//------------------------------// // Inner Differences // Story: Tales from Tinies. // by MrAquino //------------------------------// SCREECH!!! CRASH!! A family, better known as the Evans, crashed their van into something. John Evans, the father, was going to take his family to his childhood amusement park, Valley World. That changed as a blinding light came near them, despite it being clearly in the day, and they crashed in a dark looking area. Samantha, his wife, woke up, relieved to see that she’s alive, thanks to both her seat-belt and airbag did their jobs. She turned to see her husband, who was unconscious. Even though her husband worked as a programmer, he was still relatively fit, and can take a beating. She looked back to see her teenage son, Andy, and barely middle-school daughter, Cathy, both of which were also unconscious. Turning, she unbuckled herself and got out of the car. Looking ahead, despite it being dark, there were patches of light coming through, and she saw that they had crashed into a boulder. A boulder? Huh… where are we?... Oh! Kids! She opened the door behind hers and pulled Cathy out. She coughed loudly before waking up. “...Mom?” she asked “I'm right here, sweetie.” her mom replied. “... Are we dead?” “No! We're fine. You, me, and-” the groans of their men interrupted. “... Stay right here.” She quickly opened their doors, letting out the Father and son. They soon regained consciousness and shook themselves off, but looked around, seeing where they're at. “Mom?” Andy asked “What just happened?” “We crashed.” Samantha answered “I know that, but where are we?” “... California?” John answered. “Oh-hoho! California? I don't think so.” A voice hissed around them. The Evans looked around in fear. “Did anyone just hear that!?” Andy asked, looking around wildly. “I'm sure we all did.” John answered. “Mom! I'm scared!” Cathy whimpered, hugging her mom's left leg. “There's no reason to be scared… not really.” The voice spoke, bringing the family into a close huddle. “Alright, enough games!” John yelled “Who are you!?” The voice snickered, sounding a bit sadistic. “Why, I'm the one who owns these parts of the woods, and you are all trespassing.” They all began to back up. “... We didn't know, sir. L-look, my family and I don't want any trouble, so we'll leave and-” “You really think I'm going to let you all go easy like that!? Oh, you Tinies are all the same.” “T-Tinies?” Samantha asked. “Behind you.” absent mindly following, she looked behind. She gasped and screamed. The family followed, and too gasped, but didn't scream. On two of the giant trees was something that was both gigantic and looked liked something Frankenstein would make. It was a mishmash of different parts of different animals, such as a deer antler, goat horn, an eagle talon & lion’s paw, a bird wing next to a bat wing, the leg of a lizard next to that of a horse’s, all connected to the body of some mammal that ended with tail of some lizard, that ended with white fur. It was on an equally large hammock, sipping on what looked liked to be chocolate milk. They huddled even tighter together as the creature turned to them with a sly grin across it's face. “Oh, I'm sorry for that,” it seemingly apologized. “It's not too often that I receive guests on these days.” “W-what are you!?” Cathy asked the question on everyone's mind. It began to snicker. “Oh, it never seemingly gets tired.” It lifted it's eagle claw and snapped as if it were fingers, disappearing from it's area and reappearing behind Cathy, now their size… well, at least two feet taller than John. “There are three things that I am!” “...How did you-?” Andy asked, but his lips were zipped… literally. His lips became a zipper. “Ah-ah-ah! I’m talking, remember? The Name’s Discord: Ex-Ruler of Chaos.” He teleported away, then appeared above them, floating on a cloud made of cotton candy. “I’m also what the locals call a ‘Draconequus’,” Again, another teleport, but he was back to his huge size, but his eyes, which were about as tall as an average man, and yellow with red pupils, were mere inches from the family. “And I’d like you all to guess what the third one is.” They backed up from his eyes. “...Friendly?” Cathy asked with some hope. “Annoying.” Andy said as he unzipped his lips. “A gentleman?” Samantha asked “Gonna show us the way