It was a cool fall day in Ponyville, an icy breeze that hinted at a winter soon to come blew through the few remaining brightly colored leaves that remained on the twisted branches of trees that lay between the rustic buildings that populated the town.
Despite the cold, sweat beaded on Rainbow Dash's face as the chromatic pegasus hurtled through the air, wings straining for every bit of strength she could muster. Her surroundings blurred past her as the wind whipped through her namesake mane and tail. Just a little further and...yes!
A cool mist enveloped her hooves as she flared out her wings and alighted on a pearly whisp of cloud, breathing sharply. She tucked in her wings and sat, smirking as she gazed back the way she had come.
Only seconds later a white feathered gryphon with a brown coat joined her, sides heaving as she tucked in her wings and turned to sit next to Rainbow.
"Heh, looks like I win again, Gilda!" Rainbow chuckled, holding up her foreleg.
The gryphon rolled her eyes, but reached out a claw and made a fist to bump against the outstretched hoof. "Like I ever had a chance, Dash."
"Aw, this was just a warmup anyway, I bet you can at least tie me on the way back." Rainbow responded as she stood and flexed her wings in anticipation.
The retort Gilda was about to make was interrupted as her stomach let out a deep rumble, reminding her that it was well into the afternoon at this point and they had both missed lunch.
"Hold that thought, I'm gonna need to grab a bite before we do anymore."
"Yeahhh." Rainbow Dash sighed. "I suppose I could go for something myself. Mind if I join you this time?
"We've been over this before Dash, wouldn't want to make you all squeamish. I know how you ponies get around meat..."
"Pfft, you're talking to the bravest pegasus there is! Do you really think I'll be bothered by that? Besides, I'd rather hang out instead of breaking up our visits like this."
"No Dash, and that's final. I'll meet you back at your place in a bit." With that she dropped off the cloud and glided down into the town below.
"Hmmph, who does she even think I am?" Dash muttered. She was curious though. Where did Gilda even find meat around here? Hopefully she wasn't poaching any of Fluttershy's poor animals, or anypony else's pets for that matter. She thought Gilda had turned herself around after that first unpleasant visit, but she still wouldn't put it past her. Well, only one way to make sure. She thought, and jumped down to follow.
Scanning around as she glided, Rainbow soon spotted the fuzzy brown tip of Gilda's tail as it disappeared around a corner. "Gotcha."
Landing, Rainbow made sure to keep a bit of a distance, dodging behind crates and carts as she moved forward in bounds and dashes, doing her best to make sure she wasn't spotted. She grew more puzzled as Gilda turned onto another side street.
"Where is she going? There aren't any shops this way, and there's no way she's hunting anything in town..." Rainbow whispered to herself.
Turning yet another corner, her eyes widened as she saw Gilda trot into a house, right on the tail of an indigo coated earth pony with a frizzy purple mane. This was getting weirder by the minute. She didn't know the mare by name, but she did know that she was in the business of brewing various alcoholic drinks, and was quite good at it from the few samples she'd had. But that was a far cry from food, much less anything that would satisfy a gryphon's pallet.
Rainbow was almost tempted to follow them in, even though it meant being found out, and was even halfway to the door when she heard the lock click shut in front of her. This gave her pause as she was stopped in her tracks, but she would not be deterred.
The house had a window not too far from the door, and though it was a logos bit off the ground, it should look into the same room they had entered into. Walking over, she had to stand on her rear hooves, and pull herself up a bit with her forelegs, and she was able to just barely peek over the edge of the window sill. When she did, her breath caught at what she saw.
The mare had caught sight of Gilda at this point, and was slowly backing away when the gryphon shot forward and swept her forelegs up in her talons. As soon as she had them in her grasp, she clasped them together firmly and opened her beak wide, quickly stuffing them in.
“Wh..what are you doing!? Somepony h..mmph.” The mare started, but was silenced as Gilda freed a hand and wrapped it over the mare’s muzzle.
