The others listened in as Atrimy suggested his idea: "We're dangerous to those Micronauts because we're so much bigger than them, right? So all we need to do is show them that we're not actually harmful ponies. We've still got that potion, right Electric? Cool, then let's shrink ourselves more, closer to their size. Then we can try and show them we're peaceful." The others nodded in approval, but Electric looked pensive.
"Hmm, Cutea had always advised against shrinking myself too small inside her. I always wondered why - maybe it was because she didn't want me to meet these guys?! Nah, there's no way she could have known..." He toyed with the idea of calling her to check, but Eminence restrained him.
"Let her enjoy her picnic, dude. We can figure this out." With a reluctant nod Electric produced the potion, and gave it to Atrimy, who dripped it on them all as the largest there. The seven ponies watched as the throat around them grew in size, double, three times, so big until it was like standing in a vast expanse of about 6 baseball fields. Before then, it had been a bit of a tight squeeze for them all; now they could stand far apart in the immense chute. A few exclaims of 'woah' came from the gang, as they looked around. It seemed they had become so small that they could even see specks of dust floating around. Not wanting to waste any time, they flew down into the belly again, easily fitting through the oesophagus sphincter this time. They landed on a lump of masticated chocolate - which smelt delicious despite its state - and began calling out to the Micronauts. "We come in peace!" Eminence soothingly declared.
Sure enough, the gang noticed a large group of ponies heading towards them on what appeared to be a peanut, as Chris hypothesised. "That's no peanut," Divinity realised, "they've built themselves a boat!" Indeed, the Micronauts were sailing toward them on what must have been a ridiculously tiny boat, expertly crafted nonetheless and looking very much like a patrol boat you might see in a harbour.
"Y-you? You are the same folk who were just here in larger capacity!" One of the Micronauts exclaimed in confusion, jumping onto the chocolate with a couple of supporters. "How can you be like us?!" Up close, the difference in size was now only marginal.
"We mean no harm," Chris stressed. "We were just a lot bigger."
"Oh well that's alright then isn't it?" The leading Micronaut said. Chris smiled but it soon disappeared as the tiny continued, "I guess we'll just ignore all the destruction and chaos you've caused to my community here." The gang all looked confused, so he ordered his guards to lower their weapons and explained: "I'm Captain Biley and this is my district. As we said, we're Micronauts. We have the same appearance as ponies but we're much smaller organisms and more vulnerable. We've been here since Cutea was born, cellular beings coexistent with our host, and we stay here as the environment in this mare is pleasantly habitable. It's essentially our job to oversee that this body is kept in good healthy order! Naturally, we're suspicious of any outsiders, which is why we've had such issue with Cutea's occasional gulping down of you ponies. I run the stomach here and as you'll see, your visits cause damage for our species. But that's just in here; there's so much more to see in this place! Rest assured, there's more of us, harmlessly inhabiting other ponies out there. Maybe even you!" He appeared to joke as he pointed at Flushie's tummy. She smiled nervously as he went on, "Anyway, all that stuff you learnt in biology and anatomy? It's basically us. We're the physical representations of all your bodily functions. And we've developed sophisticated technology with the little bits and bobs that come through into the body, in order to help us defend the place we live in. Long live Cutea!" At the end of this speech, the other Micronauts all cheered and repeated: 'Long live Cutea!'.
"Waaaaait, wait wait," Electric shook his head, "so you're telling me that you guys have been part of my marefriend's body as long as she's been alive?"
"Yes sir, we have. Grown up with her and lived every moment. For allof you; within each and every one of you lives a tribe of us Micronauts!"
Blaze blinked in disbelief. "It's truly remarkable..."
Electric glanced over to his homely cabin, which now appeared huge in comparison to them all now. He sighed, and Biley commented, "Yes, a shame you didn't know about us then. How do you think we all feel about having to look at that every day?" On 'that' he had gestured to an immense Union Jack that Electric had pinned-up by his cabin, now dominating the proverbial skyline over them. A deafening klaxon suddenly sounded, and the Micronauts all ran onto dry land. 'Huh?!' the gang thought, holding their ears, watching as boats were disembarked...and they soon heard a roaring sound from the throat. Like an immense waterfall the tea came thundering down into the stomach, splashing in the distance and sending a tidal wave which died down thankfully. Almost instantly, four or five boats of Micronauts shot off towards it, presumably checking for microbes. It was all so remarkable indeed! As the gang were contemplating their own anatomies, Biley looked at them suspiciously now, staring them down, before touching a radio earpiece and nodding to his guards. "Okay, it checks out fine. I'll show you around a few places. Follow me." The gang duly were escorted onto the shore, where they proceeded to walk along the fleshy higher ground of the stomach, which was so big to them that they could barely see where they'd come in high above. They reached what appeared to be a village, a long row of houses and buildings, some supported on stilts over the waters of the belly. The sounds of construction work was audible, and sure enough Captain Biley led them to an absolute zone of destruction. Signs marked it, 'Warning: Site of Property Damage. Rebuilding in process, no unauthorised access'. Cranes and trucks were busy rebuilding what appeared to be a bombsite, and sensing the gang's concerned looks Biley explained: "See all this? That was you, young mare, about 15 minutes ago, landing your massive behind onto an office block.". He looked at Blaze, who blushed and stood innocently.
