Chronicles of Cody

by reedman

The Discovery

Having a windowsill for a sleeping area had one major downside for Cody. Sleeping in was near impossible when the sun was shining on you because your roommate didn’t close the curtain...again. He looked over to the massive expanse of Mocha’s circular bed. In the center, the gargantuan mare was still fast asleep. She nearly blended in with the dark pink of her bed, except for the small black pillow she rested her head on.

Cody pulled off his blanket, and stood up. He walked where the edge of the windowsill met the edge of Mocha’s bed. The drop down was roughly five feet, and landing on the bed of a giant made it even easier. After a few minutes of walking, he stood before his sleeping friend. He could hear the deep breathing of a fast asleep pony. He could feel her warm breath as she exhaled. With a bit of effort, he climbed onto the pillow and pushed against her cheek.

“Mocha, it’s time to wake up.”

A heavy groan rumbled from the sleeping equine. Cody pushed his hands against her soft cheek again, hoping to get a response out of her. Instead, Mocha shifted her massive head, and managed to pin his legs under it. A bit aggravated, he pounded his fist on her lower jaw.

“Mocha! Wake up!”

“Ugh. What?”

Mocha slowly opened her eyes and raised her head. She raised her head just enough for Cody to tumble onto the bed. She looked towards the windowsill, then down to him.

“Cody, you aren’t an alarm clock.”

“You forgot to close the curtain again.”

“Sorry. Five orders of cakes...same day. Passed out as soon as I hit the pillow.”

“Well let’s get some breakfast, I’m starving.”

Mocha tiredly nodded in agreement. Cody stood up, and grabbed onto her hoof. She placed him in his usual spot on her back. He felt his whole world shift as she got out of bed. No matter how many times he experienced it, moving over such a great distance felt strange.

As they approached the table, Cody was lifted into the air, and onto the table. As Mocha sluggishly poured herself a cup of cider, he walked across the table to his human-sized table. Next to it was a small bookshelf he had converted into storage for his kitchen utensils. He reached for a coffee mug, but a familiar pink glow took the cup, and it floated towards Mocha. She poured in a few drops to fill the mug, then levitated it back to him. He took the cup, and sat down at his chair. She sat down in her chair, and the two sipped their morning cider.

“More orders coming in today?”

“Yeah. Lots of ponies are celebrating being a month clean of their...umm.”

“Human addiction?”

“Well...yes.”

“Mocha, it’s ok to say it to me. We’ve been over this.”

Despite living with Mocha for a month now, she still isn’t comfortable talking about the practice of ponies eating humans in front of him. Did the idea scare him? Of course it did. However, Cody knew as long as he stayed upstairs, he was safe. He genuinely trusted her.

“Well, you better get started on those orders after breakfast.”

“I should. You’ll be busy as well. Ivory’s coming over to observe your workout.”

Mocha reached for a bright red apple that already sat on the table. She magically sliced off a very small piece, and let it float down to Cody’s small table. He looked at his breakfast, which was about the size of a cantaloupe. She was still practicing making food human-sized.

Soon the two finished their breakfast. Mocha placed her left hoof right next to Cody’s table, and he held on as she lowered him to the floor. Her non-magic handling of him was getting better. Cody watched as she walked towards the stairs, then looked back.

“Ivory will be here soon. Need anything before I go?”

“Nope. You have a good day at work!”

---

Orders of three chocolate cakes, three vanilla cakes, and two dozen chocolate cupcakes. Business was booming for Mocha. The door swung open, and a jubilant yellow pegasus with red hair walked inside with a bounce in her step. Around her neck was a string tied to a bag. She pulled it off and set it on the counter.

“One vanilla cake pickup for Twister Winds please! I have the 20 bits right here.”

While counting the bits, Mocha levitated the box from the kitchen, to the counter. She remembered it was on top of the stack. The box was placed on Twister’s back, and she used her wings to support it.

“That is one vanilla cake ready to go! May I ask what the occasion is?”

“You are looking at somepony who is one month clean of humans my dear.”

“Ah. I’ve had a number of orders from ponies celebrating going clean. I’m glad you beat the addiction.”

“Well, I must be off. You have a wonderful day.”

“You as well.”

As soon as Twister left, the door opened again. A green unicorn stallion entered, followed by another green stallion. They were twins. The first one carried a bag, and the other had straps on him.

“Twoooo vanilla cakes, twoooo chocolate cakes, and a doooozen chocolate cupcakes for the Leaf brothers.”

“My biggest order today. Your total is 100 bits.”

Mocha took the large sack of bits, and placed it behind the counter. She looked into the back, levitated the remaining boxes, and followed the two outside. The one brother hooked himself to a cart while the other watched Mocha load the food.

“We’re soooo glad you took this big order. This is soooo much cheaper than eating humans. Charging sixty bits for the little mooorsels. The audaaacity of those vendors.”

“Huh. I heard Princess Celestia ordered them to turn in their humans yesterday.”

“Not aaaall of them listen my dear.”

Mocha finished loading the baked goods, then turned to the chatterbox of the brothers. A smile and a quick goodbye later, she was back inside. She had just loaded the cupcakes into her basket when the door opened again.

“Mocha my dear, your best friend is here.”

