//------------------------------// // The Strange World. (Guest) // Story: Tales from Tinies. // by MrAquino //------------------------------// What was a normal day in the world suddenly changed within seconds. No one expected something straight out of a fantasy movie to happen in their everyday lives. People began to glow all around their bodies, and within seconds, they ceased to exist. Nothing was left behind; clothes, wallets, purses, keys, they vanished with the person that had them. And just like that, panic broke out everywhere. In one of the trains, a young man in the UK ran past the panicked crowd, standing on one of the seats, watching people vanish in the large glows. When he wished something exciting would happen a few days ago, it had been answered by whatever deity was listening… and Luke wasn't happy about it. His mind was all over the place, unsure what this was all about. Some form of rapture? An experiment gone wrong? Was the Matrix broken and everyone's being freed to the real world? It didn't help that the people glowing asked for help, but with no context on what's going on, it might as well have been a death trap. But as he made it to his stop, right by his apartment, he noticed his hands glowing. His body went stiff as the glow went all over his body. If there was one thing he wish he could do, it would be to call his family and say goodbye. That, and maybe have a pint or a smoke. But he couldn't do any of those; just pray it's not going to send him straight to hell. When the light went away, his vision had to adjust to the new place he landed in. As soon as it came back, he was a bit taken back. He was in a bedroom of sorts… a bedroom that was now gigantic. It looked pretty neat, actually. From the looks of it, some woman lived here, as the place smelled clean, the bed he stood on was pink, and on the counter was a profile picture of a blue horse for some reason, sporting a stubble beard. His mind went screwy, unsure if this was all a dream or not. He heard the door open and slam shut with the sound of… hooves running inside? Sanity was close to being thrown out of the window. It was seemingly a normal day in Ponyville. Everypony trotted along, doing their jobs, hanging out with friends, or perhaps making new ones. But just as everything was seemingly going normal, small flashes began to appear everywhere at random. Just as the small flashes appeared, in their place was a 3 inch tall, bipedal creature of sorts that had exposed skin, hair on top of their heads, and wore what looked like clothes. To say it was surprising was an understatement; panic broke everywhere upon the arrival of these small creatures. Among these ponies was an earth pony mare with a blue coat and a yellow mane with tail, wearing a pink bow. What was supposed to be some time buying groceries to make dinner turned into a panic attack as small creatures appeared from nowhere. In fear, she ran away, nearly dropping everything she had bought, fortunately avoiding any of these small creatures. Their sudden appearance was one thing, but how they looked like, if there was anything special about them, or if they were dangerous… she didn't want to figure it out. All she could do was hide in her house and wait. She ran into her house and slammed the door. The man jumped in place upon hearing the door open and slam shut. He heard what sounded like the clip-clops of a horse’s hooves trotting, with a woman panting, speaking to herself. “What's going on outside!?” Her voice spoke. “What are those things!? Where did they come from? Why are they here?” He wasn't too sure what she was. And by her word choice, the ‘vanished’ people had landed here… maybe not in the same area, but perhaps this world. Truth be told, he was scared out of his mind, unsure himself. Maybe he could introduce himself to this woman? Well… whatever she is, really. “Uh… you ok, ma’am?” An unfamiliar voice of a man spoke. The pony jumped with a squeak, unsure who said that. Best guess is that it's one of those small creatures that appeared, somehow getting into her house. She opened the cabinet and pulled out something, though she couldn't see, as the voice came from her bedroom. “W-who’s there?” She asked, her teeth chattering. “Relax! I'm just as unsure as you are.” She walked slowly into her room, readying her weapon.         To his surprise, walking into the bedroom was a horse of some kind. It was covered in a blue coat and had a yellow mane with tail. Despite it being an equine, it wore a pink bow on the back of its head, and had a skirt draped over its back legs. The real thing that caused him to worry was its size; this horse was a giant, easily towering over him and most buildings. In its right hoof was… a wooden spoon. He backed up a bit, holding up his hands to show he meant no harm. “Whoa! Ok, calm down!” He spoke. The giant horse screamed, throwing its spoon and backing away from him. “IT TALKS!!! THEY CAN TALK!!!” She screamed. His ears rang a bit, but he didn't want to make it worse.  “Uh… yeah… and you're a talking, giant horse. Your point?” She gave a curious look.   “Giant? I'm not a giant! And I'm just a pony. You're a small… thing.” “Thing!? I am a human! And you can't be a pony! Ponies are only three feet tall, you're WAY over that size limit!” The pony cautiously approached him; he backed up again. “Ok, I take it back - I'm the small one! Just don't-” “Huh… you're pretty cute!” She stopped and puckered her lips abruptly, and her cheeks turned a little bit red. He paused and blinked. “... Excuse me?” “You're an adorable little fellow.” She said again, the blush slowly fading away on her cheeks. “Uh… thanks?” She stood up and straightened out her mane before gently picking up the small creature from the floor. “I hope you don’t mind if ask you a few questions,” she said.   