The Tatzl

by Raging Mouse

4: A Burrow in the Hillside

Tatzlight trotted through the woods of the Everfree. Her natural grace made slinking through the vines and underbrush easy, her trio of tongues serving to keep obstructing flora out of her way.

Behind her, the six ponies had a markedly more laboured time negotiating the forest. Applejack served as trailblazer, more often than not opting to power through the obstacles in front of her. Rainbow Dash flew above Applejack, sometimes giving directions. Pinkie Pie was next, her mode of travel resembling parkour more than anything else. She bounced off tree trunks and swung from lianas - or swung from lianas into tree trunks, only to bounce off. Twilight was third, and her magic finally made a path that was negotiable for those behind her. Rarity and then Fluttershy followed in her steps. Little was spoken, apart from directions and sporadic warnings of particularly obstructing plant-life.

No more than ten minutes had passed since the group left Fluttershy’s cottage when Tatzlight slowed to a stop at the edge of a small clearing. The clearing was uneven, with a dry ditch or small brook running through it. Hilly mounds covered by small berry-laden bushes made its path meander. In the shallow dips between the mounds the earth had been worked, exposing dark soil. Green shoots sprouted from the soil, not in even rows, but in some chaotic yet equidistant pattern. The fragrance of wet soil filled the air.

Wide holes were visible around the edge of the clearing, nestled into the sloping ground between the roots of the closest trees. Hatches, woven from branches and leaves, plugged the holes.

The ponies halted as they caught up to Tatzlight. Both Applejack and Twilight slumped, winded from exertion. Rarity was the first to speak.

“Darlings, why do we tend to run everywhere, even when the fate of Equestria doesn’t hang in the balance? Why can’t we proceed at a pace that lets a mare keep her composure..?” Her voice trailed off for a moment as she got a good look at the scene in front of the group. "Where are we?"

"This is where the Tatzlponies have made their burrows", Fluttershy answered. "I offered them something closer to Ponyville at first, but they turned it down."

Rainbow Dash had finished a circuit above the clearing's edge and was now hovering above the group. "Where are they, then? Are they hiding?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "No, they are resting in their burrows. Please keep your voices down, girls."

Tatzlight had waited patiently for the others to gather and catch their breaths. Now she turned towards the clearing and, contrary to Fluttershy's last words, hooted loud enough to echo among the trees. The others froze for a moment, waiting for a reaction. It came in the form of the grass plugs all opening narrow cracks. Animal noises issued from them, the majority being various birds.

One of the woven plugs shot into the air with a loud rustle, disintegrating in the process. A blue blur shot out of the opened burrow, heading straight towards Rainbow Dash. Dash tried to dodge by taking to the air, but she was no more than her own height off the ground when the blur, too, lifted into the air. There was a confused moment where Rainbow Dash yelped, an instant before the blur reached her at the apex of its leap. Then it landed and stopped, revealing another tatzlpony. This one was the counterpart of the vanished Rainbow Dash. A pair of jagged, rainbow-colored lightning bolts decorated the sides of her eyes. The shaggy crest of mane down her back and tail resembled the colorful pennants at a carnival.

Tatzldash grinned at the frozen tableau of stunned ponies. Then she poked at her stomach, resulting in the voice of Rainbow Dash issuing from within, speaking with a confused tone.

"Where'd the lights go?"

The ponies laughed, but the laughter died down as four other burrows opened up (though gentler), revealing more tatzlponies. Each pony present could now study their tatzlpony counterpart. Reactions varied.

Pinkie Pie shouted in glee. She rushed to meet her double, who opened her tripartite maw wide in invitation. Pinkie leaped like an arrow straight into Tatzlpinkie's mouth.

Applejack also met her counterpart in the middle, though both took to circling and studying the other. Tatzljack opened her maw and beckoned with one of her tongues, but Applejack backed away nervously. "Sorry, partner, but I gotta warm up to that some more."

Rarity took one look at her counterpart, shrieked, and charged towards her. Tatzlrarity halted with visible confusion and widening eyes. Then she was tackled, her and Rarity tumbling down into the burrow while Rarity shouted something about industrial combs.

Twilight watched all this with bemusement, until she felt a tug on her ear. Turning her head, she saw Tatzlight beckoning with an open maw. Twilight sighed. "You want to engulf me again?"

Tatzlight nodded, resulting in another sigh from Twilight. Then Twilight tromped over to stand in front of Tatzlight. "Very well; if you insist." This time, Tatzlight didn't hesitate. Twilight landed inside Tatzlight's stomach after a mere fraction of a second.

Next, Twilight felt Tatzlight's legs brush against her from outside the stomach as Tatzlight walked. After a couple dozen steps there was a pause before Tatzlight seemed to dip forward at a steep angle. The steps were shorter now and braced on the forward legs. Twilight heard the bottom of Tatzlight's stomach scrape against loose soil.

A moment later, Tatzlight reached more even ground and stopped. Twilight saw Tatzlight's tongues extend and her maw open, though beyond lay only darkness Twilight’s horn light was unable to pierce. Then Twilight saw Tatzlight's tongues reverse, pulling back to grip her and pull her forward. She obliged by pulling her hooves close to her body, expecting to be let out. Thus she became confused when, instead of open air, she was transferred to another, larger set of tongues.

The new belly Twilight found herself in was large enough to allow her to stand without her horn touching its ceiling. The tongues that carried her were approximately double as long and thick as Tatzlight's, making Twilight worried. The tatzlpony whose belly she now occupied had to be very large indeed. She was promptly released, and stood up.

Turning towards the throat, Twilight saw the tongues extend again. When they pulled back, they were carrying Tatzlight, who had elected to extend her legs so it looked like she was diving. Tatzlight was released next to Twilight, the two of them taking up almost all room in the belly. The large Tatzlpony's tongues didn't extend back out, instead remaining retracted. Two tongues entangled with all three of Tatzlight's, while the third one gave Twilight gentle prods on the nose. Twilight giggled from the attention, caught somewhere between amusement and worry.

Tatzlight disentangled from the odd embrace and let out a huge yawn, tongues straining in the air, before lying down and curling up into a ball. The yawn turned out to be contagious, Twilight soon following Tatzlight's example with a jaw-stretcher of her own. Twilight became aware of how weary she felt.

"Um... Please, could I get out? I’d like to go home to take a nap."

The large tatzlpony must have heard her, because the tongue that was still booping her snoot elected instead to stroke her mane once before pushing down on her back. Twilight didn't resist the obvious suggestion, letting her legs fold underneath her. She felt Tatzlight sidle closer, so their coats mingled. Two of the large tongues curled on top of Twilight, gently kneading her side and shoulders.

She didn't even notice falling asleep.

Author's Note:

[Tatzlponies] differ from earth ponies in that the strongest part of the tatzlponies is their three tongues, though the strength and dexterity of those are frankly staggering, capable of nearly similar kinds of force as earth ponies’ legs yet beating the same soundly in terms of flexibility.

Some tatzlponies display wings or horns, though both features seem at least partially vestigial. Winged tatzlponies might glide at the summit of one of their great leaps but they seem to lack the ability to take off into flight from the ground and they rarely flap their wings for propulsion. Tatzlponies with a unicorn horn frequently use light spells, but little else. Tatzlponies' tongues seem so dextrous that they simply do not see the need to develop telekinesis.

- From "The Tatzlpony"