“Hey Ivory. He’s upstairs. He should be close to finishing his jog.”

“Alright then. Have fun at the market.”

---

Lap five, done. His arms swung up and down in tandem with his legs. The length around Mocha’s table felt like a jogging track. His pulse was pounding, and his breathing was heavy. As he was halfway through lap six, he could hear Ivory’s muffled voice downstairs. By the time he finished his sixth lap, she was already sitting on the floor. Taking notes with her floating pen and paper.

Lap seven, the last lap, done. His workout however, was not. He grabbed his water bottle, and gave it a squeeze. A few quick gulps of cold water and he was already onto his next exercise. He started his thirty pushups.

“This workout regimen I wrote out seems to be doing wonders for you.”

Fifteen pushups in. He didn’t have massive muscles, but they were showing a little bit. Doing it every other day for the past few weeks also kept him from going stir crazy. She was right, this workout was doing wonders for him. After that long talk with Mocha a month ago, Cody felt more and more independent the more in shape he got.

His workout didn’t end there. He did laps in the bathtub. He managed to do a full lap. After being levitated out, Cody dried off with his small towel. Ivory turned around so he could change, but he swore she peeked a bit. He shrugged it off, and they moved on to his second to last exercise.

As they walked into Mocha’s bedroom, Cody was levitated down to the floor. He looked up to the top of her bed. The white bedsheet hung all the way to the ground. From his perspective, the climb was roughly thirty feet. The height didn’t bother him. Ivory always rested a pillow below him, and she sat right behind the pillow. In the beginning, she would sit on the floor, and rest her head on the bed. She doesn’t anymore, since it made climbing much more difficult.

He grabbed a piece of the sheet in each hand. This workout would only use his upper arms, and would be very intense. He slowly worked his way up the bed. As he got a few feet off the ground, Ivory pushed a pillow under him. Last time, he made it halfway before his arms gave out, and he had to fall onto the pillow. As he pulled himself higher and higher up, his felt that familiar strain on his arms. He was determined. He wanted to make it all the way to the top.

“Your workouts have been doing wonders for your health Cody. My calculations show that your overall health has improved significantly in the past month.”

“I have you to thank for that.”

After a loud yawn was heard, Cody stopped, then turned around to see Ivory was resting her head on the pillow she placed on the floor.

“Tired?”

“Princess Celestia’s guards questioned me almost all night. Humans are being sold on the black market, despite the efforts of the princess. Being the top researcher on humans, I was considered a suspect.”

“Take a nap then. I'll climb down. I could use a break.”

“Thanks.”

Cody began to climb down as Ivory nodded off. She and Mocha were working so hard to make a life here comfortable for him. Rumors of the princess being unable to open a new portal had been going around. The two didn’t know that he overheard them numerous times.

As Cody was lost in thought, he failed to notice his right hand was barely holding onto the bedsheet as he moved his left hand. As soon as his left hand let go, he couldn’t hold himself with what little of the bedsheet he was holding onto.

With what had to be the worst timing in Cody’s life, Ivory began yawning just as he lost his grip. He was falling, and his only landing spot was the open mouth of his turquoise equine friend. The one thing he was told would never happen to him. The one thing they were protecting him from, was happening. He landed on her tongue, and the momentum of the fall made him slide to the back of her mouth. He saw the small hole that led to her stomach. He was going too fast. Her slimy and soft mouth compressed around him.

She swallowed.

---

Ivory sat up, then stared down at her stomach in horror. Her mouth was hung open, and she could hear the muffled screaming. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Observe only is what she was told. Mocha would be upset, but not even close to how furious her highness would be. She ate Cody, and without permission from her. She needed a plan, and fast.

“I’ll get you out Cody! Just don’t panic!”

She needed a plan before her highness found out this happened. She raised her front right hoof, and slammed it into her stomach. She felt her stomach lurch, but Cody was still trapped inside. She was panicking too much to focus her magic to pull him out. Cody was going to digest, and she would face a punishment she couldn’t even fathom.

As she was slamming her hoof tirelessly, a burning sensation filled her stomach. Whatever was happening to Cody, it was strong enough to make her fall over. She continued to slam her hoof into her stomach over and over, despite Cody’s screams slowly fading. If she didn’t get him out, she would fail both Mocha and her highness.

The burning in her stomach began to intensify. With her open mouth, she saw a bright white glow emanate from inside her. She felt as if she would burst into flames from the inside. She was shaking. She was scared. Was Cody gone, and was this her punishment? Ivory tried to stand back up, but couldn’t. The burning inside her stomach was too much to do anything.

It was subtle. A sound akin to somepony using a teleportation spell, but much quieter. The light that came from inside her, was gone. The burning feeling was fading quickly. She stood up, and almost fell down again.

There he was. Cody was in the center of Mocha’s bed, unconscious and seemingly unharmed. Save for her saliva covering him, it was as if he was never in her stomach. She ran out of the bedroom and to the couch. She looked around in her bag, and pulled out a small human-sized towel. She went back to the bedroom, and carefully tried her best to wipe off as much of her saliva as possible. How would she explain that she accidentally ate him? She couldn't. She had to think of something.

