//------------------------------// // The Beginning // Story: Chronicles of Cody // by reedman //------------------------------// A small creature will have great power He will find love in a dark hour His weakness, his greatest strength To save his kind, shall go any length From royalty, he must be protected He will be saved by those he affected --- It seemed all of Equestria was in Canterlot that day. Princess Celestia was making an announcement, and requested everypony to attend. Mocha Sprinkles was one of many in attendance. Very rarely, did the princess request all of Equestria to attend a simple announcement. Every single pony stood at the base of the castle, waiting for the princess to appear. Out of boredom, Mocha reached into her satchel, and pulled out a chocolate bar. It was her go to snack whenever she was bored or hungry. She quietly ate her chocolate as many ponies reached into their own bags, and pulled out humans to eat. Ever since a spell to open portals to the human world was found, many ponies have tried to establish contact. The only prevailing issue was what was discovered when humans came through. They were much smaller than anticipated. Through a series of accidents, the first few brought through were eaten. Being as small as a breezie did not help. After realizing how delicious they tasted, a food craze for humans was born. Like jawbreakers, the taste was enjoyed by sucking on them before swallowing them. Chewing on humans did nothing but damage to one’s teeth and stomach. A number of tiny screams, quickly became muffled. It was uncomfortable for some at first, but after a month of seeing humans sold at the market to snack on, almost everypony snacked on the little creatures. Mocha still preferred her chocolate though. Finally, the princess appeared at her balcony, and flew down to the front of the massive crowd. Mocha put her chocolate away, and the others around her quickly spit their humans back into their bags to save for later. A silence fell over as Princess Celestia looked at the citizens before her. “Thank you all for coming. I know my request was inconvenient, but the announcement I must make is important for all of Equestria. In the past month, we have not only found the ability to open portals to the human world, but bring them to our ours. They were quickly reduced to the status of food without hesitation. After new information came forward, I can no longer support this.” A few gasps and whispers went throughout the crowd. Most weren’t happy. Mocha stayed quiet, eager to hear more of this sudden change of mind. Princess Celestia gestured to someone out of sight. Two castle guards carried out what looked like a much weaker and more frail version of a castle guard. This frail guard was so skinny his ribcage was visible from as far back as Mocha was standing. “This was once one of my best castle guardsmen. When the practice of eating humans began, he was one of the first to partake. He became addicted to the taste of humans, and it became the only thing he would eat. I was told he became agitated whenever he wasn’t eating a human, that he was different then the equine I used to know after eating humans. The act of eating so many humans made his body reject any other food. Another side effect is that his body is starving itself if it doesn’t have any humans to digest. We don’t even know if he’ll ever recover.” This was followed by a number of ponies being brought forward. All looking the same as the guard. It was a disturbing sight to see. Some ponies looked into their bags at their humans, then back to the princess. “Due to this arising health issue, I am declaring the spell to open a portal to the human world illegal. Anyone selling humans will cease their actions, or receive punishment for endangering the health of other ponies. Anyone that wishes to turn over any humans they have, may give them to the castle guards. Thank you for your time.” A glow appeared from Princess Celestia’s horn, and she levitated the sickened ponies to follow her into the castle. With a mix of sheepishness and fear, a number of ponies stepped forward with their humans. Mocha watched a few ponies adjust their satchels that contained humans simply turn around, and walk away. She never would’ve guessed that eating humans could be so bad for your health, and that other ponies were still willing to eat them. While she walked home, she hoped that this new food craze turned health problem would be fixed soon. --- Life was unbearably boring for some people. Cody was one of those people. All he ever did was wake up, go to work, go home, and sleep. His job was a very simple one. He works at a convenience store that was just off the highway. It was a full-time job, so he had a decent amount of money coming in. However, his life was very boring. He did not have many hobbies, or many friends. Most of his family was too busy to stay in contact with him, so he was alone. Cody returned to his small trailer of a home. The rickety trailer was the only place close to his work. It was only a short walk, so he never had use for a car. Not many places worth going to around here anyways. It was a long day at work. Cody's dinner consisted of a peanut butter sandwich and