!"

"I cannot fix what has happened to you, little one. You are already closer than you think." Before Sweetie Belle could ask, the train began to slow itself down, screeching to a full stop at the next train station. The zebra smiled smugly and carefully set Sweetie Belle down to the ground, tilting her hoof to help her roll down to the floor. Sweetie Belle shook her head and looked back to the zebra shaman, motioning her to go. "Go, little one. The path has already been set for you to walk upon."

"But Zecora's mom!! I--!"

"Go and hurry now!" the zebra urged. "If you do not, then the road you seek will be forever lost!"

Sweetie Belle gulped as Zecora's mother urged her to go with her motioning head. She turned and began to gallop into the aisle, only to find her path abruptly blocked by Zecora's stamping hoof, the zebra unaware that she almost turned her filly friend into a red stain. "The train's cuisine is not what it may seem. The chocolate cake concealed a bug and in my stomach does it tug." Zecora poked her tummy and it wriggled a little, a tiny tickle inside her stomach making her giggle.

"That is why I did not consume the cake, daughter," Zecora's mother said. "There are small things in this world that hold much value, that you know very well."

"Do not yet fret, my mother. Now you must meet ponies like no other."

While Zecora and her mother conversed with each other, Sweetie Belle took this opportunity to jumped between the twin black-and-grey pillars that were her hooves. She galloped out from under Zecora's belly and into the aisle, where she found herself in the path of the Saddle Arabian royalties, a clatter of hooves like one jumbled earthquake. Quickly and swiftly, Sweetie Belle navigated her way out and around the stamping hooves, each one nearly stomping the tiny unicorn to her doom. She dodged the hooves of the guards, their cloaks making it dark for the puny filly to navigate as they passed over her, the hooves of the Saddle Arabian mare and the aging ruler of Saddle Arabian himself. When the last ponies trotted past Sweetie Belle, all unaware and unknowing, she galloped close behind them, hoping to be safe near the back of their hooves rather than in front of them.

The trotting Saddle Arabians composed themselves as they trotted outside of the train cart, Sweetie Belle jumping at the last minute to grab the cloak from one of the guards. A bright flash of sunlight provoked her to shield her eyes, but her eyesight adjusted well to the light. With a few blinks and her vision coming into clear focus, Sweetie Belle looked at the surroundings and gasped. She finally made it to her destination! At long last, after hours of turmoil, tushies and tummies, Sweetie Belle made it to Canterlot, all in one piece!

And what a view it was to behold, too! There were armor-clad stallions keeping guard at all areas to ward off any possible attackers, royalties from the gryphon, dragon, minotaur and pony countries all over the world gathered here and guarded by their native protectors, and a herald that announced the next royals arriving to Canterlot. Sweetie Belle smiled. Coming to Canterlot was the stuff pony dreams were made of, but it was the dream of regaining her former size that made it all possible.

The herald blared his horn, setting it down as he threw his voice out for all to hear.

"Announcing the arrival of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire!"

Then the door to the train car next to the one Sweetie Belle stayed in opened. Sweetie Belle gasped and looked to her side as a crystal Earth pony guard and a regular orange pegasus stallion trotted out, followed with the graceful and majestic Princess of Love and her loving husband. Even at the size of a bug, Sweetie Belle could see how brilliantly that Princess Cadence's beauty shone, like a glimmering diamond in the sunlight. 

Suddenly, a slap of the hoof on the shrunken filly's face brought her back to reality. This was no time to be admiring the alicorn! This was the only time to grab the attention of Princess Cadence and take her to Twilight! Wiggling her empty flank, Sweetie Belle jumped from the Saddle Arabian guard's robe and galloped what was like a quarter mile across the station to the regal pink alicorn. She screamed as a few hooves, and the ocassional gryphon talons, unknowingly fell upon her, but she jumped out of the way upon the first instinctive feeling. It was becoming quite the routine for Sweetie Belle, jumping away from whatever might end her at her size, find a way for her to get eaten or squashed and somehow survive her plight. She could already see Twilight's gigantic worried face already.

At last, Sweetie Belle moved past the metallic shoes of the crystal guards and under their bellies, stopping at the path in front of the oncoming royal giant and giantess. Puffing her chest out, Sweetie Belle prepared to scream as hardest as she could to catch the attention of Cadence's ears. "PRINCESS CA--!"

"CADENCE!"

Suddenly, a shadow quickly moved over Sweetie Belle, prompting her too late to see what the shadow was before it fell on her. The tiny filly screamed as the shadow came down with a THWUMP! Sweetie Belle's eyes were closed, waiting for the inevitable light to appear to her at the end of the tunnel. She couldn't see any light. She could only feel gravel, and a pungent odor that wafted into her tiny nostrils. Sniffing a couple of times, Sweetie Belle grimaced as she reluctantly opened her eyes to find where she was and what that unknown shadow did to her. The good news for the tiny filly, was the shadow did nothing to her.

The bad news was that she saw where she was at now.

She saw two purple valleys on both sides of her, trapping her in between. The texture and the pattern of the supposed valleys were like cobblestone painted purple, clumped together in a high-rising shape. Sweetie Belle looked up from her smelly prison to see the valleys reach up to two purple monoliths, reaching up to a voluptuous bulge of green joining in with a purple sphere shape. Sweetie Belle gasped, both shockingly and disgustingly.

She was stuck between Spike's toes. So that was his foot that almost made a pancake out of her.

