Two Worlds Collide: A Microscopic Tail

Ah, the Rodeo. I wish I could say I had fond memories of them, but the only one I do have involves me being incredibly bored. I don't even remember the Rodeo itself, just that I wanted to be literally--and by literally I mean figuratively--anywhere else. That level of apathy, it seemed, was absent the day Buffalo Bull's Wild West Show rolled into Appleloosa.

Ponies and Buffalo of all ages wanted to see the show. Perhaps it was the thrill of seeing ponies perform, perhaps there was a colt or mare who had a thing for one of the Troupe members--regardless of the reason, the show was booked well before the ponies had finished setting up.

You would think such a scenario would be on the humans' list of "top ten places to avoid", but to the three humans currently hidden away within the light brown coat of a mare named Apple Cherry, this was exactly the sort of event they lived for

I mean, they didn't know a rodeo was going on, obviously. While one may think psychic powers would be the next step to magic, let us remember that a certain purple dragon believed he could use his mind to set fire to things before briefly coming to the conclusion that mind-reading was right around the corner.

So, the point I'm trying to make is psychic powers are--damn, I forgot to pause the story again! Let's just get on with this before we miss something important.

I want you to do something; I'm going to paint you a picture, and I want you to visualize it exactly as I say. Ready? Okay. Imagine you're standing in a massive forest; no matter which direction you face, or which way you go, the only thing you'll see are strange, limbless trees. There is no bark, no leaves, in fact the only thing tree-like about it is that they're growing from large indents in ground--which, in this particular scenario, is a pale, rubbery terrain cloaked in shadows.

The reason for the lack of light is that these trees are so numerous, so close together, that only the faintest rays of light can shine through to illuminate the landscape.

Now in your mind, I want you to touch these trees; they have no bark, but they're porous--rough, yet surprisingly smooth to the touch. But there's something else, besides the trees; you're feeling hot--why is that, you may wonder? The reason being is that the landscape is constantly radiating heat--as though the summer sun is somehow rising from the ground instead of beating against it. Each step you take is uneven, bumpy, and it feels as though the ground beneath your feet is beating--as though it were alive.

Every so often, a large sphere of water--roughly the size of your midsection, I'd guess--will be pushed from this... bumpy surface, before trailing off towards a subtle, downhill slope. Can you see it? Are you there, right now?

I hope the answer is yes, because I'm going to want you to keep hold of that image for a while yet. You see, sitting beneath one of those giant trees were three humans--two of them boys, and the last a girl. Their hands were submerged in one of those spheres of water, a faint glow of magic lighting the thing up like a lamp as one after another they lift their hands to their mouths and send however much of the fluid they held down into their waiting bellies.

These humans, unlike those before them, were parasites. They had discovered ways to use their magic to live off other living things--a desperate act that, while safer in some regards to living in hiding, holds many other dangers that would make it impossible for a large group.

One of the humans ,Sara, made a face of utter disgust as she downed her handful of magically purified water before looking to her companions.

"We really need to find some way to change the taste, "she complained, "even if we can drink it, does it have to still taste like sweat?"

One of the other humans, Mike, finished his own mouthful before replying. "It's not so bad. It kind of has a sweet undertone to it, one that I think goes hand and hand with the salty, earthy fla--"

"Dude, you don't have to make it sound like a fine wine. It tastes like ass, and you know it." That one was Vince. I'd say he was the leader, but this particular triage was surprisingly independent. They traveled together, slept together, but none of them held any sway or power over the other. In a strange display of irony--given where they lived now--that it was almost the perfect picture of harmony.

Even as the ground beneath them began to tilt at a dangerous level, not a single shout could be heard--a groan of annoyance, yet, but no motion of sound of fear Their 'host' had sat down, and instead of letting themselves fall to deeper into the forest, the trio sort of hung there, their hands glued to the firm ground by a magic adhesion spell which, not surprisingly, was becoming quite popular among human populace.

"Think something's going on out there?" Asked Mike.