It wasn’t supposed to happen this early. He wasn’t supposed to be able to do this for at least another few months. This put things far ahead of schedule. She needed to make sure Cody was okay, then immediately report in.

Nothing would prepare her for what would happen next.

---

Cody opened his eyes. He sat up and saw that he was in the center of Mocha’s bed. At the edge of the bed stood Ivory, who was telekinetically moving a small towel all around him. She stopped, then immediately climbed onto the bed. She sat herself inches from Cody, her face taking up his entire view. Tears were streaming down her face.

“Sweet Celestia Cody are you okay?”

“I’m fine. What happened?”

“You lost your grip climbing down, and fell into my mouth.”

“Your mouth!?”

“Yes, but you’re safe now. You hit your head on my teeth, and passed out for a few minutes. I spit you out onto the bed and tried to clean you up the best I could.”

Cody jumped up and hugged her nose. She was always looking out for him. While Mocha was his best friend, Ivory was so much more. In his life on Earth, he never met anyone like her. No one cared about him the way she did. A giant like her, caring so much about someone as small as him. So powerful, yet so gentle. Up until now, he never had the courage to admit his feelings for her. They’re so different. Why would a giant mare as perfect as her, want someone that’s considered food to every other pony in this world?

He couldn’t just tell her, he needed to show her how he felt. He let go from her nose. He took a deep breath. It was now, or never. He looked up to her. She seemed to have stopped crying.

“I need to say something. Something I haven’t had the courage to tell you until now.”

“W-What Cody?”

With shaky hands, he ran his fingers through her perfect, dark turquoise fur right above her lips. He looked up to her beautiful bright turquoise eyes, then looked at her perfect brown hair. He closed his eyes, pursed his lips, and pressed them against her upper lip. He then pulled away, opened his eyes, and looked up to a very shocked Ivory. He stood up.

“I love you Ivory Swirl. I’ve felt this way for awhile, but I’ve always been too scared to tell you. I don’t know if a mare as perfect as you could have feelings for me. You’re perfect in every way. You’ve done so much-.”

He found himself cut off as Ivory pressed her lips against him. Her top lip covered his head, her bottom lip pressed against his chest and stomach. Her kiss pushed him into the soft bed. He felt his body peel off of her lips as she pulled away. She rested her head within arms reach of him.

“I...I love you too. You’re different than all the stallions in Equestria. You don’t boast about your strength. You don’t brag about your skills. You’re content with being yourself. Mocha and I worry so much about your safety, but you’ve been so strong the whole month you’ve been here.”

Cody scooched forward, and rested his forehead against her upper lip. He was beyond elated she loved him too.

“Some days you make me forget I’m so small. I can never repay you for that.”

Ivory shifted her lower lip, and surrounded Cody’s face with her lips. She moved his head back and forth as she kissed him. He felt the weight shift as she pinned him under her. She moved her legs to hold herself up enough so she wouldn’t press down too hard. He began moving his hands back and forth across the part of her lips that wasn’t covering his whole face.

According to Mocha’s clock, the kissing continued for another twenty minutes. That left them about forty minutes before Mocha would return. They laid there in her bed. Cody was snuggled up against Ivory’s chest, using her hair as a blanket. One question burned in their minds.

“Would you like to tell Mocha? You’re her best friend after all Ivory.”

“Well my lovely Cody, you’re her roommate.”

They agreed on telling her together. Keeping her in the dark would be a waste of time. Mocha was an open minded pony after all. Deciding on who told her was easy. The conversation that came next, proved to be a bit more difficult.

“Where do we go from here? I’ve never dated a human before.”

“I don’t think there’s a single pony in Equestria that has.”

“Well, what do dating humans do?”

“Spend time together mostly. Enjoy each other's company, have meals together, and going out on dates.”

Ivory lowered her head, and nuzzled her nose against Cody. He wrapped his arms around her nose in an attempt to hug her.

“Once it’s safe for you out there, taking you out on a date sounds like a wonderful idea.”

The two would simply enjoy their company and let the time pass. It was when they saw the sun set, that they got out of the bed. Ivory levitated Cody onto her back, then walked out to the living room couch. Mocha would be on her way home.

---

Mocha had already set her basket down on the counter. Her massive amount of bits were levitated into the kitchen, being left to deal with later. She trotted her way upstairs. She sold so many cupcakes, she had to conjure up more while at the market. She had so many customers, and just as many placing cake orders. She was magically, physically, and mentally exhausted. She was looking forward to Cody’s last exercise. Her hooves being used as punching bags made for a great massage.

However, she was not expecting to see Ivory and Cody on the living room couch, kissing. Ivory had Cody’s face between her lips while he laid on the couch pillow. It wasn’t a kiss between friends. This was the kissing of lovers. Her mouth hung open as she watched her two best friends make out on her couch.

“Sweet Celestia, what are you two doing!?”

Ivory pulled back from kissing Mocha’s tiny roommate, who was dazed and smiling. Both Cody and her looked over to a very confused mare. She got off the couch, and levitated him down to the coffee table.

“Mocha dear, we have to tell you something. Something most wonderful.”

“You two were kissing!”

“Yes my dear. Couples tend to do that when they’re in love.”

“Or to pass time.”

“Indeed my love. Lots of time to pass.”

“Ok. Ok. Back up a second. Couple? You two are dating!?”