day-old soup. As he sat in his rickety chair, he decided to watch the news. Once again, the discussion tonight was about hundreds of people going missing all across the world. No one had any leads on why, or how so many people disappeared so fast. Living in the middle of nowhere, Cody hoped that he would not become one of those people. He would be lying to himself if he ever said he wasn’t depressed. The day in and day out of the same thing, all alone, was wearing him down. He didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. Couldn’t afford to leave, and couldn’t mentally afford to stay for much longer. As the news droned on, he just stared blankly at his tv. --- Mocha had just gotten home. The announcement from Princess Celestia had sent waves across the kingdom. Her bakery was closed since she was at the announcement. She walked inside, and up the stairs. Living at your job had the perk of a short walk home. She sat down on her couch, pondering what to do next. In the corner of her living room, sat a small mirror. Despite her predilections against eating humans, she still observed them from time to time. The spell to open a portal to the human world required at least two unicorns, but Mocha found a magical shortcut using an enchanted mirror. She had her favorite humans to watch from time to time. Today, she was checking up on a young male that lived in the middle of seemingly nowhere. She had nicknamed him Straw, because he was drinking out of a straw when she first saw him. Mocha was not the most creative pony when it came to names. With her horn glowing, Mocha levitated the mirror to float in front of her. She took a deep breath, and focused. Focused on every detail of Straw that she could think of. Unlike the normal spell, the mirror made the portal invisible to him. “Straw, by the power of sight, let me see you.” The reflection in the mirror turned to a white light, then slowly became a small window into the human world. The spell quickly began searching for Straw. She managed to get two bites of her half-eaten chocolate bar before he appeared in the mirror. He was only ever in one of two places. Today he was at home. Though he didn’t have much of a life to watch, Mocha checked in on Straw the most. Unlike the other humans she watched, he was rarely seen with anyone. He was almost always alone. Only working, eating, sitting, or sleeping. She thought that if she checked in on him frequently, he wouldn’t feel completely alone. As creepy as that sounded. Sometimes she thought about increasing the strength of the spell to bring Straw to Equestria. He always looked sad when she checked in on him. “Straw I wish we could meet. You always look so sad. If you were here, I would do whatever I could to make you smile. I wish...” A knock at the door caught Mocha’s attention. Keeping the spell of levitating the mirror in focus, she walked over to the door and opened it. It was a gray pegasus, and he carried a large box on his back. He had a clipboard hanging from his neck. “Hello, I got a delivery for Mocha?” Mocha let the mirror rest on the couch while she received her latest shipment of chocolate from Manehattan. Straw could still be seen in the mirror. Her lack of focus would reveal the portal to him, but she was already back controlling the mirror before that could be a problem. Or so she thought. --- Cody found himself a bit parched. He stood up and walked to his kitchen sink to get some water. As he drank from his cheap plastic cup, he turned around, and saw it. A glowing white orb, with streaks of rainbows swirling around it. It was roughly about the size of a beach ball. It seemed to have a pupil of some kind. A rippling reflection of which he could see a distortion of the room he was in. When the pupil focused on him, he averted his eyes. He remembered that the news reports had witnesses of the disappearances describing the exact same orb. He didn’t want to stare at it, but he found himself wanting to get closer. It was giving off an intense warmth, heating up his already hot room. He peeled off his shirt, which got the sphere to move a bit closer. His curiosity finally got the better of him. He approached the glowing sphere, which moved sideways, as if avoiding him. He tried approaching it again, and it avoided him again. He tried walking to his room, and he saw the light of the sphere illuminate his hallway as he walked down. He darted into his closet sideways, and shut the door. The sphere floated outside, waiting. He needed a plan. “Option A, I stay in here forever. Option B, I jump it and see if I can hit it.” Cody tossed his wallet and phone on the floor in case they broke in the struggle. He kicked the door open and threw his fist at the sphere. He managed to hit the reflective pupil. As it effortlessly pulled him inside itself, he realized Option A was sounding much better at the moment. He tried to resist the sphere’s pull, but it was in vain. His view went from his hallway, to every color imaginable swirling all around him. He saw his hallway disappear as the light became brighter and brighter. He felt as if he was floating on thin air. He tried to shield his eyes with both arms, but the light was so intense. Suddenly, he felt as though he was