//------------------------------//
// Big Papa 
// Story: Tales from Tinies. 
// by MrAquino 
//------------------------------//

Claire, a nine year old girl, ran for her life from a group of bandits. It had been almost an entire year since she and her family had been thrown into Equestria, but this week... this was the week that was the hardest for her. Her old back home was destroyed when they landed in Equestria, but using their knowledge and determination, they made a new life in Equestria. Then, the bandits came, and her new life was destroyed. Not only was her home ransacked by these bandits, but... they killed her parents. Here's how it went down:

It was almost an ordinary day back home. In the last few days, Claire had noticed that, in school, many of her classmates and neighbors were disappearing. She didn't know much, but she figured that some were sick, or they were on vacation, but as soon as she made it home onto her family's farm, they were caught in a large flash and landed in a giant forest. Her whole family was caught off guard by this, with a million questions running through their heads. Then they heard some screaming. As much Claire wanted to, her father told her and her mom to stay back & hide. They all hid, but they saw what was happening: they saw what was essentially a giant, orange horse with white freckles, a yellow mane & tail in a ponytail, (something Claire thought was funny) wearing a cowboy hat and had three apples on it's flank. While it didn't seem that frightening; it's size was already intimidating, they watched in silent horror as it effortlessly pinned some people down under one of it's giant hooves, seemingly picked them up (despite having no fingers), and dropping them into it's mouth, where it then slurred them around it's mouth, finishing with it turning it head back with a loud "GLRK", the people becoming a lump in it's throat before disappearing into it's belly. Claire's mother covered her mouth before the girl could scream, and they ran as fast as they could, away from the giant horse. They ran out of the forest, not stopping for anything, and only then, did Claire scream when they were out.

Why was a pony eating people? How can it do something so cruel? What type of world did they land in? So many questions came in, and a new fear stumbled upon Claire that day: the giant ponies and being eaten by them. Her parents had told her that the world was dangerous, but this new world... it was essentially a death trap!

Her mother calmed her down, telling her that it's okay now. Her father saw how dark the place was getting, and not wanting to be attacked themselves, they made their way into a small burrow that, as he could, belonged to that of a rabbit. Claire didn't want to, but they had to sleep in the dark, as the giant pony may find them and... well... Claire didn't want to think about it. Though her father kept watch, they all fell asleep and had a dream, where they meet one of this land's rulers: Princess Luna. The family was frightened, but Luna made herself their size and gave them the basic details of the land, especially the fact that, if they were eaten, they'd be fine. She promised to them that she won't tell anyone where they were at, left them some supplies to help make themselves a house, and that she won't eat them, but communicate with them in their dreams.

When they woke up, there was supplies around to help them build a new home, and some food to help them live here. Without any question, they all began to work on their new home and farm. In a month, they had their home built inside their burrow, an operational farm, and plenty of water to help them crop the plants and to drink. Claire's father always worked on the farm, and her mother taught her the essentials, though Claire herself did her fair share to keep their home running. It was strange, but they all adapted to their new home, especially with Claire.

Claire, despite her fear of the ponies, found the place to be peaceful. She won't lie, it was pretty boring, but there were plenty of good things that changed. The first and noticeable thing was that she was spending more time with her family; when she wasn't at school, her parents would be either too busy on their phones, be watching some film that she couldn't watch, or too busy working & cleaning up the farm to even notice her. Second, and probably her most favorite, was that she didn't need to go to school anymore; she didn't hate it, but with the amount of homework she got almost everyday, it was very refreshing for her to not worry about an assignment due the next day. The last, and this was one her whole family shared, was the food: it was true that they had plenty of food, but, when they were lucky enough, a nice, ripe, and juicy apple would fall from one of the nearby trees. Though they couldn't finish it, any apple they had was perfect, with the perfect amount of juice and crunchiness to it, it was filling to the brim. She was actually happy with her life... up until now.

A week ago, after a cold winter, Spring came to their home. They had plenty of spare food to eat, but they knew they had to get to work on the crops as fast as possible. As they ate their breakfast, they heard a knock on their front door. Visitors were rare around here, and Claire was really shy when new people came. They had visits; one was with another family that needed a place to sleep, and the other was some man that needed a hiding spot. The family was allowed, but the man... he was rejected, and the family had to stay quiet as they heard him scream before being swallowed by one of the ponies. Claire followed her routine that involved her hiding under her bed as her father answered the door. Her parents, though understood why, had told her that she has to be firm and, until they either go home, should be cautious, but not afraid.

