Applejack remained as calm as she could, taking a deep breath. She knew Pinkie Pie would panic if she knew what was going on, and didn't want that to happen.
Because behind the baker pony...was an ant.
"Pinkie...just come slowly toward me..." Applejack readied her lasso in case the ant tried to attack.
"Okey...dokey...lokie...?" Pinkie said slowly and nervously, her knee still pinchy as a result of her Pinkie Sense telling her that something scary was about to happen.
"Pinkie...there's an ant behind ya..." Applejack confessed, taking another look at the said creature.
An ant, a common insect she was all too used to seeing. Now that they were a little smaller than it was, it was huge. Seeing it up close was unsettling, especially with how it was formed and how its two big black eyes looked at them. Considering ants ate other insects, even if they were more than twice their size, and were very strong, Applejack could only figure that they MUST have looked like food to it.
"An...a-ant...?" Pinkie shuddered, and began to slowly climb down the rock towards Applejack, hoping that the ant didn't see an easy meal in the two Earth ponies.
"Yeah..." Applejack nodded. "Jus'...don't panic an' don't start runnin'. Stay calm, come on toward me...we'll just walk away from it... We can't give it any more reason ta think we're prey..."
"O-okey d-dokey l-lokie..." Pinkie nodded, continuing to slowly and carefully climb down the rock. "H-here I c-come..."
Applejack quickly looked around them, wondering if they were close to an ant colony. The ant seemed to be alone, but she wasn't so sure. What if they were smarter than that, and it had accomplices hidden around, ready to ambush them?
"Atta girl, Pinkie...that's it...don't make sudden moves...don't start yellin'...you're gonna be fine...I'll take care of it, if it tries anythin'..."
Pinkie nodded, too scared to speak, now. She continued climbing down the rock, but suddenly froze up when she felt something tickling along her flank. "I-it's...f-following m-me...i-isn't i-it...?"
"Yeah...it is...Ah think it's tryin' to smell ya...Since Ah think they smell with their antennas..." Applejack swallowed, feeling a stab of guilt.
This wasn't like Pinkie Pie. She didn't get scared like this, and if she did, it was usually followed by something silly. But not this time. This was pure, raw, unadultered fear. Pinkie Pie must've realized the serious gravity of the situation...and knew she couldn't just laugh it away.
"Oh, no...oh, no no no...it's trying to smell me..." Pinkie began to sound frantic. "It's t-trying to decide if I would be t-tasty...nooo...I don't wanna be ant food...!"
"Calm yerself, Pinkie!" Applejack whispered. "Don't start panickin'! That'll tell 'im yer prey!"
"I...don't...wanna...be...ANT FOOD!" Pinkie suddenly shrieked, and galloped full-speed off the rock, cowering behind Applejack as her eyes stayed glued to the ant.
Applejack swallowed, backing a few steps with Pinkie Pie behind her, her eyes trained on the ant as well. The insect didn't charge after her, or even just come after her. In fact, it didn't even really move. The ant crawled along the rock for a moment, and then came to the ground. Little noises escaped it, sounding like cute little squeaks and chirps. Its head cocked slightly as it stared at them.
"Shoot...Ah think it might smell the muffin bits we got...that might be what it wants..." Applejack hissed.
"Oh, no...you're probably right, Applejack...it wants our muffins..." Pinkie whimpered, her knee still pinchy. "What do we do...?"
The two ponies continued to back away, but the ant didn't follow them. It only stared after them.
But then it slowly approached them, following. What surprised Applejack was that it didn't seem aggressive. It was just simply following them. Could she believe that, or was it a trick?
"Maybe we should give it our muffins..." The baker pony suggested in a whisper. "Maybe if we do, then it'll go away..."
"Ah think ya might be right, Pinkie..." Applejack agreed.
BZZZZZZ!
Both ponies stiffened, while Mr. Ant didn't even look phased.
"...Pinkie...tell me that wasn't buzzin'..."
