Aesop
"Shrink, Jack," Fredrick said. His four legs were spread, his eyes were focused, his breath was steady, and he managed to make a couple sparks explode from the tip of his horn. The black colt stood a few feet away from him, staring passively, waiting for something to happen. He looked around the room, wondering if he could leave. Black Jack had just been trotting out of the castle gates when his princess came upon him, and asked if he might help her with something. Of course, being asked by Princess Celestia herself, he immediately said yes, and soon found himself standing in her throne room. He was being used for target practice, something he did not quite like, but the princess assured him he was in no danger.
Princess Celestia, with a gentle hoof down Fredrick's back, whispered, "Use his full name. It can help with concentration."
Fredrick took a deep breath, and once more prepared. After a deep breath, he said, "Shrink, Black Jack," but still all that emerged from his horn were a few fireworks and sparks.
Princess Celestia smiled down at Fredrick, and then to the muscular black colt who was starting to grow both nervous and impatient. "Thank you for your time, Jack, and I'm sorry to have bothered you."
Black Jack bowed his head. "It was no trouble, ma'am." He quietly trotted out of the throne room, pushing the heavy door open with his head and then allowing its weight to swing it closed.
Fredrick sat on the ground, sighing, head hung low in shame and failure, but Celestia gently brushed a hoof over his back. "It's an advanced spell," she explained. "And not a particularly practical one, at that. I usually just use it for party games, as you know." Fredrick chuckled softly to himself. For the past month or so, he had been attending special classes with her. Celestia saw something in him: untapped potential and she felt the urge to nurture it, help it to grow. While most unicorns showed an affinity for a specific type of magic, Fredrick seemed quite capable in all the schools, although not as technically sound as a purist in any one. He was a bit of a jack-of-all-trades in that way, his Cutie Mark changing depending on the spell he cast, something quirky that Celestia seemed to like. But try as he might, this shrinking spell was just not working for him. He understood what magic to use, how to focus, how to stand, and all the technical aspects of casting. And yet he just could not get it right. It wasn't even a matter of failing at the cast. He would have felt better if the spell backfired and shrunk him, or made his target grow giant: at least that would show some progress! Whenever he tried, the most he could do was cast a couple fireworks. Personal tutelage from the princess, and he had yet to make an inch of progress!
"Do you know how old I am, Fredrick?" Celestia asked, earning a blank, even frightened stare from the colt.
"I... uhm... I... y-you... There's really no right answer for that."
Celestia laughed softly. "Let's just say I'm up there in years. I have had centuries to practice each and every spell, in every spell book known to pony kind, and there are still ponies better at certain things than I am. Luna is better summoning the moon, the time that she was... away, I dreaded every dusk and every dawn. And Shining Armor can erect barriers that make mine look like soap bubbles."
"I don't understand, Princess Celestia."
"Do you think I'm any less of a pony, because I can't do everything perfect?"
"NO! Of course not! By Celestia... you're Celestia!"
"Then why do you hold yourself to a higher regard than I? Why do you hate yourself when you have a little trouble after only practicing for a month? You have years before you have reached your magical prime, and yet you are more advanced than some ponies who have studied these spells for their lifetime."
"I... I..." Fredrick swallowed, starting to hyperventilate, but caught himself. At last, he bent one of his forelegs, and lowered his head. "T-thank you... Princess Celestia. I will do you proud."
"I know, Fredrick." Celestia looked over her shoulder, out one of the stained glass windows. "If you will excuse me, I'm going to check in on Luna. She was kind enough to watch the day while I tended to other matters. I would like you to practice the "Bubble Shield Throw" spell I showed you last week. Learn it cold, since it's much more practical than being able to shrink others. Tomorrow, we can give this another shot."
Fredrick smiled, and happily trotted out of the throne room, and out into the hallway. But after a few steps, his smile had faded, and his trot became distinctly less perky. The fact he was failing so spectacularly with this one spell irritated him to no end. Sure, most spells weren't easy, but at least he could do something after several hours to trying, again and again. He was far from a master of spells, but he could do most of them after several tries to get them right.