“Ah ah none of that. Food doesn’t talk.” Gilda grunted around the mares legs before pulling them deeper with her other hand.
The mare struggled, digging her rear legs into the floor in an attempt to pull herself free, but to no effect. The larger gryphon was clearly several times stronger, and the mare’s hooves simply slid along the floor as she was pulled forward, her eyes wide in panic.
“There’s no way she can possibl…” Rainbow’s mutters were stilled as the mare’s head was pulled in, and Gilda’s beak stretched even wider, easily accommodating it. She released her grip on the mare’s muzzle, but time only allowed for a brief gasp before her face was pressed into the waiting throat and engulfed with a wet ‘gulp.’
Rainbow knew she should do something. Smash through the window, run to get help, shout, anything! But she could only stare transfixed, as if some great force held her in place, trembling, and unable to tear her eyes from the impossible scene playing out in front of her.
The mare’s head had completely disappeared at this point, as well as her neck, and Gilda’s claws now rested firmly on the mare’s hindquarters. She gulped furiously as she pulled the mare in, her throat working one end, while her claws pulled from the other. In no time the mare was in up to her belly as the gryphon’s throat bulged out in a giant mass that moved slowly but steadily downward as the gulps continued.
Gilda had to lean forward as her beak continued working its way down the pony until it pressed against the floor with a soft ‘click.’
She leaned back again, tilting her head upward as a pair of hooves, and finally the last bit of frizzy purple tail disappeared inside, and she closed her beak firmly, resting a claw on her throat and tracing the last of the bulge as it travelled down and disappeared into her chest as her belly ballooned out obscenely beneath her, rounding out her sides as it wiggled and shook from the struggling form within.
She…she’s still alive in there!” Rainbow gasped. Suddenly aware of her outburst, she ducked down for a moment, ears flattened to her head and breathing heavily as she waited a few moments in fear she could’ve been heard. Taking a moment to pull herself together, she crept back up to sneak another peek.
Gilda was tenderly tracing circles on her swollen belly as she admired it. It swayed side to side slightly, and small bulges could be seen as various parts of the mare pressed against it.
She gave it a few gentle pats as she spoke to it in a hushed voice that Rainbow had to strain against the glass to hear.
“Heh, just where you ponies belong. You know, you should be happy to be my meal. If only you could see how well you’ve filled me out.”
At one point Rainbow could swear she was even able to make out the mare’s face when Gilda have a little stretch that caused her belly to tighten even more. The trapped mare’s mouth appeared open wide in a terrified scream that was hopelessly muffled by the taught layers of flesh around it.
That last sight seemed to spur her into action as Rainbow hopped down. She took a few unsteady steps before opening her wings and taking to the sky. Her mind raced faster than her body as she cleared the buildings and streaked into the open sky. Should she tell somepony? Who? Would they even believe her? How could her friend be so cruel? Sure, she had seen her be rude and yell at her and her friends before, but that was nothing compared to this!
Well, she knew the mare was still alive for now. But what could she possibly do to help her? Unfortunately it seemed her body had more direction than her thoughts as she found herself in the doorway of her cloud home. Unable to collect the roiling storm of thoughts in her head, she simply paced in circles around her living room. Could she have imagined the whole thing? It didn’t really seem possible, or even conceivable.
Her face paled when a knock came at the door. How long had she been lost in her thoughts? She pulled the door open and Gilda trotted in, looking a little weary, but her face lit up in a smile when she saw Rainbow.
“Yo, I think my eyes may have been a bit bigger than my stomach, mind if I crash on your couch for a bit?” Gilda asked bluntly.
Rainbow couldn’t help but sneak a glance as her friend looked at her expectantly. Her belly was a good bit smaller now, with no signs of the lumps and contours the mare inside had made earlier. Though it did still sway under the gryphon a bit, there wasn’t any real movement from within, and no noises other than a barely audible groaning and gurgling. Well, I guess that means it’s too late. Rainbow thought glumly.