Her enormous hoof surrounded him as he felt the nauseating sensation of rising through the air, climbing what would have been skyscraper height in a matter of seconds.  He shook as he grabbed her hoof. “I-I’ve got questions myself, actually… just don't drop me, ok?” She walked into what looked like a kitchen with a dining room nearby. The giant pony sat on one of the tables, setting him down.   He was mesmerized; this mere animal somehow had a human lifestyle (albeit larger than life) right before his very eyes - kitchen, table, food supplies...bizarre. “Well, I dropped you,” she joked. “But what's your name?” “It's Luke, ma'am. Yours?” “Cuteamena. But you can call me Cutea.” “Uh… right… this is going to be interesting.” Two hours had passed for both parties. Luke had learnt about this land of Equestria, its rulers, some of the various creatures, and that ‘his kind’ were recent arrivals. To Cuteamena, she’d learnt about Earth and a good sense of what it's like.  As they were talking, the door suddenly opened and flying speedily in was the stubble-bearded blue stallion from the framed photo earlier. Luke was a bit nervous upon meeting another giant pony, unsure whether they’d be as welcoming as Cuteamena.  He did notice, however, that this pony had wings. Surely it wasn’t the fantastical pegasus? “Electric! You're back!” Cuteamena exclaimed; her boyfriend locked the door in panic and panted heavily. “They're everywhere!” He hyperventilated. “Those… things! Those small creatures! Those-” He paused and saw Luke. “THEY'RE IN OUR HOUSE!!! GET RID OF IT!!! GET-” “ELECTRIC!!!” Cutea shouted. “This ‘thing’ is a human, and he has a name.” She picked Luke up and introduced him to Electric. “Electric Blue, this is Luke. Luke, meet my coltfriend.” “Uh… it's nice to see you.” Luke spoke, offering a hand - and feeling pathetic for how small it was compared to the giant stallion.  Electric Blue was unsure, using one of his firm wings as if it were his hand. “Uh..  hi.” He spoke as Luke shook the feather. It felt strange to both parties, to say the least. “There we go,” Cutea began. “now that we've greeted each other, shall we give him a tour of both our house and Ponyville?” “You're not serious on keeping him, are you?” Electric asked. His marefriend scolded him with a vicious frown, and he shrugged back. “What? He's not a pet.” “No; he's a guest.” She nuzzled the tiny human. “It's alright, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you under my watch.” Luke nervously patted her muzzle. “Uh… yeah… thanks.” Several months had passed since Luke and the humans had arrived in Equestria. Despite being a mere 3 inches tall, everypony had found these tiny species to be more than useful - from retrieving small items to getting an itch they themselves couldn't reach, everything seemed great for both creatures. Of course, it didn't take long for something else to be discovered - one that caught Electric off-guard, and made him utterly sick to see. He knew he had to tell Cuteamena about this… ‘But would Luke be comfortable around us if he knew too? It’s probably best to tell him later.’ Inside their house, Cuteameana prepared dinner as Luke rested on her mane. Luke may be small, but he tried his best to help around the house and aid the pony couple in relaxing a bit - from massaging them to trying to do their Hooficure. Truth be told, Cuteamena felt like Luke was becoming a servant - but he simply told her it was the least he could do for being welcomed into their home. Of course, his fascination meant he enjoyed nestling in their manes and observing what they did daily; in this case, watching Cuteamena prepare dinner, today apparently a salad.  The door opened, prompting Cutea to turn and see Electric Blue enter. “Bluey!” She cheered, trotting to her coltfriend. “Hi honey” Electric replied, then seeing Luke on her head. “Hey, Luke.” “Hey.” The tiny human replied. “I'm just making us dinner,” Cutea explained, “one of our favorite delicacies - Garden Salad!” “Oh! That sounds yummy!” Electric replied, but then he leaned in. “Can I have a word with you?” His marefriend tilted her head in curiosity.   “Is there something wrong?” “No no, nothing's wrong - but it needs to be between us only.” “I did something wrong?” Luke asked. “No! It's uh… I found a place… but I need Cutea's thoughts.” “Ah, fair enough. I'll cover my ears.” Luke said, and with a sigh Cutea lowered her head and allowed Luke to climb down, placed on the kitchen counter next to the salad mixer. Electric strolled away, walking into the bedroom. The mare followed, looking nervous.  “Blue? What's wrong?” She asked. “Is the place far?” “What? No! It's-” Electric took a deep breath and sighed heavily. “It's not about Luke moving away. It's… something I saw.” “Oh… well what did you see?” “... At the park, I saw…” - he shivered - “Rainbow Dash eating...humans.” “WHAT!?!?!?” Cuteamena yelled, prompting Electric to shush her immediately. “What's wrong!?” Luke asked from the kitchen. “Uh… J-just the locals!” Electric fumbled before turning to Cuteamena, who shivered now. “H-how could she do s-such a thing?” “It's not just her.” “Wait… others were doing it?” She asked, and Electric nodded and lowered his head. “I saw ponies everywhere, left and right, hunting and eating these humans, as if they were cats with mice.” “W-why? There has to be a reason. That would kill small creatures like those.” “I thought the same. As it turns out, there’s science behind it.  