>You wake up to a checkered ceiling, chipped and dirty from neglect.
>Attempts to move your body proved futile as you see the large, amber legs of Feather wrapped around you.
>Her breathing steady as you rest on her cushioned, plush belly.
>Softer than any bed you've experienced, you slipped into sleep easily once strapped to the mare last night.
>Though the odd bone and hard bit from her previous meal jabbed you awake at times, sleep was good.
>Feather's immense strength compliments her size, as you can only swing your head around.
>The two of you slept behind a cash register in an abandoned grocery shop, using the counter as cover.
>Littered with empty cans and other junk, Feather hoped that the trash on the ground would alert you two to danger.
>So far so good.
>Still pinned to your captor and savior, you see the empty bottle you were asked to inspect last night.
>It lays on the ground, just as any inanimate object would, yet something is off.
>Over the course of a few hours, it seemed to have lost its eerie luster.
>Had you not know it came from Feather's home, you would've suspected it was just comically-large bottle produced from your world.
>Yet, it sits there in a dull, transparent color, matching the drab world around you.
>The color of your pony companion remained as vibrant as ever, in contrast to your surroundings.
>Before you can really ponder your situation, you feel the grip around your body grow a bit tighter
>Feeling the mare's breathing resume its normal rounds, you turn your head up to see Feather awake.
>Or at least as awake as you can guess, she chose to sleep with her goggles on.
>Seeing her bare her teeth, she whispers to you.
>”We have company.”
>She shimmies towards the counter, keeping herself low while staring straight through the solid object.
>You take the opportunity to slide out of her grasp as her grip on your body loosens, keeping close to her.
>Keeping to her left, Feather points to her bum wing.
>”Hey, unwrap my wing.  Something might happen and I don't want her to know any weaknesses.”
>Silently nodding, you go to carefully unwrap the damaged wing.
>As you see her squint through her lenses, you find an odd surprise.
>When saving you from the cultists, you were certain her wing sustained a bullet shot before disarming the shooter.
>But the white strip in your hands that you peeled from her held no blood.
>Aside from a few minor scuff marks on her wing, there was no evidence of a wound.
>It looked just as good as her right.
>Feather rises up off the ground, standing up to face the stranger, giving a quick flap of her wings.
>Dust blows off the floor as you see her wince a bit, muttering under her breath.
>”Stay here, if it gets too crazy I want you to run out the back door, okay?”
“Sure, but what do you mean by 'crazy'?”
>”You'll know.”
>She steps out into the open walking down an aisle as you hear her greet the stranger.
>You poked your head out just enough to see the other pony from behind the counter.
>To your surprise, it was a pony much like Feather.
>Except something was completely off.
>The other mare's features seemed washed out.
>Her yellow hair seemed stringy and frayed at the ends and her peach coat seemed rough in spots and were even missing some patches.
>Eyes had no real color to them, just a brownish pupil with white surrounding it.
>Everything about the pony seemed too real to you.
>Feather's colors were like night and day compared to the mare.
>Your friend's mane seemed seamless despite being hair, and her coat glistened in the rising sun.
>It all seems so weird that these two would be from the same world.
>While you idly drifted in your thoughts, you see the unknown pony motion towards you.
>Unable to hear their words, you can only see Feather take an aggressive stance as she shakes her head.
>The other follows suit right before you see your mare take the opportunity to leap forward to jab the other right in the head with a right fore hoof.
>Blood.
>Blood flew from the other pony's mouth as she took the blow right below the chin.
>With expert grace, the pegasus digs into the ground with her left hoof as the body of the other pony slides back from the blow.
>Rotating her body with the forward momentum from her leap, she withdraws her hind legs as she faces her tail towards the opposing pony.
>As if on cue, the patchy pony stumbles forward aggressively, only to find two hind hooves from Feather dig deep into her forehead, the mare stumbling back for the last time as she hits the ground with finality.
>You wait a few seconds to make sure its safe, watching Feather check the pony for signs of life.
>She motions you over as you scamper over to her side.
>”Well, she's still breathing, but can't have her doing that to others, now can we?”
>Scratching your head, you ask her.
“From my perspective, it looked like you hit her first.”
>She rolls her eyes as she turns to you to speak.
>”She was talking about putting you on a pike over an open fire.”
“Oh.”
>”Yeah, the rest of her words weren't much prettier than that.”
>The friendly pony circles the unconscious body, eventually settling to sit at the hind legs of the hostile mare.
>She takes a few deep breaths before taking the hind hooves in her own front hooves.
>Her mouth starts to stretch open before you interrupt her.
“Wait, wait, wait!  What are you doing?  Isn't she like a pony like you?”
>She looks back at you with a straight face.
>”She was, not anymore though.  Did you ever check out that water bottle like I told you to?”
>You meekly nod as Feather turns back to her task.
>”Well, I'll give you the details after this, breakfast is calling.”
>Her jaw drops low as she forces the thick hind hooves into her mouth, cheeks bulging out at the size of it.
>She sloppily slurps at the legs as she feeds the hooves into her throat, taking in the legs to her mouth.
>You watch in morbid curiosity, watching Feather's elastic body stretch and wrap around the pony's form, the hind legs a pair of thick, cylindrical bulges in her neck.