falling. He didn’t know what to think. What felt like a stroke of luck, Cody landed on the softest ground he had ever felt. He slowly opened his eyes. He was dazed from the ordeal. He tried to stand up, but fell back down. Whatever the sphere did, it exhausted him. He only heard one thing before he passed out. “Straw?” --- He was here. He was actually here. After observing him for so long, Straw was here in Mocha’s house. The small human was in front of her, passed out on a couch pillow she was resting her forelegs on. She slowly moved off the couch, and placed the mirror back on its shelf. “He’s here. He's actually here.” Quietly walking back to the couch, she looked at the small human still unconscious on the pillow he landed on. She kept her nose under the pillow, as not to breathe on him. Mocha was trying her best not to panic. Just today Princess Celestia declared the very spell she just used, illegal. She just wanted to see Straw one last time, in case the princess nullified the spell. Yet here he was. She never got this close to him before. She had never been this physically close to any human before. His skin was chocolate brown, short black hair, and was a bit chubbier than he looked through the portal. Humans were always small, but now she could see how small and frail he was compared to her. He was also shirtless, which got Mocha to blush a bit. Part of her wanted to send him right back home. This was not the time or place to bring in humans. A small part of her wanted to keep him here, though she dismissed the thought. Straw needed to be on his own world, with his own kind. Despite how alone he was, it was the right thing to do. “Oh my achin’ head.” --- Cody woke up to what felt like the softest bed to ever exist. Whatever this soft surface was, it took him a couple tries to stand up straight. He rubbed his eyes, and unblurred the world around him. Wherever he was, it was massive. He was staring at a couch big enough to fit two trailers across. The wall seemed to go as high as a skyscraper. The ground he stood on, was actually a massive pillow. “Straw?” Cody slowly turned around to the source of the voice. He saw a pair of eyes, as tall as he was. It was a horse, but this horse was unbelievably massive. The giant equine was a dark pink all over, though all he could see was the giant head. He took a step back, and the gargantuan horse moved closer, which revealed a sizable mouth. The giant inched closer, and Cody could only think of one thing to do. He turned, and ran. He clambered down from the pillow, and bolted for the back of the couch. He had no plan, he just wanted to distance himself from this giant horse infested nightmare. He looked back to see the horse stare at him with curiosity. He stood with his back to the wall of couch. “W-What do you want with me?” “Relax Straw, I promise I won’t hurt you.” --- It was clear he was terrified. Mocha knew this required a delicate approach. “My name is Mocha. Mocha Sprinkles. I’ve been calling you Straw because I don’t know your real name. What is it?” The look of absolute fear diminished from his eyes. He took a few steps closer to Mocha. “My name is Cody.” Good. She had a name. Now she needed to gain his trust so he could relax and and feel safe while she figured this all out. She had an idea. She raised her hoof, and gently placed it next to him. “You seem hungry Cody. How does some chocolate sound? Climb on and I can get you some.” He was hesitant at first, but her gentle approach seemed to help. He held tight onto her hoof as she took a few steps towards the coffee table. He was gently placed on the table next to her half eaten chocolate bar. He pulled off a piece the size of a crumb, and ate it. “I hope this helps Cody.” “It does.” As he ate his chocolate, Mocha looked over to the mirror, and levitated it to the table. Cody was too invested in his chocolate to notice. She looked over the mirror. She didn’t make a portal, only a window. He shouldn’t have been able to go through. She needed more information. She sat down on all fours so she didn’t tower over Cody as much. He was just finishing his chocolate. “Cody, can I ask you a question?” “Of course Mocha.” “How did you get here?” “It was this weird glowing sphere with a circular mirror. It was kinda like an eyeball the way it stared at me. When it started following me, I punched it.” “You...punched it?” “I panicked.” “That’s fine. At least you’re safe here. I’ve asked you questions, you can ask me some too if you would like.” At this point, Cody had sat down to look over to Mocha. He seemed a lot calmer at a level where he didn’t have to crane his neck. “Where is here Mocha?” “The land of Equestria. We’re in the town of Ponyville right now. We’ve been studying you humans for awhile now.” “Is that why so many humans have disappeared?” Mocha bit her tongue hard. This was something she wanted to avoid. How does she tell someone that their species was reduced to the status of food? “Yes. We’ve been...bringing them here.” “Where are they now?” Mocha looked away. She wanted to lie to him. She wanted to change the subject. Once he knew the truth, he would want to run away again. She took a deep breath. It was either now, or he found out himself