"Hey you! Thanks for nothing, now I got nowhere to work!" An angry Micronaut shouted at her, joined by a few others disgruntled officeworkers.
"Yeah, watch where you park your giant tush next time!"
"I like asses but not when they cost me my job!"
Blaze smirked slightly and turned her rear to them, "Come take a picture, it'll last longer." This was met by enthusiastic cheers from a few, but an 'ahem' from Electric reminded Blaze to stay cordial. Soon, Biley led them further into the village which quickly became obvious that it was more than just a village. A large suspension bridge over a canal of gastric juices, presumably leading to the intestine, seemed in disrepair as various tiny ponies were working on rebuilding the bridge. Beyond that, there was a large metropolis, tucked away in the stomach walls, with lots of modern-looking buildings and towers, some of which were coloured in Cutea's colours-cheme. As they were shown through the streets, various buildings lied in ruins. Electric felt as if he was walking through Blitz-stricken London, seeing buildings in disrepair.
"Captain Biley?" Electric began sheepishly, "you don't mean to tell us that we've been responsible for the dea-"
Biley was quick to interrupt: "One of the things worth noting is that we are ultimately cells here. We are incredibly flexible and can change shape, so we've never had any fatalities from these crushing incidents." The gang breathed a sigh of relief, and Chris even curiously poked one of the Micronauts and watched as their gelatinous texture stretched from it. "Right, come with me now. I'll show you to another site." As if on-demand, a helicopter landed in-front of them to board. This chopper was deep-red livery and its side-badge showed an open mouth with "MD Border Control" written in the middle.
"I think I have an idea where we're going..." Atrimy muttered, although Electric couldn't hide his eagerness. Sure enough, Biley informed them they'd be meeting his colleague up in the mouth, and saluted the pilot. The chopper took off with them all, heading towards the throat and soaring up the passage at great speed. Being a goof, Chris had forgotten his seatbelt and ended up getting tossed around the cabin much to everyone's amusement until Divinity took a smack in the face, at which point she strapped the joker in. As they went up the throat, they noticed little signs and streetlamps they hadn't noticed when they were larger before; these all seemed to be directions and traffic signals for travelling Micronauts!
---
Finally the chopper rose to the back of the throat, and the gang all stared in awe at the view: Cutea's immense cavernous mouth in front of them, illuminated by the chopper's powerful lights. The teeth were clenched tight, zigzagging their way around the front of the mouth, and the huge tongue shifted occasionally below them with Cutea's breathing. The chopper flew them up toward a molar (ginormous, the size of several convention centres on top of one another now) to show them several trucks parked on the gumline below it, and various Micronauts scrubbing and cleaning stains off the surface of the enamel with various jets and sprays. Listening carefully, the gang overheard several shouts:
"Why is there still tea on that spot? Faster, Clive!"
"There's too many of the buggers, look"
"Round 'em up, quickly! I don't want another one escaping..."
"Tell her to stop drinking then!"
Amused and intrigued, the gang fixed their attention ahead: the pilot was taking them to the uvula. The fleshy thing dangled menacingly at the back of the throat, swaying gently, and as they got closer they noticed that it, too, was bedecked in warning beacons and lights. A large sign read "Border Control: all visitors must stop". The chopper stopped at a helipad gangway connected to the uvula, and the seven ponies were led to a doorway inside the uvula. They found themselves in a vast observation platform, on the uvula's base, with glass walls all around, allowing perfect views of the mouth everywhere. Several Micronauts were busy at terminals and computers, monitoring screens and filling documents. A distressed Micronaut in a white labcoat greeted them: "Right, hello. Captain Biley informed me of your visit - I can't talk for long, I'm super busy today I'm afraid. I'm Nombula, leader of the Mouth Department. Have a look around, survey your achievements..." With that she went over to a sub-team briefing.
"Friendly mare," Electric muttered ironically, turning to the gang.
"What do you think she meant, 'our achievements'?" Flushie asked.
Chris was staring at something, and spoke, "That..." They all turned to see what he was looking at; a huge gaping hole in the glass panelling was cordoned off, walls dented and shrapnel of glass lying everywhere!