“Yes Mocha. I’m dating Ivory.”

Ivory sat down, and got Mocha to sit down on the couch as well. Cody sat on the coffee table, looking up. Mocha was still trying to process what she first saw and heard. She had a million questions in her head, and could barely focus on any of them. She got her first question out somehow.

"So you two...like each other? Like, love love? I...wow. I mean, she's huge compared to you! And you're so small!"

Ivory gently wrapped a hoof around Mocha’s shoulder. Mocha’s confusion was very much visible.

“Mocha. I know this is a lot to take in. Cody and I had these feelings for each other for some time now, but neither of us had the courage to approach the other. At least until today.”

“So...you two are a couple? The kissing, going out to eat, sleep in the same bed kinda couple?”

Ivory held up her other hoof that wasn’t wrapped around her friend’s shoulder, then levitated Cody up so he could stand on it. He seemed nervous, but stood confident.

“I love her Mocha. I’ve never felt this way about another person, or in this case pony.”

“We’re the only ponies you know Cody.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that I love Ivory.”

Mocha was still struggling a bit to believe it. Her small human friend Cody, was head over hooves for her lifelong best friend Ivory Swirl. What was she supposed to actually say? She looked to the two of them. Ivory had the look a mare gets when they meet the stallion of their dreams. Cody’s smile was the biggest she had ever seen, even when he was back on Earth. She took a deep breath.

“Cody, if this makes you happy, I’m glad for you both.”

She hugged Ivory, and the three got off the couch. She was still a bit confused on the concept of them dating. As strange as it was, she wouldn’t let any of her own bias get in the way. They were her friends. The fact that they’re dating is just something that she’ll have to get used to.

While she didn’t fully understand the interspecies dating, watching the two of them eat salad while staring at each other was super adorable. She would hold a piece out with her teeth, and he would pull off a piece for himself to eat. Even during dessert they were cute together. They shared a piece of apple pie, and the sight was beautiful. The way they stared into each other’s eyes. You could almost feel the love. With the right spell, you could probably see it too, though she didn’t want to flood the house tonight.

Mocha went downstairs to prep for tomorrow, and the happy couple went back to where they were first discovered by her. While she was moving her bits into the safe, she could faintly hear them kissing. Since they kiss with her sticking his face between her lips, one couldn’t help but wonder if she’ll accidentally kiss too hard and swallow him. After a lot of counting, she moved onto prepping all the dough for tomorrow. They were still kissing. She thought for a guy of his size, Ivory would wear him out quick, but no. After fifteen minutes of work, she returned upstairs. They were still kissing.

“Um. Ivory? Don’t you think it’s getting a little late?”

Ivory pulled out of her kiss for a moment to look at the window above the couch. She got off the couch, then levitated her bag from off the floor, onto her back. She walked towards the top of the stairs beside Mocha. She turned, and levitated Cody towards her.

“Until tomorrow my sweet Cody.”

“I’ll miss you Ivory.”

The two began to kiss again. Not wanting to lose another ten minutes of her life, Mocha interrupted them by slightly shifting Cody back from Ivory’s lips.

“Alright Juliet, how about we let Romeo here breathe? He’ll be here tomorrow I promise.”

Ivory gave a wink before leaving. Mocha looked at Cody, who had the goofiest smile on his face.

---

He never knew what walking on sunshine meant before today. Cody never understood all the lovey dovey couples back on Earth. He couldn’t fathom why people would enjoy sucking each other’s faces for a seemingly endless amount of time. Ivory changed all of that.

They reached the bedroom, and the two sat down in front of the bed. Mocha sat on her backside, leaning against the bed, and her hind legs sat before Cody. He stood before her left hoof. Pressing his hand into it, he could feel a day’s worth of stress. He squared up his shoulders, balled up his fists, and began to throw punches at the bottom of her hoof. It had very little give when his fist connected. Despite his strong hits, Mocha always said it didn’t hurt her. In fact, she said it felt like a small massage. His exercise was her relaxation. This was also when they had good talks.

“Cody I need to ask something.”

“Ask away Mocha.”

“Why Ivory? Just a week ago, you said we were the big sisters you never had.”

“Well, I meant more you than her.”

“I just want to know if you have a plan for this relationship with her.”

Cody stopped his boxing, and stepped out from behind her hoof to look up at Mocha. Despite how open she was initially, a shred of doubt could be seen in her eyes.

“I love her Mocha. She makes me more than happy. I'm glad you're concerned about my safety though.”

Mocha crossed her upper legs across her torso, and looked down at Cody with a smirk.

“As your unofficial big sister, I have to keep you safe.”

Cody chuckled, and went back to boxing Mocha's hooves. A small part of him did wonder where the relationship would go. That's what made it so exciting.

The boxing continued for another half hour. Cody punched all the stress out of Mocha’s hooves. The two went to the bathroom. He took his bath, then Mocha took hers. It was a long day, and both were ready to get some sleep. Mocha flopped onto her bed after Cody was gently levitated to his. Heads on pillows, and bodies covered by blankets. Sleep was taking over.

“Night Mocha.”

“Night lil’ bro.”

“Wait, forgetting something?”

“Oh, right.”