BZZZZZZ!
"Um...it wasn't buzzing...?" Pinkie swallowed hard. And then her tail began twitching. "Uh-oh! Twitch-a-twitch!"
BZZZZZ!
Applejack gulped, daring to follow the incessant buzzing noise. Her worst fear was confirmed when she saw none other than a honeybee nestling at a nearby flower.
"Pinkie Pie...Ah can't talk now...we've got bees!"
"BEES?!" Pinkie screeched...loudly. Her tail continued to twitch, as she cowered behind Applejack again.
The ant didn't seem phased by Pinkie's yelling, but its attention did seem to shift to the honeybee. Said insect then seemed to angrily buzz at the loud noise it didn't seem to like, since it was now coming for them.
"Ah, shoot! Bees are attracted ta red an' pinks! Keep low, Pinkie!" Applejack cried.
"Eeep!" Pinkie yelped, ducking down as low as she could.
But her tail stuck up in the air and continued twitching, which was gaining the bee's attention.
Applejack gulped and this time turned around to cover Pinkie Pie with her own body in hopes to hide her pink coat and tail. She also knew better than to agitate a honeybee, since that often led to them using their stingers. While it would die if it stung them, ridding them of the problem, she was none too fond of the idea of being stung just for that to happen. Besides, a dead bee was not exactly a pleasant sight to look at, either.
"Just stay calm...it'll leave us alone if we don't bother it..." Applejack whispered.
Pinkie whimpered in response, though she was glancing up towards the sky, as though searching for the source of her twitchy tail. "Applejack...they sky...look at the sky...!"
BZZZ-!
The buzzing went silent, which was then followed by squeaks, before it the buzzing faded away.
"Huh?" Applejack did so, looking up at the sky. "Them clouds is rollin' in! C'mon Pinkie, we gotta keep on goin'! We're nearly there!"
"Hey, wait! Applejack, look!" Pinkie suddenly said. "The ant!"
The ant squeaked at them happily, and then scooted off to the side of the rock. When it came back, it was dragging a thick leaf, which it lay before the ponies and stood back, but watched them.
Pinkie stared at the ant for a moment, and then at the leaf it had dragged over to the two Earth ponies. She soon realized what the ant was offering. "Oooh, oooh! It looks like our ant friend wants to give us a lift!"
Skeptical, Applejack looked at the leaf, then at Mr. Ant. The ant just looked at them, standing right where it was, not having made any such movement aside from shifting in place.
"...Well, Ah guess if it wanted ta eat us...mighta done it already...well Ah guess we can trust it...ants can carry more than twice their size, so it'd be faster fer us..." the farm pony mused.
"Yup! Anty here can probably take us to the Everfree Forest!" Pinkie chirped with a grin.
"Anty?" Applejack responded, her tone skeptical. "Well...I s'ppose it's worth a try if he can help us. But we gotta get outta this rain first, an' I don't think we'll make it ta the forest yet."
"Anty can help us with that!" Pinkie chirped. "Isn't that right, Anty? Can you find another leaf like this? And a twig? And some long, strong blades of grass?"
Anty made a little noise that sounded like a cross between a chirp and a squeak, approaching Pinkie Pie as he let his antenae run over her face to check her out again.
"Ah'll help 'im get 'em..." Applejack felt a little put off by the ant's actions before she trotted off to collect the stuff.
"Hee hee hee!" Pinkie giggled, nuzzling one of the ant's legs. "Oh, AJ! Anty's just making sure I'm safe! Aren't you, li'l Anty-Wanty?"
Anty made another noise, still inspecting Pinkie Pie before it seemed to decide it liked her and nuzzled her a little with affection.
"Awww, hee hee!" Pinkie nuzzled Anty in return. "I like you too, Anty! You're a good little antsy-pantsy, aren't you? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!"
Applejack glanced back at Pinkie and Anty, raising a brow, but then shrugged. "Least he wants ta help us.."