later. “Cody. We’ve been...eating humans.” --- He couldn’t run anywhere. Even if he could get down from the table, this Mocha could take a few steps and catch him no problem. Why would she be nice if she was going to eat him? Was she feeding him for a chocolate filling? Was he going to end up on a plate? She looked at him like she just kicked a puppy on accident. Cody fell back when she tried to move closer. “Cody. I know this is a lot to take in, but please let me explain.” Cody sat back up. He didn’t have much else of a choice. “The first humans we brought over were eaten by accident. After that, humans became a snack you could get in any store. To us, your kind were delicious. Almost every pony snacks on humans.” “Are...Are you gonna eat me?” “I won’t Cody. I promise. In fact, the princess declared the portal spell to bring humans to Equestra illegal just this morning. It turns out eating humans can be extremely dangerous to our health.” Cody stood back up as Mocha stood up as well. She towered over him, and he was still scared of her a little. He saw her horn glow a bright pink, and the same glow surrounded him. He felt his body levitate high off the ground. “Cody, the land of Equestria is too dangerous for you, and I wish I could send you home. I’ve been trying to open another portal this whole time, but I can’t do it. Our leader Princess Celestia must have nullified the spell that opens the portal shortly after you came through.” Though his body was surrounded by the glow of her magic, Cody could see in her eyes that she was genuine. “Mocha, if the Princess Celestia can nullify a spell, can she un-nullify it?” --- Mocha looked at the small human she was levitating in front of her. She admittedly didn’t think about that. For a species that was nowhere near discovering magic, Cody had a more sensible thought than Mocha just feeling sorry for herself. She placed him on her back, then walked around the house. “I wish it was that easy. Once the princess nullifies a spell, it can’t be undone.” She walked back to the couch, where Cody climbed off, and Mocha sat with her head next to him. “Maybe I can ask Ivory. She’s a pretty smart unicorn. She’s also my best friend. ” As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Mocha’s eyes went wide. In the ruckus of bringing Cody over, she completely forgot her friend was coming over for chocolate and to hangout. She looked all around, and saw her pillow. She levitated Cody, and quickly hid him behind the pillow in the corner of the couch. She whispered quietly. “Just stay out of sight. I just can’t let her see you yet.” Mocha took a deep breath while trotting downstairs and to the door. She opened it with a big smile for her friend. Ivory Swirl was Mocha’s best friend. They hung out almost all the time. She worked as a researcher on small creatures of any kind, with her latest focus on humans. “Mocha, you weren’t hogging all that chocolate to yourself were you now?” “Of course not Ivory, I was just preoccupied and lost track of time.” As the two walked inside and upstairs, Mocha moved the chocolate bowl to the kitchen table. Ivory loved her chocolate. Ivory was a slow eater, not wanting to get a single piece of chocolate on her pristine turquoise fur. The two sat at the table, enjoying the chocolate and their own company. The royal decree came up right after the usual comments of how yummy the chocolate was. “It’s a shame the spell was nullified. My research on humans was going great! My study on the average human diet was a success, but now I can’t even start my study on pony-human social interactions because all my humans were taken by celestia’s guards.” “That’s a shame Ivory. It really is.” “How about you Mocha? Have you had any human problems today?” “Nope! None! Not at all! Totally normal day!” Ivory gave her friend a quizzical look before resuming their conversation. “Anyways, I believe these humans represent an amazing scientific opportunity, and we should explore that. I am very disappointed that we didn't have as much time as we could have had with the humans. So much potential lost.” Mocha, was not relaxed. Her best friend was mere feet away from a tiny human, that she had summoned against the princess’ wishes. She was even less relaxed, when Ivory trotted over to the couch that she was trying to avoid. --- Despite being behind a pillow much larger than him, Cody could still peek out a little bit. He saw the two giant equines sitting at a table, enjoying the same chocolate he had been eating only a moment ago. It was hard to make out the conversation. The pillow and the couch were fairly good at dampening the sound around him. He could still hear bits and pieces of their conversation. The turquoise one called Ivory, seemed to be a researcher of sorts on humans. He saw Mocha staring at him every once in awhile. She was clearly very nervous about him being found. He wasn't sure how long this would take, but he found himself slowly trusting Mocha more and more. She said to stay out of sight, so he would do that for now. Despite his entire life changing within the past hour, he was still relatively relaxed about the whole situation. Suddenly, he felt the world around him shake a little bit. Looking around a little