He knew he should head back to his room and relax, but just didn't feel like it. Red Velvet, his roommate, would want to comfort him, but he didn't want to burden her with his own problems. So he simply walked, simply trotted through the halls of the grand castle, without any final destination in mind. In fact, it was purely by chance that he happened to pass the Star Swirl the Bearded wing of the library, and purely by chance that his eyes wandered down, and he noticed that the gate lock was sparking in curious fashion. He lowered his head and examined the lock closer, and then touched his horn to it, but was given a furious shock. He quickly pulled his head back, and looked around. No Royal Guards were around. He could run to get Princess Celestia, but he wasn't even sure this was anything important. No sense in bothering her, especially since she was busy guarding the day. He could just go back to his room. Maybe it was nothing but a glitch in the magic lock, but Princess Celestia had told him to trust his instincts, and after a moment to focus, he formed a petite orb at the tip of his horn. He guided the orb forward, up against the sparking lock, and slipped it inside. The orb exploded suddenly, and the lock was obliterated. He pushed a hoof against the door, and stepped into the library.
The library was dark, but then, the library was always dark, so he didn't actually find that odd. But every hair of his mane was standing on end. He tread lightly, his horn only providing the bare necessity of illumination. And when, off in the distance, he saw a distant glow, he extinguished the glow of his horn. He lowered to his belly, and as quiet as his hooves would allow, approached the source of illumination. He held his breath and scooted along, fearful to make even the smallest noise.
There were four ponies in total; two unicorns, a Pegasus, and an Earth pony, and all four were plucking books off the shelves, skimming them, and then carelessly throwing them over their shoulder into a pile. Fredrick squinted, trying to make out the four faces or cutie marks, and soon became confident that these were not Royal Guards. Fredrick looked over his shoulder, thinking of running to fetch some back up, but was not sure how much time there was. The four ponies were looking for something, and if they found it, they would no doubt flee. And, considering this library held some of the most dangerous spell books in all of Equestria... what could they be looking for?
Fredrick's horn suddenly sparked to life, producing a glow that blinded the four ponies, as he stepped forward. With as strong a voice as he could muster, he said, "In the name of Princess Celestia and the Kingdom of Equestria, you are hereby under arrest. Surrender, and you will not be harmed."
The two Unicorns turned, and abruptly released a massive blast of arcane, which struck Fredrick hard in the front. A groan escaped him, as he was knocked several feet back, but managed to land on his hooves before landing. His horn sparked to life, but before he could release a counter spell, the Earth pony was upon him. He was an absolutely massive creature, and a stomping hoof upon Fredrick's crown disrupted his thoughts. His horn flickered and then went dead, although the two Unicorns provided enough illumination to see. Fredrick tried to rise, but the Earth pony was now lying upon him, smothering him under his girth. And if Fredrick attempted a spell, a firm whack to the hoof canceled his concentration.
"Buck!" one of the Unicorns shouted. "Buck Celestia, what is this little twit doing here?"
The Pegasus sighed. From what Fredrick could see, she was of medium size, although had a surprisingly stocky build for a flyer. Her fur was dark blue, with a lighter shade of blue for her mane and tail. "Shut it," she said firmly, and the Unicorn went quiet. "It doesn't matter why this one is here, it just matters that he is. Glacier, you got him?"
"Yeah, Boss," said the Earth pony above him.
"And I got the spell book!" said one of the Unicorns. "The White Book!"
The Pegasus snatched the book away from her compatriot, and skimmed the pages. A smile grew wide across her features. "Perfect."
"What do you want to do about the Guard?" Glacier, the Earth pony, asked.
The Pegasus looked passively to Fredrick, and shrugged. "You mean the witness?"
Fredrick's eyes opened wide, and he began to struggle more. His horn sparked, and he shouted, "Shield." But the hoof came down upon his head, smashing his nose into the ground, and the magic flickered and died. "Boss... I mean, Sparky over there can just mind wipe him. If Celestia finds a corpse, she might come after us with all the more fire and brimstone."
