Ant-Mare and the Wasp

by IndigoMoon

Issue 1 - Honey, My Best Friend Shrunk Herself!

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, 6 friends ruled over the kingdom. One from a castle in the capital city of Canterlot, the others from Ponyville, a small hamlet in the center of the land. They had saved the land from many dangers and made many enemies. However, they triumphed over every obstacle, and because of their efforts, when Princess Twilight took the throne, peace reigned in the kingdom, when every creature helped the Princess and her friends defeat the Legion of Doom once and for all. But this is not their story. This is the story of a pony scientist in the Princess’s employ, one year after taking the throne, when the peace Twilight and her friends had secured was thrown into jeopardy…

---

The scientist in question was in the middle of her lab in the city of San Franciscolt. She was a pale gray unicorn with a black and pale red mane. She was currently looking over a checklist she held in her magic as her partner shifted nervously in front of her.

“Okay, I think that should do it,” said Shrinky Dink. Shrinky backed away from the yellow changeling in front of her, who was wearing a reverse colored Wonderbolts uniform. On the changeling’s right foreleg was a watch-like device, with four vials attached around it. The red liquid in the vials was running through tubes into the watch, giving it a red glow. On the opposite leg was a similar device that had blue liquid running through it instead. Around her neck were a pair of yellow-tinted goggles and a breathing apparatus.

“Are you sure this is safe?” asked the changeling.

“Don’t worry, Fizzy. You’ll be fine,” said Shrinky. “This is based on changeling magic, remember?”

“I can’t shape-shift, remember?” Fizzy Wings shot back.

“Touché,” said Shrinky. “But while this has some basis in changeling magic, its mainly rooted in Equestrian magic. I don’t imagine it’ll have an adverse effect on you. Just remember, this isn’t our first time shrinking something.”

“This isn’t your first time shrinking something. And this is the first time we’re shrinking a pony/pony equivalent,” noted Fizzy, nervously. “And besides, why aren’t you the one doing this? I thought shrinking things was your specialty. Or does that microscope on your flan mean something else?”

Shrinky sighed. “You did volunteer for this,” she said. “But I promise you, you will be fine.” She smiled. “Now, shall we begin?”

“Sure,” said Fizzy, trying to hide the fear creeping into her voice.

Shrinky walked behind the half-wall that served to split the room between the main testing room and the observatory. Shrinky’s horn sprang to life as she used her magic to pull the microphone on the desk close to her muzzle. She activated the microphone and spoke into it, the device carrying her voice to an earpiece Fizzy was wearing. “Now when you put on the mask, just breathe normally, and when you go small, don’t take it off. Just shrink down, wander around for a minute, and then grow back up. I’ll be talking to you the whole time, and monitoring your vitals from here. Any questions?”

“Red is small and blue is big, right?”

Shrinky nodded “Yup. Ready when you are.”

Fizzy breathed slowly out her nose. She was trying to ignore the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong that lurked at the back of mind as she pulled the goggles over her eyes and the oxygen mask over her muzzle. She closed her eyes, slowly inhaled, and lifted her left foreleg over to her right.

“Shrinking in five… four… three… two… one… now!” She pressed the small button on the side of the watch. In the span of about 10 seconds, the fluid in the tubes and vials began to glow brightly as it quickly rushed into the watch. The watch began to glow bright red and the red aura spread over Fizzy rapidly. Then, with the sound of rushing air, Fizzy felt herself moving rapidly downwards. Then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped. Everything was quiet. She tapped her earpiece, keeping her eyes clamped shut.

“Shrinky? You there? Can you hear me?”

As all she got back was silence, Fizzy grew increasingly nervous. She still refused to open her eyes, in case the shock as too much. Then, a sudden shock of static startled her, as Shrinky’s voice carried through the comm.

“You okay, Fizzy?”

Fizzy nodded, and then remembered that Shrinky probably couldn’t see her. “Uh, yeah. I think so.”

“Thank goodness,” said Shrinky. “I lost comms for a second and got worried. So, what’s it look like down there?”

Fizzy winced. “I haven’t opened my eyes yet, so I don’t know.” She could hear the disappointed look on Shrinky’s face through the earpiece. “I’m gonna open my eyes now, okay?”

“Mhm,” replied Shrinky. Fizzy slowly opened her eyes, the bright light obscuring everything, but as her vision adjusted, her jaw fell open, as far as it could in the oxygen mask. “Woooah,” said Fizzy. “This is weird.”

“What does it look like?” asked Shrinky with bated breath.