Anty nuzzled Pinkie, and then crawled over to Applejack, as if inspecting her work. It then went to retrieve a nearby twig, bringing it over with the leaf it had brought back earlier. Applejack used her lasso to bring down a stalk of grass, enough to make it snap and come away.
"Now, let's just tie the leaf to the twig with the grass, and presto! Instant umbrella!" Pinkie said with a grin. "Twilight showed me how to make one when I lost my umbrella hat!"
"Good thinkin', Pinkie!" Applejack praised, bringing the blade of grass over. "You make that, an' Ah'll go make some reins."
"Okey dokey lokie!" Pinkie saluted, and set to work on making an umbrella, with Anty's help.
Much like once before when she was shrunk down to size, even if she was BIGGER than this, Applejack constructed a set of reins with a fallen stem of a plant, a couple of leaves, and some blades of grass. Once finished, she took them back to where Pinkie and Anty were making the umbrella, almost nearing completion.
Applejack looked up at the sky again, gulping.
"Better hurry...Ah don' like the look of them there clouds..."
Pinkie looked up at the sky, just as her tail began to twitch. "Nopey-dopey-lopie! Me neither, and my Pinkie Sense is telling me that something's gonna be falling from the sky, soon!"
"An' Ah'll bet that somethin' is gonna be rain," Applejack concluded, frowning a little. "Y'all got the umbrella?"
"Yupperroonie!" Pinkie nodded, as Anty hoisted up the umbrella. "It's all ready-eddy-eddy!"
"Awright, well let's get 'er goin' then!" Applejack looked relieved. "If we can just make it ta Sugarcube Corner 'till the rain stops."
"Good idea, AJ!" Pinkie nodded, hopping up onto Anty's back, as he lowered himself to allow the two miniscule Earth ponies to climb aboard.
Applejack carefully placed the reins onto Anty, who didn't seem to mind, and then got onto his back as well, taking the umbrella to hold over them. She was about to suggest they get going, when Pinkie grabbed the reins from her.
"YEEEEE-HAAAAAW!" Pinkie whooped, snapping the makeshift reins and kicking her back hooves. "Git along, li'l Anty!"
Applejack blinked at the imitation of her own accent and just what Pinkie was doing in general. Eventually, she chuckled a bit and just let her do her thing as she held the umbrella over them.
Anty reared gently, and then was making his way rapidly across the ground. In good time, since the rain had just started with large drops of water falling all around them.
"Git up, Anty! Git up!" Pinkie hollered, grabbing Applejack's hat and waving it around like she was at a rodeo. "We gotta long way ta go, and little time ta git thar!"
Eeyup, just let her do her thang... Applejack thought with an amused smile, shaking her head.
Anty carried them across the ground, narrowly avoiding the raindrops with expert agility as he made his way to Sugarcube Corner. The very direction he was being told to go into.
Fluttershy settled, staring out the pail, out at the now dangerous rain falling outside of it. The rain pounded noisily upon the plastic containment above their heads, which was now louder to their little ears. Thunder rumbled in the distance,
which was yet again louder than normal. She yelped, squeezing her eyes shut and shuddering with fear.
In an attempt to calm the other Pegasus, Rainbow Dash nuzzled her gently, her wings still folded open over her creamy yellow body. Her rainbow tail was intertwined with Fluttershy's blossom-pink tail, as she gently lay on top of her to keep her warm, and as a means of comfort.
"It's not fair...why did there have to be a storm just when we shrink..." Fluttershy whimpered, managing to angle her neck to look at her friend.
"I wish I knew, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash shook her head, frowning lightly. "There wasn't supposed to be a rain storm today, but it must've been decided at last minute..."
Fluttershy sniffled a bit, fighting back tears, and nuzzled her friend in gratitude. "I suppose...but I'm just glad you're here with me...I don't know what I'd do if I was all alone..."