The Pegasus trotted over calmly. "Suppose we mind wipe him, and Sparky over there leaves the smallest trace somewhere deep inside. And Celestia explores his mind, and finds that little thing, and then she knows exactly where to find us, what then? Crush his skull."
The Earth pony sighed, and nodded. Fredrick started to fight and struggle, horn sparking again and again. "Don't struggle kid, you'll only make it hurt worse. Just let go. It'll be quick." The hoof remained on his head, slowly applying pressure, but Fredrick continued to fight. He could feel his skull yielding under the weight, slowly and gradually. He could feel his eyes almost ready to pop out of his head, feel a trickle of blood forming in the tunnel of his ear. His mind raced, his breath caught in his throat, and without thinking he screamed the only spell he could think of. "Shrink!"
There was a blinding flash of light, and then near absolute quiet. The weight was no longer on his skull, and so, Fredrick was able to place his hooves beneath him, and slowly press himself up. He shook his head several times, his ears ringing, and a headache, the likes of which he had never fathomed, formed behind his eyes. He looked around, unsure what he had just done, until he saw a miniscule spot of grey on the ground. He lowered his head, curious, and focused his eyes. And then he smiled quite wide, upon recognizing that the little pony at his hooves was the one who had tried to kill him not a moment before.
The first thing that Fredrick did was look to his flank, and to his great delight he saw a plus sign, above a minus sign, emblazed in his fur. He squealed with delight, leaping into the air happily, but then noticed that the shrunken Earth pony was attempting to flee. Grabbing him with his magic, Fredrick held him safe in the air, and then skimmed his eyes left and right. He spotted the two Unicorns together. They were easy to pick out, as they had foolishly tried to use the glow of their magic to illuminate where they stood. Then the Pegasus was plucked out of the air. She had been beating her wings furiously in an attempt to get airborne, and Fredrick snatched her up with his magic's grip.
Of course, Fredrick's first thought was to bring them before Princess Celestia. They had wanted the White Book; something that Fredrick had never seen before, but assumed must be something of value. Keeping the four miniaturized ponies in the air, he skimmed through the book, but strangely, every page was blank. Fredrick rolled his eyes, and looked back to the four ponies he was holding in the air, the Earth pony and Pegasus especially. He knew he should take them before the princess, for proper judgment, but he found it difficult to let go of the fact that they were going to murder him not five minutes before. And his head hurt so badly. He would bring them before the princess, but first...
Fredrick carefully slipped his shoes off his hooves, and took a few steps back and away from them. He looked to the four ponies again, and then down at his four shoes, pondering something. A smile crept over his face. He moved the four ponies to his shoes, releasing his hold on them and allowing them to fall the short distance to the ground. He quickly filled the shoes with his hooves, before the ponies could climb out, and was surprised when a ticklish feel suddenly touched the underside of his hooves. He shivered, and pulled one of his hooves out, looking down as if shocked. The Pegasus, Boss, glared at him, and flapped her wings as hard as she could to try to escape her new prison. Fredrick filled the shoe with his hoof once more, this time only giggling at the ticklish feel on all four of his soles at once. He knew the four ponies would be fine. That was one aspect of the shrinking spell, Celestia had explained: those effected were nearly impervious to blunt damage. Besides, even if something did happen, they were enemies to the kingdom. They got what they deserved.
Fredrick tried to act casual as he trotted back to his quarters, although it was not easy. He was giddy and excited, and grew more so each time his hoof came down and he felt the delightful squirm of a tiny in his shoes. He earned quite a few confused glares from his fellow Royal Guard, but he didn't care. When he finally trotted through the door and into his personal quarters, he was practically bouncing with each step.
Red Velvet was in the room, lying on her back, on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She was spread eagle, her wings and legs stretched to the sides. She barely lifted her head when Fredrick entered, although when he repeatedly cleared his throat, she finally rolled onto her belly and gave him a token acknowledgement of his existence. All and all, Fredrick always fancied Red Velvet pretty, save the fact she was almost comically short. Her fur was a very nice shade of red, with streaks of white throughout her mane and tail. Her mane was worn slightly to the left, covering some of her face. And he liked her cutie mark: a white heart emblazed against her scarlet flanks. She stared at Fredrick, and then rolled back over, lying on her back once more.