See, while I was at work I met some stallion from the Canterlot labs...he told me that humans have been discovered to have an intense and pleasant flavour; they’re considered the tastiest things around here, and the spell that made them small - when they were transported into this place - also keeps them safe from being digested.” “... D-did you-?” “I was offered, but I refused. Those humans… they were terrified… I can't do something like that.” “Oh thank Celestia. But what about Luke? Are you going to tell him?” “Not yet. I don't even know when would be the best time to tell him… all I do know is that the human villages are safegrounds for his kind. We ought to show him them calmly. If it happens, if either of us get affected… then he has a place he can live.” “What if he asks?” “... I… don't think he'd want us to eat him.” Luke’s voice suddenly interrupted from next door: “Hey! Shoo, flies!” “I think we mustn’t worry for now, as long as we know where he is.” “Agreed.” Cutea nodded, and heading back into the kitchen she saw Luke using a toothpick as a spear against some flies. The mare went to shoo the flies away. “Hehe, thanks for that, Luke. I'll take it from here.”  She swatted the flies away, giant in size for the poor human, and neatly aligned the toothpicks on the counter. Luke, exhausted from his brief fight, lay down to recover as Cutea opened the window. “So, how was your day?” Electric asked her. “Funny you should say that. Today, we both played a game of…” As Cutea spoke, turning her full attention to Electric, Luke placed his ‘weapon’ down and strolled past the salad down on the counter… or, he would have. He tripped on the line of toothpicks, landing face first into the unwashed salad leaves, which was presently picked up by the mare and placed into the salad spinner under the sink. Luke popped his head out of the salad, looking up to see the underjaw of Cuteamena high up above. “Hey! Wait! Down-!” Luke called out, but his shouts fell on deaf ears as the distracted Cuteamena turned on the tap, washing him and and the leaves immediately. The water came gushing down, and Luke felt like someone had just turned on a waterfall on his head - or a strong jet of it, at least.   Soon he was engulfed in darkness; the lid was placed, and after a few presses and noises from above, everything began to spin rapidly. Poor Luke was hurled into the sides of the container. Immense salad leaves tumbled around him, their moisture causing water droplets to splash onto him and drench him.   Everything went blurry for him, making him want to puke, especially when everything came to a halt. He couldn't move now, with the world spinning around him, as the freshened salad was picked up by an unseen force and placed in two large bowls. All Luke could see was the blurred blue figure with yellow mane, hidden past the green foliage. “...But that's all that happened.  Nice day.” Cuteamena finished, before stirring the salads with a pair of tongs and adding some oil. “Huh… you two seem to get along well.” Electric answered quietly, taking his seat in front of his bowl of salad.  “Give it a month and he’ll know you better than I do…” “Oh please, I don't think he has the potion you got all those years ago.” Cutea grabbed her fork, took a large amount of leaves, and took a huge bite. “Mmm… totally never realized how hungry I was until now!” “Agreed.” Electric sat down and began to eat his salad quietly. Luke's vision steadily came back, and he looked around to see the green foliage around him echo a loud crunch. He jumped as he saw giant, sharp prongs heading straight towards him. Luckily for him, he cowered to one side; the prongs missed his flesh, but caught him by the shirt. A loud crunch reverberated around the forest he now found himself in, and Luke was picked up,along with the greenery. It dawned upon him, as he rose, that he had wound up in a bowl of salad, and turning around, realised his situation in more vivid a way as possible: he was facing the gaping mouth of Cuteamena!  In clear detail, afforded the view he had of it, Cuteamena still had small pieces of salad in her mouth and stuck in her teeth, with webs of saliva connecting the top half of her mouth to the bottom, trickling all over her throat at the far end. It did not make for a nice view at all, and Luke almost froze in terror, were it not for his shrieking voice: “Cuteamena! Stop! Pleeeease don't eat m-!” CRUNCH!!! Luke's vision turned dark, wet, and warm: he was in the mouth of the mare. Before he could process anything mentally, her mouth went into full motion - he bounced everywhere on her tongue as it dictated the show, with the salad around him getting hurtled into the immense jaws of mountainous teeth.   These teeth crashed down on the leaves, the chomping sounds echoing all around as they ground the leaves into mush. Luke fought for control of his own body as he was tossed here and there, trying to seek shelter under the leviathan tongue on whose surface he now stood. Indeed, every taste-bud around him cradled him between each other, and the brightness of the outside light came bursting in and blinding him as the sweet mare seemed not only oblivious to his presence inside her mouth, but also manners (in chewing with her mouth shut). CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH!!! “CUTEAMENA!!! STOP!!!” Luke yelled.   