“What’s a matter Dash? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
The question made Rainbow realize she’d been staring, and she looked up with a start.
“Oh! Uh…nothing. Be my guest.” She answered, waving a hoof toward the couch.
“Sorry if I’m not up for hanging, but I had a big lunch and kinda need a nap. You have anything good?” Gilda asked as she walked over and sprawled out on her side
“Eh, nothing special.” Rainbow answered, not able to come up with anything better. Of course she hadn’t eaten at all, but that was better left unsaid.
Not that her answer really mattered either way. It looked like the gryphon was already passed out cold, her sides rising and falling slowly with the long breaths of sleep.
“Big meal my flank.” Rainbow muttered under her breath. She’d swallowed a pony whole! But if this was the norm for her, than why had she never come back like this before? Mind racing, Dash thought back to all the other times Gilda had been in Ponyville. She usually went off to eat on her own, had she just never noticed? But…wait…
Thinking back she vaguely remembered a few missing foal reports that were put out roughly around those times.The very idea made her feel sick to her stomach. What Gilda had just done was terrible, but if she’d been eating children all this time? Rainbow shuddered again.
Only half aware of what she was doing, Rainbow silently wandered over to the couch. Gilda still appeared to be fast asleep. Good. Against her better judgement she thought there could still be a chance. Cautiously, she leaned in and pressed an ear against that bloated belly as it rose and fell softly.
When she did all she could hear were distinct gurgles and sloshes as the gryphon’s stomach broke down whatever was left of that poor mare. No, it couldn’t be possible!
Any reasonable part of her mind left when she reached up a hoof to touch that belly, hoping to feel anything at all that would give her hope, but she screamed the second her hoof touched it when it was suddenly grabbed in the iron grip of one of Gilda’s talons.
Rainbow was pulled roughly until she was face to face with the smiling gryphon.
“I knew you were there the whole time Dash. Shame, it was good while it lasted.”
Gilda opened her beak wide, and Rainbow Dash screamed again as she was shoved forward until the wet pulsing walls of Gilda’s throat filled her vision, and darkness surrounded her.
Bonus Chapter: The End of the Rainbow
Author's Note
Content warning: Brief description of digestion. Not too graphic, but if that's not your thing avoid the section between the asterisks.
Bonus Chapter: The End of the Rainbow
An oppressive damp heat and crushing pressure surrounded Rainbow Dash as she was swiftly pulled down the gryphon's throat. Despite all the strength of being a full grown mare with years of athletic training on her side, it was no match next to the grip of the hungry predator's maw.
She felt her wings pinned to her side, ceasing their panicked flapping and slicking her feathers with hot saliva. As she slid further, the firm tissue opened up in front of her, and her muzzle pushed through into a larger space. As soon as it was clear she took a deep shuddering breath, filling her lungs with damp stale air.
In her panic, she hadn't even realized she had been holding her breath. Though the air she found was barely breathable, she would have expected the inside of a stomach to be a lot worse. Indeed, though she couldn't anything in the darkness, all she felt was the slickness of saliva on the pulsing walls. Where were the burning acids and the remains of Gilda's last victim?
The space tightened as Dash's hindquarters slipped in to join her, forcing her to curl up into a ball as her tail was spat out of the orifice somewhere above her, closing tightly to seal her in.
So this is it. She thought with a sob, feeling gentle pokes and prods through layers of flesh as Gilda gave her belly a series of rubs and pats with her talons. All her hard work and ambitions, only to end up as nothing more than a quick meal. Nothing more than nutrients for a hungry gryphon. Already it was becoming difficult to breathe again, and she knew it wouldn't be much longer before she passed out, and this nightmare would finally be over.
Suddenly, the chamber seemed to contract around her, shifting her around until her face was once again pressed into a ring of muscle. The squeezing increased, and before she knew it she was moving again. Going....up? Light pierced her eyes as a beaked mouth split open wide before her.