As soon as her father approached the door, it burst wide open, and many strangers entered. Her mother screamed as they entered, some placing a sack over Claire's dad's head, and followed by her mom. Claire watched in silent horror as these bandits ransacked her home, taking all of their food away, and setting their furniture on fire. One of the bandits found her and pulled her out. She screamed loudly, but was muffled when her mouth was tied up by a rope. One of the bandits, the leader, NY his looks pulled out a gun and aimed it her parents heads. She shut her eyes, but she heard the gun clicking, followed by two loud bangs, and her parents gone silent. She wept hard, and was dragged away from her home.

A whole week had passed since the incident. The bandits had a camp near the giant forest, and she had learned that these bandits, though new, were in a business that involved kidnapping and selling kids to high paying ponies that will do whatever they want. A client was on their way, and she was tied up with some other kids, all of which had lost the will to escape. She, however, was going to escape and run away from the bandits, not becoming somepony’s property… or snack.

While everyone was asleep, Claire, having stayed awake after walking around to tire all the kids, carefully took a knife from one of the sleeping bandits and began to cut her way out. With every second counting, she sliced the rope around her hands, legs, and neck. She had a couple of cuts in her skin, but to be free, this was worth it. When she was free, she snuck her way out and, as a way to lose them, she sprinted into the forest. She continued, only stopping for a quick break. On her quick break, she thought to herself.

Now what do I do? She thought. This was as far as she got to in planning. She was starving & thirsty, had no idea where she was at, despite being Spring, she was freezing, didn't know anyone she could trust, and her parents… she couldn't think about it now. She gasped as she heard the voice of the boss, yelling for his men to find her! She ran ahead, but screamed loudly as one of the bandits blocked her path. She was chased by the large group of bandits, and despite her size & speed advantage, she was starting to slow down. She could only scream for help.

At Sweet Apple Acres, Big Mac and his sister, Applejack, had begun their chores. It was a strange time for the family; ever since the humans had arrived, Applejack and their family dog, Winona, have been on high alert for bandits that tried to steal their source of income. When she found these unwanted guests, it became a real game of Cat & Mouse with her and Winona chasing the tiny thieves. While she couldn't tell what Winona thought, there was no question that their dog loved to snatch and swallow the humans whole as she did; they were a good snack and it helped the family make more money with the lack of Apples eaten. Of course, there were exceptions; Newcomers and kids were the big two. Here, AJ would let them off with a warning, and she'd take them to the local human village near her farm, usually letting them ride her back.

Big Mac was no exception. He too was on the lookout for thieves, but, unlike her sister, he didn't eat them at all, but took them to their village, or placed them in a jar. He was one of the few ponies that didn't eat humans, but he kept them for Marble Pie, a crush he had since his family meet the Pie family during Hearths Warming Eve. She actually liked to eat humans, but only as a gift from Big Mac. He does most of this, not just because he disliked the idea of eating humans, but he wanted to set an example for Applebloom, his youngest sister.

Both Big Mac and Applejack worked on the Orchard, bucking the trees for apples to fall. Since Spring arrived, both weren't too worried about encountering some bandits trying to steal their fresh apples. It would be easier, but unfortunately, Applebloom had to go to school, and Granny Smith was much too old to work on the farm, so she was usually inside, sleeping away or making family meals passed down each generation. As the siblings worked, they paused as they heard a scream.

“Ya’ll heard that too, Mac?” Applejack asked.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac simply replied.

“Good. Go on ahead, big brother. Winona and I will be behind. Hungry, Winona?”

“Arf! Art!” their dog barked, followed by some panting. Big Mac rolled his eyes and traveled to the source of the noise.

Claire ran as fast as she could, but tripped on a root sticking out. She fell and attempted to get up & run again, but was blocked by one of the ginormous trees. She turned to see the bandits surrounding her, the leader approaching to her.

“Not so smart of you, Missy.” he taunted “Gave us a run for our money… literally. Now, be a good girl and stay still. Our client's waiting.” he walked to her, a noose ready in one hand. Claire ran to her right, but was held down by one of the bandits.
“NO!!!” She screamed. “LET ME GO!!! SOMEONE!!! HELP!!!”