out?” John finished with an awkward chuckle. Discord stared down at all of them. “Well, you’re not wrong by any means, but sadly that’s not the answer.” “Uh… what is it, sir?” Cathy asked, hiding behind her family. His pupils glew a brighter red as he seemingly had an evil smile. “I’m Hungry.” This caused the entire family to shake and back up. “Uh… we got some snacks in the car.” John offered, quickly realizing what was probably going to happen. “Take that and we’ll be on our-” They bumped into something rough. Turning, they all had bumped into a brick wall that came out of nowhere. “Oh, I don’t think so.” Discord cackled before disappearing. The floor erupted, and from the ground, giant plants formed around the family, but some moved out of the way, revealing four different paths. They were in the middle of a maze. “While I would enjoy just snagging you all and having myself a tiny-family snack, I’ll give you all a chance to get the heck outta here. The game is simple; make your way out of this maze I’ve made for you and avoid my various traps!” “...That’s it?” John asked. He turned to his family. “O-okay, don’t panic, everyone. I’m certain that we can do this together.” Discord laughed hard. “BWAHAHAHAHA!!! You really think I’d let you do that!?” More plants erupted from the floor and separated the family. “Mom! Dad!” Cathy screamed “Cathy!!!” Samantha yelled “You son of a bitch!” Andy swore. “Oh please, this just adds more of the fun for me!” Discord replied “Now good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!” The sound of the whistle, straight out of the Hunger Games movies, was sounded, followed by a booming noise. “Dad!” Cathy screamed “I’m scared!” “I-I know, Cathy.” John spoke, panicking himself “B-but be brave, okay? W-we’ll see each other again.” “...You promise?” “I promise, Sweetie.” “Your mom will be alright, sweetie,” Samantha added, calming her down “Along with your brother, right, Andy?” “Y-yeah… I-I think so.” Andy added, hesitant about the situation. “Let’s try to keep calm and not lose our heads, okay?” John spoke. There was an agreement between everyone. “Okay… I’ll see you all soon… and not in heaven.” He took his first steps into his part of the maze. Everyone else followed their own path, unaware of what Discord was planning for them. John John kept himself calm by whistling his favorite tunes. So far, nothing serious had happened. Perhaps this guy is also a liar. He thought to himself. Hope filled his mind as it may be possible that his family is safe. Perhaps they’re all the their exit… or is the exit unified? ...Eh, it wouldn’t be my first time being late for something. “John? John!?” Samantha’s voice spoke nearby. He froze and turned. “Samantha!?” What could be described as Samantha’s leg exited out of the corner of his vision, which was behind him. He turned and ran to his wife. “Samantha! I’m right here!” Unfortunately, she didn’t respond. He turned to see that she was on the other side of what looked the inside of a cave which, inside, was a raggedy bridge that looked like it could snap any second. He looked down, seeing that on the bottom was spikes and various bones, meaning some creature (or someone) unfortunately fell to their death below. He gulped, seeing Samantha walk another corner. He looked at the bridge. What do I do? I can go ahead… perhaps she won’t go that far. But then again… there’s probably another way around. The way he came in was blocked by a huge boulder in the way. There was no way he could push it out of the way. “Bridge it it.” He took a deep breath and made his first step on the first plank. It let out a loud creak with his first step. Looking behind, he quickly reminded himself that it’s this way, or take forever pushing a large boulder. He made his way across the bridge, each creak getting louder. Samantha came back, standing at the edge. “Samantha!” Samantha didn’t reply back. She walked to the end of the bridge and began to mess with the rope. “Samantha?” SNAP!!! The bridge began to lose control. John screamed, remembering this scene happening in Indiana Jones. It was exciting in the movie, but for it to happen in real life, and cause by his wife… this was frightening! “Samantha! What are you-?” Samantha changed shape, turning into Discord. “One down, three more to go.” He spoke in Samantha’s voice, followed