bit, he saw the one thing that he was hoping he would not see. Ivory was approaching the couch where he was hiding. He also saw that Mocha was just as terrified as he was. He didn't know what to do, other than to do what she originally said, and stay out of sight. He was in a world where his species was nothing but mere food. He did not know if Mocha’s friend was as trustworthy as she said she was. The pillow he was hiding behind, pushed him into back of the couch. Ivory was sitting against the pillow, putting him between a pillow and a soft place. He heard the voice of a panicked Mocha. He didn't know what was going on, other than he was stuck and was being sat on by Mocha’s friend.The weight shifted, and the pressure on his body increased. He couldn't stay quiet anymore. “Mocha!” --- The room went quiet. Ivory quickly moved from the pillow that made the sound. Mocha moved the pillow, and had her head mere inches from Cody. “Are you okay Cody?” He stood up, moving his arms around. He seemed a bit shaken by the ordeal, but was visibly unharmed. She levitated him onto her back. Mocha looked back to her friend. She wanted to tell her in a more relaxed manner, but she had no choice now. She levitated Cody off her back, and onto the coffee table. The both of them stood at the coffee table, looking down at the small human before them. Mocha took a deep breath. “This is Cody. He’s from the human world.” “You gave him a name?” “No no no! That’s his actual name!” “Mocha dear, if you have a problem, you know I’m here for you.” “Um, excuse me?” Mocha and Ivory looked down at Cody. He was clearly nervous. “I haven’t been here very long. Mocha doesn’t even know how I got here. She was going to ask you for help.” Ivory walked up to Mocha, and looked her in the eyes with an intense stare. “Then I just have one question for you Mocha dear.” “Yes?” Ivory flopped down to the floor and placed her head right in front of Cody. She had the look of a filly that saw their first rainbow. “Where did you find him? He’s so cute! He’s so adorable! He’s so...shirtless.” --- She was right, he was shirtless. Cody was also blushing extremely hard since this Ivory was so close that her muzzle was within arms reach. He covered his chest with his arms. He never had anyone stare at him shirtless with interest before. His face couldn’t get any more red. “What’s going on with his face?” “He’s blushing Mocha. Humans sometimes do it whenever they are nervous about something, or someone they find attractive.” The giant turquoise equine looked back to Cody. She bumped him a little bit with her muzzle, knocking him onto his backside. If she moved any closer, he would be pinned under her muzzle. “Is that why you’re blushing Cody?” Was Ivory seriously flirting with someone as small as him? Cody looked over to Mocha, who seemed to be too surprised to react. He looked back to Ivory, who eagerly awaited an answer. He slowly stood up. “I-.” “Yes?” “I...was wondering if any of you had a shirt my size.” Now it was Ivory’s turn to blush as Mocha got a chuckle. “I apologize Cody. My research indicated blushing was a sign of attraction.” Cody approached Ivory and gave her nose a rub, causing her to blush a bit more. “Well, it’s also a sign of embarrassment. I am shirtless in front of two giants I just met moments ago.” Ivory smiled, and the red of her blushing faded a bit. She stood up and walked over to her bag she left at the door. Going through it, she levitated out a small box, and placed it on the table as she walked back. The box was slightly taller than Cody, and was about as long as two cars. Looking around the side, it was just as wide. Mocha finally spoke up again. “What is it Ivory?” “Almost everything you need.” --- Mocha opened the side of the box. It was an assortment of clothes, furniture, and numerous household objects, all at Cody’s size. It was as if someone had taken an entire house, and shrank it down to his size. Ivory nudged Cody closer so he could look around as the ponies talked more. “I commissioned a boutique two weeks ago to make human-sized clothes for my research. The rest of the items I got with the portal spell. The only items I couldn’t gain possession of are bathroom amenities, but I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” Mocha took a step closer to Ivory to whisper in her ear, hopefully quiet enough for Cody to not hear. “Are you going to explain what happened just now? You would’ve been all over him if he didn’t stop you.” Ivory took a deep breath before whispering back. “I do apologize for that Mocha. I’ve never been this close to a human without having to restrain them. This is the first human I’ve met that’s relatively relaxed around us, and this is an amazing opportunity. Perhaps if he came home with me...” “No. For now, I need you to try and find a way to get him home. It’s not safe for him here. Not now.” Ivory looked down to Cody, who was trying on clothes, then back to Mocha. “I’ll get right on it Mocha. One more thing I need to know my dear. How did you summon him? Princess Celestia nullified the portal spell right after her announcement. Even she isn’t able to open a portal that we know of. Even with your enchanted mirror, the portal should not have opened