>Her teeth reach the flank, the picture of a flower imprinted there on both sides.
>As the image slowly slips past the lips of the hungry mare, you look down to see Feather's own marking on her rear.
>A single picture of a feather.
>Appropriate for her name, you think.
>Staring back to Feather's progress, you see her gently gnaw on the plump flank of the pony.
>Seemingly half-teasing and half-purposeful, the fatty rump took long to squeeze into the narrow opening of Feather's throat.
>You see saliva dribble from her mouth, the mare's body desperately trying to lubricate the large meal.
>Taking it upon yourself, you walk over to do your best to help prop up the limp body, despite its massive weight.
>Feather sees your effort and points to the mare's belly, motioning for you to push there.
>Following her orders, you feel the body lurch deeper into the hungry maw of your friend.
>Looking over, you see the lower half of the pony's body etched into Feather's throat, her neck tight against the bulky meal.
>The ridged muscles in the esophagus move like a conveyor belt, pulsing and shifting in regular intervals, working to deliver the hefty load to the stomach.
>Your fingertips briefly dip in past Feather's lips, the warm liquid alerting you to move your hands as you see the plump belly fold past the mare's teeth.
>Her tongue snakes out as you jump out of the way, seeing it trail up the pony's body, reaching the bottom of the neck.
>A few hearty gulps and all that remained on the outside was the fore hooves and head.
>Beads of sweat formed over Feather's body, a few drops hitting the ground as she put her fore hooves on the bloodied face of the pony.
>She shoves the head past her teeth, forelegs following shortly after.
>Once the huge head enters her throat, the mare closes her mouth with finality, gulping hard with closed, strained eyes.
>The rounded bulge trails down her neck, joining the lumpy mass sitting the Feather's distended gut.
>With the unconscious pony in her belly, the body shifts about, the stomach already trying to weakly churn its contents.
>Using her fore hooves to force the rest of her meal down her throat, Feather gasps for air as her throat is finally clear.
>You try to approach her, but are met with a thunderous belch from her mouth, knocking you flat on your back.
>She covers her mouth embarrassingly as she sees your prone form.
>”Sorry, lotsa air got in.  Thanks for the assist by the way, rarely have other ponies on an empty stomach.
>Rubbing your head, you try to regain your balance from the gaseous blast as you stand straight, albeit a bit shakey.
“No problem, so... an explanation?”
>”Oh... yeah I did promise that, huh...”
>Rubbing her massive belly in thought, you see her middle slowly shrink onto the pony inside, allowing you to see the pony's outline through Feather's skin.
>”How should I say this... in short, our world thrives on the whole concept of the Elements of Harmony, gives us the whole magic and other stuff we take for granted.”
>You sit yourself down, still a bit dizzy from earlier.
>She continues her explanation as she rolls on her side, the pony within bounded from head to hoof in her digestive chamber.
>”Your world radiates a lot of chaos magic, but for some reason you guys are void of it.  Doesn't stop the chaos from taking over you humans though.  If you humans actually wielded more chaos magic in your weapons, we probably would've had second thoughts coming here.  At most we'll bruise a bit with your everyday firearms, but your heavier stuff is just as lethal to both of us.”
>Raising your hand to get her attention, you speak.
“So why exactly are you here?”
>Tapping her goggles once, she continues with a smirk.
>”Because there are weird humans like you that make Harmony, and some of us ponies are crazy enough to dive in for you guys.”
>Cocking an eyebrow to her, she changes the subject.
>”But, we're still affected by the chaos of your world, and without some magic from our place, we'll turn into kinda-mindless drones that just eat whatever.”
>She beats her belly with a hoof to emphasize her point.
>It gurgles in earnest, satisfied with its owner's catch.
>Tapping your chin in thought, you ask one last question.
“Okay, before I instantly believe everything you say because I don't have a choice, what are you going to do with me?”
>Feather's straight-faced expression slowly goes to mischievous as she scratches herself.
>”Well, while we're on your world, besides sipping those water bottles I brought, I'll be sipping on our little friendship to keep me sane, since we're friends, right?”
>You nod with hesitation, her approach creepy.
>She gives a throaty laughter at your pause before continuing.
>”Ha ha... well your reward for this will be living in the world of Harmony, a place that resonates with you, now won't that be fun?”
>Before you can give a skeptical look, Feather gives a playful giggle to herself.
>”Yes... as my own private pet and servant.  I was never fond of turtles or dogs, can never talk back.  But you'd be hours of fun...”
>She continues her delusional laughter as her stomach noisily bubbles against the body within, the scene giving you chills.
>Being stuck with this mare for life looms over your head, a scary proposition.
>Before you can imagine the rest of your days wasting away with this mare, Feather hits her hoof against the concrete to catch your attention.
>”Hey, can you get me some water?  This girl's coat was dry and I could use a nice refreshing drink of Equestrian water.”
“S-Sure... I'll go get that.”
>Walking back into the grocery store, you idly kick the cans on your way to the register.
>Rooting through her saddle bags, you grab the bottle, thinking to yourself.
“That pike over an open fire sure sounds nice right about now...”