Mocha’s horn glowed, and the curtain was pulled shut. Cody slowly closed his eyes, letting his body float off to dreamland. Thoughts of Ivory danced in his head. His body lain against her perfect turquoise coat. His body blanketed by her beautiful brown hair. His face pressed against her soft lips.

It was an endless expanse of white. Cody sat in the center of a round, black table meant for a pony. He had a feeling he was waiting for someone, but he didn’t know who. He knew it was someone very important. He looked over to a giant floating clock, whose actual hands were rotating in different directions. He walked over to the edge of the table, ready to jump off and move on from this.

“Wait!”

Cody turned around to see a pony at the other end of the table. This pony was larger than any pony he had seen. She was dark blue, the darkest blue he had ever seen. Behind her horn was a small, black crown. Her hair was a lighter blue, with white dots similar to stars all over it. It also had a light purple outline around all of it. On her chest, rested some type of moon emblem. The same mark was also her cutie mark. She stared at Cody with her deep blue eyes. A look of confusion could be seen.

“All this time, and you’re the first human whose dreams I’ve been able to enter.”

The table faded from existence, and Cody began floating towards the giant mare.

“It is an honor to finally meet one of your kind in the dream realm.”

“Finally? You mean I’m the first.”

“Yes. The entrance to each dream is a door, and the doors for humans are far too small. Yours was the first I was able to enter. I am Princess Luna.”

“I’m Cody.”

To his left, Cody could see a white blob emerging from the floor, and quickly solidified into the shape of a pony. The fur changed to turquoise, then the hair changed to brown. It became Ivory. She winked at him, chuckled, and walked around. Princess Luna looked to her right, saw Ivory, then looked back to see Cody smiling.

“You love her don't you?”

“Very much. I've never felt the way I do about anyone else.”

“Two vastly different creatures, so enthralled by each other. Fascinating.”

Cody looked away, remembering how ponies were being punished for harboring humans. He didn't want that punishment to befall his friends. He hoped this Princess Luna was understanding.

“Your highness. I do have a humble request.”

“Yes Cody?”

“I have lived with Mocha Sprinkles since coming to Equestria. I ask that her, as well as Ivory Swirl not be charged with harboring a human. They've done nothing but keep me safe.”

Cody floated down to the ground, and stood at the hooves of the gargantuan princess. He looked up and saw her looking down at him.

“I will discuss this request with my sister. A human living safely in Equestria was...unheard of before you.”

“Thank you, your highness.”

“Now wake up.”

---

Mocha just finished her breakfast. She was sipping her morning hot cider when she saw Cody out of the corner of her eye. He was walking out of the bedroom, very groggy. He waved towards her. He was levitated up, and onto the table. He sat down at his human-sized table, and drank the cup of cider she already poured for him.

“Mornin’ Cody. Seems you slept well.”

“I did. Had a dream about meetin’ someone called Princess Luna.”

Mocha froze. If the actual Princess Luna met with Cody in his dreams, was she in trouble?

“Princess Luna huh? W-What did you two talk about?”

“Not much. Asked her if she could pardon you for harboring me. Told her about Ivory and me as well.”

Mocha nervously drank her morning cider. She nearly dropped it when someone knocked on the door downstairs. Not wanting Cody to see her nervous, she went downstairs quickly to answer it. Slowly, she opened the door. It was two of Celestia’s castle guard. Donning their shiny armor, and grim demeanor. The pegasus looked down at Mocha. The unicorn levitated a scroll in front of him.

“Mocha Sprinkles, Ivory Swirl, and Cody have been summoned to Canterlot to speak with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. More information will be given on your arrival.”

“Y-Yes sir. I-Is Ivory already there?”

“She is not at her residence.”

“She visits me everyday. We can wait for her if-.”

“No. You must meet the princesses as soon as possible. Where is Cody? His presence is required.”

“He’s...unavailable. I can leave your message upstairs for when both Cody and Ivory get back.”

Both mares grumbled a bit, but gave the message to Mocha, who hurried upstairs. She placed the note on the coffee table, then went over to a confused Cody at the kitchen table.

“Who was that?”

“Castle guard. You, Ivory, and I have been summoned to the castle. Wait here for Ivory, then get there as soon as possible.”

Mocha left before Cody could respond. Can’t let the guards be more suspicious than they already are. She walked outside, and followed them after she closed the door. The pegasus took a couple steps ahead of them and spread his wings. The unicorn stood by Mocha.

“I will fly ahead to Canterlot. The train is waiting.”

---

Cody had already slammed down his breakfast and clambered down from the giant table. He put his jogging exercise to work, and got to the bedroom in a couple minutes of running. Climbing the bed and getting to his room took another five minutes. He looked all through his dresser drawers. He was going to a castle. That meant meeting royalty. The last time he met a princess, was in a dream. He needed to look his best.

He tried on outfit after outfit. Unfortunately, all Ivory had procured for him was shorts and short sleeve shirts. He chose a pair of denim jean shorts that went to his mid-shin. He grabbed a smooth gray shirt. He hoped his outfit would present well in front of royalty.

“My my my, you do look handsome today.”

A startled Cody turned around to see a smirking Ivory, who managed to get into the house, up the stairs, and onto the bed without him noticing. She gently pressed her lips against his face.