He watched and listened as the massive gnashers chomped and tore the salad leaves to bits, in a most voracious and carnivorous way.   And I thought ponies were vegetarians, he thought.  Desperate, he thought that maybe his clothes would be detected by her taste-buds, and so he tried to roll around - but covered in water and salad fragments his efforts were futile. CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH!!! Everything stopped. For a minute he thought his plan had worked...but Cuteamena’s tongue rose up, pushing Luke and her mushed salad back towards her throat.  Luke felt himself sliding down along the bumpy surface of her tongue, and saliva and mushy bolus tumbled and overtook him on either side. The noise was like the sound of rushing water as they all headed towards the gaping throat ahead.   Despite it being dark, Luke knew what was happening, and tried to grab a hold of something, anything - and as Cutea opened her lips slightly, he was afforded a glimpse of his surroundings. Looking up, he noticed her immense uvula dangling above the entrance to the throat, guarding its cavernous entry with its intimidatingly-gentle swaying; he could even hear it swaying overhead. He envisaged himself going down her throat, with no way to escape.   “CUTEAMEEEENAAAA!!!” He screamed. GLURK!!! Electric and Cutea were nearly finished with their salads.   Electric looked up suddenly. “Oh shoot! We forgot to offer some food to Luke!” “Oh yeah, we were too busy being hungry...” Cutea replied, looking around and gulping loudly as she swallowed. “Hey, Luuuuke, want some salad?” There was no answer as she called. “Uh… Luke? You there?” She got up and walked to the kitchen counter; Electric followed suit.  Luke was not on the counter, nowhere to be seen. Cutea looked worried now. “Luke? Now's not the time for hide and seek. Come out now.” she ordered. “Wait a minute, don’t move.” Electric flapped his wings and rose off the ground, flying close to it though and examining the floor there. “Oh thank Celestia! He didn't fall to the floor!” “Oh no! Did I sit on him?!” She presented her flank to Electric; the stallion blushed and tried to ignore his lustful urges, shaking his head. “N-no, you didn't at all.” “Well, where is he!? He must not be left alone in case-!” They stopped as they heard a muffled scream. “Did you hear that?” Electric asked with a blink. “Yeah.” “It sounded like it came from-” “HELP!!! I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!” Their faces went pale, as they pieced together a most-unfortunate reality.   Electric, almost reluctantly, winced and leant his ear into his marefriend’s abdomen.   He pulled away and gave her a regretful look that in turn made her realize she had accidentally eaten Luke.  Cutea looked down at her belly and poked it, inadvertently causing Luke to scream. Electric again pressed his right ear on the light-blue stomach near her navel. “Luke? Luke, can you hear me?” “Electric!? Get me out of here! Cuteamena ate me, and if we don’t hurry she's gonna-” “Calm down, mate! Take a deep breath and-” “WHY IS THERE A HOUSE HERE!?!?!? She ate someone else!? Is this all some kind of scheme for you to torture us people!?” “No! Don't go in there!” Electric flapped his wings angrily and flew to the refrigerator, pulling out a can of soda. He presented it to Cutea. “Drink fast, hurry!” Cutea nodded, quickly opening the can and chugging the contents. After a few seconds, her stomach bubbled, followed by her cheeks perking up and- BBBRRAAAAAP!!! She belched long and loud. Despite the gigantic burp, Luke didn't fly out as either had hoped. “... I think-.” Cutea began. “Wait there, hun.” Electric replied.  He zoomed upstairs to his study’s mini-fridge and pulled out a beaker containing a yellow liquid. Without any hesitation, he downed half of it and soon enough, within seconds, he began to shrink rapidly.   Now the size of a fly, he whooshed back down to the kitchen, heading towards his lover’s mouth as she looked around in confusion and panic. Cutea let out a long “Huh…?”, and Electric flew right inside her mouth in time to hear her ask “Where did you go, honey?”.    It was only when she felt a bulge in her throat, going faster than her own muscles would force it, that she knew what had happened.  Gently massaging her throat, she muttered: “go get him, lover-boy...” Luke had taken refuge inside the bizarre house that was inside Cuteamena's stomach. All around him the stomach gurgled and sloshed loudly, processing its contents into nutritional sustenance, with Cutea's breathing and distant pounding heartbeat adding to the deafening sounds. The salad she had eaten swiftly dissolved in her stomach acids as bubbles rose, and thick slime oozed and dripped from the stomach walls and above. Despite all of this, the house he was in seemed the most normal to Luke, despite its location being in… well, the stomach of a pony. The door was locked but a window had been left open and allowed him to enter this strange and curious abode, limited in decor but certainly enough to get by.  A loud gurgle erupted - a gurgle that told him that Cutea ate something - but he avoided looking at the oesophagus that teased him of freedom. What made him jump - and nearly scream - was when Electric Blue entered the house. “What!?” Luke asked, confused. “How did you-!? You're in-!? Aren't you-!?” “For starters, this is MY house.” Electric answered, picking Luke up off the ground. “Secondly, I make a potion that I acquired from Zebrafrica that allows me to miniaturise myself - sometimes I come to live in here for some peace and quiet. See?”  