at all.” “I wish I knew. I really do Ivory.” “I will do research at the castle library, but it will take time. The situation is delicate right now. It’s too dangerous for you to take Cody anywhere, so keep watch over him for now.” Ivory lowered her head so she was just above the coffee table, staring down at Cody with a smile. “It was an honor to meet you Cody. I simply cannot wait to see you again.” “It was nice to meet you too Ivory. Take care!” “You too little one.” Ivory levitated her bag behind her as she walked downstairs. The door was shut, and the two were now alone. Mocha looked down to see Cody had just pulled on a dark blue shirt. He looked up to her with a soft smile. “This was an unexpected gift.” “Especially since we weren’t expecting you. Ivory probably would’ve shown it off anyways. She loves you humans. Thinks you present an amazing opportunity for all of Equestria.” “You think so?” --- Cody felt his body levitate into the air, and saw the box follow him up. He was placed on Mocha’s back, while the box continued to stay in the air. He sat down and took in the world around him as Mocha walked around. “Well this the upstairs where I live. The bathroom is that red door, and my bedroom is next to that. My main kitchen is downstairs in my bakery, but I have the small kitchenette over there by the kitchen table. You’ll have to stay upstairs for now. My windowsill has plenty of room for this box, so we can put your room there.” The tall brown door opened, and revealed a room large enough to fit the entire trailer park Cody used to live in. In the corner was a large circular mattress. It sat by the window, most likely the perfect spot for staring at the moon. The window sat offset from the corner, so the sunlight would shine perfectly onto the bed. The windowsill was fairly spacious. It had enough room for two of these boxes. She lowered the box onto the windowsill, with the open end facing her bed. “I have to do some prep work for the bakery tomorrow, then we can get some dinner. After that, it’s a bath, then bed. I can leave some food for you if you want while I go work.” “I can help you. I may be small, but I’m sure I can help.” “You just don’t wanna be alone do you?” “No I do not.” Cody swore he saw her smile to herself as she walked out of the room and downstairs. She walked past a massive counter with a house-sized register, and into a backroom. “I just have to make some dough for a couple orders tomorrow. I only need enough for three orders of cakes and two dozen cupcakes to sell at the market tomorrow.” “Mocha?” “Yes Cody?” “What about me? I heard Ivory say you shouldn’t take me outside tomorrow.” At this point, Cody was levitated onto the table to look Mocha in the eyes. He was at level with her eyes without her having to lay down. “I know Cody, but this is my livelihood. I can’t exactly stop at a moment’s notice.” He wanted to argue, but he knew it would be in vain. Mocha had her mind set on working tomorrow. “Well, anything I can do to help?” “I’m already done actually.” Cody turned around to see massive bowls the size of swimming pools, filled with dough. They were levitated to a small table by a window. “How?” “I can talk and use magic. It’s called multitasking. I told you it wouldn’t take long.” Cody was raised into the air again, but was kept there as Mocha walked up the stairs. Most likely didn’t want him falling off. The levitation was weird at first, like that floating feeling in your stomach on a roller coaster. He knew he was going to have to get used to it. They approached the kitchen table, and he was set down. Her horn was still glowing, moving some ingredients around. “I’ll get dinner ready. I am making some spaghetti tonight. Are you okay with that?” “I love spaghetti!” “It’s safe to assume you won’t be needing an entire bowl.” “A bowl? Mocha, I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat one noodle.” The two had a laugh as Mocha made dinner. Mocha had made enough for her bowl of spaghetti, plus one noodle for Cody. He was right, he managed to eat one noodle all by himself. They had chocolate for desert, and he felt stuffed afterwards. “That was amazing Mocha. You sure know how to make a good dinner.” “Thanks! Now all that’s left to do is get a bath, and then off to bed.” --- After a few minutes to let their dinner settle, Mocha levitated Cody, and they walked to the bathroom. She didn’t even know how to bathe a human. Does he bathe himself? Did she need to help him? When they entered the bathroom, she placed Cody on the side of the tub. The tub was a massive lake in comparison to him. “It’s a bit big for you. You might have to take a bath in the sink so you don’t drown.” “I mean, I could just leave my shorts on and swim with that.” In the corner of the tub sat a small rowboat. It was a present from Ivory a week after the portal first opened. The outside was a dark green, and the inside was a pale silver. It still had both of its darkwood oars. Mocha smiled as she filled the tub with hot, soapy water. Cody was surprisingly nice and funny, despite his whole life changing in one day. The two of them seemed to get along almost perfectly. A small part of her thought that it would be nice for him to stay, but she had to