“Mornin’ beautiful. You look amazing today.”

“You as well Cody. You are prepared as can be to meet royalty.”

Cody was levitated onto Ivory’s back after she got off the bed. They made their way down the stairs, and almost got to the door when Ivory stopped. He looked up, and saw that her head was shaking a bit. Whatever made her stop, it was standing in the doorway, and was out of his view.

“Hello Ivory.”

“Wh-Wh-What are you doing here Force?”

Ivory was backing up to the counter. When she got to the counter, Cody took the opportunity and hopped off from her back. He was in a sparse section of the counter, nothing around him. Whoever this Force was, he was scaring Ivory. That was enough to stay out of sight for now.

“We both know the answer to that. You’ve been avoiding me.”

“N-No I haven-.”

“Shut up! You cut off all contact since yesterday. I demand to know why.”

Cody’s fists were shaking. His face was burning with rage. No one talked to Ivory like that. Not even if they were a hundred times his size. Running out from behind Ivory, he looked at the one called Force. A dark gray coat of fur with short, red hair. His mark was a pair of wings. He was a pegasus. He stood a little taller than Ivory.

“Hey!”

Ivory gasped. Force stepped around Ivory to stand at the counter and down at Cody.

“Leave her alone!”

“And who do you think you are human?”

“Cody! I’m her boyfriend you jerk!”

Force’s eyes widened, then his head snapped to the right. He gave Ivory a cold stare. She took a tender step back and lowered her head.

“Boyfriend? You’re dating this thing?”

“Well...um...”

“Yes! She is! You need to just back off!”

Force looked back to Cody. He sniffed a bit, giving the small human a smell. His eyes widened again, and he flexed his wings. His right wing struck Ivory, who was pushed to the wall, and fell limp. She wasn’t moving.

“Ivory!”

“She won’t be saving you, bug.”

Cody looked up at Force, who was licking his lips. He ran left, and was blocked by his right hoof. He ran right, and was blocked by his left hoof. He heard the smacking of lips. Cody tried to think of a plan, but Force was too fast. His world went dark, except for a triangle of light on either side of him. He was in the stallion’s mouth.

Suddenly, Force’s tongue pinned Cody against the roof of his mouth. The mouth slowly closed. He was trapped in darkness. He tried to push against it, but the tongue had more muscle than he had. He was turned around, and was pressed against teeth the size of cinder blocks. The tongue pushed him down, then it rested on top of him.

He could hear the thuds of hooves turn from hitting wood, to pressing into grass. Force was taking him outside. He could hear the flapping of wings. The vibrato of his voice vibrated Cody a little bit.

“Count yourself lucky bug. I was ordered to not harm you. Resist however, and I won’t hesitate to drop you from the sky.”

The tongue began to move around. It kept rubbing Cody’s face. He was being tasted.

“You’re...palatable. I might as well buy some more humans. You wouldn’t last the trip anyways. You’ll at least last the flight to Canterlot.”

---

Ivory woke in a daze. She slowly stood up. She shook her head a few times, trying to gain focus. She didn’t see Cody or Force Wind. She ran outside. Looking up, she saw that Force was just flying off the ground. She was about to pull him down with all her magic, but she couldn’t. He was moving something around in his mouth. Something about Cody’s size. She couldn’t touch him, not without hurting her dear love.

The fact that Cody escaped from being inside her before was nothing short of luck. His power reacted on its own. Ivory had to save him. If her highness got her hooves on him, things would get much worse for all humans. Ivory sprinted like mad towards the train station. She needed help, and getting Mocha was the only pony she could think of.

One quick, exhausted sprint later, and she saw Mocha. She was walking with a castle guard. She needed to tell her what happened, but she couldn’t compromise herself. Withholding her connection with Force Wind was her planned approach. Mocha turned towards Ivory as she was approaching.

“Hey Ivory. Where’s-.”

“Cody’s been kidnapped!”

The guard stopped in his tracks and turned to Ivory. The grim facade of the usual castle guard was gone, and he held a face of concern.

“Who took him?”

“A pegasus. He was dark gray with short red hair. He...overpowered me, stuck Cody in his mouth, and flew away before I could came to.”

“This Cody is a human?”

“Y-Yes.”

The guard looked at Ivory, then to Mocha. He took a deep breath. He raised his hoof, and pointed towards the train station. His grim facade returned.

“Head to Canterlot immediately. Your meeting with Princess Celestia cannot wait. I will organize any available guards to search the skies.”

---

Cody laid inside Force’s mouth. He was pinned under a massive tongue in a dark, slimy place. All this stallion did was rub Cody with his tongue. He needed to think of something.

“Let me go! My friends will find me and you’ll be sorry!”

Force pressed his tongue against Cody’s face, likely an attempt to shut him up. He managed to push it off his face a small amount.

“Her highness never mentioned how annoying you were.”

“Princess Celestia and Luna are waiting for me! They’ll-.”

“Somepony more important than either princess has been waiting for you. Our highness has plans for you, little human. You should be grateful my orders are to take you alive.”

Suddenly, Cody heard the loud flapping of wings. His whole world shook a bit. He heard hooves. More than just Force’s. Multiple voices.