At this point he pointed to one of the photographs hung up; this one showed Cuteamena opening her mouth for the camera and a hardhatted-Electric posing in front with some timber, tools and a thumbs-up with his feathers. He continued: “Thirdly - I wish I didn’t have to tell you this - but Luke… your kind is now officially at the bottom of the food chain.” “W-What!? Are… you saying-?” The human looked hurt. “Ponies everywhere are hunting your kind and eating them left, right and centre.  Yes, I know - I saw it happen. Whatever curse, or magic, brought your kind to our universe has not only altered the perspectives and dimensions of your species to ours, but sadly made you taste delicious, apparently. I would like to think it is not out of malice or sadistic joy that ponies are ingesting you folks, but the good news is that somehow you are kept safe in our stomachs.”  He looked at his own stomach now, as if searching for some verification that he was harmless. Luke swallowed hard as he took this in.  “I...I can’t stay here then...this is all a trick...you’ve been friendly to me just so you and your mare could get the satisfaction of swallowing me!” “Uh, in case you haven't noticed: I'm just as small as you right now, so I can't exactly swallow you. And this is just an accident.” “And how would you know!?” “We tried to get you out, mate. Look, if it'll help, I'll get us out of here and I can personally take you to the local human village. There, you can be safe and have your own home and not worry about being eaten by anypony. I did find a potential house in there you may like, if it means you'll be comfortable being away from us.” “Who’s to say you won’t just get me out of here so you can eat me?” “You’ll have to trust me.  I promise I will introduce you in the human village.  Or, we can just sit here and go fishing in her stomach.” Electric gestured to his fishing rods hung up, and Luke gave a confused look. “She swallows whole fish?” “No, but she may have accidentally ingested a bug, maybe a parasite, without looking or knowing too much about it.  I’ve gotta protect her. ‘She’s my everything’ has a whole different meaning at this size.” Luke tried his best to come to terms with this, and as a sign of respect Electric lay down and gestured to be stroked.  Luke stroked his hand gently along the stallion’s dark blue coat, a sensation that was surprisingly warm and comforting at this moment.  The stomach shifted slightly as they could hear the sound of Cutea rubbing her belly outside, and Luke finally offered his hand. Gently, Electric licked it humbly.  He tried not to show his true reaction: it did indeed taste amazing, the greatest flavours his tongue had ever received. Instead, he offered a smile and gestured for Luke to hop on his back.   With a flap of his wings he headed for the sphincter marking the entrance to the throat. Cutea felt something come up her throat, but didn't try to re-swallow it, but opened her mouth to let Electric and Luke out. Through the gaping jaws of teeth they flew, and Electric grew back to his normal size within seconds, carefully placing Luke on the floor. “There we go,” Electric spoke. “Now, I think we should-” Luke made a mad dash for it, running to a mousehole before he could finish. “No! Wait! Luke!” Cuteamena yelled, jumping at him. She was too late, as Luke went into the mousehole, disappearing from sight. Both ponies looked into the hole in the wall. “Luke! Come back!!! I'm sorry! It was an accident!” Cuteamena yelled into the hole, her muzzle practically inside it. “...shoving your mouth in his face won’t help, darling.   I don't think he's willing to listen.” Electric replied, internally hurt after their petting bond.   “But he's going outside! We need to-” “Let him go. We can't hold him forever and make his fear of us grow. I'm pretty sure he found the human village already the other day. We should go look for him in a week or so and see if he wants to come back.” “And if he doesn't?” “If he doesn't, it's his choice, and we should respect it.” Electric turned around and sighed, hoping Cutea won't do anything drastic. Cutea continued looking into the mousehole. “Please be safe, Luke.” Luke sprinted out of the house and to the big outside world. His adrenaline was working on overtime, and he felt like he was on the brink of collapsing. Looking outside, a simple flower was the height of a lamppost, or a telephone pylon, with the houses around easily trumping most of the skyscrapers back home. Of course, surrounding the area was ponies, all ranging from the different subraces, age, looks, and colors. Were they not gigantic - nor supposedly maneaters - it would be nice, but the latter made him more than wary, wanting to avoid them as much as possible and slinking under some leaves. He watched in silent horror as a rainbow-maned Pegasus mare pinned a fellow person on the floor, gave a lick, then engulfed them, casually swallowing them. The sight made Luke turn and run across the house, hiding around the corner. Everything flipped on him: these once-friendly giant ponies are monsters that loved to eat people. Truth be told, he just wanted to break down and cry, but couldn't risk giving him away. Sneaking between bushes, he darted to a side street.  