Rainbow Dash smiled, nuzzling her friend and licking her tears away. "I'm kinda glad we're in this mess together too, pal. It makes it a little easier to deal with the situation."
A little giggle of appreciation escaped the creamy yellow Pegasus at her friend's sweet gesture. "You're right, it does... It could be worse...we could be in a haunted house...with a pony-eating tree right outside our window...like in that one movie we saw..." She shivered at the memory.
The daredevil cyan Pegasus snorted, rolling her eyes. "Don't even think of that movie, Fluttershy. You'll creep yourself out! And that's kind of the last thing we need, given our situation, if you know what I mean."
"I'm trying not to! Oh, Dashie...it's just like when it gets dark and my mind decides to think about monsters!" Fluttershy whimpered.
"Well, if any monsters DO come along, then you've always got me to protect you." Rainbow Dash declared proudly, her wings flaring out to the sides before folding over the other Pegasus, again.
Sniffling again, Fluttershy smiled and giggled a bit. She then rolled onto her back, taking a few breaths to try to calm herself a bit more. "You're the greatest protector in the world..."
"I do what I can," Rainbow Dash chuckled, using her wings to wipe her best friend's cheeks. "...You could use a tissue, pal. Unfortunately, I don't have one on me."
"That's okay," Fluttershy assured with a smile. "We make the best of what we have sometimes."
"Yeah, improvising is pretty useful, sometimes." Rainbow Dash agreed with a nod. "But it doesn't help when you have nothing to improvise with."
"...That's true too," Fluttershy realized, and then stretched her legs a bit in the air before curling them back. She giggled then as Rainbow Dash's wing brushed her nose. "Eee...that tickles..."
"Sorry, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash giggled, folding her wings in at her sides. "Wasn't trying to tickle you."
Fluttershy giggled, smiling. "That's all right, Rainbow. I suppose now wouldn't exactly be the right time to tickle me..." Realizing what she said, she covered her exposed belly with her hooves.
Rainbow Dash smirked, but shook her head. "Nah, you're right about that. Now's not the time or the place." She glanced out at the still-falling rain, sighing through her nose.
Stretching her legs once more, Fluttershy then rolled onto her stomach once again. She snuggled up against the cyan Pegasus, gently nuzzling her, and kissing her muzzle. "Well...once we're big again, we'll have all the time in the world for a little fun..."
Smirking lightly, Rainbow Dash nuzzled her and kissed her muzzle in return. "You said it, Fluttershy. We'll more than make up for this when we're big, again..."
"We'll go flying around...and then you can do some tricks, while I cheer you on..." Fluttershy smiled at the thought of all this, and elicited another loving nuzzle. Just the very basic things they'd always done, which she almost could have felt were forever lost, felt to be heavenly for her now. "And then..."
"And then...?" Rainbow Dash nuzzled back, gazing into her aquamarine eyes lovingly.
"We'll go home...my home...or yours..." Giggled the pink-maned mare as she smiled more, her eyes gazing lovingly into her friend's cerise orbs. "I'll make us dinner..."
"Sounds like a promise..." The rainbow-maned mare smirked softly. "And then, later...when we go to bed...?"
Now Fluttershy's wings perked with interest. Her eyelids lowered, her smile suggestive. "We'll go to bed...together..."
Rainbow Dash's wings mimicked the action, her eyes gleaming with lust. "And we'll spend the whole night together...and it'll be amazing..."
"It will be amazing...we'll share it...together..." Fluttershy cooed, her own eyes brimming with lust. Her wings flared all the more to convey her interest. "And you do have a bit of a bigger bed...maybe we'll take your bed this time..."
"So it's my turn to have my bed...heh heh...defiled..." Rainbow Dash chuckled darkly, her wings flaring out moreso. "So be it."
"It's been a while since we...defiled your bed..." Fluttershy giggled, and nuzzled her in a more suggestive manner. "But in the sky...nopony will disturb us..."