Sara let out a sigh of defeat as her head lifted to look up the endless forest above her. "The horse probably just sat down to eat or something." Idly, her eyes wandered back to where the sweat drop had been--then proceeded to follow the trail of moisture it left as it ran deeper into the coat. "Looks like our drink's gone. Wanna go see if something’s happening just in case?"

"Might as well." muttered Vince. "If nothing else, at least we won't just be hanging around, yeah?"

With a mutual agreement, the trio of humans gathered up their magic within their tiny bodies, condensing it within their backs, before letting it burst out to form beautiful, translucent wings. To avoid the danger of the newly awoken insects , the diminutive people remained close to the mare's body as they flew along the vast expanse of her back, dodging the various strands of fur and droplets of sweat as they flew higher and higher up, hoping that there'd be some event, some.... something, to keep them amused.

I think I already gave away what that was, but I've heard that sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination, and I'd like to think that this was one of those times. .

Apple Cherry, along the crowd of equine and bovine, stomped her hooves and whooped as the Rodeo got underway. Calamity Mane--a mare with a yellow coat and a mane sporting two shades of blue--was currently performing a series of impressive acts ranging from twirling through shrinking lasso hoops, to dodging bales of hay, to getting in a hogtying match with a background pony and, to nobody’s surprise, winning hooves down.

While the crowd was entranced with the show, the three humans living within Apple Cherries coat had flown up onto the dark brown Stetson hat resting atop her head. It was true that their current position may not have been the safest--after all, they were more or less completely out in the open--but humankind had a myriad of shortcomings, occasional bouts of reckless endangerment being one of them.

"Holy crap, did you see that? “Asked Sara. The tiny woman was practically bouncing where she stood, her two compatriots watching in amusement as their friend acted like an overjoyed child. "She threw that bale of hay at least... I don't even know! Ohhhh, I wish I could actually be one of those horses. They're lives seem so much better than humans." A beat. "Well, before we came here anyway."

"Speak for yourself" Expressed Vince, "Back on Earth, I had a nice job, was refurbishing my Grandpa's old Plymouth, and was thiiiis close to getting the girl of my dreams. " Vince held his figures just a few centimeters apart, before letting his hand drop with a sigh. "And now I'm living off dead-skin flakes, horse sweat, and the occasional crumb and drop of water."

Appropriately, Sara had no remark for this reminder of their miserable situation, and Mike simply watched the show and let the two sort out their own problems. It was truly a terrible life--they were living simply for the sake of living, though one could argue that moments like these, moments where they could simply sit and enjoy something, almost made it worth it.

Those moments, some might remind us, were fleeting and fragile things. Before the trio could enjoy any more of the show, a strong gust of wind blew across the town. This wind--while not necessarily strong to the ponies and bison enjoying the show--was strong enough to make the small humans lives take a terrifying turn. The hat which had been so snugly places on Apple Cherry's head was lifted from the mare and sent flying into the Rodeo's... stage, arena? I honestly don't know what the area the performers worked in was called.

Apple Cherry gave a startled shout and reached for the hat as it flew away, missing it just by a hair. The humans had it even worse; Mike and Vince, despite their best efforts, fell from the head wear even as Sara clung to the material with all the magical strength she could muster. The fall was... uneventful. The two men simply caught themselves with a flight spell and, while the fall was incredibly turbulent, Sara had managed to hang onto the hat until it's inevitable 'thud' against the dirt.

The trio, while separated, all laughed at the absurdity of it. No matter how simple a thing may be, at the size Humanity was reduced too everything was a threat; the fact that they were just blasted into the air, sent tumbling, and landed without a scratch was.. .well, as stressed as they were they found it rather hilarious.

As Vince and Mike descended towards the hat, and Sara let go of her spell and shakily stood up, the trio heard a noise that humans had learned to fear almost as soon as they arrived. Mike and Vince noticed it first--the thunderous, rhythmic beat of the pony's hooves crashing into the ground. One-two-three-four one-two-three-four--the sound of an approaching Equine meant one of two things; either you were somewhere potentially lethal, or you should be somewhere their hooves couldn't reach you. Mike and Vince were safe, Sara though...?