by an evil chuckle. “...Discord!!! You-!” SNAP!!! He held on, screaming his head off! The exit was now impossible to get at, and the other end was beginning to fall down. John began to hastily climb his way up, but- SNAP!!! “... Oh-” He free fell to the floor below. He covered his eyes and braced himself for being impaled, or even just splattered all over the floor. RIP!!! He fell on something, but it wasn’t a floor, but… paper? He opened, realizing he was free falling into some liquid. SPLASH!!! John swam his way up and took a deep breath. He looked up, seeing the light and that he was in something that was perfectly circular. Bubbles were around him and popping. “What the-?” He asked aloud. He sipped the liquid around him. “...Chocolate milk?” The place shook as loud boomings were heard. The booms, as he can tell, weren’t that of something stomping, but, very faintly, it had the clicking noise of ping pong balls. Cheering was heard around him, sounding like he was in a stadium, if he could see. More clicking of Ping Pong balls, and he screamed as a large white one fell into his area, splashing everywhere and putting him underneath the surface. He swam up and quickly gasped for air. Oh God! This is Beer Pong! He screamed internally. As he suspected, Discord’s eagle talon entered the cup and scooped the ball out. John wanted to swim and grab ahold of Discord’s talon as his means for escape, but not only was he too far, but the place shook and he felt the place rising. Hyperventalating, he felt the place began to tilt. Looking behind, he saw the open maw of Discord, drinking the chocolate milk down into his throat, passing by his sharp teeth that can slice anyone into pieces, as well as that single large tooth that stuck out of his lip. John tried to swim his way against the wave of chocolate milk, but he felt himself freefalling in air… and past the teeth. He could only reach out as the mouth began to close around him, sealing him in darkness “NO!!! WAIT!!! PLEASE!!!” He could only feel the place leaning and himself falling down. GULP! Samantha. To say she was panicking would be an understatement. Samantha traveled at a snail’s pace, unaware what sort of traps would happen and if she’d make it out alive. Oh, John! I knew we should’ve stayed home! Those reports of disappearing people may have diminished, but they’re still happening! Oh No! What if Cathy’s in Discord!? And Andy!? He’s Claustrophobic! What if John got eaten as well!? I’m probably the last one alive!? What do I do if-? “Mom?” Cathy’s voice spoke “Mom!? Are you here?” “Cathy!!!” Samantha yelled, tears in her eyes. She ran around, yelling for her. “Cathy!!! Mom’s here!” “Mom? Where are you?” “Right here! Where are you!?” Silence, followed by Cathy screaming. “CATHY!!!” She ran to her screaming daughter, tearing up rapidly. Cathy’s screamings became muffled by something. Samantha saw that the screaming ended in a path that was covered by webs. “...CATHY!!!” Silence. Oh no… Cathy… please… She wanted to go in, but if there’s one thing she feared a lot back home, it was spiders. It’s either her… or yourself, Samantha… please, don’t let it be too late. She took a deep breath and made her way into the webs. With every foot she traveled in there, not only did the place seemingly get darker, but the webs got thicker. It was only then that not only was she stuck in the webs and can’t move, but she can barely see what was in front of her. “Cathy!? Cathy!!! Are you here!?” Silence… but only some loud splats. “CATHY!!!” The webs around her became thick and felt slimy. She fell onto her stomach, covered by the slimy webs. She felt some weird, warm liquid falling onto her back. Truth be told, it did felt somewhat comfortable, but there was no way to tell what was happening. Then the place felt like it was moving, right before she felt a small ‘cling’, similar to that of a plate. “Your order, Mr and Miss.” A french accent Discord spoke. “Order!?” Samantha yelled. The darkness was lifted, and she saw that the webs had became noodles, and on her back was marinara sauce. On her left was the beast, Discord, wearing a tuxedo, and on the other was another discord, this one looking feminine with a necklace & tiara, entire face was white, a long horn stuck out of it’s forehead, and had a turquise, green, light blue, and purple hair