'Thud.' Rainbow gasped, soaked and shivering as she was roughly deposited onto the floor of her own house. She lay there in shock for several moments until she was roughly jabbed in the side by a talon. Slowly, she turned her head, looking up to meet Gilda's golden eyes as the gryphon glared down at her.
"Pathetic." Gilda mumbled, "Of all ponies, I would have expected more of a struggle out of you Dash."
"Y...you're a monster!" Rainbow spat, meeting Gilda's glare.
"Of course prey like you would say that." Gilda retorted. "But the thing is it's only natural. Some gryphons might be happy with pony food, and the rare scrap of meat, but it's not who we are. We're predators, and you're food, and why would we deny our nature?"
"But I thought we were friends!" Rainbow shouted, pulling herself shakily to her hooves and giving her wings a few angry flaps in a futile attempt to shake of the cooling saliva that weighed them down.
"We were." Gilda grumbled.
Standing nearly nose to nose, Gilda still dwarfed the shaking pegasus. It had never really occurred to Rainbow how much bigger Gilda really was, but now their difference in height was blatant and terrifying.
"Heh, I used to look up to you." Gilda continued with a chuckle, the irony of the statement not lost on her. "Ever since our time at Junior Speedsters, and all those times you've saved Equestria. It really is a shame I have to eat you, but now that you know my secret it can't be avoided. You're loyal to a fault, and I know you'd never be able to keep it to yourself."
With a shout Rainbow spun on her hooves and made a break for the door. She made it nearly halfway there in a mad uncoordinated gallop before something snagged her tail and threw her roughly back to the floor. She kicked out wildly with a back leg and connected with Gilda's shoulder, sending the gryphon tumbling to the floor behind her.
Rainbow struggled to get back to her hooves, but a pair of taloned hands clamped down on her haunches with an iron grip.
"Still, I hoped there was a chance." Gilda spoke, continuing as if nothing had happened. "That maybe we could work through it. See, that wasn't even my stomach you experienced. I put you in my crop where you wouldn't be harmed."
She pulled Dash closer, bringing her haunches up to her beak. "Thought maybe a little time out would help us see eye to eye."
A predatory glint flashed in Gilda's eyes, and she stuck out her tongue, drawing it across Rainbow's haunches in a long lick. "But I can see now that's not going to work, and to be honest I think I'm going to enjoy this. After all, I'll get to keep you with me forever."
Rainbow started to sob, tears streaking the already dampened fur under her eyes as warmth engulphed her rear once again. She thought of pleading, crying out, saying anything to make Gilda stop, but she knew it would be pointless. She was a mare of integrity, and the first thing she would do if she got away would be to put a stop to what Gilda was doing. She wouldn't make false promises or plead for her life, if for no other reason than to avoid giving that monster the satisfaction.
In short order her entire body had been consumed, leaving only her head visible. "I hope you choke." Rainbow growled as the beak once again framed her vision, light fading to dark as it was eclipsed by pink walls that wrapped around her face. As if in a final wave goodbye, Gilda's tongue lifted up to give her a light push on the nose, and she got one last glimpse of her living room before everything went black.
Rainbow felt her body plop down in the now familiar chamber, but unlike the last time, a second hole opened up beneath her, and she was squeezed through into what must be Gilda's actual stomach. When her head finally entered the crop she could hear the gurgling behind her, as if it was announcing what was to come.
******************
It didn't take long for her to enter the stomach completely. As expected it was much more unpleasant. Unlike the relative cleanliness of the crop, she could feel a hot soupy substance occupying the space around her, thick with hard bits and chunks that had yet to be digested. It didn't take much to imagine what it had been, and as Rainbow's head began to go under and that realization came to her, there was nothing she could do but scream.
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Gilda let out a loud belch, catching a solitary cyan feather in a talon before it could flutter down to the floor. She reached down with the other to give her bulging gut a satisfied pat. Her satisfaction clashed with a spike of sorrow that brought a tear to her eye.
"Well, at least you'll always be with me Dash."