"Did you have fun with Black Jack?" Fredrick asked, trying to suppress the giggles that wanted to escape his lips. Now that he was standing still, his full weight was upon each of the four ponies, and boy did they squirm!
"Yeah... he brought some cupcakes from the village, and we had a picnic out in the main garden."
"Then why are you moping around?"
"I just miss him."
"He was just here."
"And now he's not!" Velvet shouted, now on her hooves and glaring at the Unicorn, who chuckled softly. Velvet plopped forward, now lying on her belly. "I just... I miss him. And seeing him now, it just makes me miss him more. And I'm worried about him. Black Jack is-"
"Kind of a jerk?"
Red Velvet glared at him. "He has trouble making friends, sometimes. He's not... he's very shy, and people figure that he's being a jerk, when he's just really shy. He never talks about what he's been up to. I just hope he's not sitting at home, goes to work, goes back home, goes to work. I just wish-"
"He wasn't such a jerk?"
Red Velvet glared again. "You ever been kicked in the face by a pony going Mach 8?"
Fredrick smiled. "No need to get violent, Red. In fact, I come baring gifts." Red Velvet lifted her head and looked over the Unicorn, who took his time carefully slipping each off each of his shoes. Using his magic, he moved the four shoes forward, making a neat little row. Red Velvet's wings flapped as she took to the air, lifted off the bed, and then carefully lowered to the ground. Suspecting this may be a trap, she hesitantly stretched her face forward, gradually approaching the shoe, when suddenly a tiny head popped out. Velvet leapt back quickly and into the air, before looking to Fredrick, who was grinning. "I got the Shrinking Spell to work!"
Red Velvet took a breath. "Well, that's great, Fred. But what the buck are these ponies doing in your shoes!"
"They were trying to ransack the library, looking for the White Book. Does that mean anything to you?"
"You're the magic user." Red Velvet carefully bit the shrunken Earth pony's nape, and lifted him out of the shoe. She placed him on the ground, and then gave him a careful flick with her hoof, having to suppress a loud giggle as he went tumbling back. "Why didn't you bring them to the princess? You know you can get in trouble for this?"
"I'll bring them before the princess, I promise. I just thought that you and I might have a little fun with them first?" Fredrick looked down at the collective group. "Isn't that right? A little fun would be nice, huh?" He watched the four ponies, sure that none would attempt to bolt as he carefully folded his rear legs, and soon let his rump drop the rest of the way. Fredrick was not a large pony, but his full weight slamming upon the ground must have shook it just enough that that one Unicorns ended up on his side. Fredrick carefully braced himself, his fore hooves between rear legs, and his rear legs stretched out in front of him. The hooves that the shrunken ponies had gotten so well acquainted with were now towering before the group, who all simply stood there, shivering. All except Boss the Pegasus, who didn't attempt to flee, but wasn't shivering.
"Rub my hooves," Fredrick said bluntly, staring down at the four ponies. The three couldn't bear to move, but Boss the Pegasus stared up defiant.
"No," she said calmly.
Fredrick leaned forward, and whacked his hoof, the tip colliding with the Pegasus' front. Her wings were immediately out and flapping, trying to ease the force of blow, but it still left her stunned and tumbling. She looked up at the looming pony, who scooted forward a bit on his rump, placing his large hooves closer to his captivate audience. "Rub my hooves," he said again, watching the four tinies. Boss the Pegasus eventually trotted forward, and braced herself on the hoof as she rose to her rear legs. Stretching her wings out to aid in balance, she carefully pushed her fore hooves forward, pressing them right into the taught skin that covered Fredrick's soles. After a glare from Boss, the other three ponies trotted forward, the Earth pony accompanying Boss on Fredrick's right hoof, the two unicorns at his left.