that seemed to flow, despite no wind around. “Would you care for the first bite, Celestia?” The Tuxedo Discord asked. “Oh, I would, Dissy.” The other replied in a really bad female voice. The sound of spaghetti being stabbed pierce’s Samantha’s ears, followed by some weight being lifted off of her. She struggled to free herself from the spaghetti noodles, but, whether it was from her imagination or it was happening, the noodles came alive and wrapped around her. More of the spaghetti was lifted, but she heard an accordion-ukulele duo playing. Samantha quickly realized that it was Bella Notte, the song sang during the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp. Discord must have a sick sense of humor, reenacting the famous dinner scene with her as… the meatball. Realizing what was going to happen next, she wanted to scream for help… but her mouth was gone. She felt herself rolled over, close to the feminine Discord. Luckily, she wasn't stabbed, but was lifted straight up, near his lips. It opened, and she was slowly being taken into the maw. Her screams could only be muffled as she landed on the tongue,and the place began to bounce her around with the teeth clashing as ‘Celestia’ chewed. Then, the tongue flipped, and she fell face first into Discord’s throat. GLURK!!! Andy I knew we should've stayed behind. Tony was so close to helping me ask out Stephanie. Maybe I should've made a lie in the first place… but they're too stubborn to listen. Andy kept to himself, looking at his phone, checking the time. “Sheesh! It's been an hour?” As much as he wanted to, he couldn't surf the web. While he would, the problem was that there was no Wi-Fi around, and his data was utterly gone. If only he hadn't caught that pokemon last week. But he bump into something rough, but smooth. Looking up from his phone, in front of him was a green pipe, ripped straight out of Super Mario Bros. Above it was a neon Exit sign. Andy looked behind, seeing that it was now a dead-end. It could be a trap… but if it's worth the risk… He climbed up the pipe. Automatically, he went down with the sound effect. Andy walked out to an all too familiar underground level, also from Super Mario Bros, complete with the music. He made his first few steps, following the path, but something fell right behind him. Looking behind, he saw that it was Discord, but round and looking a lot like Pac-Man. Discord began to chase Andy, making the “Wakka” sound effects. This was enough to get Andy moving. “I thought this was cool!” he shouted, jumping over the various pits beneath him. While there was no enemies from the game, much to his luck, Andy was starting to get tired. He was a person, and not like the video game characters that can run seemingly forever. However, he saw what was an exit ahead; another pipe. He made a mad dash to the pipe at the end, and with a hop, he grabbed onto the edge. Andy climbed himself up and entered the pipe, seeing the Pac-Man Discord dissappear in thin air. “Game Over!” Discord spoke. “Game over!?” Andy demanded. “How!?” “You know Mario and Luigi can't climb in those games. You cheated. Cheaters get an automatic Game over.” “How was I supposed to know?” The pipe shook. The floor became soft and squishy, and the entrance to the tunnel became… teeth. It shook again, as the entrance began to animate. “My rules.” Andy suddenly realized that the pipe became Discord’s mouth. He ran and screamed, only for the mouth to close on him, and the tongue beneath him to flip him over. He grabbed ahold onto the tongue, inches away from the throat, only for the uvula to disconnect, roll to the front, and come to Andy, quickly becoming a bowling ball! He screamed and released, only to quickly regret that decision. GLUP!!! Cathy Cathy traveled alone in the maze. Being alone was the worst thing she could experience. Sure, she had her own room, but she knew someone was nearby and in the house with her. Her father was afraid of nothing, her mom was supportive & loving, and her brother, despite being a jerk, cared for her. But they were in the maze, each going through and, hopefully, finding their exit. Please… let Mr. Discord be nice. I want my family back… She teared up but saw a light. It wasn't a regular light, but that of the sun. Was this the exit!? Without hesitation, or thinking, she ran to the