“No one's gonna save ya!!! Now shut up!!!” Claire struggled to free herself, but froze as the floor shook. Appearing right behind one of the trees was one of the ponies: a red one with white freckles, a yellow mane & tail, and had a large, sliced in half, green apple on it's flank. What made him truly stick out was that not only did he wore a yoke around it's neck, and it's hooves had an edge rather than being all covered in fur, but it was huge!!! Claire froze as it approached to them, but she screamed loudly. Some of the bandits covered their ears, others flinched, but she fell to the floor and backed away to the tree. The bandits turned to see the Titan of a pony, most gasping as well.

“SHIT!!!” The boss yelled. He took his pistol out and fired at the pony. Claire flinched and covered her ears, but she watched as the bullets did nothing to the gargantuan pony, only taking a few pieces of hair out. She screamed as she saw another pony stood behind the bandit boss. He turned, but screamed as the same pony Claire saw a year ago, lowered it's head, bit onto the boss, lifted it's head up, tilted it head, and swallowed him with a deafening “GULP!!!”. The other bandits turned to her and backed up. Claire watched as the pony went into a pouncing position, only for an equally giant dog to jump onto it's back and to the crowd of bandits. Claire covered her eyes and cowered, hearing the people running for their lives in pure terror, only to be swallowed.

Big Mac watched her sister and Winona give chase to the group of bandits, but he directed his attention to the small girl cowering in fear.
Poor little thing. He thought. Scared to the brim. Better help her get to her family, or anywhere but here. He walked to the little girl, feeling really powerful, but being careful to not hurt her.

Claire heard and felt the loud, shaking floor of one of the ponies approaching her.

“Oh no,” she whimpered “please, don't kill me. Please don't kill me.” the floor stopped shaking. She felt warm air hitting her back. Peeking, she could see the nostrils of the pony sniffing her. OH NO!!! GO AWAY!!! The sniffing stopped. The seconds felt like hours as she wondered what the pony was thinking. She just hoped that, whatever it was thinking, it should be fast and painless. I'm sorry, mom. I'm sorry, dad. She teared up again, waiting for it to be over. She felt so inferior to this pony.

Big Mac noticed the little girl sniffing with it's eyes shut. A waterfall of tears fell from her eyes. Alright, Mac. Easy does it. He slowly and steadily set himself into a lying position, mostly as a way to not look so terrifying to the child. He lifted his left hoof and brought it to the little girl.

Claire saw the hoof of the pony heading towards her. She immediately cowered, believing that it would either crush her, or, as she saw, would grab her and eat her. She felt the large, smooth hoof touch her face and… wiped a tear from her eye? She opened her eyes to see the hoof going back to the pony, and she felt less teary. She looked up and gasped, seeing that it was the ginormous, red pony that wiped the tear from her face, and he was lying down in front of her. It extended it's hoof again, and again, it wiped the tears from her other eye.

“There, there,” he said in the most warm, gentle, and deep voice that reminded her of her father “it's okay, you're safe.” he smiled a smile that was just as gentle as his touch and voice.

So far so good. Big Mac thought to himself.

I-it's… nice? Claire thought to herself. The two stared at each other for a few moments. Then Claire's stomach growled. Big Mac heard it, though it was faint.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“... Y-yes.” Claire stuttered with a nod. He smiled again, taking an apple on his side pouch. With little effort, he squished the Apple with a loud, yet moist, crunch. He pulled the core out and ate it, but gave the rest to Claire. She hesitantly approached the mushed apple, took a fairly large piece with it's skin, and began to eat it, rather fast. While she did eat, most of what the bandits gave her tasted awful, leading her to eat very little. The mushed apples made her drool with every bite, and the taste brought a huge smile to her face. Of course, she stopped as the stallion chuckled.

“Ah figured you were hungry,” he commented “but Ah didn't think you were that hungry.” he extended his hoof to her. “Name's Big Macintosh, but ya can call me Big Mac for short.” Claire was surprised by how nice he was. She took her hand out and grabbed his hoof, but was prepared to run if she needed to. He gently shook.

“C-Claire.”