Suddenly, the toes closed in on Sweetie Belle, making her scream as the wriggling digits caught her in their tight grasp. She was then lifted into the air, making a perfect arc for Spike's foot movements as he took a very perilous step. Then the foot was brought down hard like a meteor with the shrunken filly struggling to break herself free from their grip. The smell of Spike's feet reeked. When was the last time he ever took a bath and thoroughly scrubbed his stinky soles?

Then Spike brought his foot up and over again, lurching the filly and her stomach as she was submitted to the unwilling torture between his toes. The combination of the movement and the odor made Sweetie Belle dizzy and weak. A few more steps and she was going to suffocate. She'll be nothing for than toe jam for the baby dragon who was running up to the alicorn to give her and Shining Armor to welcome them both to Canterlot. With another step taken from the giant baby drake, Sweetie Belle's eyes slowly closed and she drifted into unconsciousness.

====

"Cadence!"

Spike paid no heed to the lump between the big toe and the index toe on his right foot as he ran over to Cadence and Shining Armor, giving them both a great big hug. Cadence and Shining Armor hugged Spike back then gently broke each other from the hug as the dragon looked up to his adopted brother and sister-in-law. 

"Aw, man, it's good to see you both!" Spike said, feeling giddy with joy. "I'm so glad you two could make it for the convention!"

"Oh, come now, Spike, you little goofball. Why wouldn't I miss the royal convention for the world, other than being a princess and seeing you and Twilight again." Cadence brought Spike over to her and nuzzled his green-spiked head, causing him to giggle with a ticklish sensation.

"Aw, stop it, Cadence! You're embarrassing me!" Spike chortled, causing the alicorn to break from her nuzzling. "Actually, on second thought, keep on going."

Cadence giggled. "That's enough, Spike. You've had your fair share of nuzzling already," she playfully scolded.

"And speaking of Twilight, where is she anyway?" Shining Armor asked. "I thought she was gonna meet us here."

"She's busy helping with the last-minute preparations with the convention, so she should still be in the castle" Spike answered, gesturing his arm to his family. "Come on. I can take you to where she's putting up the finishing touches."

Spike turned to guide Cadence and Shining Armor to Canterlot Castle when he ran into someone with a SMACK!, knocking him down on the ground. Rubbing his head, Spike could see his world moving around him as Cadence and ShiningArmor ran up to his side. "Are you okay, Spike?" Cadence asked, helping him up on his feet with one arm, Shining Armor with the other.

"I'm fine, but I should've seen where I was going." Spike turned to creature he ran to. "Oh, and miss? I'm sorry for running into you and... HUH?" Spike looked up to see a familiar zebra standing in front of him, carrying a bag slumped over her shoulders and looking down at him with a smile. "Zecora? What are you doing here? Weren't you back at your home country restocking on your herbs?"

"What you have said rings true. But I have someone who would like to meet all of you."

Zecora turned to the elderly zebra mare trotting up next to her, both of them giving a smile to Spike and the two sovereigns of the Crystal Empire. "This is my mother, the ruler of my home. She was arriving here and asked me to come."

"Of course. You must be the ruler over the entire nation of Zebrafrica," Cadence said, giving the elderly zebra a graceful bow. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

Zecora's mother hummed in agreement. She said something to Cadence in her native tongue, leading Zecora to translate for her. "She is pleased to meet you, and the prince too. We have from the jungles of Zebrafrica, a few gifts to you." Zecora took the bag slumped over her with her teeth and set them down on the ground. She opened the bag up, and a pile of squishy, blue fruits rolled from the opening, juicy liquid sloshing around inside. Spike looked at them with a raised eyebrow before turning to the zebras.

"Uhh, just what are those, anyway?"

"Those are Juju Fruits, so tender and sweet. The juices they produce cannot be beat."

"Sweet, huh?" Spike licked his chops and wriggled his claws, before being stopped by Zecora's hoof.

"Before you can gorge through your dragon greed, there is a warning that you all must heed." Zecora's tone was serious, as was her narrowed eyes which made Spike shiver. "In the center of each fruit, there is a pit. When you hit that center, do not devour it. The seeds inside are very toxic. Eating a single piece can make you very sick."

"Hold on," Shining Armor interrupted, his eyes written with suspicion. "If these seeds really are poisonous, then why did you manage to bring them up to Canterlot?"

Zecora returned the look of skepticism to Shining Armor before she calmly answered his question. "To sell to the vendor who set up the fruit stand. He is an expert and known through my land. He knows the caution of using the fruit, for he knows how to give the toxin the boot."

Spike, Cadence and Shining Armor all gave each other a look of worry, then turned them towards Zecora's direction. "Well, if you're going to sell them to that vendor, I guess it's safe for us, too," Cadence replied, forcing a smile on her face. "But just in case, you might want to put those fruits back in your bag. I wouldn't want anypony to get sick off of those seeds."

"Your concern has been taken to heart." Zecora rolled the Juju Fruits into her bag, closing it up with the drawstring and slumping it over her back. "Now show to me to Twilight. We have been too far apart."

"Cool!" Spike said. "Come on, I'll show you the way through Canterlot first and then we'll meet up with Twilight before the convention begins!" With that, Spike led Cadence, Shining Armor, Zecora and her mother away from the train station and down the streets of Canterlot. While the baby drake walked along with his family and friends, the little lump between his toes was getting to become quite bothersome. He squeezed his toes, wriggled them to see if the sensation would pass. After a few wriggles, the sensation stopped and Spike gasped as he felt the lump become no more. Then he continued to walk down the streets of Canterlot, unaware that the lump between his feet was Sweetie Belle, who had at the same time, took a different approach to move inside the guarded city and eventually, the castle.