light, joyful tears in her eyes! She ran much faster than she could think of… and landed on the grass, right near a field! Confetti fell around her, and next to the exit, laying on the maze, was Discord, doing his own manicure on his claws. “About time you made it out.” He said, not batting an eye to her. “I was beginning to think of giving everyone a map.” “Oh! Uh… Thanks?” She replied, unsure how to react. “... What do I do?” “Get outta here, of course. I kept my word, after all.” “...can I wait here? I want my family to know that I'm safe.” “Sorry, but they won't be doing that.” “W-what do you mean?” her answer came as Discord let out a loud burp, and out of his mouth came some clothes... her family's clothes. She stood in frozen fear as Discord patted his belly. “That's why, Sweetie; they're with me.” “Y-y-you ate… them?” “Well, duh! I was hungry! A big guy like me needs to eat, and your family answered that call.” Cathy's eyes began to tear up. “... Oh no! Don't you start!” she began to sniffle. “I'm warning you! Don't you-!” She began to bawl out, wailing in sorrow. “MOMMY!!! DADDY!!! BIG BROTHER!!! NO-O-O-O!!!” Discord plugged his ears, huffing in annoyance. “And I hate this part.” He muttered to himself. “Hey! Kid!” She didn't hear, still crying. “Kid! Yoohoo!?” Still crying. Annoyed, he snapped his talon and went into her ear. “Your family's safe!” This got her to stop. She continued to sniffle, but she wasn't bawling anymore. “W-what?” Discord snapped to his regular size, holding Cathy by her belt with his tail. “Your family's fine. Shaken and stirred, but alright.” “... H-how?” Discord groaned in impatience. “I seriously need to tell the Cake gobbler on this tired trend.” he conjured up some cue cards and read from them. “Something about you coming, accident, people being tasty, blah blah blah, magic spell, Yada Yada, you're just safe in anything's gut, okay!?” “... Really?” “Yes, really! If it weren't, then this would be as bad as Attack on Titan… morally and plot-wise.” “So… they're fine… in you?” “Do you want me to be a parrot!?” he transformed into said bird “Squak! They're safe inside!” he turned back to normal. “There! Satisfied!?” “... Um… how would I know if you're telling the truth?” “... Well that's something I haven't seen. Not trustworthy of me, are you?” His head turned into the head of an orange pony with white freckles and wearing a stenson. “Ah ain't the element of honesty, but Ah can assure you that I ain't lyin’ here.” he turned back to normal, but had Cathy in a candy costume. “Or you can wait for Princess Luna. She has such a sweet tooth for kids that are lost and in need of a family.” Cathy could only blink as to what he's saying as his actions were, for a lack of better words, random. She took her costume off. “I want to see my family!” “Ooh! Impatient, I see? Well, here's your offer!” The place turned into a game show with Cathy behind a booth. Discord appeared next to her, small, but taller than her. “Right behind Door number 1, we have…” the door opened, revealing the field. “Leaving! Here, the choices are yours: do whatever you want with no obligations! Only problem; the locals. Solution; the locals! Right behind door number 2 is…” the next door opened, reveal a vortex. “A portal to a pocket dimension! Safe as a safe, but boring beyond anything! Perfect if you have a phone and data. Plus, free Wi-Fi. You'll be outta there when your family gets out of the 'you-know-where.' And the last door, we have…” the last opened, showing Discord’s open maw with hanging neon arrows pointing into his throat, and his tongue sticking out as staircases. “Discord’s gut! Your family is in there, waiting for you to enter the fun! But boy does it smell in there! So what will it be, contestant? The highway? The bored way? Or my way?” Cathy looked at the doors. The first one was very tempting, as not only would she be free, but if Discord was telling the truth, some of the locals would no doubt hurt her, and when night came, she was going to be eaten by this ‘Princess’ Luna. The second one was a real wildcard. It swirled around, and there was no telling what was on the other side. It could be a trap for all she knew. Finally, there was Discord himself, ready to eat her. His teeth looked like he would enjoy eating people, and was intimidating, but, at the same time, he