"You!" One of the workers confronted Eminence. "Think it's okay to crush our offices because you can't keep your balance?! It's hard enough trying to coexist with you darn intruders!" Eminence was taken aback, red-faced. She offered an apology but the worker simply huffed and went back to his work.
Divinity stopped another worker. "Excuse me, but what is this place for?"
"This is our main port of entry. All microbes and particles that come through the mouth when the mare inhales or ingests, we gotta check 'em out. We got big scanners here which pick up anything dangerous, but cos she guzzles we gotta work quick. The whole process is smooth, but sometimes we can't deal with the threats. They come either too large or in too great a number for us to detain them, so they get into Cutea's body." As if to illustrate the point, a dust particle was stamped for approval at one of the windows before continuing its course down the windpipe below.
Electric, who'd been quietly loving the tour of his partner's mouth at this scale, was saddened by this worker's revelation that not every bad organism gets stopped. Everypony was susceptible to that. As they all looked around, another siren warned of incoming food. Various Micronauts hurriedly assembled at various doors nearby: Plaque Patrol, Saliva Gland operators, Taste Receptors. The gang though all went to the front to watch: the jaws opened slowly, letting natural light come pouring in, and an enormous disc slowly slid into the parting teeth. There was no mistaking the chocolate cookie from the batch Electric and Cutea had baked that morning; and with a thumping 'CRUNCH' the teeth bit down onto the cookie. The tongue tossed the lump of cookie around, as the teeth grinded up and down hypnotically, and saliva was secreted all over. The bolus was eventually centred on the tongue, and with a huge GULP it plummeted under them into the throat. The entire office of the uvula swayed vigorously, and they all held on tight. Some quipmentA number of bacteria and pollen microbes reported to the border control windows; the pollen was told it would be ejected in the next sneeze. "Hey guys, look" Electric said, showing his friends his mobile. Cutea had just texted: "omg just tried one of the cookies, so good we should open a bakery! Yum :p " A universal 'aaaww' followed from the gang, as Electric replied:
Glad to know it, we'll try some too later. Right now we've made a mess.
"Yeah, I had a lodge in my throat a minute ago but can't really feel you guys anymore. Where are you?"
We're still in your throat, and you won't believe it, there's loads of tiny pones in here...
"What?! You let more of your friends in?! I thought I made it clear not to have a massive party!"
Hun, wait~
Electric tried to text but his signal had gone, and with Cutea annoyed at him he sighed heavily. Chris put his hand around him and comforted him. "You know what, bro?" the alicorn said to him, "I think we could actually help around here. We could make up for the damage we've done."
The others all enthusiastically agreed. "We could use our size to help repair the broken buildings," Divinity chipped in.
On account of the high activity in Cutea's mouth now, the chopper was waiting to take them back down to the safety of the stomach once more. As they exited the uvula, the smell of cookie wafted into their nostrils as, down below on the tongue, patrols and sanitation Micronauts were busy scrubbing clean the mushed lumps of cookie and saliva. As the helicopter headed down, Blaze had an idea: "We're gonna need some supplies, so why don't we go get some to bring? Like, construction tools and supplies and stuff."
"Well yeah, but I don't think Cutea wants us coming in and out of her maw right now. She's trying to enjoy her picnic," Electric thought.
"Oh I know," Flushie said, "Why don't we ask Seraphine to come bring some for us?! Isn't she there with her now?"
"Yes, she is...okay, let's do it. Sera's always been helpful and enjoys an adventure."
---
Cuteamena was enjoying her picnic with her sister Sunshine and friends Seraphine Night and Quinty. With her flowing blonde mane topped with a pink bow, Cutea looked the part as she poured the teapot to them in the sunny garden. Quinty, an affectionate white Brazilian stallion, was retelling a funny anecdote from a dinner party when Seraphine suddenly got up to answer a phone call. As Quinty kept going, Seraphine walked to the corner. "What is it now?" the French mare asked quietly. "Oh, you're joking...really? Well how am I supposed to do that?! Huh. Alright, I'll try my best. I'm sure she'll understand. Yup, see you soon." Nervously, Seraphine asked Cutea to one side. "Cutea, that was Flushie - she says Electric said they are having a little issue inside."
"Ugh, what sort of issue?" Cutea rolled her eyes.
"Well, I didn't understand everything but he says there are lots of little Cuteas who live in your body and they need help building stuff to keep you healthy. So I need to go in and bring them some supplies."
"What?!"
"Yeah that's what I think he said."
"Maybe he didn't explain properly, cos that sounds like the sort of silly thing he'd make up."
"Well, I think I should just go and see. I'll take some things with me, like snacks and tools...party supplies."
Cutea sighed, "Alright. Lemme go get his potion, then I'll let you in." She went into the house, and after Seraphine excused herself from Sunshine and Quinty for having to leave early, she messaged Flushie to let them know she was on her way.