They felt delightful. Day in, day out, trotting in a uniform step, his hooves were quite sore. It was nothing that bad, in and of itself, but it was a constant dull ache, ever present in the back of his mind. Some ponies actually believed that the shoes the Guards were forced to wear were purposely uncomfortable, to prevent the guards from dozing off when on duty, but the real problem was, Unicorns simply were not built as hardy as Earth ponies were. Fredrick was fairly strong, fairly active, especially since undergoing his training, but he had not been out in the field working since he was a foal like Earth ponies were. Being on his hooves for over twelve hours a day was something completely alien.
For the same reason, his hooves were delightfully sensitive to the pressure that the four shrunken ponies could cause. Boss and the Earth pony especially, they really got into their work: slamming their weight against his hoof, rubbing in little circles over it. The two Unicorns did what they could, but their body was weak, all and all. One actually tried poking Fredrick's hoof with his horn, which earned chuckles and giggles from their massive overlord. When they looked up to him, frightened, he gave a nod of approval.
Fredrick's eyes happened to Red Velvet, who was sitting on the floor, watching intently. A stray hoof been drawing little circles in her belly fluff, and then began to stray lower, approaching the curve of her groin. She looked to Fredrick, and shamefully lifted her hoof away. Her wings flapped and she tried to get to her hooves, when Fredrick said, "You can join me if you'd like."
Still fluttering cutely in the air, Red Velvet moved closer. She lowered herself slowly, carefully, and then assumed a position similar to Fredrick's, with her legs stretched out before her. She scooted forward on her rump, lining her hooves up, and then pressing them up against the little ponies' backs. She scooted again, squishing the ponies between her red hooves and Fredrick's, feeling their wiggles come to life and make her giggle softly. Her hooves were even softer than Fredrick's; she rarely ever walked on them when she had her wings. And the way they beat and squirmed against her, it made her start to whine and neigh softly. She pulled her legs back, and then pushed them forward, this time driving them hard against her four captives. Oh, how they struggled to keep from being pinned, their efforts doubled and yet it still wasn't enough.
"This is brilliant spell," Red Velvet muttered. Again, one of her hooves inched over her belly and to the sweet, supple curve between her rear legs. She touched herself very gently, applying a bit of pressure, and then sighed. "By Celestia, I'd give my wings if it meant I could shrink Black Jack whenever I pleased."
Fredrick pulled his hooves back, and the four shrunken ponies all plopped to the floor, gasping and groaning loudly. Fredrick's magic embraced the four ponies and he lifted them up, examining them. Eventually he passed the two Unicorns and the Earth pony to Red Velvet, plopping them down between her legs. "Do as she says," Fredrick ordered. "And I may just show you mercy and place you before Celestia's judgment. But if you do not, I will crush each one of you beneath my hoof, just as you were so eager to do to me."
Fredrick turned to the Boss. "As for you... You and I are going to have a discussion before I bring you before the princess."
Fredrick turned, and trotted into the bathroom, using his magic to ignite the magical flame that would illuminate the room. He closed the door, and flicked the hook and eye to lock it, before setting Boss down before his hooves. She glared up at him, defiant, stern, although her tiny body shivered as his gaze did not move away.
"Who do you work for?" Fredrick asked.
"Buck... you..." the Pegasus spat. Fredrick sighed, lifting his hoof and then bringing it down upon her, so fast she did not even have a chance to scream. He flattened his hoof against the ground fully, feeling as the durable body of the Pegasus sank into the tender flesh. It felt amazing, the full form of another pony completely smothered against his foot. It caused a sense of power like he had never known, feeling her pressed so hard she could not even twitch, quite different then when she had the soft sole of the shoe at her back. It was a long time before he lifted his hoof up, and even longer before his breathing had slowed to a point he could talk.
"Who do you work for? Who wants the White Book?"
Boss began to breath heavy, but still stared up at him. "I'll never talk!" she shouted.
And so, once more, the hoof came down, crushing her against the ground, although this time Fredrick rolled his weight forward and back, giving her room to squirm and tickle the underside in a pleasant way. He left her under there, giggling softly, and then groaned as he felt an odd tenseness between his legs. He took his hoof off her, and walked to the mirror to inspect himself, and learn why he was feeling so flustered. Hanging there, between his rear legs, was the start of his pony pride. He felt moderately embarrassed at his inability to control himself, but just as quickly didn't care, and looked back to the Pegasus. With his absence, she made a beeline for the door, perhaps hoping to squeeze under the crack. In fact, her front was already under the crack, only her hindquarters struggled to squeeze through. Fredrick caught her by the tail and pulled her back, lifted her, and held her dangling in front of his face.