didn't seem to try to bring harm to her. But then again, what if he didn't have her family; with how random he is, she could be the first. All of these had their pros and cons, but which one would be the best? Cathy took a deep breath. It was worth the shot… she walked ahead into Discord’s mouth. Her feet squished on the tongue, and Discord’s breath landed all over her. The scent of Chocolate milk, cotton candy, and spaghetti assaulted her nostrils. She looked down into his throat, seeing the muscles expand, wait for her. She looked behind, seeing Discord’s mouth still open, giving her a second chance to walk out. “...I'm trusting you on this.” She said. With a jump, she fell into his throat. SWALLOW SOUND EFFECT!!! The way down was constricting. Discord’s throat muscles squeezed Cathy's arms together, though she could still breath and look around. Looking up, she saw the light fade away, and down, she saw another one. It didn't take her long to feel her legs enter an open and warm space. She fell into, not a pool of acids or flesh, but… a tour bus? All around her were other people; other families, some dating couples, tourists from other countries, all on this tour bus inside the gut of Discord. “Thank you for joining us on Around the Cord in 80 minutes,” the hostess, another Discord wearing a dress, spoke as the bus stopped. “Please, take your stuff and enjoy the rest of your visit in Physiology Park! The exit is to your left.” “... What?” Cathy simply asked as everyone exited. To her left was her family, in their clothes, safe and unharmed, next to another Discord wearing a police outfit. “Mom! Dad! Andy!” she ran and hugged her family. “Oh,sweetie!” her mom spoke. “We were so worried about you!” “... Where are we?” “Physiology Park.” The Cop Discord answered in a Dutch Brooklyn accent. “The only amusement Park inside a living being. Made by, supported by, and maintained by the Lord of chaos himself, Discord. Now you all have a great day here!” he walked off, whistling a tune. “So...he was telling the truth.” “He could've fooled me!” John spoke, leading the family away. “I thought I was dead. Who knew Beer pong could be frightening!?” “But you're an expert, honey.” Samantha replied. “That spaghetti made me want to go home!” “Sheesh, and I thought mine sucked.” Andy added. “I'm probably not going to be able to touch another console again.” “...um...how did you wind up here?” “... Well… I won.” Cathy answered. “And he offered me the chance to join you all in something similar to… the price… is… right.” They all realized that Discord had eaten them by using their favorite things in the world. The same officer appeared behind them. “Oh, and since you're new, the exit’s in the you-know-where. No mess there, we promise! Enjoy your day!” The family awkwardly chuckled together as they walked away. They all stopped as they saw the park in it's glory; it was a weird mix of all the famous theme parks, albeit, organ themed and inside Discord. Andy took a guest map, showing an X-Ray of Discord and the various rides they can go on, such as Brain Drain, Tunnel of Cardio Vascular love, Pirates of the Pancreas, and, though this seemed like the last one, Emergency Exit. “... I... think we should get on some rides.” John suggested. Everyone agreed and walked ahead, ready to explore this bizarre park and decide if whether or not they'd be fine coming here every once in a while. Outside, Discord began to write a lengthy letter to Celestia, regarding how annoying it is to tell newcomers about how they'll be safe in their guts. Next to him was a bowl filled with other tinies, all waiting anxiously to get eaten by the lord of chaos himself and have another fun day in his park, to which he'd grab a handful and seemingly 'chew' on, though it was meant for fun. It was interrupted by another car crash. “Another one!?” he groaned. “This is the twelfth one this day!” He turned to the tinies in his bowl. "Alright, no chewing today." He lifted the bowl and chugged everyone down, swallowing with then down in his throat at a time. When he was finished, he peeked out and saw the new crashed vehicle. “Ooh! A bus full!” He looked through a telescope he conjured up and licked his lips. Inside was a whole bus full of students from some elementary school “Oh-hohoho! Looks like they'll have the day off today.”