“Hm… such a pretty name for someone so young.” he pulled his hoof back as she released. With the same hoof, he turned it around and made it's underside a platform. “May I have a closer look?” Claire gave him a skeptical look.

“Why should I trust you?” he chuckled again.

“Well, Ah do believe that I made you safe from them bandits, gave you a piece of an apple, and greeted first. If ya'll think that I wanna eat you, then you should know that I'm not like my sister and, even if I do, I wouldn't have something as sweet and innocent as you.” Claire noticed that he wasn't sounding impatient, but he was calm, firm, and, overall, right about what he said.

“...Okay… I'm trusting you on this.” Claire carefully climbed onto the stallion’s hoof. She braced herself as he got from his lying position to sitting onto his haunches. She noticed his large, green eyes as he noticed her long brown hair and blue eyes.

“There, was that hard? I couldn't help but notice your blue eyes. They're very lovely.” she blushed.

“Oh, th-thank you. Your green eyes are just as beautiful, sir.” he awkwardly smiled and rubbed the back of his head with his other hoof, a bit embarrassed. She couldn't help but giggle at how cute he was, even if he was huge.

“Oh, uh… thanks. Ah’m sure my sis will understand, but know where your family’s at? I can easily drop you off with your parents.” Claire’s smile instantly dissappeared. She looked down and twiddled her thumbs. Big Mac looked at her with some confusion. “What's wrong?... Oh, you were sent to Equestria and not your parents?”

“N-no… they're here… they're just… uh… “

“Your parents are bandits!? Why! That's no way to treat a child! That's-”

“NO!!!” She began to tear up. “Th-those bandits. … They… They…” She fell onto his hoof and sobbed again. Big Mac knew what she meant. With his other hoof, he gently nudged her. She looked up to him, sniffing.

“I-I'm sorry, Claire. I didn't know what you meant. Never thought I'd hear your kind doing that to each other…. Guess I'm a fool to assume such things.” She wiped a tear from her face.

“No, no… I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I-I have no where to go… I should've thought ahead…. Are there any other people around? Ones that aren't bandits?” Big Mac thought about what she said.

Poor gal, lost her parents to some bandits. I could let her live in the human village nearby, but I don't know if anyone’s willing to accept her. And Celestia knows how busy Luna is.Wait…  no! I can't! I just can't! He looked down at Claire again. Immediately, images of her, and Marble came to his mind. With the exception of her talking, she was an exact copy of Marble. He gave up. “Claire?”

“Yes?”

“Do… do you trust me?”

“... Yes?”

“No, I mean, do you fully trust me?”

“Yes. Why?”

“... Well, I don't think you'll need to live in an Orphanage.” She gave a curious look.

“What do you mean?” He smiled at her question.

“What do you think about me being your new father?” Her eyes widened.

“You… want to adopt me?”

“Eeyup!” She stared with her mouth wide open. She shook herself back to reality after imagining the many different scenarios.

“Oh… I… I don't know, sir. I mean, I'm happy you saved me, and I'm sure you want me to have a good life, but I'm not so sure if your sis will-” She was interrupted as Big Mac muzzled her. She was caught off guard, falling onto his hoof, and felt the warm, soft fur of Big Mac’s muzzle. She actually enjoyed it and patted it. He pulled his muzzle out.

“Mah Family will understand. And I'll be sure that no one eats you, okay?”

“You promise?”

“Eeyup.” He lifted his hoof higher and gently shook Claire off. Claire slid off of Big Mac’s hoof and landed on his softer mane. “Now ya'll stay in there while I introduce you to your new family.”

“O-okay.” Truth be told, his mane was even softer than she imagined. Even with it's sweat (which was weird, since he's covered in fur) and smell, she felt relaxed on top. Big Mac moved, and she saw the trees moving by faster than when she was on foot.

Big Mac stopped as he saw Applejack with the last bandit in her mouth. It’s legs were kicking around, but Applejack quickly slurped the rest of the bandit in, tilted her head back, and swallowed. She let out a sigh of relief, looking down and patted at her own belly. 

“Heh, I hope that’ll teach ya’ll to never trespass on mah property.” She said to the people inside her stomach. She turned to her big brother. “Oh, there ya’ll are! Boy, there was a lot of them! Were it not for Winona’s help, I’d have to let them go and run off! Now if only ya’ll could help me; I’m feeling very full, and we still gotta buck these new apples. Say, is there something in yer mane?”