Well, she was about to have a really bad time.

The sight of the approaching mare left the poor girl frozen in terror, and as the yellow, unimaginably long legs of the Rodeo mare came to a stop in front of the hat. While that alone would be justifiable in rendering a tiny, helpless person paralyzed it was not actually the thing that caused her heart to pummel at her ribcage, or her veins to pump acid throughout her body. Oh no, what cause that feeling was the rapidly approaching muzzle, its mouth opening to allow the women to see the glistening cavern that lay beyond.

Calamity Mane's mouth was absolutely cloaked in shadows; the sunlight, bright as it was, was not enough to illuminate her maw. Every single detail Sara could see--from the strands of saliva stretching from the roof of her mouth, to the writhing, terrifying tongue that flattened itself to the mouth's floor as it grew ever closer to its target--was made all the more dismal by the pure blackness that consumed the cave. She felt her body dampen as the humidity of the pony's breath washed over her, blowing away all signs of fresh air and replacing it with the carbon dioxide filled stench of peas, carrots, radishes, and and assortment of other vegetables combined together to make something foul.

And then the source of that smell, the very opening leading into the pony's depths, clamped around both the rim of the hat and Sara, and before the girl could so much as scream--though she did manage as it happened--the platform of material she was sitting on catapulted her into the roof of the mare's mouth and gravity shifted the piece of apparel downwards.

I'm not sure if you know this, but Saliva is actually somewhat sticky. It's a thing with mucus I think, the body is.. .well, gross like that. Sara, though she may have known this herself, was experiencing it firsthand as the pony's bodily fluids glued her to the roof of the massive equine's mouth.

As Calamity Mane opened her mouth, allowing the hat to fall in her waiting hoof outside, Sara knew that this was it. The scant light that was afforded the tiny girl shined past the mare's lips, illuminating the glistening, organic walls of her maw; she saw the light pass over the bumpy, slick surface of the mare's tongue, the pools of spit that... well, pooled beneath it. As time seemed to slow, and the terrifying muscle lifted from its place and began to rise towards her, she knew this was it. The game was over, the screen was marching down from ten, and she had no more change to keep playing.

She thrashed, she screamed, and she cried, but no amount of struggling could prevent the mare's tongue from slamming into her, breaking her free from her saliva-induced prison as a blast of hot, humid air washed over her, the booming unintelligible sound of the pony's speech pounding mercilessly into her body as the organ beneath her tossed her around like a tic-tac.

Saliva filled her mouth, forced its way down her throat and into her belly even as she gagged and wretched in a futile attempt to purge the thick, viscous liquid from her own depths. The taste... that smell that clung to every surface in this cursed place, to the girls very body, was very reminiscent of the Vegetable Soup her mother used to make her when she was a kid.

And then, body sore from her very literal tongue lashing, the worst thing that could happen happened. The continuously growing pool of saliva--now a lake to the poor girl nearly drowning in it--began to be pulled further back into Calamity's mouth. By some convenient stroke of misfortune, Sara's mind refused to grasp any of the spells it knew even as she grew closer and closer to the mare's esophagus.

Remember now, there was no light in Calamity's mouth, no luminescence to allow Sara to see where she was going. Imagine being trapped in pure darkness, the hot, muggy air tainted by the reeking stench of pre-eaten vegetables as a current of thick waters pulls you closer and closer to a fall you can't even see. Then, when gravity takes hold of your body and the current carries you down into the depths you feel the slimy, mucus lined walls of your prison clenching around you with enough pressure to make your bones creak as it forces you down through slime and clumps of food bigger than you are in what would no doubt be the worst seven seconds of your life thus far.

That was Sara. That was what our heroine was forced to endure before being suddenly and violently ejected through the bottom of the esophagus into one of the most hostile environments you could find ever find yourself in. Every one of her senses was bombarded by the atmosphere of the pony's stomach; the heat--which was already unbearable in the mouth--was a constant barrages slamming into her pores, roasting her as the source of it produced more and more with every step it took.