“Hmmm. Let’s see who’s selling some snacks today. I need enough humans to last our long trip.”

---

Mocha and Ivory were escorted into the main hall, both scared for Cody’s safety. They stood before Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. They looked at the terrified mares with confusion. Princess Celestia looked to Ivory, then Mocha.

“I am glad the both of you are here. Where is Cody?”

“Your highness. Cody was kidnapped! Ivory came to me right after it happened.”

Princess Luna took a step forward, standing by her sister.

“Kidnapped? What do you mean? By who?”

Ivory retold what had happened. She had carried Cody downstairs, and a pegasus by the name of Force Wind, was there. He managed to knock her out before she could react. When she came to, he was already flying away, with Cody in his mouth. Ivory hung her head low.

“I could have saved him. I hesitated.”

“You hesitated because you care about him very much.”

Ivory looked up to see Princess Celestia looking at her with a soft smile. Mocha could swear she saw a slight smile from Princess Luna.

“My sister had told me of your relationship with Cody. It is why I asked to speak to the both of you. Now however, finding Cody is the priority.”

“Celestia. Perhaps if we knew where this Force Wind has gone, we could find Cody as well.”

“Yes Luna. Lieutenant!”

One of the guards stepped forward from where he stood next to Mocha.

“Yes your highness?”

“I want every available guard searching for this Force Wind.”

“As you command!”

---

He was starting to lose hope. Cody was inside a mouth. He could be swallowed at any moment. This Force, he was toying with him.

“Ten bits? A fair price.”

Force’s massive tongue ceased its tasting of Cody. It pulled back, pushed under him, and pressed him into the roof of his captor’s mouth. He saw the stallion’s teeth separate. His body was pushed against the inside of the massive lips. Suddenly, Cody found himself blinded by light. Force was releasing him! He pushed him out of his mouth, and onto a cold surface.

It was all glass. Some type of glass tube. It reminded Cody of a test tube, but wide enough for him to move around a bit. The top was open, but was twice his height. A gray glow placed a cap on top. Luckily it had holes in it. Looking behind him, he saw Force’s chest. He had gone from human, to snack, to necklace accessory.

“This won’t only preserve ya human’s taste, but keep ‘em from runnin’ too.”

“Great. Know anyone that sells decent humans? I’m taking a long trip and I need a lot.”

“Hmmm. I can get my friend to sell you half a dozen at a cheap price. He’s out for lunch, but he’ll be back soon. Trust me, he’s worth the wait.”

Cody sat down in his glass prison. He had no way out, and his friends didn’t know where he was.

“Mocha, Ivory. Please find me.”

---

The main doors of the hall opened again. Mocha and Ivory turned to see the lieutenant walk in, followed by a dark gray blue stallion. His silver white mane went down to his legs. It was Hoity Toity! Though his mane wasn’t as poofy as it once seemed. His fur coat as a whole seemed not as well cared for. He was reminiscent of the sick ponies Princess Celestia had shown a month ago to scare others into quitting their human addiction.

“Your highness! We found him trying to break into the human quarters. He mentioned something about a black market.”

“They kicked me out! I ate too many! My own home! I need more! I need!”

“What shall we do with him your highness?”

“Take him to the treatment center. His home however, requires investigation. Send a squadron to Hoity Toity’s home.”

“Your highness!”

Another guard had come into the hall. He was exasperated. He took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.

“A pegasus matching Force Wind’s description was seen entering the home of Hoity Toity.”

Ivory’s head shot up. She bolted towards the door. Mocha soon ran after her.

“I’m coming for you my love!”

“Slow down Ivory!”

---

Cody was being displayed as a mere trinket. His entrapment was too large to escape. He could do nothing but sit, and watch as Force chose humans to devour. Picking and analyzing them, as if they were produce at the market. He had already chosen three males, and two females. He was looking over a third female. A brunette in her thirties by Cody’s guess.

“They look to be in perfect health.”

“I keep ‘em well fed.”

“How is their taste?”

“Try it and see.”

Cody watched in horror as Force opened his mouth. The brunette tried to struggle, but the vendor’s magical hold was too great. She slowly floated towards the open mouth that awaited her. The begging and pleading from her fell on deaf ears as she entered the stallion’s mouth. Cody could barely hear her as the mouth closed. Force began to move the brunette around in his mouth. He was tasting her!

“Delicious! I’ll take these six.”

“Three hundred bits.”

“Seriously?”

“Humans ain’t as easy to come by these days ya know?”

Force grumbled as he fished around for the bits. Cody still looked up, watching the woman making a small bulge in the equine’s cheek. He was powerless to help. He kicked the glass wall in frustration. Everything was jostled as his perspective changed. Force was walking.

“I have my little snacks, and a way to keep you contained Cody. This day couldn’t get much better.”

Everything shook too much to get a clear idea of where he was going. A bright blue sky was a solid indicator he was outside. An open area, where numerous ponies were walking around. Cody wanted to yell, to scream. He didn’t want to leave. He couldn’t bear to leave Mocha and all the kind things she did for him. He couldn’t leave Ivory, the love of his life.

Outside had a few buildings in a semicircle. Large windows into various shops. In the center was a grand water fountain. A few ponies were milling around. Force spread his wings. Cody was all out of ideas. He curled up into a ball. He lost.