remind herself that this was not permanent. Her desire was not the priority, his safety was. As the tub was filled, Mocha dipped her hoof in the water to check if it was safe for him. She levitated the boat in, then looked over to Cody as he was taking his shirt off. Cody didn’t even hesitate. He jumped off the side of the bathtub, and landed with a splash. Mocha couldn’t help herself, and peeked over the side. He was so small, swimming in something she could touch the bottom of with no effort. It was just getting to her how small he was. She smiled as she reached into the water with her left hoof, and swirled the water around. He saw her massive arm in the water, and swam towards it. He placed his hand against it, and looked up at her with a smile. “This is the best bath I’ve ever had, as well as the biggest!” “I’m glad you enjoy. I’ll be right back with a towel for you.” Mocha removed her arm from the water, and shook it a bit. She walked over to her room, and to the windowsill that held Cody’s pseudo-room. One of the tiny shelves had a pink body towel. She levitated the tiny towel with her back to the bathroom. Looking inside the tub, Cody was rinsed off and was rowing around the tub in the tiny boat. Seeing him paddle through piles of soap and bubbles was just too cute. She levitated him and the boat out of the tub and in the corner of the tub’s edge where it originally sat. Cody climbed out of the boat. “Alright Cody, I got a towel for you.” “Awesome. Did you get the pajamas?” Mocha face-hoofed as he grabbed the levitating towel. She forgot that humans wear clothes for a moment. She backed out of the bathroom, and returned with clothes. She levitated Cody into the air, and let him float back towards his room on the windowsill. “I’ll take my bath, you get some sleep.” “Night Mocha!” “Goodnight Cody.” Mocha went into the bathroom, stepped into the tub, and laid on her back. She slowly sank into the hot, soapy water. She summoned a human she was basically spying on, and her best friend pretty much has a crush on him. On top of that, she has to watch him and work the bakery tomorrow somehow. As she let the water relax her, she knew it was going to be busy tomorrow. --- It was an expansive flat plane of white. Nothing but white as Cody walked on a flat ground. The white around him melted away to a grassy plain. The white pooled into one spot in front of him, and a mass emerged out of the ground. It shaped into an equine. It was Mocha. She smiled down at him, but it wasn’t a kind smile. There was something different, something sinister. She raised her right hoof high, and slammed it down right next to Cody. The ground shook hard enough to knock him down. He looked up, and saw she raised her right hoof again. Above him. He crawled back as fast as he could as it slammed down, shaking the world around him. He got up to run, but Mocha continued to chase. She let out a cackle that chilled Cody to the bone. “Run all you want bug! It’s entertaining!” A red brick wall shot out of the ground, trapping Cody. He turned to see Mocha, hoof raised and a twisted smile on her face. Cody dropped to his knees. “Mocha please!” She didn’t respond. Mocha pinned Cody under her hoof. He felt her press down. “Mocha! No!” “Begone nightmare!” From the sky, a dark blue light shot down and struck Mocha. She screeched loudly, then turned back into a pile of white goop. Her head was turning to goop as it rolled towards him. It was enough to wake up. It was the first time in a long time he woke up screaming. It was dawn, the sun was peeking over the horizon. He wasn’t in his cardboard box. This was an expanse of softness. He was still in Mocha’s room. He was on Mocha’s bed, and a terrified Mocha was inches from him. She was shaking as much as he was. “Are you okay? You started to shake and make noises. Then you started screaming. I felt so helpless, and I thought moving you to the bed would help.” As her massive faced loomed closer, Cody shifted backwards. The look on her face wasn’t dissimilar from people who accidentally step on their pets’ tails. She looked down, then away. He got up, walked over to her cheek, and placed his hand against it. “I’m sorry Mocha. I had a nightmare. I just need a few minutes.” Mocha stood up, and got off the bed. She walked towards the door, and stopped to turn around. “I’m sorry you got scared. I’ll make a small bowl of fruit for your breakfast. How does that sound?” “Sounds like a plan Mocha.” Mocha left for a few minutes, then came back with a floating spoon. On it was a collection of tiny pieces of fruit. She levitated it to the windowsill, and levitated Cody to it. She smiled, and walked out of the room. Cody was left to his breakfast and his thoughts. --- It had been a half hour since she came downstairs. She had her orders already made, as well as some chocolate cupcakes for walk-ins. Any that she didn’t sell, Mocha would take down to the market. Her three orders of cakes were picked up, as well as a few ponies wanting cupcakes. The time at the shop was quite boring since the human eating fad started. Mocha looked down at her register. It had keys like a typewriter, but just numbers. She chuckled at the thought of Cody jumping around on the register, taking