The sound of churning, gurping, sloshing and bubbling mixed with the rapid-fire beat of the mare's massive heart from somewhere deeper within her body while the soupy, digested remains of numerous vegetables were constantly pushed and squeezed around in the fleshy blackness of Calamity's gut, producing a reeking, vomitus odor of gastric fumes and homemade soup that forced Sara to finally purge her stomach of the saliva it was forced to ingest just moments earlier.

The acid was the only thing the small girl was spared from; as soon as she was expelled from the mare's esophagus, Sara finally managed to cast a spell--that spell, it seemed, was one for flight. Wings that would only serve to hold off the inevitable held Sara aloft within the digesting organ, the acidic mess below sloshing dangerously close as not only did the stomach constantly keep it moving, but the pony's movements outside made it slosh from one part of the stomach to the other.

She would die here, she knew, but she didn't truly accept it as a fact. She had survived for so much longer than everyone else she knew, suffered indignities that even now flashed through her mind like a slideshow of shame, all for it to end inside of one of those monsters that were slowly bringing her race into extinction?

A burbling, more distinct and louder than the others, sounded from beneath her and before she could so much as question it, a rush of hot gas surged up from below, catching the tiny human and sending her flying back up the way she fell. A burp, a simple expelling of air from the stomach, sent the tiny girl once more sprawling against the wet, bumpy surface of the pony's tongue. Sunlight shone through into the cavern as the gas blew out from the pony's muzzle into the fresh daylight beyond.

Sara lay there, her body coated in saliva, mucus, and bits of food--her mouth tainted with the taste of vomit and the scent of digesting flora bleached into her nostrils. The light danced across her slime covered body, teasing her with its natural warmth and inviting radiance... and then once again the mare closed her mouth, and tossed her tiny prisoner back down her waiting gullet

Again she felt the muscles shove her through filth, again she felt her bones creak and body ache, and once again she fell into the mare's roiling depths. She didn't catch herself this time; despite having avoided the acids on her first visit, this time Sara was unable to stop herself from falling into the turbulent sludge. Almost immediate the churning of the pony's stomach pulled the girl under, and while she didn't feel anything at first beyond the squelching muck of liquefied vegetation enveloping her body from all sides as the forces of gravity once more took hold and began pulling her down. That feeling was soon joined by a tingling, and then a burning.

Sara spent her last few moments in unimaginable agony, her body being digested away within Calamity Mane's small intestine even as acids that were so ruthlessly breaking down her body were slowly being neutralized by the bile being produced within the mare's bowels. The only exit from Calamity's body for Sara, it seemed, would be the rear.

As the female member of the trio was undergoing all of that torture, the other two could only watch in silence as the giant equine picked up their platform and carried it back to its owner.

"We have to go after her..." Muttered Mike. "She... she could still be in the horse’s mouth, right? We just gotta pull her out..."

Even as he said this, Calamity Mane resumed the show, galloping further and further away from the two flying humans as she began performing another one of her tricks.

"You know we can't do that." Vince placed his hand on Mike's shoulder, watching the Equine use her tail to do some trick with her lasso. "It’s just the two of us left, now. We try to go in after her and we'd just end up the same way."

They didn't really care about the show anymore, but with the mare's tail twirling above her she was unwittingly reminding the two that eventually their friend would be unceremoniously purged from her body, along with anything else that she may have eaten beforehand.

Broken, and with a friend less, the two humans reluctantly flew to safety, leaving the various equines and bovines to enjoy the rest of the show without them.

Phew... that was actually rather exhausting. Believe it or not, I had actually planned on all three humans to survive this one but, heh, fate decided to take a different path. The lesson here is a very important one, I think: Always be careful what you wish for, and never wish to be something or someone you aren't, because that something or someone could eat you and make it much more literal than you actually intended it to be.

Here's to another beautiful day in Equestria~