The feeling didn’t start slow like last time. The burning sensation started in his chest. Like a pulse, it spread to his arms, legs, and his face. A powerful white light came from his mouth, then white light became all he could see. The burning and near blinding became so intense he thought he would scream.

Then just like that, the feelings were gone. The surface felt different. Cody’s eyes slowly adjusted as the light faded. The surface was red, and very soft. It was almost hairlike. He stood up, and saw a plane of dark gray that came to a blunt point. He could feel a decent breeze.

Cody was on top of Force’s head! He didn’t know how he got out. He needed to get down before takeoff. He waded through the red hair, and slid down the back while having a loose grip on the hair. He landed on the stallion’s back, and started to climb down the front right leg.

“What?! How!?”

Force gave his leg a light shake, which sent Cody to the ground. He immediately got back up, and scrambled towards the first thing he saw. The outside wall of the fountain. It was the height of a two story house. He went to the wall at a full sprint. It took Force a few steps.

“After this, you won’t run ever again.”

“Cody? Sweetheart where are you?”

Cody tried to run towards the voice, but one strong step from Force was enough to make him fall again. He rolled over to see his kidnapper. He held a hoof high above. Its shadow covered him entirely. As the giant hoof rushed towards Cody, he put his hands in front of himself instinctively.

The burning sensation returned. This time it felt as if he held white hot coals in his hands. A white light enveloped his hands. It felt as if Cody’s hands were being stretched apart as the light expanded. The light slowly grew into a disk. It grew, and grew, and grew. It was wide enough for Force’s hoof. Though when it touched the disk of light, it didn’t come through.

"What!? No, you shouldn't be able to do this! Impossible!"

The light began to rise. As more of Force passed through the disk of light, more of him disappeared. It rapidly expanded, eventually being large enough to envelop all of him. The pegasus opened his mouth, but his head was gone before he could speak. The disk quickly took up all of Cody’s captor.

The glowing and pain were gone. Cody’s moved his hands from his face. Force was nowhere to be seen. He stood up against the wall. Numerous ponies were staring down at Cody.

“He’s gone!”

“What did the human do?”

“It can’t be. Humans can’t do magic.”

“Cody!”

“Sweetheart!”

Bursting through the crowd was Mocha and Ivory. Cody didn’t know what happened and he didn’t care. Force was gone, and he was safe again. Ivory had lowered her head to nuzzle him. He took a step forward, but fell to his knees. It felt as if all the stress of the day had piled on all at once. He could barely lift his arms. He fell the ground, and everything went black.

---

Impatience and fear. A dangerous mix to have in a waiting room at the Ponyville hospital. Princess Celestia arrived right after Cody passed out, and gave two orders. Her guards were to take Cody to the nearest hospital, and Ivory was to collect every note she had on humans that would help the doctors treat him. Mocha sat in a chair. The double doors that led to the rooms of patients swung open, and Ivory stepped out with her notes floating behind her. Mocha hopped out of her seat and ran to her.

“Ivory! Is he okay? Is Cody alright?”

“I can answer that.”

Behind Ivory, Nurse Redheart stepped out. She lifted a clipboard that she had hanging from her neck.

"Our small patient seems to have an extreme case of magical exhaustion. He's showing the same symptoms an average unicorn would show after pushing their magic far beyond its normal limits. The only issue is that we're talking about a human here, and none of Ivory's notes talk about magic in the slightest. It seems that these creatures weren't made to use magic at all! His body couldn't take it and he collapsed, but he's stable for now. He should be fine after some rest, but I'll keep an eye on him. You can see him tomorrow when he’s rested."

“Come on Mocha, let’s get Cody’s room spruced up. I got some furniture he might like.”

---

The portal opened, and Force fell out. Five of the humans he bought tried to run away, but were snatched up by the others before he even stood up. He had that little freak in a necklace, and he still got away! He angrily swallowed the human he had in his mouth, and enjoyed the brief moment of the creature that struggled down his throat. If it wasn’t for learning how to manipulate the portals, who knows where he would’ve ended up. He stood up and walked. He saw numerous changelings fighting each other over his dropped humans.

“Outplayed by that speck! That bug!”

“You failed me?”

Force looked up to see the queen had approached. He quickly bowed his head. A sickly green energy washed over him, changing his body from a gray pegasus, to his true changeling form.

“I apologize my queen.”

“I see you are without the human.”

“Our spy has fallen in love with him my queen! He can use his powers earlier than we anticipated!”

The queen walked over to a ball of energy that was observing the resting human. She smiled a twisted smile.

“The prophecy is true then. He does fall in love. This makes things...different.”

The queen’s horn glowed, and she plucked a human from the fighting changelings. It floated towards her, and into her open mouth. She held the creature under her tongue.

“Fear...despair...and a hint of hopelessness. Such delicious emotions.”

She felt the squirms and screams as the human was drained of emotions. She slowly swallowed the human before facing her legion. She raised the ball of energy high above them all. It shifted from observing Cody, to a small version of the human’s home world.

"This new world will be enough to feed us all, my children. We will no longer live in the darkness. Soon, we shall make their world ours!"

Comments

[Windy_Swirl]

Damn, plot twist!