“Eeyup.” The stallion replied, lowering his head. Claire felt Big Mac and was face to face with Applejack. She tried her best to hide, but Applejack saw Calire.

“Aww, was this the little one chased by them bandits?”

“Eeyup.”

“Daw, she’s so cute, I can just eat her up.”

“NO!!!” Claire screamed “Please! Don’t!”

“Oh… I was only kidding there, missy. I don’t eat kids, so don’t you worry ‘bout me. Ya’ll bringing her to the local human village?”

“Nope.” Big Mac replied.

“...No? Big Mac, what are ya’ll-?”

“H-He’s… my dad.” Claire answered. Applejack turned her head and blinked.

“...Ya’ll aren’t serious, are you? She’s too small, even for-” Big Mac stood right back up, giving his sister an angered look. “...Oh… ya’ll are serious. I won’t ask why, but I’ll let the family know, especially Applebloom. But what’s your name, missy?”

“C-Claire, ma’am.”

“Claire? Hm… that’s a sweet name. I’m Applejack, and welcome to the Apple Family. Know anything ‘bout farming?”

“Yes, ma’am.” She nodded. Applejack grinned.

“Ah think we’re gonna get along just fine.” she turned around and whistled with her left hoof in her mouth. How she was able to do that was anyone's guess, but the familiar barking of a dog was heard, followed by the the Collie running and stopping, sitting on it's rump while panting away. “There's mah good Winona!” Applejack patted the dog's head. The giant dog noticed Claire and turned it's head while giving a curious look. “Winona, meet Claire. Don't eat her, at all, okay?”

“WHOOF!” Winona barked, sounding affirmative.

“Good girl! Come on, let's drop the bandits at the Village prison. They know what to do with thieves.”

“Woof!” Both Applejack and Winona walked away, though the mare let out a loud belch.

“Oof! Pardon me.” Claire couldn't help but giggle and squeal. Her new family was already nice, and though they ate people, she was going to be the exception. Big Mac walked ahead, and Claire watched as they approached a barn that was almost like hers back on earth, only, well, bigger. The sight, and the overall feel, of the place brought a tear to her eye. Big Mac heard her sniffle a bit and brought her from his Mane. He gently nuzzled her. Claire felt his muzzle touch her, but she hugged away, feeling that this was going to be a great chapter in her life.

“BIG MAC!!!” An elderly voice yelled. “Is that you!? Are you with one of them tiny thieves!?” Big Mac sighed in annoyance.

“Is that your mom?” Claire asked.

“Nope.” he replied, placing her in his Mane. He walked to his grandmother, Granny Smith, who sat down in her rocker. Claire peeked, but quickly hid.

“Aw! You're now a father!?” Granny asked Big Mac. “Ain't that a sweet thing for you to do. Maybe ya'll can finally be a great husband to that Marble Pie ya'll been eyein’ on.” Big Mac blushed and quickly walked inside. Entering through the other door was his much younger sister, Applebloom.

“Hey, Big Brother.” She said. “How's today been? Listen, I gotta do an essay that involves me interviewing a human and learn about their lives, and how I can learn from them. Know any?”

“Oh! I can help!” Claire spoke.

“What the-!? Ya'll have a human!?”

“Eeyup.” he answered, though a bit annoyed as he took Claire from his Mane.

“Cool! Howdy! Mah name’s Applebloom!”

“Claire. I guess we're now sisters?” Applebloom gasped.

“BIG MAC!!! You adopted a human!?” Before he could answer, she began to hop around. “AH HAVE ANOTHER SISTER!!! AH HAVE ANOTHER SISTER!!!” She stopped and stood inches from Claire. “Ooh! Can I taste ya'll!?”

“NOPE!!!” Big Mac snorted.

“oh… interview, then?”

“... Eeyup.”


________________________________


The interview was pretty lengthy, but Applebloom had enough information to make her essay. Claire found her new family to be sweet, even if they were huge, and ate people. It was getting late; Celestia's sun began to set, leaving Luna to bring the moon up… and followed by her nightly hunts. Big Mac brought Claire to his room and set her on his belly. Claire couldn't help but find Big Mac to be both soft, bouncy, and, most importantly, warm. Big Mac, meanwhile, couldn't help but warmly chuckle to himself, feeling and watching Claire getting comfortable on his belly, using his coat for a blanket. He decided that he won't use his blanket for tonight, but tomorrow, he was going to make Claire her own bed. He closed his eyes and went to sleep, using his own hooves to hold Claire in place.