"True enough..." Rainbow Dash nodded, nuzzling her back in a similar manner. "And Tank...well, we won't have to worry too much about him..."
"Oh, Tank is a dear...he understands..." The little-less-than-timid mare cooed, her voice dropping to a suggestive whisper. "And you're going to be all mine..."
"I'm all yours, all right..." The daredevil mare agreed, her voice low and husky with desire.
"And I'm all yours, Dashie..." Now one of her wings lowered and coursed along her back.
By now, her fears, worries, and the storm all around was just about forgotten in her mind. All she could think of were the events of the hopeful bright future ahead of them, assuring her that all would be okay.
Fluttershy continued, "It'll be a night of pure ecstasy..."
"A night of pure ecstasy...and most definitely a night of passion..." Her wing responded in kind to the other's touch, trailing along her spine, from top to bottom.
"Hee! Yes...pure passion and...mmmm...am I missing something?" The creamy yellow Pegasus cooed with underlying lust. This time she brought her foreleg to rest over Rainbow's.
"Hmm...I don't know...are you missing something...?" The cyan Pegasus whispered breathily into the other's ear. Her other foreleg came to rest over Fluttershy's.
"Ooh...maybe I am...should I try to find it? Ooh! I know...a night of passion...ecstasy...and...some love," Fluttershy giggled, her wing now interlocking with her friend's wing. "With a bit of candlelight for atmosphere..."
"Candlelight, eh..." Rainbow Dash chuckled, the feathers of her wing interlaced with her friend's wing. "So we're going for a steamy romantic atmosphere, are we?"
"Oh, if that's all right..." Fluttershy nuzzled her in a very suggestive manner, rubbing her foreleg along hers. "A steamy romantic setting...with very little light...as it dances off and enhances your loveliness... the dancing flames reflecting in your beautiful eyes..."
"Ohhh, Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash's cheeks heated up with a blush. "It sounds all too perfect."
"Yay..." Fluttershy giggled, snuggling up all the more. "Mmm...should I go on? Do you want to hear more, Dashie?"
"Mmm..." Rainbow shook her head. "If I hear any more...I might want to do those things to you, right here..." However, her voice was completely betraying any words she was speaking, especially since her wings had not receded in the slightest.
"You're not making a very convincing argument..."
"Oh...so you want me to do those things to you...right here, right now...?"
"Well...that storm outside is so scary..." The pink-maned Pegasus mock-pouted, her eyes gleaming, her mouth curling into a smile. "I'm so scared... Maybe I do...maybe it's all to help us keep our minds off the...fear we feel in this situation..."
"Ohhh...I see what your game is, now..." The rainbow-maned Pegasus smirked softly. "You want to do those things as a means of comfort...is that it...?"
"Ooh...maybe...but maybe because talking about it...also makes me want you..."
"Heh heh...you don't know how much I want you right now..."
"Mm...call it a preview...of what we'll do later..." Fluttershy winked, and then rolled onto her back again. "Come and get me..."
"Oh...I'm coming for you..." Rainbow Dash smirked, crawling towards her. But then, she suddenly froze, having caught sight of a movement at the back of the pail.
Fluttershy noticed how she stopped moving. Concern immediately washed over her as she sat up, forgetting the loss of the creeping passion. "Rainbow? What's wrong?"
Rainbow's eyes were wide, and her expression was, to Fluttershy's shock, fearful. "D-don't m-move...d-don't b-blink...d-don't ev-ven b-breathe...th-there's a...a..."
Now that got her scared all the more. "W-W-What is it, Rainbow?"
"I-it's a...a...a..." Rainbow couldn't even say it. Her knees shook, her wings folded tight against her sides, and her whole body trembled.
If you've seen Honey, I Shrunk The Kids!, then you'll know why there's an ant. ;)
The "we've got bees!" line is a reference to a similar famous line from Twister, another movie that my friend and I are a fan of.
The movie Fluttershy was referring to is Poltergeist.