The street wiggled out from the mat. Fortune favoured him as eventually he saw a village in the distance, and getting closer to it, he could make out it was filled with people around. Since it appeared not to be within direct threat of ponies on the prowl, he advanced. With adrenaline fueling him, Luke ran towards the make-shift village of homes made from models and trash, hoping to escape the horrors of what the ponies would do to him. Some people noticed him running towards them, taking a step back to let him through, and gesturing him to enter. As soon as he entered, he fell to the floor, nearly passing out with his lost of breath.      “What on Earth happened to you, stranger?” “He looks brand-new!” “Look out, he might be feral haha” Luke steadied his posture and composed himself, a slight quake in his voice as he spoke to the surrounding crowd: “About two miles that way, there’s this giant community of IMMENSE horses that ea-” “Oh, we know,” one of them silenced him.  “That’s Ponyville, and they’re a friendly bunch at heart… kinda. A couple of them like us a bit too much, if you know what I’m saying…” A few laughs followed, so Luke questioned: “Sorry, you mean to tell me you guys are not only aware of our dire position but are okay with it?!” “They’re fine folk, most of ‘em wouldn’t hurt a fly!” A guy, dressed up like a doctor, replied, helping Luke back up. “But by the looks of it, you’ve just had a bad encounter with somepony. Let me guess; a love interest? A guardian? A friend? Any of those three and they ate you?” “... uh… yeah… that one… who are you?” “Sorry, name’s Phil. Dr. Phil, as folks here jokingly call me. And don’t worry, we’ve all been eaten before. Just last week, I was accidentally swallowed by Nurse Redheart after I fell into her glass of water after setting some medicine up for one of her patients.” “And… you’re fine with it?” “I was a bit peeved, but it wasn’t the end of the world. It could've been worst; I could've been eaten by Rainbow ‘Gulper’ Dash, right fellows?” Various chuckles and murmurs of agreement went through the crowd. “Oh yeah, it's practically everyone’s initiation here with the gulper.” A woman replied, sipping from a canteen. “You'd be surprised to see how much people she ate. I thought she was gonna burst.” “... And… everyone’s alright?” Luke asked. “None of you were traumatized?” “Eh, we get used to it.” Phil answered. “I mean, it could be worse; they could digest us, take us away from our farms, or even kill us like bugs, but they’re not bad at all. Chances are, we’re not gonna be back on earth anytime soon, not in a million years...but as far as new homes for humanity goes, this one isn’t as bad as you may think.” He offered a canteen to Luke. “Come on, let’s find you somewhere to sleep for tonight while we get a new house built.” Luke looked a bit worried, unsure how everyone here can be nonchalant about giant ponies eating people. But by the sound of Phil, and everyone else here, they sounded pretty sincere about it. With nowhere else to go, Luke accepted the drink and followed Phil across the makeshift village that was a far cry from home. Living with Cuteamena and Electric made him sense there wasn’t going to be a lot of modern stuff like back home, television or cell phones, but here… well, everything was a lot more open, yet crowded at the same time. It was going to take him a while to adjust to this new life, one of being in an ‘open cage’ of sorts with other people around, all from different parts of the world. A week had passed since Luke ran away, and Cuteamena & Electric Blue had been unable to cope with the guilt of frightening their guest away too long.   They decided to head out to the nearby Tiny village to see if he was there. Chances were hopefully that he’d be there; if he wasn’t, then Electric could find Rainbow Dash and see if the aforementioned gulping pegasus had got to him first. Hopefully, the latter wouldn’t need to happen - it’d be very embarrassing for Electric to have to ask Dash to cough Luke up, given the poor guy’s previous bad experience with being eaten. The pair approached the tiny village, seeing the recycled models and trash used to make the various ‘buildings’ the tinies now called home. It was weird for Cuteamena to see some of her old socks being cutted out and knitted into small jackets, and Electric’s various bunsen burners were made into open campfires. Their relief came when they saw Luke playing a game of cards with some other people, all laughing, showing that they had found something nice to help pass the time. Luke noticed the pair, dropped his smile, folded his hand, muttered something to the group before getting up and heading towards the two ponies. Electric and Cutea looked a bit nervous, stepping back as Luke walked out of the village’s borders, standing in the open with the two towering above him. “Uh… hi.” Cutea began, nervously waving at the human. “Hey.” Luke replied calmly. A momentary awkward silence followed, until Electric spoke up:  “So… you found the human village. Looks like they’ve welcomed you in here with open arms.” “Yeah, I made a couple of friends. They’re nice. A bit crude, but hey, gotta do something here.” There was another awkward silence. “Luke… about what happened…” Cuteamena began nervously. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been paying attention. Had I known you were in there, I wouldn’t-” she looked like she was gonna tear up. Luke approached her and placed a gentle hand on her right hoof. “Calm down, it’s ok. I forgive you. It wasn’t your fault Cutea; you were both so hungry and didn’t see me fall into your salad. If Electric had eaten me, it wouldn’t be any different.” Electric blushed.  “The point is, the guys here have all enlightened me about what’s going on in this place. Naturally it takes time to adjust and I just reacted a bit in panic last week. If only we’d known this before.” Electric swallowed, “I knew a little before we met you but I was struggling to find the courage to say it.” Luke stared at him with a death glare. “I wasn’t sure how you were gonna act, especially with Rainbow Dash lurking around...” “... Anyways…” Luke turned back to Cuteamena. “The point is, I’m just glad you found and took care of me when this all started. And… looking back at it now… I’m kinda curious what you think I taste like.” The final note made Cutea’s eyes wide. “You… want me to eat you? … Here?” “Well… not here, per se, but can we take it slow? And, of course, with Electric… if he wants to eat me, that is.” “Uh, no thanks on that.” Electric replied. “One lick was quite enough. And to be honest… you’re not my cup of tea.” “... Ok! Whoo! Only one hungry pony to fill up now, I guess… with permission from you both, of course.” Cuteamena looked at Luke, a bit unsure, but licked her lips, picking him up with her hoof. “I’m very curious on what you taste like, Luke,” She spoke very anxiously. “I couldn’t really taste you amongst the salad haha...And don’t worry, my Bluey needs some company, and I doubt other ponies would be fine being in my belly as he is.” Electric blushed again, pushing Cutea back to their home. “Not in public, sweetie!” Cuteamena only giggled. “Oops, guess I did it again.” They headed back into town to the couple’s house again, with the door closed behind them. Cuteamena set Luke on the kitchen table, rustling the tiny’s head. Electric, meanwhile, went into the fridge and pulled the last vile out of his potion. “Hmm… I’m gonna have to look for the ingredients tomorrow.” Electric said, walking by Cuteamena’s side. “And just as heads-up, unless it’s completely necessary, please avoid my house, got it?” “Next time, shut the windows, honey.” Cutea replied. “Now drink up. Luke will be joining you shortly.” “Yes, dear.” Electric drank the rest of his potion down. To Luke’s surprise, he saw how quickly the pegasus went from being a giant to being about Luke’s small size now. Cuteamena opened her mouth wide, and Electric flew right in. Luke watched as Cuteamena swallowed Electric whole, only a small bulge going down her throat and disappearing past her belly. She giggled as she licked her lips and put a hoof to her throat. “Alright, now it’s your turn. Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.” Cuteamena lowered her head down and presented her maw to Luke, rolling her tongue out like carpet. Luke looked into her maw, a bit triggered at the sight of seeing her maw again. He watched as her throat opened and closed in rhythm to her breathing, with her uvula swaying in the breeze, and how her mouth was webbed with drool. Despite what he was reassured, Luke wanted to run away instinctively, and he backed away until a glance up at Cutea’s affectionate stare stopped him. With a deep breath, he walked towards the mare’s mouth, stepping onto the soft surface of her tongue and sending a tingle through the mare.   He walked along her tongue, steadying his balance as her tongue brought him in slowly, followed by her teeth closing around him and sealing him in darkness. Cuteamena was in heaven as Luke was on her tongue. His flavor… she couldn’t even describe it beyond pure perfection. A hint of blueberry here, some chocolate there, even some pasta mixed in, oh, she couldn’t even pinpoint it! All she could do was enjoy the taste of him, savor his flavor like there’s no tomorrow. Even with drool coming out of her lips, she didn’t care at all; no one was watching.  She did, however, stop upon hearing Luke inside. “Uh… Cutea? Am I really that tasty?” He asked, covered in her spit. It felt weirdly gross, even more so than being in a pile of chewed-up salads.        “Oops! Schowwy!” Cutea replied with her mouth full. She picked up a rag to wipe her mouth. “And yesch, you tashte that guud.” “Thanks… I guess… so, are you gonna…?” Luke asked, chancing a look toward her throat, guarded by her dangling uvula. “Yesch, pwepare yourschelf.” Cuteamena leaned her head back and swallowed. Luke felt her tongue push him to the back of her throat, seeing the abyss into darkness before falling in. Like before, her throat was tight, almost squeezing his small form, but not in a painful way. Suddenly he felt something pinning him, slowing his descent into Cutea’s stomach. Outside, Cuteamena used her hoof to slow down his journey into her belly, enjoying the feeling of Luke in her throat. The large lump from the hoof surprised Luke, but he endured it; he could hear her thumping heart next to him intensified, separated by her throat muscles, then a low gurgle which signalled his entrance into her stomach. Cutea noticed how low Luke was now, and released him. With the sudden opening of her sphincter, Luke fell down into her stomach, splashing in to her pool of stomach acids - he then breached the ‘waters’, taking a deep breath. He turned to see Electric at the ‘shore’, offering an extended arm to help him. “Hmm… and this is why I have wings.” He commented, showing off his feathers. The stomach shook with a massive gurgle, followed by a loud- BRAAAAP!!