“Big,” replied Fizzy, amazement replacing the fear that had once dominated her tone.

Shrinky scoffed and chuckled at the same time. “Well, yeah. You did shrink. That’s how it works.”

“Nah, man,” said Fizzy. “I can’t even begin to describe it. I mean, I know it’s the lab, but still. Seeing everything from down here is somethi- ohmygosh that dustball is HUGE!”

“Don’t get distracted,” said Shrinky, although she was smiling. “You have to regrow shortly, ‘cuz I need you to monitor my vitals while I have a go.”

Fizzy laughed. “Alright, alright,” she said. “I’m growing back up in five… four… three… two… one… now!”

Fizzy closed her eyes as she pressed the button on the device opposite the first. Again, she felt a rush of air as she rapidly ascended, glowing blue all the while. It again stopped suddenly. She slowly opened her eyes to see through the observatory window that Shrinky in the process of putting on her own suit, a red and dark grey version of Fizzy’s. Fizzy trotted over and had turned into the open-sided room just as Shrinky finished getting it on.

“Well,” said Fizzy, smiling. “That went better than I expected.”

“What’d I tell ya,” said Shrinky, wrapping a foreleg around Fizzy. “I told you you’d be fine,” she said, smiling smugly at Fizzy. Fizzy blushed. “Now,” Shrinky said, “Help me put on my potion yielder module.”

Fizzy blinked. “Your what?”

“My potion yielder module. It’s what I’m calling the watch things,” said Shrinky.

“I don’t think you’re using the world yielder right.”

“I using it loosely,” said Shrinky. “To yield something is to produce something, and the module produces the potion’s effect, so it yields the effects of the potions.”

“I suppose, but I think you’re working too hard for that to work,” commented Fizzy.

Shrinky shrugged. “Whatever. Help me put it on.”

Fizzy laughed. “If you insist.” Fizzy and Shrinky walked back into the main lab. Shrinky went and stood in the center where Fizzy had been, and Fizzy used her magic to levitate over the modules while Shrinky put on her red-tinted goggles and breather via her own magic. As Fizzy attached the devices to Shrinky’s legs, a thought struck her. “Hey, what if for simplicity’s sake, what if we just called these P.Y.M.s? Or even just PYMs?”

Shrinky tilted her head to one side as she put the earpiece in. “Yeah, that could work. It certainly rolls off the tongue better than ‘potion yielder module’, now doesn’t it?”

Fizzy nodded as she finished fastening the PYMs to Shrinky’s legs. “There you go. All done. Ready to shrink?”

Shrinky narrowed her eyes behind her goggle lenses, and smirked, although no pony or changeling could tell behind the oxygen apparatus. “I was born ready.”

Fizzy raised an eyebrow, smiling. “Uh-huh. Sure you were,” she said as she walked behind the observation window. She leaned into the mic and turned it on.

“Ready when you are,” said Fizzy.

Shrinky nodded. “Shrinking in five… four… three… two… one… NO-“

The wall behind Shrinky exploded.

---

Shrinky was flying and shrinking, she saw Fizzy get knocked back as the force of the explosion imploded the window, sending glass and debris towards Fizzy. She quickly hit the button on the regrow PYM, right before slamming into the wall behind Fizzy, passing out from the pain. With only a few scratches and bruises, Fizzy crawled over to Shrinky to find her unconscious. She levitated over a saddlebag that had been knocked near her, as well as Shrinky’s notes and the recipe for the shrinking potion. She put them in the saddlebag, as well as reshrinking Shrinky, and putting her in the saddlebag as well, if only so Fizzy would know where she is.

Fizzy crawled over to the half wall and peered over the edge where the window once was. Standing in the gaping hole that was once wall, were three ponies. But as the dust settled, Fizzy barely restrained a gasp as she realized two of the three ponies weren’t ponies, but changelings. Unreformed ones. If Fizzy had to guess, they were part of the group that had replaced all of Equestria’s leaders in Queen Chrysalis’s second bid to take over Equestria, the one that was foiled by Starlight Glimmer and her friends. Everybody had wondered what had happened to the 12 who had replaced them, but nobody knew for sure. King Thorax had even sent out search parties but found nothing. But sure as day, two of the missing twelve stood in the hole. But standing between them was something else. If it wasn’t for the fact that Fizzy could clearly see pony legs, as well as the wings of a pegasus, she would have guessed the third figure was an alien or something. The pegasus was wearing green armor, with a strange, cone-shaped helmet. The armored pegasus flexed his wings, causing the changelings to move back. He then began flapping his wings in a circular motion. As he did so, he created a breeze that began blowing around the lab, rustling stray papers. But as he continued to do so, the winds got more and more powerful, into Fizzy was hanging onto the leg of the table (which was mounted to the wall) for dear life. Suddenly, the winds stopped, which caused Fizzy to flop onto her stomach unceremoniously.