people's orders. Most of her business is at the market, so he could sit on her back as she sold product. She allowed her mind to wonder about a life with Cody. He was timid, but slowly opening up. He was so nice, and a little cute. She had watched him for so long, she knew so much about him. Yet, she didn't know how he felt about all this. Time had passed. Mocha looked up to the clock, and saw it was time to leave for the market. She levitated the remaining cupcakes into her large basket. With the human craze over, she hoped to sell lots today. As she walked towards the door with the basket on her back, she levitated her satchel onto her back. She had to hold the money somewhere. Looking back to the stairs, Mocha thought checking up on Cody would be a good idea before leaving. She trotted up the stairs, across the living room, and to the bedroom door. She opened the door enough to peek in, and saw Cody's box on the floor next to the bed. She ran over to the box, looking around it for him. She failed to notice the contents of the box were neatly arranged across the windowsill, and Cody was looking down at her from the windowsill. “Whatcha lookin’ for Mocha?” “Oh sweet Celestia Cody! I thought you fell.” “I was moving all the stuff out of the box. I tried to move it out of the way, but I accidentally pushed it over. That box is really light for its size.” “Well, I'm heading out to the market. Ivory will be here in a bit to keep you company.” “Company?” “Yeah. Well I gotta go. These cupcakes aren't gonna sell themselves!” Mocha quickly left, her mind set on selling cupcakes, leaving Cody to himself. --- Cody just stood there, dumbfounded. She just left him there. All that talk about keeping him safe, and yet here he was. She could’ve stayed home, but instead, she was having Ivory come over to keep an eye on him. To keep him company she said. He walked over to his desk, and sat in his office chair. He looked at Mocha’s bedroom in its massive expanse. “Cody? Wait, Mocha said he was in the bedroom.” The echo of hooves on stairs echoed to Cody’s ears. He looked up to the door, and saw a familiar turquoise equine head poke into the room. Ivory had a soft smile as she approached the side of the bed. She looked at the bed, then got up on it, so she could lay in front of the windowsill. She rested her head in the middle of it, right where Cody didn’t put any of his stuff. “Looks like you pulled everything out of the box Cody.” “Yeah, I wanted more space. It felt a bit cramped in there.” “So, what would you like to do to pass the time?” Cody stood up from the desk, walked over to Ivory, and sat in front of her. He looked up to her. “I need to ask you a serious question Ivory.” “Ok. Ask away.” “Does...Does Mocha think I’m a pet?” Ivory’s eyes went wide with surprise. Going from a carefree moment to a discussion on how he felt less than human was something she wasn’t prepared for. “Wh-What kind of question is that Cody? Mocha cares about your safety, and only wants you home safe.” “She makes my food for me, carries me around everywhere, and had to help me with something as simple as a bath. How am I supposed to feel about that?” Ivory shuffled off of the bed, and held out her hoof to Cody. He climbed on, and was lifted onto her back. “Since this bothers you so much Cody, I will talk to Mocha about this. Would that help?” “Y-Yes. I suppose it would.” The two walked into the main room. Ivory climbed onto the couch and laid down, being careful not to let Cody fall off. He slid down from her back to lay against her stomach. He felt his body move back and forth as she breathed. He marveled at the light push from her heartbeat. He looked up to Ivory, who was blushing. “Thanks for helping me Ivory. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be shirtless and have nothing my size. You really made me feel comfortable here.” The two spent some time on the couch, talking. Cody talked about his old job, and Ivory would talk about her research. He even explained things about humans she couldn’t figure out. “Wait. So what is the point of this meal called brunch?” “It’s a meal in between breakfast and lunch, but most people just consider it an excuse to drink alcohol in the morning.” “Alcohol in the morning? That sounds very depressing.” “It is. Also, what is that picture of a magnifying glass on your...um...” “My cutie mark? It just means I love to observe small creatures.” “Like me?” “Adorable humans just like you.” The two would hang out for another hour, talking about everything from life to favorite things. Eventually, the door downstairs opened, and their time was up. Ivory levitated Cody to the table, then stood up. She looked down to him with a smile. “This was most certainly fun today Cody. We will have to do this again.” --- Mocha walked inside with a grin on her face. Her basket was empty. She sold every cupcake today. Her satchel was densely packed with bits from various ponies. “Cody! Ivory! I'm home!” She made her way up the stairs. Ivory was standing between the couch and coffee table. Cody was standing on the coffee table. Both has a solemn, serious look on their face. “What's going on you two?” “Mocha dearest, Cody brought something up and we have to talk about it.”