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          “Mmm… you’re both so tasty.” Cuteamena’s voice boomed and echoed around them, as the stomach walls bounced as she patted her belly. “You boys enjoy your stay in there…” A long yawn let loose from her mouth. “I’m gonna go take a nice nap in the meantime.” The entire place rocked as she began to make her way into the bedroom.  Slowly, but steadily, she got into her bed, and in a few moments, she went to sleep, lightly snoring. Inside, her heartbeat began to slow down, as did her breathing, though, the gurgling of her stomach proved not to have changed all that much. Luke climbed out of her acid puddle, looking around her stomach. “Huh… so… how did you get into all of this?” He asked Electric once things had calmed. “It’s a long story.” Electric answered, turning and walking towards his house having surveyed his accompanist’s soggy state. “Come on, let’s get you dried up.” “And what do you do here, exactly?” “Just read some books, write a few things, sleep, and fish occasionally.” “Wait, fish? What’s there to fish in here?” “You’d be surprised. But we're not doing that. Not today, at least.” “... What are we gonna do?” An hour had passed, and back inside the miniature house the stallion and Luke sat across from each other, reading: Electric read a book of classic poems, while Luke read about the history of Equestria, and its various residents. “Huh… Celestia and Luna sound powerful.” Luke observed. “Yep.” Electric replied, turning a page. “Kinda surprised they're over a thousand years old. They look pretty good, considering.” “Heh, yes they do.” Luke lowered his book, “... find it weird reading in a stomach?” “Nope, done it enough times.” From elsewhere in the body, distant rumbles and sounds made the two lock eyes.  A loud yawn shook the stomach as Cuteamena woke up. “Ahh… what a nice nap.” Some rhythmic tapping made her stomach shake as she patted her belly. “You boys getting along in there?” “We are.” Electric answered. “Luke's just learning about Equestrian history.” “Yeah, Equestria’s past is pretty weird.” Luke said pensively, closing the book. “Hmm, I guess it probably is to an outsider.” Cutea agreed. She looked at the clock. “Oh, it's near dinner time. Would you both like to come out? It's pizza night.” Electric had a very content smile on his face, and the belly oozed loudly as Cutea herself was drooling at the prospect. “Mmm… Pizza…” Electric murred. “I haven't had pizza since I got here.” Luke got up, setting his book back in the bookshelf where he found it. “So, yeah, I'm open. Just hope I don't become an accidental topping.” “Oh hush!” Cutea playfully hissed. “Go further with that and you'll be a purposeful topping.” She giggled at her warning. “Electric, sweetie? Care to get you both out of there? I don't want an entire pizza in there crushing you.” Electric got up and stretched, cracking his wings, before hovering and picking up Luke. “Come on, it's pizza time!” Electric sounded like a colt, excited for pizza. His wings flapped hard as they flew up the esophagus, up into Cutea's throat. Luke looked up, seeing light as Cuteamena opened her mouth.  As they reached the back of her throat, Luke enjoyed this view out, her teeth framing the outside world, before her small dwellers got out into the open sky again. Electric, like before, rapidly changed sizes, growing back to his normal size, with Luke in his mane. He only watched as Electric turned around, and both gigantic ponies gave each other a passionate kiss.  Must be some good pizza they're having… The aroma of freshly baked pizza came from the kitchen. Luke held on tight as Electric flew straight to the kitchen, anxiously awaiting the food. Cuteamena opened the oven, pulling out a fresh pizza that was topped with olives and herbs. She took Luke out of Electric’s mane, setting their small human on the table, before pulling out the slicer and cutting their meal into several slices. With some plates, she served a slice to herself, another to Electric, and a very small slice to Luke… which was still bigger than his hands, but he was most grateful nonetheless! Before anyone could take a bite, a small knock was heard. “Huh? Who could that be?” Cuteamema asked. Luke had an embarrassed smile on his face.  “Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I invited a few friends over tonight that I'd love for you to meet.” “What?” Electric’s eyes widened. Cutea walked up and answered the door, looking down to see a small group of Tinies standing outside. “Hi, I'm Dr. Phil.” The knocking Tiny in a doctor's outfit spoke, waving. “Our friend Luke told us this is your house, and you're Cuteamena, is that correct?” She blinked, but smiled. “Honey! We got guests!” Electric grumbled as he set about cutting tiny pizza slices out of one normal one, skipping the crust. Cuteamena brought their unexpected, but welcomed tiny guests into the kitchen, setting them on the table with Luke. Although it was a bit of a hassle, Cutea gave each of them the slices cut by Electric.     “Mmm, so good!” “Thanks, Cuteamena” “I’ll be sure to visit you guys again soon, or you should come to the village sometime!” The ponies laughed happily and Luke began to recount the tale of the salad encounter, much to the amusement of his human friends. Electric gave Cutea an affectionate wink as their guests sat happily.   Once everyone had finished up, Cutea sighed and said, “well that was good, but I’ve still got a bit of room. Luke?” She licked her lips at the humans and the tinies laughed as she leaned in, giving him a playful lick.