“WHERE IS IT?” boomed a hoarse voice. “WHERE IS THE POTION?” Fizzy again peeked over the edge of the where the window was, and didn’t like what she saw. The green-armored pegasus was rummaging through the fallen items. He turned to the changelings. “You two,” he said. “Find the scientists. Maybe they can tell us where the potion is.”

Fizzy flinched. ‘Horseapples!’ she thought. “What to do what to do what to- I know!’ Fizzy fastened the saddlebag to her as silently as possible, and removed Shrinky from the bag just as quietly. She then pulled her goggles and breathing apparatus over her eyes and mouth and activated the shrinking PYM. She quickly shrunk down, and grabbed Shrinky as soon as she was finished. But as she began lifting Shrinky in her magic, she heard a voice say something that froze her.

“I heard something over there!” Fizzy could hear the sounds of quickly approaching hoofsteps, and quickly lifted Shrinky onto her back. She galloped as quick as she could to cover, diving under a loose piece of paper just as the pegasus and his changeling cohorts rounded the corner of the open observatory. As Fizzy hunkered under the paper, she felt Shrinky stirring on her back. She quickly slid Shrinky off her back and onto the floor. As Shrinky stood up, she began to ask, “What ha-,” but was quickly cut off by Fizzy’s hoof over her mouth. Fizzy moved her hoof over own mouth, silently shushing her.

Shrinky tilted her head in confusion.

Fizzy pointed to the edge of the paper, eyes wide in fright.

Shrinky’s narrowed as she slowly crept over to the edge of the paper and peered out. She did indeed see changelings, as well as an oddly dressed pegasus. She moved back under the paper and turned to Fizzy.

‘We have to get out of here!’ she whispered urgently.

‘How?!’ Fizzy whispered back.

Shrinky looked around. She saw a literal paper trail leading to the door. She pointed to it. “That’s how,” she whispered.

Fizzy nodded silently, and followed Shrinky as she made her way out from the paper. Neither the changelings nor the pegasus were facing them, instead focusing on papers away from the pair. As they made it to the first page, one of the changelings started walking their way, the hoofsteps shaking the ground like a low-level earthquake. The changeling made its way over to the door, and opened it and walked through. The other changeling headed back into the main side of the lab, while the armored pegasus followed the first changeling out the door, blowing up papers with their wings as he passed, almost exposing the pair of tiny scientists. As they walked by, Shrinky peeked out to try and see his cutie mark but frowned when she discovered the pegasus’s armor covered it. When the armored pegasus walked through the door, he shut it behind him as he murmured, “Where are those stupid scientists?”

As soon as the door closed, the pair immediately ran back towards where they had come from, decided to risk going through the gaping hole instead of braving the hall where the pegasus was. As the inched their way around the corner, they saw the changeling facing away from them, unaware of their presence.

Fizzy poked Shrinky to get her attention. “I can fly us out of here,” she said.

Shrinky shook her head. “No. We can’t leave without the potion recipe. It’s what they’re after.”

“That won’t be a problem,” said Fizzy, reaching into her saddlebag. “I have it right here.” She pulled out a scroll, and opened it, revealing the prize the pegasus and his crew sought.

Shrinky sighed in relief. “Excellent. Then let’s get out of here.”

Fizzy nodded. She wrapped her forelegs around Shrinky’s forelegs, and lifted her up as she began flying, leaving Shrinky’s lower half dangling. They flew towards the opening when the pegasus walked back into the room. Just as Shrinky and Fizzy made it halfway across the room, the pegasus spotted them. “THERE!” he yelled. “STOP THEM!” He took flight, as did the changeling in front of them, whirling around and hissing at them.

“OH SHIT!” yelled Fizzy. “HOLD ON!”

Fizzy dive-bombed right as the pegasus and changeling reached them, causing the two to collide into each other midair. Fizzy used the momentum to speed upwards and out the hole in the wall. As they left, they heard the pegasus yell in rage.

Comments

[Crack-Fic Casey]

Eh, pretty solid. Potion Yielded Module is pretty clever.

[IndigoMoon]

9922743
Thanks!

I worked for that acronym.