"What is your name? Your full name."
The Pegasus had to think about if she should share that information. Eventually she said, "Boss Mare."
"Grow, Boss Mare."
Fredrick dropped the pony to the floor as his horn began to spark, and a subtle glow overtook her. Fredrick watched as she began to return to a more normal size, but before she had finished her growth, he ordered, "Stop." Her growth slowed down, and he inspected her, seeing that she was now about the size of a young foal.
A stiff hoof knocked the Pegasus onto her back. She groaned, attempting to stand, but Fredrick placed one of his hooves on her stomach, applying pressure until she stopped squirming. To his knowledge, a shrinking spell compacted the subject's mass and density into their smaller form. That was why they were so much more durable. What rules applied when a subject was not quite as shrunken but smaller, Fredrick was not sure, but he assumed the Pegasus could tolerate his weight on her stomach. He lifted his other fore hoof, and hovered it ominously over Boss' face, before asking, "Who do you work for?"
"Buck...y-" Before she could finish her slur, he had dropped the hoof upon her face, grinding it against her nose and her mouth. Not quite as pleasant as when she was tiny, but not bad, and he wiggled his hoof side to side. She began to struggle and fight and he simply applied more pressure until she stopped moving at all.
"Lick my hoof," he ordered. And when he did not receive immediate obedience, he lifted his hoof and slammed it down again. "Lick, kiss, and nibble, or I will do what you ordered your brute to do to me."
Boss closed her eyes, and slipped out her tongue very slowly. She brushed it over the soft, quivering skin of Fredrick's hooves, earning a chuckle. She brushed her tongue over again, and again, and then opened her mouth to nibble gently over the sides of the hoof and toes. "Mmm, yes, good. Now the other one."
Before Boss could protest, Fredrick was climbing on top of her, and sat his hips down on her crotch. His fully engorged and warm erection lay in her belly fluff, a dribble of white oozing out of the tip and coating her fur. Fredrick's other hoof came down upon her mouth, and slipped between her lips, filling her mouth with the taste of his foot. She gagged bitterly, but then began to lick and nibble, just as he had asked before.
She thought this awful punishment may have ended when his hoof left her mouth, but he simply trotted forward, trampling his hooves down upon her body, causing shots of pain to run through her. As his upper body left her and fell to the ground, he brought his rear hooves forward, and took the time to stomp each of them into her face. She knew her duty, and licked as enthusiastically as she could, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. Aside from how demeaning it was, tending to a pony's hooves like this, the view was far from pleasant. Fredrick's penis was almost completely out of the sheath, leaving the air she was forced to breathe absolutely stifling with musk. The swaying organ above her made it clear who was in charge, and she would not be surprised if that was his intention. She just hoped that a drop of white wouldn't roll out of the slit and splash her in the face, how revolting.
At last he climbed off, though simply walked in a tight circle. He took the time to drop each of his hooves upon her once more, walking on her, and then finally walked a bit away. Boss rolled onto her belly and attempted to stand, but Fredrick again climbed on top of her, pinning her small body down. "This is your last warning," Fredrick said. He moved his hips forward, pressing his dribbling slit right up against her buttocks, making her heart jump into her throat. "Who do you work for? What do you want with the White Book?"
Boss' eyes were wide as she felt the heat moving slowly between her cheeks, soon very gently poking at her quivering vent. "Discord!" she shouted. A hoof slammed into her crown, driving her face into the floor.
"Discord has been vanquished," Fredrick said.
"No, no, no, no.... There's a cult that worships him. He's a god, it's impossible to vanquish him, but he's powerless now. They need the White Book to return his power to him. They hired us to get it. That's all I know, I swear, please by Celestia don't do this!"