A couple of hours had passed, but he felt Claire climbing up his fur. He looked down, seeing her grasp onto his fur and shivering. He carefully plucked her off.

“Claire?” he asked. “Something wrong?” Her teeth chattered as he held her on his hoof.

“I-I'm c-c-c-cold, sir.” She answered.

“Aw, don't worry, I'm sure mah blanket can-”

“Uh… I d-don’t want a b-b-blanket.” Big Mac paused and tilted his head.

“You don't? It's not gonna take too long. I'm just gonna-”

“Please… i-is it alright… if you can… eat me?” Big Mac’s eye's widened.

“Eat you!? Wha-!? Why would you-!?”

“P-please? E-ever s-s-since I came here… I've b-been frightened of your k-kind. I-i-i saw your sister eat some when I a-arived.”

“You did? Well, I'm sorry if you saw that. We just don't want anyone taking our way of income. I'll be sure to-”

“I-it's okay. You've b-been s-s-so nice t-t-to me. I-i-i’m also c-curious on what you're like… on the I-inside.”

“... So… You want me to eat you… because I've been nice & want you want to repay me?” She nodded. “And you're curious on what I look like on the inside?” another nod. “And you're cold?” nod. “... Is it also because you want to be courageous and not be afraid of me?”

“... Yes.” He let out a sigh.

“...are you sure about this? I can get a blanket quickly.” Please, I don't wanna eat any human! I don't wanna do it!

“... I really want to. Please?” Big Mac let out another sigh.

“Alright… but if you're scared… I'm going to spit you out, okay?”

“Okay…. I'm ready.” Big Mac took a deep breath. Reluctantly, he lowered his face to Claire and opened his mouth wide. Claire gawked in awe, seeing Big Mac’s huge mouth; each molar looked liked they could easily grind anything with ease, webs of saliva hung from the roof of the mouth to the strange, orange colored tongue. All of this lead to the dangling uvula that hung like a boxing speed bag, over the pulsing and breathing abyss of his throat. Claire stared ahead, took a deep breath herself, and on all fours, crawled into his mouth. Immediately, Big Mac had a blast of flavor in his mouth; Claire tasted delicious!!! He began to sweat, fighting every nerve in his body that just wanted to close his mouth and taste her. Claire looked down into the Stallion’s throat, watching it open and felt warm air hitting her face. Strange enough, it didn't smell that bad; it smelt like Applesauce. Closing her eyes, Claire leaned herself down, and allowed gravity to take her down. Big Mac instinctively swallowed her, but gasped at the fact that not only was Claire in his mouth, but he swallowed her! He followed Claire, a lump in his throat, and watched as she dissappeared into his belly. Claire, meanwhile, was taken down by Big Mac’s throat muscles, and it wasn't frightening, nor painful, as she imagined. It felt like forever, but she watched as the esophagus opened, and she didn't fall into Big Mac’s stomach, but slid inside, like a fleshy slide. It was dark inside, but she felt the floor and stomach walls move around her, the acids around that felt like a warm spa, and some apples currently digesting around her. She can clearly hear Big Mac’s heart beating loudly like a drum, his own breathing, and the loud stomach gurgling around her, shaking the place around. The smell of Applesauce assaulted her nose, and the place was really warm. His stomach was actually peaceful.

“Claire? You okay?” Big Mac’s gentle voice boomed around her.

“Yeah?” Claire replied. “I'm okay. It's very warm in here.” she let out a long yawn.

“Oh...good. ...Claire?”

“... Yeah?” Her eyelids felt heavy.

“You know… This is my first time eating a human.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah. You… you tasted great.” He rubbed his belly. Claire felt the place move as Big Mac rubbed his belly. “I love you, Claire.” Claire closed her eyes. She adjusted herself and hugged some flesh around her.

“I love you too… papa.” She slept away with a smile on her face. Big Mac was surprised by what she said, but he smiled and closed his eyes,going to sleep as well. A single tear fell down from his eye, but he rubbed his belly, feeling his daughter inside. This has to be the best day in his life.