"Shrink, Boss Mare," Fredrick ordered, and watched as the pony beneath him reduced to a more manageable size. He gathered her with his psychic power, and trotted out of the room. Red Velvet was resting on the bed, on her belly. The three shrunken ponies were on her back, hoping up and down, apparently trying to give her a back massage. Fredrick snatched them up, and zipped out of the room.
He raced to Celestia's throne room so fast, it was a wonder there wasn't a lightning bolt on his flank. She was just coming in from her time as a guard. With the evening dusk, Luna would watch the night, and Celestia was looking forward to a nice long sleep. "My princess," he shouted, crashing into her room, earning a confused yelp from the white pony. "I was depressed after I couldn't make the spell right so I went for a walk and I passed by the library and I came upon some ponies and I confronted them but they attacked me and they were-"
Celestia spread her wings and lifted her hoof, gently telling him to be quiet. "Calm down," she said. "It will be easier if I simply read your mind. May I?"
Fredrick nodded quickly, and focused his thoughts on what the little pony had told him. Celestia's eyes glowed, her horn sparked, and she gently delved into Fredrick's most recent thoughts. After a moment, without saying anything, she looked to door to her throne room. It practically exploded off the hinges in a spectacular show. After a moment, Shining Armor, wearing only an evening robe and with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, came inside, yanked by the tail by Celestia's magic. His confused bafflement moved to a respectful bow as he looked upon his princess. "Armor," Celestia said, her voice stern and solemn. "Take these four ponies to the dungeon. Put them in the Cell Block X. Do not let anypony speak to them. Do not speak to them yourself. Simply put them in, and lock the door. Erect a shield over the entire cell block. I will be in shortly. Do not allow anypony, ANYPONY, speak to them, including my sister. If she has a problem with it, tell her to take it up with me."
"Uhm... y-yes my princess," the Shining Armor said, trying to speak without causing the toothbrush to plop to the floor. He erected a small shield around the four shrunken ponies, and trotted out of the room.
"As for you, Fredrick," Celestia said, turning her gaze to him. "I know that you did not immediately come to me. I know that you took them to your quarters with the Pegasus, and had your own brand of justice inflicted upon them."
"I..." Fredrick took a step back. "I... they were going to murder me! I..."
"Fredrick... There is an old quote that my father told my sister and I, every night before we went to bed. 'Wondrous is it to have the strength of a giant, but tyrannous to use it, as a giant does.' I have shown a great many spells, a great many abilities, given you a great deal of power, but instead of behaving as a true Guard should, you have chosen to abuse that power, and disregard the laws that have been placed down. We do not need to interrogate our prisoners with such barbaric methods. Had you brought them before me, I could easily have probed her mind, and that would be it. What you learned is of value, but that was not your intention. You sought vengeance on the pony who hurt you, but that is not how we do things."
Fredrick bent his head. "I... I... I'm... sorry..."
Celestia eyes glowed, as she looked deep into Fredrick's heart. He was sorry, to be sure, and not only because he had been caught, as most ponies would be. He was sorry he had disappointed her, his princess, and he was sorry he had let down all of Equestria. Had he brought these ponies before Celestia sooner, she would know that much sooner, and deep his heart, he was terrified that his blunder had cost all of Equestria somehow. That, somehow, Discord would now be freed because of his folly.
Fredrick bowed his head. "Whatever my punishment, my princess, I accept it."
Celestia thought a moment. "All things must be taken into consideration: the crime that now sits on your shoulders, but also your exemplary service as one of my adjutants. And that you have brought a truly troubling conspiracy to light. And your age. Fredrick, you are still young, and you have much to learn about the nature of power. You're a good pony deep down, you have simply made a poor choice. Although, I am happy you still exercised restraint. I will tell you this: should you ever use your power in a way unbecoming of a Royal Guard, you shall be exiled from all my kingdoms. That you uncovered such a heinous conspiracy cannot absolve you of your crime."
Fredrick nodded.
"Now, for your punishment...Shrink Fredrick." Fredrick looked up to Celestia, eyes wide. A subtle smile was on her features. "I think that a week of Sock Duty will be punishment enough."